KING'S WALDEN
King's Walden is a parish 4,392 acres in extent,
lying on a spur of the Chilterns at a height of some
450 ft. above the ordnance datum. The surface of the
land is slightly undulating, the subsoil chalk, (fn. 1) on which
corn is largely grown. Arable land covers 2,755
acres, while the grass land extends over only about
one-quarter of this area, and the woodland 137 acres. (fn. 2)
The original settlement seems to have been of the
Saxon type, having the church of St. Mary adjoining
the manor-house of King's Waldenbury and the
village near, the whole being off the road, as is usual
in this type of settlement. At a later date the inhabitants migrated to the road, where the market
would naturally be held, and eventually deserted
the original settlement. Thus the village became
established where we find it to-day, nearly a mile from
the church and manor-house. It is uncertain when
a market was first granted, possibly in the 13th century, when so many grants of market were made, but
in 1795 a market was held here on Saturdays. (fn. 3) The
village consists of two irregular lines of cottages.
Scattered over the parish are many farm-houses and
cottages, and there are three small hamlets, Wandon
End (fn. 4) and Wandon Green on the western and
southern borders of the parish, and Ley Green (fn. 5) to the
north of King's Waldenbury Park. The Inclosure
Act is dated 1796—7, (fn. 6) and the common was inclosed
by an award of 1802. (fn. 7)
MANORS
From before the time of the Domesday
Survey two manors were in existence in
King's Walden. Each was estimated at
1 hide, and in the time of Earl Harold both were
held of him, one by Leueva, the other by Asgar's
widow. At the time of the Survey the former was in
the king's hands, the latter was still held by Asgar's
widow, of the king. (fn. 8) These two manors, both
known by the name of King's Walden, existed as
separate manors till the middle of the 15th century, (fn. 9)
when they seem to have become united.
King's Walden
One manor of KING'S WALDEN, afterwards
called DUXWORTH, was granted at an early date to
the family of Delamare, (fn. 10) who were holding in the
neighbouring parish of Offley. Early in the 13th
century Robert son of Osbert Delamare (fn. 11) held King's
Walden by the service of one knight's fee. (fn. 12) Robert
forfeited his lands in 1224 as an ally of Falkes de
Breauté, but they were afterwards restored to his wife
Alice for herself and her heirs. (fn. 13) Her son John
inherited his mother's estate (fn. 14) and held it till his
death about 1276, leaving as heir his grandson John,
a minor, (fn. 15) who was assessed for the fee in 1303. (fn. 16)
It was then extended at a messuage and 60 acres of
land, 2 acres of pasture, 2 acres of wood and rents of
assize. In this year he alienated it to John de
Dokesworth or Duxworth, (fn. 17) who settled it in 1316
on himself and his wife Parnel and their heirs. (fn. 18)
John died in 1338, (fn. 19) leaving a son William, who held
the manor (fn. 20) till his death in 1362, when he was
succeeded by his son Elias. (fn. 21) He about 1380
alienated King's Walden to John Bixen and Walter
Pulter, who enfeoffed John Wylkyn of the same. (fn. 22)
John Wylkyn was convicted in July 1381 of felony and
treason and forfeited his lands, which were granted in
fee farm to Hugh Martyn, one of the king's servitors. (fn. 23)
It would appear that Hugh lost his possessions about
1395 by his outlawry, (fn. 24) and they reverted to the
Crown. The king made a fresh grant of them to
Reginald Lord Cobham of Sterborough, who held a
court in 1401. (fn. 25) The manor descended to his son
Reginald Lord Cobham, (fn. 26) who died in 1446. His
granddaughter Margaret (daughter of his eldest son
Reginald), who succeeded him, (fn. 27) died without issue
about 1460, and her husband Ralph Earl of
Westmorland in 1485. The manor came to Anne
daughter of Thomas second son of Reginald Lord
Cobham, the wife of Sir Edward Burgh, and it
descended to their son Thomas Lord Burgh, who
died seised of King's Walden in 1551. (fn. 28) His son
William Lord Burgh (fn. 29) conveyed it in 1576 to
Richard Hale. (fn. 30) He died in 1621, having settled
the property on his second son Richard and his heirs.
The estate, however, came eventually to William, the
eldest son. (fn. 31)
William Hale died in 1633, leaving a son William,
whose heir at his death in 1643 (fn. 32) was his brother
Rowland, (fn. 33) from whom the
manor passed to his son
William. (fn. 34) It descended in
this family to Paggen Hale,
who was holding in 1742. (fn. 35)
He left no issue, so that at
his death the property passed
to a cousin, William Hale, (fn. 36)
and from him to his son
William, who was holding in
1815. (fn. 37) After the death of
Charles Cholmondeley Hale
in 1884 the property was purchased by Mrs. Hinds, and in
1891 it was bought from her
by Mr. Thomas Fenwick
Harrison, (fn. 38) who is the present lord of the manor
and lives at King's Waldenbury.
Hale of King's Walden. Azure a cheveron or battled on both sides.
The other manor of KING'S WALDEN mentioned in the Survey (fn. 39) extended into the hamlet of
Wandon End. It was apparently granted at an
early date to the family of Valoines, of which barony
it was held as one knight's fee. (fn. 40) On the death
(before November 1220) of Gunnora wife of Robert
Fitz Walter, daughter and heir of Robert de Valoines,
the manor descended to her daughter Christine, who
married, first, William de Mandeville Earl of
Essex, and, secondly, Raymund de Burgh, and died
without issue in 1233. King's Walden then went
to Isabel wife of David Comyn, one of the heirs
of Christine. (fn. 41) In 1310 it was granted by Edmund
Comyn to John de Dokesworth, (fn. 42) lord of the other
manor of King's Walden (q.v.), and the overlordship
remained with his successors in that manor. (fn. 43)
This fee, together with other lands held of the
Delamares' manor of King's Walden, was held in the
first half of the 13th century by John de Nevill. (fn. 44)
He was succeeded by John de Nevill, who was holding
in 1259. (fn. 45) He died in 1286, leaving a son John, (fn. 46)
who with his wife Denise held the estate (fn. 47) till his
death in 1313. (fn. 48) A windmill and a water mill are
mentioned in the extent of the manor at this date.
Walter, John's son, succeeded him. (fn. 49) He obtained a
grant of free warren in 1318 (fn. 50) and died in 1329,
leaving as heir his daughter Agnes, (fn. 51) who married
Thomas Fytlyng. (fn. 52) They apparently had no issue.
The reversion of the third of the manor held by
Katherine widow of Walter de Nevill was granted
by them in 1356 to Reginald de Cobham, (fn. 53) on whom
evidently a settlement of the other two parts was also
made, for the manor subsequently descended with
Duxworth, and the two manors became amalgamated.
Wande Meade
In 1613 a messuage called WANDE MEADE,
probably situated in the hamlet of Wandon End, was
held by Thomas Rudd, who died in that year. (fn. 54) His
son Thomas, who succeeded him, held it till his death
in 1636, when he left a son Thomas, aged four
years. (fn. 55) This last Thomas was holding in 1657. (fn. 56)
Among the possessions of the Crown enumerated
in Domesday Book is 'Leglega.' (fn. 57) The extent was
I virgate, and it was held by three sokemen. (fn. 58) This
estate may possibly be the lands called LYE, which
in the 15th century were held by the family of
Brograve, (fn. 59) and the name may survive in Ley
Green.
Rectory Manor
In 1540 there was a RECTORY MANOR in this
parish attached to the church which had formed part
of the possessions of the priory of Old Malton,
Yorkshire. (fn. 60) There is no previous record of this
manor, which had probably been granted to this
priory by Walter de Nevill with the advowson of
the church. (fn. 61) After the Dissolution it was granted
in 1550 by the king to Ralph Sadleir, (fn. 62) and from that
date was held with the advowson of the vicarage (q.v.).
CHURCH
St. Mary
The parish church of ST. MARY,
lying to the west of King's Waldenbury,
is faced with flint; the dressings are of
stone. The chancel and north vestry are tiled, and
the rest of the church is roofed with lead. The nave
and tower have embattled parapets. The church
consists of a chancel, nave and aisles, south porch,
north vestry and west tower.
The original church, dating from the late 11th or
early 12th century, probably consisted of a nave and
chancel only, now represented by the present walls of
the nave, in which the nave arcades were inserted
and the aisles added about 1190. The chancel as it
now stands probably preserves the plan of that which
was built in the 13th century, but has been very
much altered. About 1380 the west tower was
added, and in the 15th century the clearstory was
made and the aisles were partially or wholly rebuilt.
The north vestry, of brick, was built early in the
17th century, and the south porch is of the 19th
century, when the walls of the whole church were
refaced externally and the chancel and aisles were
partly rebuilt.
All the windows in the chancel have been renewed.
There are a few 15th-century stones in the east
window and in the west window of the south wall.
Both these windows are of three lights with tracery.
There are possibly also a few original stones in the
east window of the south wall, which is a lancet. In
the chancel is a double piscina of the 13th century.
The screen is 15th-century work, with two two-light
upper panels with tracery on each side of the central
opening. It has a cornice and 'Tudor-flower'
cresting. The whole screen is much patched and
thickly painted.
The chancel arch is of the early 14th century, and
has two chamfered orders and half-octagonal responds,
moulded capitals and half-octagonal jambs. The
nave arcades are of three bays, of late 12th-century
date, with two-centred arches of two chamfered
orders. The columns are circular and have capitals
of scalloped, trefoil and water-leaf designs. The
clearstory has three three-light windows with low two-centred heads on either side, of which the tracery is
restored. At the level of the responds of the chancel
arch the door to the former rood-loft opens in the
east end of the north wall, and is now partly
blocked. Two large carved corbels which support
the eastern truss of the roof are of the 15th century.
The north aisle has three windows—one at each
end and one in the north wall. The last is of three
lights and has a four-centred head. The west window
is a single trefoiled light. Almost the whole of the
exterior stonework and the windows themselves have
been renewed. The north door, to the west of the
north window, is of the 14th century much restored.
The difference between the height of the bases of
the north and south arcades, and the position of the
steps from the doorway, indicate that the floor of this
aisle has been lowered.
On the east wall, to the north of the east window,
is an image bracket, much defaced. On the north
wall, at the north-east, is a piscina with a square
head. A few 15th-century timbers remain in the
roof.
The south aisle extends eastwards beyond the line
of the chancel arch and formerly communicated with
the chancel by a doorway at the north, which is now
blocked. The east window and the south-east
window are of three lights, of the 15th century,
much restored, and the south-west window, of the
same date, and also much restored, has two lights.
The south door is also of the 15th century, and has a
four-centred arch in a square head with tracery in
the spandrels. It is of two moulded orders. At the
east end of the aisle, in the north spur wall, is a
locker, with a rebate for a door. There is also a late
14th-century piscina, with a cinquefoiled head, in
the south wall at the east end. The roof of the
aisle is of the 15th century.
The north vestry, of early 17th-century date,
has Gothic wooden window frames. It contains a
17th-century oak chest.
The west tower is of three stages, with an embattled parapet and a projecting stair-turret at the
south-east corner. It has buttresses, very badly
weathered, at the angles, in pairs at the north-west
and south-west, and single at the north-east, at the
junction with the nave. The tower arch is of the
end of the 14th century, and has two chamfered
orders. It is two-centred and the jambs are shafted.
In the west doorway is an old door. The west
window and the four bell-chamber windows are all of
two lights, of the late 14th century, with tracery
and pointed heads, and all are repaired.
The monuments in the chancel are: a brass, consisting of an inscription only, is to Sybil wife of
Robert Barber, 1614, and a mural monument in
alabaster, dated 1613, to Timothy Sheppard. In
the north aisle are two mural tablets, one to Roland
Hale, 1688, and one to Richard Hale, 1689.
The bells are six in number, and of these three—the first, fourth and fifth—by an unknown founder
are dated 1627. The second is dated 1629. The
third and sixth are by John Warner & Sons.
The plate consists of a silver cup of 1638–9, a
modern plated cup, two plated salver-shaped patens,
and a tankard of 1736.
King's Walden Church From The North-West
The registers are contained in four books, of which
the first includes baptisms from 1558 to 1720 and
burials and marriages from 1559 to 1721; the
second contains baptisms and burials from 1722 to
1781 and marriages from 1722 to 1753; the third
contains baptisms and burials from 1782 to 1812
and marriages from 1754 to 1796; the fourth
contains marriages from 1796 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
In the middle of the 13th century
Walter de Nevill, then holding the
manor of King's Walden, granted
the advowson of the church to John, Prior of Malton
in Yorkshire. (fn. 63) It remained in the possession of the
priory of Malton, who appropriated the church, until
the Dissolution. (fn. 64) In 1550 the king granted the
rectory and advowson to Ralph Sadleir, (fn. 65) who conveyed them in 1570 to his brother Edward Sadleir
and Anne his wife, reserving a life interest. (fn. 66) They
held till 1582, when they conveyed them to Richard
Hale, (fn. 67) in whose family they descended with the
manor (q.v.) till 1884, when they were purchased by
Mrs. Hinds. She sold in 1891 to Mr. Thomas
Fenwick Harrison, the present patron. (fn. 68)
In 1506 Thomas Pyrden of King's Walden left in
his will bequests to the High Rood Light and the
Low Rood Light, to Our Lady's Light, St. Thomas's
Light and St. Katherine's Light in the parish
church. (fn. 69)
CHARITIES
In 1616 Richard Hale, citizen and
grocer of London, by his will charged
land known as Holland's Farm at
Codicote with an annuity of £5, of which £1 was
payable to the vicar for sermons on certain Sundays
and £4 to be distributed amongst the neediest
inhabitants.
William Smith—as appears from a deed of appointment of trustees dated in 1771—by his will devised
to trustees 2 a. 2 r. in the parish of Studham in the
county of Bedford, the rents thereof to be applied—subject to the payment of 5s. to the poor of Studham—for the benefit of the most necessitous and distressed
poor of King's Walden. The land is let at £3 a year.
These charities are administered together under
the provisions of a scheme of the Charity Commissioners, 2nd September 1898.
In 1910 the sum of £6 7s. 6d. was distributed in
money to forty-six recipients, chiefly widows.