A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



The modem home called the Manor House, further 

 north, is the residence of Mr. Cornelius Han bury. 



On the north side of Bertha mpstead Lane and 

 close to the church and village are the rectory and 

 Little Berkhampstead House. The latter was formerly 

 the property of Owen Lloyd, stationer, of Temple 

 Bar, who died in 1756, and left it to his nephew 

 Samuel Gibbons. It was acquired early in the last 

 century by Thomas Daniell, grandfather of the present 

 owner, Mr. A. E. Daniell. Pondfield, the residence 

 of Mr. Percival Bosanquet, stands in a park about 

 half a mile north-east of the church. At the southern 

 end of the village stands the Village Hall, which was 

 built in 1888, and south of the hall is the school. 



About a quarter of a mile east of the church is 

 The Gage (formerly the Gaze or Gaze Place), a late 

 16th-century house, much altered subsequently. It 

 is of brick and timber with tiled roofs and contains 

 some late 1 7th-century panelling. In the grounds on 

 high land is a circular tower built mainly of 17th- 

 century bricks in 1 789 by John Stratton as an observa- 

 tory. The house belonged to John Bcntley at the 

 end of the 17th century. It was acquired by John 

 Stratton in 1780, and is now the property of his 

 grandson Colonel J. H. Stratton. At Woodcock 

 Lodge Farm are the remains of a homestead moat. 

 This house belonged in the early 17th century to 

 William Smithsby, groom of the Privy Chamber to 

 Charles I. He sold it to William Priestley of Cam- 

 field (see Esscndon), in whose family it remained 

 until the death of Meliora Priestley, 1 widow, in 1761. 

 It afterwards came into the possession of William 

 Baker of Bayfordbury. 



Little Berkhampstead is said to have been the 

 birthplace of Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, 

 who was born in i 6 3 7.* 3 



Epping Green, a hamlet, lies I mile south of the 

 village, and another hamlet, Howe Green (probably 

 Le Hoo of the 1 5th century), lies a mile to the north. 

 Epping House, to the west of Epping Green, was the 

 property of William Home, attorney-general, who 

 died in i860. It now belongs to Mr. B. H. Hen- 

 derson. 1 " 



An inclosure award was made in 1842.' Ashfield, 

 Sprowsefield and Mill Field were the principal com- 

 mon fields. 



Hardwin de Scales held LITTLE 

 MANOR BERKHAMPSTEAD at the time of 

 the Domesday Survey, when it gelded 

 at 5 hides. Before the Conquest z hides of the 

 manor were held by Semar, a priest, 2 hides by a 

 certain widow, Levefa, and 1 hide by Uluric. 

 According to the testimony of the shire-moot these 

 lands were of the ' alms ' of King Edward and his 

 royal ancestors.* The manor descended in the Scales 



family to Geoffrey de Scales,' who in 1 113 granted 

 it to Falkcs de Breautc and his heirs to hold by the 

 service of rendering one pair of gilt tpurs or 6d. 

 at Easter, for all service except foreign service. 4 

 Falkes de Breaute forfeited his possessions to the 

 Crown in 1 2 24,' and the houses in Little Berk- 

 hampstead which had belonged to him were 

 removed to the castle of Hertford. 7 The manor, 

 which should have been restored to the Scales 

 family, was apparently kept by the king, who in 

 1225 gave orders that the old court, chapel, brew- 

 house and ' marescakia ' were still to be left at Little 

 Berkhampstead for John Marshall, to whom he had 

 granted Falkcs's lands in Little Berkhampstead during 

 pleasure. In 1226, however, the sheriff was ordered 

 to move the ' domus marescalciae ' from Little Berk- 

 hampstead to the castle of Hertford whenever the 

 carriage of it should cause least inconvenience to 

 the neighbourhood." The manor was granted by the 

 king in 1226 to Nicholas de Mods' during pleasure, 

 a grant afterwards changed i 

 son Roger held it in 1278 ,c 





1 1290." 



md received a grant ol 

 , who died before July 



OOO 



129;, was succeeded by his 

 son John, 13 summoned to Par- 

 liament as Lord Moels. Ex- 

 tents of the manor at this date 

 mention a water-mill. On the 

 death of John in 1310 the 

 manor went to his son Nicho- I 

 las," who, by a fine with V / 



Philip de Courtenay in I 3 1 3, ^^ ^f 



settled it on himself and his ^^s^ - ^^ 



wifeMargar.tandtheirheirs." 



When Nicholas Lord Moels A™TL7tar< £ ll,', 

 died before I z March I 3 I 5- -u>i',h ,hrtt rmndth gain 

 16 his heir was his brother intktchitf. 

 Roger." Roger de Moels died 



without issue in 1325, and was succeeded by his 

 brother John, 16 who in I 328 obtained a licence to 

 exchange some of his other lands for the life interest 

 of Margaret, his sister-in-law, in the manor of Little 

 Berkhampstead." As John had no male heir, on his 

 death in 1337 the barony of Moels fell into abey- 

 ance and his lands were divided between his daughters 

 Muriel and Isabel. Isabel, who bad married William 

 de Botrcaux, received Little Berkhampstead in 1347 

 as part of her share of the inheritance." 



William Lord Botrcaux, son of Isabel, was under 

 age when his father died in 1349," an( ^ his cs t alea 

 remained in wardship until 1359." He leased the 

 manor in 1375 to Edmund de Hyndon for the term 

 of the latter's life," and in 1384 to William Frame- 

 lyngham, citizen and skinner of London, for twenty 

 years." William Lord Botreaux died in 1391 and 



ly of »CV. Inj. p.m. ]- 9 Edw. II. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. i£ Ric II, no. 6. 



