A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



and WUbridg. 

 North Farm 

 parts of the 

 Billingsgate. 



nlbge 1 



o the north-east of thcs 

 nithy, whilst other scat 

 at Fiddler's Green 



of homestead moats about 

 portant of these lie near 



s feature of Reed is the number 

 Two of the more im- 

 :d Hall, one inclosing a 

 space of I J acres and the other a space 

 of half an acre. Both are nearly dry. At Queenbury 

 a moat runs round three sides of the house and 

 gardens, inclosing altogether a piece of had about 

 400 ft. square. There appear to have been two 

 inclosures here originally. At Fiddler's Green is a 

 dry fosse which forms a square. A moat at Ga;inock 

 Green incloses a piece of land 200 ft. by 300 ft., and 

 at Bushwood a moat incloses a rectangular piece of 

 land containing over half an acre. There were also 

 probably other moats whose position can now only 

 be traced by ponds. Such a pond lies west of Reed 

 Hall. It is large and irregularly shaped, and there 

 seem to be traces that it was once connected with the 



two moats which adjoin the house and also with the 

 moats at Queenbury. Connecting fosses also appear 

 to have run from Queenbury to the moat at Fiddler's 

 Green. The two ponds which lie near Goodfcllows, 

 a house standing south-east of Reed Green, also 

 probably mark the site of an old moat.' 



There are several greens in the parish : Fiddler's 

 Green to the east of Queenbury, Gannock Green in 

 the south, and Reed Green, which lies north of 

 Queenbury. 



Among those who have been rectors of Reed may 

 be mentioned Andrew Willet ([562-1621), a theo- 

 logian and Biblical critic of some note. He was also 

 a famous preacher, and his learning was so great that 

 he was called a walking library. He held the living 

 of Reed from 1613 to 161;.' 



The manor of CHILLERS (Des- 

 MJNORS chalers, xv cent.), known also as the 

 manor of REED or EAST REED, was 

 formed from several of a number of holdings which 

 existed in Reed in the reign of Edward the Confcs c or. 

 The most important of these holdings was that of Siret, 

 a man of Earl Harold, consisting of 4 hides a virgate 

 and a half. 1 Two other holdings of 1 hide and 1 vir- 

 gate were in the hands of Sinod, a man of St. Mary 

 Charteris.' One hide was held by Eddeva the 

 Maiden of Archbishop Stigand/ and two of her men, 

 Leuing, a priest, and Turbern, each held a hide. 8 Of 

 these in 1086 Hardwin de Scales had obtained all 

 the land of Siret and I hide of the land of Sinod, 

 which together made his manor." He also l.eld of 

 Count Alan the land which had belonged to Leuing, 

 the priest. 10 Eudo Fitz Hubert had obtained the 

 remaining virgate of Sinod," and the land of Eddeva 

 the Maiden was held by Osbern of the Bishop of 

 Bayeui," and that of her man Turbern was held by 



Alward of Count Alan." Of these smaller holding* 

 no further trace is to be found, and it is probable thai 

 at an early date they became absorbed in the manor 

 held by Hardwin de Scales. But it is perhaps due to 

 the varied origin of this manor that, while it was always 

 held of the king in chief" by baron y, 11 certain portions 

 of it were held of other overlords. Thirty acres 

 called 'Gannok' 16 were held of the Dean and 

 Chapter of St. Paul's in the 14th century." Other 

 land was held of the Earl of Hertford in 1 364, le and 

 part was held of John de Lancaster as of his manor of 

 Barkway in 1342." Challers was probably the head 

 of the Scales' holding in Hertfordshire, for here they 

 had a little castle, consisting merely of a moated 

 mound, the remains of which still exist. This 

 accounts for the fact that the manor was held by 

 barony. 



On the death of Hardwin de Scales his lands 

 were divided between his two sons Richard and 

 Hugh. 10 Reed evidently fell to the share of 

 Hugh, and from him descended to his son Henry," 

 for in the reign of Henry JI the abbey of Coggc- 

 shall held land in Reed of the fee of Henry de 

 Scales. " On the death of Henry, his son Hugh 

 succeeded to his lands in Reed, but in 1 195 William 

 de Scales, grandson of the above-mentioned Richard 

 de Scales, brought a suit against him claiming various 

 lands of his inheritance, including those in Reed." 

 The case was adjourned in 1 199 for so long as Henry 

 son of Hugh should be in the service of the king 

 beyond the sea." But later it was adjudged that 

 Richard was not seised of the lands which Hugh held 

 at the time of the death of Henry II, and judgement 

 was given in favour of Hugh." On Hugh's death 

 his lands descended to his son Henry, who made a 

 pilgrimage to Jerusalem and died there, leaving no 

 children." His brother Geoffrey was his heir, and did 

 homage for his lands in 1221." 



In 1258 Geoffrey de Scales found himself too old 

 and infirm to perform in person the services due to 

 the king for his lands, and at 

 the instance of Queen Eleanor 

 Henry III granted that his 

 son Geoffrey de Scales should 

 do service in his stead in the 



In consideration of this 



Geoffrey de Scales granted 



his son his lands in Reed and 



Wyddial on condition that he 



should perform these duties 



and also attend the courts of 



the justices in eyre and of the 



sheriff." In 12.60 Henry III 



granted Geoffrey de Scales free warren in his lands in 



Reed and elsewhere." Geoffrey de Scales, the father, 



and his son Geoffrey both died before 1267, and the 



mdbf. 



Arch. Soc. Tra 



248 



