HERTFORD HUNDRED 



Besford for 100 marks. The wardship was duly 

 delivered to Alexander by Thomas Arundel, Arch- 

 bishop of York, and Edward Earl of Rutland, but 

 he afterwards entered into an agreement to deliver 

 the child up to Ralph Hamelyn and Ralph son of 

 Richard upon payment of 200 marks. A little later, 

 however, in spite of this, Alexander granted the ward- 

 ship of the infant John to Robert Why ting ton and 

 others. The two Ralphs gave up the child to 

 Robert's servants, but afterwards Ralph Hamelyn 

 'chased the servants and took away the child by 

 force.'" In 1457 apparently another John de 

 Bassingburn and Katherine his wife conveyed the 

 manor of Hoddesdonbury to trustees, 35 probably for 

 the purpose of a settlement, for John de Bassingburn 

 was lord of the manor in 1477, and two of the same 

 feoffees granted it to John's son Thomas Bassingburn 

 and his wife Katherine in 1493." In the follow- 

 ing year Thomas Bassingburn conveyed Hoddesdon- 

 bury to Sir William Say, 96 his wife's brother. At the 

 death of Sir William Say in 1529 the manor descended 

 to his daughter Mary and her husband Henry Earl of 

 Essex, 88 whose daughter and heir Anne Bourchier 

 married William Parr, afterwards Marquess of North- 

 ampton. 100 Sir William Parr was attainted in 1553 

 and his lands forfeited to the Crown. The reversion 

 of Hoddesdonbury after the expiration of a grant made 

 in favour of Anne was granted by Queen Elizabeth in 

 1566 to Robert Earl of Leicester, 1 who in the following 

 year conveyed it to Sir William Cecil, afterwards Lord 

 Burghley, who obtained releases from the Marchioness 

 of Northampton and other possible heirs of Sir John 

 Say. 1 From him it passed to his second son Robert 

 Cecil, 1 who was created Earl of Salisbury in 1605 ; 

 it has since descended in that family,' the Marquess 

 of Salisbury being the present lord of the manor. 



Stephen de Bassingburn claimed a park in Hoddes- 

 don in I277 of ancient custom. 5 Hoddesdon Park 

 Wood probably marks the site of it. Stephen de 

 Bassingburn also claimed by charter of King John 

 free warren, gallows, and waif.' 



In 1533 Henry Earl of Essex petitioned for a 

 licence to change the day of the fair at Hoddesdon, 

 which, he said, would be ' a great ease for the in- 

 habitants.' This evidently referred to the fair origi- 

 nally granted to Richard de Boxe in Hoddesdon in 

 1253 (see below). The date, that of the vigil, feast 

 and morrow of St. Martin (in winter), 11 November, 

 was changed to the vigil, day and morrow of the Trans- 

 lation of St. Martin in summer (3-5 July).' The 

 charter of Queen Elizabeth granted two fairs to the 

 corporation, one beginning on the vigil of St. Martin 

 in winter (11 November) and the other on the vigil 

 of St. Peter (29 June). 8 In 1 792 the fair was held on 

 29 June as a toy fair, 9 and a pleasure fair is still held 



M Early Chan. Proc. bdle. 69, no. 1 1. 



* Feet of F. Herts. 35 Hen. VI, 



no. 182 J Mini. Accts. bdle. 86z, no. 17. 



" Anct. D. (P.R.O.), D 769 ) B 1600. 



98 Feet of F. Herts. Hil. 9 Hen. VII. 



99 Pat. 17 Hen. VIII, pt. i. 

 ,m Ct. of Wardi, Mist. Bk». dlxxviii, 



fol. 572! i Feet of F. Herts. Hil. 33 

 Hen. VIII. 



1 Pat. 8 Eliz. pt. vii, m. 28. 



5 Clutterbuck, Hist, and A„tiq. of Hen,. 

 ii, 59 (quoting deed at Hatfield House) ; 

 Feet of F. Div. Co. Hil. 12 Eliz. j Hil. 

 14 Eliz. 



' Feet of F. HerM. Hil. 45 Eliz. In 



BROXBOURNE 

 WITH HODDESDON 



on 29 and 30 June. A market, to be held on Thurs- 

 days, originally granted to Richard de Boxe, 111 was also 

 confirmed to Henry Earl of Essex at the same time as 

 the fair. By Queen Elizabeth's charter the tolls (the 

 ownership of which was said to be unknown) were 

 granted to the corporation. The market is now 

 held on Wednesdays. 



In 1086 the manor received twenty-two eels from 

 the weir." A water-mill which it was hardly possible 

 to use except in winter is mentioned in 1323. IS In 

 1277 Stephen de Bassingburn was expected to pro- 

 vide a bridge in Rutholm, 1 6 ft. by 6ft." In 1656 

 it was presented that the town of Hoddesdon was 

 destitute of stocks, and that the parishioners of Brox- 

 bournc ought to provide them." 



Another manor of Hoddesdon may perhaps be 

 identical with a hide in Hoddesdon held before the 

 Conquest by Asgar the Staller, later by Ingelric, and 

 in 1086 by Count Eustace of Boulogne. 15 The 

 sub-tenant of Asgar the Staller in this hide was 

 Godid, but it was given soon after the Conquest 

 to the canons of St. Martin-Ie-Grand, London, 

 probably by Ingelric, their founder, predecessor of 

 Count Eustace, of whom the canons held it in 

 1086. IS It had been confirmed to them by William 

 the Conqueror in the second year of his reign." 

 The church still had demesne lands in Hoddesdon 

 in 1290, when the dean, William de Luda, had 

 licence to stock his park there from the forest of 

 Essex, " a but probably most of their lands had been 

 already granted in sub-fee, for in 1 287 ls certain 

 privileges exercised by the canons in their lands were 

 claimed by John ie Sarmonner, who was apparently 

 holding under them. The hide was confirmed to 

 them as late as 1422-3, and at the end of the 15th 

 century suit was still owed to the leet of St. Martin 

 by tenants in Hoddesdon. ,s 



The earliest sub-tenants of the manor apparently 

 were a family of Boxe, who took their name from 

 Boxe in Walkern and Stevenage and who held that 

 manor. Alan de Boxe, nephew of a Hugh de Boxe, 

 is mentioned as holding land in Hoddesdon in 1 1 98." 

 In 1253 Richard de Boxe' had a grant of free warren 

 in his demesne lands of Boxe (i.e. Boxe in Walkern) 

 and Hoddesdon and a weekly market on Thursdays 

 at Hoddesdon and a yearly fair on the vigil, feast and 

 morrow of St. Martin (11 November). 31 In 1256 

 he had licence to inclose and build on a space of 

 ground between the two high roads and the cross 

 of Hoddesdon." He was apparently succeeded by 

 John le Summoner or Sarmonner, who is men- 

 tioned in Hoddesdon in 1276,^ and in 1287 claimed 

 view of frankpledge and assise of bread and ale 

 at Hoddesdon as among the liberties belonging 

 to the Dean and canons of St. Martin's, London 



i. 33J1- 



435 



