Reference
V1-321
Title
Deeds of the Horne family trust estates and funds
Admin/biog history
This consists of the title deeds and other documents relating to the trust funds and estates settled on two sisters, Anne Horne and Martha Bold, at the beginning of the 19th century.
The early history of the manor is given in the Victoria County History III pg60-61. It was in the hands of the Radwell family from the 13th century until the mid-fifteenth century when it passed to the Rands family. According to the VCH in 1445 Thomas, son of John Radwell died seized of the estate which was held by Margaret, widow of John until her death in the same year. The manor then passed to Edmund Randes, grandson of John's sister Margery.
The court rolls in this collection [V260] bear out the above account: in 1433 the court was held by John Radwell but in the following year by Margaret "who was the wife of John of Radewell"; she was still holding the court in 1437. In 1447 the court was held by the guardian of Ed[mund] Randes "kinsman and heir of Thomas Radewell deceased, under age and in the custody of the King during the minority of the same Ed[mund]". On 9 April 1449 there was held the first court of Ed[mund] Randes, now of full age.
The manor continued in the Rands family apparently in the direct line of descent until 1721 when Oliver Rands died without issue; the administration of his goods was granted to Catherine Rands his cousin, who with her sister Mary, wife of Henry Ventris, were his heirs at law. Their claim to the manor, however, was disputed by anouther cousin. Mary and Catherine left their kinsman Peter Easton and his wife Rebecca in charge of the manor on their behalf, but these were ejected by John Rands who had come to Radwell about six months before Oliver's death "to be kept by him upon charity and remained there after his death having no place to go to [he] used the aforesaid means to get into possession" [V268]. John can have had few grounds for a legal claim to the manor and certainly judgement was given in favour of Catherine and Mary (if in fact the lawsuit was ever carried to a conclusion) for in 1724 they conveyed it to a trustee, William Salisbury [V17]. Mary Ventris died without issue, probably between 1724 and 1731 [V20-21], hence by her death in 1741 Catherine Rands was the sole owner of the manor.
In addition to the manorial property inherited from her cousin Oliver, Catherine Rands also inherited premises from her father Oliver. After his death her mother remairried to Thomas Boddington of Newton Blossomville, Bucks and conveyed a farm in Felmersham, part of her husband's estate to trustees for the benefit of her daughters [V137]; on the daeath of her sister Catherine was left in possession. V22-39 are deeds relating to the estate of Catherine's father Oliver, but it is not clear what connection these have (if any) with the other properties in this collection.
Catherine Rands made her will in 1739 [V41] and died early in 1741. She requested that the Felmersham farm should be sold by her trustees, the profits being used for the payment of legacies. The sale was made in 1741 to Robert Warner. The manor and its estate were bequeathed to trustees, chargeable with various annuities; if no claim was made within ten years by her kinsman Edward Rands and his sons "Now in Some Country beyond the Seas" it was to be sold and the profits used for the payment of legacies. No claim was made and the manor was duly sold in 1753 to Jeffery Fisher of Irchester [V42].
In 1748 Jeffery Fisher had married Ann Warner, daughter of Robert Warner, a yeoman of Felmersham. In 1754, the year follwing Fisher's purchase of the Radwell manor estate, Robert Warner died leaving all his lands and real estate to his daughter who was also his executrix. Thus Jeffery Fisher, in his wife's right, became possessed of the Warner estate in Felmersham and Radwell.
Jeffery Fisher had one child, Ann, born in 1757. Her god-father Dr Humphrey Dell of Flitwick made a settlement of bank annity stock on her at the age of 4 and by his will dated 1764 he bequeathed to her property in Flitwick, Greenfield, Maulden and Cranfield [V152; LL1/143] (Dr Dell's estate was partly derived from the Rhodes family of Flitwick and Maulden which explains the presences of V317 in this collection and the last few deeds recited in V309). As an only child Ann also inherited the Felmersham and Radwell properties. She married in 1778 James Hesse of Edmonton, Middlsex [V155]. In the following year Hesse pruchased from William Beaumont an estate in Clifton.
Reference
Level of description
sub-fonds
Persons/institution keyword