A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



of Knebworth," who died seised of it in 1615." 

 Letchworth then followed the descent of Knebworth 

 Manor" until 1811," but a few yean later it was 

 sold to John Williamson of Baldock, who possessed 

 it in iSzi.' - * He died in 1830 and left Letchworth 

 to his grandson the Rev. John Alington, son of his 

 daughter Sarah, who died in 1863." The manor 

 then passed successively to John Alington's second 

 but eldest surviving son William, who died childless 

 in t 874, and to his youngest son the Rev. Julius 

 Alington of Little Barford.'* The lalter possessed 

 Letchworth until 1903, when the First Garden City 

 Pioneer Company acquired the whole parish by 



William Lytton was granted court leet and free 

 warren in Letchworth in 1616." 



Haifa fee in Letchworth was held by the Knights 

 Templars in the 13th century, and 120 acres in 

 addition were granted to them by Richard de Mont- 

 fitchet for a term of fifty years. B Nothing more is 

 known of the descent of this half fee. 



NEVELLS or NEVILLS was a small manor which 

 was held of the manor of Letchworth. 60 It is not 

 called a manor until 1324. In 1 198 John de Nevill 

 claimed 4 virgates of land in Letchworth as his 

 inheritance from Alban his grandfather, who was 

 seised of it." A John de Nevill appears again in 

 1247-8," and in 132+ Walter de Nevill, son of this 

 or another John, conveyed the reversion of the manor, 

 which another Walter de Nevill held for life, to 

 John de Blomvile," lord of the manor of Chesfield in 

 Graveley. Following the descent of this manor" 

 (q.v.) it passed to the Barr'mgtons," and remained in 

 that family until it came to John son of Nicholas 

 Harrington" in 1515. In 152+ the wardship of 

 John Barrington was granted to Henry Earl of Essex,''' 

 but John seems to have attained his majority in the 

 following year." Soon after this the Barringtons 

 must have conveyed Nevells to the Snagge family, 

 who acquired Letchworth in 1 54.7, for in 1 596 

 William Snagge and his mother conveyed Nevells to 

 Sir Rowland Lytton.™ Sir Rowland died in 1615 

 seised of the reversion of the 'capital messuage called 

 Nevill ' after the death of Margaret Walford (William 

 Snagge's mother), and was possessed of the residue of 

 the manor." He already held Letchworth, and from 

 that date Nevells and Letchworth followed the same 

 descent and were presumably amalgamated. 



BURLEIGH or B URLET (Born eleye, Boureleghe, 



xiii cent. ; Borlcye, xiv cent. ; Burke, Jtv cent.) is 

 now represented by Burleigh Farm in a detached 

 portion of Letchworth parish between Stevenage and 

 Knebworth, situated about 8 miles south of Letch- 

 worth. In the 14th century it appears held with 

 Wollenwich as a quarter of a knight's fee, so it is 

 possible that in 1086 it was included in the half hide 

 and half virgate in Wollenwich (Wlwenewiche) held 

 of Robert Gernon by the William who held Letch- 

 worth." The overlordship of Burleigh appears in 

 the same hands as that of Letchworth (q-v.), passing 

 from the Montfitchets (the successors of Robert 

 Gernon) to the Burnells. Philip Burnell died seised 

 of a quarter fee in Burleigh in I 294," and in 1 303 a 

 quarter fee in Burleigh and Wollenwich was held of 

 the heirs of Philip Burnell by Laurence de Brok." 



The family of Brok had probably been holding the 

 fee in sub-tenancy for some lime previous to this, for 

 a Laurence de Brok, who died about 1275, appears 

 as grantee in conveyances of land in Wollenwich." 

 He had a son Hugh, who was the father of the 

 Laurence of I303. :i This Laurence "was holding 

 Burleigh In 1294," and died before 1330, leaving 

 a widow Ellen, ; " after whose death his lands passed 

 to their son Ralph." Ralph's heirs, who were 

 holding Burleigh in 1 346," were his three daughters, 

 Joan, who died childless, Ellen and Agnes." 1 There 

 is no evidence to show which of the two latter 

 inherited Burleigh, but Agnes is known to have had 

 a daughter Joan and a granddaughter Katrine, whose 

 daughter was named Cecily." Possibly the Thomas 

 Vinter who was holding the property in 1428" 

 was the husband of Katrine or Cecily, in which case 

 Burleigh would have descended to one of Cecily's 

 granddaughters, Joan Alington, Elizabeth Taillard 

 and Margaret Langley, who claimed some of the 

 Brok lands in 1468." Early in the 16th century 

 Burleigh came into the hands of Ralph Fraunces, son 

 of William Fraunces, from whom he perhaps inherited 

 it. Ralph died seised of it in 1 533, leaving an infant 

 son William, who was placed in the wardship of 

 Sir Henry Sachevercll." In 1557 William Fraunces 

 and Elizabeth his wife conveyed the property to 

 John Godfrey or Cowper. 96 The latter died in 1565, 

 leaving Burleigh to his younger son Francis, then 

 under age. 9 ' The latter died in 1631, leaving 

 ' Burley Ground and the Hault ' to be divided between 

 his three sons Edward, William and John, 8 * after 

 which all records of the estate cease, but it seems to 



