HERTFORD HUNDRED 



daughter, Frances Selena Eardlcy, who in 1865 

 married Mr. Robert Hanbury, M.P. for Middlesex, 

 the latter adding the name of Culling to his 

 surname." Mrs. Culling-Hanbury is the present 

 owner of Bedwell Park, which is now occupied by 

 Mr. Charles George Arbuthnot. 



In 1543 the king's park at Waltliam was supplied 

 with deer from Bedwell Park," 1 and amongst the 

 privileges granted with the manor of Bedwell were 

 the herbage and pannage of the park and free warren, 

 both within the park and without, in the parishes of 

 Essendon and Little Berkhampstead." Within the 

 park were inclosed lands called Ponsbourne Mead, 

 which belonged to the manor of Ponsbourne in Hat- 

 field, and were bought from Lord Wenlock (grantee of 

 Sir John Fortescue's forfeited lands) by Sir John Say."- 1 



BEDWELL LOWTHES appears to have been 

 originally a separate manor from Bedwell." Roger 

 de Louth or Luda (who founded the chantry in 

 the church at Bishop's Hatfield) held four mes- 

 suages and 3 carucates of land in Essendon and 

 Bishop's Hatfield in 1333™ In 1351 William 

 de Louth and Agnes his wife held lands in 

 Essendon which formerly belonged to John de 

 W*alden. r ' John son and heir of Roger son of 

 Roger de Louth (who held Hornbeamgate 

 in Hatfield) also held lands in Essendon," and 

 these descended with that manor to Robert de 

 Louth, who in 1+09 granted a field of land 

 called 'le Wildrfcld," with the moor belonging 

 to it, to Peter Cheyne and Alice his wife." 

 Alice was the djughur of John Camville, who 

 also held lands in E^mion. 1 ' Her sister Joan 

 married Willi jjn Ba>-et, who seems to have 

 acquired most of the lands formerly belonging 

 to John Camviile,' as well as the land owned 

 by Peter Cheyne." 1 In 1466 Sir John Say 

 acquired the manors of Hornbeamgale and 

 Blounts (see Bishop's Hatfield) and lands in 

 Essendon and Hatfield from Robert Louth, 79j 

 and in 1474 William Basset released lands in 

 Essendon to Sir John Say. 60 In the same year 

 the latter was fined for suit of court at Essendon 

 for 'lands and tenements called Lowthes.' 61 

 The estate followed the descent of Bedwell, 61 

 from which it is not generally separately men- 

 tioned, until 1627, when William Potter sold 

 Bedwell Lowthes to William Priestley, 85 who 

 already held the house known as Cam field 

 Place," and whose son Thomas Priestley held it in 

 i668. M From the latter it appears to have passed 

 to his son William Priestley,'* who died without 

 issue in 1744." In 1759 the manor was held by 

 Thomas Methwold, 88 nephew of William Priestley, 89 



ESSENDON 



and was sold by him in 1 760 to Thomas Browne, 3 " 

 whose son" William Browne held it in 1815." On 

 the death of the latter's widow in 1832** the manor 

 was sold to Thomas Robert fourth Baron Dims- 

 dale. 31 In 1866 the executors of the fourth Baron 

 Dirasdale sold the manor, with Camfield Place, to 

 Edmund Potter, eldest son of the late James Potter 

 of Manchcs 



Earl of Salisbury died seised in 

 n the parish of Hatfield which 

 .g ' once parcel of the manor of 

 id which he purchased in 1610 

 from William Potter and Dorothy his wife.* 5 These 

 lands, which descended with the manor of Essendon, 

 are also called Bedwell Lowthes in later deeds. 



The church of ST. MART, standing 



CHURCH in the middle of the village, consists of 



chancel 25 ft. by 19 ft., north chapel, 



south organ chamber and vestry, nave 50 ft. by 2 i ft. 



1614 Robert 

 fee simple of lands 



iedwell Lowthes' 



■n Church : West Tower 



6 in., north and south aisles, and west tower 14 ft. by 

 12 ft., all internal dimensions. The walls are built 

 of flint with stone dressings. 



The church appears to have been largely rebuilt in 

 the 17th or 1 8th century, and in 1883 the whole of 



461 



