BROADWATER HUNDRED 



and another of 8j. for the poor, which were redeemed 

 in 1878 and 1879 by the transfer to the official 

 trustees of £4.7 51. consols, producing £\ $s. \d. 

 yearly. 



Daniel Spurgeon, for bread, will dated in 1807, 

 trust fund, £195 5/. 8./. consols, yearly income 

 £4. 17/. 8rf. 



The several sums of stock are held by the official 



It is provided by the scheme that the yearly 

 income of Josias Berners' charity should be applied 



WESTON 



primarily in putting out as apprentices deserving 

 •poor boys bona fide resident in the ancient parish at 

 a premium of not less than _£io or more than £zo, 

 the income to be accumulated for the purpose. The 

 yearly income of the remaining chanties to be applied 

 in such way as the trustees thereby appointed may 

 consider most conducive to the formation of provident 

 habits, including donations to any dispensary, hospital 

 or convalescent home, or to a provident club or 

 society. Also contributions towards the provision of 

 nurses or in the distribution of articles in kind. 



WESTON 



Westone (xi cent.). 



The parish of Weston has an area of 4,539 acres. 

 Almost the whole of it lies considerably over 400 ft. 

 above the ordnance datum, and in the centre of the 

 village the ground reaches a height of 484 ft. The 

 land slopes down along the north-west border of the 

 parish and in the extreme south ; there is also a de- 

 pression in the east. There are 3,201$ acres of arable 

 land in the parish, 967 acres of permanent grass and 



2 1 8^ acres of wood. 1 



The road from Baldock to Walkern forms the 

 eastern boundary of the parish and the Great 

 North Road part of the western boundary. The 

 village of Weston is situated in the highest part of 

 the parish, on the road from Stevenage to Clothall, 

 which crosses the centre of the parish. Two roads 

 turn westwards from the village to join the Great 

 North Road, the most southerly passing Lannock 

 Farm. Another road runs east from the village, and 

 after passing the church of the Holy Trinity turns 

 in a southerly direction through Hall's Green towards 

 Howell's Farm and Dane End. The manor-house 

 and park, the residence of Mr. M. R. Pryor, lie at 

 the south end of the village. There was possibly a 

 Toothill or meeting-place in the village, as reference is 

 found to a presentment of the vicar for not scouri ng his 

 ditch lying in 'le Cherchelane next Totehyll ' in 1 5 28 3 

 and [in 1611 to a little way called 'Tottylle Lane." 

 Thehamlet of Warren's Green is situated in the south of 

 the parish, with Hall's Green about half a mile east. 



The subsoil is chalk, and there are many chalk- 

 pits in various parts of the parish. There are two 

 disused gravel-pits near Lannock Farm and some 

 old clay-pits north-west of the village. There is a 

 cave in a field near Wei bury Farm, in the north 

 of the parish. The nearest railway station is Baldock, 



3 miles north-west, on the Cambridge branch of the 

 Great Northern railway. 



The inclosure award was made in 1801, the 

 Authorizing Act being granted in 1 797.* 



In 1881 2 portion of the parish in the north was 

 transferred to Baldock. 5 



The following place-names occur in court rolls : 

 Doddeswyke, Irelonde Green, Kittes atte Dane (later 



Kyttysdane), Heryngsdelle, Horells, Marches (xiv-xv 

 cent.) ; 'le Vyneyerde '(1485 and I 531) ; Bemewyks- 

 valey, Hykksgravefeld, Vecc he croft, Hoggescroft, 

 Rcdyngcroft, Nolislanc, Parkcstretc, Danccroft, Dane- 

 way, Whitemansfeld, Rolls Lane, Dame Hawes-grene, 

 le Freerstokyng, le Jubitt Hyll, Warymede, Fleggys 

 pitell, Dernewelleland, Sewell Cross (xvi cent.) ; Cum- 

 berloes or Round Bightell, Brendwick, Rolles Croft, 

 Fontley Field and Fontlcy Pound (xvii cent.). 



In the 17th century there was a tile kiln in the 

 possession of the Humberstone family, possibly near 

 to the existing Tilekiln Wood and Tilekiln Farm, in 

 the south of the parish. 6 



In the time of Edward the Confessor 

 MANORS WESTON was held by Alestan de Bos- 

 cumbe, a thegnof King Edward, but by 

 1086 formed part of the lands of William de Ow, at 

 which time it was assessed at 10 hides. 7 After the 

 forfeiture of William de Ow his lands were granted 

 by Henry I to Walter son of Richard de Clare, 8 who is 

 known to have held lands in Hertfordshire in 1 1 30.' 

 At his death his estates passed to his nephew Gilbert 

 de Clare, 1 " who was created 

 first Earl of Pembroke by 

 King Stephen and died in 

 1 148." His son Richard 

 Strongbow " inherited the 

 manor of Weston," which 

 was held by his widow Eva, 



Irdf 



id heir Isabel 

 married William Marshal Earl of Pembroke, whose 

 lands passed to his eldest son William in 1219. 16 

 The latter held Weston and died in 123,1," the 

 manor remaining for life to his widow Eleanor, sister 

 of Henry III, who, notwithstanding her vow of 

 chastity, married secondly Simon de Montfort, Earl 

 of Leicester. 19 She lived until 1275. 19 



' Statistics from Bd. of Agric. (190;). 

 a Add. MS. 36546. 

 ^ Ibid. 3637*. 



* Blue Bit. Inch Awards, 64. ; Privet, 

 Acti of Pari. Inner Temple Cal. 

 s Divided Parishes Act (1876). 

 6 Herts. Gen. end Antia. if, ;o, 99. 

 ! V.C.H. Hens, i, 317*. 

 r - CUns-Jogisl (new aer.), xviii, 167.. 



r, Jan. 1902. 



9 Pipe R. - 

 « &neelog..., 



™Pip R. 16 Her, TI (Pi ( . 

 10;; , 7 Hen.II, 119. 



"Ibid. 23 Hen. II, 14c 



C,*f.ltK Pcerlge. 



la S. Grimaldi, Ret. de Demi 

 lc G.E.C. Complete Peerage. 



171 



» Ibid. ; Cat. Close, 1227-31, p. 4S9. 

 1S Chan. Inc. p.m. 40 Edw. Ill had 

 "Ibid. no S .),n . 5 3. 



.. Soc), IJ The inquisition above quoted is 



wrong in staling that it was Alice who 



G.E.C. married Sim™ de Montforl. Alice de 



Bethune was the first wife of William 



«s 35- Matshal and died before 1219 {G.E.C. 



Complete Peerage). 



