A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



century. John Shelley died seised of ' the manor of 

 Chamberlains' in January 1513-4,* William Shelley, 

 his son, a judge, being his heir. It appears in 1615 . 

 in the possession of Sir Thomas Bishop of Parham, 

 to. Sussex,- 9 who sold it in that year as the manor of 

 Chamberlains alias Burstead to Thomas Draner of 

 Hoxton, co. Middlesex. The latter died seised in 1632, 

 having settled the manor on his nephew Sir William 

 Halton (son of his sister Joan) with contingent re- 

 mainder to his brother Robert Halton for life, then 

 to Thomas son of Robert. 30 Thomas Halton was 

 holding in 1661 * and Philip Halton in 1692. 3 * 



In 17+3 Chamberlains was in the possession of 

 Christopher Parker of St. George's, Hanover Square, 

 who in that year settled it on his son Christopher 

 and his issue. 33 In 1763 this entail was barred, the 

 manor then being in the hands of mortgagees. 34 

 Christopher the elder died almost immediately after- 

 wards, and in 1 764 Christopher the younger (of St. 

 Paul's, Covent Garden) paid off the mortgage by the 

 sale of Bleches. 34 The manor was bequeathed by him 

 to John Grimstead and Elizabeth his wife for their 

 lives, with reversion to his cousin and heir Dorothy 

 Parker." He died before 1775." Dorothy Parker 

 conveyed her interest in 1786 to Robert Palmer. 3 * 



According to Cussans the farm called BursteaJs 

 was sold by Robert Lord Ebury to William Barnard 

 of Sawbridgeworth in 1867. 3 * It now belongs to 

 Mr. E. B. Barnard, M.A., J.P., who lives at Fairgreen 

 House in Sawbridgc worth. 



The old manor-house, now used as a farm-house, 

 which lies a little to the east of Trim'i Green and 



is occupied by Mr. E. Stephens, is a small timber- 

 framed house covered with lath and plaster, the plaster 

 work being decorated with basket-work pattern 

 probably of the 



RL_kSTtv\D£. 

 .SAWfeRJOCEWORTH 



iddle of 

 I 7th century. 

 The main gables 

 are weather- 

 boarded, the apex 

 of each being 

 slightly hipped. 

 The roofs are 

 tiled. The house 

 consists of a main 

 block measuring 

 about 37 ft. long 

 by 24 ft. 6 in. in 

 depth and is of 



attics. A massive 

 brick chimney 



centre of the 



bu ilding, dividing 

 the interior into two rooms, one of which is now sub- 

 divided. The entrance door is in the middle of the 

 front and opens into a small lobby the width of the 

 brick substructure of the chimneys (about 9 ft.), 



through which. 

 Rectory Farm, Pirton. 

 tunnelled to the stair 1 

 bay windows in front ; 



Berk h amps tead School 

 a modern passage has been 

 the back. The two small 

 : modern, but all the other 



windows have oak 

 mullions and tran- 



Adjoining the 

 house is a very large 

 and lofty thatched 

 barn, probably 

 erected during the 

 17th century. 



The 



of 



BLUNTS originated 

 in a grant of lands to 

 Robert Blunt of 

 London made by 

 Warin Fitz Gerold 

 (for whom see atoie 

 under Pishobury) 

 and confirmed by 

 Geoffrey de Mande- 

 villc Earl of Essei, 

 lord of the fee.« 

 The names of John 

 le Blunt," who died 

 before 1 3 30," Agnes 

 his wife," John 

 (possibly their son),** 

 who was living in 



» Chan. In,. p.m. (Ser. a), rWi, 4 c 

 » Com. Pleas D. Ear. East. 13 Ja« 



30 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cccclx: 

 )4i F; 1 ». /t/W™(H a tLSo C .),ii, 4 



31 Feet of F. Div. Co. Trin. 

 Shis. II. 



Si Recov. R. Mich. 4 Will, and M 



1 D. Er.r. Hil. j Geo. Ill, 



' Ibid. 



74- 



i. Trin. 4 Geo. HI, m. 182, 

 36 Ibid. 15 Geo. Ill, m. 2?6 ; 



of F. Herts. Mich. 17 Geo. III. 

 17 Com. Pleas D. Ear. Trin. 



Geo. Ill, m. 256. 



» Ibid. Hil. 26 Geo. I'll, m. 280. 



342 



" Sloan 



cf Hera. Braughmg Huni. 



Chart, uiii, 64 ; for facsimile 

 ter ice hdcumittiofCktruriH. 



of thil eh: 



Brithh Muuum, i, no. . 



*> Add. Chart. 4718, 



"Ibid. 4757. 



"Ibid. 4718, 4757, 



"Ibid, 476.. 



