A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



the Crown upon the surrender of the priory in- 

 cluded the manor of West Reed with rents in Ther- 

 field and West Reed including the rent of Mardlcy 

 Bury Close.* 3 



In 1540 Henry VIII granted 'the manor of West 

 Reed called Alan de Rede' with all the property of 

 the late priory to Robert Chester." Shortly after- 

 wards this manor was purchased from Chester by 

 John Bowles of Wallington and his son and heir- 

 apparent Thomas. 45 John Bowles died seised of it 

 in 1 5 4-3, but his son Thomas wa> evidently already 

 dead, for John's heir was his grandson Thomas son 

 of Richard Bowles. 46 Thomas Bowles ' the younger ' 

 of Standon sold the manor of West Reed alias * Alan 

 de Rede' with its appurtenances in West and East 

 Reed and Therfield (evidently including Mardlcy 

 Burj') to William Hyde of Sandon about 1556." In 

 1563 William Hyde conveyed the manor to Thomas 

 Turner of West Reed in Therfield, yeoman, and 

 John his son.* 8 This Thomas Turner had learned 

 to sing at Roys ton Priory and lived more than 

 ninety-live years. 49 In March 1606-7 he was styled 

 ' of Reed End in Therfield.' s '' William Turner is said 

 to have sold the manor in 1630 to John Willymot. sl 

 His son John bequeathed it to his wife Anne, 

 daughier of James Willymot of Kelshall, and she 

 was holding it in I700. 63 In 171+ it was acquired 

 by John Fisher, and in 1711 it was the property of 

 the Hon. Peregrine Bertie the younger and his wife 

 Elizabeth. 53 In 1753 it was in the possession of Pere- 

 grine Bertie," and Catherine Dorothy Bertie, Elizabeth 

 Bertie and Mary wife of Samuel Lichigaray joined in 

 a conveyance of it in 1 783.** George Sutton was 

 dealing with the manor in I788. 56 It was bought 

 in ! 790 by James Free, 57 and from his grandson Clerke 

 Free it \%as purchased by the Rev. Charles Moss, rector 

 of Therfield and afterwards Bishop of Oxford. In 

 1 839 hi> executors sold to the Hon. William Herbert, 

 frr.m whom the manor was purchased in 1853 by 

 Thomas Henry Usborne of Staplehnrst, co. Kent. 37 ' 1 

 He was succeeded by his son Captain Thomas 

 Starling Usborne, who bequeathed it to his three 

 daughters. Two-thirds of the estate together with 

 the manorial rights were purchased from them by 

 the present owner, the Rev. George Archer. 57b 



A farm-house and homestead moat still remain at 

 Mardlcy Bury. The site of the house of 'Alan de 

 Rede' i! more difficult to locate. It certainly lay in 

 West Reed, if it is to be identified with the manor- 

 house of the priory of Roys ton at West Reed, and 

 some, at least, of the 'fields' of West Reed were 

 within the parish of Therfield. 58 They probably 

 extended as far as 'Reed End.' 



In I275 it was returned that the men of West 

 Reed had withdrawn their suit due to the honour of 

 Richmond. 53 These were possibly the men of that 



hide in Reed which Alward had held of Count Al«n 

 in io86.*» The land had formerly been held by 

 Turbern, one of EddevVs men. 81 The face that 

 castle ward was due to the honour of Richmond from 

 the collector of the rents of the Prior of Royston in 

 West Reed and elsewhere" tends to prove that this 

 hide was among the lands acquired by the priory in 

 West Reed. 



Before the time of the Domesday Survey Alric the 

 priest held of the Abbot of Ramsey 3 virgates of land 

 in Therfield. 83 These had passed by 1086 to Wigar.a 

 tenant under Hardwin Scales.** The overlordship 

 thus diverted from the abbey was still in the posses- 

 sion of the Scales family in 1 303, 6S and was possibly 

 attached to their neighbouring manor of Reed (q.V.). 

 The tenant in 1303 was a ccnain John of Oclee. 68 



Manorial rights belong to the RECTORt'. It 

 was said in 1547 that courts leet and view of frank- 

 pledge were usually held at the rectory. 67 The 

 rectory manor was let on lease with the parsonage in 

 1553. 6S The late incumbent, the Rev. J. G. Hale, 

 was accustomed to hold courts yearly in the 'Court 

 Room ' of the rectory. 69 In 1336 Wymar de Corton 

 conveyed a toft in Therfield to the parson for the 

 enlargement of the rectory. '" 



The church of ST. MARK THE 

 CHURCH VIRGIN, which consists of chancel, 

 nave with north and south aisles, and 

 west tower, was rebuilt in 1878, some of the old 

 material being re-used. The windows in the chancel, 

 all but the one in the east wall, are from the old 

 church, 71 and in the modern roof are some carved 

 figures of angels and bosses of the 15th century. 

 The porch was added in 1906, and the tower, of 

 which only the first story was built, was completed 

 by the rector, the Rev. F. R. Blatch, in 191 1. 



In the south wall of the chancel the early 14th- 

 century double piscina has been reset ; it has moulded 

 arches on shafted jambs with moulded capitals and 

 bases. The sediHa adjoining, though chiefly of modern 

 work, have some old stone in them. In the north 

 chancel w.ill is an arched recess containing an ancient 

 stone coffin. 



In the vestry arc many fragments of stone carving 

 dating from the 13th to the 1 6th century, corbels, 

 parts of tombs, including a curious effigy of a man 

 lying with his head at right angles to his body and 

 his legs crossed ; in his right hand is a drawn sword ; 

 at the end of the stone are two small female figures, 

 standing ; on the end of the stone is a shield charged 

 with a cross. 



On the window sills in the chancel are some frag- 

 ments of carvings, and underneath the tower are some 

 carved oak figures of angels from the old roof. 



There are some fragments of 1 5th-century heraldic 

 glass in the church, until lately in the old rectory. 



