LITTLE WYMONDLEY
This parish has an area of 1,006 acres, of which
599 acres are arable land, 226½ acres permanent grass
and 6½ acres wood. (fn. 1) Two portions of the parish are
detached. One of very small area lies west of Redcoats Green and the other is situated south of Titmore
Green and contains a few cottages which are called
Lower Titmore Green. The parish slopes downward
in a south-westerly direction from an elevation of
nearly 400 ft. The Great Northern railway passes
through the village, but the nearest stations are
Stevenage, 2 miles south-east, and Hitchin, 2½ miles
north-west. The village lies on the road from Hitchin
to Stevenage. Near its centre a road branches off
northwards to Great Wymondley, passing the site of
the former priory. The Great North Road runs
along the north-east boundary of the parish. The
subsoil is chalk with a layer of boulder clay; the surface soil is clay and gravel with occasional chalk. There
is a chalk-pit south of the village and a gravel-pit in
a field east of the vicarage. The village has many old
and picturesque cottages. The Buck's Head Inn is
an early 17th-century timber and plaster house, with
an overhanging gable at each end, and the 'Plume of
Feathers' is an old red brick house on the opposite
side of the road.
Buck's Head Inn, Little Wymondley
Little Wymondley Bury from the East
Wymondley Hall, now a farm-house, the residence
of Mr. M. H. Foster, is a picturesque many-gabled
building, standing close to the railway where it crosses
the main road to Hitchin. There is nothing of
architectural interest inside the building, and modern
subdivisions of the rooms have destroyed all traces of
the original plan. The house appears to have been
erected during the early part of the 17th century,
and is built of thin 2-in. bricks, with a good deal of
timber-framed work covered with plaster on the upper
story. The principal front, which faces west, has six
gables, the two northernmost, however, being modern
additions. Of the two middle gables, one has a bay
window its whole height, the other having merely
a slightly projecting oriel on the upper story with
an entrance porch under. The south gable has a
projecting upper story, timber framed and plastered,
below which is a bay window, and up in the gable is
an oriel window finished with a small gable under
the main gable. The corresponding large gable at
the north end has a projecting bay continued up the
two stories and finished with a similar small gable.
All the roofs are tiled. The entrance door and
frame are original. The frame is moulded and square-headed, the mouldings having ornamental stops outside. Many of the features of this front, such as the
moulded door frame and the subsidiary gables over
the oriels and bays immediately underneath the main
gables, bear a close resemblance to those on the front
of Egerton House, Berkhampstead. The back of the
house is chiefly remarkable for the picturesque disposition of the chimneys. There are two stacks of
chimneys separated by a small projecting gable.
Little Wymondely Hall: Entrance Doorway
The Priory farm-house, the property of Col.
Heathcote of Shephallbury and residence of Mrs.
Charles Sworder, stands about half a mile north of
the church on the site of part of the old Priory
buildings, some parts of which are
incorporated in the present house.
Chauncy, writing about the year
1700, mentions the cloisters and
chapel which existed in his time,
but these have now almost disappeared. The plan of the house
is not on the usual lines, due to the
positions of the old walls; indeed,
it seems that the builder of the
dwelling-house merely surrounded a
part of the aisleless nave of the
priory church with an external wall.
The old thick 13th-century walling
has been a good deal cut about in
order to afford passages to the
different apartments, and some
arches which are said to exist in
the wall next the drawing room
and pantry, probably part of the
arcade of the north wall of the
cloister, have been built up. The
only arch now remaining is a portion of one of the south windows of
the church over a doorway to the
bedroom above the drawing room,
and it appears to be in its original
position. The opening is 4 ft. 8 in.
wide, and has a pointed arch of
13th-century date, with arch mould
consisting of two rolls with a deep
hollow between, resting on a detached shaft with moulded capital.
It is of soft limestone or clunch, and
a portion of one side is hidden by a
later wall. The oldest portion of
the external wall is at the back or
east side of the house. It is built
mainly of clunch, and in the wall is
a doorway, now built up, with
splayed four-centred arch. This
wall may belong to the latter part of the 16th century.
All the rest of the external walling is of brick, a good
deal of it refaced in modern times, but the older
parts, chiefly on the north side, are faced with the
original thin bricks rising about 9½ in. to four courses.
On the north side are three equal gables, the windows
still retaining their old oak mullions and transoms.
Elsewhere the windows have been modernized. The
old chimneys consist of square shafts of brick set
diagonally, and probably belong to the early part of
the 17th century. The west front has been much
modernized. Internally many of the rooms are lined
with oak moulded panelling of early 17th-century date,
and there is a small plain old stair in the north-east
corner of the building. The old front entrance
door is now used in the doorway to the store adjoining
the pantry. To the east of the house is the old
garden, which still retains part of the old brick
inclosure wall, at one point in which is a small niche
with circular arched head of stone.
There are traces of coloured ornament
in the niche. South of the house is
a large tithe barn of nine bays, with
weather-boarded sides and tiled roof.
It measures externally about 102 ft.
by 39 ft. The remains of a moat
are still visible, partly surrounding
the house, garden and barn. Beyond
the moat, to the south-east of the
house, is the old orchard completely
encircled by a grove of very old box
trees, about 20 ft. in height. To the
north-west of the house is the old
dove-house, now converted into a
cottage. In a field some few hundred
yards north-east of the house are the
remains of the old conduit head, from
which water was brought to turn the
spit in the kitchen, being used for that
purpose until the middle of the 19th century. The
conduit head is a small shallow basin sunk below the
floor of a small building, some of the old floor tiles
being still in their places. The walls of the building
have lately been partly rebuilt, but, as no record of the
old building could be found, the new work was copied
from another old building elsewhere. The old stone
doorway with its four-centred arch still remains.
Wymondley Bury, the residence of Mr. Henry
Parkes, stands in a moated inclosure adjoining the
south side of the church, a little to the south-east
of the village. The moat contains water on the
north-west and north-east sides of the house, but
has been filled up on the other sides. The principal, or north-east, front of the house is approached
by a modern bridge over the moat. The present
house, which is probably only a portion of the late
16th-century house, is L-shaped, and has been much
added to in the 17th century and modernized both
outside and inside. All the brick facing, except to
the chimneys, and all the windows have been renewed.
The principal entrance still retains the old door of
two thicknesses of oak planks fastened with iron studs.
The dining room, to the right of the entrance, has a
very interesting fireplace. The old moulded oak beam
over the ingle-nook is 13 ft. 4 in. in length, and the
depth of the opening is 5 ft., but its width has now
been much reduced by inserting new oak jambs
moulded to match the lintel. This room was probably
the hall of the old manor-house. Beside the dining
room is a small room used as a study, below which is
an old cellar, in the walls of which are eight or nine
small niches with arched heads formed in brickwork.
They are placed from 3 ft. 6 in. to 4 ft. above the
floor, and are from 9 in. to 11 in. wide and 9 in. in
depth. Their average height is about 12 in. They
were probably used to hold wine flasks. None of
them appear to have had a door. There is a very
similar series of niches in the cellar at Watton Place.
Close to the house on the north is the old brick dovehouse which still contains some 300 nests. A little
to the south-east of the house stands a fine Spanish
chestnut evidently of great age but still flourishing.
Gilpin refers to it in his 'Forest Scenery' about the
year 1789. The main trunk is badly split, rendering
any measurements misleading.
Little Wymondley Bury: Ground plan
Little Wymondley: The priory, ground plan
The old manor-house of Great and Little
Wymondley was probably on the same site, (fn. 2) but no
trace of it now remains. It is described as 'a hall
with chambers, chapels and rooms annexed,' and was
called 'Somerhalle.' (fn. 3)
Wymondley House, a square modern residence,
is now the residence of Mr. James W. Courtenay.
From 1799 to 1832 it was used as an academy for
training young men for the Nonconformist ministry.
This had been founded by Dr. Doddridge at Northampton about 1738. and in 1832 was removed to
London.
The inclosure award is included in that of Great
Wymondley.
MANORS
Little Wymondley
Before the Norman Conquest LITTLE WYMONDLEY (Wymundeslai) was
held by one Alflet of Robert Fitz
Wimarc. (fn. 4) After the Conquest it was divided between
two owners, 1 hide being held in 1086 by William
of Robert Gernon, (fn. 5) and a hide and a quarter by
Adam Fitz Hubert of the Bishop of Bayeux. (fn. 6) The lands
of Adam Fitz Hubert, brother of Eudo Dapifer, went
in other Hertfordshire cases to the Valognes family,
but there is nothing to show what happened to them
here. The Gernon lands forming the manor of Little
Wymondley came to the Montfitchet family (see Letch-worth), and were divided about 1258 between the
three sisters and heirs of Richard de Montfitchet, to
the second of whom, Aveline, Little Wymondley was
apportioned. This Aveline married William de
Fortibus Earl of Albemarle, (fn. 7) who was starved to death
in the Levant in 1241, and who was succeeded by his
son William. The latter died in 1256 and his two
children died during the lifetime of their mother. (fn. 8)
The earldom of Albemarle being thus extinct, Little
Wymondley was thenceforward held of the king in
chief of the honour of Albemarle for 20s. rent yearly
to be rendered at the ward of Craven Castle. (fn. 9) By
1419 the service was reduced to 6s. 8d. (fn. 10)
Little Wymondley Priory: North Front
Before the end of the 13th century the manor of
Little Wymondley was held in sub-tenancy by the
Argentein family; it is first mentioned in the possession of that family upon the delivery of the lands
of Giles to his son and heir Reginald in 1282–3. (fn. 11)
From that date it has followed the same descent as
the manor of Great Wymondley (q.v.).
Wymondley Priory
WYMONDLEY PRIORY was founded during the
reign of Henry III by Richard de Argentein, lord of
the manor of Great Wymondley, some time previous
to 1218. (fn. 12) It was suppressed in 1537 and the site,
with the reversion of all the lands belonging to the
priory, was granted to James Needham, 'accountant,
surveyor-general and clerk of
the king's works,' (fn. 13) to be held
of the king in chief by the
service of a tenth part of a
knight's fee. (fn. 14) James obtained
a licence to entail the manor
on his son John, (fn. 15) who succeeded his father in 1545. (fn. 16)
George Needham, son of
John, settled the manor on
his son Eustace on his marriage
in 1615, and in 1623 it was
settled on George the son of
Eustace.
Needham. Argent a bend engrailed azure between two harts' heads caboshed sable.
George Needham the first
died in 1626. (fn. 17) George the younger died in 1669
and was succeeded by another George, (fn. 18) his son, who
died without male issue in 1725. (fn. 19) His heirs were his
daughters, Barbara, who married John Sherwin, and
Martha the wife of Thomas Browne, (fn. 20) the eminent
land surveyor, who for a while resided at his wife's
manor in Little Wymondley. In 1733 the manor
was sold to Samuel Vanderplank, (fn. 21) from whom it is
said to have descended, (fn. 22) through his daughter Anna,
who married Gilbert Joddrell, to Anna Joddrell, (fn. 23)
the wife of Christopher Clitherow of Essendon, who
sold it in 1806 to Samuel Heathcote. In 1812 it
came by the will of the latter to his grandson
Samuel Heathcote Unwin, who took the additional
surname of Heathcote, (fn. 24) and died in 1862. The
manor descended to his son Col. Unwin UnwinHeathcote, (fn. 25) who is the present holder.
Wymondley Bury
The capital messuage called WYMONDLEY BURY, which belonged in the 16th century to
Wymondley Priory (q.v.), was sold after the dissolution of that house by an indenture of 1544
to John Pigott and Margaret Grainger, whom
he was about to marry. (fn. 26) John Pigott died in
1558, but the messuage remained in the possession
of his widow, who married John Palmer. Upon
her death in 1581 it passed to her son Maurice
Pigott. (fn. 27) The latter was succeeded by Thomas Pigott,
who in 1609 settled the estate upon himself and
Elizabeth his wife for their lives, with remainder to
his daughter Elizabeth and her husband. Thomas
died in 1611, his heirs being his daughters, Rebecca
wife of Henry Bull of Hertford and Elizabeth wife
of Beckingham Butler, upon whom it was settled. (fn. 28)
Beckingham Butler became lord of the manor of
Tewin (q.v.) in 1620, and Wymondley Bury descended
with that manor until at least 1746, (fn. 29) when it was
held by Edmund Bull.
CHURCH
The parish church of ST. MARY
stands by itself on rising ground about
a quarter of a mile from the village, and
is built of flint rubble cemented over, with stone
dressings and a tiled roof. It consists of a chancel,
nave, north aisle, north vestry, south porch and west
tower. (fn. 30)
The chancel, nave and tower are of the 15th century, probably late, but the restoration in the 19th
century, when the chancel was lengthened and the
aisle, vestry and porch were added, has obscured the
history of the building.
The east and north windows of the chancel and
the chancel arch are modern. In the south wall are
two single lights, probably of the 15th century, but
greatly repaired with cement. The western of the
two is set low in the wall. In the east wall is reset
a 15th-century piscina.
The nave has a modern north arcade. On the
south side the wall is thickened towards the east by
nearly a foot, probably for the rood-stair, as one of the
doors to the rood-loft was discovered during a repair.
In the south wall are two windows, possibly of the
15th century, but much defaced with cement. That
near the east is of two lights and the other of a single
light. Between them is the south doorway, also of
the 15th century; it is two-centred and of two wave-moulded orders. The modern porch is of brick. The
tower arch is of 15th-century date. It is two-centred, of two chamfered orders, and has shafted
jambs with clumsy capitals. The tower, of two receding
stages, has a brick parapet, probably modern. The
west window is of two lights with tracery in a four-centred head, and is much repaired with cement; the
belfry stage windows, in the north and west faces, are
of two lights in a square head and are in very bad
condition.
On the north wall of the chancel is a brass, consisting
of an inscription to James Needham, who came into
the county in 1536, and his son, with arms. The
plate was set up in 1605 by the grandson of the
former and son of the latter to record his erection
of a monument to them.
There are three bells; the first bears the inscription 'Prosperity to the Church of England,
and no encouragement to Enthusiasm,' 1760; the
second is by John Dyer and dated 1595; the third
is without marks.
The plate for the church of Little Wymondley is
modern and consists only of a silver communion cup,
a silver paten and a flagon.
The registers begin in 1577, and are contained in
three books, of which the first and second are fragmentary: (i) baptisms 1577 to 1727, burials 1628 to
1629, marriages 1629 (fn. 31) ; (ii) baptisms 1750 to 1812,
burials 1750 to 1812, marriages 1750 to 1753;
(iii) marriages 1756 to 1811.
ADVOWSON
It is uncertain at what date Little
Wymondley became a parish. There
is no evidence of a church in 1086,
and the living is not mentioned in the Taxatio of 1291.
In 1218, however, the master of the hospital of
Little Wymondley was inducted into the church, (fn. 32) and
a vicarage was ordained before 1235. (fn. 33) After the
Dissolution in 1537 the rectory was granted to James
Needham. (fn. 34) After this the rectory follows the descent
of the Priory manor, and presumably the lords of
this manor presented to the church, but the advowson
seems to be only once mentioned among the records
of the manor. (fn. 35) The living is now a vicarage in the
gift of Colonel Heathcote, who holds the Priory
manor. There appears to have been a chantry chapel
attached to the manor-house of Little Wymondley, (fn. 36)
the advowson of which always belonged to the lord
of that manor and Great Wymondley. It is not
heard of after 1485, and had disappeared before the
survey taken by Edward VI.
CHARITIES
The annual sum of 10s. is received
from the parish of Great Wymondley
and applied in the distribution of
bread in respect of the charity of John Welch.
The sum of £15s., being one-third of the dividends
on £150 consols, is also received from the parish of
Great Wymondley in respect of the charity of James
Lucas.
In 1668 Thomas Chapman by his will charged a
cottage and yard in Stevenage with 5s. a year for the
poor, to be distributed in bread on St. Andrew's Day.