ODSEY HUNDRED 



CLOTHALL 



sod down -hill in ploughing. Groups of parallel strips 

 lie together in 'furlongs.' In the 13th century 

 'Greneweyhuir was the lord's furlong; other fur- 

 longs were ' Hepingborow ' and ' Smelinke.' 3 The 

 lord of the manor had right of foldage. 1 The 

 villagers no longer claim any rights in the open fields. 

 An attempt to inclose in 1885 was frustrated by 

 lack of unanimity among the landowners. 1 



Westfield, the second common field, lies south-cast 

 of the church. In 1609 there were at least two other 

 open fields, ' Piebushfield ' and 'Sheldonfield,' 8 the 

 former near Kipple Field in Luffenhall. 1 The arable 

 land south and east of the church is for the most part 

 inclosed ; in fact, the inconvenience of scattered 

 holdings in the common fields was already experi- 

 enced by the middle of the 13th century, when a 

 certain William Pasket apparently endeavoured to 

 consolidate an estate by buying up 23 acres in ten 

 parcels in addition to bondmen, houses, crofts of 

 pasture and other lands. 8 Especially about Kingswood 

 Farm are the lands inclosed ; in a 15th-century lease 

 of the farm it was agreed that the owner should do 

 all ' reparacions as of dyking and closing.' a In 1 547 

 the owner of Kingswood had also 27 acres in the 

 common field called Sheldonfield and 38 acres in 

 Westfield, and these were held in twenty-one separate 



The most notable of the scattered homesteads is 

 Quickswood, which lies to the north-east of the 

 church near the site of the former residence of the 

 Earls of Salisbury." The old house was demolished 

 about 1790, but the brick foundations of the house 

 and cellars exist immediately to the west of the present 

 farm-house. The cock-pit may still be seen in a field 

 to the north of the old house. Near Quickswood on 

 the borders of Wallington is Spital Wood, evidently 

 at one time the property of the hospital of St. Mary 

 Magdalene." Farther south a larger wood shelters 

 Clothallbury, which appears to be on the site of the 

 house called ' Clothall ' held by George Kympton 

 at the beginning of the 17th century." The existing 

 farm-house is said to have portions of the out-houses 

 of the old 'bury' incorporated with it, though it shows 

 very little signs of antiquity, but a few hundred yards 

 to the south-east are traces of an extensive mansion 

 apparently of considerable antiquity. Within the 

 well-defined inclosure are several old pollard oaks, 

 one of which measures 1 8 ft. in circumference 5 ft. 

 from the ground. The inclosure has been moated. 



South of the church is Hooksgreen Farm with a 

 few cottages and the 'Barley Mow' public-house oppo- 

 site the ancient site of Hook's manor-house. These 

 lie near a moated site which tradition asserts was that 

 of Clothall Hospital. Another such site to the south- 

 east, upon Burnt House Lane, is that of the ' Tabard,' 



a 16th-century inn, which with the adjacent meadow 

 called Fidler's Mead and other land (probably 

 including the neighbouring field called Chapels) 

 belonged to the gild of Baldock." 



Kingswood Bury is a farm in the occupation of 

 Mr, Edward White in the south-east of the parish. 

 Beyond it the ground slopes downwards to the hamlet 

 of Luffenhall, built in a single street and lying partly 

 in Clothall, partly in Ardelcy. Around it lie three 

 small open fields, known as Luffenhall, Newell and 

 Swamstey Commons. Over these the farmers have 

 the right of 'shackage' or grazing after harvest; 

 but the farmers generally come to a mutual agree- 

 ment about their rights of sheep-walk," and the 

 greater part of the Luifenhall land is inclosed. The 

 hamlet is well watered by the River Beane and its 



The hospital of St. Mary Magdalene was founded 

 by Sir Hugh de Clothall, kt., probably the Hugh de 

 Clothall who was lord of the manor in 1 2 1 7. 10 It was 

 at first a house for lepers, known as the 'Hospital 

 without Baldock.' 1? In 1226 a two-days' fair upon the 

 feast of St. Bartholomew was granted to the hospital 

 until the king (Henry III) should be of age. '* In 1275 

 the brethren had licence to inclose a highway 588 ft. 

 long from their close to Clothall Church. 15 The 

 original building was in an unsafe place, more than a 

 mile from the town, and suffered much from raids and 

 burnings by robbers.™ About 1308 it was therefore 

 removed to a more secure spot at ' Brade,'" but the 

 brethren were bound to continue the services at the 

 old chapel. Tradition locates its second site within 

 the moat near Hook's Green, but the name 

 'High Brade' was applied in 1839 to a field on 

 the main road, further south, between Luffenhall 

 Common and Westfield." The advowson of the 

 hospital belonged to the lords of the manor, and the 

 lords of Botteles and Hauvills evidently presented 

 jointly. 51 When suppressed in 1547 the chapel was 

 said to be more than a mile from the church, and 

 there were many people dwelling about it. M It was 

 then simply a chantry chapel. 



In 1086 Clothall consisted of a main 

 MJNORS mauorandseveralsmallholdings. Osbern 

 held the main manor of Bishop Odo. 

 Leuiet held a virgate which may have been the 

 nucleus of the lands known as Mundens. !S The manor 

 of William de Ow, in the neighbouring parish of 

 Weston, extended into Clothall, where a certain 

 William (lord also of Hinxworth) held half a virgate 

 and 3 acres of him. IS Luffenhall was already a 

 separate hamlet, part of which was held by Osbern, 

 while the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's held the 

 manor of Luffenhall, 3 ' and Theobald, tenant under 

 Hardwin Scales, had a holding which included half 



