A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



in 1712." Dr. W'atu .pent the latter part of his life 

 with Sir Thomas and Lady Abney at Theobald's 

 Park." 



No trace of permanent Roman occupation has 

 been proved to exist at Cheshunt.'' The boundary 

 bank, known as ' Above and Below Bank,' which runs 

 through Theobalds Park over Beaumont Green to 



5 Wood and i 

 from the field banks, 



1 hardly distinguishable 

 i to have formed the 

 boundary between Merc 13 and Essex. 15 In con- 

 nexion with this bank a curious custom of land 

 tenure exists. In cases of intestacy all copyhold 

 properly on the west side, 'or above bank,' goes to 

 the eldest son, all on the east side, or ' below 

 bank,' to the youngest son. The greater part of 

 the parish is ' below bank.' 



A mill is mentioned in the Domesday Survey. It 

 appears to have been included, later, within the 

 manor of Periers." 



CHESHUNT, which, with its bere- 

 MJNORS wick Hoddesdon, had been held in the 

 time of King Edward by Eddeva the 

 Fair,™ was one of" the many manors granted by the 

 Conqueror to Count Alan of Britanny, who held it 

 in 10S6, when it was assessed for 20 hides and had 

 land for thirty-three ploughs. A little later than 

 this the count built the castle of Richmond, and his 

 lands were formed into the honour of Richmond," 

 the descent of which Cheshunt followed as a rule. 

 Pc;cr de Braine, who married Alice daughter of Con- 

 signee of Britanny, daughter and heir of Conan Count 

 of Britanny, had seisin of the manor in his wife's right 

 in 1 2 1 7." He forfeited in 1217, and the manor was 



CAaJtfranJ azure -wi,/, 

 a border of ENGLAND 

 and a quarter of BRIT- 

 JNNT. 



granted to Walter, Bishop of Carlisle, to hold until the 

 king should restore it to Peter Count of Britanny or 

 his heirs.* 3 By renouncing his homage to Henry 111 

 in 1234. the Count of Britanny finally forfeited his 

 English possessions," and in J 141 the manor of 

 Cheshunt was granted to Peter of Savoy" with the 

 honour of Richmond. In 1244 Peter received a 

 grant of a weekly market on Monday at his manor 

 of Cheshunt and a yearly fair on the vigil, feast and 

 Assumption of St. Mary" (15 August), the days of 



13 Chalumt in tit Olden Time,, 



16 D:. .-. N*,. Biog. 



17 Bill. Mcnum. Com. Rep. H, 



& 



:. CiKfiln, 



19 Ibid 



18 See Cl R. portf. 17;, no. 63 ■ 1 

 S.KDtm. 159,-4, p. SOI . 

 80 I'.C.H. Hera, i, jl . 

 V G.E.C. Complete Peerage, v i, 345, 

 *< R01. Ut. Clius. (Rec Com. 1 ., i, -: 

 " Cai. Chart. R. 1126-57, p. 52. 



the 



fair being changed in 1 257 to the morrow of 



the Exaltation of the Cross (14 September) and the 

 three days following." In 1268 Cheshunt was again 

 in the hands of the Crown, Peter of Savoy having 

 left the honour of Richmond to hi* niece Queen 

 Eleanor, who sold it to her husband. The latter 

 granted it to the descendants of Peter de Braine, 

 whose grandson '' John of Britanny in I 278 claimed 

 view of frankpledge, assize of bread and ale, gallows 

 and free warren in Cheshunt. " In 1335 John Duke 

 of Britanny, great-nephew of the above,™ received 

 a grant of a weekly market at his manor of Ches- 

 hunt." In I34I the earldom of Richmond was 

 again in the hands of the Crown after the death 

 of John de Britanny Earl of Richmond, Queen 

 Philippa being appointed to the custody of the lands. a 

 In 1 342 John of Gaunt was created Earl of Rich- 

 mond." A weekly market at Cheshunt was granted 

 to him in 1 344," and he appears to have held Ches- 

 hunt and the other lands of the earldom until 1371, 

 when he surrendered them to the king." In the 

 same year the earldom of Richmond was granted to 

 John de Montfort Duke of Britanny (son of John 

 de Montfort, half-brother and 

 heir maleof the last-mentioned 

 John de Britanny), who had 

 married as his second wife 

 Joan half-sister of Richard II." 

 On the death of the Duke 

 of Britanny in 1 399" Ralph 

 Nevill Earl of Westmorland 

 received a life grant of the 

 earldom of Richmond. >s He 

 granted, for his own life, the 



manor of Cheshunt with the NiLviL 4 EarlofWe. 



knights' fees, parks, warrens, morland. GuUtaulii. 

 franchises and liberties to John *V- 

 Norbury and his heirs. In 



1412 Henry IV confirmed the grant to John N01 

 bury for life, with successive remainders to Elizabet 

 his wife, Henry their son, the 

 ting's godson, and John the 

 brother of Henry. '" Ralph 

 Karl of Westmorland died in 

 .425," and in 1433 it was 

 enacted that the manor of 

 Cheshunt should go to the 

 Duke of Bedford after the 

 deaths of Elizabeth Norbury, 

 Henry and John." The Duke 

 of Bedford died without sur- 

 viving issue in 1435," and in 

 1447, on petition from the 



Com 



the 



of 



the manor of Cheshunt after " "' ' "%" ' 

 the death of Elizabeth and 



Henry Norbury was granted in frankalmoign to the 

 college of St. Mary and St. Nicholas, Cambridge." 

 By the Resumption Act of 1455, however, the 



"Chart. R.18 Edw. Ill, m. 4,1 

 * Duchy of Lane. Mite. Bid 

 bl. 8. "G.E.C.op. cit. »i,M 

 a Ibid. 356. 



M Ibid. ; tec Feud. Aid h ii, 44). 

 *» Col. fat, 1408-13, p. 404. 

 *■> Chan. Inq. p.m. 4 Hen. VI, 1 

 »' Par!. R. It, 461. 

 G.E.C. 



* Pari, R. t. 



'J J- 



