GREAT or MUCH WYMONDLEY
Wimundeslai (xi cent.); Wilmundele (xiv and
xv cent.); Wimley.
The parish of Great Wymondley has an area of
1,490 acres, of which 1,397¾ acres are arable land,
348¾ acres permanent grass and 92 acres wood. (fn. 1)
Two portions of the parish are detached. The first
portion, lying a mile south of Great Wymondley
proper and separated from it by Little Wymondley,
contains the hamlet of Titmore Green, which lies
between Redcoats Green and Todd's Green, each of
which gives its name to a few cottages. The second
detached portion lies still further south, on the
borders of Stevenage parish, and has no houses within
its area, but contains part of Lucas's Wood. The
elevation of the parish in the east is between 300 ft.
and 400 ft., but it slopes downwards towards the
River Purwell on the western boundary. This river
turns the mill of the same name which was leased by
the lord of the manor of Great Wymondley from
Hitchin. (fn. 2) Near to the mill the foundations of a
Roman house were found in 1884. A little distance
from the boundary, in a meadow beside the road
from Hitchin, are the 'Nine Springs ' from which
rises a brook flowing into the Purwell.
In the southern part of the parish, where the roads
from Hitchin to Graveley and from Little Wymondley
to Willian cross, lies the village, at the east end of
which is the church. In the village are the former Green
Man Inn, a picturesque little thatched house, and one
or two late 16th-century or early 17th-century timber
and plaster cottages. On the east side of the road
from Willian to Little Wymondley are three ponds.
Adjoining the churchyard on the east side are the
remains of a mount and bailey type of castle. Like
the other smaller castles of Hertfordshire it was
probably only in use for a short time, and was
defended merely by a timber keep on the mount and
stockades around the bailey. There is no evidence of
any masonry works. It may have been thrown up by
John de Argentein, an adherent of King Stephen, in
the time of the anarchy as a manorial stronghold,
Wymondley being the head of the Argentein barony
in Herts. It was probably destroyed as an adulterine
or unlicensed castle in the reign of Henry II.
Adjoining are indications of Roman occupation. (fn. 3)
The Manor Farm is a 16th-century three-gabled
and plastered house situated at the left-hand corner
where the road from Hitchin enters the village.
There is a tradition that James I once slept there.
It has a fine yew hedge of great age penetrated by
arches. The house is a rectangular building, with
a central porch, the inner doorway to which has the
original oak frame and door. There are also one or
two original fireplaces in the house.
Delamere House, now a farm-house, the residence
of Mr. Hailey, stands a little south of the village.
Only the central part of the old building remains,
flanked on either side by modern additions. No part
of it appears to be earlier than the end of the 16th
or beginning of the 17th century. It measures about
44 ft. in length by 33 ft. in width. The south or
garden front is built of red brick 2 in. thick, and
the building consists of two stories and attics. All
the windows have mullions, and the lower have
transoms as well. There is a modern doorway in the
centre, not apparently part of the original design.
Over the first floor windows is a brick moulded cornice
with dentil course running the whole length of the
building, above which are two brick gables, the upper
parts of which are semicircular, and resemble those
at Rawdon House, Hoddesdon, a building erected in
1622. The north front seems to have been built at
a somewhat later period, but probably before the
middle of the 17th century. There are two gables
on this front also, of different sizes, both being straight
and steep, the smaller having kneelers at its springing.
The windows, which are placed irregularly, have all
stone mullions, the upper having a small moulded
cornice over them. The entrance doorway has
splayed stone jambs and lintel, and a small fanlight
over. The oak door is original and is studded with
iron nails. This entrance adjoins the old main stair,
which is an unusual position, but the plan may have
been governed by the arrangement of the previous
building. Under the stair is an old built-up doorway with a four-centred arch, which gave access to
the cellars which were under the old west wing, now
destroyed. A part of the original wall still exists in
the modern cellar, in which is a little shallow niche
about 9 in. wide, with arched head. Similar niches
exist in the old cellars at Watton Place and Little
Wymondley Bury. The drawing room is panelled
with old oak up to the ceiling, and has a good oak
chimney-piece. The lower part of this, together
with the fireplace, is modern, but the upper part has
two arched panels, with the nail-head ornament, the
panels being flanked and separated by Ionic columns
which support the projecting entablature. The
architrave and cornice are moulded and the frieze is
carved with a flat pattern, which is carried round the
frieze of the room. The arrangement is very similar
to the panelling at Turner's Hall, Harpenden, and
Hammond's Farm, Pirton.
Delamere: Ground plan
The brickwork of the chimney is of considerable
thickness, and affords space for a small closet between
the chimney breast and the outer south wall. This
closet is lighted by a large window in the south wall,
and there is a small bricked-up window in the west
wall, which seems to show that the west wing did not
project southwards, although old foundations have
been dug up to the south.
In an old house, now pulled down, in the hamlet
of Redcoats Green resided James Lucas, the 'hermit
of Hertfordshire.' His mother's death in 1849, by
which he inherited the family estate at Redcoats
Green, seems to have greatly accentuated his eccentricities. He barricaded his house and henceforth
lived in the kitchen, where he slept on a bed of
cinders and clothed himself in a blanket. He protected himself by an iron grille from unwelcome
visitors, but was fond of children, to whom he would
give sweets. He died of apoplexy in 1874, having
hoarded a considerable sum of money in his living
room. (fn. 4)
The inclosure award, dated 1814, is in the custody
of the clerk of the peace. The Authorizing Act was
passed in 1811. (fn. 5)
The subsoil of the parish is chalk, with a thick deposit of boulder clay above it. On the surface clay is
mixed with gravel, penetrated by occasional bosses of
chalk. There is an old chalk-pit near the Purwell.
The chief crops are wheat, barley and oats alternating
with clover, sainfoin, turnips, mangolds and beans.
MANOR
In the time of King Edward the Confessor 8 hides in GREAT WYMONDLEY
were held by the church of St. Mary
of Chatteris, Cambs., but three years before King
Edward's death, i.e. about 1063, the manor was
taken away from that church by Earl Harold, afterwards king, and attached by him to his neighbouring
manor of Hitchin. (fn. 6) Three and a-quarter hides,
probably in this parish also, (fn. 7) were held before the
Conquest by Swen, one of Earl Harold's men. (fn. 8) In
1086 King William held the 8 hides, (fn. 9) while the
other 3¼ hides had been granted to Goisbert de
Beauvais. (fn. 10)
William I or William Rufus gave the whole estate
as an escheat to Reginald de Argentein, as appears
from the evidence of his grandson. (fn. 11)
The manor was held of the king in chief by grand
serjeanty for the service of rendering the king a
silver-gilt cup at his coronation feast. (fn. 12) This service
was performed by the lords of the manor until the
coronation of George IV. Since that date the state
banquet has been dispensed with, and the lords of the
manor have been exempt from their service.
The manor was confirmed to John, son of Reginald
de Argentein, by King Stephen, (fn. 13) and he was still
living in 1166. (fn. 14) Reginald de
Argentein, presumably the son
of John, since he was grandson of the elder Reginald, (fn. 15) is
mentioned in 1194, (fn. 16) and was
Sheriff of Hertfordshire in
1196. (fn. 17) He was succeeded
by Richard de Argentein, who
seems to have forfeited, for in
1203 he received a pardon at
the petition of the Earl of
Albemarle from King John,
and had his patrimony restored. (fn. 18) Part of it he
delivered to Isabel de Argentein in dower in the
same year. (fn. 19) In 1224 Richard de Argentein was
Sheriff of Hertfordshire and Essex, (fn. 20) and in 1225
and 1226 custodian of Hertford Castle. (fn. 21) He was
also the founder of Little Wymondley Priory, (fn. 22) and
in 1228 is spoken of as 'a noble and one strenuous
in arms' who had already been on a pilgrimage to
the Holy Land. (fn. 23) He returned there later as a
Crusader and was killed in an engagement in 1246. (fn. 24)
His son and successor Giles (fn. 25) was engaged in the
war against Prince Llewellyn during his father's
lifetime, and in 1231 was taken prisoner by the
Welsh. (fn. 26) Reginald de Argentein, son of Giles,
inherited Wymondley in 1283, (fn. 27) and was still holding
in 1303. (fn. 28) His son John, who succeeded in 1307, (fn. 29)
died about 1318, leaving an infant son John, aged six
months, (fn. 30) and a widow Agnes, who received Great
Wymondley in dower. (fn. 31) She afterwards married
John Maltravers, who forfeited his lands in 1327, (fn. 32)
probably being involved in Mortimer's rebellion, but
afterwards received them back. At some time, possibly
between these two marriages, Agnes was the wife of
John de Nerford. (fn. 33) In 1331 Great Wymondley was
restored to her by the king, (fn. 34) and in 1346 John de
Maltravers was holding it in her name. (fn. 35) Agnes
died in 1375, when Wymondley passed to John de
Argentein, her son by her first husband, (fn. 36) who performed his office of cupbearer at the coronation of
Richard II. (fn. 37) In 1381 he obtained a licence to entail
the manor on his son William and his wife Isabel, (fn. 38)
but upon the death of John it was claimed in 1383
by his daughter Matilda and her husband Ivo
Fitz Warin, and his grandson Baldwin St. George,
son of another daughter Elizabeth. (fn. 39) These made
complaint 'that whereas the said John [de Argentein]
delivered certain muniments concerning his lands in
a chest under lock and seal to the Prior of [Little]
Wylmondesle for safe custody, certain evildoers seized
the prior at Neumarkethethe as he was coming to
Hallesworth, co. Suffolk to celebrate the obsequies of
the said John, patron of his priory, forced him to
send for the deeds and deliver them to one William
Dargentein and afterwards assaulted the said Ivo
and Margaret wife of the said John and their friends
at Hallesworth, so that they could not do what was
honorably due in oblations, etc., for his decent
burial.' (fn. 40) This strange tale seems to support the
statement of Cussans that William was an illegitimate
son. William, however, on the strength of the
settlement of 1381, made good his claim, and the
manor was delivered to him. (fn. 41) In 1400 he obtained
a confirmation of Stephen's charter to his ancestor
John de Argentein. (fn. 42) He died in 1419, leaving an
infant grandson John (fn. 43) and a widow Margaret, who
held a third of the manor in dower until her death in
1427. (fn. 44) The young John died in 1420, leaving as
his heirs his two sisters Elizabeth and Joan, (fn. 45) between
whom the manor was divided. Joan, who had
married Robert Alington, died childless in 1429, and
her moiety passed to her sister Elizabeth, wife of
William Alington, (fn. 46) who thus became possessed of
the whole manor. William Alington, who held
Wymondley in right of his wife, died in 1460, leaving
a son John, (fn. 47) who held it until 1480, when he was
succeeded by his son William Alington. (fn. 48) The
latter was killed at the battle of Bosworth Field in
1485, his son Giles, who was only two years old,
succeeding him. (fn. 49) Giles
Alington held Wymondley
until 1521, (fn. 50) after which it
was held by his widow Mary
in dower until her death in
1540, (fn. 51) when it passed to
their son Giles. (fn. 52) Sir Giles
outlived his son Robert and
his grandson Giles and was
succeeded in 1586 by his
great-grandson, also named
Giles, then aged fourteen. (fn. 53)
At the coronation of James I
both Giles Alington and his
mother Margaret Elrington
claimed the service. (fn. 54) From the younger Giles the
manor descended in 1638 to his son William, on
whom he had settled it in 1631 on the occasion of
the latter's marriage with Elizabeth Tollemache. (fn. 55)
In 1642 William was created first Lord Alington of
Killard in Ireland and died in 1648. (fn. 56) His son Giles
held Wymondley until 1659, (fn. 57) when he died a minor
and unmarried, and his brother William succeeded. (fn. 58)
He inherited the Irish title, and in 1682 was also
created Lord Alington of Wymondley. (fn. 59) He died
in 1684, leaving an infant son Giles, for whom his
mother Diana (Verney) claimed the service at the
coronations of James II and William and Mary.
As she was a woman, however, the service was performed in 1685 by Giles's uncle Hildebrand Alington,
and in 1689 by John Jacob, stated to be the nearest
relation. (fn. 60)
Argentein. Gules three covered cupsargent.
Alington. Argent a bend engrailed between six billets sable.
Upon the death of Giles Lord Alington without
issue in 1691 the barony of Alington of Wymondley
became extinct, while the Irish title passed to Hildebrand Alington, uncle of Giles and brother of William
Alington. (fn. 61) Hildebrand claimed the English estates
also, but Wymondley was sold upon a decree passed in
Chancery to Elizabeth Hamilton or Hambleton,
widow, (fn. 62) daughter of John Lord Colepeper, who
claimed to perform the service at the coronation of
Anne and was allowed, William Hamilton her son
executing the office. (fn. 63) Hildebrand, Lord Alington,
bought back Wymondley from Mrs. Hamilton in
1704, (fn. 64) but died childless in 1722–3, (fn. 65) leaving the
manor by will to his three nieces, daughters of William
Alington and sisters of Giles. (fn. 66) These three ladies
were Juliana Viscountess Howe, Diana wife of Sir
George Warburton and Catherine wife of Sir
Nathaniel Napier; at the coronation of George II the
service was claimed by Juliana Howe, Sir Richard
Grosvenor, husband of Diana's daughter Diana, (fn. 67) and
Nathaniel Napier, widower of Catherine. (fn. 68) It seems
to have been performed by
Sir Richard, to whom Diana
Warburton had conveyed her
third of the manor upon his
marriage, and to whom the
other two thirds subsequently
came. He died childless in
1732, and his brother and
heir Thomas in the following
year. (fn. 69) The next brother, Sir
Robert Grosvenor, who thus
inherited the estates, (fn. 70) is said
to have acquired Wymondley
from Sir Richard in 1730, (fn. 71)
two years before he would otherwise have obtained it.
His son Sir Richard Grosvenor, who succeeded him in
1755, (fn. 72) sold the manor in 1767 to the Hon. Mordaunt
Cracherode, (fn. 73) from whom it descended in 1773 to his
son Clayton Mordaunt Cracherode, the well-known
collector of books and prints. (fn. 74) He is said to have
been of such a retiring disposition that his dread lest
he should at any time be called upon to undertake the
service of cupbearer embittered his whole life. (fn. 75) Upon
his death in 1799 his lands passed to his sister Anne, (fn. 76)
who left Wymondley by will to Shute Barrington,
Bishop of Durham, in trust for sale. (fn. 77) The latter sold
the manor in 1806 to William Wilshere of the Frythe,
Welwyn, who performed his service at the coronation
of George IV, (fn. 78) the last occasion upon which it has
been necessary. William Wilshere was succeeded in
1824 by his nephew William Wilshere, who died in
1867. (fn. 79) Charles Willes Wilshere, brother and heir
of the latter, (fn. 80) lived until 1906, and was survived by
three daughters, the eldest of whom, Miss Edith Marie
Wilshere, is the present lady of the manor.
Grosvenor. Azure a garb or.
Sac and soc, toll, team and infangentheof were
granted to John de Argentein by King Stephen, and
confirmed to William de Argentein in 1400. (fn. 81) In
1278 Giles de Argentein claimed view of frankpledge
and amendment of the assize of bread and ale. (fn. 82)
DELAMERE
The manor of DELAMER (Lammers, xv cent.;
Delamers, xvii cent.), now Delamere House, was
held of Great Wymondley, (fn. 83) and evidently took its
name from the family of Delamare; John Delamare
is mentioned as living in Great Wymondley in
1308. (fn. 84) The manor is first mentioned in 1487,
when John Pulter died seised of it. (fn. 85) He was
succeeded by his son William, who held it by service
of 40s. yearly, and it remained in the Pulter family.
In 1600 Edward Pulter, whose father Edward held
it before him, (fn. 86) settled it on his son Litton, on the
occasion of his marriage with Penelope Capell. (fn. 87)
Litton Pulter died in 1608 and his father in 1629,
after whose death the manor descended to Litton's
son Arthur. (fn. 88) The next evidence of this manor is a
recovery suffered in 1740 by Pulter Forester, (fn. 89) suggesting that an heiress of the Pulters conveyed the
manor to the Forester family. In 1779 it was
conveyed by Benjamin Palmer and Sarah his wife to
Clayton Mordaunt Cracherode, (fn. 90) lord of the manor
of Wymondley, and probably it became merged in
that manor.
CHURCH
The parish church of ST. MARY,
which stands at the east end of the
village, is built of flint with stone
dressings. The nave walls are of wide jointed
courses of uncut pebbles, with a few Roman tiles
interspersed. The chancel is tiled and the nave
roof is of lead. (fn. 91)
Delamere, Great Wymondley: South Front
The church consists of a chancel, nave, west
tower, north vestry and south porch. The first
two are of the 12th century, the west tower was
built in the 15th century and the vestry and porch
are modern. In 1883–4 the building was restored
throughout and the stonework to a great extent
renewed. Windows were inserted in the 13th,
14th and 15th centuries.
The chancel is apsidal, with a 14th-century east
window of three lights, with tracery in a square
head. In the north wall a 13th-century lancet has
been set in the jambs and rear-arch of a 12th-century
window. In the south wall are a 13th-century lancet
and a low-side window probably also of the 13th
century. All these windows have undergone modern
repair. The early 12th-century chancel arch is in
good preservation. It is semicircular, and rests on
engaged shafts with voluted capitals and scalloped
bases. In the chancel is a 13th-century piscina with
angle shafts and a modern square head. The sill is
also modern, and the capitals of the shafts are restored.
There is an aumbry in the south-west corner of the
chancel, recessed in the east jamb for a door. The
nave is lighted on the north by a two-light window
of the 14th century, with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head, very much repaired, and by two late
15th-century three-light windows, which have been
repaired and their cusps cut away. The north doorway, possibly retaining remnants of 14th-century
work, now opens to the vestry. The south doorway
is of about 1120, but has been greatly repaired. It
has a round arch with an edge roll and star ornament on the tympanum. The jambs are of two
orders, with abaci, on which the star ornament is
repeated on each face. The shafts of the outer
order have capitals carved with human faces and
inverted cushion bases.
On the north side of the chancel arch is a low
squint of the 15th century into the chancel. Above
it is a corbel, probably originally under the rood-loft, the stairs to which remain on the north-east in
the thickness of the wall. The upper and lower doorways are also still in existence, but their stonework
has been entirely renewed. The nave roof is of the
15th century and rests on large grotesque corbels.
The tower arch is four-centred and of two moulded
orders, the inner resting upon the shafts of the jambs
and the outer continuous. The work is of late 15th-century type.
The tower is of three stages, marked externally
by strings, and has diagonal buttresses. The parapet
is embattled and the roof is pyramidal and tiled.
The west doorway is two-centred, of two moulded
orders, and has been greatly repaired. The west
window above it is old, but the tracery is wholly
modern. In the belfry stage there is a window of
two lights in each face; all of these are much repaired. The string below the parapet has a gargoyle
in the middle of each face, and at the north-west
corner the stair-turret rises above the parapet.
In the north-east corner of the nave is an image
niche with a trefoiled head. The font, which is octagonal and quite plain, is of the late 15th or early 16th
century. At the west end of the nave are several
late 15th or early 16th-century benches, repaired.
In the nave, at the north-east, is a floor slab,
inscribed 'Henry Barnewell 1638.' On the outside
of the south wall is an imperfect incised sundial.
There are six bells, of which the third is by
Joseph Eayre, 1760, and the fifth by John Dyer,
1595. The remainder are by Mears & Stainbank,
1908.
The plate is modern.
The registers begin in 1561, and are contained in
three books: (i) all entries 1561 to 1690; (ii) baptisms
1710 to 1812, burials 1710 to 1812, marriages 1710
to 1755; (iii) marriages 1755 to 1811.
ADVOWSON
The church of Great Wymondley
seems to have been originally a
chapel to Hitchin. (fn. 92) In 1199 it
was the subject of a suit between Reginald de
Argentein and the Abbess of Elstow. (fn. 93) The
abbess maintained that Judith niece of William the
Conqueror, who founded the abbey of Elstow, gave
to the nuns the vill of Hitchin with its church and
the chapel of Wymondley pertaining to it, and she
produced the charter and confirmations by William I
and Henry I and II, also the testimonials of the archdeacon and the bishop who dedicated the church,
and of Henry the king. Reginald on the other
hand said that the church of Wymondley had never
pertained to that of Hitchin, and that in the time of
William I a certain Alfled made presentation to that
church, and that afterwards it was given to his grandfather Reginald together with the manor, and therefore he now claimed the advowson, as two presentments had already been made by his family. In
1208–9 Richard de Argentein, the son of Reginald,
acknowledged the right of the Abbess of Elstow to
the advowson on condition that she would 'receive
him into all benefits and prayers which were made in
the church of Elstow.' (fn. 94) About this time Elstow
appropriated the church, and a vicarage was ordained
by Hugh Wells, Bishop of Lincoln, whose episcopacy
lasted from 1209 to 1235. (fn. 95) Elstow kept the church
until the Dissolution, after which the tithes were
included in the grant of Hitchin rectory to Trinity
College, Cambridge, by Heniy VIII. The church
was evidently still a chapel to Hitchin and the
advowson is not mentioned in the grant. (fn. 96) The few
presentations of which there are record were made by
Trinity College except in 1663 and 1675, when the
Bishop of Lincoln presented by lapse. (fn. 97) The benefice
was united with that of St. Ippolitts by an instrument
dated 15 March 1685, (fn. 98) and the vicar resides in the
latter parish.
Meeting-places for Protestant Dissenters in Great
Wymondley were registered at various dates from
1776 to 1814. (fn. 99)
CHARITIES
In 1623 John Welch by will
charged his estate of Redcoats in
this parish with an annuity of £4,
of which £1 10s. was payable to the vicar and £2
to the poor for bread and 10s. to Little Wymondley.
In 1735 Robert Tristram by his will devised 10s.
a year for bread for the poor of this parish.
In 1821 James Lucas by deed gave £150 consols,
the annual dividends, amounting to £3 15s., to be
applied as to two-thirds for the relief and assistance
of the poor of this parish and one-third for the poor
of Little Wymondley.
The charities are duly applied.