HERTFORD HUNDRED 



Bramfield in Casino Hundred and perhaps originally 

 formed part of the manor of Bramfield. There is no 

 mention of the tenure until 1609, when it was said 

 to be held of the king as of his castle of Hertford by 

 fealty in socage.'* 



The first mention of Queenhoo occurs in 1 223-4., 

 when William Kilvington of Stebenhithe surrendered 

 to Richard Hamme of Havering all right in the lord- 

 ship called 'Queenhawe." 7 Before 1281 it had come 

 into the possession of Ralph de Ardern and Catherine 

 his wife, for in that year they granted 9 marks rent 

 in Queenhoo 'of their own fee' to Westminster 

 Abbey.' 8 This rent, held of the abbey, came soon 

 after into the hands of the Goldingtons and descended 

 with the manor of Thele." Lands in Queenhoo 

 were held at the beginning of the 13th century by 

 Geoffrey de la Lee, who received a grant of free 

 warren there in 1310, 80 and in 1376 Walter de la Lee 

 granted ' land called Quynehawes ' to Richard Raven- 

 sere and others. 81 These lands were, perhaps, only 

 appurtenances of the neighbouring manor of Water- 

 ford held by this family. 



In 1 502 the manor of Queenhoo was conveyed by 

 Henry Hammys and Elizabeth his wife to Sir Reginald 

 Bray and others. 8 * Sir Reginald died before 15 10, 

 and his lands descended to his niece Margery wife of 

 Sir William Sandys, afterwards Lord Sandys." In 

 that year Margery and her husband were holding 

 Queenhoo together with Reginald's widow. 9 * In 

 1536, however, Margery and Lord Sandys conveyed 

 it to John Malt, 11 merchant tailor of London, who 

 died before 1 5 52, leaving two daughters and co-heirs. 

 One of these, Bridget, the wife of John Scutte, sold 

 her moiety in that year to John Forster, 66 who died 

 seised of it in 1558. 87 His son and heir Humphrey 

 conveyed it in 1567 to Edward Skegges. 69 The other 

 moiety of Queenhoo came into the possession of Sir 

 Edward Bray and Mary his wife, who was probably 

 the other daughter of John Malt. In 1569 they 

 conveyed it also to Edward Skegges, 03 who thus 

 became possessed of the whole manor. Joan Skegges, 

 his widow, 90 and John Mathew, apparently her son by 

 another husband, 51 sold it in 1584. to John Smyth. 

 His son and successor James leased it in 1589 to 

 Aphabell Partriche, goldsmith of London, for thirty 

 years at a yearly rent of £21. Aphabell sold his 

 interest to Julian Cotton in trust for Henry Butler, 

 a younger son of Henry Butler of Bramfield, to 

 whom James Smyth had sold the reversion of the 

 property." Sir Henry Butler died seised of it in 

 1609 and was succeeded by his son John™ first Lord 

 Butler of Brantfield (Bramfield).. John Butler's lands 

 passed to his son William, 91 an idiot, whose heirs were 

 his five sisters, Audrey Lady Dunsmore, Lady Eleanor 

 Drake, Jane Duchess of Marlborough (afterwards wife 

 of William Ashburnham), Olive Porter, and Anne 

 Countess of Newport, and Thomas Howard, his 



7e Chan. Incj. p.m. (Ser. z), cccviii ! 1 5 

 " Close, S Hen. Ill, m. 34, 3,. 

 7S Col. Put. 1171-81, p. 446. 



79 Chan. Inq. p.m. 12 Edw. II, no. ;s; 

 3* Edw. Ill, no. 3 8; Mins. Accts. 

 bdle. iiiS.no. 11. 



80 Cal. Chan. R. 1300-26, p. 138. 

 " Close, ;o Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 13. 



s* Feet of F. Herta. Hil. 17 Hen. VII 



*• Ibid. Mich. 2 Hen. VIII. 



31 Ibid. 



84 Ibid. Mich. 28 Hea. VIII. 



TEWIN 



nephew, son of a sixth sister. 9 " In 1637 the manor 

 was divided among the six claimants 9 " and remained 

 so at least until 1668," but eventually the whole 

 estate was vested in the descendants of Audrey, the 

 elder sister, who married Francis Lord Dunsmore, in 

 16+4 created Earl of Chichester. 96 Their daughter 

 married George VilHcrs Viscount Grandison, who 

 was holding the whole of Queenhoo in i684- 93 His 

 grandson John Earl Grandison was holding it in 

 1728. IW Later it came with Bramfield (q.v.) to the 

 Smith family ofWatton Woodhall. Mr. Abel Henry 

 Smith is the present owner. 



Queenhoo Hall stands on high ground about a 

 mile and a half north-east of Tewin Church, com- 

 manding extensive views over the valley towards the 

 south. It is a small house of red brick, very little 

 altered, and there are no indications that it has ever 

 been larger. It was built probably about 1550 or 

 a little later, possibly by Edward Skegges. The 

 principal front faces south-east and is about 57 ft. 

 in length. At either end is a small rectangular 

 projecting bay, with gable over, carried up to the 

 same height as the wide main gables ; the bays 

 therefore stand well above the eaves of the main 

 roof. The lower story of the south-western bay acts 

 as a porch, through which access is gained to the 

 parlour, now the drawing-room. The main entrance 

 is a little out of the centre of the south-east front 

 and has a straight brick lintel resting on a heavy oak 

 door-frame. Each bay is finished at the top with a 

 gable, having a moulded saddle-back coping of brick, 

 with brick finials at the apex and base of the gable. 

 These finials have circular moulded bases, with a 

 brick or terra-cotta shaft above, cut with a honey- 

 comb pattern. All the windows have moulded 

 mullions covered with cement, those on the two 

 lower stories having transoms. The roofs are tiled. 

 There are three chimney-stacks on the back wall, all 

 being finished with square detached shafts of brick, 

 set diagonally, without any moulded work, and 

 apparently dating from the first half of the 17th 

 century. Between the upper floor windows in the 

 principal front and in the lower parts of the end 

 gables is a diamond-pattern ornament formed in blue 

 bricks, similar to that on the front of Dean Incent's 

 school at Berkhampstead, a building erected in 1544. 

 An old brick wall surrounds the small garden in 

 front of the house. 



Hanging on the front and back walls were two 

 cast-lead sundials, now removed, which were evidently 

 not in their original positions. The dial at the back 

 was circular, about 12 in. in diameter, with the sun's 

 face surrounded by rays in the centre, a very extended 

 no;e acting as the gnomon, the hours in Roman 

 numerals round the margin, and at the top the date 

 181 2 inscribed under what appears to be 'welcome 

 sunshine synce 12.' The sundial on the front 



483 



