HEDSOR
Heddesore (xiii cent.); Haddesovere (xiv cent.);
Hedshore, Endesouere, Eddysore, Edsor (xvi cent.);
Hedsworth, Essor (xviii cent.).
Hedsor is a small parish opposite Cookham, presenting well-wooded precipitous banks to the River
Thames, which bounds it on the south-west. It covers
nearly 542 acres, including 160 acres of arable, 200
of permanent grass and 180 of woods and plantations. (fn. 1)
The slope of the land varies between 100 ft. and
307 ft. above the ordnance datum. The soil is
gravelly loam and the subsoil sand. The village is
situated in the north-west of the parish.
Hedsor Lodge, the property of Lord Boston, is a
house of white brick and stone in the Italian style
standing in beautiful grounds at the northern end of
the high land on the left bank of the river overlooking the Thames. It was built in 1862 on the site
of the mansion (fn. 2) erected in 1778 by Frederick second
Lord Boston. (fn. 3) The tower in the grounds erected
in memory of George III, which is a landmark
from the river, is used as a gardener's residence.
Hedsor Church, one of the smallest in the county,
stands on the ridge of a hill within the precincts of
Hedsor Park, and is approached by a public foot-path
which crosses the estate. Near it is a famous yew
tree over 27 ft. in circumference. The churchyard
is notable for the absence of monuments, the graves
being only distinguished by small flat stones. To the
east of the church is a modern residence of red brick
erected in 1844 on the site of the old manor-house
built by Rowland Hynd in 1584 (fn. 4) and subsequently
demolished. Part of the outer walls now serve to
inclose a garden; they are of flint and clunch, and contain a stone inscribed R.H. 1583. Woolman's Wood
lies to the north-east of Hedsor Park, and off the road
beyond it in the north-east corner of the parish is the
rectory. Hedsor Wharf, the residence of Lord Boston,
is on the east bank of the river within a mile of
Cookham Bridge, where the Thames makes its southward bend for Cliveden Reach. A reference to the
'New Wharf' with a newly-built house, a portion
of which is comprised within the present residence,
occurs in 1573. (fn. 5) Hedsor Mills are on the River
Wye. One is a flour-mill locally known as the 'old
mill,' and is probably one of the two water-mills
named in 1492 (fn. 6) and 1557. (fn. 7) The other is used for
the manufacture of millboards.
The hamlet of Lillifee (Lylly or Little's Fee,
xv cent.) consists of a farm known as Lillifee or Lily
Farm situated about I mile north-east of Hedsor
Rectory. It is now included in Wooburn parish.
Nathaniel Hooke, author of Roman History and
other works, was buried at Hedsor in 1763, and a
tablet to his memory was placed in the church by
Lord Boston in 1801. (fn. 8)
Remains of pile dwellings were discovered near
Hedsor Wharf in 1894. (fn. 9) Most of the contents
belonged to the Roman-British period. (fn. 10) At the
formation of the 'New Cut' into Cookham Lock
through 'Sashes' field in Hedsor in 1830 some
skeletons were found, and also some Roman swords
and javelin heads. (fn. 11)
The following place-names have been found:
Ludeput and Wulneneham Woods (fn. 12) (xii cent.), and
among field-names Shenyndone (fn. 13) (xiv cent.) and
Wadbroke's Down (xvi cent.). Blessing's Brook,
Hynde's Water and Compton's alias Cobbe's Water
also occur in the 16th century. (fn. 14)
MANORS
There is no mention of HEDSOR in
the Domesday Survey, but it must have
been included under the land held in the
neighbourhood either by the Bishop of Bayeux (fn. 15) or
Miles Crispin, (fn. 16) since in 1166 it appears as a knight's
fee attached to the honour of Wallingford. (fn. 17) It continued part of this honour, (fn. 18) and was merged with it in
1540 into the honour of Ewelme. (fn. 19) The last reference
to this connexion that has been found occurs in 1673. (fn. 20)
In 1166 Hedsor was held by Geoffrey son of
Sofrid. (fn. 21) In 1202 his son William de Hedsor paid
I mark to escape foreign service. (fn. 22) In the following
year he leased his lands in Hedsor for twenty-four
years to Robert Burell, (fn. 23) and died about 1206. (fn. 24) His
successor was another William, (fn. 25) who before 1234
was followed by Geoffrey de Hedsor, (fn. 26) stated in 1247
to be heir to Maud de Hedsor, his aunt. (fn. 27) John de
Hedsor was holding in 1284 (fn. 28) and 1302. (fn. 29) He
appears to have sold Hedsor Manor in or before 1305
to Ralph Loveday, (fn. 30) who was
holding in 1316. (fn. 31) A settlement of this manor, possibly
by Ralph's trustees, was made
in 1329 on his son John and
John's wife Margaret and their
heirs. (fn. 32) Another John Loveday, probably his son, had
succeeded (fn. 33) in 1346, and was
then a minor. (fn. 34) He died
about 1362, (fn. 35) and by 1379
Hedsor Manor had passed to
Ralph Restwold the younger, (fn. 36)
who died in 1383, leaving his
property to his wife and their
sons and daughters. (fn. 37) This manor evidently remained in his family, which was represented in 1457
by Thomas Restwold. (fn. 38) He is probably not the
same Thomas Restwold who with his wife Agnes
conveyed Hedsor Manor in 1492 to Robert Restwold and his wife Sybil. (fn. 39) Robert Restwold died in
1496, (fn. 40) and after the death of Sybil, to whom it was
left for life, (fn. 41) Hedsor passed to his nephew Richard, (fn. 42)
and follows the same descent as Vache Manor in
Chalfont St. Giles (q.v.) until it was sold by Anthony
Restwold in 1549 (fn. 43) to Sir Edmund Peckham. (fn. 44) He
sold it in 1557 to Ralph Hawtrey, (fn. 45) from whom it
was purchased in 1573 by Rowland Hynd. (fn. 46) He
died in 1615, and was succeeded by his second son
Rowland, his elder son William having predeceased
him. (fn. 47) On the death of the younger Rowland Hynd
in 1658 (fn. 48) half Hedsor Manor passed to William
Chilcot, (fn. 49) who had previously in the same year taken
steps to ensure the reversion. (fn. 50) William Chilcot had
married Katherine daughter of Thomas (fn. 51) and Elizabeth Billingsley and granddaughter of Rowland
Hynd the elder, (fn. 52) who had settled the manor in
1606, in reversion on the failure of direct heirs of
his son Rowland, on his daughters Elizabeth and
Anne and their heirs. (fn. 53) Anne Hynd had married
William Dethick, and joined with her husband in
1637 in selling the reversion of the other half of
Hedsor Manor with free with free fishery in the Thames to
William Price. (fn. 54) His son William sold it in 1670 to
William Chilcot, (fn. 55) who thus became possessor of the
whole of the manor. He died in 1692, (fn. 56) and on the
death of his second wife Mary in 1720 (fn. 57) Hedsor
Manor passed to the Parker family, (fn. 58) who retained it
until 1764, when on the death of Mrs. Elizabeth
Parker (fn. 59) it was sold by Thomas and Richard Bowyer (fn. 60)
to William Lord Boston. (fn. 61) Hedsor has since remained
part of the family estates, and George sixth Lord
Boston is the present owner.
Restwold. Party saltirewise ermine and gules.
Sir Edmund Peckham alienated Hedsor Wharf
with the land and fishery appurtenant in 1555 to Richard
Over, (fn. 62) and it was consequently
excepted in his sale of the
manor in 1557. (fn. 63) This property was conveyed by Richard
Over and his wife Joan to
Rowland Hynd in 1584, (fn. 64)
and so became again attached
to the manor.
Irby, Lord Boston. Argent fretty sable with a quarter gules charged with a chaplet or.
Two water-mills were appurtenant to Hedsor Manor
in 1492. (fn. 65) They were alienated by Sir Edmund Peckham in 1555 to Thomas
Godfrey and his heirs. (fn. 66) The
mill lands with free fishery in the stream were conveyed in 1611 by Walter and Elizabeth Wilcox to
Robert Lee. (fn. 67) He died seised in 1621, and was succeeded by his son Robert, (fn. 68) probably the same Robert
Lee who with his wife Elizabeth conveyed the mills
in 1650 to William Hyde and others. (fn. 69)
The Court Rolls date from 1573 to 1852 with a
gap between 1623 and 1654. (fn. 70)
The priory of Little Marlow owned some land in
Hedsor near the church. It was granted by William
and Maud de Hedsor probably early in the 13th
century to Missenden Abbey (fn. 71) and apparently sold
soon afterwards to Marlow Priory. (fn. 72) It was held
by this priory (fn. 73) until the Dissolution. (fn. 74) This land,
which had been included in the endowment grant to
Bisham Abbey in 1537, (fn. 75) in 1540 was granted to
John Tytley and Elizabeth Restwold, (fn. 76) who alienated
it in the same year, when it was in the tenure of
Christopher Grantham, to Edward Restwold of the
Vache, (fn. 77) Elizabeth's father, (fn. 78) and his wife Agnes. It
appears to have been reconveyed to John Tytley in
1553 by Agnes, then married to Sir Thomas
Waterton, (fn. 79) and to have followed the same descent
as the site of the priory of Little Marlow (q.v.).
The hamlet of Lillifee appears in conjunction with
Hedsor in 1422 as LILLIFEE or LITTLE'S FEE. (fn. 80)
In 1431 it was appurtenant to the honour of
Wallingford, (fn. 81) and so passed to the honour of Ewelme, (fn. 82)
the latest reference to it that has been found in this
connexion occurring in 1673. (fn. 83)
Lillifee seems to have come under the same ownership as Hedsor Manor. In 1605 Lambert's Farm in
Lillifee was held by Thomas Reading of Rowland
Hynd by tenure of serving the first dish of the second
course at dinner on 26 December, bringing two hens,
one cock, one gallon of ale and two manchets of white
bread and taking back with him after dinner a sparrowhawk and two spaniels to keep for Rowland Hynd at
his own cost and charges. (fn. 84) This service was still due
at the beginning of the 19th century, but a money
composition was paid by the tenant as an equivalent
to Edmund Waller of Beaconsfield, who then owned
the farm. (fn. 85)
References to the court of Lillifee occur in 1422 (fn. 86)
and 1431. (fn. 87)
CHURCH
The church of ST. NICHOLAS consists of a chancel measuring internally
19 ft. 6 in. by 11 ft. 6 in., nave 31 ft.
6 in. by 19 ft. 6 in., north aisle, south transept, organ
chamber, vestry, west porch and timber belfry.
The chancel and nave are evidently of mediaeval
date, but were very considerably restored about 1600,
and the earliest details remaining now are of the
15th century; the other parts of the church are
modern. The materials are flint and clunch and the
roof is tiled. The chancel has been considerably
modernized, but retains in the south wall two single
trefoiled lights which perhaps date from the 15th
century, but the head of the eastern one is modern.
The chancel arch is modern. The nave also has been
modernized. At the west end are two early 17thcentury buttresses, and some old stonework, probably
from the north wall of the nave, is built into the
walling of the modern aisle.
There is an early 14th-century moulded tomb slab
now placed outside against the north wall of the aisle,
and three floor slabs taken from the church are now
in the churchyard at the east end of the chancel; the
earliest is to Rowland Hynd, who died in 1608, and
is stated to have 're-edified' the church, and Elizabeth
his wife, daughter of Sir Robert Drury, 1606, the
next to Elizabeth second wife of Rowland Hynd,
1651, and the third to Rowland Hynd, 1658.
The belfry contains one bell inscribed 'AK 1700.'
On the stock is cut the date 1736.
The plate consists of a silver chalice, flagon and two
patens and a jewelled silver-gilt chalice and paten, as
well as a pewter flagon in the vestry dated 1674.
The registers begin in 1678.
ADVOWSON
References to Hedsor Church, the
living of which is a rectory, occur in
the early 13th century, (fn. 88) when the
advowson appears to have belonged to the priory of
Little Marlow. (fn. 89) In 1403 the Crown made the first
presentation of which a known record exists. (fn. 90) The
prioress claimed the advowson against the Crown
and a long suit followed which ended in a writ of
prohibition against her. (fn. 91) From 1457, when Thomas
Restwold, then lord of the manor, presented to
Hedsor Church, (fn. 92) which was valued at £4 yearly in
1535, (fn. 93) the descent of the advowson corresponds with
that of the manor (fn. 94) (q.v.). In 1693 the Bishop of
Lincoln revived what seems to have been an ancient
right, (fn. 95) and from 1742 presented one turn in every
three. (fn. 96) In 1852 this right was transferred to the
diocese of Oxford. (fn. 97)
CHARITY
The poor's allotments consist of
2 acres of land, formerly known as
Scrub Common, let at £2 per annum,
which is distributed in sums of 5s. to eight poor
people.