Manors

Domesday

Stanford has a number of mentions in the Domesday Book, many more, indeed, than its modern size might be thought to warrant. The major land owner was Eudo, son of Hubert who held 4 hides|, his tenant being William de Cairon. The holding included 3 villagers and 2 slaves. It also included 2 mills valued together at 29 shillings and 50 eels and woodland for 60 pigs. In 1066 the holding had belonged to Wulfmer of Eaton, a thegn of King Edward the Confessor. It had then been worth £4, which had dropped to half that when Eudo acquired it (in common with most Bedfordshire holdings and thought by historians to be as a consequence of the depredations of William I's armies as they moved north to quell rebellion); by 1086 it was, once more, worth £4.

Another landowner was Hugh de Beauchamp (made Baron of Bedford within ten years by William II). He held 7 acres which were tenanted by 7 freemen who had once been tenants of Wulfmer. He also owned a separate hide and half a virgate |which he did not have tenanted in 1086. This holding comprised 4 villagers and a smallholder and was worth 20 shillings. It had been worth the same amount in 1066 when it was owned by 4 freemen (of whom only three could sell, the fourth, who owned a hide could not grant or sell) - perhaps the 4 villagers living there under Hugh. There was another hide which Hugh owned in Stanford which was tenanted by Roger; it comprised 4 villagers and a smallholder as well as half a mill, valued at 5/- and woodland for 16 pigs. This holding had been worth 10 shillings in 1066, when it had been owned by Aelmer of Hoo. The value had declined to 5/- when Hugh acquired it but by 1086 had risen to 15/-.

William Speke owned a hide which was tenanted by Hugh; it contained half a mill valued at 5/-, presumably the other half of that owned by Hugh de Beauchamp and tenanted by Roger. It also contained 2 slaves and woodland for 20 pigs. It had been worth 20 shillings in 1066 when owned by Leofmer, a thegn of Edward the Confessor; this remained the value when Speke acquired it but had fallen to 15/- by 1086.

Azelina, Ralph Tallboys' wife was recorded as having 2 hides tenanted by Roger (perhaps the same as that tenanting Hugh de Beauchamp's land). Domesday Book noted that this was her marriage portion. The holding contained 2 villagers and 1 smallholder. It also contained a mill and woodland for 30 pigs. In 1066 it had been owned by 2 freemen (the 2 villagers?) and had been worth 60 shillings. This had fallen to 20 shillings by the time that Azelina acquired it but had risen to 60 shillings again by 1086.

King William I owned two further portions of land in Stanford himself. Four parts of a virgate were tenanted by Alric, who had been owner in 1066, and were valued together at 12d. A further four parts of a virgate were tenanted by Ordwy, again the owner in 1066, and were valued at 4d.

Stanfordbury Manor

Stanford contained two manors. Stanfordbury Manor is first recorded in 1198 when it was confirmed to Warden Abbey by King Richard I. In 1257 it was recorded as comprising 4½ hides and was attached to the Barony of Bedford, suggesting it may have had, as a nucleus, the land held by Hugh de Beauchamp at Domesday. The manor remained with the abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1543 the Crown granted the manor to Edward Gostwick. His son conveyed it to Oliver, Lord St.John in 1564 and remained in the family for about two hundred years but by 1792 was held by the Ongley family, remaining with them until conveyed by Robert, Third Baron Ongley to Joseph Shuttleworth of Old Warden in the 1870s. The Shuttleworth family retained the manor into the 20th century (all manorial incidents, courts and tenure of land being abolished under the Law of Property Act 1922.)

Stanford Manor

Stanford Manor was first recorded in 1284 when it was in the possession of John le Child. His son alienated it in the early 14th century to John de Pabenham. This family was last recorded in connection with the manor in 1346. In 1360 land in Stanford was granted to Warden Abbey by William Burlee and others and it has been assumed that this was Stanford Manor. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was leased by the Crown but in 1574 was owned by Cuthbert Reyner who sold it in that year to George Mordaunt. He conveyed it to John, Lord St.John of Bletsoe in 1595 after which time was absorbed into Stanfordbury Manor.