ODSEY HUNDRED 



whatever they were a 

 and the parish was s 



!e to lay on 

 small that 



in the summer, 

 . had only two 



The Rldgway is a 16th-century place-name. 



In the reign of Edward the Confessor 

 MANORS and in the early days after the Conquest 

 there were two manors in Radwell. 3 

 The larger of these was assessed at 4 hides and had 

 a mill attached worth %iS It was held before the 

 Conquest by Alnoda, a man of Archbishop Stigand. 6 

 In 1086 it had become part of the extensive lands of 

 the Bishop of Bayeux and was held of him by Adam 

 son of Hubert de Rye. 6 On Adam's death his lands 

 passed to his brother Eudo Dapifer.' He died in 

 ii20, B when Radwell apparently passed to his sister 

 Albreda, the wife of Peter de Valognes, 3 and then be- 

 came amalgamated with the other manor of Radwell. 



The smaller manor in Radwell was assessed in 1086 

 at only 2 hides" and had a mill worth 61. £V." In 

 the reign of Edward the Confessor it was held by 

 Ethelmaer of Benington."' Ethelmaer's brother held 

 half a hide of it under him.' 3 By 1086 Radwell had 

 passed with Ethelmaer's other estates to Peter de 

 Valognes and was held of him by Roger. 11 



Peter de Valognes having acquired the other manor 

 (see above) the two became the manor of RADWELL, 

 On the deaih of Peter de Valognes his lands descended 

 to his son Roger de Valognes. 1 * He had a son Peter, 

 who appears to have died without issue and to have 

 been succeeded by his brother Robert. 16 This Robert 

 left an only daughter Gunnora, who married Robert 

 Fitz Walter." In the struggle between King John and 

 the barons Robert Fitz Walter was one of the leaders 

 of the latter party, 13 and when Louis of France arrived 

 in England he joined with William de Mandeville 

 Earl of Essex in subjugating Essex and Suffolk." He 

 had by Gunnora n a daughter Christine, who married 

 William de Mandeville Earl of Essex, 21 and as Christine 

 Countess of Mandeville held of the gift of her father 

 of the honour of Valognes four fees, including Rad- 

 well. 35 She died without issue, and Radwell seems to 



have passed to her step-broi 

 who died in 1257." He 1 

 Robert," who on his death 

 his son also named Robert. 

 1328 holding fees in Radwell 



Walter Fitz Walter, 

 succeeded by his son 

 125 was succeeded by 

 rhis Robert died in 

 id elsewhere, 56 which 



descended to his son John. John held till his death 

 in 1361," when his lands passed to his son Walter 

 Fitz Walter. In 1386 Walter Fitz Walter diedseised 



RADWELL 



He 



with Ms wife Philippa of the fee in Radwell. 3 

 left a son and heir Walter.' 9 Before this date the 

 Fitz Walters had enfeoffed a sub-tenant in Radwell," 

 and this is the last of the family whose rights of 

 overlordship are recorded. Walter, grandson of the 

 younger Walter Fitz Walter, died in 1431, leaving a 

 daughter Elizabeth, aged only eighteen months." 1 It 

 is possible that during her minority the claim of the 

 Fitz Walters to the overlordship of Radwell Manor 

 was allowed to lapse, for in 1438 it was said to be 

 held of John Barre, who held land in Radwell," as 

 of his manor of Ayot," and in 1543 it was said to be 

 held of the king in chief," but by this date tenures 

 had become uncertain. 



The earliest known sub-tenant in the manor of 

 Radwell is Simon Fitz Adam de Hatfield, to whom 

 Henry III granted free warren in his demesne lands 

 of Radwell and elsewhere in 1254" John Fitz Simon, 

 his grandson, 36 presented to the church of Radwell in 

 1304." He died in that year, and his son Edward 

 was his heir. 36 Edward died without issue before 

 1328, when these lands had passed to his brother 

 Hugh Fitz Simon, 3a who was still holding in I 346, at 

 which date the fee was held under him by John 

 Mallore and Margaret his wife." He settled the 

 manor of Radwell on his son Edward Fitz Simon, kt., 

 his wife Nichola and their hei 

 without children," and the rr 

 by his brother Nicholas," subjec 

 of his brother's widow Nichola/ 

 Elizabeth his 

 for life with 1 



Edward died 

 .anor was inherited 

 : to the life interest 

 1 In 1398 he with 

 vife granted it to John and Ida Cokayn 

 :mainder to Edward Fitz Simon, their 

 nd Cecilia his wife, daughter of John and Ida." 

 Edward died before 1400," and Radwell appears 

 finally to have come to Christine, one of his two 

 daughters and co-heiresses," for in 1428 it was held 

 by her husband John Muslee. ,a Shortly afterwards 

 in 1433 the manor was conveyed by trustees to John 

 Fray, chief baron of the Exchequer, and Agnes his 

 wife, on whom it was settled for life and a year beyond, 

 with remainder to trustees.* 9 In 143 8 John Fray 

 obtained licence to alienate Radwell in mortmain to 

 the Abbot and convent of St. Albans, receiving from 

 it for life an annual rent of 20 marks. 50 



The manor remained with the abbey until its disso- 

 lution in 1538, M and was granted in 1540 to Ralph 

 Rowlett. 61 He held it till his death in March 1543-4, 

 when it passed to his son Ralph Rowlett." In I 548-9 

 Ralph Rowlett the younger settled Radwell on himself 



■' Ibi.i 



. J" 



• 33*' 



* Ibid. 



'Ibid.; V.C.H. Nortkanti, i 



1 V.C.H. NoTtkaaa,!, 363. 



8 Round, Studies in Peerage 

 Hitt, 163. 



s Dugdale, Baronage, i, 441 

 Man. Angl. iii, 34; ; iv, 60S. 



,0 V.C.H, Herri, i, 3180. 



» Ibid. is Ibid. 



» Ibid. 



le Ibid. 

 "Ibid. 218. 



18 Ibid. ; G.E.C. Complete 

 Filz Walter. 



19 Dugdale, Baronage, i, 2 

 » His heir Walter was m 



Gunnora. 



3« J- 



'nd Family 

 Dugdale, 



»1 Dugdale, Bar^avc, ■ 



M Tula de Nevill (Rec 



" Dugdale, Baronage, 



Complete Parage, ».V. Fib 



" Ibid. 

 ® Ibid. 

 « Cal. In 

 37 G.E.C. 

 * Cal. It 

 !S G.E.C.' Com/.!, 

 W See below. 

 a! G.E.C. loe. cit. 

 11 Cal. laq. p.m. H, 

 '"Cal. Pa,. 14.36-. 

 MS. 34, fol. IS- 

 34 Chan - W P- m - 

 65 Cal. Pa,. 1247 t 



9 Ed-w. Ill, i 

 (Rec. Con,.), iii, 



.. cit. OJseis Runi. 59. 

 p.m. 32 Edw. I, no. 56. 

 si. 1-9 Uk III, 129. 



'* ibid. 



i Hen. IV, r 



; Feet of 



, no. 185, 

 Hen. IV, 



* 7 See Feet of F. Herts. 11 Hen. IV, 

 no. 84. 



43 Feud. Aids, ii, 44S \ Feet of F. 

 Herts. 11 Hen. IV, no. 84. 



13 Feet of F. Herts. Mich. 12 Hen. VI, 

 no. 66. 



60 Cal. Pat. 1436-41, p. 143; Inq. 

 a.q.d. file +4 S, no. 22 (17 Hen. VI); 

 Arund. MS. 34, fol. 15 ; Dugdale, Mon. 

 Angl. ii, 244. 



61 Dugdale, Men. Angl. ii, 207. 



s! /,. end P. Hen. Fill, it, 733 (42). 

 53 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Set. 2), liviii, 40. 



