Parishes: Stapleford | British History Online (2024)

STAPLEFORD

Stapelford (xii cent.); Stapilford-by-Watton (xiiicent.).

Stapleford is a small parish containing about 1,354acres. Arable land occupies more than half of it,while about one third consists of permanent grass. (fn. 1) There is very little woodland, and what there is lieschiefly in the higher ground in the west, where theground rises to an altitude of from 250 ft. to 300 ft.The River Beane waters the east of the parish; theland here on the west bank is low and liable tofloods. The soil is gravel, clay and chalk, on asubsoil of clay and chalk. The church, rectory,schools (built in 1872) and a few cottages stand on thenorth-east border of the parish on the east side of theRiver Beane on a by-road to Bengeo, but the principalpart of the village lies scattered along the main roadfrom Hertford to Stevenage a little to the west ofthe church. The road from the village to the churchnow crosses the River Beane by a bridge, probably onthe site of the ford from which the parish takes itsname Stapleford has always been but a smallvillage. In 1334 it is described only as a hamlet, (fn. 2) and in 1428 it is said to have contained only nineinhabitants. (fn. 3)

Wheat, barley, beans and oats form the principalcrops. The nearest railway station is at Hertford,3½ miles to the south.

MANORS

Stapleford appears to have been included in the Domesday Survey in thelarge area comprised at that date byBengeo, which encircles it on the east and south.Several of the holdings given under the name ofBengeo cannot be traced there after 1086. One ofthese was that of Geoffrey de Mandeville. Thisholding in 1086 was rated at 3 hides and 1 virgateand included a mill, (fn. 4) and may apparently be identified with the manor of STAPLEFORD, whichhas always formed part of the honour of Mandeville, (fn. 5) and with that honour the overlordship passed on thedeath of William de Mandeville Earl of Essex without heirs male in 1227 to his sister Maud, widowof Humphrey de Bohun. (fn. 6) It descended with theBohuns (fn. 7) until 1373, when on the death of Humphreyde Bohun it passed to his daughter Eleanor wife ofThomas Duke of Gloucester. (fn. 8) Edmund Earl ofStafford, (fn. 9) husband of her daughter Anne, died seisedof it in 1403, (fn. 10) and after his death there is no further record of the overlordship.

In 1192 John le Moyne, apparently tenant in feeof Stapleford Manor, was holding a knight's fee inStapleford which he had inherited from his mother. (fn. 11) Stapleford remained with thisfamily, (fn. 12) whose descent is difficult to trace, until the end ofthe following century, whenJohn le Moyne granted it toRobert Aguillon. This wasbefore 1278, in which yearRobert claimed view of frankpledge in his manor of Stapleford, which he held by thegift of John le Moyne. (fn. 13) In1286 Robert Aguillon diedseised of 7½ acres of meadowin Stapleford, 11s. 6d. rent ofassize, together with other rents and a water-mill,which he held of John le Moyne by the service of aclove gillyflower. (fn. 14) Probably before this date a subfeoffment had been made of the greater part of themanor, this part becoming the manor of WaterfordHall (see below). Isabel, the wife of Hugh Bardolf,was Robert Aguillon's heir, (fn. 15) and in 1303 HughBardolf was holding a knight's fee in Stapleford withAnselm Gobion. (fn. 16) Bardolf was lord of the neighbouring manor of Watton Woodhall, and after thisdate the lands in Stapleford were attached as atenement to the manor of Watton (fn. 17) and eventuallybecame merged in it. (fn. 18)

Waterford Hall

The manor of WATERFORD HALL was held ofthe lords of the manor of Stapleford in socage, (fn. 19) andwas evidently formed from that manor as mentionedabove. At the beginning of the 14th centuryWaterford was held by Geoffrey de la Lee, who isfound holding property in Stapleford in 1305, whenhis houses and goods there were burnt. (fn. 20) In 1310he received a grant of free warren in all his demesnelands of Stapleford and elsewhere, (fn. 21) a grant whichwas confirmed to him and his heirs in 1320. (fn. 22) Bya fine of 1316 he charged the manor of Waterfordwith a rent of 10 marks to Robert Baard for the termof his life. (fn. 23) He appears to have been succeeded byhis son Thomas Lee (de la Lee), whose bailiff andreceiver in Stapleford was committed to the FleetPrison in 1341. (fn. 24) Thomas was succeeded by hisbrother Sir John Lee, kt., who died in 1370, when hislands in Stapleford passed to his son Walter. (fn. 25) In1379 Perceval Symeon, whose interest in the manorwas through his wife Joan, probably the widow ofSir John Lee, quitclaimed all right in it to Walter Leeand his son Thomas. (fn. 26) Thomas died before his father,and on the latter's death in 1395 his three sistersbecame his co-heirs. (fn. 27) The manor of Waterford fell tothe share of Margery, who married Robert Newport. (fn. 28) From her it descended to William Newport, whodied seised of the manor in 1434. (fn. 29) His heir washis son George, (fn. 30) who died in 1474. (fn. 31) WaterfordHall afterwards came into the possession of RobertNewport, who died seised of it in 1518, when hislands were inherited by his son John. (fn. 32) John Newport died in 1524. His only child Grace, the wifeof Henry Parker, son and heir of Henry Lord Morley,was his heir. (fn. 33)

Henry Parker died in 1551, and his son and heirHenry Parker succeeded his grandfather as LordMorley in 1555. (fn. 34) In 1564 Lord Morley conveyedthe manor of Waterford Hall to Sir John Botelerof Watton Woodhall, (fn. 35) who sold it the same yearto George Grave, yeoman, who already held iton lease. (fn. 36) The sale included all courts, view offrankpledge and free fishery. (fn. 37) George Grave heldthe manor (fn. 38) until his death in 1597, (fn. 39) when itpassed to his son Edward, who died in 1603. (fn. 40) His lands were inherited by his son Edward, agedseven years, (fn. 41) who in 1619 sold the manor of Waterford Hall to William Reeve, haberdasher. (fn. 42) On thedeath of William Reeve in 1625 it passed to hisdaughter and heir Margaret, who married GeorgeBromley. (fn. 43) George Bromley died at the beginningof the Civil War, (fn. 44) and was succeeded by his sonGeorge, (fn. 45) who had to compound for his estates in1644, (fn. 46) and receiving, as is said, no recompense fromCharles II was finally compelled in 1696 to sellWaterford Hall to Thomas Feltham of Ware Westmill, co. Herts. (fn. 47)

Thomas Feltham was succeeded by his son John,who was lord of the manor in 1700. (fn. 48) From JohnFeltham the manor passed to Charles Feltham, brewer,of London, whose son Ralph sold the manor in 1743to Peter Walley and Thomas Sheppard (fn. 49) in trust forThomas Hall. (fn. 50) On the death of Thomas the manordescended to his son Humphrey of Manaton, co. Devon,who sold it with the capital messuage and the lands belonging and the fields called Fillies alias Phillhouse orPhillhorse Close, the Warren called the Great Warrenand the Little Warren, in 1775 to John Kenrick ofBerners Street, co. Middlesex. (fn. 51) He in 1778 soldit to William Hewlett of the Strand, ironmonger, (fn. 52) apparently in trust for Richard Emmott. (fn. 53) In 1811Emmott sold it to Samuel Smith of Watton Woodhall (fn. 54) (q.v.). It descended in this family to Mr. AbelHenry Smith, who is the present lord of the manor.The house called Waterford Hall lies east of themain road from Hertford to Stevenage, at the pointwhere it enters the parish of Stapleford, and is partlyin Stapleford and partly in Bengeo. It is a small brickhouse of c. 1600, two stories in height with a floorin the roof. On plan the house consists of a largeentrance hall, out of which a passage has been takenin modern times, with a central newel stair, containedwithin a projection at its north-west corner. Thereis a single room on the west side of the hall, and onthe east a low two-storied office wing. The beamssupporting the first floor have interesting leaf chamfer-stops of renaissance character, and the central newelof the stairs terminates above with a well-carvedbaluster finial. The original door-frames survivein many cases and their chamfers have leaf-stops ofsimilar character to those of the beams. Externallythe western end-gable has moulded brick kneelers.The original window openings have for the most partbeen enlarged and sash frames inserted. Those inthe west wall have been blocked. Sufficient tracessurvive to show that they were low and mullionedand had moulded labels. On the north side of thehouse is a fine chimney stack surmounted by a pairof diagonal shafts with capitals and bases of mouldedbrick.

Gobions

The manor of GOBIONS (Gybeouns, Gobyons,xiv cent.) like the manor of Stapleford (q.v.) musthave originally been part of Bengeo. It is probablethat it was derived from one of the numerous holdingsof Geoffrey de Bech in that place in 1086. (fn. 55) WithEastwick it came into the possession of the Clares,and by the marriage of Emma daughter of Baldwinde Clare with Hugh Wake the overlordship passed tothe Wakes. (fn. 56) It descended with the Wakes andHolands until 1408, (fn. 57) when Edmund de Holand Earlof Kent died without issue. It was inherited by hissister and co-heir Eleanor Countess of Salisbury. (fn. 58) Her daughter Alice carried it in marriage to RichardNevill, afterwards Earl of Salisbury, and it descendedto their granddaughter Isabel, who married GeorgeDuke of Clarence. (fn. 59) In 1499 his son Edward Earlof Warwick and of Salisbury was executed for hightreason, (fn. 60) and the overlordship escheated to theCrown.

The earliest known tenant in fee of the manor ofGobions is William Loreng, who was holding half ahide of land in Stapleford of Baldwin Wake in1282. (fn. 61) A John Loreng was holding land in Stapleford in 1295, (fn. 62) but the manor appears shortlyafterwards to have been acquired by Henry Gobion,who was holding half a knight's fee in Stapleford in1303. (fn. 63) There was also an Anselm Gobion holdingpart of a fee there at the same date. (fn. 64) This familyheld the manor for over a century and gave it itsname, but very few records of them exist. Themanor appears to have come to William Gobion,whose son William was holding it in 1389. (fn. 65) He wasthen in financial difficulties and had to raise moneyon his manor of Stapleford. (fn. 66) In 1390 he conveyedthe manor to Simon de Burgh and William Ashwell. (fn. 67) It was sold by trustees in 1412 to John Perient, (fn. 68) whose son John was assessed for William Gobion's feein Stapleford in 1428. (fn. 69) By 1444 (fn. 70) Gobions haddescended to Edmund Perient, who died seised of itin 1474. (fn. 71) His son Thomas succeeded him, (fn. 72) andheld the manor till his death in 1539, when itpassed to his son Thomas, (fn. 73) on whom he had settledit in tail-male. (fn. 74) Thomas Perient died in 1546, and,as he had four daughters but no son, Gobions passedby terms of the settlement to his brother's family, (fn. 75) and in 1597 was held by his nephew (fn. 76) GeorgePerient, who in that year conveyed it to Richard andNicholas Boteler and others, (fn. 77) evidently in trust forSir Philip Boteler, (fn. 78) lord of the manor of Woodhallin Watton. From this time Gobions has descendedwith that manor (q.v.), the present owner beingMr. Abel Henry Smith. The farm-house calledGobions lies in the north-west part of the parish,about a mile west of Stapleford village.

Patchenden

The earliest record of the manor of PATCHENDEN(Pachyndon, xv cent.) occurs in 1376, when it washeld by Sir Walter Lee, kt., lord of the manor ofWaterford Hall. (fn. 79) It descended with that manor (q.v.)until 1564, when Sir John Boteler, kt., sold themanor of Waterford Hall, but retained Patchendenin his own hands. Sir John was lord also of themanor of Woodhall in Watton, and from this timePatchenden has descended with that manor (q.v.).The present owner is Mr. Abel Henry Smith. Thesite of the manor-house of Patchenden, and a farmhouse which bears this name, lie north of the churchand west of the main road from Hertford to Stevenage shortly before it enters the parish of Watton atStone.

Clutterbuck has identified lands at 'Waterford'and 'Beorouleam,' given to St. Albans Abbey byEdwin de Cadingdon, (fn. 80) with Waterford in Stapleford,but there is little doubt that the former of theseplaces is Watford on the western side of the county,and the latter refers to other lands in CashioHundred. A later grant to St. Albans, however, byAgnes Fay and Ralph her son of the old mill ofStapleford with the adjacent pond, the marsh on eachside of the river, and 60 acres of land which wasconfirmed to the monks by Henry II and Edward IV (fn. 81) possibly refers to a property called BULLS MILLalias BENWICK HALL. (fn. 82) In 1532 the manor ofBenwick Hall was held of the abbey by Charles Bull,and there was a water-mill attached to it. (fn. 83) CharlesBull died seised of the manor, and it descended to hisson Richard Bull, who held it until his death in 1585,at which time the water-mill was called Bull's Mill.Richard Bull left Benwick Hall to his wife Alice forlife with remainder to his son Henry Bull. (fn. 84) Towardsthe end of the 17th century George Goldesboroughheld Benwick Hall, (fn. 85) and in 1698 it was in thepossession of Edward Goldesborough, who conveyedit to Elisha Burgess and Richard Edwards. (fn. 86) Afterthis date its descent is lost for a time, but in 1779 itwas the property of Elizabeth Willson, widow. (fn. 87) In1784 William Willson and his wife Mary conveyedit to Richard Emmott, (fn. 88) lord of the manor of Waterford Hall. This sale included free fishing in thewater of Stapleford. In 1803 Richard Emmottpulled down the house called Benwick Hall to erect adog kennel. (fn. 89) It was then described as being 'a complete handsome strong brick house.' (fn. 90) Its exact site is difficult to determine, but it probably stood nearBull's Mill. Some old apple trees heresuggest the site of the orchard of thehall. (fn. 91) Besides the general right ofcommons Benwick Hall had attachedto it 2 several acres in NetherfieldCommon and a strip of 2 acres inBrocket's Bush. (fn. 92) Between 1795 and1803 Thomas Blore, the well-knowntopographer, resided at Benwick Hallfor several years. He collected a vastmass of material referring to the topography and antiquities of this county,which was afterwards used by Clutter-buck in his history. (fn. 93)

A manor to which one or tworeferences occur, which lay partly inStapleford and partly in Bengeo andHertford, is the manor of RUSSELLS.This in 1750 was in the possession ofWilliam Willson and his wife Elizabeth, who were holding in the rightof Elizabeth. (fn. 94) Elizabeth Willson,widow, and William Willson, junior,suffered a recovery of this manor withthat of Stapleford in 1779, (fn. 95) andWilliam Willson conveyed it to RichardEmmott in 1784. (fn. 96)

CHURCH

The church of ST. MARY THE VIRGINstands a little to the eastof the village. It consists of chancel19 ft. by 14 ft. 6 in., large south vestry19 ft. 6 in. by 16 ft., nave 52 ft. by19 ft., north transept 15 ft. by 12 ft.6 in., and north porch, over which isa tower; all the dimensions are internal. The walls are of flint rubblecovered with cement with stone dressings; the roofsare tiled.

The eastern part of the nave was built in the12th century, and perhaps the chancel also. In theearly part of the 16th century the chancel arch wasrebuilt, the church re-roofed and new windowsinserted. In 1874 about 20 ft. was added to thewest end of the nave, a north transept and southvestry built, and a north porch with tower andtimber spire above erected. The window of threecinquefoiled lights in the east wall of the chancelis modern. In the north wall is a modern blockeddoorway, and a blocked window of 18th-centurycharacter outside, but within are the jambs andarch of an earlier window, possibly of the 13thcentury. In the south wall is a modern door tothe vestry. The two-centred chancel arch is of twochamfered orders with jambs of the same section;the capitals are moulded; it is of early 16th-centurydate.

In the north wall of the nave is a modern arch tothe transept, and in the modern extension of thenave is a single-light window. The north doorwayis of mid-12th-century date, and has a semicirculararch of two orders, the outer having a verticalcheveron moulding, the inner a horizontal cheveron;the jambs have circular engaged shafts and capitalscarved with leaf ornaments; the bases are moulded;the doorway is in a good state of preservation. Theeast end of the south wall has a thickness of about4 ft., which probably marks the position of the formerrood-stair. To the west of this is a window of twocinquefoiled lights with tracery under a four-centredhead; it is of mid-15th-century date and has beenmuch repaired. In the upper part are some fragmentsof old glass of the same period. The other windowsin the south wall are modern. The roof of theeastern part of the nave retains the 16th-century kingpost trusses and timbers; the rafters are plasteredunderneath.

There are two bells in the modern open timberbelfry, but they bear no mark or date.

The communion plate consists of cup and cover paten,1712 (the paten had a new rim put on in 1824),another paten, 1822, and a modern plated flagon.

The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) baptisms, burials and marriages from 1578 to 1670;(ii) baptisms and burials from 1671 to 1746,marriages 1671 to 1747; (iii) baptisms from 1747to 1812, burials 1748 to 1812; (iv) marriages from1755 to 1812.

ADVOWSON

The earliest record of a churchin Stapleford occurs in 1285, (fn. 97) whenthe patronage was in the hands ofthe lord of the manor, Robert Aguillon. (fn. 98) Throughhis daughter and heir Isabel it came to the Bardolfsand descended with the manor of Watton until themiddle of the 16th century. (fn. 99) In 1550 John Browndied seised of Watton Manor and the advowson ofStapleford, (fn. 100) but soon afterwards they appear to havebecome separated. Edmund Hynde was holding theadvowson in 1573. (fn. 101) In 1625 Sir William Sherardof Stapleford presented, in 1634 Oliver Harvey, in1664 Arthur Spark of Hertford, and in 1677 MarthaWilliams, widow. (fn. 102) The advowson then came toThomas Winford of Lincoln's Inn, (fn. 103) who was createda baronet in 1702 with special remainder—failinghis own issue—to that of his brother Henry Winford. (fn. 104) He died the same year and was succeeded by hisnephew Thomas Cookes Winford, who presentedin 1717, 1723 and 1731. (fn. 105) He died childless inJanuary 1743. (fn. 106) His widow survived him and leftthe advowson of Stapleford by her will of 1751 intrust for her niece Elizabeth Milward. (fn. 107) In 1755Elizabeth Milward sold it to Anne Deane, widow,of Witchampton, co. Dorset, (fn. 108) who presented in 1756. (fn. 109) She left it by will to her nephew Robert Pargeter, (fn. 110) from whom it descended to his son Robert ThomasDeane Pargeter. (fn. 111) who sold it in 1794 to theRev. Archibald Stevenson, rector of Littleham, co.Devon. (fn. 112) The following year the Rev. ArchibaldStevenson sold the advowson to Robert Hamilton ofLeman Street, Goodman's Fields. (fn. 113) In 1798 it waspurchased by Paul Bendfield of Watton Woodhall, (fn. 114) who was declared bankrupt the same year, (fn. 115) and in1804 Benjamin Brooks, who had apparently boughtthe advowson from him, presented. (fn. 116) In 1816George Vansittart of Bisham Abbey, co. Berks.,acquired the advowson, (fn. 117) which he sold in 1819 toSamuel Smith, (fn. 118) who held the manor of WaterfordHall (q.v.), and from this time the advowson hasdescended with the manor.

CHARITIES

In 1674 Philip Boteler by hiswill gave 40s. yearly to the poor,issuing out of a field called ChurchField; 20s. thereof to be distributed on St. Thomas'sDay and 20s. on Good Friday. There are usuallysix recipients at each distribution.