Brightwells Farm
A History
Brightwells Farm lies
at the southern end of Vicarage Road, just over a mile from Watford and about a
quarter of a mile from Hamper Mill. In Medieval times, it was variously
included in the manors of Rickmansworth, La More, Cashio and Watford. There are
several very early references to this site and it can be seen that Brightwell
(Brittewell, Brutewell, de Brittewelle as examples of its changing name) has a
history equal to, or at least as interesting, as that of Cashio and was at
least of similar importance.
Within Cashio there
were, circa 1086, 4 mills and therefore probably 4 hamlets. One would be
the hamlet of Cashio, giving its name to the manor or vice versa - possibly
near Cassiobridge. Another would be the hamlet of Watford, chosen or founded
by St Albans Abbey for the site of another mill and the parish church – and
therefore giving its name to the parish. Later, with the building of the royal
palace at Kings Langley and the greater importance of radial routes from London
as opposed to radial routes from St Albans and Winchester, Watford would oust
the other hamlets by being more favourably positioned. A third hamlet
would be near Brightwell farm on or near the old Roman road/trackway and with
easy access to Hamper Mill. (There are several possible locations for the
fourth including Cassiobury Mill, Garston, Munden or Oxhey/Wiggenhall).
Eventually several manors and independent estates were created within the large
parish of Watford coincident with the pre-Domesday manor of Cashio.
The majority of the
area we know today as Watford and its surrounding districts were held by St
Albans Abbey of the king. Parcels of land were often given, sued for or
exchanged and Brightwells was no exception. The manor of Britwell was
said to have been granted to the abbey by Offa. In the early part of the
thirteenth century Alice de Bretwelle held one hide* in Rickmansworth and in
1225 land in Britwell was held by Peter de Bretwelle, against whom it was
claimed by John de Wittenham and Alice his wife and Richard Grimbald and
Martina his wife. Land in Britwell, formerly held by William, son of John de
Shelforde, was held in the thirteenth century (1292) by John de Brutwelle and
the abbot commuted his service from suit to court to knight service in the king’s
army. In other words, John de Brutwelle was involved in a land transaction with
the Abbot of St Albans, which suggests an estate at Brightwell sufficient to
give it some status.
In 1301-2 this land
had come to coheirs whose names are not given, but in 1303, Thomas de
Wymundesham held a sixth part of a knight’s fee of the abbot of St Albans in
Britwell. In 1320-1 the fee was held by John de Watford and in 1364 the manor
under the name of a tenement called Brutewelles was in the hands of John de
Chilterne. With regard to the history of Micklefield Hall (Sarratt), there is a
reference to John de Chilterne of Rykemeresworth, who “on 16th July
1364 granted to Ralph de Harpele, rector of Scherring and Stephen Megre,
chaplain, his manors of Micklefield and Brittewelle in the towns of
Rickmersworth and Caysho.”
In 1365 a list of
properties records “Bruteswelle and Watford 17s 17d rent from divers tenants in
the hamlets, held of the heirs of Sir Philip Durdent in free socage by service
of 1d yearly and 1lb cumin ….. the premises at Rykesmers-worth, Caysho and Brutewelle,
Crokesle and Watford, except the rent in Danielhide in Rykesmersworth were
in the possession of Roger Colyn by demise.” Here, in the 14th century,
it appears that Brutewelle (i.e. Brightwells) had the status of at least a
hamlet, but possibly of a village ranking alongside the other places mentioned.
In 1366, the grantees
(Ralph de Harpele and Ralph Megre) conveyed Brutewelles to Richard, son of
Richard de Hemington and John, son of John de Radewell, sons of Margery and
Margaret, daughters of John de Chilterne. The manor was to be held by
Richard and John for their lives with remainder in tail male to Henry and Pain,
sons of John de Chilterne and to Andrew de Bures, Richard de Hemington, John de
Radeswell and John Aignel, grandchildren of John de Chilterne. Henry de
Chilterne granted this manor in 1371-2 to Edmund de Gessinge and Katherine his
wife and their heirs and assigns for ever. In 1381, Philip Bluet and Katherine
his wife, who was the daughter of John de Chilterne, conveyed the manor to John
de Raddeswelle and Richard de Hemington and this conveyance was confirmed by
Henry and Pain de Chilterne, brothers of Katherine. Richard and John then
reconveyed it to Philip and Katherine to be held by them for their lives for a
rent of six marks to John and Richard, with reversion after the death of Philip
and Katherine to John and Richard and their heirs. This same Katherine, who was
then the wife of John of Gloucester and her son Andrew Bures, conveyed the
manor to Henry, Bishop of Winchester, William Flete and others and this grant
was confirmed by Pain de Chilterne. They, in return, granted Katherine a rent
of 100s. from the manor.
In 1414, Katherine,
the wife of William Creke or Creyke, daughter of Henry de Chilterne and Eleanor
his wife, granted the manor to William Flete and John Deryng, two of the
grantees mentioned above, probably in confirmation of the grant of Katherine,
her aunt, as heiress of her father Henry.
William Flete was a
London mercer, who built the castle and was the tenant of the Manor of the More
(later Moor Park). He was supported by powerful men including the Bishops of
Winchester and Durham and six others who acted as guarantors and supported his
title. In 1431 Flete claimed to hold this manor partly of Robert de Louthe
at a rent and partly as a manor of the More and a dispute arose between Flete
and the Abbot as to the tenure of this manor. The manor had once belonged to
Thomas Wymyndham and afterwards to John Watford, clerk. The Abbot, however,
said that William Flete bought the manor and that it was held of the Abbot for
homage and fealty and rent and it was decided in the courts of law that the
Abbot was justified in his claim. From this time the manor of Brightwell
descended with the manor of More and there was a “high bridge” across the river
Colne at Hamper Mill and the estate included demesne lands and a field called
High Crosse Field.
It was William Flete
who, in 1416 as tenant of the Manor of the More, put up a claim to have a right
of way for himself and his cattle from the More, across the fields to the
market place at Watford. The Abbot of St Albans went to law and William
Flete failed to gain his point. Again, in 1435, Flete came into conflict
with tenant farmers when he tried to enforce a right of way from the Manor to
Watford. This was unsuccessful until a century later when Cardinal Wolsey,
after enlarging the house, sought to also enlarge the park and expelled one of
his tenants from a messuage called Tolpotts and 170 acres of land and enclosed
part of it within the park and made another part into a highway leading from
Rickmansworth to Watford (hence Tolpits Lane).
By 1456, the manor
(of More) had come to Sir Ralph Boteler, Lord Sudeley and the Abbot (of St
Albans), in exchange for certain tenements in London on the Thames, confirmed
the manors of More, Ashleys, Batchworth, Eastbury and Britwell to Sir Ralph for
a rent of 1d for each manor in recognition of the fact that it was held by the
Abbey.
“On the 15th May
1456, Sir Ralph Boteler, Lord of Sudeley, granted to the Abbot and Monks the
following lands, which they heretofore had held of him by rent:- Lands near
Crokesley Green called Elys Londe, land in Brittewelle More and pasture land in
Bury More, all in the parish of Rykmersworth. Ten days later the Abbey gave Sir
Ralph, in exchange, the Manors of Baccheworth, La More and Brittewelle in the
parishes of Rykmansworth and Watford, for the yearly payment of one penny per
annum for each manor, for all services.”
By 1556, by a copy of
court roll of the manor of More, Brightwells Farm in Watford parish, near to
Hamper Mills is held by Thomas and William Weedon.
From the probate
inventories of the Jacobean period it is possible to get a picture of cropping arrangements
and other details of some Watford farms. On 25th March 1617, soon
after his death, John Weedon, a yeoman, had his estate of Britwells inventoried.
Apart from a bull, 6 beasts, 2 calves, 12 hoggs and some horses, he had 26
acres of wheat and 30 acres of lent corn (i.e. summer corn or spring corn crops
such as oats, peas and barley).
Also of interest
regarding mills in the area, again from a tithe account of 1668 for Cashio
hamlet there is mention of an acre of grass ‘at the oyle mills’ which suggests that a commercial crop for the
production of vegetable oil may have been grown thereabouts. Hemp and teasels
are both mentioned in the early years of the century, but receive no mention
after 1660. There are also two mentions of a stock of flax for persons in
Watford and Aldenham, but something more of a novelty is the mention of 11/2 bushels of mustard seed at Watford in
1665 and a mustard mill at Brightwells farm in 1676.
From the tithe
accounts of 1656 there is a brief description of ‘2 messuages or tenements
called Brightwells which are now converted into 1 messuage, being 17 several
closes divided and being on both sides of the way leading from High Bridge (Hamper
Mill) towards Watford and between the River called Colney stream towards the
south and the common called Blackmoor and Cowmoor towards the north and the
lands sometime belonging to the messuage called Hatters towards the east and
the Demeanes (sic) called twelve acres towards the west containing by
estimation 184 acres more or less’. This gives an average field size of nearly
11 acres. Another 17th century document gives details of Hatters
farm in the manor of Cashio as arable land divided into 8 parts containing 105
acres. Here the arable field size average is 13 acres.
