The history of Hertfordshire ; describing the county and its antient monuments, particularly the Roman / With the character of those that have been the chief possessors the the lands. And an account of the most memorable occurences. By N. Salmon.

  • Salmon, N. (Nathanael), 1675-1742.
Date:
1728
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history of Hertfordshire ; describing the county and its antient monuments, particularly the Roman / With the character of those that have been the chief possessors the the lands. And an account of the most memorable occurences. By N. Salmon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    CHESHUNT. the River would have run there, if the Under- vailed of the Lords of Manors having by Grant takers would have had it, for the Level is the of their Kings, a Right to their Tenant’s Bride fanv* with that of the prefent Channel. The the firft Night fbe was married ; which was not Military Way from this Camp to Goffers-Lave, only praftited in Scotland, but in England.Jrehndf feems to have aone where Mr. Shaw's Houfe, and Guernfey, till an Equivalent was paid in the once Cardinal Woolfef s, now (lands. By it is Room of it. This Equivalent, which Malcolm a Tumulus which from, the Foffe about it feems King of Scots appointed, was called Marcheta Mu- to have been Celtic. This is all covered over, lierum. Thence hefuppofes came that barbarous except the Top, with Trunks of ill-(hapen Oaks, Cuftom of fettling the Lands upon the youngeft fuppofed to be of Two Hundred Years Growth, Son, becaufe the eldeft might, with good Rea- from whofe Acorns have arifen a younger Race fon, be prefumed not the Man’s own, but his of the fame, growing amongft them. If we Lord s. • . may believe any thing of that Antiquity can preferve the Vefligia of its -primitive intention till this Day, we may conjecture this to have been ufed in the Druids Sacrifices. The Top, which, is about Twenty Yards wide, is in the Middle concave, with Four Entrances at the He feems to have judged rightly as to the Oc- cafion of the Thing ; but if it be confidered, that this was out of their Power to do, for the Lords gave Law's to their Vallals, and appoint¬ ed the Courfe of Inheritance, we muff look for a further Reafon. And here is Room Cardinal Points. I am aware that fome make only for gueffing: Perhaps this Cuftom had in- no more of this, than a Windmill-Hill. Let troduced a Praftice of murdering the eldeft, them account for the Oaks of longer (landing becaufe the Father thought him none of his than the frequent Ufc of Windmills, efpecially own, which by this Conftitution, might in where Watermills are not wanting: For the great mealure be prevented, broad and deep Foffe; for the Want of a Way William the Conqueror gave the Manor of up to if and being expofed to be blown down Cepehunt to Earl Alan, Surnamed Rufus, who in everv hDh Wind. commanded the Rear of his Army; he gave My la ft Argument is from Etvmology, Cef . him alfo other Manors m this County, and the trehunt vifibiy having Relation to the Roman Earldom of Richmond in Torkjhire, to which Capa And if the Saxon Name will be allow- this was an Appendage. He was Son of Eudo ed doubtlefs the Roman will follow. Here, by Duke of Britany, and Son-in Law to the Con- the Wav, we may oblerve, that the Saxons had queror, by Marriage of his Daughter Conjlance. no premeditated Defign to deftroy the ancient The Land here was rated at Twenty Hides. Names of Places, and impofe new ones of their Meadow was referved to feed the Lord’s Horfes, the Romans being here. Privilege of Trading here was in Ten Men, who Darolitum then fignifying the Water of the^ paid Ten Shillings a Year for it to the Lord, The Lea, is as aptly placed here as at any Part of the Stream. Indeed it was eminently fo, be¬ caufe the Water was then a Lake made by the Tea. It reached acrofs the Marfh from Chefhunt- jlreet to Holy-field, and Waltham-Abbey, before Black-wall was ereHed to keep in the Tides. In this Parifh, we have Reafonto believe, was the Boundary cf the Kingdom of Mercia, from that of the Eafl Saxons: And that this Boun¬ dary was a Bank, which anciently reached from Middlefex through Theobald's-?ark, acrofs Gap's-Lane to Thunderfeld Grove, belonging to the Earl of Salisbury, over Beaumont-Green to Nine-Acres Wood, belonging to the fame Earl, and fo through the Lands of Sir John Monfon. Of this Bank nothing is to be feen, but the Lands on both Sides, it have been fet out by a Jury to determine Mens Property. For there is a Cuftom in this Manor, by which the elder Brother inherits above the Bank, and the youngeft below it, in the fame Fields; which could not have been introduced but from the different Laws of a different Government. Such were the Mounds Ojfa made on all Sides of his Kingdom. That from Wejlchejler to Carleon was to part his Country from Wales: The Devil's Ditch on Newmarket-Heath, from the Eaft Angles: That of Wanjdttch, perhaps Wo> denfditcb, through the Middle of WUifhire, from the Wejl Saxons. Our Lawyers having given no fatisfaCfory Account of the Original of this Borough-Englifh, the ingenious Dr. Plot, in his Hiftory of Staf¬ fordshire, has attempted it: He conjeCf ures, that it took Place, where the ungodly Cuftom pre- Mill was let for Ten Shillings per Annum, and the Stream, probably the Filhery, for Sixteen- pence. Who fucceeded in the Honour vve have from Dtigdale's Barony of England - the Affairs of the Church from the Regiftry of London, and the Privileges from- the Charters of thofe Kings that granted them. This Earl* died without Iffue, and was buried at Sr. Edmond's-Bury; his Brother Alan, Sur¬ named Niger, fucceeded him, and died alfo Childlefs. After him the next Brother, Stephen, came to the Earldom of Britany and Richmond, and with the latter to thefe Manors, and the Advowfon of the Church of Ceftrehunt. He was remarkable for his Bounty to religious Houfes. He died Anno 1104, and his Son, Earl Alan, fucceeded. Alan was of great Service to King Stephen, Anno 1142, againft Maud the Em- prefs, and her Son the Duke of Normandy, for whom Ranulph Earl of Chefler, defended the City of Lincoln. This brave Earl fcaled the Walls of the Caftle in the Night, and brought off a rich Booty. His Son, Conan, came next to the Honour, and married Margaret Daughter of the Earl of Huntingdon, and Sifter to William King of Scots, by whom he had only a Daugh¬ ter, named Con fiance, who was his Heir. He and Conjlance gave the Parfonage of Chefhunt to the Abbey of St. Peter at Fougeres in Britany. He founded alfo the Nunnery of Rowsney. Yet in the Life-time of Conjlance, the Church of Sr. Paul's, at London, claimed the Parfonage of Chefhunt, upon what Pretence ’tis not known. For (he lenc a Petition to Richard Fitzcneal, Bi- (hop of London, intreating him, for the Love of
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