ODSEY HUNDRED 



occupied by lessees of the Crown for about a century 

 and a-half. In 1 73 1 it was occupied by John Buxton, 

 attorney. The lessee in 1753 was John Minchin. 

 In 1 8 1 a it was purchased by John Stamford, carpenter, 

 whose son John bequeathed it in succession to his 

 nephews John Whyatt and Samuel Luke of New 

 Zealand. 38 The Crown rights had all been sold by 

 1 866.3° 



Just north of the site of the king's Dog House 

 is Chapel Field, 40 recently proved to be the site of an 

 ancient burial-ground. 41 Here apparently stood the 

 hospital and chantry chapel of St. Nicholas, which 

 was founded for lepers early in the 1 3th century 4B on 

 land held of Wendy Manor, co. Cambs., by the 

 service of maintaining a lamp in Wendy Church. It 

 consisted of a chapel and lodgings for the lepers. 43 

 Its founder, Ralph son of Ralph son of Fulk, 44 gave 

 the advowson of the hospital to Giles Argentine, lord 

 of Melbourn Manor, 43 in which parish the chapel 

 was apparently situated. 



The Congregational chapel in Kneesworth Street 

 originated in the secession of the ' New Meeting ' 

 from the 'Old Meeting' in 1791." The building, 

 erected in 1792, has since been altered and enlarged. 47 

 There was a considerable Quaker community in 

 Royston from 1655 onwards. 48 Tombstones still 

 mark the site of their meeting-place at the back of 

 on the east side of Kneesworth Street. 49 

 vn has spread northwards in the direction 

 .on on the Cambridge branch of the Great 

 railway, opened in 1850. 50 In this neigh- 

 's the Wesleyan chapel, erected in 1887. 51 

 M of Mr. J. C. Pigg, a corn 

 laltings. Eastwards at some distance 



the houses 

 The ten 

 of the star 

 Northern ; 

 bo ur hood i 

 Here are also the 

 mill and large 



from the Cross along Melbourn Street is the 

 hall built in 1855 as a Mechanics' 



town extends to the union work- 

 1835. The poorhouse for Royston 

 sear the Warren, south of the market- 



Westwards the 

 house, built in 

 formerly stood r 



The position 

 lade ■ 



of the t 



1 the borders of two 

 ! of much crime and dis- 



order, which the Prior of Royston, who had c 



ROYSTON 



able jurisdiction within the town, failed to check. 

 Robert of Bures and others carried oft" the goods of 

 the prior himself in 1314. 63 Cases of assault at 

 Royston were frequent during the 13th and 14th 

 centuries. 54 Breaches of the Statute of Northampton 

 were daily committed, and the offenders escaped 

 arrest by the king's officers by fleeing from one county 

 to another, while their number and confederacy made 

 them too strong for the bailiffs of the prior, 65 whose 

 liberty extended into both counties. 66 The ring- 

 leaders of the 'Mmdrisours de Croysroys ' 67 were 

 Richard 'Howessone' the Marshal, of Royston, and 

 John his son. ce In 1337 a separate commission of 

 the peace was formed for the town of Royston. 6U 

 Three years later Warin of Bassingbourn, the Sheriff" 

 of Cambridgeshire, entering the town armed, seized 

 and carried off Simon Bakoun 'sitting in the stocks in 

 the Tolbothe.' An affray followed in which the 

 sheriff's bailiff wounded 'Simon le Irenmonger' of 

 Royston. The prior seems to have tried 

 his liberties by buying off the sheriff,"" 

 nevertheless, included in a new commis 

 peace for Royston in 1 341, 61 and appoint! 

 Richard the Marshal in I3+2. 52 The commission 

 was renewed from time to time. GS In 14.37 the 

 Crown released to the priory the goods of felons and 

 fugitives in Royston and the prior at the same 

 time received the royal pardon for the escape of 

 prisoners. 64 



The town has suffered much by fire. It is said to 

 have been burnt in 1324. 65 A great fire broke out 

 in 1405 on the feast of the Translation of St. Martin.* 5 

 Another serious fire occurred 22 March 1734. 67 



Royston appears to have been visited by Henry III,* 8 

 Edward I, 69 Edward III 70 and Richard II. 71 Richard 

 Duke of York and the Earls of Warwick and Salis- 

 bury sent from here, 20 May 1455, their manifesto 

 demanding the dismissal of Somerset. 73 



In the summer of 1553 John Cooke, carpenter, 

 and other Royston men made ' commocion at Royston ' 

 and were bidden as well ' to leave of their assemblies 

 as having just occasion against any man to come up 

 and give information to the Council.' 73 



■j pri/serve 



of the 

 o attach 



M Cussans, Hist, of Hera. Odiey Hund. 

 103 ; cf. Clutterbuck, Hist, and Antiq. of 

 Herts, iii, 563. 



51 Ki 



adowment of the 

 7 Edw. VI, pt. till, 

 - of Re 



■* rin. 1. 



555. The 



v:lh. 







the 



hall 



have been found. 



"Before Jan. 1212-13, when a fair 

 was granted, see above. 



a Cal. C!ost, 1354-60, p. 587. 



** For an account of this family see the 

 history of Broadfield. 



a Cal. Inq. p.m. Edw. I, 275. 



* Urwkk, Nonconformity in Herts. 814. 

 The first minister was the Rev. Thomas 

 Towne, whose son Joseph distinguished 

 himself as an anatomical modeller (Diet. 

 Nat. Biog.). 



" Kingston, Hist, of Royston, 155. 



'Tiii-i. 



S»-J- 



9 Kingston, Fragments of Two C'lla 

 126 ; Urwkk gives a list of six pi 

 certified for Protestant Dissenters 16 

 1833 (op. cit. 8.3). 



"> Kingston, Hist, of Royston, 182. 

 was possibly in this part of the town 1 

 lay the tenements which formed par 



»Cal. Pat. 1315-17, p- 229. 



M Cal. Close, 1171-9, pp. 171, 189; 

 1296-1302, p. 451; Cur. Reg. R. 189, 

 m. 6; Cai. Pat. 1272-9, p. 339; 13I7- 

 *!, PP- 37i, 540, 54! ; Chan. Criminal 

 Inq. Edw. I, file 9, no. 10 ; Agarde*s Cal. 

 to Coram Rege R. 21 Edw. Ill, m. 173 d. 



65 Ctrl. Pat. 1334-8, p. 576. 



"> Feud. Aids, i, 156 ; the demesnes of 

 the manor entend into Cambridgeshire, see 

 the description of the king's palace above. 



« Druce MSS. quoted by Kingston, 

 Hist, of Roys ,„, 30. 



i3 Cal. Pat. 1340-3, p. SSS 5 '3S4--6, 

 pp. 34I, 647; cf. Cal. Close, 1343-6, 

 p. 362; 1346-9, pp. 413, 596. John 

 'le Mareschal ' was a chaplain and was 

 aided by 'William le Chirche clerk. ' of 

 Royston (Plac. de Banco 269, m. 22). 

 On several occasions the plaintiff is Hugh 

 Me Mareschal,' possibly Richard's own 

 father (Plac. de Banco, 169, m. 1 8 d. ; 

 270, m. 53 ; Cal. Pat. 1334-8, p. 282). 



'<» Cat. Pat. 1334-8, p. 576- 



<* Assize R.337, m. 4, 9 d. 



81 Cal. Pat. 1340-3, p. 217. 



259 



the Crown in 1364 to have the goo 

 'John son of Richard Mareschall the 

 elder' an outlaw for felony {Abbre-v. Rot. 

 0„g. 'R«. Com.],!!, 283). 



» Cal. Pat. 1377-81, pp. 205, 361, 57;. 

 R. (Exch. L.T.R.), — 



Her: 



r had a 



VI, 'Rec 



1 Roys 



The 

 *33 



■'Am ,/r.C. .55.-4, p,. 



ese assemblies may have bee 

 religious (cf. V.C.H. Herts, ii 



