ODSEY HUNDRED 



when Thomas Cole was owner of the manor some 

 of the tenants had been summoned to a court at 

 Rushden.' 6 William Pym held Radwell until his 

 death in 1788, when his lands descended to his son 

 Francis Pym." Francis Pym died in 1833 and was 

 succeeded by his son also Francis Pym. 78 He died in 

 February 1861, and his son Francis only lived to 

 enjoy his inheritance for a few months, as he was 

 killed in a railway accident in April of that same 

 year. His son Francis Pym, a minor, succeeded 

 him. 79 He was holding the manor in 1-871,* and 

 afterwards sold it to Mr. J. Remington Mills, from 

 whom it descended to Mr. J. Truman Mills, and 

 later to Mr. John Layton Mills, the present lord of 

 the manor. 



The church of ALL S4INTS consists 

 CHURCH of chancel 20 ft. by 13 ft. 6 in., 

 north vestry 14 ft. by 7 ft., nave 35 ft. 

 by 16 ft. 6 in., and south porch 8 ft. 6 in. by 8 ft. 

 The walls are of flint rubble covered with cement, 

 the roofs are tiled. 



The chancel arch is the only structural feature in 

 the church which shows detail of an earlier date than 

 the 15th century, and it is mid- 14th-century work ; 

 the walling may belong to that or an earlier period, 

 but all early detail has been lost in the repairs of the 

 15th century. The vestry and south porch were 

 added in 1882, when the whole building was re-roofed 

 and thoroughly repaired. 



The chancel has a three-light east window of 

 about 1500, a single modern light in the south wall, 

 and 1 modern vestry doorway in the north. The 

 chancel arch, of about 13+0, is of two wave-moulded 

 orders on octagonal piers with moulded capitals and 



There is a two-light window in each of the north, 

 south and west walls of the nave, all of modern stone- 

 work ; the western bay of the nave is divided off by 

 a wall containing an arch, coarsely moulded, and 

 probably of early 16th-century work. The arch is 

 on its eastern side by the royal arms 

 /ed in stone. There is a small bell-cote over the 



REED 



west end, which appears to be chiefly modern work. 

 The south doorway belongs to the latter part of the 

 14th century. ,, 



The font is of stone, roughly worked ; on the sides 

 arc shields ofa late type. It is probably of 1 cth-century 

 date, although the form of the font itself belongs to 

 an earlier period. 



The communion rails, with moulded balusters and 

 rail, a carved oak chest in the nave, and a pair of 

 high-backed chairs are early i 7 th-century work. 



In the chancel is a brass of William Wheteaker, 



his wife ; 



eucharistic 



vestments, who died in 1487 ; another of Elizabeth 

 wife of John Parker, who died in 1 602. In the nave, 

 near the pulpit, is the brass of John Belc, who died 

 in 1516, with two wives and two children. 



On the north wall of the chancel is a small monu- 

 ment to John Parker, who died in 1595, his wife 

 Mary, who died in 1574, and their son John, all 

 kneeling effigies. A large alabaster monument against 

 the south wall is to Mary Plomer, who died in 1605, 

 with effigies ofa woman with six sons, four daughters 

 and a chrisorn child. On the same wall is a small 

 mural monument to Ann Plomer, who died in 1625. 

 On the south nave wall is a small marble and alabaster 

 monument to Sir William Plomer, who died in 1625. 



There are two bells, undated. 



The communion plate includes an incised cup, 

 1574, paten, 1796, and two 18th-century plated 

 cups and patens. 



The registers are contained in four books : 

 (i) parchment, all entries I 590 to 1699 ; (ii) and (iii) 

 baptisms and burials 1700 to 181 2, marriages 1700 

 to 1753 J H marriages 1754 to 1812. 



The church of All Saints, Rad- 

 JDFOrVSON well, has always been in the gift of 

 the lord of the manor, 81 the earliest 

 recorded presentation occurring in 1 3°4- fJ When 

 Francis Pym sold the manor of Radwell (q.v.) he 

 retained the advowson in his own hands and still 

 holds it. 



There are apparently no endowed charities. 



REED 



Rode (x cent.) ; Retth, Rete (xi cent.) ; Rede 

 (xii cent.) ; Rud, Roed, Ruth {xiii cent.) ; Estrede 

 (xivcent). 



The parish of Reed is a long, narrow piece of land 

 containing about 1,477 acres. By far the greater 

 portion of the parish consists of arable land, but woods 

 exist, mostly in the south part, where Reed Wood, 

 the largest in the parish, is situated. Reed lies high, 

 the ground rising to as much as 500 ft. above the 

 ordnance datum. It is near the summit of the chalk 

 range, from which the waters on the north join with 

 the Cam and run into Lynn Deeps, while those on 

 the south run into the Lea and the Thames. The 

 chief crops are wheat, barley, beans and roots. The 

 commons of Reed were inclosed in 1808. 1 



The village of Reed lies almost midway between 



Royston and Buntingford (at which two towns are its 

 nearest railway stations), and a little to the east of the 

 Roman road, known as Ermine Street, which connects 

 these towns and forms the western boundary of the 

 parish. There is a reference to this road as Arning 

 Street in 1 2 5 1.' A road runs east through Reed from 

 Ermine Street to Barkway. Running south from this 

 is a road which forms the main street of the village, 

 then turns sharply west and south and joins Ermine 

 Street. At the angle thus formed stands Reed Hall, 

 the manor-house, close to which is the church of 

 St. Mary. The manor-house of Queenbury stands 

 east of the road a little further north. There is a 

 Congregational chapel near Queenbury and brick- 

 works further north. On a road running parallel 

 with this road are situated the church mission-room 



™ Etch. Dep. East. 9 Geo. I, no. 7. 

 " Burke, Landed Gentry (1906) ; ! 

 Inst. Bke. (P.R.O.). 



7S Burke, Landed Gentry (1906). 



M Cussans, loc. cit. 



" See references under 



it. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



2 Cat. Chart. R. 1226-57, p. 360. 



