HAMPSTEAD (fn. 1) MARSHALL
Hamestede (xi cent.); Hamsted (xii–xv cent.);
Hamsted Marshal, Hampstede Mareschal (xiv cent.).
The parish of Hampstead Marshall lies on the south
side of the River Kennet and contains 1,852 acres, of
which 270 are arable, 560 permanent grass and
300 woods and plantations. (fn. 2) The soil is mostly a
heavy clay, but sand and gravel are found in a few
places. The chief crops are wheat, barley and oats.
The parish was inclosed under an Act of 1809–10,
the award being dated 25 February 1815. (fn. 3) The
village is small and lies partly around the church and
partly about a mile to the south, but many of the
cottages lie scattered throughout the parish. The
inhabitants are mainly engaged in agriculture. In
the south and at Irish Hill in the north-west the
land rises to a little over 400 ft. above the ordnance
datum, while in the valley of the Kennet it falls to
about 270 ft. The Great Western railway line from
Reading to Hungerford, opened 21 December 1847,
skirts the northern boundary, but there is no station
here, the nearest being at Kintbury, 2 miles to the
west. The Kennet and Avon Canal, opened early
in 1811, runs through the north of the parish, forming in some places the boundary.
Hampstead Lodge or Park stands in a large park
to the south-east of the site of the old mansion.
The present house, which has been let by the
Craven family for the last fifty years, was a keeper's
house or hunting lodge, enlarged at a comparatively recent date. The park is crossed by a series
of small lakes. The former mansion
stood in the park on high ground in
the north-east corner of the parish
close to the church. A walled garden
several acres in extent with raised
terraces and eight sets of entrance
piers remains, but the greater part of
the house was destroyed by fire in
1718. (fn. 4) No portion of it now exists
above ground, though some of the
cellars and part of the foundations
are said to be below the turf. Soon
after 1590 the second Thomas Parry
apparently rebuilt the house already
on the site, and this may have been
reconstructed in about 1620. After
the Restoration the Earl of Craven
commenced to build a house which
it was intended should be a miniature
castle of Heidelberg. He is said to
have engaged Sir Balthazar Gerbier
as architect, but, as Gerbier died before
1663, (fn. 5) he can have done little more
than supply the plans. The building seems to have
been completed, perhaps with modification of the
original design, by Captain Wynne. The existing
entrance piers are almost certainly Wynne's work and
show him to have been an accomplished artist. The
brick piers have niches and large stone urns and the
stone piers richly carved panels in high relief, the
foliage in places being pierced and partly detached
from the stone. A ninth pair of piers, which stood
at the east and of the gardens, is now at Benham
Park, Stockcross. (fn. 6) Kyp's engraving, the date of
which is shortly before 1709, shows 'a large rectangular house of three stories and an attic ranged
round three sides of a court with the stables at the
back and the pleasure grounds on the south side.'
A long dike with a ditch runs obliquely across the
park, and there are three tumuli in the parish—one
in the park and two to the west—which have not,
however, been explored. (fn. 7) Several Roman vessels
were found near the park in 1856. (fn. 8)
Manor
The manor of HAMPSTEAD was
held of King Edward the Confessor by
Edward, and in 1086 Hugh the steersman
held it of the king. (fn. 9)
In the 14th century the manor of Hampstead
Marshall was claimed as their chief manor by the
Marshals of England. (fn. 10) It is returned about 1241 as
held de marescangia, (fn. 11) in 1270 as held by the service
of the marshal's wand, (fn. 12) and in 1283–4 per serjanciam
mareschallic. (fn. 13) In 1306, however, it is said to be
held by knight service, (fn. 14) and Mr. Round expresses a
doubt as to whether the marshalship was ever really
held by serjeanty in connexion with the manor of
Hampstead Marshall, (fn. 15) as this manor is not returned
among the recognized Berkshire serjeanties.
Hampstead Lodge, Hampstead Marshall
Hampstead Marshall is first found in the possession
of the Marshals (fn. 16) early in the 13th century. That
William Marshal held the manor of Hampstead Marshall seems probable, for in 1218, while he was acting
as protector of the young king, Henry III, the latter
gave five Letters Patent at Hampstead Marshall, four
of which were witnessed by the earl. (fn. 17)
William Earl of Pembroke died 14 May 1219
and was succeeded by his eldest son William. (fn. 18) He
married as his second wife in 1224 Eleanor daughter
of King John; he entertained his brother-in-law
King Henry III at Hampstead Marshall in 1228 and
1230. (fn. 19) He died without issue in 1231, when the
title passed to his next brother, Richard, though this
manor was granted by the king to William's widow
on 11 July in that year. (fn. 20) It is doubtful whether she
enjoyed possession of it, for Richard Earl of Pembroke
was proclaimed a traitor in 1233 and fled to Wales, (fn. 21)
and this manor was granted in October of that year
to Richard Earl of Cornwall. (fn. 22) A few days later the
sheriff was ordered to destroy the house and garden
there. (fn. 23)
Richard Earl of Pembroke died in 1234, and the
manor must have been restored to his brother Gilbert,
who received a gift of deer for his park in that year, (fn. 24)
and was evidently building at Hampstead Marshall
between 1235 and 1238. (fn. 25) On his death without issue
on 27 June 1241 his lands came for a time into the
hands of the king, who presented to the living 3 July
that year, (fn. 26) but his brother Walter succeeded to the
title and estates and appears to have continued building
operations. (fn. 27) He died childless on 24 November
1245, and the title and manor devolved upon his
brother Anselm, but before he could do homage he
died without issue 5 December 1245. (fn. 28)
Five sons of William Marshal had thus died childless, and the large possessions of this family were
divided among their five sisters. To the eldest, Maud,
was assigned the office of Marshal of England and
with it the manor of Hampstead Marshall. (fn. 29) Maud
had married as her first husband Hugh Bigod, third
Earl of Norfolk, and after his death had taken as her
second husband William de Warenne Earl, of Surrey. (fn. 30)
She died in 1248, when the manor passed to her
eldest son Roger. (fn. 31)
Roger Bigod, fourth Earl of Norfolk, died childless
on 4 July 1270 seised of this manor, which passed to
his nephew Roger (fn. 32) son of Hugh Bigod the Justiciar.
Roger died in 1306, leaving no issue, (fn. 33) when the
manor passed under a deed of surrender, executed in
April 1302, to the king. (fn. 34) Edward II in 1312
granted the title of Earl of Norfolk and all the possessions which Roger Bigod had ceded to Edward I
to his half-brother Thomas de Brotherton, (fn. 35) who
was created Earl Marshal 10 February 1315. (fn. 36) On
3 November 1333 the king gave him licence to
grant this manor for life to William Montagu, afterwards Earl of Salisbury, with remainder to William,
Montagu's illegitimate son by the earl's daughter
Alice. (fn. 37) Alice afterwards married Edward Montagu,
the brother of William Earl of Salisbury, and Edward
in 1339 obtained an exemplification of the king's
grant of Roger Bigod's lands to Thomas de Brotherton. (fn. 38) In the previous year William Earl of Salisbury
had been created Marshal of England on the death
of the Earl of Norfolk, (fn. 39) and a few years later
William granted his status in this manor to his brother
Sir Edward, mentioned above. (fn. 40) After the death of
Thomas Earl of Norfolk his widow claimed a third of
the manor in dower. Sir Edward Montagu enfeoffed
Hugh Meynell of his two-thirds, which Hugh was
holding 20 January 1345, (fn. 41) and 1 April the same
year the king granted the remaining third as dower
to Mary Countess of Norfolk, and also, under certain
conditions, the remaining two-thirds, (fn. 42) which had
been forfeited 8 February that year, as Hugh Meynell
had entered it without the king's licence. (fn. 43) On
1 September the same year the king seized the manor,
except apparently the third first granted to the
Countess of Norfolk, and reserved it for the use of
his chamber. (fn. 44)
Later on, when the heirs of the Earl of Norfolk,
John de Segrave and Margaret his wife, and Edward
Montagu and Alice his wife, petitioned the king
for the restoration of the manor, the reply was that
the case had been examined in Chancery and no cause
was shown why the king should oustier le main. (fn. 45)
Mary Countess Dowager of Norfolk evidently held her
third until her death in 1362. (fn. 46) The king was
residing here in 1350, (fn. 47) and seems to have made visits
at intervals until 1358. (fn. 48) The house was repaired in
1353. (fn. 49) A complete series of accounts for Hampstead Marshall exist between 1355 and 1361. (fn. 50)
In 1361 the king granted two-thirds of this manor
with the reversion of the other third held by the
Countess of Norfolk to his daughter Isabel, (fn. 51) who
married Ingram, Sieur de Coucy, Earl of Bedford.
After the death of Isabel in 1382 Richard II granted
the manor in that year to his queen, Anne, for life. (fn. 52)
The queen died in 1394, and the manor then reverted
to the king, (fn. 53) and was granted in 1403 to Joan, consort
of Henry IV, (fn. 54) who held it until her death in 1437. (fn. 55)
It remained in the Crown (fn. 56) until 1466, when
Edward IV granted it to his consort Elizabeth, who
had already been receiving a rent of £10 from it
under a grant of the previous year. (fn. 57) She was holding it from 1474 to 1483, (fn. 58) but it is not clear whether
she continued to do so after the accession of King
Henry VII in 1485, when Roger Cheney had custody
of the manor. (fn. 59)
King Henry VIII in 1509 granted to his consort
Catherine of Aragon lands and rents here, (fn. 60) which
she seems to have held till the time of her divorce.
A manor of Hampstead, which may perhaps be this,
was granted to Cardinal Wolsey 20 January 1526, (fn. 61)
and the manor was granted to Jane Seymour on her
marriage, 20 May 1536. After her death in 1537 it
was reserved for the king's own use, (fn. 62) but must have
subsequently been granted to Catherine Parr, for
Henry Seymour was appointed bailiff of the manor
by Queen Jane 5 July 1536 and by Catherine Parr
9 May 1541, and these appointments were confirmed
11 May 1544 by the king. (fn. 63)
In 1550 King Edward VI granted Hampstead
Marshall to his sister Elizabeth and confirmed the
grant in the following year. (fn. 64) In 1560 Queen
Elizabeth granted it to Sir Thomas Parry, his wife
and heirs male. (fn. 65) Sir Thomas was succeeded in 1560
by his son Thomas, (fn. 66) who was ambassador to France
from 1601 to 1605. He was knighted in 1601, served
as Sheriff of Berkshire in 1576 and 1588, and was
appointed a deputy lieutenant in 1596. (fn. 67) He settled
the manor in 1590 on his sisters' heirs, having obtained
licence to do so on 3 September that year, (fn. 68) but as
it was entailed upon his father's heirs male, and he
had a brother living, he obtained a fresh grant from
the queen to him and his heirs and assigns. (fn. 69) He
was holding the manor in 1615 (fn. 70) and died intestate,
being buried in Westminster Abbey 1 June 1616.
As he left no children this manor passed under the
settlement of 1590 to the heirs of his two sisters,
namely, Thomas Knyvett, grandson of his sister
Muriel, and John Abrahall, son of Frances, another
sister. (fn. 71) Thomas Knyvett and his grandfather Sir
Thomas sold their share in 1617 to Sir Francis
Jhones, (fn. 72) and in the following year John Abrahall and
Dorothy his wife conveyed their moiety to the same
purchaser. (fn. 73) Sir Francis Jhones with his wife and
son Abraham sold this manor in 1620 to Elizabeth
Craven, widow, and three others. (fn. 74)
Elizabeth Craven was widow of William Craven,
Lord Mayor of London in 1610–11. (fn. 75) Whether
she acquired the manor for herself or her son seems
uncertain. In 1625 her trustees, Martin Bond and
William Gibson, conveyed it to Sir Charles Montagu
and Sir Edmund Sawyer, (fn. 76) apparently in trust for her
eldest son William.
William Craven was knighted at Newmarket in
1627 in recognition of his services in the Netherlands
and was created Lord Craven of Hampstead Marshall
12 March the same year, with remainder, failing
male issue, to his brothers in succession and their
heirs male. He served under Gustavus Adolphus,
King of Sweden, in 1631, and in Holland in 1637. (fn. 77)
In 1642 he accompanied the queen into Holland. (fn. 78)
In 1673 he was created Viscount Craven of Uffington
and Earl Craven of Craven, while, as both his brothers
were then dead, leaving no children, the patent of
the barony was extended to include his cousins. (fn. 79)
He is well known for his romantic attachment to the
Queen of Bohemia, daughter of King James I, the
'Queen of Hearts.' (fn. 80) The earl died unmarried in 1697,
when the earldom and viscountcy became extinct. (fn. 81)
The Earl of Craven had outlived all his contemporaries and near relations, and the barony and
estates, including this manor, passed to a distant
cousin William Craven, a descendant of Henry, the
eldest son of John Craven of Appletreewick. (fn. 82)
This William married Elizabeth daughter of
Humberston Skipwith, (fn. 83) upon whom he settled this
manor in 1697. (fn. 84) He died on 9 October 1711,
leaving two sons William and Fulwar. William
third Lord Craven died on 10 August 1739, leaving
no surviving issue, and the title and estates passed to
his brother Fulwar, who became fourth Lord Craven
and died unmarried on 10 November 1764. (fn. 85) He
was succeeded by his cousin William, the son of John
Craven of Whitley (co. Warw.). This William died
without issue on 17 March 1769, when the manor
passed to his nephew William. (fn. 86)
William sixth Lord Craven was the only son of
the Rev. John Craven, B.C.L., vicar of Staunton
Lacy. (fn. 87) He seems to have had some interest in
Hampstead Marshall in 1767, (fn. 88) during his uncle's
lifetime, and died 27 September 1791, when the
manor and title passed to his son William. His widow
Elizabeth, who had separated from him during his
lifetime, was well known in musical and dramatic
circles, and after his death married H.S.H. Christian
Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburgh-Anspach and
Bayreuth. (fn. 89) William seventh Lord Craven married
Louisa daughter of John Brunton of Norwich, a celebrated actress. (fn. 90) He was created Viscount Uffington
and Earl of Craven on 18 June
1801, and was holding this
manor in 1795 and in 1821, (fn. 91)
in which year he entertained
H.R.H. Prince Leopold of
Saxe-Coburg, afterwards King
of the Belgians, (fn. 92) at his house
here. He died 30 July 1825,
when the title and estates
passed to his eldest son
William. (fn. 93)
Craven, Earl of Craven. Argent a fesse between six crosslets fitchy gules.
William second Earl of
Craven died 25 August 1866,
when the manor and titles
passed to his second but eldest
surviving son George Grimston Craven, third earl.
He was Lord-Lieutenant of Berkshire in 1881 and
died 7 December 1883, when he was succeeded by
his son William George Robert Craven, fourth Earl
of Craven, (fn. 94) the present owner of the manor.
The first mention of the park that has been found
is in 1229, when twenty does from the forest of
Clarendon were granted by the king to William
Marshal to stock his park at Hampstead Marshall. (fn. 95)
In 1233 the Sheriff of Berkshire was ordered to sell
the park owing to the defection of Earl Richard. (fn. 96) In
the following year, however, as the earl had died in
the meantime, the king ordered the constable of
Devizes to send twenty does and five bucks from the
forest of Chippenham to enable Gilbert, Richard's
brother and heir, to restock the park. (fn. 97) It was reported in 1275–6 that after the death of Roger Bigod
Master Hugh de Thornham, the subescheator in
Berkshire, had laid waste the park. (fn. 98) William Earl of
Salisbury during his tenure of the manor seems to
have added considerably to its extent. (fn. 99)
In 1444 the king granted to the abbey of Abingdon two bucks from Hampstead Marshall Park, as well
as eighteen deer from elsewhere, in lieu of the tenth
of the deer killed in Windsor Forest, which had been
granted to them by King Henry I. (fn. 100) Various grants
of the keepership of the park occur on the Patent
Rolls of the 14th, 15th and early 16th centuries. (fn. 101)
The park followed the same descent as the manor and
is still in existence, being one of the most picturesque
spots in this part of the county. It appears to be
part of the primeval forest untouched by the plough.
It is still a deer park, and a stated head of red and
fallow deer have been maintained here for many
years. In the middle of the 14th century there
appears to have been a stud in the park. (fn. 102)
A mill is mentioned in the Domesday Survey, (fn. 103)
and a water-mill is mentioned in 1270, as well as
two fulling-mills. (fn. 104) The water-mill is mentioned
again in 1306. (fn. 105) There is now one mill on the
Kennet, not far from the church, possibly on the
site of that mentioned in 1086. The fulling-mills
were probably situated on the streams running through
the park.
In 1230 the constable of Marlborough was ordered
to send ten breeding bream and others of an ordinary
kind to William, the Earl Marshal, for his stew-ponds
here, (fn. 106) and a fishery is mentioned in 1270 (fn. 107) ; it was
stated in 1275–6 that Hugh de Thornham had destroyed the stew-ponds. (fn. 108) The fishery descended with
the manor until the 15th century. (fn. 109) In 1617 a fishery
in the Kennet at a place called Crocker's Pound was
held by John Crocker. (fn. 110)
In 1275–6 the Earl Marshal had gallows and the
assize of bread and ale at Hampstead Marshall, (fn. 111) and
the manor appears to have been the centre of a considerable lordship, many manors in different counties
doing suit at its courts. (fn. 112)
Church
The church of ST. MARY consists of
chancel 18 ft. 9 in. by 14 ft., nave 46 ft.
by 17 ft. 4 in., north aisle 38 ft. by 10 ft.,
south porch 9 ft. 6 in. by 6 ft. 6 in., and west tower
12 ft. 6 in. by 11 ft. 6 in., all these measurements
being internal.
The oldest part of the building is the south doorway, which is of 12th-century date, but no other part
is of the same age, the north aisle, which is less altered
than the rest, belonging to the 15th century. In the
reign of James I, probably c. 1622, the church was
very much altered and the present tower built, perhaps
replacing an older one, the interior then assuming
much the same appearance as it has since retained,
though a restoration in 1893 has modified it in some
slight degree. It is difficult in the present state of the
fabric to determine, even approximately, the date of
the chancel and nave or to follow the development of
the plan subsequent to the 12th century. The body
of the church doubtless represents a building older
than the 15th century to which the aisle was then
added. The statement often made that the church
was 'rebuilt in brick' in the time of James I is manifestly incorrect. (fn. 113)
The walling is of flint and stone rubble with an
intermingling of brick and tile, and the roofs are
eaved and covered with modern red tiles. The aisle
is under a separate gabled roof and the porch was
largely rebuilt in 1893 and bears that date. The
tower is built entirely of 2-in. bricks, but the west
doorway has been reconstructed.
The east window has been built (fn. 114) up in flint with
courses of tile, and the gable has a modern bargeboard against the wall. The chancel is lighted by two
square-headed windows of two lights on the south
side, both with brick and stone patching and probably
of 17th-century date, but the north wall is blank
except for a built-up four-centred doorway, the filling
of which is of 2-in. bricks. Internally the walls are
plastered, the floor is of brick, and the semicircular
plaster chancel arch is the full width of the building.
Three large wooden panels occupy the east wall,
containing the Lord's Prayer, Creed and Commandments, and the altar rails, communion table and
boarded ceiling, together with two chairs, are of 17thcentury date. At the east end of the north wall is a
recess with foliated head, which has the appearance
of mutilated ancient work, but is now covered with
plaster and whitewash.
The nave is lighted on the south side by three squareheaded windows, one at either end of the wall, of two
lights, and the other a single-light opening in the
middle to the east of the porch, but only the easternmost window is old and apparently of the same date
as those in the chancel. The others date from 1893.
The 12th-century south doorway has a plain semicircular arch of a single chamfered order. The aisle
is separated from the nave by an arcade of two wide
four-centred arches springing from a middle pier,
hexagonal in plan, but the arches are apparently of
lath and plaster, and probably replaced in the 17th
century an older arcade of three pointed arches of the
same date as the aisle, the responds of which, consisting of five slender shafts with hollows between, still
remain. The upper part of the west gable of the
aisle has been rebuilt in brick, together with part of
the north-west and south-east angles of the wall.
The aisle is lighted on the north side by two original
square-headed windows, each of two cinquefoiled
lights, and at the east and west ends by pointed
traceried windows of three cinquefoiled lights. All
these windows have labels terminating in carved
heads. The open-timbered roof of the nave is of
four bays, and the floors of both nave and aisle are
paved with brick and filled with high square pews
which extend some distance into the chancel. There
is a west gallery supported by four stone pillars, containing the organ, but this and the pews are of 18thcentury date. The font has an octagonal whitewashed bowl and appears to be of cement, probably
of 17th-century date, and has a good Jacobean cover.
The pulpit and desk stand against the south wall, the
former hexagonal in plan with a canopy bearing the
initials of Dorothy widow of Sir Thomas Parry and
the date 1622.
The tower is of three stages divided by brick
string-courses and has short diagonal buttresses on
the west side. The two lower stages are blank on
the north and south sides and the belfry windows are
of two plain round-headed louvred lights. There is
a similar window on the west side in the middle
stage, and the west doorway is a modern restoration.
On the south side immediately below the belfry
window is a sundial. The tower terminates in an
embattled brick parapet without pinnacles and access
to the belfry is by a ladder. The tower arch is semicircular.
Sir Balthazar Gerbier was buried, according to
Ashmole, (fn. 115) under the south window of the chancel,
but the existing inscribed slab, which was not laid
down till many years after his death, is near the east
end of the nave in the middle alley. There is no
monument. A gravestone to Richard Smith (d. 1637)
recorded by Ashmole (fn. 116) at the entrance to the chancel
on the south side has disappeared.
The tower contains two bells, the second cast by
Henry Knight of Reading in 1592 and the first by
Lester & Pack in 1756. (fn. 117)
The plate consists of a cup and cover paten given
by Lady Parry in 1622, a paten of 1856, and an
almsdish of 1853 'presented by George Hamilton
Marquess of Donegal,' tenant of Hampstead Park.
The registers begin in 1675.
Advowson
In 1179 the king, in granting
the abbey of Amesbury to the nuns
of Fontevrault, granted also the
tithes of Hampstead Marshall with all parochial rights
which belonged to the mother church of Kintbury.
This grant was confirmed by King John in 1199 and
by King Henry III in 1270. (fn. 118) In 1241 the king
presented Master Hugh de St. Theodoric to the
living, which was in the king's gift owing to the recent
death of Gilbert Earl of Pembroke. (fn. 119) Roger Bigod
the elder died seised of the advowson in 1270, (fn. 120) and
it has since followed the descent of the manor. (fn. 121)
In 1291 the church was valued at £10, (fn. 122) and in
1340 the jurors declared that the ninths were worth
5 marks and no more, because William Montagu Earl
of Salisbury had imparked 300 acres and more, which
used to be ploughed and cultivated, and that the
remainder of the parish was stony land and not fertile,
so that the tithes and glebe were only worth 6 marks
yearly. (fn. 123)
The rectory has been held with that of Enborne
since 1743.
Charities
Richard Smith, as recorded on a
tablet in the church, gave 6s. 8d. for
a sermon, and 8s. yearly for poor
widows, payable out of land lying in Ray Mead in
the parish of Hampstead Marshall. The sum of 8s. is
duly received and applied, but the sum of 6s. 8d. for a
sermon has not been paid for many years.
It was also recorded on the same tablet that Lady
Parry, relict of Sir Thomas Parry, formerly lord of the
manor, in 1622 gave the pulpit and communion cup
for the use of the church and £11 in the care of the
churchwardens for ever, the interest to be distributed
yearly among poor families. No trace of the principal
sum can now be found.
It was further recorded that Robert Smith gave
6s. 8d. yearly for a sermon on Easter Tuesday. This
charity has also been lost sight of.
In 1722 Thomas Wedge by deed gave to the poor
a cottage. The land on which the cottage stood has
been inclosed by the Earl of Craven, in respect of
which 25s. yearly is paid to the parish clerk.
Poor's Allotment.—By the inclosure award of
1815 an allotment in Holt Common, containing
3a. 2r. 26p., was awarded for the poor. This property
has for many years been in the poscession of the Earls
of Craven.