RENHOLD
Runhale (xiii cent.); Ronhale (xiv cent.).
Renhold is situated north-east of Bedford, its
southern boundary being the River Ouse, a feeder
of which, called Gadsey Brook, rises within the parish,
which in its neighbourhood is liable to floods.
Its area is 2,196 acres, of which 971¼ acres are
arable land, 894¾ permanent grass (fn. 1) and 15 acres of
land covered by water. The principal crops are
wheat, barley, peas, beans and oats. Roads from
Wilden to Goldington and from Ravensden pass
through the south of the parish, crossing each other
almost at its central point. East of the point where
the roads from Wilden and Ravensden cross lies the
main part of the village of Renhold, which straggles
in a north-westerly direction through Salph End—the modern Salphobury—Top End and Church End.
Here, at an elevation of 169 ft., the highest point
in the parish, lies the church of All Saints. On the
opposite side of the road is the vicarage, a late 16th-century house having a tile roof. An old farmhouse washed over on the outside with a yellow
distemper and also roofed with tiles stands at the
west end of the church. At a lower altitude stands
the Baptist chapel, erected in 1873. Standing in
well-wooded grounds off the Bedford-Kimbolton
road, about a mile south of the village, is Howbury
Hall, an early 19th-century mansion, the residence
of Mr. Cecil Henry Polhill. Workhouse End to
the south of Renhold, and Water End between the
Great North Road and the River Ouse, are other
hamlets of the parish. To the north of this road
are to be seen the remains of the ancient Danish
outpost, (fn. 2) in the entrenchments of which, early in the
19th century, many bodies were found near the
surface. (fn. 3) Abbey Farm stands near the site of
Salphobury Manor House. (fn. 4)
The parish is well timbered, having 111¼ acres
of woods and plantations. (fn. 5) Busshey Close is in the
south, Marsh Wood to the west of Salph End, and
Little and Great Early Closes to the north of the
village of Renhold.
The soil of the parish is clay, while the subsoil is
clay and gravel. The manufacture of bricks, tiles
and drain pipes is carried on in the brickworks near
Gadsey Brook.
The following place-names have been found mentioned in the early 13th century in Renhold (fn. 6) :
Askeleve, Bedeland, Colewik, Erseweye, Fleggehogrove, Horch-on-brok, le Voyt, Manefaldwyk, Pourtesherg, Robynsbrok, Rudyngebyerd, Rysshelade,
Salphobridge, Ulleworth, Welfthichenes, Wyndemillefeld.
MANORS
There is no mention of Renhold in
the Survey of 1086, but RENHOLD
MANOR appears later as parcel of the
barony of Bedford. The name Renhold is first
found in 1227–8, at which date Sybil de Renhold
and others were seised of half a virgate of land in
this parish which they quitclaimed to Cecilia of
Bedford. (fn. 7) By the middle of the century Renhold
was held as half a knight's fee by William de
Beauchamp of the king in chief. (fn. 8)
On the partition of the barony of Bedford in 1265
among the three co-heirs of John de Beauchamp a
share in Renhold Manor was assigned to each.
Maud wife of Roger Lestrange appears to have
acquired the least important share, and her
descendants the Moubrays are found holding here by
knight service down to the 15th century. (fn. 9) The
share of Ela Beauchamp became later known as
Hoobury Manor and will be found treated below.
That portion of the property which is henceforward
called Renhold Manor (fn. 10) passed to Beatrice Beauchamp, third sister and co-heir, and through her to
the Latimers and Nevills, following till 1538 the
same descent as that portion of the barony of
Bedford (q.v.). (fn. 11)
In 1538 Sir John Nevill granted the manor of
Renhold to Sir John Gostwick, (fn. 12) who died seised of
it in 1545. (fn. 13) It remained in the possession of the
Gostwicks till 1624, following the descent of the
manor of Willington (q.v.) (fn. 14) till that date, about
which time Edward Gostwick conveyed Renhold to
Sir William Becher. (fn. 15) Sir William held it till his
death in 1640, (fn. 16) when his son William succeeded,
in whose possession it remained till 1694, (fn. 17) in which
year he died, (fn. 18) leaving the manor to his eldest son
William, (fn. 19) who was married in 1699 to Jane Clarke
of Watford. (fn. 20) William Becher suffered a recovery of
the manor in 1725, (fn. 21) and in 1769 John Becher,
probably a younger son of the latter, was in possession
of Renhold, (fn. 22) which in 1781 passed from this family
by sale to Nathaniel Polhill, (fn. 23) an eminent banker
and tobacco merchant in the borough of Southwark.
He made his seat at Howbury Hall and died in
1784, being succeeded by his second son and namesake, who died, however, in his minority in 1802. (fn. 24)
The whole of the parish except one small farm is said
to have belonged to him at this time. (fn. 25) Nathaniel's
property passed to his younger brother John, who
died in 1828, when his third son Frederick inherited
Renhold. The latter was Conservative member for
Bedford between the years 1831 and 1844 inclusive.
He suffered a recovery of his property here in 1831, (fn. 26)
and held it till his death in 1848. His only son,
Frederick Charles Polhill-Turner, J.P., D.L., (fn. 27) High
Sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1885 and M.P. for Bedford
from 1874–80, inherited from him and held Renhold
till he died in 1881. It then passed to his eldest
son Frederick Edward Fiennes Polhill-Turner, who
held it in 1900, being succeeded on his death by
his brother Cecil Henry, the present owner, late
lieutenant 2nd Dragoon Guards, who in his early
years went as a missionary to China and lived for
some time in Tibet.
The portion of Ela Beauchamp which was included in the manor of Renhold until 1265 after this
date forms a separate property known as HOOBURY
MANOR. Ela, who married Baldwin Lord Wake,
had three daughters, of whom Elizabeth wife of
John de Horbury or Hoobury (whence the manor
derives its distinctive name) held in Renhold in
1275–6. (fn. 28) Her husband held here by knight service
in 1284, (fn. 29) whilst both claimed view of frankpledge
here two years later. (fn. 30) On her death in 1313 her
co-heirs were John Patishull, representing her sister
Ida Wake, and John Pigott, representing her sister
Joan. (fn. 31) The Patishulls appear to have received a
money rent as representing their share of the manor,
of which rent last mention is found in 1359–60,
when William de Patishull died seised of £15 6s. 8d.
rent in Renhold (fn. 32) ; it appears to have been commuted about this time, for no further reference has
been found to it. Hoobury Manor passed to John
Pigott and was held by his family (fn. 33) until in 1351
John Pigott effected an exchange with Elizabeth
Latimer, by which the latter secured Hoobury
Manor in exchange for Cardington. (fn. 34) Hoobury thus
became attached to the larger manor in this parish
and has since followed the
same descent; its name and
identity have both been preserved, Howbury Hall being
the residence of Mr. C. H.
Polhill, present lord of the
manor.
Polhill of Howbury. Or a bend gules with three crosslets or thereon.
The only manor in Renhold
that is mentioned in Domesday is that of SALPHOBURY,
SALCHOU or SALVHO. (fn. 35)
In 1086 it was held by Hugh
de Beauchamp as a 5-hide
manor. (fn. 36) In the 13th century these 2 hides in Salpho
were held of the barony of Bedford as one-fifteenth
of a knight's fee. (fn. 37) Salphobury was held till the
Dissolution by the Prior of Newnham, (fn. 38) who
acquired it from the family of Flamville, who
made three grants in the time of Richard I, (fn. 39)
one of which included 20 librates of land. By
a later grant all the property which they held as
one-ninth part of the barony of Bedford in Renhold and other places (fn. 40) was granted to Newnham
in the 14th century. (fn. 41) In 1291 the property was
worth £7 1s., whilst the prior owned £1 12s. 3d. in
fruits and flocks. (fn. 42) A further grant by Hugh
Haselden and others in 1408–9 (fn. 43) increased the value
of Salphobury, so that the monks held £10 temporalities here in 1534, including 16 acres of wood, valued
at 16s. (fn. 44) In 1540 the manor was granted to Sir
John Gostwick, (fn. 45) after which date it follows the same
descent as the manor of Renhold (q.v.). (fn. 46) The name
is marked by Salph End.
The family of Flamville was resident in Renhold as
early as the time of Richard I, when Hamo Flamville
was a benefactor of Newnham Priory. (fn. 47) Their property was subsequently known as FLAMWELLES or
FLAVELLS MANOR, and at the time of the Testa
was held by John as 3 virgates of the honour of
Bedford. (fn. 48) John was succeeded by his son Henry,
who held in 1302–3 one-tenth of a knight's fee
here, of which the Prior of Newnham held one-third
part. (fn. 49) In 1326 John son of Baldwin the Miller
granted Robert de Flamville two mills in Renhold, (fn. 50)
and the latter still held the property in 1341. (fn. 51) It
then passed to James Flamville, upon whose conviction of felony it was granted by the king to Stephen
Romylo, the king's esquire, for life. (fn. 52) James was
pardoned in 1395, (fn. 53) and it seems probable that the
remainder of the family property was granted to
Newnham, (fn. 54) who thus held by the end of the
14th century the whole of the original estate. The
convent held £7 6s. 8d. in temporalities in 'Flavels'
in 1534. (fn. 55) After the Dissolution it was granted to
Sir John Gostwick, (fn. 56) and follows the same descent as
the principal manor of Renhold (q.v.).
A farm forming part of the estate was acquired in
the 16th century by John Bosgrove, (fn. 57) whose daughter
Frances married Thomas Ardys, a cousin of William
Gostwick. (fn. 58) Upon his death in 1576 John Bosgrove
left the farm to his son-in-law, (fn. 59) who left it to his
wife in 1605, (fn. 60) when it consisted of 193 acres of
land. John Ardys son of Thomas succeeded him,
and upon the marriage of his niece Dorothy with Sir
Edmund Wilde, Flavells became the property of the
latter, (fn. 61) who held it till his death in 1620. (fn. 62) In the
following year John Ardys is again found leasing it at
a pepper-corn rent for 200 years to Sir Anthony
Chester, with the reversion to William later of
Kempston. (fn. 63) The latter subsequently conveyed the
property to his younger brother George in 1626, (fn. 64)
who in turn re-conveyed it to William in 1631. (fn. 65)
Five years later the latter died seised of it, (fn. 66) leaving it
to his second son George. (fn. 67) The family were here
during the 17th century, (fn. 68) and it was probably they
who held 'the small farm in Renhold' in 1801, which
was the only property there not then owned by the
Polhills.
In 1333 John Pygot received licence to alienate
in mortmain two messuages and 1½ virgates of land
in Renhold for a chaplain to celebrate daily in
Renhold Church. (fn. 69) The chantry was subsequently
annulled (fn. 70) and the lands fell into the king's hands,
who in 1386 granted them to John Wakefield, a
yeoman of the Chamber. The latter in 1390 enfeoffed
Richard Ronhale. (fn. 71) In 1408–9 this property was
again in the king's hands, when it was granted to
John Morker (fn. 72) and Spigurnel his chancellor for life. (fn. 73)
In 1464 it was temporarily granted to William Pole (fn. 74)
and in 1475 to Thomas Maister. (fn. 75) Within the
next hundred years these lands had passed to Joan
Scroggs, mother of Oliver Scroggs, the queen's ward,
who petitioned William Clarke of Watford (fn. 76) for a
'close called Adingreves (fn. 77) and certain lands called
Chantrie lands and Chantrie Close in Renhold, now
in lease to Mr. Snagge for sixty years.' (fn. 78)
CHURCH
The church of ALL SAINTS consists of a chancel 27 ft. by 16 ft. 6 in.,
a nave 36 ft. by 19 ft., a north aisle
7 ft. 3 in. wide, and a west tower 13 ft. 3 in. by
12 ft. 3 in.
The nave arcade and the north aisle date from
the 14th century; the font is much older, of about
the middle of the 12th century, and very probably
part of the nave may be older than the 14th century,
as apparently the south wall required rebuilding in
the 15th century, when the west tower was built.
The present chancel roof and all the others are quite
modern.
Renhold Church from the South-east
The church walls generally are in random rubble.
The east window is entirely new, consisting of three
cinquefoiled lights. At the south-east angle are two
square buttresses in two stages, and between the
chancel and vestry, the east walls of which are level,
is another square buttress in two stages; in the north
wall of the chancel is a 15th-century doorway with a
four-centred head, leading into the present vestry,
which is comparatively modern, but there must
have been an old one; and, visible only from the outside, a blocked window of two cinquefoiled lights
under a square head, being covered on the inside by
an 18th-century monument; in the south wall is a
window of the 15th century, consisting of three cinquefoiled lights. Next to it, on the west side, are a square
buttress like the last, a small priest's doorway like the
one into the vestry, and a window like the last, but
of two lights only. The chancel arch is new.
The nave arcade, which is of the 14th century, but
has been restored, is in three bays, in two wave-moulded orders, with moulded labels stopped on
heads, and resting upon columns consisting of four
rounds, with moulded capitals and bases; over this
arcade is a clearstory of three windows, each of two
cinquefoiled lights under a square head, similar to
the south chancel windows, the wall string below
the parapet acting as label. In the south wall of
the nave (restored) are the remains of the external
wall of a circular staircase to a former rood-loft, a
window of three cinquefoiled lights over this high in
the wall, to light the loft, and on either side of it a
square buttress in three stages, reaching to the top of
the nave. To the west of these are two restored
15th-century windows, each of three cinquefoiled
lights. Between these two windows is the south
porch, which is quite plain; there is a blocked
window in each side, and the external doorway is
new; the internal doorway is like it, with the
exception that its outer order is a plain chamfer.
There is a sundial stone built into the angle.
In the east end of the north aisle is a wide 15th-century window of three cinquefoiled lights and
tracery containing a little old glass, taking up nearly the
full width; a recess has been made in the north-east
angle for the image of the patron saint of the altar
formerly here. This north wall of the aisle is divided
by external buttresses, which are in two stages, into
four bays; in the east is a 14th-century window of
two trefoiled lights; there is a similar window in the
next bay, but the tracery differs in form. It preserves some contemporary glass with a shield Gules
three picks argent. The third bay contains the
north doorway, which has been restored; it is in one
wave-moulded order with a pointed head and label.
In the west bay is a chamfered window of two
cinquefoiled lights. The buttress at the north-west
angle of the aisle is placed diagonally; in the west
end is a 15th-century window of three cinquefoiled
lights.
The west tower is supported by buttresses in five
stages, square at the eastern angles and diagonal at the
western. It is finished by a small leaded spirelet.
and has shields on the cornice, one bearing two bars
and in chief three molets. In each top stage of the
tower is a window of two trefoiled lights. In the
lower part of the west side is a window of three
lights. Above it is a chamfered niche with a cinquefoiled ogee arch under a square head with pierced
quatrefoils in the spandrels. There are three small
lights to the stairs, which are at the south-west.
On the south side is a trefoiled light under a square
head and label. The tower arch is in three orders,
the two outer being moulded, and the jambs have
attached shafts with moulded caps and bases.
The font, which is near the south door, is a plain
cylinder, with, on its east face, a band of two acanthus
leaves and the unfinished shape of a third. It is probably of the 12th century. By the north door a few
late Gothic seat fronts are worked into the pews.
In the chancel are several monuments to the Beecher
and Polhill families. At the north-east is an altartomb of clunch to Edmund Wayte, 1518, and Agnes
his wife with their brasses inlaid in a slab, with
indents for one son and two daughters. There are
also shields with unintelligible heraldry and the
letters EA and W, and the inscription 'HIC
IACENT EDMUNDUS WAYTE GENEROSUS & ANGNES UXOR
EI' QUO[rum] [pro animabus propiciet deus] A.D. 1518.' There is
also an inscription in English on the slab: 'Here
lyeth Edmunde Wayte Gen[t] & Agnes his wyfe which
Edmunde dyed the xi day of August an° dñi M° D°
xviiii of yor charite sei a p[ater] n[oster] and an ave.'
There are five bells: the first and third are of 1658,
by Christopher Graie; the second is old, without
inscription; the fourth is by Thomas Russell, 1721;
and the fifth was recast by R. Peck, 1890. On a
timber is the date 1657.
The plate consists of a flagon of 1674, gift of
Elizabeth Beecher, 1675, with the arms: Vair on a
canton a hart's head caboshed, impaling ermine on
a bend cotised three crescents, which seem to identify
her as a Huxley; a paten of 1683, gift of Wm.
Beecher, 1684; a communion cup and cover paten
of 1725, given by 'E.B.' 1734.
The registers previous to 1813 are in five books.
The first contains all entries 1654 to 1707; the
second baptisms and burials 1708 to 1760, marriages
1708 to 1754; the third marriages 1755 to 1812;
the fourth baptisms and burials 1760 to 1802; and
the fifth baptisms and burials 1803 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
The original grant of the advowson of the church of All Saints by
Simon de Beauchamp (fn. 79) was confirmed by William de Beauchamp (c. 1260) to the
Prior and convent of Newnham, (fn. 80) who held it till
1534, when it was worth £12. (fn. 81)
In 1540 the patronage was granted to Sir John
Gostwick, (fn. 82) and has since followed the descent of the
manor (q.v.).
CHARITIES
The Charity Estate, the origin of
which is unknown, consists of five
cottages and 3 a. 1 r. 2 p., producing
£21 a year. In 1906 the net income, augmented
by contributions from members of the coal club, was
applied in the distribution of coals to the value of
£28 14s. 3d.
The Town Estate, which consisted of 1 a. 0 r. 15 p.
near the church and five cottages built on the waste,
the rents of which were applied in aid of the rates, has
been sold by order of the Poor Law Commissioners.
In 1723 William Becher by his will directed his
executors to lay out £600 in the purchase of lands
for the maintenance of a schoolmaster. The legacy
was laid out in the purchase of £678 18s. 6d. consols,
now producing £16 19s. 4d. a year.
Two ancient rent-charges, one of 12s. issuing out
of a farm called Lamb's Farm and the other of
13s. 4d. out of a house and lands in this parish, are
also paid to the school. (fn. 83)