MANORS.
The manor of ENFIELD was held by
Ansgar the staller in 1066 and by Geoffrey de
Mandeville in 1086. (fn. 90) It passed to Geoffrey's son
William, to his grandson Geoffrey, earl of Essex
(d. 1144), and then in turn to the earl's sons Ernulf,
Geoffrey, earl of Essex (d. 1166), and William, earl
of Essex (d. 1189). William was succeeded by his
aunt Beatrice de Say, but in 1190 his lands were
granted to Geoffrey fitz Piers, who had married her
grand-daughter Beatrice and who was created earl of
Essex in 1199. (fn. 91) Geoffrey was succeeded in 1213 by
his son Geoffrey, who took the name Mandeville and
was in possession of Enfield, as part of the honor of
Mandeville, in 1214. (fn. 92) The younger Geoffrey was
succeeded in 1216 by his brother William, who died,
also without issue, in 1227. (fn. 93) William's widow
Christine was granted the manor in 1227, when she
married Raymond de Burgh, (fn. 94) but died childless in
1232, whereupon seisin was granted to Roger of
Dauntsey, second husband of William de Mandeville's last surviving sister Maud, countess of
Hereford, pending the decision in a suit for their
divorce. (fn. 95) Livery of Maud's lands was finally granted
to Roger of Dauntsey shortly before his wife's death
in 1236, after which it was granted to Maud's son
and heir, Humphrey de Bohun, earl of Hereford and
Essex. (fn. 96)
Humphrey de Bohun, to whom the manor was
confirmed in 1266, (fn. 97) was succeeded in 1275 by his
grandson Humphrey, (fn. 98) whose son and namesake
succeeded in 1298. In 1299 the manor was held in
chief, as of the honor of Mandeville, as ¼ knight's
fee, (fn. 99) and in 1302 it was included in a settlement on
the earl's marriage to Edward I's daughter Elizabeth. (fn. 1)
In 1322 Humphrey was succeeded by his son John
(d. 1336), during whose minority the manor was
held by the king and, after 1325, by the bishop of
Exeter. (fn. 2) John was succeeded by his brother
Humphrey (d. 1361), (fn. 3) whose nephew and successor
Humphrey came of age in 1363. (fn. 4) Humphrey died in
1373 without male issue and the manor was assigned
in dower to his widow Joan (d. 1419). (fn. 5) After her
death (fn. 6) it was in the hands of Henry V, (fn. 7) whose father,
as earl of Derby, in 1384 had married Mary, younger
daughter and coheir of Humphrey, last de Bohun
earl of Hereford. (fn. 8) By a final partition of Earl
Humphrey's estates between the descendants of his
daughters in 1421, the manor was assigned in
purparty to the king, (fn. 9) who in 1422 granted it to
Queen Catherine in dower. (fn. 10)
After 1421 the manor remained with the duchy of
Lancaster, except during the Interregnum. (fn. 11) Enfield
was successively granted in dower during the 15th
century to Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI,
and Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV. (fn. 12) In
1550 it was granted by Edward VI to his sister
Elizabeth for life. (fn. 13) It was leased in 1484 (fn. 14) and often
thereafter; the lease was acquired in 1742 by James
Brydges, duke of Chandos (d. 1744), and remained
in his family until 1795. (fn. 15)
A capital messuage with a dovecot existed in
1299 (fn. 16) and the earl of Hereford was licensed in 1347
to crenellate his manor-house. (fn. 17) A house called the
manor of Camelot, presumably at Camlet Moat in
Enfield Chase, was demolished in 1440 to raise
money for repairs to Hertford castle; apart from the
foundations of a bridge over the moat, no trace of the
building has been discovered. (fn. 18) Another house,
called the manor-house, was leased in 1439, when
rooms over and near the gateway were reserved for
the king. (fn. 19) Henry VIII stayed at Enfield, presumably
at the manor-house, in 1520 and 1527, (fn. 20) but later
royal visits seem to have been to Elsing Hall, the
manor-house of Worcesters, which came into the
hands of the duchy of Lancaster in 1539. (fn. 21) In 1572
the manor-house, which stood by Enfield Green
near the modern market-place, was occupied by
John Taylor, together with a moated house called
Lockstones Hall, (fn. 22) and in 1582 it was leased to
Henry Middlemore. (fn. 23) It seems to have been the
building known after the end of the 18th century as
Enfield Palace, a two-storeyed gabled structure of
the 16th century with a central block and wings,
whose walls were decorated with the initials E.R.
(for Elizabeth I or Edward VI). (fn. 24) Although the
manor-house was leased in 1635, with most of the
demesne, to Sir Thomas Trevor (1586–1656),
judge, (fn. 25) part of it was used as a private school from
c. 1670 until the late 19th century. (fn. 26) In 1787 a pond,
extensive gardens, and part of the palace yard
survived. (fn. 27) The house had been greatly reduced in
size by 1792 and later was partly refaced (fn. 28) but the
interior retained 'vestiges of former splendour' in
1823. (fn. 29) The building was shut in with shops and
houses in 1876 (fn. 30) and was demolished in 1928, having
served as a post office and later as a Conservative
club, to make way for an extension to Pearson's
department store. (fn. 31) A panelled room, however, was
re-erected in an annexe to no. 5, Gentleman's Row;
it contains an elaborate plaster ceiling and a stone
fireplace of high quality, both enriched with Tudor
emblems. (fn. 32)
Property in Enfield held by William de Plessis at
the end of the 12th century (fn. 33) was probably that
conveyed in 1232 by Roger of Dauntsey to his son
Richard. (fn. 34) Richard de Plessis held 1/5 knight's fee of
the manor of Enfield in 1235 (fn. 35) and died in 1289, (fn. 36)
whereupon his estate was divided between his sisters
Aveline, wife of John Durant, and Emme, wife of
John Heron. (fn. 37) After Aveline's death in 1312 (fn. 38) her
property passed in turn to her son Richard (d.
1333), (fn. 39) Richard's son Thomas (d. 1349), (fn. 40) and
Thomas's daughter Maud, who had married John
Wroth by 1353. (fn. 41) By 1376 she was again married, to
Sir Baldwin Raddington, (fn. 42) and in 1381 the manor of
DURANTS PLACE, known subsequently as
DURANTS, was conveyed to Raddington, (fn. 43) at
whose death in 1401 it reverted to William, son of
John and Maud Wroth. (fn. 44) The other portion of
Richard de Plessis's lands passed from his daughter
Emme to her husband John Heron (d. 1326) (fn. 45) and
then to his son John, who died without issue in
1335. (fn. 46) In 1336 it was divided between Margaret,
sister of the younger John Heron, and John Garton,
his nephew, (fn. 47) a London mercer, who died seised of
both portions in 1362, (fn. 48) when he was succeeded by
his son John. In 1412 John Garton of London held
lands in Enfield worth £10, (fn. 49) which had been
consolidated with the manor of Durants by the end
of the 15th century. (fn. 50) Meanwhile William Wroth's
lands descended in 1408 to his son William (d. 1444)
and then to his grandson John (d. 1480). (fn. 51)
John Wroth's son and namesake died in 1517
seised of Durants, which had been settled on his
eldest surviving son Robert, later attorney-general
of the duchy of Lancaster. (fn. 52) From Robert the manor
passed in 1535 (fn. 53) to his son Thomas, later Sir
Thomas, Wroth (1516–73), the politician, and then
to Sir Thomas's son Robert (?1540–1606), who was
knighted in 1597. (fn. 54) Sir Robert's son, another Sir
Robert, of Loughton (Essex) succeeded him and
died in 1614, leaving an infant son who died in 1616.
John, the younger Sir Robert's brother, died in
1642 (fn. 55) seised of both moieties of Durants, one of
which had been quitclaimed to him by Sir Thomas
and Sir Peter Wroth in 1634. John's brother and
heir Henry was succeeded in 1652 by his younger
son and namesake, (fn. 56) later Sir Henry (d. 1671), a
royalist and patron of Thomas Fuller. (fn. 57) Durants was
sold by Sir Henry's trustees in 1672 to Sir Thomas
Stringer, the holder in 1686, (fn. 58) whose son William in
1723 conveyed it to Richard Darby, (fn. 59) who in 1735
gave it to his daughter Margaret, wife of William
Underwood. (fn. 60) Underwood conveyed it in 1744 to
Samuel Child (fn. 61) of Osterley Park, Heston (d. 1752);
he was succeeded by his son Francis (d. 1763),
whose brother Robert conveyed Durants to Robert
Dent in 1774. (fn. 62) It was conveyed by Dent in that year
to John Dawes, by Dawes to Sands Chapman in
1787, and by Chapman to Newell Connop of Penton
in Crediton (Devon) in 1793. (fn. 63) Newell Connop died
in 1831, leaving the manor to his son Woodham
(d. 1868), (fn. 64) whose widow Emily was lady of the
manor in 1874. (fn. 65) The manor was later sold to Sir
William Jaffray, Bt., of Skilts in Studley (Warws.),
in whose name a court was held in 1891; rights were
said to be extinct in 1911. (fn. 66)
Newell Connop greatly enlarged the Durants
estate from 150 a. near the manor-house. In 1787 he
bought 285 a. around Enfield Highway and Ponders
End, which formerly had belonged to Eliab Breton
of Forty Hall, (fn. 67) and c. 1792 he bought 462 a. of
common-field land in the same area from Charles
Bowles. (fn. 68) In 1804 he purchased 168 a. from John
Blackburn of Bush Hill, Edmonton, bringing his
total estate in Enfield to 1,226 a., most of it in the
south-east part of the parish. (fn. 69) Later purchases
included Bury farm, 149 a., in 1818. (fn. 70) On Newell
Connop's death his estates were divided among his
family (fn. 71) and on Woodham's death many were sold,
with the manor. (fn. 72) The copyhold lands in the 18th
and 19th centuries consisted of cottages and small
parcels in the south of the parish, mostly near
Ponders End. (fn. 73)
Durants manor-house, a large moated building
around a courtyard, stood east of Hertford Road and
north of Ponders End. There was a ruined dovecot
near by in 1362. (fn. 74) After a fire at the end of the 18th
century a small farm-house was built on part of the
site. (fn. 75) The rest of the old structure, including the
gate-house, was demolished in 1910. (fn. 76)
John, son of Henry of Enfield, held property in
1298, which became the nucleus of the manor of
WORCESTERS, sometimes called WORCESTERS
AND ELSING HALL. (fn. 77) John of Enfield's son John
held land in 1329 (fn. 78) and died in 1349 seised of 34 a.
held in chief as of the honor of Mandeville and 313 a.
held of the earl of Hereford. (fn. 79) The younger John of
Enfield's widow Margaret had married again by
1352 (fn. 80) and in 1373 Francis, John's son, quitclaimed
property in Enfield and Edmonton to Margaret and
her second husband John Wroth, citizen of London, (fn. 81)
who in 1396 (fn. 82) was succeeded by his son Sir John
Wroth (d. 1407). (fn. 83) In 1408 the estate was committed
to Sir John Tiptoft during the minority of Sir John
Wroth's son and namesake (fn. 84) but in 1412 John Wroth
died seised of the manor, called Wroth's Place. (fn. 85) It
passed to his sister Elizabeth, wife of Sir William
Palton, who in 1413 was succeeded by her cousin
Sir John, later Lord, Tiptoft (d. 1443). (fn. 86) Tiptoft's
son John, later earl of Worcester, was executed in
1470 and his grandson Edward died childless in
1485, whereupon the manor, then called Tiptofts,
passed to Philippe Grimston, daughter of John,
Lord Tiptoft (d. 1443), and widow of Thomas, Lord
Ros (d. 1464), whose son Edmund, Lord Ros, died
at Enfield in 1508. The manor passed to Ros's sister
Isabel and her husband Sir Thomas Lovell, Speaker
of the House of Commons, who had been given
custody of the Ros estates in 1492, when Lord Ros
was declared insane. (fn. 87) Sir Thomas died in 1524,
having settled the manor on Thomas Manners (d.
1543), Lord Ros and later earl of Rutland. (fn. 88) In 1539
Lord Rutland exchanged the manor, then called
Worcesters, with the king for the monastery of
Croxton Kerrial (Leics.). (fn. 89)
The manor was granted in 1550 to Princess
Elizabeth for life. (fn. 90) In 1602, as queen, she gave it to
trustees for Robert Cecil (d. 1612), later earl of
Salisbury. (fn. 91) Robert's son William, earl of Salisbury,
conveyed it in 1616 to Sir Nicholas Raynton (d.
1646), (fn. 92) a haberdasher who became lord mayor of
London in 1632. The manor passed to Nicholas's
grandson Nicholas (d. 1696), who left it to his
daughter Mary, wife of John Wolstenholme, later a
baronet (d. 1708). John was succeeded by his sons
Nicholas (d. 1716) and William (d. 1723) and then
by his daughter Elizabeth, who married Eliab Breton
of Norton (Northants.). Breton died in 1785 and in
1787 the manor was purchased from his executors by
Edmund Armstrong. (fn. 93) When Armstrong died in
1799, it was bought by James Meyer (d. 1826). (fn. 94)
He was succeeded by his nephew Christian Paul
Meyer, whose son James died in 1894; the manor
was sold in 1895 to Henry Carrington Bowles Bowles
of Myddelton House, whose son Col. H. F. Bowles
held it in 1911. (fn. 95)
Sir Nicholas Raynton's estate in 1656 included
50 a. surrounding the new manor-house of Forty
Hall, 70 a. around the older Enfield House, 427 a.
in the common fields, (fn. 96) and the former New Park
and warren, containing 375 a. Eliab Breton held as
many as 1,536 a. in the parish, spreading westward
from Forty Hill to Enfield Highway and to the
marshes by the Lea, (fn. 97) but the lands were split up
after his death. James Meyer added 120 a., purchased
from Joseph Mellish, to the manor and Forty Hall
c. 1800. (fn. 98) In 1873 the Forty Hall estate was a
compact block of 280 a.; (fn. 99) in 1951, when it was
bought, with the house, by Enfield U.D.C., it
contained 265 a. (fn. 1) Some small pieces of copyhold
land belonging to Worcesters manor survived in
1855 at Clay Hill, at Enfield Town, in Baker Street,
and near the Ridgeway, (fn. 2) but they were enfranchised
before the First World War.
The first known manor-house of Worcesters stood
in or near Baker Street and survived in 1656; (fn. 3) it may
have been the capital messuage mentioned in 1412. (fn. 4)
Queen Margaret of Scotland stayed for two nights in
1516 at Sir Thomas Lovell's house, called Elsing
Hall and later Enfield House, (fn. 5) which then served as
the manor-house of Worcesters and where Lovell
lived in splendour. (fn. 6) It stood north-east of the later
Forty Hall and was said to have been built by John
Tiptoft, earl of Worcester, (fn. 7) although there were
extensive repairs in 1541 (fn. 8) by James Needham, Clerk
of the King's Works, in 1542 in preparation for a
Christmas visit by Prince Edward and his sisters,
and again under Elizabeth I. (fn. 9) The building was of
brick, at least in part, and arranged around two
courtyards. (fn. 10) In 1568 the rooms included a library (fn. 11)
and there were subsequent references to a hall and
a chapel. (fn. 12) Elizabeth I stayed at Enfield, presumably
at Elsing Hall, in 1561, 1564, 1568, and 1572, (fn. 13) and
the house remained in the hands of the Crown when
Worcesters manor was alienated in 1602. By 1597,
however, it was unsound (fn. 14) and in 1608 there was a
warrant to demolish it and to use the materials for
proposed extensions to James I's house at Theobalds
(Herts.). (fn. 15) Part of the building remained, including
the gatehouse and hall, (fn. 16) and from 1616 to 1623
Philip Herbert, earl of Montgomery and later of
Pembroke (d. 1650), lived there as keeper. (fn. 17) The
house was conveyed to him in 1641, (fn. 18) but in 1656 it
was in the hands of Nicholas Raynton. (fn. 19) It was
demolished, probably soon afterwards, and its site
remained hidden until it was excavated in 1963–6. (fn. 20)
Forty Hall, which became the manor-house of
Worcesters in the 17th century, was built on the site
of an earlier house by Sir Nicholas Raynton between
1629 and 1636, (fn. 21) but its appearance was much
altered c. 1708 (fn. 22) by the Wolstenholmes. It is a threestoreyed building of restrained classical design, with
a square plan and a hipped roof. Early-17th-century
features include moulded plaster ceilings, panelling,
fireplaces, and the hall screen. The exterior brickwork must have been renewed early in the 18th
century, when the present windows were introduced
and the roofline was altered. Then and later in the
century there was some replanning of the interior
necessitating new fittings and decoration, most
notably in the entrance hall where the panelling is
decorated with plaster cartouches. (fn. 23) The centre of
the east front and the staircase were remodelled
c. 1900. The extensive out-buildings north-west of
the house include a large rusticated brick gateway in
the Artisan-Mannerist style of the 1630s. In 1787
the innermost courtyard comprised coach houses,
stables, barns, a brewhouse and a mill house, while
the outer court contained farm buildings. There
were pleasure grounds of 12 a. and a park of 159 a. (fn. 24)
The gabled main lodge was built to the designs of
Sydney W. Cranfield after 1903. (fn. 25) Conspirators in
the Rye House Plot were said to have been concealed
in the house by Nicholas Raynton in 1683. (fn. 26) Forty
Hall, with its grounds, was bought by Enfield
U.D.C. in 1951, opened to the public as a museum
in 1955, and restored in 1962, when the outbuildings
were converted into an exhibition gallery and
reception rooms. (fn. 27)
Ellis of Suffolk held a house and land in Enfield in
1307, (fn. 28) which may have been the nucleus of the
manor of SUFFOLKS or COLT'S FARM conveyed, with lands in Essex, by John Norton to
Thomas Colt and others in 1459. (fn. 29) The manor,
called Nortons, was forfeited in 1460 and granted to
Henry Fillongley (fn. 30) but in 1475 it passed from Joan,
widow of Thomas Colt, to her son John. (fn. 31) Henry,
son of George Colt, held the manor in 1556. (fn. 32)
George Colt conveyed it in 1578 or 1579 to Sir
Robert Wroth of Durants, whose son Robert was
seised of it in 1608. (fn. 33) John Wroth held the manor in
1635 but in 1686 it was in the hands of Joshua
Galliard, (fn. 34) in whose family it descended until
Mary, daughter of Pierce Galliard, married Charles
Bowles of East Sheen (Surr.). In 1792 Bowles sold
the manor to Newell Connop, with 462 a. in
the common fields and marshes, (fn. 35) whereupon the
manorial estates, near Ponders End (fn. 36) and doubtless
including part of the field called Suffolks, were
integrated with Connop's lands. (fn. 37) Suffolks manorhouse probably stood near Suffolks Orchard at
Enfield Highway. The site of a farm called Suffolks,
on the western side of Hertford Road, was recorded
in 1572 (fn. 38) and a 'desirable residence' was built on
Suffolks Orchard shortly before 1869. (fn. 39)
The manor of ELSING or NORRIS FARM
seems to have originated in a knight's fee in Enfield
and Sawbridgeworth (Herts.), held in 1372 by
Jordan of Elsing of the earl of Hereford. (fn. 40) The fee
was held in the mid 15th century by Christine
Norris. (fn. 41) In 1464 the estate, described as the manor
of Elsing, was conveyed by John Wood to William
Kele, clerk, (fn. 42) and in 1521 it was conveyed, as the
manor of Norris, by Cecily Sudeby, daughter and
heir of Edmund Norris, to John Wilford (d. 1544)
and others. (fn. 43) John Wilford's son Stephen died in
1567 seised of two thirds of the manor, (fn. 44) the
remaining third having passed to the Hunsdon
family and being held in 1643 by Henry Hunsdon. (fn. 45)
In 1686 Hunsdon's portion was apparently mortgaged (fn. 46) and soon afterwards it ceased to be regarded
as a manor. The larger part passed to Stephen
Wilford's son John, who held it in 1568, to John's
son William in 1605, (fn. 47) to John Wilford by 1635, and
George, son of Edward Wilford, by 1686. (fn. 48) Richard
Wilford conveyed the manor in 1707 to John Cotton,
who sold it in 1734 to Robert Mackeris (d. 1735). (fn. 49)
Mackeris devised the manor to his widow Priscilla,
who married Thomas Sexton, James Jones, and
thirdly James Fenwick, whose son Thomas James
Fenwick held the property in 1793. (fn. 50) On Thomas
James Fenwick's bankruptcy his assignees conveyed
the estate in 1804 to Newell Connop, lord of
Durants, (fn. 51) from whom it descended to Woodham
Connop, although a portion was held in 1811 by the
heirs of Sarah Pinnock. (fn. 52) Part, known as Plantation
or Welches farm, was conveyed in 1878 by William
Woodham Connop to William Smith of Westbourne
Terrace (Paddington), who in 1893 left it to his sons
Philip, Arthur, and Henry. (fn. 53) In 1911 the farm,
containing 120 a., was held by Howard Smith of
Ford House, Wolverhampton, and Henry Herbert
Smith of Calne (Wilts.); manorial rights were then
said to have been extinct for many years. (fn. 54)
The manor-house of Norris Farm, mentioned in
1572, (fn. 55) was behind a moat in Welches Lane (later
Ordnance Road), where Plantation Farm stood in
the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1972 the site was
covered by a housing estate. A timber-framed house
called Norris Farm, probably the old manor-house,
was demolished in 1786 and replaced by a plain
brick farmhouse, (fn. 56) later also demolished. The
manorial lands lay in the eastern part of the parish,
near Enfield Lock, at Ponders End, and in the
common marshes, although there was an outlying
portion, separated from the main estate in the 16th
century, at Monken Hadley. (fn. 57) After inclosure in
1806 the estate was conterminous with Plantation
farm, which contained 120 a. in 1911. (fn. 58)
Ellis of Honeyland held land in Enfield in 1275, (fn. 59)
which may later have become part of the manor of
HONEYLANDS and PENTRICHES or CAPELS,
which in 1486 was sold by Jane, wife of Sir Thomas
Lewknor and widow of Sir John Yonge, to Sir
William Capel. (fn. 60) In 1546 Sir Giles, Sir Henry, and
Edward Capel surrendered the manor to the
Crown (fn. 61) and in 1562 Elizabeth I granted it to
William Horne, who sold it in the same year to John
Tamworth. In 1575 it was in the hands of Thomas
Sydney, from whom it was acquired by Sir Thomas
Knolles. (fn. 62) Knolles conveyed it in 1600 to Sir Robert
Wroth of Durants, (fn. 63) for whom courts were held in
1611. Courts were held from 1626 to 1632 in the
name of William Pennefather, who sold the manor
in 1638 to William Avery, who held it until 1694.
William Eyre and John Avery were holding courts
in 1696 and Norton Avery from 1698 to 1721. In
1724 the manor was sold to Charles Eyre, who held
courts until 1745, but Robert Jacomb was lord in
1751 and remained so until 1783, when he conveyed
it to William Hart, who conveyed it in 1793 to
Rawson Hart Boddam, a former governor of
Bombay. (fn. 64) The manor was acquired between 1811
and 1815 by James Meyer of Forty Hall and its
descent thereafter followed that of Worcesters until
1894, when it was inherited by Meyer's two
daughters, Katharine and Mary Colvin Meyer, who
were ladies of the manor in 1901. (fn. 65) Manorial rights
were extinguished soon afterwards. It was claimed
in 1794 that the manor was fully independent and
free of quit-rents to the manor of Enfield. (fn. 66)
The manor-house of Honeylands was leased by
the queen to Robert Wroth in 1562 (fn. 67) and had
grounds of 17 a. in 1572. (fn. 68) It stood near Bull's Cross
and seems to have been demolished in the late 18th
century by Robert Jacomb, who built Capel House
near North field. Jacomb's house was itself
demolished after 1793 by Rawson Hart Boddam,
who transferred the name Capel House to his own
residence, which had been built north of Bullsmoor
Lane (fn. 69) by Alexander Hamilton (d. 1761). (fn. 70) The new
manor-house was 'greatly improved' by Boddam but
was sold after his death and in 1823 lay empty. (fn. 71)
It was purchased in 1840 by James Warren, whose
nephew James died there in 1904. (fn. 72) From 1971, as
Capel Manor, it served as a management centre for
Enfield college of technology. Capel Manor is a
plain two-storeyed brick building with a frontage
which has been extended at each end. A lodge in
Bullsmoor Lane is dated 1876. The lands of
Honeylands manor were scattered in the common
fields and marshes of the north-eastern part of the
parish. In 1546 some manorial land lay in Cheshunt
(Herts.) (fn. 73) and in 1794 the demesne was said to be
near the Pied Bull at Bull's Cross. (fn. 74) Rawson Hart
Boddam held some 200 a. near Capel House but the
estate was divided after his death (fn. 75) and in 1840 it
totalled only 31 a. (fn. 76) In 1855 there were a few small
parcels of copyhold land at Enfield Wash, at
Whitewebbs, in Turkey Street, and in Cheshunt. (fn. 77)
The rectorial estate of Enfield, held by the abbots
of Walden, was assessed at 63 marks in the mid
13th century (fn. 78) and £40 in 1291. (fn. 79) It was granted to
Sir Thomas Audley, later Lord Audley of Walden,
at the Dissolution in 1538, (fn. 80) surrendered to the
Crown in 1542, (fn. 81) and granted to Trinity College,
Cambridge, in 1546. (fn. 82) The estate, called RECTORY
manor in 1580, consisted in 1608 of land and houses
near Baker Street and Parsonage Lane and the site
of the manor, presumably the rectory house, known
as Surlow. (fn. 83) In 1650 there were 37 a., apart from
the rectory house and grounds, and the great tithes
were worth £230 a year. (fn. 84) When tithes were
extinguished in the Chase under the Act of 1777,
Trinity College and the vicar received 519 a., mostly
west of the duchy lands between the Ridgeway and
the road from Enfield Town to East Barnet. In 1803
the college acquired an additional 498 a. between the
Ridgeway and Crews Hill, of which 68 a. were soon
sold, out of Enfield parish's allotment from the
Chase and 535 a. farther east, stretching from Forty
Hill to the eastern boundary. (fn. 85) Part of the estate was
built on at the end of the 19th century and more
later became Crews Hill golf course. (fn. 86) Rectory
manor was said to survive in 1911 (fn. 87) but the last piece
of land, the garden of the rectory house, was sold
in 1926. (fn. 88)
Both the land and the great tithes were leased out
in 1650. (fn. 89) The estate was leased in 1721 to Joseph
Gascoigne Nightingale, whose daughter and heir
married Wilmot Vaughan, earl of Lisburne, the
lessee from 1754. (fn. 90) Thereafter the Vaughans leased
the rectory estate until 1882, when Trinity College
assumed direct management. (fn. 91) The rectory house,
at the corner of Baker Street and Parsonage Lane,
was described in 1823 as ancient and of good size. (fn. 92)
It was two-storeyed, with an early-19th-century
garden front of 7 bays, and was demolished in
1928. (fn. 93)
The so-called manor of GOLDBEATERS, with a
house and lands, was conveyed in 1515 by Roger
Bendbow to the bishop of London, Sir Thomas
Lovell, and others, (fn. 94) probably on behalf of the
hospital of the Savoy, which held the manor in
1535. (fn. 95) At the temporary suppression of the hospital
in 1553 the estate, no longer called a manor, was
given to the new hospital of Bridewell (London) (fn. 96)
but in 1572 it was held by Robert Huicke (d. ?1581),
Elizabeth I's physician, (fn. 97) who lived at Whitewebbs.
The land later became part of Bull's Cross farm,
totalling 119 a., which belonged to Eliab Breton and
was sold after his death, together with the former
manor-house of Goldbeaters, to Joseph Mellish of
Bush Hill, Edmonton. (fn. 98) On Joseph Mellish's death
the farm passed to his nephews John and William
Mellish, who sold part of it to Christopher Strothoffe
(d. 1801). (fn. 99) Strothoffe's widow Elizabeth held it in
1811 (fn. 1) and later left it to her nephew Richard Glover,
who sold the former manor-house to Arthur Windus
(d. 1818); in 1823 it belonged to Hester Windus but
much of the farm had been absorbed into the Forty
Hall estate. (fn. 2) The old manor-house stood in the
hamlet of Bull's Cross west of the road leading to
Enfield Town (fn. 3) and was described as ancient in
1656. (fn. 4) It had been demolished by 1787, when
Christopher Strothoffe was leasing a house at Bull's
Cross from the executors of Eliab Breton and was
said to have spent a large sum on his estate. (fn. 5) The
house at Bull's Cross called the Manor House,
which belonged in 1911 to Gen. Sir John French
(1852–1925), later field-marshal and earl of Ypres,
had no connexion with Goldbeaters. (fn. 6)