A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



[t was distinct from the neighbouring manor ot 

 Brickendon, which with its members had been held 

 by the canons since the foundation of their house.** 

 It probably had its nucleus in the lands given to 

 Waltham by Gilbert Monk (' Monacus ') in the 

 latter part of the 121)1 century. 1 * These were the 

 tenements of Henry the Salter (' Salinarius '), Si ward 

 Claud and Edward Felleden in Amwell near Bricken- 

 don and certain meadow lying in Broadmead, Cald- 

 well and ' Hoco ' (? Hook). 90 Gilbert's brother John 

 confirmed this grant," and Richard I included the 

 land ■ at Brickendon ' (sk) given by Gilbert the Monk 

 in his confirmatory charter to the abbey on 14 March 

 1 1 89-90." The land in the hamlet of Rushen 

 came to the abbey by grant of Walter de Wyteberuwe 

 (Widbury) and his wife Beatrice. 93 Other land in 

 Amwell was held by the abbey of the fee of Philip 

 son of Galien of Hertford," who held of the Prioress 

 of Cheshunt land acquired from Galien son of Joseph." 

 Philip and his wife Beatrice gave to the abbey Chadwell 

 (Chaldewell) Grove and 'Chadwell holme' with a 

 part of his meadow which was of the fee of Berk- 

 hampilead, desiring that the monks would improve the 

 water supply from Chadwell Spring. 96 The abbey 

 also acquired other small tenements in Amwell from 

 various donors. 97 



The 'manor' of Little Am well bury was let for 

 forty years to Nicholas Norres in ■ 5 36.** After the 

 surrender of Waltham Abbey on 23 March 1540 this 

 manor was purchased from the Crown on 17 June 

 1 542 by Richard Andrews of Hailes, co. Glouc, and 

 Leonard Chamberlain of Woodstock. 99 They imme- 

 diately obtained licence to convey to John Knighton 

 of Aldbury the elder and to his son John Knighton 

 the younger. 100 In I 5 76 John Knighton the elder 

 of Bayford conveyed the manor to John son of George 

 Knighton. 1 In 1590 George Knighton and his son 

 John Knighton the younger had licence to alienate a 

 moiety of the manor to John Knighton the elder, 

 gent.* This last was evidently the son of Sir George 

 Knighton of Bayford. He held a court for Little 

 Amwell in 1614' and was the last of his name.* He 

 is said to have given the manor to Henry Gardiner of 

 Jenningsbury, a gentleman 'knowing and ingenious 

 in the management of the affairs of this country,' who 

 had married his niece Mary Spring.' Little Amwell 

 was thus united to the neighbouring manor of Jen- 

 ningibury, with which it has descended to the present 

 Marquess Townshend. 



The Abbot of Waltham obtained a grant of free 

 warren in Amwell and elsewhere on 30 March 1253.' 

 He had extensive liberties, including sac and soc, in- 



88 See above. ■' Pat. J2 Eli?, pt. j 



fangtheof and utlangthcof, and quittance from shirt* 

 and hundreds throughout all his lands.' Thus the 

 abbey had its 'liberty 'of Little Amwel! distinct from 

 its ' liberty ' of Brickendon ; but it appears thai Rushen 

 was a tithing of Brickendon,' and it was to Brickendon 

 that Gilbert the Monk and his heirs sent for the rent 

 due for the lands with which he had endowed the 

 abbey. 9 



The manor of Hertford Priory was styled in 1637 

 'the manor of Hertford Priors otherwise called tie 

 manor of the Priory of Hertford and now or late 

 called or known by the name of the manor of 

 Amwell or called and known by the name of the fee 

 of Amwell.' '" This was probably due to the close 

 connexion between the Limesy fee in Hertford and 

 Amwell. 10 ' The founder of Hertford Priory, Ralph 

 de Limesy the elder (tviiti), also endowed it among 

 other holdings with a free tenement in Amwell," 

 evidently part of the fee which he held in 1086." 

 The priory had charters concerning this land from 

 Ralph's uncle and from John de Limesy." In the 

 time of Richard I Ralph de Limesy, possibly the 

 grandson ot Geoffrey de Limesy and tenant of Great 

 Amwell under the elder branch of the family," 

 attempted to exact from the priory aid towards scut- 

 age contrary to the effect of these charters." The 

 lands and rents of the priory in Amwell were valued 

 at £1 ot. zd. in 1291.'* They may perhaps be 

 identical with the estate held by the priory now 

 known as BJLLS PARK, which is a detached portion 

 of the parish of Little Amwell," surrounded by the 

 parishes of St. John Rural and Brickendon Urban 

 and Rural."' The name 'Balls' also exists in ' Balles- 

 hoke,' a meadow adjoining the footway from Hert- 

 ford to Ware, near a former footbridge called 'High 

 Bridge."" Balleshoke was among the possessions of 

 Hertford Priory in 1462. In that year Prior Thomas 

 Walden failed to credit himself with various sums 

 received to the use of the priory. These included 

 6s. Zd. paid by Thomas Blak and John Sadiller for 

 hay crops at Balleshoke." 1 The capital messuage called 

 ' Balles ' was evidently included in those ' members ' of 

 the manor of Hertford Priory which lay in Amwell. 

 It was held with the manor by Richard' Willis at his 

 death r6 October 1625," and descended from him 

 to Thomas Willis of Fen Ditton." He sold with the 

 priory manor to John Harrison of London in 1637 

 the mansion-house and farm called Balls 'and two 

 other little tenements thereto belonging and now 

 decayed.'" 



Harrison rebuilt the house at Balls Park, where 

 he was visited in 1643 by John Evelyn the diarist." 



cf. Cart. Antiq. RR, 7. 



?oditio. 



' (» 



foL 



;t. MS. Tib. C ii, fol. 90, 91 ; 



:S. 4.S09, foL r66 et sea,. 



11s. Accts. Hen. VIII, R. 964. 



txdP.Hn.VIU, x™, 4+3 (39). 



id. (+6). 



no. R. (Eich. L.T.R.), Hil. 19 



• M. 1. quoted by Clutterbiiclt, op. 

 i, 44. 



■' Chauncy, op. cit. 264, 269 ; cf. H, 

 r uil , [Han. Sec), ,7. 



6 Cat. Chart. R. i2i6-;7, p. 427. 



' Flax, dt Que Warr. (Rcc. Com.), 2 



" Ct. K. [Gen. Ser.), portf. 178, 



ford Borough. 

 11 Finn, 10 I 



(Pipe R. Soc x 

 " See under 

 n Fmn t 10 J 



»). .s- 



"Sir John Harriion, kt., in effecting 

 the union of the parishci of All Saints 

 and St. John, Hertford, re«erved (he 

 tithei of hi. own land,, i.e. of Ball! Pa.k 

 (Chauncy, op. cit, 258). 



19 Stli. R. (Hertt. Co. RecA i, 20}, 21+, 

 368. 



* Minn. Arm. bdle. 865, no. 15. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 1), ccccTviii, 64. 



™ See under Hertford Borough. 



*" Cloie, 1 j Chii. I, pt. xxxviii, no. 17. 



" Evelyn, Diary (ed. Brap), i, jo. 



