A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



de Maule, probably her son, w 

 Valence," daughter of Willia 



■ ithout 



al lie 





hold the 



mpleted 



d enfeoffed Agnes de 

 , de Valence. The 

 iK-e, which had been 

 29+, lj but the trans- 

 til J297.' 6 Agnes 

 until her death in 

 1309-10," when it passed to her brother Aymer 

 de Valence Earl of Pembroke, who died in 1323 

 without issue." His heirs were his nephew John 

 de Hastings, son of his sister Isabel, Elizabeth 

 Comyn, and Joan wife of David de Strathbolgi, 

 daughters of his second sister Joan." Elizabeth 

 Comyn, to whom Hertingfordbury was assigned,™ 

 married Richard Talbot," who in 1331 granted the 

 manor to Roger de Chauntecler oi London as security 

 for a debt." In 1 34; Richard and Elizabeth surren- 

 dered the manor to the king in exchange for various 

 lands in Herefordshire," and it was granted in the 

 following year to Queen Isabella, the king's mother, 

 for her life." Isabella died in 1 358, and William de 

 Louthe was appointed steward in I 3 59-*" 

 In 1376 the king granted this r 



Selby was holding it in 1700" 

 2 8,'° after whose death it de- 



1 tail-male 



James Selby." J. 

 and his widow in 1728," 

 tended to their ion Thorr 

 James Selhv." In 178; Ellen 

 Wells and Henrietta the wife 

 of Dixie Gregory, the heirs 

 apparently of Thomas James 

 Selby," joined with Sir Row- 

 land Alston, bart., in convey- 

 ing the manor to Joseph Hill," 

 probably in trust for George 

 Earl Cowper, whom Clutter- 

 buek gives as the purchaser. 

 Hertingfordbury has since de- 

 scended with the earldom," 

 and is now held by Countess "««'"""«''"*"' 

 Cowper, widow of the seventh " ""'" " '*'""■ 



The park of Hertingfordbury is first mentioned in 

 1285." In 1359-60 William' de Louthe the keeper 

 accounted for three men who were employed for five 

 days at 3^. a day in inclosing and cutting wood in 



John of Gaunt.' 6 John of the park." It was granted together with the r 



Gaunt died in February 1 398-9, and Herting 

 bury again fell to the Crown with the duchy of 

 Lancaster upon the accession of his son Henry in 

 II99 as Henry IV.' r In 142: Henry VI granted 

 Hertingfordbury in dower to his mother Queen 

 Katharine " and afterwards to his own queen, Mar- 

 garet of Anjou." Edward IV also granted it for 

 life to his queen Elizabeth Woodville." After this 

 it seems to have remained in the possession of the 

 Crown until Edward VI granted it in 1553 to his 

 sister Princess Mary. 31 It remained in the hands of 

 Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth," and in 1619 

 was granted by James I to Sir Henry Hobart and 

 other feoffee; for ninety-nine years to the use of 

 Charles Prince of Wales. 11 In 1627 the feoffees 

 transferred the remainder of the term to Christopher 

 Vernon for a rent of £26 01. 3./, the grant being 

 confirmed by the king in the same year, whilst the 

 reversion of the manor in fee simple was granted to 

 William Downhall and John Darnell." The latter 

 grant was probably in trust for Christopher Vernon 

 and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Darnell." 

 Christopher died in 1652 and was succeeded by his 

 son Francis," and Hertingfordbury remained in the 

 Vernon family" (de-cendants of the Vernons of 

 Haddon Hall) until ] 690, when it was sold to 



Princess Mary by Edward VI in 1553." 

 1604, when Sir Michael Stanhope was keeper of the 

 park for James I, he was commanded to forbear 

 killing any deer there for three years,"* Later in 

 the same year a special commission was appointed 

 which certified that the extent of the park was 20; 

 acres of very hard soil 'after the nature of Hertford- 

 shire,' which would keep 1 50 deer and no more, and 

 that 160 out of 200 deer kept there had died in one 

 year." In 1623 a buck from it was given by the 

 king to Sir Henry Marten, judge of the Admiralty 

 Court."" The park continued with the manor" 

 until 1626, when Prince Charles's feoffees granted the 

 remainder of their ninety-nine years' lease to John 

 Purefey and John Graunt." In the following year 

 the king granted the revctsion to Anthony Lowe, 

 Christopher Vernon, Arthur Lowe and John Coxe. 

 The park then contained 237 acres besides a meadow 

 of 3 acres called ' le dcere meadowc,' and 1 acre of 

 osier woods. Free chase and free warren in it were 

 granted at the same time." Jn 1628 John Walter, 

 Sir Henry Hobart and the others granted /20 rent 

 from the park, which they had reserved from their 

 earlier grant, to Richard Brownclowe, and this was 

 confirmed in the same year to his son John Browne- 

 lowe by the king. 1 ' 



464 



