OTHER ESTATES.
In 1044-51 Edward the
Confessor confirmed a grant made by his housecarl
Thurstan to Westminster abbey of land and rights at
Chalkhill, including the third tree and third pig of
pannage from the wood belonging to Kingsbury,
which had been held in common since ancient
times. (fn. 54) A writ, probably spurious, purporting to be
a confirmation made in 1071-5 by William I of
Thurstan's grant, mentioned that the Chalkhill
lands and rights of sake and soke, toll, team,
infangthief and flymenafyrmth, were for a supplement to the monks' diet (ad subsidium victuale). (fn. 55)
The estate was probably subinfeudated or farmed
out from an early date. Alwin Horne, one of
Edward the Confessor's thegns, held it in pledge
from 'a certain man of St. Peter's' and in 1086
William the Chamberlain held it under Westminster abbey. (fn. 56)
A tenement belonging to the abbot of Westminster,
which was mentioned as an abutment of land in
south-east Harrow in 1236, was probably part of the
Chalkhill estate, (fn. 57) but its subsequent history is
obscure. A 15th-century gloss in the Westminster
Domesday noted that a servant of the infirmary
received an annual stipend of 5s. from Chalkhill. (fn. 58)
Although the grant made by Abbot Gervase
(1138-57) to his mother Dameta is now thought
to refer to Chelsea rather than to Chalkhill, (fn. 59) it is
possible that a similar grant was made. As at
neighbouring Hendon, one or more mesne estates
probably developed, while the Westminster overlordship became more and more attenuated until
it disappeared completely.
One mesne estate which developed was probably
that held by the Chalkhill family, which was active
in Kingsbury from the late 12th until the 17th
century. (fn. 60) The core of the later Chalkhill estate,
however, was a capital messuage and 40 a. of freehold land, called in 1350 'le Chalkhulland', which
was held in socage from Kingsbury manor. Richard
Page died seised of it and in 1350 his heir was his
kinsman, John, son of William Page, an infant two
years old, for whom guardians, Roger and Agnes
Cheeseman, were appointed. At the same time
John Page inherited three messuages and three halfvirgates of bondland, Blakehaw, Bootland, and one
unnamed, of which Robert, William, and John
Page respectively had died seised. (fn. 61) The estate thus
formed passed into the hands of the Chalkhill
family in the late 14th century. (fn. 62) In 1533 the
property comprised three messuages, 40 a. of land,
16 a. of meadow, 100 a. of pasture, and 10 a. of wood
in Kingsbury and Harrow-on-the-Hill, presumably
at Tokyngton. (fn. 63) In 1597 Chalkhill Place and another
messuage were sited in the corner between Forty
Lane and Salmon Street. (fn. 64) The 1597 map shows
the boundaries of land in the Harrow border, south
of the demesne of Kingsbury manor, and the
northern boundary of the main part of the estate,
which may be presumed to occupy all the southwestern corner of Kingsbury, with the exception of
one field, giving a total area of approximately 152 a.
Jon Chalkhill, who succeeded his father, Jon or
Eyan Chalkhill, in 1605, (fn. 65) was still in possession
in 1609, (fn. 66) but the estate had passed to John
Scudamore of London (d. 1647) before 1617. (fn. 67)
Scudamore's widow, Elizabeth, sold Chalkhill,
then described as a mansion house and 161 a., to
Ralph Hartley, apothecary of London, in 1649. (fn. 68)
John Scudamore had added Haw or Holcroft (3 a.)
before 1631, (fn. 69) and 5 a. of Mosshatches, both north
of Forty Lane, as well as Findens (12 a.), freehold
land on either side of Blackbird Hill and a house
north of Old Church Lane in the 1640s, which was
held at a nominal rent from the heirs of Francis
Roberts. (fn. 70) The rest of Mosshatches (10 a.) had
become part of the Chalkhill estate by 1726. (fn. 71)
In 1684 Hartley mortgaged the property and
shortly afterwards it passed by sale or mortgage in
trust to Richard Bowater, mercer of London, who
was related to Hartley by marriage. (fn. 72) Bowater was
succeeded, on his death in 1726, by his nephew of
the same name, (fn. 73) whose son, also called Richard
Bowater, was still in possession in 1786. (fn. 74) George
Worrall of Frenchay (Glos.) was the owner in
1819 (fn. 75) and 1823. (fn. 76) He sold the estate to Capt.
George Rooke of Bigsweir (Glos.) in 1830. (fn. 77) George
Rooke was in possession in 1839 of 180 a. (fn. 78) and
Hannah Rooke, probably his widow and possibly the
daughter of George and Hannah Worrall, was the
owner in 1842 and 1846. John W. Prout, who held
the estate in 1859, (fn. 79) sold 20 a. on the Harrow
border, north of Forty Lane, to All Souls College
between 1868 and 1879. (fn. 80) H. D. Rawlings was the
owner in 1882. (fn. 81) Chalkhill was referred to as 'the
Nicoll estate' by 1901 and in that year Mrs. Nicoll
sold 8 a. adjoining the river Brent and the Metropolitan railway to Kingsbury U.D.C. for use as
sewage works. (fn. 82) Most of the estate had apparently
been sold to the Metropolitan Railway Co. Estates
Ltd. before 1919, when the company planned to
develop it. (fn. 83) Building began there in 1920. (fn. 84)
Chalkhill Place or House was the home of the
Chalkhill family and may have been used as a
residence by the Bowaters and other owners, but
most of the estate was leased out. (fn. 85) From the mid
18th century it was usually divided among two or
more lessees, (fn. 86) although sometimes, as in 1819 and in
the 20th century, it was administered as part of a
much larger area of leased land. (fn. 87) A messuage was
attached to 'Chalkhilland' in 1350. (fn. 88) As 'Eyan
Chalkhill's tenement', it was depicted in 1597 as a
typical Elizabethan house with a main block and
projecting wings, situated south of Forty Lane. (fn. 89) The
house was rebuilt and added to several times. Tudor
pottery and bricks in the cellar floor were found
when the site was excavated. The brick-built
ground-floor and timbered attic were of 17thcentury date. The northern wing was probably
built in the late 18th century and a western extension
was added in the early 19th century. Conservatories
erected during the 19th century had been removed
by 1963. The house was then a large stuccoed
building of two storeys and attics. The front, which
faced south, had two bays and there were three
gables on the east. The building, which housed
Kingsgate school from 1946 until 1961, was
demolished in 1963. (fn. 90)
In addition to the freehold manors and estates,
there were three mainly copyhold farms south of
Kingsbury Road - Bush farm, Little Bush farm,
and Townsend. (fn. 91) The southernmost was Little
Bush farm, which lay mostly west of Salmon Street,
intermingled with the demesne lands of Hill farm.
The core of the estate was a medieval tenement,
called Edwins after the family which held it in the
late 13th and 14th centuries. In 1276-7 Thomas
Edwin held ½ virgate and 1 a. for 3s. 1¾d. rent and
9½d. services from Edgware manor. (fn. 92) The Edwins
disappear from the court rolls in the late 14th
century (fn. 93) and in 1426 a tenement and ½ virgate,
described as once Richard Edwin's, were held by
John Lynford for 3s. rent and 11½d. services. (fn. 94)
When Lynford died in 1434, Edwins was inherited
by his daughter, Agnes, and her husband, Richard
Edward, whence it descended to their son, John
Edward, and his wife Joan. In 1463 Joan and her
second husband, John Burton of Fulham, conveyed
Edwins to William and Agnes Shepherd. (fn. 95) In 1572
Thomas Shepherd surrendered it to Vincent
Poynter, draper of London, who in 1574 conveyed
9½ a. to Robert Norton and 13½ a. to John Franklin.
The property was united again in 1579 when
Franklin conveyed his portion to Thomas Scudamore (Skidmore), who had already received the
other portion from William Norton in 1575. (fn. 96)
Thomas Scudamore extended the estate. He
acquired Warrens, 11 a. joining Edwins on the north,
from his brother Richard in 1587, inherited 47 a.
about Kingsbury Green after the death of his
father, Erasmus, in 1580, and acquired another
26 a. there in 1578 and 1595. (fn. 97) In 1597 he had an
estate of 107 a., consisting of Edwins in the southwest and several medieval tenements around
Kingsbury Green - Jack Johns, Collins, Payces,
and Brasiers; a strip of land, called Stonepits,
Barefield, and Hay Hills, ran along Buck Lane from
the green to Hay Lane. (fn. 98) In 1604 Thomas acquired
another 4 a., Hog Hills, adjoining it. (fn. 99) Thomas
Scudamore died in 1626, leaving his property to
several of his six sons and five daughters. (fn. 1) His
eldest son, Henry, inherited most of the land to the
east of Buck Lane, which he conveyed to John
Scudamore esquire of Chalkhill in 1627. (fn. 2) John,
another of Thomas's sons, usually called 'gentleman' to distinguish him from the John Scudamore
of Chalkhill, inherited 67 a., including Edwins. He
also acquired 6 a. from his sister Ann in 1627 and
6 a. after his brother Francis's death in 1631. (fn. 3) After
John's death c. 1653, his property was held by his
widow, Mary, (fn. 4) until her death in 1669, when it was
divided between their daughters, Katharine and
Elizabeth. (fn. 5)
Edwins, which was held by Katharine, passed in
1691 to Samuel Twinn, whose daughter, Ann,
surrendered it to William Thorpe of St. Clement
Danes (City of Westminster) on the death of her
father in 1731. (fn. 6) When William's son, Thomas
Thorpe of St. Marylebone, died in 1782, the estate
passed by will to trustees who conveyed it to
Thomas Furnell in 1783. (fn. 7) Furnell died in 1802,
leaving his property in trust for his wife's adopted
daughter, Ursula Desting. In accordance with
Ursula's will, proved 1814, the property was sold in
1820 to Francis Stubbs, coach-maker of Long
Acre. (fn. 8)
John Scudamore's other daughter, Elizabeth, and
her husband, John Owen, inherited the rest of his
property, mostly concentrated around Kingsbury
Green. (fn. 9) By 1698 it was in the hands of Thomas
Crane (fn. 10) and in 1716 it passed to Mary Rawlings.
Mary and Charlotte Rawlings were in possession
in 1770 and in 1773 Mary and her husband,
Bisby Lambert, surrendered their interest to
Charlotte and her husband, John Carter. (fn. 11) In 1806
Carter conveyed 22 a. at Kingsbury Green and
Buck Lane to Francis Stubbs and another 9 a.,
originally part of the Edwins estate, to William
Evans. Evans surrendered it in 1817 to Stubbs, (fn. 12)
who accumulated other property between 1809 and
1839 (fn. 13) and in 1839 had an estate of 108 a., consisting
of Edwins in the south-west and scattered fields in
central and northern Kingsbury. (fn. 14) After Stubbs's
death in 1843, his property was sold by trustees
under his will. All Souls College bought Edwins
(44 a.) in 1843 and another 5 a. in 1845; (fn. 15) 36 a.
were sold in 1845 to William Field, who mortgaged
them in 1882; (fn. 16) 25 a. in north-eastern Kingsbury
were sold in 1844 to John H. Essex. (fn. 17)
Edwins or Little Bush farm was normally leased
out. Although houses, probably fronting Salmon
Street, were attached to both Edwins and Warrens in
the Middle Ages, they had disappeared by 1597. A
cottage was built on Newlands, a field bounded by
Salmon Street in the east, Richards on the north, and
Edwins on the south, between 1597 and 1631. (fn. 18)
Little Bush farm-house was built by Stubbs on the
site of the cottage between 1823, when he added it
to the Edwins estate, (fn. 19) and 1835. (fn. 20) The farm-house
was bombed during the Second World War and the
site subsequently let on building leases. (fn. 21)
Bush or Big Bush farm lay west of the junction of
Salmon Street with Slough Lane, its lands bounded
on the south by those of Little Bush farm and on the
north by those of Pipers farm. Bush farm originated
in a copyhold tenement called Richards, after the
family which held it in the late 13th and 14th
centuries. (fn. 22) In 1426 it was a tenement and ½ virgate
held from Edgware manor for 5s. 11d. rent and
1s. 5½d. services by Richard Edward and John
Lynford. (fn. 23) After John Lynford's death in 1434 the
property was divided between his daughters, Agnes,
wife of Richard Edward, and Alice, wife of Richard
Page. (fn. 24) Agnes's descendants held half Richards
until 1466 when her grandson, John Edward, and
his mother, Joan Burton, conveyed it to William
Shepherd. (fn. 25) Both halves were united in the hands of
Richard Shepherd by 1482. (fn. 26) In 1541 William
Shepherd, draper of London, surrendered the
reversion to Richard Shelley, (fn. 27) who had apparently
entered the property by 1551 when he surrendered
it to the use of himself and his wife Agnes for life
with remainder to Agnes's son, John James of
Hampstead. (fn. 28) James, who took possession after
Shelley's death in 1559, conveyed the estate to
John Franklin in 1565. In 1585 Franklin surrendered
it to William Marsh of Willesden, who in 1592
conveyed it to Robert Golding, baker of Westminster. (fn. 29) In 1597 Golding had an estate of 37 a.,
consisting of Richards (32 a.), a farm-house and
land stretching in a narrow band from Slough
Lane to the border with Harrow, and of Seakins,
at the junction of Hay Lane and Stag Lane. (fn. 30) After
Robert Golding's death in 1630, Richards passed to
his daughter, Elizabeth, wife of Charles Dethwick, (fn. 31)
and in 1714 Charles Dethwick of Holborn sold it to
Joseph Stent, also of Holborn. (fn. 32) Stent's son,
Matthew, conveyed it to William Harrison in 1747. (fn. 33)
On the death of Mary Harrison in 1834, the estate
passed by will to her nephews, William Harrison
Ashby and Edward Ashby. (fn. 34) In 1873 it passed to
George H. R. Harrison. (fn. 35)
The estate was leased out in 1464, (fn. 36) and, except
under Samuel Harrison in the early 19th century,
was probably always leased out by its owners from
the 17th century, if not earlier. (fn. 37) A house was part of
Richards at least since 1426. (fn. 38) It was depicted in
1597 as a farm with buildings on three sides of a yard
and bordering orchards, set well back from the
road. (fn. 39) In 1928-34 it was a two-storeyed, plain
plastered building with a slate roof, probably dating
from the 18th century, flanked by large wooden
barns. (fn. 40) The farm-house was demolished shortly
before 1947. (fn. 41)
The lands of Townsend farm lay intermingled
with those of Hyde farm, south of Kingsbury Road
on the eastern border with Hendon. The farm
originated in a copyhold estate built up by a
branch of the Chalkhill family in the 15th century.
The farm-house, in 1426 a cottage called Perrys
(le Pyryes), (fn. 42) probably originated as the tenement
belonging to the Perry family, which held land in
Kingsbury in the late 13th and 14th centuries. (fn. 43)
Although most of the Perry lands were lost to the
family by the 1330s, (fn. 44) the cottage was held by
Christine Perry (atte Pyrye), who was presented
for leyrwite by the homage of Kingsbury in 1330
and who married Henry Page in 1333. (fn. 45) In 1426
Perry's cottage was held by Ralph Chalkhill from
Edgware manor for 5s. rent. Chalkhill also held
Withy lands, 10 a. east of Townsend Lane, in
1426 a quartron or quarter-virgate held from
Edgware manor for 1s. 5d. rent, once part of
Robert Leman's land. (fn. 46) Between 1444 and 1446
Chalkhill acquired Silverlands, part of ½ virgate
once held by the Clark family, from John Mosshatch
(Mussach). (fn. 47) In 1462 Ralph Chalkhill's son, Peter,
conveyed all these lands to William Shepherd, (fn. 48)
whose son, Robert, had by 1502 acquired Sales
croft, once part of Robert Leman's estate but held
by the Hamond family since 1426. (fn. 49) John Shepherd
surrendered the reversion to the estate to John
Lamb of Tokyngton in 1542. (fn. 50) In 1597 his son,
John Lamb of Hatton (E. Bedfont) had an estate
of 27 a. in scattered fields on either sides of Townsend Lane, with one field, Hog Hills, north of
Kingsbury Road. (fn. 51)
In 1604 John Lamb conveyed the estate to Henry
Townsend, who was already the lessee of part of it.
Townsend surrendered Hog Hills to Thomas
Scudamore and the rest of the estate to Jon Franklin. (fn. 52) Franklin split the estate still further, conveying
most of it in 1629 to Richard Collett and a small
portion in 1638 to Laurence Davis, merchant tailor
of London. (fn. 53) Collett's lands descended to his son,
Matthew, who conveyed them in 1708 to John
Oxton of St. Stephen (Herts.); Oxton surrendered
them in 1711 to Alice Field of Paddington, upon
whose death in 1719 the property descended to her
sisters and heirs, Margaret Robinson and Ann
Ingle, who conveyed them to William Harrison of
Brent Bridge, Hendon. (fn. 54) Laurence Davis's portion
passed to William Williams between 1672 and
1698, to Francis Newman in 1700 and, together
with other property acquired by Newman, to
William Harrison in 1752. (fn. 55) Harrison bought
Clarks croft, 9 a. south of Wood Lane, from Henry,
duke of Chandos, in 1753. (fn. 56) The combined estate
thus formed, 44 a., remained in the hands of the
Harrison family until 1856, when it passed to
William Field, who secured its enfranchisement. (fn. 57)
In 1858 Field exchanged two fields east of Townsend
Lane with All Souls for two fields adjoining the
farm-house west of the lane. (fn. 58) Between 1858 and
1866 a field at Salmon Street was exchanged with
St. Paul's for 9 a. between Wood Lane and Townsend Lane. (fn. 59)
Richard Collett in the 1660s (fn. 60) and Samuel
Harrison in 1819 (fn. 61) occupied the farm but most
owners leased it out. In 1604 and 1713 the lessees
were Townsends, (fn. 62) and leases may even have
become hereditary in the family which gave its
name to the farm and lane. (fn. 63) There was probably
a building on the site west of Townsend Lane from
the 14th century. It was described as a cottage in
1426 (fn. 64) but was depicted in 1597 as three buildings
around a courtyard facing Townsend Lane. (fn. 65)
It was, however, probably always a small house. In
1664 only 4 hearths were assessed (fn. 66) and in 1839 it
was called a cottage. (fn. 67) The house was demolished
and the estate developed for industry in the north
and housing in the south during the 1920s. (fn. 68)
Most of the land north of Kingsbury Road
belonged to farms which developed from copyhold
tenements. Two 19th-century farms in the northwest, Gore farm and Valley farm, (fn. 69) originated in an
estate built up by the Lyon family. Boyfords Heal
or Hole, 7½ a. on the border with Harrow, was held
by the family in 1395 (fn. 70) and Small Withies, 16 a.
south of it, was in the hands of William Lyon in
1426. (fn. 71) By 1441 John Lyon of Preston had acquired
an interest in Gore field, 37 a. north of Kingsbury
Road, (fn. 72) which is identifiable with ½ virgate held by
Richard Lorchon alias Page (fl. 1339) from Edgware
manor for 3s. rent and 1s. 1d. services. (fn. 73) When
John Lyon died in 1457 he was seised of two ½
virgates, Small Withies, and two crofts which were
lost to the Shepherd family in 1492. (fn. 74)
In 1580 John and Joan Lyon acquired Half Yards
and Hogsheads, 31 a. south of Kingsbury Road near
the border with Harrow. (fn. 75) This land originated in ½
virgate held c. 1280 by Laurence Page (fn. 76) and in
1426 by Alice Savuy from Edgware manor for 3s.
rent and 1s. 1d. works. (fn. 77) John Barnville of Tokyngton
was in possession by 1441 (fn. 78) and the property
descended to his daughter Elizabeth (d. 1515) and
her husband Sir Thomas Frowyk, and to their
daughter Frideswide (d. 1528) and her husband,
Sir Thomas Cheyney (d. 1558). Their son Thomas
(d. 1544) was succeeded by his sisters, Anne,
Katharine, and Frances. (fn. 79) The interest of Anne
(d. 1562), wife of Sir John Parrott, passed to her
son, Thomas, who sold it in 1574 to William
Nicholas, who conveyed it in 1576 to Paul Pope,
engraver. The other two sisters conceded their
interest to Pope, who surrendered the property in
1579 to John Wickham, gentleman of Horsmonden
(Kent). Wickham surrendered it to Robert Strensham, who in 1580 conveyed it to John and Joan
Lyon. (fn. 80) In 1581 the Lyons acquired Great Framesland, 12 a. north of Kingsbury Road, from William
Crosley. (fn. 81)
In 1597 Joan Lyon, widow, held 116 a. in west
Kingsbury, mostly situated on either side of
Kingsbury Road but including fields in the extreme
north-west of the parish. (fn. 82) The estate, which
bordered Harrow parish, was farmed as an extension
of the Lyons' farm in Preston. (fn. 83) The land in
Kingsbury was not included in John Lyon's
endowment of Harrow School although wood for
fuel was, according to the statutes of the school, to
be taken from his estate there. (fn. 84) In 1594 Richard
Millett of Hayes, John Lyon's nephew and heir,
surrendered the reversion to the Kingsbury
portion to three people, thus ensuring the break-up
of the estate after Joan Lyon's death in 1608. (fn. 85)
The reversion to 33 a., consisting of Picked Acre
in the north-west and the bulk of Gore field on the
border with Harrow, was surrendered in 1594 to
Robert Pollett, who conveyed it to John Workhouse
in 1597. Workhouse surrendered it in 1598 to
Cuthbert Lyne, (fn. 86) whose son, Humphrey, conveyed
the property in 1610 to Henry Scudamore.
Scudamore surrendered Picked Acre to William
Page of Harrow Weald in 1615 and Gore field to
Clement Scudamore in 1620. Gore field was
conveyed to Richard Nicholl of South Mimms in
1624, (fn. 87) to Richard Haley in 1652, (fn. 88) and to Robert
Tanner in 1655. (fn. 89) Robert's son, Thomas, citizen of
London, sold the estate in 1678 to Nathaniel
Walter of Kenton, (fn. 90) who sold it in 1714 to James
Brydges, later duke of Chandos, (fn. 91) in whose family it
remained until 1800, when it was sold to Christopher
Hill the younger of Stanmore. (fn. 92) Hill sold it to
Benjamin Weall in 1805. Under the will, dated
1818, of John Weall, five coparceners, members of
the Rice family, were admitted to the property in
1861, when they sold it to John Procter of Rickmansworth. The estate was enfranchised in 1874. (fn. 93)
Dr. Arthur Calcutta White was the owner in 1906. (fn. 94)
For most of the 18th century Gore field formed
one farm with Lower farm, the demesne lands of
Kingsbury manor leased by the Brydges family. A
barn fronting Kingsbury Road had been recently
erected in 1714. (fn. 95) A farm-house, Gore Farm, was
built on the site in the late 19th century. (fn. 96) It was
probably demolished after 1928 when the farm-land
was given over to building development. (fn. 97)
The reversion to 26 a., which joined Gore
farm-lands on the east, was surrendered by Richard
Millett in 1594 to Edward Pollett. (fn. 98) Pollett conveyed
the land in sections to Thomas Marsh in 1638,
1639, and 1640. (fn. 99) Marsh conveyed it to Edward
Nicholl and Susan Child in 1683 and Nicholl's
widow, Susannah, surrendered it to Thomas
Coleman, chandler of Westminster, in 1706. (fn. 1) The
estate descended to Coleman's nephew, Thomas
Norris, in 1756 and he apparently sold it in the same
year to Isaac Mencelin of Cricklewood, who
conveyed it to Thomas Heming in 1797. (fn. 2)
The reversion to the rest of Joan Lyon's estate
was surrendered by Richard Millett in 1594 to
Daniel Pate. His estate consisted of 57 a., made
up of fields on the north-west border with Harrow
and Half Yards and Hogsheads, south of Kingsbury
Road. (fn. 3) The fields on the north-west border were
lost to the estate during the earlier 17th century, but
the rest was conveyed in 1639 by Daniel Pate to
Daniel Brown, who conveyed it in 1647 to John
Scudamore. (fn. 4) By 1672 it was in the hands of the
heirs of Sir Francis Prujean M.D. (Privian). (fn. 5)
In 1672 the Prujean family had an estate of 95 a.,
which they had acquired from various sources in the
mid 17th century. Adjoining Half Yards and
Hogsheads on the east were Masons or Perry fields
(20 a.). The name Masons was probably taken from
John Lyon, mason, the holder in 1426, (fn. 6) and Perry
fields, while possibly derived from pear trees, (fn. 7)
was probably named after the medieval Perry
family. (fn. 8) William of Aldenham, gold-beater of
London (fl. 1333), (fn. 9) held the property which in 1426
was described as a tenement and ½ virgate held
from Edgware manor for 2s. 10¼d. rent and 1s. 1d.
services. (fn. 10) The property was held by the Lyon
family in 1426 and 1457 (fn. 11) but it was granted by the
lord of the manor in 1476 to Robert Mosshatch (fn. 12)
and surrendered by his son, John, in 1488 to
Thomas Page. (fn. 13) The Pages retained it until Richard
Page died in 1649, leaving his daughters, Mary and
Prudence, as coheirs. (fn. 14) In 1640 Richard Page had
acquired Honey Sloughs, 6 a. on the border with
Harrow, an under tenement which had been in
the hands of the Hamond family at least since 1495. (fn. 15)
Between 1649 and 1672 Page's estate passed to the
Prujeans. (fn. 16)
The Prujean family acquired 37 a. lying between
Kingsbury Green and Hay Lane between 1641 and
1672. (fn. 17) Randolfs tenement at Kingsbury Green, of
which Richard Randolf died seised in 1331, (fn. 18) and
which was held by the Shepherd family from 1512
until 1641, (fn. 19) was conveyed by William Peters to
Francis Prujean in 1660. (fn. 20) Henry Scudamore's
property - Brasiers, Stonepits, Dawes, Hay Hills,
and Hog Hills (35 a.) - was surrendered in 1627 to
John Scudamore of Chalkhill, (fn. 21) who conveyed it
to Prujean in 1647. (fn. 22)
The estate thus formed remained in the hands of
the Prujean family until 1789 when it was sold by
trustees to George Heming, goldsmith of Bond
Street (Westminster). (fn. 23)
In 1854 the combined estate was divided among
five members of the Heming family as coparceners,
who secured enfranchisement of the copyhold in
1869. (fn. 24) It was still referred to as the Hemings
estate, owned by trustees under the will of Richard
Heming, in 1906 (fn. 25) and 1916. (fn. 26) In 1839 Richard
Heming held 158 a., grouped in two blocks, one in
western Kingsbury on either side of Kingsbury Road
and the other stretching along Buck Lane from
Kingsbury Green to Hay Lane. (fn. 27) The two blocks
were usually leased out separately. There was a
barn on the western block, north of Kingsbury
Road, to the east of Gore farm, by 1729-38. (fn. 28) Vale
or Valley Farm was built on the site in the late
19th century. (fn. 29) Most of the farm-land had been
developed by 1935 but the house itself was not
demolished until after the Second World War. (fn. 30) The
other block of land was administered from Brasiers,
a freehold messuage which existed by 1521. (fn. 31) In
1597 it was a large house north of Kingsbury
Green. (fn. 32) The house was still there in 1729-38 (fn. 33) but
it had been pulled down by 1789. (fn. 34) The farm-land
had been given over to housing by 1935. (fn. 35)
The Hamond family began to build up an estate
next to Gorelands in the 15th century. In 1426
John Hamond held land which had once belonged
to Geoffrey Roe (fl. 1330), (fn. 36) including a tenement
and three quartrons held from Edgware manor for
4s. 6d. rent and 1s. 3¼d. services. Richard Hamond
held, jointly with John Lyon of Preston, one
virgate called Crabsland Gore field from Edgware
manor for 6s. rent and 1s. 5½d. services; (fn. 37) it was
part of an estate held by John John in the late 14th
century. (fn. 38) Both holdings were united by 1482 in the
hands of Simon Hamond, (fn. 39) who conveyed them to
Richard Shepherd in 1498. (fn. 40) In 1597 John Shepherd
had an estate of 64 a., farming an almost continuous
strip of land from Crabsland, through Broad field to
the southern side of Roe Green. (fn. 41)
John Shepherd conveyed the estate in 1599 to
John Bull, (fn. 42) who in 1621 surrendered it to the use of
his wife, Katharine, for life with remainder to be
divided among his sons, Laurence, Dickens, John,
and Francis, and his daughters, Katharine and
Frances. Portions were surrendered by Laurence to
Henry Haley the elder in 1623, by Frances to
Thomas Marsh of Hendon in 2633 and to Henry
Haley the younger in 1624, and by Katharine to
John Edlin of Great and Thomas Ewer of Little
Stanmore in 1624. There was a reorganization of
field boundaries in 1624 and Edlin and Ewer
surrendered their portion to Henry Haley the
younger of Hendon. (fn. 43) By 1641 the whole of the Bull
estate had been divided between Thomas Marsh and
Henry Haley. (fn. 44)
Henry Haley's portion, consisting of Crabsland
and Little Rowens in north-west Kingsbury, passed
to John Haley's daughter, Mary, in 1675 (fn. 45) and had
been divided by 1698 among Lydia Brown, John
Marsh, and Henry Haley. (fn. 46) Lydia Brown, who held
about 12 a., died in 1729 and was succeeded by her
daughter, Rebecca Savage; (fn. 47) when Rebecca died in
1757, her portion passed to her granddaughter,
Lydia Wheeler, (fn. 48) whose descendant Thomas
Wheeler obtained enfranchisement in 1856. (fn. 49)
John Marsh conveyed his portion, about 10 a., to
Daniel Weedon in 1744, in whose family it remained
until the death of James Weedon in 1799, when it
passed to his nephew, John Nicoll. (fn. 50) About 28 a.
remained in the hands of the Haley family until
1809, when John Haley conveyed them to John
Nicoll. Nicoll alienated Little Rowens to Francis
Stubbs in 1809 (fn. 51) and the rest of the estate to
Philip Rundell of Ludgate Hill (City of London) in
1819. In 1829 it passed by will to Joseph Neeld, (fn. 52)
who in 1839 had an estate of 46 a. in north-west
Kingsbury; (fn. 53) Sir John Neeld was in possession in
1861. (fn. 54)
The estate held by Thomas Marsh in 1641
comprised most of the former Roe holding, centred
upon Roe Green. (fn. 55) In 1695 it was conveyed by
Thomas Marsh of Roe Green to Thomas Nicoll
the younger of Totteridge (Herts.). In 1711 the
Nicoll family conveyed the estate to John Cranmer
of Eccleshall (Staffs.), from whom it passed in 1718
to John Beckett, goldsmith of Holborn, and his wife
Mary. Beckett was dead by 1733 and Mary
married Alexander Ward of Whitehall (Westminster)
in 1736. (fn. 56) Trustees under the will of Thomas Ward
(d. 1773) sold the estate to William Allsop. (fn. 57) In 1839
John Allsop had an estate of 62 a., mostly made up of
the former Shepherd estate, but including some
land between Bacon Lane and Stag Lane which had
formed part of Grove farm in 1597. (fn. 58) John Thomas
Allsop secured the estate's enfranchisement in
1878. (fn. 59) The estate, which was often leased out, (fn. 60)
was centred on a house at Roe Green, approximately
where Haydon Close now is. A house had probably
stood there since the 14th century, (fn. 61) and, as Roe
tenement, it was marked on the map of 1597. (fn. 62) It
was assessed for 8 hearths in 1664. (fn. 63) By 1729-38
there were two houses on the site. (fn. 64) The northern
one, which was probably the more important, was
called Roes; that to the south seems to have been a
farm-house. (fn. 65) In 1851 the southern one was still a
farm-house, although for most of the later 19th
century it was called Roe Green House. (fn. 66) In 1896
and 1914 its name was Fairfields. (fn. 67) The house,
once again called Roegreen House, was still standing
in 1970. (fn. 68) The house north of it, called Haydon
House by 1887, (fn. 69) was demolished between the two
World Wars. (fn. 70)
Grove farm in north-east Kingsbury originated
in land held by the Grove family of Stanmore in the
early 14th century. (fn. 71) It can probably be identified
with ½ virgate held in 1276-7 by Richard Grove from
Edgware manor for 2s. 11½d. rent and 9½d.
services. (fn. 72) Richard almost certainly held land in
north-east Kingsbury at the end of the 13th
century, (fn. 73) which may have come to him through his
marriage with Clarice, one of the coheirs of William
Paris (d. 1271), (fn. 74) who had held 227 a., mostly in
Kingsbury. (fn. 75) By 1426 Groves consisted of a
messuage and virgate held from Edgware manor for
6s. rent and 1s. 7½d. services. It was then held by
John Grove, who also held one quartron, Mill Hill,
east of Townsend Lane, (fn. 76) which was lost to the
estate by 1441 (fn. 77) and subsequently became part of
Hyde farm. (fn. 78)
John Grove was in possession of Groves in 1461 (fn. 79)
and he was still alive in 1470 but in 1475 John Wise
quitclaimed rights in John Grove's property to
Richard Jordan, who in 1479 surrendered Groves,
then described as 30 a. 'in divers parcels' to William
Jordan and his wife Joan. (fn. 80) They extended the
estate, acquiring Grove field, 12 a. abutting Groves
on the east and south, between 1462 and 1482, (fn. 8l) and
Lemans or Bush fields, 12 a. adjoining Groves on
the east, from John Hopcock (Hobcok), and
Trigsbough, 2 a. west of Stag Lane, from John
Wrench in 1485. William Jordan died in 1486 and
in 1488 Joan and her second husband, Hugh Morland, received Long mead, 12 a. north of Groves,
and in 1489 Short crofts (8 a.) from John Wrench. (fn. 82)
In 1496-7 Hugh and Joan Morland conveyed the
estate to Richard Stone and John Edward and in
1528 Edward surrendered it to his own use for life,
with reversion to Joan Pluckington and her heirs.
When Joan, who married John Nicholl of Hendon
and then one Harding, died seised of the property
in 1578, it passed to her son, Alan Nicholl of
Hendon Hall, usually called Alan Nicholl the
elder. (fn. 83) Alan had already inherited land at Redhill
after his grandfather's death in 1558, (fn. 84) and he was
active in building up the estate. He acquired Little
Dawes and Hay Hills, south of Hay Lane, in 1581
but sold them to Thomas Scudamore in 1589. In
that year he extended his estate westward by
exchanging land in Edgware for some of John
Marsh's land in Kingsbury. (fn. 85) By 1597 Alan Nicholl
the elder had an estate of 162 a. in north-east
Kingsbury. (fn. 86)
On his death-bed in December 1599, Alan
Nicholl surrendered 80 a., mostly comprising the
northern part of the estate, but including Bush
fields, to his son Edward, and Hobcocks cottage in
Hay Lane to his wife, Parnel, for life with remainder
to Edward. (fn. 87) Alan's death was presented in 1600 and
his heirs to the rest of the property were his granddaughters, Agnes and Parnel, daughters of his
deceased eldest son, Alan. But in 1597 and 1599 the
elder Alan had mortgaged most of Groves to Cuthbert Lyne (d. 1608), grocer of Westminster, who
entered the property after Alan's death. Although
Alan's widow and granddaughters brought an
action against Lyne, who, they alleged, foreclosed by fraud, they were unsuccessful (fn. 88) and by
1609 they were in possession of only 16 a. at High
Tunworth, west of Stag Lane. (fn. 89)
Cuthbert Lyne's son, Humphrey, sold Groves in
1610 to Thomas Gawen of Hornchurch (Essex), (fn. 90)
who had acquired Bush fields from Edward Nicholl
by 1631. (fn. 91) Gawen conveyed the estate to William
Bell of Westminster in 1637. (fn. 92) Bell was dead by
1658 (fn. 93) and Robert Nicholl was in possession by
1672, (fn. 94) although by what title is unknown. In 1698
Groves was in the hands of William Nicholl, who
also held 24 a. to the west of Roe Green and Bacon
Lane, which had come to him from another branch
of the Nicholl family. (fn. 95) When William died in 1729,
the estate passed to his sisters and coheirs, Ellen
Nicholl and Ann Coghill, a widow. (fn. 96) Ann Coghill's
daughter, Sarah, wife of Robert Hucks of St.
George's, Bloomsbury, inherited her mother's
moiety in 1742 (fn. 97) and her aunt's in 1759. (fn. 98) Groves,
once again united, descended to her son, Robert
Hucks, in 1771 (fn. 99) and thence to Sarah and Ann
Noyes, coparceners by descent from Robert Nicholl
(d. 1690) and Robert Hucks (d. 1815) in 1815. Ann
predeceased Sarah, who had an estate of 93 a. in
1839. Sarah died in 1844, leaving Groves as moieties
to John Smith and Henry Hucks Gibbs, heirs
respectively of Robert Nicholl and Robert Hucks. (fn. 1)
Smith's portion passed in 1862 to William
Lovejoy and William Shelleys Wood. In 1871
Thomas John Bolton, who had been a lessee from
1855, acquired both moieties and in 1873 he secured
the enfranchisement of the estate, (fn. 2) which in 1874
consisted of 94 a. (fn. 3) Mrs. Bolton lived at the Grove in
1880 (fn. 4) but by c. 1890 it was occupied, and possibly
owned, by Michael Walton. (fn. 5) From 1892 until 1904
it was described as William Walton's. (fn. 6) Most of the
land was sold for industry after the First World
War. (fn. 7)
The estate was leased out from the early 17th
century, (fn. 8) although Humphrey Lyne in 1609 (fn. 9) and
the Bolton family in the 19th century lived in the
house. (fn. 10) A messuage, first mentioned in connexion
with the estate in 1426, (fn. 11) was already called Groves
Place in 1441. (fn. 12) It was depicted in 1597 as a typical
farm-house - a yard enclosed on three sides by
buildings, two other buildings, a pond and orchard
and two barns on the edge of the home field. (fn. 13) In
1608 Alan Nicholl's granddaughters accused Cuthbert Lyne of 'putting down and altering the mansion
house'. (fn. 14) A year later the house was broken into
and goods worth £14 11s., mostly linen, clothing,
curtains and carpets, were stolen from Humphrey
Lyne. (fn. 15) Groves was assessed for 9 hearths in 1664. (fn. 16)
Grove Park consisted of an Elizabethan or Jacobean
core with 18th-century additions. It had a tower and
a long, east-facing drawing-room. There were also
hot-houses which were used for market-gardening
in the 1920s. The house served as a private boys'
school from c. 1923 until the Second World War. It
then remained empty and became dilapidated; it
was demolished shortly after the war. (fn. 17)
In the 15th century the Seakin family began to
build up an estate in the north-east corner of
Kingsbury, in the area known as Tunworth or
Redhill and in Colmans Dean, which had probably
formed part of the manor of Stanmore Chenduit
in the 13th century. (fn. 18) In 1426 William Seakin held a
messuage, quartron, croft, and parcel of land and,
jointly with John Hamond, another messuage and
virgate. (fn. 19) The property was scattered throughout
the parish but it included land adjoining Edgware
Road at Bakers Tunworth and Colmans Dean.
Peter Seakin acquired 12 a. at Redhill from Thomas
Molesley in 1465 and 16 a. in Colmans Dean from
William and Cecily Edmond in 1466. (fn. 20) After the
death of Peter's widow, Alice, in 1486, the property,
then about 100 a., was divided. Part was sold to
maintain an obit and charity in accordance with
Peter's will and the rest descended to his heirs. (fn. 21)
About 30 a., including Warrens (fn. 22) and Seakins
tenement at Hay Lane, were sold to John Shepherd,
and about 26 a. at Redhill was sold before 1500-1 to
Thomas Nicholl, (fn. 23) who had acquired Honeymans
Tunworth next to it from Simon Hamond in 1493. (fn. 24)
Thomas Nicholl's widow Joan held his property
until her death in 1527, when it reverted to his
daughters and heirs, Christine Norris, Agnes
Greenhill, and Margaret Bellamy, all widows, and to
his grandson Alan Nicholl (d. 1558), son of his
presumably deceased daughter Joan Nicholl. Two
years later the sisters surrendered all their rights
in the property to Alan Nicholl, (fn. 25) whose grandson,
usually called Alan Nicholl the elder, succeeded him
in 1558. (fn. 26) When this Alan Nicholl the elder inherited his mother's lands in 1578, Redhill became
part of Groves until the division of his estates after
his death in 1600. (fn. 27) Redhill, which was part of the
land which passed to Alan's son, Edward, was
surrendered by Edward to John Nicholl of Cookes,
Hendon, in 1605. (fn. 28) Between 1641 and 1672 it
passed to John Haley (fn. 29) and in 1700 it was conveyed
by Richard Haley to John Page of Wembley. (fn. 30)
Peter Seakin's executor, Thomas Ederych, retained, in defiance of Seakin's will, 23 a. of Seakin's
estate at Colmans Dean, which descended in 1538
to John Ederych's daughter, Elizabeth, wife of
Robert Nicholl. (fn. 31) When she died in 1590, she was
succeeded by her son, usually called Alan Nicholl
the younger to distinguish him from the holder of
Groves and Redhill. (fn. 32) Alan conveyed Colmans Dean
to Randolph Marsh in 1598 and in 1700 Robert
Marsh surrendered it to John Page of Wembley. (fn. 33)
John Page thus had a compact estate of 59 a. in
north-east Kingsbury. When Richard Page died in
1760, the estate passed to his sister Ann Salter,
widow, of Wembley, and his niece, Susanna, wife of
Richard Page of Harrow. (fn. 34) Susanna and her son,
yet another Richard Page, conveyed the estate in
1780 to Isaac Mencelin, (fn. 35) whose widow, Harriet,
and other trustees under his will, sold it on his
death in 1787 to John Nicoll (fn. 36) of the Hyde in
Hendon. (fn. 37)
The remainder of Peter Seakin's property left
after the sale of Warrens, Redhill, and Colmans
Dean in 1486, about 24 a. on the border with Little
Stanmore, passed to his sister and heir, Rose, and
her husband, George Collins. (fn. 38) In 1519 their son,
George, conveyed it to Richard Tyler, who conveyed
6 a. to Henry Platt and 18 a. to Roger Shepherd in
1543. (fn. 39) Robert Shepherd surrendered the 18 a. in
1593 to John Franklin, whose son, Richard, acquired
9 a. adjoining it on the east in 1594 through his
wife, Margaret, née Spurling. (fn. 40) Richard Franklin
conveyed the combined estate to Nicholas Holland,
minister of Little Stanmore, in 1653. (fn. 41) The property
was split up among various holders during the late
17th and early 18th centuries, but, together with
Piggsland, 17 a. joining it on the south-west, had
been reunited in the hands of the Pike family by
1732. (fn. 42) John and Ann Pike conveyed the combined
estate in 1770 to William Hallet, whose grandson
surrendered it to Thomas Day, oilman of Aldersgate
Street, in 1788. (fn. 43) Day conveyed it to John Nicoll in
1802. (fn. 44)
By 1819 John Nicoll had an estate of 140 a. in
north-east Kingsbury and 58 a. joining it in Little
Stanmore. (fn. 45) Apart from the former Seakin lands,
acquired in 1787 and 1802, (fn. 46) Nicoll had acquired
Coghills in 1793, (fn. 47) Threshbeing Acre in 1799, (fn. 48)
Bean croft (the 6 a. conveyed by Richard Tyler to
Henry Platt in 1543), (fn. 49) in 1804, (fn. 50) and High Tunworth, part of Alan Nicholl's estate which had
descended to his granddaughters, (fn. 51) in 1805. (fn. 52)
By the 1830s, however, John Nicoll (d. 1839) was
in financial difficulties. (fn. 53) He sold 2: a. west of Stag
Lane to Francis Stubbs in 1830 and 25 a. at Colmans
Dean to Jason Smith in 1833, and mortgaged 50 a.
on the Stanmore border in 1834. (fn. 54) His executors
sold Threshbeing Acre (4 a.) to All Souls in 1842 (fn. 55)
and 115 a. on either side of the Stanmore border to
John Hezekiah Essex in 1844. (fn. 56) Essex (d. 1848) also
acquired Francis Stubbs's lands in north-east
Kingsbury in 1844, giving him an estate of 140 a. in
Kingsbury and Little Stanmore. (fn. 57) On the death of
his widow, Margaret, in 1853 the land passed
to her nephew, Thomas Cowper, who secured its
enfranchisement in 1866. (fn. 58) The trustees of Cowper
Essex were in possession in 1875. (fn. 59) In 1930 the
owners of Burnt Oak farm on the Stanmore border
were Henry Boot & Sons Ltd. (fn. 60)
Redhill farm (34 a.), which was encumbered with
the marriage settlement of 1819, was sold by
Samuel Nicoll, one of the trustees appointed by
John Nicoll, to John Hetherington, the lessee, in
1875. (fn. 61) The lands at Redhill and Colmans Dean
were leased out at least since the early 17th century,
and, until the end of that century, were farmed with
neighbouring land belonging to other estates. (fn. 62) A
windmill was marked next to Edgware Road at Redhill c. 1677 (fn. 63) and a windmill and cottage, mentioned
in 1684, (fn. 64) were recorded in 1729-38. (fn. 65) John Page
referred in 1716 to his farm called Colmans Dean at
Redhill, where his lessee occupied a house and
barns in 1728. (fn. 66) The farmstead was marked on the
maps of 1819 (fn. 67) and 1839. (fn. 68) By 1875 the original
homestead was being used as a foreman's dwellinghouse and a 'modern villa residence' had been built
beside it. (fn. 69) Redhill Farm disappeared between 1926 (fn. 70)
and 1938. (fn. 71)
A barn had been erected at Burnt Oak in the
extreme north-east corner of Kingsbury by 1844 (fn. 72)
and a farm had been built there by 1865. (fn. 73) There
was still a cowkeeper there in 1922, (fn. 74) but the
farm was probably demolished during the 1930s.
In a parish where most of the larger landowners
were absent, leasehold estates were very important.
In 1317 Kingsbury manor was leased for life to James
Palmer, mercer of London, (fn. 75) and in 1434 to John
Barnville, lord of the neighbouring manor of
Tokyngton. (fn. 76) A local family, the Shepherds, were
the lessees from 1450 until 1618. (fn. 77) The lessee in the
mid 17th century was John Wingfield, also a native of
Kingsbury, (fn. 78) who sold the lease in 1664 to Daniel
Waldo, presumably a member of the London
merchant family which had property in Harrow. (fn. 79)
The lease of Kingsbury manor descended to Daniel's
sons, Edward (d. 1707) and Peter, who sold it in
1712 to James Brydges, later duke of Chandos
(d. 1744), (fn. 80) who was building up an estate centred on
Canons in Little Stanmore (q.v.). (fn. 81) His descendants
continued to lease the manor lands until 1867. (fn. 82)
From 1700 until the 1860s Kingsbury manor
demesne lands were sub-leased. In 1712 there
were four under-tenants holding by 16- or 17-year
leases. (fn. 83) Their four farms or estates remained the
basic division of the demesne until well into the
19th century. The most important of the four was
Hill farm, the southernmost block of land, consisting
of about 118 a. on either side of Salmon Street,
centred on Hill farm-house, the former home farm
of the manor. (fn. 84) In 1788 it was a 'good, square
brick house', with three barns, a stable, cow-house
and other outbuildings. (fn. 85) The farm-house, with 3 a.
surrounding it, was let on a building lease in 1960
and pulled down shortly afterwards. (fn. 86)
The second farm, Pipers, which took its name
from an adjacent tenement, (fn. 87) consisted of about
47 a.-66 a. north of Great Bush farm. (fn. 88) The farmhouse, which was in existence by 1729-38, lay just
outside the demesne lands. (fn. 89) Pipers ceased to be run
as a separate farm after 1867 and by 1894 the farmhouse had been replaced by Fern Dene, which
survived until after the Second World War. (fn. 90)
The third farm, called in the 19th century
Lower or Hungry Down farm, consisted of 66 a.-
96 a. in north-west Kingsbury which was leased
separately as early as 1438-9. (fn. 91) It was leased together
with Gore fields after they had been acquired by
the Brydges family. (fn. 92)
Shoelands, the fourth farm, grew out of Stratford
Long (37 a.) in north-east Kingsbury which was
leased separately in 1438-9. (fn. 93) There was a barn on
the estate next to Edgware Road by 1729-38 (fn. 94) and a
farm-house had been built there by 1864-5. (fn. 95) The
farm still existed in 1917, (fn. 96) but a factory was
already producing motor bodies there in 1914 (fn. 97) and
the whole area was converted to factory development
after the First World War. (fn. 98)
Except for the period 1584-94 (fn. 99) Hyde farm, 85 a.
in 1597, (fn. 1) was always leased separately from the
other All Souls estates. The Shepherd family leased
Hyde farm in 1534-66 (fn. 2) and 1584-94, when both
Hill and Hyde farms were leased by Thomas
Shepherd. (fn. 3) Michael Page, a relation by marriage
of the Shepherds, (fn. 4) was the lessee in 1597 (fn. 5) and 1620, (fn. 6)
and Margaret Stockdale in the 1660s. (fn. 7) From 1779
until 1800 the lease was held by Maximilian
Western of Cavendish Square (Westminster), (fn. 8) who
probably sub-let it. Robert Selby, the lessee in
1807-39, (fn. 9) said that his father was the farmer there
in 1771-4. (fn. 10) Other lessees included Harbut John
Ward, builder of Blackfriars (City of London) in
1842, (fn. 11) John King, brewer of Southampton in
1849, (fn. 12) James Arbon in 1870, (fn. 13) and Henry Ward,
horse-dealer of Edgware Road, 1880-1905. (fn. 14) A
tenement was attached to the original Lorchons or
Harnonds holding in the 14th century. (fn. 15) In 1597
the farm-house was a typical Elizabethan house
with a main block and two projecting wings.
There were three other buildings, possibly barns or
labourers' cottages, about the yard. (fn. 16) Hyde Farm
was assessed for 12 hearths in 1664. (fn. 17) The house
was rebuilt in the late 18th or early 19th century
and described in 1837 as a superior farm-house. (fn. 18) It
was a plain, stuccoed building with two storeys and
a slate roof. (fn. 19) In 1929 the site was let on a building
lease and the house was demolished in 1932. (fn. 20)
Freren manor, including the rectory, tithes, (fn. 21) and
seigneurial rights, was leased out by 1505 to a
chaplain. (fn. 22) In 1524 it was leased to a layman,
Guthlac Overton, gentleman, for 60 years, (fn. 23) but by
1540 the lease had passed to Richard Bellamy (fn. 24) and
it was subsequently held by his son, William. (fn. 25)
Other lessees were Michael Page (1588), (fn. 26) his son
Richard (1589, 1640), (fn. 27) Ralph Hartley (1668), (fn. 28)
John (1680, 1699) and Richard Prince (1711) of
Flaunden (Herts.). (fn. 29) From 1540, if not earlier,
Freren was leased to absentee lessees who held it as
part of larger neighbouring estates and sub-leased
to local farmers. The Bellamys and Pages were
primarily concerned with Tokyngton and Uxendon
and Hartley with Chalkhill and Findens. In 1720
Richard Prince sold the lease to James Brydges, duke
of Chandos, whose descendants leased Freren until
1886. (fn. 30)
Until the late 19th century all the land in southern
Kingsbury and Hendon was farmed by the underlessees as a single farm centred on Freren farmhouse. In 1886 it was divided into two farms:
Freren (105 a.), which was leased directly to
Frederick Reynolds, and the Hendon lands (85 a.),
leased directly to Henry Ward. (fn. 31)
From 1333 the Coffers estate was always leased
out, (fn. 32) usually among several people. (fn. 33) Lessees
during the 16th century included members of the
Shepherd (fn. 34) and Grove families. (fn. 35)