BROADWATER HUNDRED 



Samuel Heathcote Unwin, who took the additional 

 surname of Heathcote, 23 and died in 1862. The 

 manor descended to his son Col. Unwin Unwin- 

 Heathcote, 24 who is the present holder. 



The capital messuage called WTMONDLET 

 BURT, which belonged in the 16th century to 

 Wymondley Priory (q.v.), was sold after the dis- 

 solution of that house by an indenture of 1544 

 to John Pigott and Margaret Grainger, whom 

 he was about to marry. 25 John Pigott died in 

 1558, but the messuage remained in the possession 

 of his widow, who married John Palmer. Upon 

 her death in 1581 it passed to her son Maurice 

 Pigott. 26 The latter was succeeded by Thomas Pigott, 

 who in 1609 settled the estate upon himself and 

 Elizabeth his wife for their lives, with remainder to 

 his daughter Elizabeth and her husband. Thomas 

 died in 161 1, his heirs being his daughters, Rebecca 

 wife of Henry Bull of Hertford and Elizabeth wife 

 of Buckingham Butler, upon whom it was settled. 27 

 Beckingham Butler became lord of the manor of 

 Tewin (q.v.) in 16 20, and Wymondley Bury descended 

 with that manor until at least 1746, 23 when it was 

 held by Edmund Bull. 



The parish church of ST. MART 

 CHURCH stands by itself on rising ground about 

 a quarter of a mile from the village, and 

 is built of flint rubble cemented over, with stone 

 dressings and a tiled roof. It consists of a chancel, 

 nave, north aisle, north vestry, south porch and west 



The chancel, nave and tower are of the 1 5th cen- 

 tury, probably late, but the restoration in the 19th 

 century, when the chancel was lengthened and the 

 aisle, vestry and porch were added, has obscured the 

 history of the building. 



The east and north windows of the chancel and 

 the chancel arch are modern. In the south wall are 

 two single lights, probably of the 15th century, but 

 greatly repaired with cement. The western of the 

 two is set low in the wall. In the east wall is reset 

 a 15th-century piscina. 



The nave has a modern north arcade. On the 

 south side the wall is thickened towards the east by 

 nearly a foot, probably for the rood-stair, as one of the 

 doors to the rood-loft was discovered during a repair. 

 In the south wall are two windows, possibly of the 

 15th century, but much defaced with cement. That 

 near the east is of two lights and the other of a single 

 light. Between them is the south doorway, also of 

 the 1 5th century ; it is two-centred and of two wave- 

 moulded orders. The modern porch is of brick. The 

 tower arch is of 15th-century date. It is two- 

 centred, of two chamfered orders, and has shafted 

 jambs with clumsy capitals. The tower, of two receding 

 stages, has a brick parapet, probably modern. The 



13 Clutterbuck, op. cit. ii, 550. Ma Dimensions : 



LITTLE 



WYMONDLEY 



west window is of two lights with tracery in a four- 

 centred head, and is much repaired with cement ; the 

 belfry stage windows, in the north and west faces, are 

 of two lights in a square head and are in very bad 



On the north wall of the chancel is a brass, consisting 

 of an inscription to James Ncedham, who came into 

 the county in 1536, and his son, with arms. The 

 plate was set up in 1605 by the grandson of the 

 former and son of the latter to record his erection 

 of a monument to them. 



There are three bells: the first bears the in- 

 scription 'Prosperity to the Church of England, 

 and no encouragement to Enthusiasm,' 1760 ; the 

 nd is by John Dyer and dated 1595 ; the third 



vithoi 



irks. 



The plate for the church of Little Wymondley is 

 modern and consists only of a sil 



i silve; 



r->' : 





The registers begin in 1577, and are contained in 

 three books, of which the first and second arc frag- 

 mentary : (i) baptisms I 577 to 1727, burials 1628 to 

 1629, marriages 1629 s9 '< ('') baptisms 175010 18 1 2, 

 burials 1750 to 1812, marriages 1750 to 1753; 

 (iii) marriages 1756 to 1 8 1 1. 



It is uncertain at what date Little 

 JDFOWSON Wymondley became a parish. There 

 is no evidence of a church in 1086, 

 and the living is not mentioned in the Taxath of 1 291. 

 In 1218, however, the master of the hospital of 

 Little Wymondley was inducted into the church, 3 " and 

 a vicarage was ordained before 1235. 31 After the 

 Dissolution in 1537 the rectory was granted to James 

 Needham. 32 After this the rectory follows the descent 

 of the Priory manor, and presumably the lords ol 

 this manor presented to the church, but the advowson 

 seems to be only once mentioned among the records 

 of the manor. 33 The living is now a vicarage in the 

 gift of Colonel Heathcote, who holds the Priory 

 manor. There appears to have been a chantry chapel 

 attached to the manor-house of Little Wymondley/" 

 the advowson of which always belonged to the lord 

 of that manor and Great Wymondley. It is not 

 heard of after 1485, and had disappeared before the 

 survey taken by Edward VI. 



The annual sum of lor. is received 

 CHARITIES from the parish of Great Wymondley 

 and applied in the distribution of 

 bread in respect of the charity of John Welch. 



The sum of £ 1 5;., being one-third of the dividends 

 on £150 consols, is also received from the parish of 

 Great Wymondley in respect of the charity of Jamer 



In 1668 Thomas Chapman by his will charged a 

 cottage and yard in Stevenage with 5/. a year for the 

 poor, to be distributed in bread on St. Andrew's Day. 



