OLD WARDEN
Wardone (xi, xiii cent.).
The parish of Old Warden contains an area of
3,364½ acres, the agricultural returns (including some
details from other parishes) being 2,055¼ arable
land, 889 permanent grass and 611¼ woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The last form quite a feature in the
neighbourhood, many excursions being made to
Warden Woods from the surrounding parishes. The
soil is sand and clay, the subsoil principally sand.
The chief crops are wheat, barley, beans and peas.
The slope of the ground is irregular, the highest point
attained being 277 ft. above the ordnance datum at
Warden Tunnel in the west, the lowest 88 ft. in the
east. The village is picturesquely situated in a
hollow, the high ground which surrounds it on all
sides being well wooded. Church End in the north
contains the parish church of St. Leonard some distance west of the main street. Old Warden Park
stretches eastwards and includes 500 acres of wellwooded and ornamental grounds. The house is comparatively modern, and is the residence of Col. Frank
Shuttleworth, whose father built it on the site of
the ancient seat of the Lords Ongley. South of the
Park is Warden Warren of considerable extent. In
the west of the parish is the site of Warden Abbey, (fn. 2)
marked by a series of mounds and ditches. It lies
some distance to the west of the village, close to a
farm-house which is itself of some antiquity, though
not apparently any part of the abbey buildings. All
that is now to be seen on the site is part of a red
brick house, built soon after the suppression of the
abbey with stone mullioned windows and a fine
brick chimney on the south side; it is about
31½ ft. from east to west and 23 ft. from north to
south, with a stair-turret on the north side. It is
very ruinous and only used as a pigeon-house, but
the moulded ceiling beams are of excellent workmanship, and the house must in its day have been a fine
building. The entrance doorway has a crocketed
stone label and flanking pinnacles, but the only part
of the abbey buildings still standing is a stone buttress
of late 13th-century date built into the west end of
the house.
Quints Hill in the north of the parish is the site
of an ancient earthwork, thickly covered with wood
and undergrowth, in whose neighbourhood Roman
remains have been found. (fn. 3) Later Celtic remains
have also been found in this parish. (fn. 4)
Among the place-names in this parish are Hoppeyardes, Great Vinyard and Little Vinyard.
The counterseal of Warden Abbey shows a shield
bearing a crozier between three pears, the monks of
Warden being specially famed for the cultivation of
a variety of this fruit which bears their name. It
has continued to be grown long after the abbey has
ceased to exist, and mention of the Warden pie is
found in literature of the 16th and following centuries. For example, the Clown in The Winter's
Tale is made to say, 'I must have saffron to colour
the Warden pie.' (fn. 5) Again, in Beaumont and Fletcher's
play, Cupid's Revenge, Dorialus exclaims, ' Faith I
would have him roasted like a Warden in a brown
paper.' (fn. 6) A last quotation may be given from the
Friar of Orders Grey:
'Myself with denial I mortify
With a dainty bit of Warden pie.' (fn. 7)
The Warden pie provided a delicate dish for the
municipal banquets for which Bedford borough was
distinguished, and as late as the middle of the last
century these pears used to be hawked about the
streets of that town on winter evenings to the cry of
'hot-baked Wardens.' (fn. 8)
MANORS
At the time of the Domesday Survey
OLD WARDEN MANOR was held by
William Spech as a manor of 9 hides. (fn. 9)
It formed part of the barony of Warden, which was
created before 1166. (fn. 10) After the death in 1153 of
Walter Espec, certainly the descendant, probably the
son, of William Spech, his possessions were divided
between his three sisters. (fn. 11) Old Warden passed to
Hadwisa his eldest sister and wife of William de
Bussy, (fn. 12) from whom it passed to her granddaughters
and co-heirs Maud wife of Hugh Wake (fn. 13) and Cecilia
wife of John de Builli or Buly. The property was
thus divided into moieties, of which that which passed
to the Wakes will be first discussed.
In 1235 the lady of Warden was Lady Alina
Wake, (fn. 14) who married James Wake, probably Maud's
son, and died seised of the manor in 1254, leaving as
her heir Barnabas grandson of Walter de Stivecle, her
first husband, who died childless. (fn. 15) By 1284 William
Coynte, husband of Alice sister and heir of Barnabas
de Stivecle, was holding by knight service in Old
Warden. (fn. 16) He died seised of his half of the manor
in 1317, leaving as his heirs his daughters Joan the
wife of Walter de Shelvestrode and Margery, then
only six weeks old. (fn. 17) Walter de Shelvestrode was
absent in Ireland and his wife had to obtain special
licence before she could enter into possession. (fn. 18) John
de Bowels was granted the wardship of Margery le
Coynte, (fn. 19) who in 1341 united with her sister in granting the manor to Warden Abbey in mortmain. (fn. 20) Its
history after the Dissolution will be found treated
below.
That moiety of Old Warden Manor called BOWELS
MANOR passed, as stated above, to John de Builli
on his marriage with Cecilia de Bussy, some time
before 1185 (fn. 21) ; his name is returned as holding one
and a half fees in Old Warden in 1210–12. (fn. 22) The
next mention of this family in Old Warden is found
in 1274, when Peter de Bueles, or, as it now begins
to be spelt, de Bowels, is mentioned as tenant-inchief. (fn. 23) His death appears to have taken place about
this date, and the wardship of his son John, a minor,
was granted to Thomas Inge. (fn. 24) John de Bowels
proved his age in 1283, (fn. 25) and it was probably his son
John de Bowels who in 1330 claimed a market and
manorial rights in Warden, (fn. 26) and who two years previously had acknowledged a
debt of £200 to John de
St. Amand. (fn. 27) The non-payment of this sum appears to
have led to an alienation of
this moiety of the manor to
the St. Amands, for in 1343
it was in the possession of
Almaric de St. Amand, who
alienated it in mortmain to
Warden Abbey in exchange
for land in Millbrook. (fn. 28)
Thus by 1346 the subdivided
manor of Old Warden had
once more become one
manor, which remained with Warden Abbey until
1542, (fn. 29) when it was annexed to the honour of
Ampthill. (fn. 30)
Warden Abbey. Azure a crozier between three pears or.
In 1550 Old Warden Manor was granted to the
Princess Elizabeth for her life, a similar grant being
made in 1610–11 to Prince Henry of Wales and in
1616–17 to his brother Charles. (fn. 31) In the latter year
a lease for ninety-nine years was made to Sir Francis
Bacon. In 1628 the reversion of the lease was granted
to Edward Ditchfield and other trustees for the Corporation of London. (fn. 32) It was eventually purchased
by Sir William Palmer between the years 1699 and
1714. (fn. 33) His son Charles Palmer sold the manor of
Old Warden in 1773 to Samuel Whitbread, (fn. 34) the
founder of the well-known Whitbread Brewery, who
came of an old Nonconformist family in Bedfordshire.
The manorial rights remained in the possession of the
Whitbread family, passing in 1796 to Samuel Whitbread, M.P. for the borough of Bedford, who was a
noted politician and supporter of Fox. At his death
in 1815 the property passed in succession to his sons
William Henry Whitbread, (fn. 35) M.P. for Bedford for
several years, and Samuel Charles Whitbread. His
grandson Mr. Samuel Whitbread is the present lord of
the manor. (fn. 36)
Some of the manor lands, including Old Warden
Park, were exchanged for lands in Southill belonging to Lord Ongley by Samuel Whitbread at the
beginning of the 19th century. (fn. 37) Robert last Lord
Ongley sold this land before his death in 1877 to
Joseph Shuttleworth, who died in 1883, and was
succeeded by his son Col. Frank Shuttleworth, who
is the present owner. (fn. 38)
A third WARDEN MANOR in this parish belonged to Warden Abbey, and had its origin in the
grant of Walter Espec, who founded the abbey during
the first half of the 12th century, (fn. 39) and endowed it
with the wood of Ravenesholt. This grant was confirmed by King Stephen in 1135 (fn. 40) and again at a
later date, and also by later kings, among whom were
Henry I, Richard I and Henry III. (fn. 41) In 1204–5
Wiscard Ledet and his wife Margery gave to the
abbey land and pasture in Old Warden, (fn. 42) and in 1252
free warren was granted to the abbot in the woods
belonging to the grange of Ravenesholt. (fn. 43) After the
acquisition of the Coynte and Bowels Manor this
third manor is no longer individually distinguishable,
and henceforward follows the same descent.
After the Dissolution an estate known as HILL
MANOR, previously belonging to Warden Abbey,
appears in this parish. (fn. 44) In 1550 John Harding died
seised of a messuage and land in Hill, leaving a
daughter Cecilia as heir. (fn. 45) The relationship, if any,
beween her and Cecilia wife of George Mordaunt,
who in 1585 held 'the reputed manor of Hill,' has not
been ascertained. About this date Cecilia and John
Mordaunt conveyed the manor to Lewis Lord
Mordaunt and his son Henry, (fn. 46) who sold it in 1604 to
William, afterwards Sir William, Plomer, High Sheriff
of Bedfordshire, who died seised of it in 1626. (fn. 47) His
relative, William Plomer, in the following year
conveyed it for £1,000 to Robert Palmer, whose son
Sir William Palmer was knighted by Charles I in
1641. (fn. 48) He conveyed it to his son William in 1643
for £900, (fn. 49) and in 1713 Thomas, William's son, sold
it to Sir George Byng, Lord High Admiral of England,
who met with uniform success in his engagements with
the Spanish fleet, notably off Cape Passaro in 1718. (fn. 50)
Hill Manor remained in the possession of the Byng
family, belonging in 1762 to George Viscount Torrington, grandson of Sir George Byng, who in that
year suffered recovery, (fn. 51) but by 1824 it had passed to
Robert third Lord Ongley, (fn. 52) owner of Old Warden
Park, after which its identity as a manor has not
been preserved, though its name survives to the
present day in Hill Farm.
Palmer of Hill. Argent two bars sable with three trefoils argent thereon and a running greyhound sable having a golden collar in the chief.
Byng. Quarterly sable and argent with a lion argent in the quarter.
In 1086 Walter, styled 'monachus,' held half a
hide of Azelina widow of Ralf Tallebosc, which was
part of her marriage portion, but the holding does
not reappear. (fn. 53)
During the first half of the 12th century Walter
Espec founded WARDEN ABBEY, whose history has
already been traced. (fn. 54) The abbey was surrendered in
1537, (fn. 55) when the clear value of the property at that
time in its possession was estimated at £389 16s. 16½d. (fn. 56)
In 1544 the site of the abbey, together with all
lands within the precincts of the monastery, was leased
to Robert Gostwick for forty-one years and bequeathed
by him to his son William in 1562. (fn. 57) Other leases
were granted in 1568 to Arthur Lord Gray of Wilton,
in 1587–8 to Sir Charles Morrison, and in 1610 to
John Eldred, and finally in 1628 the manor was
granted to Edward Ditchfield and others, trustees
for the Corporation of London, (fn. 58) from whom Sir
Charles Morrison probably purchased the reversion
in fee of his lease. The manor in 1652 was in
the possession of his daughter Elizabeth's husband,
Sir Arthur Capel. (fn. 59) He, who was an ardent
Royalist, surrendered at Colchester and was beheaded
1648–9. (fn. 60) After his death his estate at Old Warden
was sequestered for a year, (fn. 61) and in 1652 rents were
levied on the tenants for two and a half years with
arrears by the committee for compounding. (fn. 62) Before
1667–8 the estate had been sold. (fn. 63) In 1669 it was
the seat of Sir Ralph Bovey, who died without issue in
1679. (fn. 64) About 1784 the site of the abbey and the
abbey farm were acquired by Samuel Whitbread, (fn. 65)
whose great-grandson, Samuel Whitbread, is the
present owner.
A grange, known as PARK GRANGE, originally
part of the Warden Abbey lands in this parish,
has a separate descent after the Dissolution. It
was one of the original clearings made by the monks
of Warden Abbey and was enumerated in the list of
granges in the woods in which they claimed free
warren in 1252. (fn. 66) Park Grange was granted to the
Princess Elizabeth in 1550 (fn. 67) and leased by her in 1555
to Anthony Lawe for a term of twenty-one years. No
later specific mention of it has been found. The name
still survives in Park Farm, belonging to Mr. Whitbread, and Park Wood, belonging to Col. Shuttleworth. (fn. 68)
In the 14th century the lords of Old Warden
Manor claimed view of frankpledge (fn. 69) and a court
baron held twice yearly in April and October. (fn. 70) The
right of free warren was also attached to the manor. (fn. 71)
In 1308 John de Bowels acquired the right to hold a
market on Tuesday and a yearly fair of three days on
St. Leonard's Day (5 to 7 November). (fn. 72) No mention
has been found of this privilege after the 14th century.
The Abbot of Warden claimed view of frankpledge
and right of free warren in Old Warden (fn. 73) in the
14th century.
In 1086 there was a water-mill attached to the
manor, (fn. 74) of which no later mention has been found.
It would appear from depositions taken in 1615
that during the reign of Mary and the early years of
Elizabeth's reign there was intercommoning between
the inhabitants of Old Warden and Hill, so that when
George Mordaunt, owner of Hill, impounded cattle
belonging to the inhabitants of Warden in Hill Field
they were delivered without 'replevin.' He inclosed
Hill Green about thirty years before, but the witness
quaintly added, 'the inhabitants of Warden have put
in their cattle by stealth sometimes.' There was a
common pound in Hill called Hill Pound. (fn. 75)
CHURCH
The church of ST. LEONARD consists of a chancel 28 ft. 8 in. by 18 ft. 1 in.,
nave 40 ft. 9 in. by 21 ft. 5 in., south
aisle 9 ft. 4 in., with south porch and west tower
10 ft. 11 in. by 11 ft. 3 in. The earliest part of the
church is the tower, the lower part of which dates
from the 12th century, and the north wall of the nave
may be of the same date. In the second half of the
13th century the chancel was rebuilt and the north
aisle added, but beyond this little is left to show the
history of the building. The roofs of the chancel and
nave are hipped at the east and are of very low pitch,
and between modern repairs and patchings and an
excessive amount of ivy the exterior of the church is
quite uninteresting. The interior, however, is remarkable from the extraordinary woodwork with which it
is crowded, set up some seventy years since by the
Lord Ongley of the time. A good deal of 16th and
17th-century material is worked up into the seating,
gallery and panelling—Italian, English and Flemish—
but the bulk of the work is of modern date and the
general effect can only be called oppressive. The
roofs are treated in the same way, and the result entirely overpowers the effect of the mediaeval building.
The chancel retains but little old work; the head
of the large west window is 14th-century work,
and so is that of the window over the south
door. The chancel arch is of late 13th-century
date, of three chamfered orders, and a round shaft
with moulded capital to the inner order; and the
south arcade of the nave, of three bays with octagonal
pillars and moulded capitals, is of the same date.
At the south-east of the chancel is a 14th-century
trefoiled piscina. On the north side are a modern
organ chamber and a modern vestry.
The north wall of the nave is plastered and
covered with ivy, and in it are three windows,
two having 15th-century two-light tracery in 14th-century jambs; while the middle window of the
three, consisting of three cinquefoiled lights, with a
four-centred head and label, is apparently of the end
of the 15th century. Between this window and that
towards the west is a plain blocked 14th-century
doorway.
At the east end of the south aisle is a late 15th-century window of three cinquefoiled lights, and at
the south-east a square-headed 16th-century window
of three uncusped lights, which has an unusually good
external dripstone to its label, with carved foliage.
The south doorway and porch are modern, the latter
a pretentious piece of brick and plaster Gothic.
In the west end of the aisle is a square-headed
window of three cinquefoiled lights, mostly modern.
The west tower, which is almost entirely covered
with ivy, is rendered in cement and crowned with
an embattled parapet; the belfry windows are of
15th-century date, in two chamfered orders, with a
pointed head and label, but without mullions or
tracery. The lower part of the west wall has been
rebuilt with a two-light window. The tower arch,
which is semicircular, is cut square through the wall,
and springs from a plain chamfered abacus, the keystone having on it sunk star ornament.
The font is much mutilated and patched; it has
twelve sides and stands on a circular pedestal, and at
each angle beneath the bowl of the font are the tops
of plain round shafts; it stands by the western
respond of the nave arcade, and may be 14th-century
work.
The roof of the aisle dates from the 15th century;
the timbers are moulded, but have been stained and
varnished, and over the nave arcade are 15th-century
corbels, carved with heads, that supported the braces
of a previous roof, but otherwise the woodwork is
as already noted.
South of the tower arch is the monument of Sir
Samuel Ongley, 1726, in white marble, with two
Corinthian pilasters supporting an arched pediment
over a standing figure in Roman dress with a cherub
on either side of the base, and there is a large modern
monument of alabaster and white marble at the
south-east of the nave to Caroline Shuttleworth.
There are several memorial slabs belonging to the
last century on the walls of the church.
In the vestry is a 17th-century table.
There are six bells, the first three by Taylor of
Loughborough, 1899, the fourth an alphabet bell,
the fifth bears an unmeaning inscription, and the
tenor is by Thomas Mears, London, 1840.
The plate is modern and consists of a silver footpaten, 1822, a silver communion cup and a plated
foot-paten.
The registers previous to 1813 are in three books:
(1) all 1576 to 1719; (2) 1720 to 1813, marriages,
baptisms and burials 1720 to 1754; (3) marriages
(printed) 1754 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
The church of Old Warden formed
part of the original endowment of
Warden Abbey by Walter Spech,
and was especially named in Stephen's confirmation
of 1135, inspected in 1286. (fn. 76) William de Bussy
confirmed the grant of his brother-in-law Walter,
but in spite of that his grandchildren Cecily and
Maud claimed half the advowson in 1199–1200,
though the Abbot of Warden eventually secured
seisin. (fn. 77) In 1291 the church was valued at
£8 13s. 4d. (fn. 78) A licence of appropriation was granted
to the abbey in 1376, when the church was stated
to be worth 20 marks a year, beyond the stipend of
a chaplain. (fn. 79) At the Dissolution in 1535 it was
worth £12, (fn. 80) and passed into the hands of the
Crown, by whom it appears to have been retained
save for occasional grants till the 18th century, the
last Crown presentation being made in 1727. (fn. 81) Sir
William Smith presented in 1738 and 1739 and
Smith King in 1770, (fn. 82) whilst in 1787 the advowson
belonged to George Byng, fourth Lord Torrington, (fn. 83)
who sold it in 1795 to Samuel Whitbread (who
consolidated the vicarage of Old Warden with that
of Southill). (fn. 84) The advowson remained in the
possession of the Whitbread family (fn. 85) until about
1902, when it was purchased by Colonel Frank
Shuttleworth, who is the present owner. (fn. 86)
WARDEN RECTORY
WARDEN RECTORY was granted by Henry VIII
to John Barnardiston with the exception of a close
called Bromeclose and all large timber, at an annual
rent of 3s. 4d. from the close, which were reserved
to the Crown for a term of forty-five years at a rent
of £12 a year, the reversion of this lease being granted
in 1562 to Thomas Marbury (sergeant of the pantry
to Queen Elizabeth), his wife Elizabeth and their
son John for eighty years. (fn. 87) James I made a grant
of Warden Rectory in 1612 to Francis Phillipps and
Francis Morris to hold to them and their heirs in
free socage for ever, (fn. 88) and their right in this estate
descended by conveyance to Thomas Haselfoote
(probably in 1631, when he secured a quitclaim
from the descendants of Thomas Marbury). (fn. 89) He
died in 1636, leaving his property to his sister
Bridget Bridges, and after her to his nephew
Thomas Bridges and his heirs, with contingent
remainder in fee-tail to his nephew Haselfoote
Bridges, his niece Elizabeth Bridges and his cousin
William Haselfoote. (fn. 90) In 1662 Warden Rectory
belonged to John Smyth and his wife Susanna,
and was by them conveyed in that year to Charles
Constable. (fn. 91) In 1719 James Duke of Chandos
and Cassandra his wife gave up all claim to an
annual rent from it of £12 to Sir Matthew
Decker. (fn. 92) There is now, so far as can be ascertained,
no lay rector, nor anyone receiving rectorial tithes
from property in the parish. (fn. 93)
At the dissolution of the chantries the Fraternity
of Blunham owned land worth 8d. yearly for a lamp
and an obit. (fn. 94)
In 1615 it was matter of common report that
there was anciently a chapel at Hill adjoining the
'chief house,' which was then used as the parlour.
It was also said that in the church of Old Warden
there was an 'Ile' called 'Hill Chappell' set apart
solely for the inhabitants of the chief house of
Hill. (fn. 95)
CHARITIES
Lord Bolingbroke's charity.
An
ancient annual payment was formerly
received from the lords of the manor
out of lands belonging to the Bolingbroke family in
respect of a sum of £150 charged thereon. The
trust fund now consists of £159 11s. 6d. consols,
held by the official trustees, producing £3 19s. 8d.
a year, which in 1906 was applied in the payment
of 2s. to forty persons by way of bonus to a blanket
club.
The Charity Estate and Edward Peake's charity,
the trusts whereof were declared by deed of feoffment,
dated 4 November 1650, consisted of 1 a. 0 r. 7 p. on
the south side of the village street and three cottages
thereon, a house formerly used as a workhouse, and
a building used as a schoolroom. In 1876 the trust
property was sold for £700, which together with £80
accumulated income was invested in £814 14s. 7d.
consols with the official trustees, producing £20 7s. 4d.
a year. In 1906 ten widows received £1 each,
seven old men and women £1 each, and the balance
was divided among six large and poor families.
Charity of Miss Frances Smith (see under Southill).
The moiety of the income belonging to this parish,
amounting to £2 13s. 8d., was in 1906 distributed
at Christmas by way of bonus to the Sunday school
clothing club.