ODSEY HUNDRED 



There are three bells : the treble and second are 

 unmarked, but the tenor, by Robert Oldfeild, is 

 inscribed ' God save the King,' and dated 1614. 



The communion plate consists of paten,' 1806, small 

 cup, 1804, and another paten, 1863. 



The registers are as follows : (i) baptisms and 

 burials from 1539 to 176S, marriages 1 540 to 1752 ; 

 (iii) marriages 1755 to 1807. In 1830 there was 

 a book (ii) baptisms and burials 1768 to 1812, but 

 this has since disappeared. 



The living of the church of 

 ADVOWSON Reed is a rectory. The advowson 

 was originally held by the Scales 

 family, who were lords of the manor of diallers. 

 Henry de Scales and Hugh his son granted it in the 

 reign of Henry II to the Cluniac convent of Lewes, 

 together with an annual pension. 66 This pension 



ROYSTON 



was still chargeable on the church in 1428, 67 but it is 

 probable that at some lime while the convent of 

 Lewes was in the king's hands during the wars with 

 France the advowson was acquired by the lord of 

 Chamberlains, or that the convent itself alienated it, 

 for in 1405 John Edmond, lord of the manor of 

 Chamberlains, held the advowson, 68 and from this 

 date it descended until lately with that manor (q.v.). 

 When Admiral the Hon. George H. Douglas sold 

 his lands in Reed he retained the advowson, and it 

 Is held at the present time by his son, Captain George 

 Sholto Douglas. The parish of Reed was united to 

 that of Barkway in 1800. 



In 1602 Richard Turner by his 

 CHARITIES will gave 20;. a year to the poor. 

 This sum is paid out of the close 

 called ' Barton's ' and is distributed in bread. 



ROYSTON 



Crux Roys, 1 Crux Roaesie, Rhosiae, Roais, Roeis, 

 Roh else or Roihes (xii cent.) ; Crux Roesia or Roys 

 (xiii cent.) 9 ; Crux Roesea 3 or Roesia and Roiston 4 

 (ii, crat.). 



Royston lies upon the northern slopes of the Hert- 

 fordshire Chalk Downs, which almost surround the 

 town. Royston Heath (in Therfield parish) is noted 

 as the recreation ground of the town. The heath 

 has given its name to the ' Royston Crow.' s It was 

 a favourite hunting-place of James I, 6 was the site of 

 the Royston races 7 and prize-fights, 8 and may have 

 been the spot intended for tournaments at Royston 

 forbidden by the king in 1234 and 1331.' 



The town itself, on the north-eastern edge of the 

 heath, is built about the intersection of Ermine Street, 

 which runs northward from London to York, with 

 the Icknield Way running almost due east and west. 

 The town is divided for Parliamentary purposes by 

 the Icknield Way, which here forms the boundary 



between Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. The 

 same division existed for administrative purposes 

 until September 1897, when the whole of Royston 

 was included in the administrative county of Hert- 

 ford. 10 





nted i 



130"/ 



ill' for the 



: lay within 

 Reed and 



of subsidies 1 

 live ecclesiastical parishes, viz. Barkway, 

 Therfield, co. Herts., Melbourn and Kne 

 Cambs., IS until 1540, when an Act of Parliament 

 constituted it a separate ecclesiastical parish. 13 For 

 administrative purposes the Cambridgeshire and Hert- 

 fordshire portions of the town were united under one 

 vestry in 1781." Under the Local Government Act 

 of 1894 15 there were set up within the township 

 separate councils for the two parts of Royston (ecclesi- 

 astical) parish and for the several parishes of Therfield, 

 Barkway, Bassingbmim, Kiv:es worth and Melbourn. 18 

 Finally, in 1897, the whole township was converted 



1 The earliest form of the name yet 

 found. It occurs in the charter of Ralph 

 of Rochester (1163-84) and ia applied to 

 a district and not a cross, for Ralph 

 mentions his men and tenants ' in Cruce 

 Roys' (Harl. MS. 704.1, fol. 7). The 

 nominative form is found in the bull of 

 Lucius III (see below) and in Lay Subs. 

 R. bdle. 120, no. 8. 



!, Cruceroye' occurs once in 1269 

 (Hunter, Rot. Selecd, 241). 



Tididalcs for giving the 

 . Hi:,, of H.r*. ,55). 

 e Rose wife of Ricli.-ird 

 :a, loc. cit.) ; Rose wife 

 r, within whose fee of 

 riory of \ 



1. 370. 



1 of Geoffre 

 le and wife of Payn d 

 Stukeley imagined the 



, p. 70 i 1330-4, 

 '■ >39- 



'•A. Kingston, But. of Royston, 

 91. 

 11 Lay Subs. R. bdle. 120, no. 8. 



"Stat. 32 Hen. VIII, cap. 44; cf. 



Exch. Dep. Mich. 25 Geo. II, no. 3. 



r the heath- following w 



r(C fl /..rV.i3i7-2i,P-37i 

 38). 



liest instance of 'Roiston 

 3d in . plea of 1327 (Pkc, 



ory at Royston (PaUeographia 

 anaamea, no. r,Origincs Roystonianae). 

 She, however, did not hold the manor of 

 Newaellij which belonged to the honour 

 " Boulogne and was held by the family 



.:[>;.• VY:.I 



the plae 



tan-.-.e,t"i-on 





Fo; 



if Merit and Roches 



ition may ha 



he manor of Nuthamstead next New- 

 parcel of the Mandeville fief, 

 nmary of these suggestions see 

 Origin and Uses of the Rnyurm 



. have bee 



tilers 



(by 1 



Countess of Norfolk) who enr^r-: 

 upon the roadside in this place troi 

 thence for many years called Royse 

 cross . . . and by degrees it came to t 

 a town which instead of Royse's Cro: 

 look the name of Royston' (Britaxm 

 [ed. Gough], i, 318). Following th 



the 



ally 'Ros 



The 



r that the 1 



d ih.-,i it 



which i 



■„,]>- , 



antiquaries have put forwan 



ture is that t. 

 Dapifer. 



6 V.C.H. Herts, i, 204. 



« See below. 



' V.C.H. Her,,, i, 366 ; they existe. 

 1605 (Rutland MSS. [Hist. MSS. Cor 

 ; v, +54.455)- 



253 



the L 



over the heath to the nether end of the 

 Granges called the Priory Granges or 

 Roiston Granges to London Waie, from 

 thence overthwart the lands to Reede 

 Balke, from th nee overthwart the foot- 

 path to the south end of the close late of 

 Mychaell Chambers gent, deceased, and 

 from thence along by the closes ends to 

 the lymekill, and from thence to the 

 utter parte of the Cardinall Hatt Closes 

 to London Highwaie goeing from thence 

 untill they come to Salter's Mare goeing 

 to the end of it and from thence Retourne 

 to the eight-acre close endc and soe to 

 Waldcn Waie' (Exch. Dep. East. 5 Jas. I, 

 no. 10). 



14 A. Kingston, Fragments of Tint 

 Cnmries, 34. There were, however, 

 separate overseers and churchwardens. 



15 Stat. 56 &. 57 Vict. cap. 73. 



IC Kingston, His,, of Royston, 192. 



