A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



forfeited," and the manor was held by Richard de 

 Argentcin 9 until 1232, when it was returned to 

 Pain. 10 About 1237 it was committed by the king to 

 John Earl of Lincoln ' during pleasure ' and granted 

 by him in 1238 to his nephew Thomas de Pavilly." 

 In 1 241, however, the king brought a suit against him 

 and disputed his title to the lands." Thomas claimed 

 to be great-nephew and heir of William Malet the 

 Norman through his grandmother Theofania, sister of 

 William, who was said to have had the manor granted 

 to her by Geoffrey Malet, younger brother of William. 

 Theofania was said to have sued Pain de Chaworth 

 for the minor, but to have died before the suit 

 was settled. Thomas de Pavilly's claim, however, 

 broke down on the ground that it was William the 

 elder brother of Geoffrey who held the manor, and 

 that he was a Norman and had moreover left children. 

 The king therefore took the manor into his own 



In 1243 Willian was granted to Paul Peyvre and 

 heirs ' until the land of England and Normandy be 

 one,' in which event Paul was to have a reasonable 

 exchange. £10 from lands in Willian, which the 

 king had given to Hugh de Botyun his yeoman for 

 life, were excepted from the grant." Probably this 

 portion was identical with the 10 librates of land 

 granted to Paul in 1 249-50. ,s In 1272 the manor 

 was held by John Peyvre, grandson of Paul, a minor 

 in the custody of Queen Eleanor." John died in 

 1316 and was succeeded by his son Paul," who granted 

 Willian in 1321 to his brother John and Margaret 

 his wife for their lives. 18 Margaret outlived her 

 husband and married secondly John Mallorc, who 

 was holding the manor in right of his wife in 1346." 

 At Margaret's death in 1 348 it passed to her nephew 

 Nicholas Peyvre, son of Paul." Nicholas died in 

 1361 and was succeeded by his son Thomas," his 

 widow Avice, who married secondly William de 

 Clopton, keeping a third of the manor in dower." 

 Thomas settled Willian on himself and his wife 

 Margaret in tail in 1375-80" and died in 1429, 

 when the manor passed to his grandson John 

 Broughton, son of his only daughter Mary." Robert 

 Broughton, grandson of John, inherited it in 1489" 

 and was succeeded by his son John in 1506," who 

 granted the manor to Edward Cornwall and Elizabeth 

 his wife for their lives, with reversion to the heirs of 

 John Broughton. The latter died in 1 5 1 8, leaving a 

 son " and two daughters. The son John, who was 

 aged six at his father's death, died about 1529. 



Willian was then divided between his two sisten 

 Anne and Katherine." Kathcrinc, who was the 

 first wife of Thomas Lord Howard of Effingham, died 

 without male issue in 1 5 3 5 , rj when her moiety of 

 the manor apparently reverted to her sister Anne, 

 who had married Sir Thomas Cheney, K.G., Lord 

 Warden of the Cinque Ports," for the whole manor 

 came to their son Henry Cheney, afterwards Lord 

 Cheney of Toddington. 31 Henry Cheney and his 

 wife Joan conveyed Willian in 1563 to William 

 Totnam," who in the following year received a 

 pardon for acquiring it without licence.* 5 Towards 

 the end of 1564 he sold it to Edward Wilson,* 4 

 who granted it to his son Edward in 1574."* 

 Edward Wilson, junior, settled the manor upon his 

 second wife Joan Grey, who afterwards married 

 Edward Lacon,' 6 and after whose death in 1624 " it 

 passed to Edward Wilson, son of Edward Wilson, 

 junior, by his first wife. 33 Ralph Wilson, son of the 

 third Edward, died in 1637 during his father's life- 

 time, leaving two young sons,' 3 Edward, who died in 

 1639," a "d Thomas, who died in 1656." After the 

 death of the latter the manor seems to have been 

 divided, for another Thomas Wilson appears in 

 possession of a moiety of Willian in 1672." After 

 this the manor is said to have been divided between 

 three sisters, Frances, Elizabeth and Mary Adams, 

 daughters and co-heiresses of Mary Adams, widow, 

 one of whom must have died 

 soon after, for Mary was hold- 

 ing a moiety in 1728. The 

 second sister is said to have 

 sold her moiety to Richard 

 Way, who sold it to Sir John 

 Dimsdale, from whom it passed 

 to his nephew John Dimsdale, 

 the possessor in 1728. ,J John 

 left it to his cousin Thomas, 

 who acquired the other half D|M 



of the manor by purchase in „ fi is , 

 1 767 from Elizabeth Marshall, **««« 

 to whom Mary Adams had 

 left it by will. 41 Thomas 

 Dimsdale inoculated the 



fa 



/„ 



Empress Catherine and various *<Mt tk# 

 Russian princes for the small- 

 pox and was created a Baron of the Ru; 

 in 1769. He died in i8oo.' J Willia 

 in the Dimsdale family until 1867, v 

 sold to Charles Frederick Hancock," 



(..I.e.), 



5 Reeov. R. Trio. 24 Cha> 



u Cluttetbuck, op. cir. 



* s Berry, Htrti. Grr,. 



R. Mich/13 Ge °- Ilr . n 



