BROADWATER HUNDRED 



in relief of the poor." It is uncertain if reference 

 was made to this chapel in the licence, dated 1390, 

 to build a chapel in a place called 'la Lowe,' in 

 the parish of Watton, to the honour of the Blessed 

 Virgin. The advowson of the chantry remained 

 vested in the lords of the manor of Bardolf "° until 

 the forfeiture of that manor by William Viscount 

 Beaumont in 1461, when it escheated to the 

 Crown." In 1521 it was granted, together with 

 the reversion of the manor, to Sir Wistan Brown." 

 The chapel was, however, allowed to fall into disuse 

 by Sir Wistan's son and successor. The last incum- 

 bent, one Goldingham, a layman, died about I 547, 

 'after whose decease John Brown being patron of 

 the said chapel did enter and the profit thereof 

 took and enjoyed to his own use, and between 

 Michaelmas and Hollomas hath felled and sold ten 

 acres of wood.' By the time of the survey of 1 5 48 

 the chantry was ' utterlie decayed,' and was farmed 

 out with its lands and appurtenances to Joan Curtes, 

 a widow, for the rent of £4 8-f. 4^." Upon the 

 dissolution of the chantry in the same year the site 

 and lands, including the woods of 'Bushey Layes and 

 Comes wood,' were granted to William Twisden and 

 John Brown and their heirs. M In 1584 Whempstead, 

 still called the * free chapel,' was conveyed by Edward 

 Walgrave to John Harvey," who died seised of it in 

 i6o6. S8 He left a widow Clemence, who enjoyed 

 the profits during her lifetime, after which Whemp- 

 stead came to William Harvey, his second son, upon 

 whom it was entailed." William died in 1621, 

 leaving it to his third son William, with remainder in 

 equal division to his four remaining children. 60 

 William Harvey the younger died without issue in 

 1626," and his estates were in consequence divided 

 between his brothers John and Thomas Harvey and 

 his sisters Mary Storer and Elizabeth Harvey. Thomas 

 Harvey and William Storer conveyed their fourths to 

 Sir John Boteler." 



WELWYN 



A capital messuage called Whempstead appears in 

 1592 in the possession of John Scioggs, who died 

 seised of it in that year. He left a son Edward." 



A portion of the estate belonging to Whempstead 

 Chapel, called Olivers, was apparently kept by the 

 Botelers after the dissolution of the chantry and did 

 not go with the rest of the lands." It presumably 

 became absorbed in the manor of Watton. 



A portion of the buildings formerly belonging to 

 the chantry was remaining in 1877,°' but has since 

 been pulled down. Near the site is Lowfield Grove 

 (see the name La Lowe above) and adjoining this 

 was a field called Lowfield. M 



Meeting-places for Protestant Dissenters were 

 registered in Watton from 1697. In i8zo a 

 Wesleyan chapel was certified," and there is at the 

 present time a Wesleyan chapel in the parish. 



The Free School, founded in 1662 

 CIURITIES by Maurice Thompson and Sir 

 William Thompson, kt., and aug- 

 mented by will of Abraham Crosland, 1703 (see 

 article on Schools)." 



This foundation is now regulated by scheme of the 

 Board of Education, 30 April 1906. 



The endowments now consist of 8 a. 3 r. 22 p. of 

 theannual rental value of £1 1 io;.and.£688 $s. toJ. 

 consols, invested in 1857 with the official trustees 

 and producing ^17 4/. yearly. 



The scheme includes appointment of trustees, and 

 provides for the application of the income in prizes 

 for boys and girls at or leaving public elementary 

 schools, a payment of not more than £5 a year in 

 provision of books for a school library, and for 

 exhibitions at a secondary school, and in the main- 

 tenance of bursaries, also for the instruction of 

 children in the theory and practice of gardening. 



In 1867 Lady Susan Smith erected almshouses for 

 the use of three aged widows and as many widowers, 

 which were supported by Mr. Abel Smith. 



WELWYN 



Welge {xi cent.) ; Wyluwes, Welewes, Weluen 

 (liv cent.). 



The parish of Welwyn has an area of 3,064 acres, 

 of which 1,028 acres are arable land, 1,160 acres 

 permanent grass and 613^ acres wood. 1 It is divided 

 into two by the River Mimram or Maran, which 

 Sows through it from north-west to south-east. The 

 height of the parish above the ordnance datum is from 

 zoo ft. to 250 ft. in the centre, where the village is 

 situated ; to the north, east and south-west of the 

 village are three hills occupied by the estates of 

 Danesbury, Lockleys, and the Frythe. The highest 

 ground is on the south-west, where an altitude of 

 over 400 ft. i3 reached. The most northern part 

 of the parish, near Knebworth station, is called the 

 Gun. 



sa Information from Mr. J. H. Rouni 



iia Chan. Inq. p.m. 13 Ric. II, no. 6 

 Fine R. 18 Ric. II; Chan. Inq. p.n 

 4 Hen. IV, no. 39- 



*> Cat. Pat. i4<5>-7. P- "3 i '467-7; 

 p. 176. 



« Pat 13 Hen. VIII, pt. i, m. 20. 



« Chant. Cert. 17, no. 8, 



M Pat. 2 Edw. VI, pi. IV. 



The town of Welwyn is situated on the Great 

 North Road, 4^ miles north of Hatfield. At the 

 north of the village the road divides, one branch 

 running north-west through Codicote to Hitchin, 

 and the other north-east to Stevenage. The church of 

 St. Mary is situated at the north end of the town. At 

 the south-east of the churchyard is a 1 7th-century two- 

 storied building, probably originally the church house, 

 afterwards used as the poor-house and now as the police 

 station. It is partly of timber and plaster, with an 

 overhanging upper story. Under the projection of 

 this story is the large parish fire-hook formerly used 

 for tearing off the thatch of cottages in case of fire. 

 The houses in the town are for the most part of brick 

 of the 1 8th and 19th centuries. The settlement here 

 is early, as a rich burial of the late Celtic period has 



165 



