A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



with their geographical position, Overhall occupying 

 the higher ground in the north of the parish, Nether- 

 hall the lower ground further south. 



The manor of OVERHALL was held in the 13th 

 century by the family of Ros " In 1287 Alice dc 

 Ros claimed view of frankpledge in the vill of 

 Gilston, 11 and she was assessed for half a fee there in 

 [303." She was presumably holding in dower, for a 

 Robert de Ros is returned as holder of the fee in 

 Gilston in the inquisition on Humphrey de Bohun in 

 1 302," and was among the tenants in Gilston assessed 

 for a lay subsidy in 1 307. '* A John de Ros, probably 

 son of Robert, succeeded, and died seised of the manor 

 held jointly with his wife Alice in 1373, his heir 

 b^ing his grandson John, son of John de Ros, 

 deceased. J ° Alice died two yean afterwards ; the 

 inquisition taken at her death is unfortunately missing, 

 but Morant, apparently quoting from it, says that 

 the younger John died without issue and that his 

 aunt Ellen, wife of Sir Geoffrey de Brockholes, was 

 the heir." Geoffrey de Brockholes was holding this 

 half-fee under the Duke of Gloucester in I 397- IB In 

 1419 Ellen Brockholes, his wife, died seised of the 

 manor, leaving as heirs her daugher Joan, widow of 

 Thomas Aspal), and her grandion John, son of John 

 Sumpter and her daughter Mary." Joan married 

 as her third husband Robert Armeburgh.' John 

 Sumpter, who died in 1420, left two sisters and heirs, 

 Ellen wife of James Bellers and Christina wife of 

 Thomas Bernard." His moiety seems to have been 

 settled on Ellen Bellers." Ellen survived her husband 

 and married secondly Ralph Holt," with whom she 

 brought a suit in Chancery against her father-in-law 

 Ralph Bellers for the recovery of the manor, which 

 had been settled on Ralph Bellers for payment of his 

 son's debts." 



In 1444 Joan Armeburgh died seised of the 

 other moiety of the manor," held with Robert 

 her husband under settlement " for their lives, with 

 remainder to a certain John Palmer and his issue, and 

 contingent remainder first to Palmer's sister Joan, 

 then to Philip Thornbury and others in trust appa- 

 rently for Ralph and Ellen Holt." The Palmers' 



and the other feoffees." In 1453 Ralph Holt and 

 Ellen conveyed their moiety of the manor and the 

 reversion of the other after the death of Robert 

 Armeburgh to Thomas Ardern and others," evidently 

 in trust for Sir Peter Ardern. He left the manor by 

 will for the endowment of a chantry in the church 

 of Latton, co. Essex. 30 Licence was given to bis 

 executors to carry out the bequest in 14.77."' The 

 manor remained attached to the chantry UDtil its 

 dissolution in the reign of Edward VI. It was then 

 granted to John Perient." Elizabeth, Perient's widow, 

 married Henry Poole, and they in 1 567 had licence 

 to alienate Overhall to John Chauncy." John 

 Chauncy appears in possession in I 568,** but the final 

 conveyance by Henry and Elizabeth Poole does not 

 seem to have been made until 1570." In 1572 

 John Chauncy sold the manor to William Parker." 

 Parker conveyed it in i 577 to Humphrey Corbett," 

 who died seised at Ncwington, co. Middlesex, in 

 i6o9. M His kinsman and heir Rowland Corbett 

 succeeded. He settled the manor on his son Richard 

 on his marriage with Jane Fowler in 1614." Row- 

 land died at Grantham in 1634.'° Before 1657 the 

 manor had been sold to Sir John Gore," and then 

 descended with Netherhall (q.v.). 



The old manor-house of Overhall is now a farm. 



The manor of NETHERHALL was held under 

 the Earls of Essex by the family of Goldlngton. 

 There seems to have been a Thomas de Goidington 

 holding about the middle of the 12th century, who 

 was succeeded before I J 99 by his son Peter de 

 Goidington." In 1287 Peter, son of a Peter de 

 Goidington, claimed view of frankpledge in Gilston," 

 and he with Alice de Ros was assessed for half a 

 knight's fee there held of the Earl of Hereford in 

 1 303." Goldington's interest passed to John Dyer, 

 who was contemporary with John de Ros of Overhall 

 'see above)." In the next century the manor was 

 acquired by Sir William Estfield, kt., a citizen of 

 London and lord mayor in 1429 and 1437." His 

 will is dated February 1 446-7, and in it he makes a 

 bequest to the church of Gilston." His heir was his 

 grandson John Bohun, son of his daughter Margaret 



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