A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



i. Hale, 

 i the 



In the village itself arc one or two i ;th-< 

 houses, notably The Limes, the residence of Mr; 

 widow of the late rector, a house now used 

 village reading-room, and, to the east of the church, a 

 timber and plaster house with thatched roof divided 

 into two cottages. The Elms, further north, is a two- 

 storied house, partly of brick plastered and partly of 

 timber and plaster. It dates from the early part of the 

 16th century, and has additions probably made at the 

 beginning of the I 8th century. It contains some 

 original fireplaces and other fittings. 



To the north-west of the village is Tuthill Farm, 

 composed of several cottages, which at one time 

 apparently formed a single 17th-century house. 

 Barley Barn at Tuthill Farm was licensed as a place 

 of worship for Protestant Dissenters in 1779. s 

 Dissenters had a certified place of worship in the 

 village from 1 69 1 onwards, and generally met in 

 buildings belonging to the family of Fordham, 6 who 

 occupied the demesne lands of Therfield Manor. 7 

 The present Congregational Chapel, a little south- 

 east of The Elms, dates from 1836, and a manse was 

 established in 1854. s Schools were endowed about 

 the year 1854J' 



The parish is thinly populated, but there are a few 

 outlying farms and cottages, and in the extreme 

 south-east the village of Buckland has extended across 

 the Ermine Street into Therficld. There are several 

 homestead moats in outlying parts of the parish. 

 These are at the manor-house of Mardley Bury near 

 Reed End, and at the manor-farm called Hoddenhoo 

 in the extreme south of the parish." 1 Bull Moat, in 

 the south-east, is in Buckland village. Another moat 

 lies opposite to Five Houses Farm, in the we a t. The 

 name ' Fivehowses ' occur; on the 17th-century 

 Court Rolls." 



A notable feature of the parish is the large open 

 common covered with short turf which extends along 

 the whole of the northern border, and has an average 

 breadth of half a mile. The surface of this common 

 is undulating and forms a series of low hills. Five 

 tumuli lie together in a single group, to the south of 

 which is the only long barrow remaining in Hertford- 

 shire. There are other round tumuli in the same 

 neighbourhood. One barrow at Money Hill, now 

 demolished, probably dated from the Bronze Period, '- 

 From the higher grounds there are extensive views 

 of the Cambridgeshire plain, and on a favourable day 

 the towers of Ely Cathedral and King's College Chapel, 

 Cambridge, may be seen clearly. This common is 

 generally known as Royston Heath, taking its name 

 from the market town of Royston, part of which was 

 formerly in Therfield parish. 13 The heath was a 

 favourite hunting ground of James I while residing at 

 Royston (q.v.), and is now a public recreation ground 



with golf links and r 

 body of conservators, 

 feeding, but no othc 

 portion of the heath 

 The southern edge i 

 chiefly beech and larch, 

 other parts of thi 

 acres of woodlan* 



rani."-. 



under the care of a 



t a right of sheep 



nimals may be grazed. A 



. let for training racehorse*. 



fringed with belts of wood, 



voods occur in 



h there are 113 



There arc sevo 

 Washing Ditch Gi 

 and Collins Gree 

 mentioned in 1 6th- 



il small greens. Hay Green and 

 ■en to the south-east of the village 

 i In the west of the parish are 

 'Court Rolls." The pound 



■idt, ,v- 



7 Sc; be 

 " Clo«, 

 s Ibid. 



854, p l b 



cf. 



. pt. 



1S65, pt. 1X1 

 ■■ See below. 

 1 MSS. D. and C. cf St. Paul's 



' KCH.Htrn.i, 233. 



3 See the account of Royston. 



* MSS. D. and C. of St. Paul's 



39- 

 - Enrolled in Com. Picas, Com 

 t. 12 Vict. m. *, 



is situated at Hay Green near Haywood Lar 

 Chapel Green lies a mile to the south of the village. 

 The open arable fields were inclosed in 18+9, 18 the 

 heath and greens in 1893. ,8 



The soil is chalk, and the land is for the most part 

 arable, but grass covers over 600 acres. The people 

 are entirely agricultural, and turkey breeding is a source 

 of considerable profit. There is a disused chalk-pit 

 immediately to the north of the village. 



Among estates released to the abbey of Ramsey in 

 the 13th century were lands in ' Wellemades'.ot ' and 

 on ' le Watelrydie,' 17 The field called ' Eyhtacres * 

 abutted on ' Sepwykestrate ' le ; and certain common 

 pasture lay ' beyond Theucstrat' partly at ' Pyntte- 

 sbeggis,' partly on 'Astoneshel' and partly on 

 ' Ordmarashe!,' 10 which last abutted on the road to 

 Buntingford (i.e. Ermine Street). 21 * Other place- 

 names which occur on the 16th-century Court Rolls 

 are Rowkes nest (cf. the modern Rooksnest Farm), 

 Money croft e, 21 Myldaynefeld, Gillarkes, and Snayl- 



Among the outlying farms are Wing Flail, over- 

 looking the heath, and Slate Hall in the occupation of 

 Mr. Albert Drage. 



A fair formerly held on the third Monday and 

 Tuesday in July was abolished in 1873. 23 



Certain land, afterwards part of the 

 MANORS manor of THERFIELD, was bought by 

 Ethelric Bishop of Dorchester early in 

 the nth century (1016-34), an ^ presented by him 

 to the abbey of Ramsey. 24 It was said that the 

 bishop purchased it from an unpopular Dane who 

 feared that the villagers would murder him. 28 Thomas 

 of Therfield evidently confirmed this land to the 

 abbey in the time of Abbot Robert. 23 They were 

 confirmed in their possession of this land by Edward 

 the Confessor, 27 William I ** and 'other kings,' 2B and 

 by Edward III. 30 



In 1086 the abbot's holding at Therfield was 

 assessed at io hides 1 virgate, and the manor was 

 said to be and to have been (i.e. before the Conquest) 

 the demesne of Ramsey Abbey. 31 Nevertheless the 

 men of the Hundred Court declared in I 274-5 t ' lac 



w Cartel, Man. d, /; a ™«« fl (Rolls Ser.), 

 i, 101, 276 ; cf. Chro*. Abbai. Ramim. 

 (Rolls Scr.), 341. The abbot vni pro- 

 bably Robert Trianel (1180-1100). 



" Canal. Mm. Jt Ramiuia (Roll. Ser.), 

 i, 276. 



■"■ .l,* 7 6. 



" Ibid 



.73- 



278 



31 f.CJI. Hera, i, 316a, zor>, 301. 

 The measure of land on (his manor was 

 64 acres equal to the virgate {Caratl. 

 Mon. di Rameuis [Roll. Ser. ], hi, 2ij). 

 The 10 hides held in 1086 was land 

 apart from the gift of Ethelric (cf. Cariul. 

 Mm. dtRamatia, i, 276). 



