A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



and hi* wife Dorothy, with remainder to his sister 

 Joan, who was the wife of Thomas Skipwith. 1 * Ralph 



and Dorothy continued to hold the 



alienate the manor, including one mill and view of 



frankpledge," for settlement on William and his heirs, 

 William Skipwith promising 

 to settle lands of equal value 

 on his brothers if he should 

 die without children."* This 

 bond, on the death of Ralph 

 Skipwith, came into the hands 

 of John Cheyney, who re- 

 fused to give it up." William 

 Skipwith brought a suit against 

 him, and declared that he had 

 settled lands on his brothers 

 according to the bond and to 

 the will of Sir Ralph Rowlett.*" 

 In January 1 577~ 8 William 

 Skipwith sold the manor to 

 Sir Rowland Hayward, kt. e ' He sold it 

 John Parker and Katherine his wi 

 John Parkei 



icfi,,, 



^ ■■■"■■■■ ■'■/■ 



Radwell Church from the Souti 



i;56, 15 soon after which Dorothy must have died, for 

 in 1558 Sir Ralph Rowlett settled the manor on 

 himself and his wife Margaret, one of the daughters 

 of Sir Anthony Cooke, kt. M In February 1562-3 

 Sir Ralph leased the manor to William Plomer for 

 seventy years." Sir Ralph died in 1571, and as he 

 left no children he bequeathed the manor to William 

 Skipwith, the son and heir of his sister Joan, to hold 

 with remainder to his brothers Ralph, Edward and 

 Henry Skipwith." In 1577 William Skipwith and 

 Edward and Henry Skipwith received licence to 



580 to 

 nd their son 

 John Parker 

 died in March 1595-6," and 

 his son John in March 

 1604-5. Gt He was succeeded 

 by his uncle William Parker 

 (sun of John Parker of Bal- 

 dock), brother to John Parker 

 the father," who sold Radwell 

 in 1607 to William Plomer,"' 

 then lessee of the manor (see 



William Plomer died in 

 March 1 62 5-6, and was suc- 

 ceeded by his son William, 

 then aged thirty.* 8 From him 

 the manor passed to Sir Robert 

 Berkeley of East Barnet, a 

 lawyer who was imprisoned 

 in the Tower for his loyalty 

 to the Stuarts." 1 His brother 

 John Berkeley resided at 

 Radwell House." In 1650 

 Sir Robert sold the manor to 

 Thomas Cole, citizen and 

 merchant tailor, of London." 

 The sale included a water 

 corn mill, all water-courses, 

 flood-gates and dams on the 

 EAST manor, the liberty of a swan- 



mark, or of keeping swans in 

 or near Radwell, court leet and court baron. Thomas 

 Cole continued to hold the manor until 1677, when 

 he sold it to Robert Bell." Radwell remained in this 

 family until 1720-1, when Robert Bell and his son 

 Richard were empowered to sell it by a Private Act 

 of Parliament." It was purchased by William Pym 

 of Nortonbury." 



In 1723 a suit was brought against Pym by Robert 

 and Richard Bell, farmers of the tithes of Radwell, 

 and it was then stated that no courts had been held 

 in Radwell for many years, and that during the time 



