Hill Manor Old Warden

Volume III of the Victoria County History for Bedfordshire, published in 1912, gives a history of the various manors in Old Warden. Warden Abbey| was dissolved in 1537 and later in the century Hill Manor is first mentioned, suggesting it had formerly been part of the abbey's lands.

The coat of arms of the Mordaunt family

In 1550 John Harding died holding land in Hill and gave it in his will to his daughter Cecilia. She may have been the same woman as Cecilia, wife of George Mordaunt who "held the reputed manor of Hill" in 1585. Around this date a cecilia and John Mordaunt conveyed the manor to Lewis, Lord Mordaunt and his son, Henry, who sold it in 1604 to William, afterwards, Sir William Plomer, High Sheriff of Bedfordshire who died holding the manor in 1626.

The Palmer family coat of arms

In 1627 Robert Plomer conveyed Hill Manor to Robert Palmer for £1,000. The manor then stayed in the Palmer family until 1713. In that year Thomas Palmer sold the manor to Sir George Byng, Lord High Admiral.

The Byng family coat of arms

The manor remained in the Byng family until at least 1762 but by 1824 as in the hands of Robert, Third Lord Ongley|. This is the last mention of the manor to be found in the historical record. The manor's seat was Hill House|.