HANWORTH
Lych Gate, Hanworth
Haneworde (xi cent.), Hanewrthe (xiii cent.),
Haneworth (xiv and xv cents.), Hamworth, Haneworth (xvi and xvii cents.).
Hanworth is a small parish lying to the east of
Feltham. The northern boundary is formed by
the River Crane, on which two large reservoirs
have been built. The Queen's or Cardinal's
River (vide East Bedfont) flows diagonally across
the parish from the north-west. The land, which
is apparently almost level, slopes gently from north
to south, and lies between 70 ft. and 40 ft. above
Ordnance datum. It is laid out almost entirely in
nursery and market gardens, which give employment to a large proportion of the population. Of
the 1,372½ acres in the parish, 543 acres are
arable land, and 237¼ acres are grass. (fn. 1) The village is composed of detached houses mostly lying
about the cross roads in the southern part of the
parish. The church of St. George stands at a
little distance from the village, near the ruins of
Hanworth Castle. There is a Wesleyan chapel,
which was built in 1867. The most distinctive
feature of the parish is Hanworth Park, which
occupies the north-east corner and extends over
the boundary into Feltham parish. It contains
many fine trees, which are the more remarkable
as the rest of the parish is but sparsely wooded.
The parish was inclosed in 1800, together with
Feltham and Sunbury. (fn. 2) The following placenames occur: Le Pille, Le Yawe, Ham-acre,
Grewclose, Andymeres Land, Rice, Lott-meadow,
Livershaw.
MANOR
HANWORTH was held in the
time of Edward the Confessor by Ulf,
a 'huscarl' of the king. (fn. 3) It was
granted by William I to Roger de Montgomery,
Earl of Arundel, under whom it was held by one
Robert. (fn. 4) Earl Roger's English estates were inherited by his second son Hugh de Montgomery,
but after the latter's death in the Mowbray conspiracy of 1098 they passed to the eldest son
Robert de Bellesme, who in turn rebelled against
the king in 1102, with the result that all his lands
were confiscated. (fn. 5) It is likely that the overlordship of Hanworth came in this way to the
Crown. It was probably attached to the honour
of Wallingford during the
reign of Henry II, (fn. 6) and
formed part of that honour
apparently until 1539. (fn. 7) In
1540 it was annexed to the
honour of Hampton Court. (fn. 8)
Dayrell
Azure a lion or with a crown gules.
The family of Dayrell
of Lillingstone Dayrell,
Buckinghamshire, held the
manor for several generations of the honour of Wallingford by the service of
half a knight's fee. (fn. 9) It
is uncertain when they
were first connected with Hanworth. According
to an ancient pedigree, Robert Dayrell, who lived
during the latter part of the 12th century, is styled
'of Hanworth.' (fn. 10) Ralph Dayrell his son (fn. 11) held
half a knight's fee of the honour of Wallingford,
which probably represents Hanworth, from about
1166 to about 1210. (fn. 12) His son Henry Dayrell
certainly held Hanworth about 1212, (fn. 13) and his
grandson, (fn. 14) also named Henry, who held the
manor in the reign of Edward I, certified that his
ancestors had been lords of Hanworth time out of
mind. (fn. 15) He died in possession of the manor in
1303, holding it jointly with his wife Alice. (fn. 16)
The manor was settled for the term of her life
on Alice, (fn. 17) who was still living in 1316. (fn. 18) Henry
Dayrell left a son and heir named Henry, (fn. 19) who
was sixteen years of age at the time of his
father's death. (fn. 20) He was alive in 1307-8, when
he made a feoffment of the manor. (fn. 21) In 1316 the
king was holding in Hanworth, (fn. 22) probably on
account of the minority of the younger Henry's
heir, who seems to have been John Dayrell. (fn. 23)
The latter certainly held the manor in 1335, (fn. 24)
and was still in possession in 1353. (fn. 25) He was
succeeded by his son Sir Roger Dayrell. (fn. 26) In 1377
Roger conveyed all his rights in Hanworth to
Alan Ayete of Shalderton, and John Chamberlayn,
clerk. (fn. 27-8)
Later in the same year Alan Ayete surrendered
his claim to John Chamberlayn, (fn. 29) who then granted
the manor to Thomas Godlak. (fn. 30) The latter enfeoffed Thomas Walyngton, Gilbert Manfield, and
William Makenade, (fn. 31) and these again enfeoffed
John de Macclesfield, the king's clerk. (fn. 32) The
manor was occupied at the will of the lord by Sir
Nicholas Brembre. (fn. 33) Sir Nicholas was Lord Mayor
of London for part of 1377 and again in 1377-8.
He was the strong supporter of Richard II among
the London merchants, and was knighted for his
services during the peasants' march on London in
1381. He was again mayor in 1383-4, representing the king's party; and was also a member
of Parliament for London. He narrowly escaped
impeachment in 1386; but in November 1387
he was accused of treason by the lords appellant,
and was hanged at Tyburn in February of the
next year. (fn. 34)
After his execution Hanworth was taken into
the king's hand, but as it was found that Sir
Nicholas had no real estate there, but was only
a tenant at will, the right of John de Macclesfield
was restored in 1391. (fn. 35) Idonea, the widow of
Sir Nicholas Brembre, bought back a large proportion of her husband's personal property in July
1388. Amongst the forfeited goods and chattels
in the manor of Hanworth she was so prudent as
to purchase a brass pot for 18d., a leaden pot for
2s., fourteen oxen, and other commodities to the
value of £54 5s. 4d. (fn. 36)
John de Macclesfield may have lost his lands after
the fall of Richard II, as in the early 15th century
the manor was apparently occupied by a fresh
owner.
The manor was held in 1428 by Henry Somer, (fn. 37)
warden of the Mint under Henry VI. (fn. 38) He died
about 1450, (fn. 39) and his right in Hanworth probably
reverted to the Crown. Later in the same century the manor came into the possession of Sir
John Crosby, (fn. 40) alderman of London, and founder
of Crosby Hall. (fn. 41) After his death in 1475 the
custody of the manor was granted during the
minority of his son John to Thomas Rigby and William Bracebridge. (fn. 42) Sir John Crosby the younger
died in 1500-1 in possession of the manor which
had been settled previously on Thomas Winterbourne and other trustees for the use of John
and his wife Anne, with remainder in default to
Peter Christmas the next of kin. The latter
being already dead in 1500-1, (fn. 43) John Crosby's
heir was found to be the posthumous son of Peter
Christmas, aged six months. (fn. 44) His trustees appear
to have conveyed the manor during the same reign
to Sir John Huse, and by an exchange of land in
1512 Hanworth came to the Crown. (fn. 45) In 1521
the lands of the manor, excluding the manor
house, were let to Sir Richard Weston, (fn. 46) and in
1530 Stephen Gardiner (fn. 47) received the reversion
of the same property, together with the site and
all other appurtenances, to hold for life. (fn. 48) In
1532 these patents were surrendered, and the
'manor of Hanworth,' except the manor house,
was granted to Anne Boleyn for 99 years; a
month later the house was granted to her for life. (fn. 49)
In 1536 Gregory Lovell was appointed to the office
of keeper of the manor. (fn. 50) Hanworth was settled in
1544 on Katherine Parr, sixth and last queen of
Henry VIII. (fn. 51) After her death it is said to have
been granted, probably for life, to Anne Duchess of
Somerset, (fn. 52) who was certainly living there with
her second husband, Francis Newdigate, in August
1563, when her son the Earl of Hertford was
removed to Hanworth from the Tower, (fn. 53) where he
had been imprisoned on account of his marriage
with Lady Katherine Seymour. (fn. 54) In 1594 the
manor was leased to William Killigrew, groom of
the privy chamber under Elizabeth, for about
eighty years on surrender of a former grant for
life. (fn. 55) He was succeeded by his son Robert, who
conveyed the remainder of the lease to Francis
Lord Cottington. (fn. 56) The manor was granted by
the king in 1627 to Sir Roger Palmer and Alexander Stafford, (fn. 57) who acted as trustees for Francis
Lord Cottington. (fn. 58) The latter was a prominent
figure in the reigns of James I and Charles I.
Having accompanied Sir Charles Cornwallis, the
English Ambassador in Spain in 1609, and afterwards acted as English agent and consul, (fn. 59) Cottington was much in request on his return on account
of his knowledge of Spanish affairs. (fn. 60) He was
concerned in the question of the Spanish marriage, (fn. 61)
and though disapproving of Prince Charles's
journey to Spain, he was sent with him and took
part in the negotiations at Madrid. (fn. 62) He acted
as ambassador to Spain from 1629, and as a
reward for negotiating the secret treaty of 1631 (fn. 63)
he was raised to the peerage as Baron Cottington
of Hanworth, (fn. 64) receiving the honour 'at Greenwich in a very solemn manner.' (fn. 65) As the Civil
War drew near he declared himself an active
member of the war party, and after hostilities had
broken out he joined the king at Oxford. (fn. 66) He
was excepted by Parliament from indemnity and
composition, and spent the remainder of his life
abroad, dying in Spain in 1652. (fn. 67) His estates
were assigned in 1649 to John Bradshaw the
regicide, (fn. 68) but were recovered at the Restoration
by his nephew and heir Charles Cottington, son of
his elder brother Maurice. (fn. 69)
Charles Cottington did not keep Hanworth long,
for he sold it in 1670 to Sir Thomas Chamber. (fn. 70)
The latter died in 1692 and was succeeded by his
son Thomas. Thomas Chamber left two daughters
and co-heiresses, and Hanworth passed, through the
marriage of the elder, to Lord Vere Beauclerk, (fn. 71)
who was created Baron Vere of Hanworth in
1750. (fn. 72) The manor was inherited by his son
Aubrey Lord Vere (fn. 73) in 1781, who succeeded his
cousin as Duke of St. Albans six years later. (fn. 74)
He still held the manor in 1802, (fn. 75) but conveyed
it very shortly after to James Ramsey Cuthbert. (fn. 76)
Frederick John Cuthbert was lord of the manor in
1816, but it passed before 1832 to Henry Perkins.
After the death of his heir Algernon Perkins,
before 1866, it was in the hands of his devisees,
but was bought before 1887 by Messrs. Pain &
Bretell, solicitors, of Chertsey, who are lords of the
manor at the present day.
Henry Dayrell claimed the right to hold a view
of frankpledge and amends of assize of bread
and ale in the reign of Edward I. (fn. 77) The king's
attorney said his claim dated from the grant by
Henry III of the honour of Wallingford to
Richard Earl of Cornwall and King of Almain.
The jurors said that the Dayrells had, before that
grant, held a meeting of all their tenants in
Hanworth, and had taken the amendment of assize
of bread and ale, and all that appertained to the
view of frankpledge; and that after Henry III
had given the honour of Wallingford to the Earl
of Cornwall the latter's bailiff had attached all
the men of Hanworth to the view held for that
honour at Uxbridge. It appears that although
the Dayrells obviously had no chartered right to
hold the view, yet their right which accrued from
custom was allowed. (fn. 78) Yet it seems as though a
rent was paid in 1303 to the Earl of Cornwall
for the view, (fn. 79) and in the 15th and 16th centuries
the view seems always to have been held by the
overlord. (fn. 80)
Fishing rights were among the appurtenances of
the manor in 1303. (fn. 81) Lord Cottington had a
grant of free warren in Hanworth Park in 1638 (fn. 82)
(v.s. park).
A water-mill belonging to the manor is
mentioned in 1303. (fn. 83) In 1340 there was a mill
known as Eldeford in Haneworth, (fn. 84) which apparently stood near the dyke called 'the Mersdich,'
which ran between Hanworth and Kempton.
Litigation took place concerning this dyke and
the foot-bridge which crossed it and led to the mill.
In the early part of January 1338-9 Roger,
Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, complained that
though he was not liable to repair the dyke except
in proportion to the use made of it by his yokes of
oxen (pro averiis spannatis) and had done his part
sufficiently therein, and though he ought not to
repair the foot-bridge by the mill, yet he had been
amerced by the sheriff to the amount of 38s. 8d.
on the pretext that the dyke was not properly
cleansed nor raised nor the foot-bridge repaired. (fn. 85)
The sheriff was accused of having fined him on insufficient evidence, and was accordingly commanded
to appear before the king, and to bring with him
four good men from each of the four townships
nearest the bridge. The sheriff appearing on the
day appointed, said that the bridge was in a dangerous state by default of John Dayrell, lord of Hanworth, who was bound to repair it as his ancestors
had been used to do within the memory of man.
The four men from the townships could not
attend, as the order had come too late, and the
case was adjourned to a later date. It was again
respited to midsummer, when, the bishop, sheriff,
and four men from each of the townships of
Twickenham, Hampton, East Bedfont, and Feltham being present, it was found by the jury that
the bridge was not for the common use, but only a
little bridge by Eldeford mill for the easement of
the miller and those of the neighbourhood who
came to grind corn; and that the lord of Hanworth
was not bound to repair it. The bishop recovered
the amount of his amercement, while the sheriff
was declared to be in mercy for taking presentment without his jurisdiction, it being found that
one end of the bridge leading to Hanworth was
within the liberty of the honour of Wallingford,
and the other within the liberty of Queen Philippa's manor of Isleworth. (fn. 86)
HANWORTH PARK is not mentioned before
the beginning of the 16th century, so that it may
have been made either by the Crosbys or by the
king. It was held as part of the manor of Hanworth, and became a royal seat in the reign of
Henry VIII, 'where,' says Camden, 'he had the
diversion at all times of the buck and hare.' (fn. 87)
The park had been enlarged in the preceding
reign by the addition of a considerable amount of
land in the adjoining parish of Feltham. (fn. 88) Much
care seems to have been expended both on the
house and gardens under Henry VIII. (fn. 89) The
office of keeper of the park was granted to Sir
Richard Weston, who held it early in the reign, (fn. 90)
and on the occasion of Princess Mary's residence
at Hanworth in 1522 sent her a New Year's
present of twelve pairs of shoes. (fn. 91) The park
was granted with the manor-house to Stephen
Gardiner in 1530, (fn. 92) and to Anne Boleyn in
July 1532. (fn. 93) In 1544 it was settled for life on
Katherine Parr, (fn. 94) who continued to live there after
the king's death, with her second husband, Sir
Thomas Seymour. (fn. 95) The Princess Elizabeth, whose
education was entrusted to Katherine, came to
live there at the age of fifteen. Seymour indulged
in such familiarities with the princess as to lay
himself open at his impeachment to the charge
of having attempted to gain the affections of
Elizabeth with a view to seating himself on the
throne as Prince Consort, after he should have
rid himself of Queen Katherine. (fn. 96)
After the queen's death in 1548 the custody
of the park is said to have been entrusted to
William, Earl of Pembroke. (fn. 97) It came in 1594
into the hands of William Killigrew, (fn. 98) who was
a person of some importance under Elizabeth and
James I. Besides being groom of the privy
chamber, he was granted the right to farm the
profits of the Queen's Bench and Common Pleas,
in return for which he supported the court
interest in Parliament, where he represented various
Cornish boroughs in succession. (fn. 99) In 1600, during
his keepership of the park, Elizabeth visited
Hanworth, and remained some days, spent mostly
in hunting in the park. (fn. 100) Sir William Killigrew
died in 1622, and his son Sir Robert transferred
the remainder of the lease of Hanworth Park to
Lord Cottington. (fn. 101) Of the various members of
the Killigrew family who were born or baptized at
Hanworth three suffered to a severe extent for the
royal cause. Sir Robert's elder son William was
gentleman-usher to Charles I. He compounded
for his estates in 1653 and was restored to his
position at court under Charles II. (fn. 102) His brother,
Henry Killigrew, D.D., a prebendary of Westminster, suffered many hardships during the
Interregnum. He recovered his stall at the Restoration, and was made almoner to the Duke of York,
and died as rector of Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire in 1693. (fn. 103) Both he and his brother attained
some fame as dramatists, and his daughter Anne
Killigrew was a poetess of some note at the time. (fn. 104)
Sir Thomas Killigrew, the son of William, was also
probably born at Hanworth. He acted as page to
Charles I, and accompanied Charles II in exile. (fn. 105)
When Hanworth Park came into the possession
of Lord Cottington he effected several improvements. In 1629 he wrote to Lord Strafford:
'There begins to grow a brick wall all about the
gardens at Hanworth, which though it be a large
extent yet it will be too little for the multitude of
pheasants, partridges and wild-fowl that are to be
bred in it.' (fn. 106) And further that 'dainty walks
are made abroad inasmuch as the old porter with
the long beard is like to have a good revenue by
admitting strangers that will come to see these
varieties. It will be good entertainment to see
the amazement of the barbarous northern folk who
have scarce arrived to see a well cut hedge, when
the fame of these varieties shall draw them thither.' (fn. 107)
His wife Anne, daughter of Sir William Meredith
and widow of Sir Robert Brett, took an equal
interest in the park. He speaks of her as 'the
principal contriver of all this machine, who with
her clothes tucked up and a staff in her hand,
marches from place to place like an Amazon
commanding an army.' (fn. 108) In 1635 Lord Cottington entertained the queen and all her court in
great splendour at Hanworth. (fn. 109) He received
a grant of free warren here in 1638 as well
as licence to inclose 50 acres of land. (fn. 110) When
hostilities broke out between the king and
Parliament, his Royalist sympathies led to a search
for arms in his house at Hanworth. (fn. 111) Cottington
himself was away, and the house was in the charge
of his servants. These petitioned Parliament for
the apprehending of the delinquents, who had
come with swords and guns and had attempted to
pull down the palings of Hanworth Park and to
ransack and pillage the house 'under colour of a
pretended power to search for arms by virtue of
a warrant surrepticiously gotten as the petitioners
conceive and was directed to none there present.' (fn. 112)
There was a second attack on the house a few
months later (January 1642-3), when a company
of soldiers forced an entry and took away all the
weapons they could find. When pleading for the
restoration of the arms or for licence to furnish
themselves with others, Lord Cottington's servants urged the need of means of defence against
vagabonds, thieves and robbers, because 'the house
stands removed from any neighbours and destitute
from others in time of danger.' (fn. 113) The house,
which stood near the church, was destroyed by fire
in 1797. The moat and a few traces of the buildings may still be seen. The present house stands
further to the south-east. It was built by the
Duke of St. Albans shortly after the destruction of
the older mansion. (fn. 114) In the 19th century it was
well-known to bibliophiles for the fine library of
old books and manuscripts collected by Mr. Henry
Perkins, which was sold by auction in 1873.
The house is now the residence of Mr. Alfred
Lafone, J.P., to whom and to Mr. James Scarlett
and others Messrs. Pain & Bretell sold the park
about 1873.
CHURCH
The church of ST. GEORGE is
a modern building of stone in
14th-century style, and consists of an
apsidal chancel 24 ft. 9 in. by 18 ft. 5 in., a nave
60 ft. 3 in. by 23 ft. 3 in. with north and south
porches, a north transept 13 ft. 10 in. long by
14 ft. 3 in. wide, and a north-east tower with a
tall broach spire. The ground stage of the tower
is used as a vestry. The churchyard is inclosed
by an iron railing on a dwarf wall, and is entered
from the south-east through a well-designed
wooden lich-gate.
There is one bell, by Thomas Mears, 1814.
The plate consists of a silver cup and paten
(1632) bearing the arms of Francis Lord Cottington, the donor; a silver paten (1781); chalice (1874)
and flagon (1882). The registers begin in 1731.
ADVOWSON
The church is first mentioned
in 1293, when the advowson
occurs in a grant of the manor. (fn. 115)
The living is a rectory, the patronage of which
descended with the manor (q.v.) until it was sold
by Henry Perkins to the rector, the Rev. Oswald
Joseph Cresswall, before 1866. (fn. 116) It was in the gift
of Mr. John Bagot Scriven in 1874, (fn. 117) from whom
it passed to the Rev. John Lyndhurst Winslow,
who was rector of Hanworth from 1879. (fn. 118) The
advowson is now held by his widow.
Adam de Brome, the founder of Oriel College,
Oxford, was rector of Hanworth in 1315. (fn. 119) Of
his early life nothing is known. He was Chancellor of Durham in 1316, Archdeacon of Stowe
in 1319, and was made vicar of St. Mary's, Oxford, in the same year. He obtained a licence to
found a college at Oxford in 1324, and died in
1332.
Samuel Croxall, D.D., whose well-known
Aesop's Fables were published in 1722, was the son
of the Rev. Samuel Croxall, rector of Hanworth,
and of Walton on Thames. (fn. 120)
In 1548 there was a 'guild church' (fn. 121) in Hanworth, to which belonged a church-house used for
the 'assembelling of officers of the guild to drinck
and thereat to gather money for the reparacion of
the church.' (fn. 122) This house may perhaps be the
same as a tenement in Hanworth which was in
the occupation of the guardian of the church
for the support of a 'gildar' or 'church iles,'
granted in 1562 to Cecilia Pickerell, widow of
John Pickerell, in part payment of a debt owed to
her late husband by Edward, Duke of Somerset,
in whose household John Pickerell occupied the
posts of treasurer and confessor. (fn. 123)
CHARITIES
In 1745 the Right Hon. Lord
Vere Beauclerk gave an annuity of
£6 for the poor chargeable upon
certain copyhold property. The annuity is paid
by Mr. Alfred Lafone, of Hanworth Park.
Poor's Land.-Under the Hanworth Inclosure
Act (40 Geo. III), 3 a. 1 r. 11 p. were allotted to
the churchwardens and overseers, now represented
by the parish council, let at £14 a year.
Fuel Allotment.-Under the same Act an allotment, containing 17 a. 1 r. 9 p., was awarded for
the poor in compensation for the right of procuring fuel. The land is let at £60 a year, which,
together with the income of the preceding charities, was in 1906 distributed in coals to 200
persons.
In 1820 the Rev. James Burges, D.D., gave
£1,500 consols to the rector of Hanworth in
trust to promote the education of youth. The
charity is regulated by scheme of the Charity Commissioners dated 12 April 1878.
By an order dated 15 October 1897, made
under the Local Government Act, 1894, £500
consols, one-third part thereof, was apportioned
as the Ecclesiastical Charity of Dr. Burges, and
£1,000 consols, two-third parts thereof, as the
Educational Charity of Dr. Burges. The trust
funds are held by the official trustees. The
dividends of £12 10s. and £25 are applied for
purposes connected with the Sunday school and
for educational purposes respectively.