A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



in Bengeo at the time of the Domesday Survey. 5 ' 

 Geoffrey de Bcch seems 10 have been succeeded here 

 by Ralph the Butler (Pincerna), who at the end of 

 the reign of Henry I granted two knighis' fees, con- 

 sisting of the manor of Cockenhatch and lands in 

 Hailey (Heilet) and Bengeo, which were held under 

 him by the family of Burun, to Aubrey de Vere. The 

 latter was to hold the knights' fees in demesne until 

 Robert de Burun paid him £32, after which Robert 

 was to hold of Aubrey and Aubrey of Ralph." The 

 knights' fees are described as being formerly held by 

 Roger de Burun," and it is possible that the latter 

 was the son of the Roger who held 5 \ virgates 

 of Geoffrey de Bech in Bengeo in 1086." The 

 g evidence of the descent of these 



knights' fees ar 

 of Robert, was 

 when he made 

 land with Thou 

 ultimately thi 



land 



r de Burun, grandson 

 Bengeo in 1206, 



aboi 



of 



de Heriawe." It is probable that 

 uns granted their holding in Bengeo 

 ) the Revels, from whom the manor afterwards took 

 its name, for before 1 1 94 Robert de Burun had 

 granted certain lands in Cockenhatch to William son 

 of Andrew de Revel. 19 The Revels were holding 

 land in Bengeo In 1303, when Geoffrey Revel was 



returned for half a fee in Bengeo held of the Earl of N 



Oxford." There is no evidence to show h 



Revels held it or who succeeded them, t 



Thomas Babthorpc died seised of the mam 



in Bengeo in demesne, and it was taki 



king's hands, 61 probably on account of the 



1 700." On her death the manor passed to her ion 

 Giles, who, dying without issue, left it to his nephew 

 Henry Dunster, possessor of the manor in 1718." 

 It remained with the family of Dunster** until the 

 death of Edward Dunster in 1791, when it was wld 

 to Thomas Hope Byde. Afterwards it came by 

 purchase together with the principal manor to 

 William Parker of Ware Park." 



Revel's Hall, the farm-house north-east of 

 St. Leonard's Church, probably marks the site of the 

 old manor-house. The present house is a 1 7th- 

 century timber-framed building with additions on the 

 south side. 



The ancient churchof ST. LEON JRD 

 CHURCH consists of a chancel measuring internally 

 24ft. by 19ft. (1 in., with round apsidal 

 east end, nave 44 ft. by 2 1 ft., west bellcote and south 

 porch. It is built of flint with stone dressings ; the 

 nave is coated with plaster and the roofs are tiled. 



The church is of early 1 zth-century date ; windowi 

 have been inserted in later periods and a south porch 

 was added in the 18th century; the bellcote ii 

 modern. The interior of the nave is now dismantled 

 and the chancel arch boarded up ; the chancel is still 

 used for services. 



The east window of the chancel is a 

 single light with splayed inner jambs of 

 12th-century date, and splayed light with 

 squarehead of the 13th century. In the 

 north wall is a single original light, now 

 blocked. In the south wall are three win- 

 most easterly is a window of 

 foiled lights under a square head, 

 1 5th-century date, but the inner 

 licr window ; the 

 down to form a 

 is a single pointed 

 ;, and the third is 

 head of the same 

 is a blocked door- 

 with four-centred 

 1 stonework of 

 been renewed. 



jambs belong to 

 inner sill has been cut 

 sedile. The next window 

 ght of 13th-century dat 

 "ght with square 

 period. In the same wall 

 way of the 15th century, 

 arch. Much of the cxti 

 windows and doorway h. 



vin.lo. 



the hei 



It 



tin 149S 



rityof 



bout 2 ft. 3 i 

 locker; adj. 



i the 



■Uth i: 



»ugh 1 



further 

 hollow 



vidently restored to the family of forming the 



Babthorpe, as it appears to have passed from Nicholas 

 Babthorpc to William Caldwell," whose daughter and 

 heir Joan conveyed it in marriage to Sir George 

 Knighton. Their son John Knighton succeeded on 

 his father's death in 1613. He gave the manor to 

 his sister's daughter Mary, who married Henry 

 Gardiner. Mary Gardiner, who survived both her 

 sons and held a court in 1658, was succeeded by her 

 daughter Mary wife of Henry Dunster. Mary 

 survived her husband and was lady of the manor in 



vide, which may have been used -. 



ng the two-light window is a small 



sped head, but it is fragmentary ; 

 is a larger piscina with pointed arch and 

 fered edge. The portion of stone now 



allows the old grooved water drain 



On the north side of the chancel are 

 two roughly cut openings through the wall, now 

 concealed by sliding doors in the internal panelling; 

 these arc about 2 ft. in width and 2 ft. 6 in. apart ; 

 they are about 4 ft. 6 in. in height and appear to 

 have been cemented inside. It has been suggested 

 that one of these openings (the other appears to have 

 been only a recess) was cut to enable an anchorite 

 to obtain access to the church from a cell outside. 

 The chancel arch is semicircular, with a span of 



4:6 



