The Red Lion

The Red Lion public house and former stable block occupies 105 Vicarage Road, although its address in 1901 and earlier was Colney Butts.  The pub dates back to 1751, although the current buildings are an 1890s rebuild (circa 1895), designed for Benskins Brewery by Charles P Ayres (F.S.I), a notable local architect who designed a number of other locally and nationally listed buildings in Watford.

Until recently, the Red Lion was a continuously functioning public house with a strong community significance and the site itself is remarkable for the survival of the historic curtilage associated with the public house. (In law, the curtilage of a house or dwelling is the land immediately surrounding it, including any closely associated buildings and structures). 
Watford Borough Council's "Locally Listed Buildings" document gives the following description:

"Irregular plan. Two storeys of brick with the upper floor rendered in white. Splayed angle facing road junction. Pedimented gables pierce the eaves line over main first floor windows. Between these, smaller cruciform windows with quoin surrounds. Band between lower and upper floors carries house and brewery names in decorative script. One round arched entrance to second left bay and one flat headed to right facing Aynho St. Large tripartite ground floor windows (central lights have arched transom) with splay flat heads. Quoins to ends and splay corners on upper floor. Decorative keystone features to all openings. Slate hipped roofs with red clay ridge tiles and three brick chimneys. Former stables are also of brick with pitched slate roof featuring red clay ridge tiles. Stone cills below window openings. Brick plinth and detailing below eaves at gable ends." 

Taken from the Census records of 1790 - 1940 are here just a few names of the families who resided in/ran the Red Lion:

1851 - George Halsey/Victualler & Carrier/Watford, Hertfordshire Census 

1851 - Sarah Halsey/Wife/Shenley, Hertfordshire Census      

 1851 - Alfred Halsey/Son, Watford/Hertfordshire Census      

 1851 - Eliza Halsey/Daughter/Watford, Hertfordshire Census 

 1851 - Joseph Emmerson/Visitor, Gardener's Labourer/Shenley, Hertfordshire Census     

1851 - Emma Emmerson/House Servant/Shenley, Hertfordshire Census 

1851 - William Furle/Servant, Bramfield, Suffolk Census
                
1861 - Arthur Hart/Inn Keeper, Elstree, Hertfordshire Census  

1861 - Sarah Hart/Wife, London Colney, Hertfordshire Census

1861 - Eliza Halsey/Daughter-in-Law/Dressmaker, Watford, Hertfordshire Census 

 1861 - Alfred Halsey/Son-in-Law/work in Iron Foundry, Watford, Hertfordshire Census

According to the 1771 and 1881 Censuses, the Beeson family were in residence; in 1891, Henry Poole and wife; in 1901, the Hake family, with Jane Hake herself and her family hailing from Deptford and West Ham. This family appear to remain in residence until a Mrs Ethel Blake is recorded in the Post Office Directory of 1922, up until 1937, after which a Geo Bagley is the new name.  (see link below for more information)

In more recent years the Red Lion became ever more closely associated with Watford F.C. The pub came under new ownership, was refurbished and re-opened in 2006 as the Yellow and Red Lion. (According to the Watford F.C. archive, in 1890/91, after only one season at Colney Butts Meadow, the club became the football section of the newly-formed West Herts Club & Ground at Cassio Road). However, beset with problems the pub closed again and was boarded up. More recently (August 2015) a campaign was been launched to save the buildings as a community pub.  

The area of Colney Butts included the Red Lion, the stables and adjoining land, the "cottages" at the end of the strip of land next to the pub, now much enlarged which, together with the Red Lion pub was historically a small holding with surrounding meadows. Colney Butts House, across the road from the Red Lion, became Watford Printers (now closed).

In August 2016, following much debate about its future, the Red Lion reopened, to be run on behalf of No. 8 Hostels, a chain that also runs some pubs in London. 

 References:

 Watford Borough Council - Locally Listed Buildings

 We are indebted to Kevan for permission to publish some of his research taken from the Census records listed above. 

For much more detailed information regarding the Red Lion and other pubs around the country, please follow this link  http://pubshistory.com/HertsPubs/Watford/RedLion.shtml  

WFC archive 

Watford Observer

Brightwells Farm

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.

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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 16^th 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 14^th 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 15^th 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 25^th 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 17^th 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. Sir Charles Morrison added several estates to the manor of Cassiobury, including ‘Hatters Farm’ which was parcel of the manor of Cassiobury in 1691.