A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



There are a few important monuments of more 

 recent date. In the chancel chapel is one to Sir 

 Thomas Rumbold, formerly Governor of Fort St. 

 George, who for his eminent services under the East 

 India Company was created a baronet. He died 

 li November 1791. There are also tablets to his 

 two sons Thomas Henry and Anwaer Henry Rum- 

 bold ; to their mother Joanna, daughter of Bishop 

 Law of Carlisle ; and to Captain William Richard 

 Rumbold, who carried the Pondicherry dispatches 

 and the colours of the fortress to the king. He died 

 I+June 1786. 



In the manor chapel are many monuments to the 

 Smiths of Woodhall with their arms. In the south 

 aisle is the monument of Philip Boteler, only son of 

 Sir John Boteler, kt., who died 7 May 1712, aged 

 thirty-one, and of his cousin and heir John Boteler of 

 Woodhall, who died 17 July 1774, aged ninety. 

 Above is a shield of Boteler impaling Ettrick, Argent 

 a Hon and a chief gules, for Philip Boteler and his 

 wife Elizabeth Crane Ettrick, who died childless. 



In the chapel is preserved a large iron-bound chest 

 of late 16th or early 17th-century date. 



The bells are six in number, the treble being by 

 J. Briant, 1785; the second by George Chandler, 

 1 682 ; the third by the same maker and of the same 

 date was recast by Bowell in 1907 ; the fourth by 

 J. Briant, 1785 ; the fifth by C. & J. Mean, 1852 ; 

 and the sixth by Thomas Mcars, 1841. 



The plate consists of two chalices and two patens 

 of 1865 and a flagon of i860. 



The registers date from I ;6o and are contained 

 in four books : (i) baptisms, burials, and marriages 

 from 1560 to 1737 ; (ii) baptisms and burials from 

 1737 to 1812, marriages from 1737 to 1753 ; (iii) 

 marriages from 175+ to 1 806 ; (iv) marriages from 

 1807 to 1812. 



The advowson is first mentioned 

 ADVOWZOX in 1304, when it was in the hands 

 of Mabel de Tuwe," who in 1308 

 conveyed it with the manor of Woodhall to Philip de 

 Peletot." The living is a rectory. It continued to 

 descend with the manor of Watton Woodhall until 

 the i gth century. 1 ' After the death of Paul Bendfield 

 in 1801 it was sold separately from the manor to 

 Alexander Elliee, 18 who presented in 1804. 1 * His 

 son William Elliee presented in 1809,'° and John 

 Corfield for one turn in 18 14," after which the 

 advowson was acquired by Abel Smith," lord of the 

 manor of Woodhall, and has since remained with the 

 manor. In 1701 the parsonage and certain of the 

 glebe lands were exchanged with Philip Boteler for 

 Crowborough Hall and the premises and lands per- 

 taining. The old house lay east of the River Beane. 

 The glebe still forms part of the Woodhall Park 

 estate and is called the Springs or the Rector's 

 Springs. The new site, which adjoined the church- 

 yard, was more convenient, as before, ' when the 

 waters are out and overflow the banks of the river 



there, which runs between the parsonage and the 

 church aforesaid, the minister cannot pas? over the tame 

 to go to the church.'" The second rectory, which 

 stood about 100 yards north-west of the church, was 

 pulled down about the middle of the 19th century 

 and a new rectory built close by. This house, 

 which is called by the old name of Crowbury (Crow- 

 borough), was bought in 1898 by the trustees of 

 the Woodhall estate, and is now the residence of 

 Mrs. Abel Smith. The present rectory was built 

 with part of the proceeds of the sale."" 



In 1423 the advowson was in the king's gift by 

 reason of the minority of Sir Philip Boteler's heir," 

 and again in 1635— 6.* ;l Dr. Halsey, the incumbent 

 by this presentation, in 1 638 brought a suit against 

 Sir John Boteler, concerning which the king wrote to 

 the Master of the Court of Wards : ' We were 

 informed that the church suffered much by the 

 indirect courses held by the Botelera, patrons, in 

 obtaining leases of the parsonage house, glebe and 

 tithes, at an undervalue of the incumbents whom 

 they presented, and therefore we resolved to redeem 

 the church from that pressure, and when the church 

 became void determined to bestow the same on 

 Dr. Halsey divers months before our presentation 

 passed. This being the case you are first to preserve 

 the rules and orders of your Court for our better 

 service, and next if you still find that such indirect 

 courses have been held by patrons, if any advan- 

 tage has thereby happened to us, you are not to 



In 1644-5 tne inhabitants of Watton petitioned 

 Sir John Boteler not to bestow the living on the 

 curate, 'who is not a quiet and peaceable man, and 

 who will neither bury or christen or administer the 

 Sacrament.* Sir John was, however, at that time 

 imprisoned at Peterhouse for malignancy." In 1 734 

 Hamond Cross presented for one turn," and in 

 1781 John Stockwell." Edward Bickersteth, who was 

 instituted by Mr. Abel Smith in 1830, was the com- 

 piler of the Christian Psalmody, on the basis of which 

 his son, the Rev. E. H. Bickersteth, formed the collec- 

 tion of hymns known as the Hymnal Companion, 



There was a church house connected with the 

 church of Watton, of which mention is made in 

 1 504, when a chamber in it was provided by Sir John 

 Boteler for a priest. 60 



Whempstead Chantry or Free Chapel, dedicated in 

 honour of the Blessed Mary, was founded by Henry 

 Mayor of London late in the 12th or early in the 

 13th century. He endowed it with a carucate of 

 land of the value of 40/. yearly. 6 ' There are 

 references to a chapel in the parish of Watton in the 

 episcopal registers during the 13th and 14th cen- 

 turies, the incumbent of which was called a warden, 

 who also served the parish church. In 1261 this 

 chapel was said to be without cure of souls." 3 Sir 

 Robert Aguillon by his will (?i Z 86) left a tenter- 

 ground in London to the chapel in his fief of Watton, 



B Linc. Epis. Reg. Mem. I 

 ol. 23; d. 

 38 Feet of F. Herts. Eas' 



> ; Close, t 4 Ric. n, m. 



nq. p.m. ij Hen. VI, no, 1 

 niii, SS i Recov. R. Hit 

 ol. 19 ; Mich. 1 Anne, roi 



5 Geo. Ill, 



. Edw. II, 



d. ; Chan. 



> (S«. a), 

 2. jas. I, 



120 ; Hil. 

 Mich. 



^Cuisana, Hit,, of Her. 

 Hun J. p. 187. 



3 » Inst. Bits. (P.R.O.). 



43"- 



< 8 Bacon 

 (P.R.O.). 



vi, App. viii, 

 I nit. Bks. 



. Act, 4 



[S An. 



I. 4S7 ; Clergy Li,.; 1908. 



l. H. Smith. 

 " Cal. Pal. 1422-9, p. 160. 

 " Cal. S. P. Don. 1655-6, p. 252 (i). 



I64 



* Wiil, P.C.C. 17 Holgraye. 

 ■1 Re. IlunJ. (Rec. Com.), i, 

 "■ Line. Epis. Reg. IWkingr 

 i and ii ; ibid. Gravciend. 



