WYRARDISBURY or WRAYSBURY
Wirecesberie (xi cent.); Wyredesburi (xiii cent.);
Wreysbury (xvii cent.).
The parish of Wyrardisbury covers an area of
1,678 acres, and of these 640 are arable and 666
permanent grass. (fn. 1) The soil is loam and the subsoil
gravel. The chief crops are wheat, barley and oats
and potatoes. Wyrardisbury lies on the north bank
of the Thames, (fn. 2) which encircles it on the west and
south, and the River Colne and its tributaries water it
on the east. The land is low, rising nowhere higher
than 59 ft. above the ordnance datum. The periodical
overflow of the rivers formerly caused great inconvenience to the inhabitants. This was to a great
extent counteracted by the erection of a suspension
bridge in 1842 by George Simon Harcourt, and by
raising the roads where necessary above high-water
mark. (fn. 3) This bridge was replaced about 1874 by one
on iron girders supported by brick pillars. The village
lies in the centre of the parish. The houses, amongst
which are a few 17th-century buildings much altered,
are scattered on either side of a small tributary of the
Thames, which is crossed by the bridge above mentioned. (fn. 4) The church stands to the west of the
bridge, the school, Baptist chapel and vicarage to the
east. The George Inn, to the north of the church,
is mentioned in 1731 as the place of meeting for
'staking day'; there was 1s. forfeit for non-attendance. (fn. 5) It is a two-storied brick house coated with
cement, built early in the 17th century and subsequently enlarged. Wyrardisbury station, (fn. 6) on the
Windsor branch of the London and South Western
railway, is situated at the east end of the village.
Near it is Wyrardisbury House, formerly the rectory,
and Bowry Farm, which derives its name from a
yeoman family who lived there in the 17th and 18th
centuries. (fn. 7) By the Thames in the west of Wyrardisbury stands Remenham House, the property and residence of Capt. Charles Hargreaves; near it are the old
Ferry House and Place Farm (popularly known as
King John's Hunting Lodge). This is probably an
early 16th-century house, refaced at a later date.
It is timber-framed, and the southern half appears
to have formed the hall, extending the whole height
of the house. The entrance archway to the porch
is original, and an arched roof truss shows the position
of the hall; some old doors remain, and in the
windows of two rooms on the first floor is some
heraldic glass comprising a shield charged with the
royal arms and another with the Stonor arms. The
building is in a dilapidated condition and much overgrown with ivy.
The Ankerwycke estate, the property of Mr. Guy
Harcourt, lies in the south of the parish. The ruins
of Ankerwycke Priory, a house of Benedictine Nuns,
are apparently of the 13th century with 15th-century
additions, and consist of a length of wall, 10 ft. high,
running east and west with two shorter fragments
at the east and north-west. In the longer wall are
three windows, all facing the south. There is a 15th-century opening in the fragment of wall at the northwest, and the east wall is strengthened by diagonal
buttresses. All are now in a ruinous condition and
overgrown with ivy. Near the ruins of the old nunnery
is a large yew tree, connected traditionally with a meeting between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. In 1813
its girth 3 ft. from the ground was 27 ft. 8 in. and
this in 1906 had increased to 30 ft. (fn. 8) Ankerwycke
House, the residence of Mr. A. H. Benson, was
built by John Blagrove in the early 19th century (fn. 9) on
the site of the 16th-century residence of Sir Thomas
Smith, statesman and scholar under Edward VI and
Elizabeth. (fn. 10) The latter sovereign visited Sir Thomas
Smith there in 1565. (fn. 11) The grounds overlook the
Thames with the Surrey hills in the background.
Near Ankerwycke is Magna Charta Island, where is
preserved the stone framed in oak on which King
John is said to have affixed his seal to Magna
Charta.
There were two mills in Wyrardisbury in 1086. (fn. 12) In
1547 George Bulstrode of Horton (q.v.) held Coltnett
water-mill as free tenant of Wyrardisbury Manor. (fn. 13)
It remained in his family for about a century. (fn. 14)
A complaint was made in 1755 that the dammingup of the water in the mill-stream had flooded
Wyrardisbury Common and made the ford over the
Colne dangerous. (fn. 15) Thomas Williams is named in
1799 as one of the smaller proprietors in Wyrardisbury (fn. 16) and Coltnett, now known as Wyrardisbury
Mill, belonged during the 19th century to his family. (fn. 17)
Copper Mill Road denotes the industry connected
with this mill in the early years of that century. It
was afterwards adapted for the manufacture of paper,
for which purpose it had previously been used in
1605. (fn. 18) The second mill in Wyrardisbury stands
near the junction of the Colne with the Thames at
Hythe End. (fn. 19) It was noted during the last century
for the manufacture of mill-boards. (fn. 20)
Mention is made of four fisheries in Wyrardisbury
in 1086. (fn. 21)
This parish was inclosed in 1799, when allotments
were made for the gravel-pits belonging to it. (fn. 22) Its
right to hold a wake or fair on Friday in Whitsunweek on specified waste land was also recognized, (fn. 23)
but by 1862 the declining fair had been transferred
to the road in front of the George Inn. (fn. 24)
Among place-names in Wyrardisbury may be mentioned: Watebrech (fn. 25) (xiii cent.); Queen's Mead, (fn. 26)
Rewyke Grove (fn. 27) (xvi cent.); Caresbushott, Rotten
Row Green, (fn. 28) Eton Green, (fn. 29) Flinsted's, (fn. 30) Gospits, (fn. 31)
Barton's, Fisher's, Rieside Shot, Staines Shot, Warbridge, High Warple (fn. 32) (xvii cent.); Kitchin Eight, and
in osier-lands Ferry Eight, Gravill Eight, Rushbed,
Vineyard Slip, and Welly Eight (fn. 33) (xviii cent.).
MANORS
The manor of WYRARDISBURY,
the only estate in Buckinghamshire held
by Robert Gernon in 1086, (fn. 34) was afterwards held of the Crown as parcel of the barony of
Stansted Mountfitchet, the caput of which was at
Stansted Mountfitchet in Essex. (fn. 35) In 1540 it was
annexed to the honour of Windsor. (fn. 36)
Before the Conquest this manor was held by
Edmund, one of King Edward's thegns. (fn. 37) Gernon,
the Domesday tenant, died without heirs, and his
lands were given by Henry I to William de Muntfichet. (fn. 38) Gilbert, his son, a minor at the time of
his father's death sometime after 1135, (fn. 39) was succeeded by his son Richard before 1186. (fn. 40) He was
Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire in 1200, (fn. 41) and
died three years later, when the custody of his heir
Richard was given to Roger de Lacy. (fn. 42) Richard de
Muntfichet was one of the twenty-five barons who
called in the aid of France against John, and was
taken prisoner at the battle of Lincoln. (fn. 43) He died
without issue shortly after in 1268, leaving as heirs
the descendants of his three sisters, Margery, Aveline
and Philippa. (fn. 44) The second sister, Aveline, had
married William de Fortz Earl of Albemarle, and
Wyrardisbury Manor with Langley Marish (q.v.) was
allotted to her granddaughter Aveline. (fn. 45) During
Aveline's minority her lands remained in the hands
of the king, who gave her in marriage in 1269 to
his second son Edmund Earl of Lancaster. (fn. 46) He
and his wife obtained seisin of her lands in 1273. (fn. 47)
She died in the same year (fn. 48) without issue, and
Wyrardisbury became the right of Ralph de Plaiz,
grandson and heir of Philippa de Muntfichet. (fn. 49)
Since Ralph was only nine years old, the Crown had
his wardship. (fn. 50) Ralph de Plaiz died while still a
minor sometime before 1284, (fn. 51) and the claim of the
descendants of his brother Giles was afterwards
ignored by the Crown. (fn. 52) Wyrardisbury Manor was
leased in 1282 to Christine de Marisco (Mariscis or
Marreys), second wife of William de Marisco, (fn. 53) for
her life, (fn. 54) and to her executors for three years after
her death. (fn. 55) She died in 1311, and six months later
her executors surrendered the remainder of their claim
on Wyrardisbury to the king in exchange for a
tenancy of Overstone Manor, Northamptonshire, for
seven and a half years. (fn. 56) Wyrardisbury was afterwards administered as a royal manor. (fn. 57) In 1313
part of the issues of this manor was assigned to the
chaplain and clerks of the chapel in Windsor Park, (fn. 58)
predecessors of the Dean and Canons of Windsor.
The arrears for fourteen years amounted to £140
in 1327. (fn. 59) In that year Wyrardisbury was given to
Queen Isabella for life. (fn. 60) It was afterwards assigned
in dower to the queens of Edward III, (fn. 61) Richard II (fn. 62)
and Henry IV. (fn. 63) Sir John Fray was holding Wyrardisbury Manor for life in 1447, when the reversion
was granted to Eton College. (fn. 64) This grant, however,
proved abortive, although Wyrardisbury was excepted
from an act of resumption in 1455 (fn. 65) and a fresh
grant was made in favour of Eton College in 1457
during the lifetime of Sir John Fray. (fn. 66) In 1465
this manor was settled on Elizabeth, queen of
Edward IV, for her life. (fn. 67) It formed part of the
dower lands of Elizabeth, queen of Henry VII, (fn. 68)
also of Katherine of Arragon, (fn. 69) of Anne Boleyn, (fn. 70)
and of Jane Seymour. (fn. 71) In 1627 a grant of Wyrardisbury Manor was made to John Sharrow, (fn. 72) who
conveyed it in the same year to trustees. (fn. 73) In 1649
they conveyed a moiety of the manor (including the
right of holding courts) (fn. 74) to Thomas Ling and
Humphrey Carter in trust for Andrew King, to whom
it was transferred in 1656. (fn. 75) Lipscomb, who appears
to have had access to the manorial Court Roll of that
date, says that Andrew King died in 1659, and was
succeeded by his son Andrew, (fn. 76) who was knighted on
the accession of Charles II. (fn. 77) Sir Andrew King died
in 1678, (fn. 78) and his executors, following the instructions
contained in his will, (fn. 79) sold Wyrardisbury Manor in
1685 to John Lee, (fn. 80) who died in 1704. (fn. 81) His widow
Mary owned Wyrardisbury
until her death in 1725, (fn. 82)
when it passed to Philip Harcourt, grandson of Elizabeth,
John Lee's sister. (fn. 83) He died
in 1759, and was buried at
Wyrardisbury. (fn. 84) His brother
and heir John died in 1785, (fn. 85)
leaving a son and heir John
Simon. (fn. 86) He alienated the
manor to John Blagrove of
Cardiff Hall, Jamaica, who
held his first court in 1807. (fn. 87)
The trustees for Blagrove's
daughters and co-heirs held a court in June 1828, (fn. 88)
but within the year the manor had been purchased
by George Simon Harcourt, (fn. 89) son of the former
owner. (fn. 90) His grandson Mr. Guy Elliot Harcourt is
now lord of the manor of Wyrardisbury.
Muntfichet. Gules three cheverons or.
Fortz. Gules a cross paly vair.
Harcourt. Gules two bars or.
In 1369 the manor-house of Wyrardisbury, an
old hall and some 277 acres of land were leased for
thirty years to John Jourdelay and Thomas Remenham. (fn. 91) This estate, known as the site and demesne
of the manor, was leased in 1543 for twenty-one
years to Sir Walter Stonor. (fn. 92) Five years earlier he
had obtained a settlement in his favour of Remenham Manor (q.v.), and this lease follows the same
descent in the Stonor family. The reversion was
granted in 1555 to Sir Thomas Smith, and the
lease renewed in 1574. (fn. 93) It was held in 1605 by Sir
William Smith, (fn. 94) nephew and heir of Sir Thomas, (fn. 95)
who obtained an extension in that year. (fn. 96) The
estate was granted in 1628 to trustees for the City of
London, a clause relative to the lease being introduced
into the grant. (fn. 97) It was sold at the expiration of the
lease, and, under the name of Place Farm, followed
the same descent as Remenham Manor (fn. 98) (q.v.).
The right of view of frankpledge in Wyrardisbury is named in the 13th century. (fn. 99) References to
the court leet occur in the 17th century. (fn. 100) The
court baron is still held annually. In some cases it
was customary on the death of a copyholder to pay
as heriot the second best beast to the lord of the
manor. (fn. 101) In 1725 from 38 acres of heriotable land
two heriots were due, namely, 'the best living or
dead goods.' (fn. 102) In 1799 willow plantations for copyholders were to be held in severalty. (fn. 103)
Silvester, rector of Wyrardisbury, owned land
there in 1231. (fn. 104) In 1350 Edward III transferred to
the collegiate church of Windsor, then in possession
of the advowson (q.v.), a small estate granted to him
by Richard of Gloucester. (fn. 105) These lands remained
as the RECTORY MANOR with the college, which
was exempted from suppression at the Dissolution. (fn. 106)
In 1651 it was dispossessed and the manor, valued at
£3 8s. 6d., was sold nominally to John Bland (fn. 107) for
Sir Andrew King, then lessee of the estate. (fn. 108) After
the Restoration the Dean and Canons of Windsor
recovered the manor, (fn. 109) which they retained (fn. 110) and still
own.
The lease of Wyrardisbury House and grounds,
parcel of this manor, was owned consecutively by
members of the Hassel and Gyll families during the
18th and 19th centuries, (fn. 111) and the owner was lay
rector. (fn. 112)
A second manor in this parish, called WYRARDISBURY or REMENHAM MANOR, owes its
name to the Remenham family, who were living here
in the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1289 John de
Remenham and his wife Alice held land and a mill
in Wyrardisbury. (fn. 113) His descendant Thomas in 1343
settled land here with a weir and fishery in the
Thames on himself, with remainder to his sons John,
William and Richard. (fn. 114) Reference has already been
made to the joint lease held by Thomas de Remenham
in 1369 of the principal manor in Wyrardisbury (q.v.).
In 1463 Edward IV granted Wyrardisbury Manor
to John Brecknock to hold by fealty and rent of a
pair of spurs, or 3s. 4d. yearly. (fn. 115) He died in 1476, (fn. 116)
and his widow Elizabeth held the manor until her
death in 1489. (fn. 117) She was succeeded by Sybil granddaughter of John Brecknock and wife of Thomas
Stonor. (fn. 118) In 1538 this estate, under the name of
Remenham Manor, was secured to their son Sir
Walter Stonor, kt., (fn. 119) and his wife Margaret with
reversion to Walter's daughter Elizabeth (fn. 120) and her
heirs. Sir Walter Stonor died in 1551, (fn. 121) and was
succeeded by Elizabeth, then wife of Sir Philip
Hoby. (fn. 122) She was buried at Wyrardisbury in 1560, (fn. 123)
as was also her son and successor Walter Walshe (fn. 124)
in the following year. (fn. 125) His son William (fn. 126) afterwards Sir William Walshe owned Remenham Manor
in 1611, (fn. 127) but before 1626 it had been purchased by
Sir William Smith, kt., who died in that year. (fn. 128) The
manor passed to his son Sir William, kt., (fn. 129) who,
dying in 1631, left as heir an infant son Edward. (fn. 130)
He died unmarried, and soon afterwards his uncle
Thomas later Sir Thomas Smith, bart., (fn. 131) in 1651
sold Remenham to Richard Hale. (fn. 132) His son (fn. 133)
Dr. Richard Hale, dying in 1728, (fn. 134) bequeathed it
to his nephew Thomas Tower, with remainder
to Christopher, brother of Thomas, and his sons. (fn. 135)
Christopher Tower, son of the above Christopher, (fn. 136)
was the owner in 1778. (fn. 137) In 1785 he sold the
manor to William Gyll, (fn. 138) who died in 1798. (fn. 139) His
son and heir William died in 1806, (fn. 140) and was
succeeded by Brooke Hamilton Gyll, his son, who was
in possession in 1862. (fn. 141) The Remenham estate
passed to his brother Gordon and afterwards to
Gordon's son Major Fleming Gyll, (fn. 142) from whom it
was purchased about 1886 by the present owner,
Captain Charles Hargreaves.
In 1611 Remenham Manor owed suit at the
courts leet and baron of Wyrardisbury Manor. (fn. 143) It
owned a ferry across the Thames, (fn. 144) and the fishing
rights in 1785 extended about half a mile. (fn. 145)
The so-called manor of COW or COKKE in
Wyrardisbury appearing in the early 17th century (fn. 146)
follows the same descent as Remenham. It is last
mentioned in 1825. (fn. 147)
Ankerwycke Priory owned an estate in Wyrardisbury, (fn. 148) with which it was endowed by its founder,
Gilbert de Muntfichet, about 1160. (fn. 149) This was
increased by further gifts from him and his family, all
of which are enumerated in 1251. (fn. 150) This property
was owned by the priory at the Dissolution, when
the demesne lands at Ankerwycke were valued at
£4 13s. 4d. and the rents and farms in Wyrardisbury at
£5 6s. 8d. yearly. (fn. 151) In 1536 Ankerwycke was leased
to John Norris for twenty-one years, and the reversion
of this lease was included in the foundation grant to
Bisham Abbey in 1537. (fn. 152) It was transferred to Andrew
Lord Windsor in 1539, (fn. 153) but exchanged with the
Crown for other property in
1542. (fn. 154) In 1550 Sir Thomas
Smith received a grant of the
manor, (fn. 155) which was settled,
shortly before his death in
1577, (fn. 156) on his brother George
and George's son William in
tail-male. (fn. 157) William succeeded
his father in 1584 (fn. 158) and was
knighted in 1603. (fn. 159) He
acquired Remenham Manor
(q.v.), and Ankerwycke follows
the same descent until 1652,
when it was conveyed by
Thomas Smith (fn. 160) to John Lee
of London. (fn. 161) He died in
1682, (fn. 162) and since 1685, when his son John (fn. 163) acquired
Wyrardisbury Manor, the descent of Ankerwycke has
corresponded with that of the manor. (fn. 164)
Smith. Sable a fesse dancetty argent billety sable between three lions each holding a castle all argent.
Ankerwycke Priory owned all weirs and fisheries in
the Thames from Ankerwycke Ferry to Old Windsor.
These were included in the grant of 1539 to Lord
Windsor, and were held at that time by Thomas
Edwards and William Danby. (fn. 165)
CHURCH
The church of ST. ANDREW consists of a chancel measuring internally
20 ft. 6 in. by 14 ft. 6 in., north chapel,
nave 38 ft. 6 in. by 17 ft. 6 in., north and south
aisles and west tower. The walls are of stone with
a modern Kentish rag facing, and the roofs are tiled.
The building dates from the early part of the 13th
century, and then consisted of the present chancel,
nave and north aisle, and a south aisle which was
afterwards destroyed. The north chapel was built in
the 15th century, forming an eastern extension of the
north aisle, and in 1862 the church was extensively
restored and refaced, the tower, replacing a western
bell turret, added, and the south aisle rebuilt.
The chancel is lighted from the east by a threelight traceried window and from the south by a twolight window, both of which have modern tracery
but old inner jambs. In the north wall are traces of
a blocked 13th-century lancet and three blocked doorways; the central doorway, below the lancet, is of
15th-century date, and has a four-centred head and
moulded jambs on the chapel side. In the south wall
is a modern niche containing a restored 13th-century
piscina bowl. The chancel arch is of the early 13th
century, it is pointed and of two orders with keeled
edge-rolls, recessed only on the nave side, and springs
from similarly moulded jambs with small capitals and
bases, the abaci and plinths of which are continued
along the nave walls. The north chapel, which has
no structural division from the north aisle and is now
used as a vestry, has a modern window in the east
wall, on either side of which is a trefoiled niche,
probably of early 15th-century date, while in the
north wall is a modern doorway. On either side of
the nave is an arcade of three pointed arches with
square piers having keeled edge-rolls. The details
are of the same character as those of the chancel
arch, but the arches are of one order only. The
south arcade has been restored on the south side, and
all the details of the north and south aisles and of the
west tower are modern. The nave seems to have had
at one time a flat ceiling, as appears by indications on
the walls above the chancel arch and nave arcades,
but the present roofs, with the exception of two 15th-century moulded trusses in the north chapel, appear
to be modern.
The font has a cylindrical bowl, the upper part of
which is probably a fragment of a 13th-century
column with the base moulding inverted and cemented
upon it; the lower part of the bowl and the base are
of a subsequent period. The oak pulpit dates from
the late 17th century. The sounding-board is now
at the vicarage, having been adapted as a table. Some
carved panelling and an oak chest in the chapel are of
the same period.
In the chancel is an early 16th-century brass with
the figure of a knight in armour, and the indent of
the figure of a lady in butterfly head-dress. Above the
figures are the remains of an elaborate double canopy,
with two shields in white metal, a fragment of a third
shield, and the indent of a fourth. One shield is
charged with a cheveron between three eagles' legs
razed, and the other two remaining shields bear the
same charges impaling a cheveron. There is also a
brass commemorating John son of Walter Stonor, who
died in 1512. From the diminutive size of the figure
it has been supposed to represent a student of Eton
College, but the costume, a long gown with a furred
border and a close-fitting hood with streamers surmounted by a round cap bound with fur, is probably
that of a doctor of laws. A third brass with an
inscription and three shields of arms and the matrix
for another commemorates Dame Elizabeth Hoby,
daughter of Sir Walter Stonor, who died in 1560, and
her son Walter Walshe, who died in 1561. There
is a floor slab in the chancel to Edward Gould, servant
of Charles II, who died in 1680, and another in the
nave to Mary wife of Henry Gibbons and their son
Henry, both of whom died in 1687, also monuments to
the Gyll, Paxton, Fleming and Pitches families.
There are eight bells, of which the first, second,
third and fourth are by John Warner & Sons, London,
and were cast between 1871 and 1890, the fifth and
sixth by Bryan Eldridge, 1657, the seventh by William
Eldridge, 1664, and the tenor by Henry Knight, 1591.
The communion plate includes a cup and cover
paten of 1634, a modern chalice given by the Rev.
Seymour Neville, vicar 1856–69, a flagon presented
by John Wilder in 1861 and a modern paten.
The registers begin: baptisms and burials in 1734,
marriages in 1754.
ADVOWSON
Robert Gernon, the Domesday
tenant of Wyrardisbury, granted the
church, which with Langley Marish
(q.v.) was valued in 1291 at £33 6s. 8d. yearly, (fn. 166) to
Gloucester Abbey. (fn. 167) The latter exchanged it with
the Crown in 1345 for property in Gloucestershire. (fn. 168)
In 1348 it was granted in free alms to the Dean and
canons of Windsor with licence of appropriation, (fn. 169)
and in the following year a vicarage was ordained. (fn. 170)
The advowson, valued with Langley at £15 0s. 10½d.
yearly in 1535, (fn. 171) has, with the rectory, continued
under the same ownership. (fn. 172)
CHARITIES
The parochial charities are regulated by a scheme of the Charity
Commissioners of 19 April 1898.
They comprise the charities of:
Philip Harcourt, founded by will proved in the
P.C.C. 10 April 1759, and consisting of a yearly payment of £3 9s. 4d. by the owner of Hythe End Farm.
The Bridge Land, consisting of 10 a. 2 r. 23 p.,
producing £15 19s. yearly, and four cottages and
gardens producing £20 13s. yearly.
William Gyll (alderman of London), who died in
1798, and by his will bequeathed £300 stock.
Thomas Wright, who by will 1794 left a legacy of
£100 stock.
These legacies are now represented by £448 0s. 11d.
consols with the official trustees, producing £11 4s.
yearly.
John Lee, by will in or about 1807, bequeathed
to the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy £26
yearly for providing an afternoon service every Sunday,
a further sum of £1 for the parish clerk, and of £2 12s.
for distribution of bread.
Charlotte Holmes, by will proved at London
21 August 1862, left a trust fund of £500 consols,
producing £12 10s. yearly.
It is directed by the scheme that the income of
the Bridge Land should be applied towards the repair
of those public bridges for which the county is not
liable, any residue to be applied to any other public
purpose approved by the Charity Commissioners;
that the yearly income of Charlotte Holmes's charity
—subject to keeping in repair two tablets and vault
in church—should be divided into two equal parts,
one part to be applied towards the maintenance of
the Church Sunday school and the other part for the
general benefit of the poor; that the yearly income
of the remaining charities should also be applied for
the general benefit of the poor.
In 1908–9 £7 10s. 6d. was applied in the distribution of coals to twenty-eight poor families,
£7 2s. 6d. in fares of patients to hospitals, &c., and
£2 2s. in a subscription to the Surgical Aid Society.
The church land consists of 5 a. 2 r. 19 p. known
as Queen's Mead, producing £8 2s. 6d. yearly, and
cottages and land let at £40 yearly. The net rents
are carried to the churchwardens' account.