A History of the County of Hertfordshire Volume 4 - Layston pages 77 to 88

of Cornerbury.(90) On Anne's death the manor passed to her son Charles,(91) who sold it in 1726 to Francis Goulston(92) In 1731 Francis succeeded his father as lord of the manor of Wyddial (93) (q.v.) and from this date the two manors have descended together.(94) Beauchamps has no longer any manorial rights.

In the reign of Edward the Confessor the manor of ALSWICK (Alsieswiche, xi cent.; Ayshesaldwyk, Alseswick, xiii cent. ; Alstwyk, xiv cent.; Alcewyk, xv cent.; Alwilcewike, Alesborne, Alleswike, xvi cent.; Awlswick, xvii cent.) was held by Almar of Earl Gyrth, the brother of Harold.(95) After the Conquest it became part of the possessions of Ralph Baynard and in 1086 was held of him by his tenant William. It was then assessed at 6 hides.(96) The honour of Baynard escheated to the Crown in the reign of Henry I and was granted to Robertson of Richard son of Gilbert de Clare, founder of the house of Fitz Walter.(97). The overlordship of Alswick Manor descended with the family of Fitz Walter,(98) whose rights in Alswick can be traced down to 1328.(99)

William, the tenant of 1086, was succeeded before the middle of the 12th century by Richard Fitz William, who granted the chapel of Alswick to the Prior and convent of Holy Trinity.(100) This grant appears to have accompanied a gift of the whole or part of the manor, for in 1291 the prior's lands in Layston with services and a mill there were assessed at £19 10s 71/2d.(1) In 1397 Geoffrey Cornhill of Springfield and Margaret his wife were holding a manor of Alswick,(2) possibly as farmers or mortgagees, and in 1432 John Olyver and Ida his wife levied a fine of the manor.(3) In 1531 the priory of Holy Trinity was dissolved(4) and its lands in Alswick and elsewhere were granted to Sir Thomas Audley.(5) The manor of Alswick appears to have passed to William Ayloffe and Alice his wife, who sold it to John Crouch.(6) In February 1605—6 John Crouch died seised of the manor, which descended to his son John.(7) He died in 1615 .(8) His son John suffered a recovery of the manor in 1662, (9) and on his death it descended to his son Pike Crouch,(10) who died in 1712.(11) John Crouch, son of Pike, conveyed the manor in 1720 to Jacob Houblon,(12) who appears to have been one of the executors of Charles Houblon.(13) Jacob son and heir of Charles Houblon came of age in 1731 and inherited the manor.(14) It descended to his son Jacob in 1770,(15) to John Archer-Houblon, son of Jacob, in 1831, and at the Latter's death to his son John Archer-Houblon of Hallingbury, co. Essex.(16) It has recently been bought from Colonel G. B. Archer-Houblon by Mr. J. R. Russell, farmer, of Westmill Bury.

The manor of GIBERACK (Gyvcrake, Gibcracke, xvi cent.), the earliest reference to which by name occurs in the 16th century, appears to represent the lands held by the nuns of Holywell.

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