A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



of Sal 



lord of the 



at the present Elizabeth Lady Say his wife." In Hilary Term 

 1465—6 John Norbury the younger conveyed 



A court leet was held at Essendon once a > 

 the Thursday in Easter week" by the lord of the seised of 

 manor, who also had the right to view of frank- Berkhampstead, anc 

 pledge. Tree warren and the goods and chattel? of William Say. 10 Dui 

 felons, fugitives and outlaws. In the reign of in 1522 Mary T.i 

 Edward IV suit of court was paid to the manor of Bedwell. 11 

 Essendon for the manors of Bedwell and Bedwell 

 Lowthes," but in i6;2 it was averted that the 



to Sir John Say," »ho died in 147X 



3 of Bedwell and Little 



vas succeeded by his sou 



the ownership of the latter 



appears to have stayed at 



tenants of Bedwell wer 

 sheriff's tourn and of nc 

 as 1332 the demesne 

 granted out, the tenan 

 to be bound to no other 

 every third week. 3 ' 



BEDH'ELL is not m 

 and the fact that in tht 

 held of Essendon" sug ( 

 Survey it was included, 

 It does not appear 

 1388, when it was 



; in the jurisdiction of the 

 other court leet. 3 ' As early 

 lands appear to have been 

 s paying rent and claiming 

 service except 



jit of court 



:>ned in Domesday Book, 

 !gn of Edward IV it was 

 that at the time of the 

 h Essendon, in Bayford. 

 to be described as a manor until 

 released, with lands and tenements 

 Little Berkhampstead, to John 

 \orbury and others by Peter Wiscbech and William 

 Hedyndon," who were probablv feoffee; of Norbury. 

 The latter in 1406 received a licence to inclose 800 

 acres of land and wood 'of his own soil' adjoining 

 his manors of Bedwell and Little Berkhampstead, to 

 m.ike a park which was to be held to him and his 

 heirs for ever." This John Norbury married Elizabeth 

 daughter of Sir Thomas Bolder of Sudcley, the 

 widow and second wife of Sir William Heron, and 

 he is known to have died before 1433." Elizabeth 

 de Say, Baronesi Say in her own right, who had 

 married Sir William Heron as her second husband, 

 being his first wife, had died without issue in 1 399, and 

 after her death Sir William Heron continued to be 

 summoned to Parliament till his death." He died in 

 [40+, having married secondly Elizabeth Botelcr 

 aforesaid." After his death Elizabeth his widow 

 married, as above mentioned, ]ohn Norbury, but she 

 retained the title of Lady Say till her death in 1464," 

 She was married again to Sir John Montgomery at 

 some date unknown before 1433," and after T412, 

 when she is named as the wife of John (not Henry) 

 Norbury" and widow of Sir William Heron.' 1 

 Her heir was her grandson John Norbury, who in 

 146; received licence to enter into all possessions that 

 came into the hands of Henry VI or Edward IV 

 by the death of John Norbury the elder, or of 



Sir William Say had two daughters, Elizabeth, 

 who married William Blount Lord Mountjoy, 1 * and 

 Mary, who married Henry Bourchier second Earl of 

 Essex. On thedeath ofSir William Say in ^lothe 

 manor of Bedwell, in accordance with a settlement 

 made in 1506, passed to Lord Mountjoy, who was 

 to hold it for life and to be succeeded by his daughter 

 Gertrude wife of Henry Courtenay Marquess of 

 Exeter. On the attainder of Gertrude Marchioness 

 of Exeter in 1539 the manor came into the hands of 

 the Crown." In the same year the stewardship of 

 the manor, the keepership of Bedwell Park, of the 

 hunt ot deet and of the ' King's mansion of Bedwell 

 with a little garden thereto annexed or adjoining' 

 were granted to Sir Anthony Denny, 'a gentleman 

 of the King's Privy Chamber,'" to whom in 1547 

 Edward VI granted the manor itself 'in support of 

 his dignitv ' as Chief Groom of the Chamber." Sir 

 Anlhony died in 1549, having settled the manor on 

 his third son Charles. 6 ' On the latter's death without 

 issue it passed to his elder brother Henry, who died 

 in 1574, leaving a son Robert." Robert Denny 

 died in 1576 and was succeeded by his younger 

 brother Sir Edward Denny, 50 who, being in debt to 

 the queen, 5 " sold the manor of Bedwell, with Bed- 

 well Lowthes, in Hilary Term 1600-1, to William 

 Potter,'" to whose family it seems to have been 

 already leased. 61 Bedwell Park and part of the 

 demesnes were sold by William Potter to Sir Henry 

 Atkins," after whose death in 1638" they passed to 

 his wife and then to one of his younger sons, Thomas 

 Atkins, who was the owner of Bedwell in 1700." 

 On the death of Thomas Atkins in 1701 " Bedwell 

 Park was sold to Richard Wynne, 6 ' who was M.P. 

 for Boston in 1698 and 1705 and who died in 

 1719." From the descendants of Richard Wynne 

 Bedwell passed by sale to Samuel Whitbread, who 

 sold it in 1807 to Sir Culling Smith, bart., 8 * to 

 whose son, Sir Culling Smith, and grandson, Sir 

 Culling Eardley Smith, the estate passed in succes- 

 sion. The latter assumed the name of Eardley. 

 On his death in 1863 Bedwell was left to his eldest 



" Duchy of 1 



59- 

 " Duchy of 

 e. 862, no. 20. 



* E<ch. Dtp. E 

 17 Duchy ° f Ls " 



* Duchy of 



. D. (P.R.O.), D 448 ; 

 v. R. 6 & 7 Hen. IV, n 



ir John Montgomti 

 " G.E.C. CmpU,, 



Henry Norbury (ibid.). 

 ' Cj ''- *"■ '+^-;6, P. * 



