A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



make three bridges, one in Chaumberleyncsholm (in 

 Wormley) and two in Melholm (in Wormley f).* 

 A grant of free warren was made to the convent 

 in 1253." 



In 1541 the manor of Wormlej', with the advow- 

 son of the rectory and parish church, was granted, as 

 part of the possessions of Wakham Holy Cross, to 

 Edward North, Treasurer of the Court of Augmenta- 

 tions," who in the same year received licence to 

 alienate it to William Woodlifte, mercer, of London." 

 William Woodliffe had two daughters : Ann, who 

 married John Purvey, and Angelette,' 3 who married 

 Walter Tooke. 14 On the death of their father in 

 1548 they appear to have been co-heirs, Angelette 

 receiving half the manor in I 5 S 3-'* John Purvey, 

 who survived his wife, died in 1583, and at his death 

 was seised of the manor-house of Wormley with right 

 of alternate presentation to the church." He was 

 succeeded by his son William Purvey, who appears to 

 have been in possession of the whole manor by 

 1597." William Purvey died without issue in 1617, 

 having settled the manor and manor-house of Wormley, 

 with right of alternate presentation to the rectory, on 

 his wife Dorothy, sister of Edward Lord Denny, who 

 survived him. 15 Ralph Tooke, son and heir of 

 Angelette, is menlioned in the inquisition as his heir. 

 Dorothy Purvey re-married, her second husband being 

 George I'urefoy of Wadley, Berks., 1 * and in 1621 

 the manor and advowson of Wormley passed to John 

 Tooke, brother of Ralph,™ and his heirs." Courts were 

 being held in the name of Ralph and John Tooke in 

 1633. On the death of John Tooke in 1634 the 

 manor was left to his brother Thorns Tooke for sixty 

 years for performance of John's will, with remainder 

 to the male heirs of Ralph Tooke." Ralph died with- 

 out issue," and the manor appears then to have gone to 

 his remaining brothers, George and Thomas Tooke."' 

 George Tooke sold his moiety of the manor to 

 Richard Woo;laston, who died in 1 691, leaving a son 

 John, who survived him for a year only. John 

 Woollaston was succeeded by his eldest son Richard." 

 In 1669 Thomas Tooke devised his moiety of the 

 manor to trustees for the payment of his debts, and 

 after his death it was sold successively to William 

 Hastings, Elizabeth Reynolds, and, finally, to Thomas 

 Winford, who bought it in 16X4 or earlier." In 

 1692 Thomas Winford conveyed to Richard Woollas- 

 ton his moiety of the manor," with the exception of 

 the manor-house of Wormley Bury, with appurte- 

 nances which he sold to William Wallis of Holborn in 

 1697." In this war Richard Woollaston became lord 

 of the whole manor. 



Richard Woollaston conveyed the manor to William 

 Fellowes, whose eldest son Coulston Felloweswas the 

 possessor in 1728 ™ ; from the latter the manor passed 

 in 1733 by sale to John Deanc," who in 1739 sold 



it to Alexander Hume. The latter, dying in 1765, 

 left the manor to his youngest brother, Abraham 

 Hume,* who was made a baronet in 1769" and was 

 succeeded in 1772 by his son Abraham Hume.** The 

 second baronet died in 1838, leaving no issue, his two 

 daughters, Amelia Baroness Farnborough and Sophia 

 Baroness Brownlow, having died during their father's 

 lifetime." The manor came to Viscount Alford and 

 the Hon. Charles Henry Cust, children of Lady Brown- 

 low. In 1853 they jointly 

 sold the manor to Henry John 

 Grant, on whose death in 1861 

 it came to his widow, Mary 

 Grant." In 1880, under the 

 will of Henry John Grant, 

 the manor passed to his cousin 

 Henry Jeffreys Bushby, father 

 of the present lord of the 

 manor, Mr. Henry North 

 Grant Bushby. The latter, 

 who succeeded his father in 

 1903, is on the side of his 

 mother Lady Frances, second 

 daughter of Francis sixth Earl 



of Guildford, the tenth in direct descent from Sir 

 Edward North, to whom the manor was granted by 

 Henry VIII." 



The manor of OATES, which first appears in 

 161 1, was held of the manor of Baas and followed 

 the descent of Broxbourne SE (q.v.). 



The church of ST. LAIVRENCE 

 CHURCH consists of a chancel 35 ft. by 19 ft., 

 nave 48 ft. by 21 ft., south aisle 47 ft. 

 by 11 ft. 6 in,, small vestry and wooden south 

 porch ; all the dimensions arc internal. The walls 

 are of rubble flint with stone dressings, and are 

 covered with cement all but the aisle ; the roofs arc 

 tiled. The nave is of early izth-century date. The 

 chancel, which has undergone extensive alterations 

 and has no old detail, is practically modern. During 

 the 19th century the west wall of the nave was 

 rebuilt and a bcllcote erected, the chancel arch was 

 rebuilt and a south aisle and a small vestry added. 

 In 191 1 a larger vestry was built on the south of the 



In the 



1 of ihc 



(Rec 



n.), 



bancel is a group of three 

 meet windows ; in each of the north and south 

 .■alls are two lancets. All the windows are modern, 

 s is also the chancel arch. 



In the north-east angle of the nave is the door- 

 way, partly blocked, and stair to the former rood- 

 Dft. In the north wall are two 15th-century 

 vindows ; one is a single trefoiled light under a 

 quare head, the other has two cinquefoiled lights : 

 hese windows have been repaired. Further west is 

 narrow 12th-century window with round head and 



Hht.ofHir, 



