History

History of Hanworth Timeline

My research so far...

1086:

"During EDWARD the CONFESSOR's time, Hanworth was held by ULF, a “huscarl” of the King. Huscarls were the bodyguards of Scandinavian Kings and were often the only professional soldiers in the Kingdom. The majority of huscarls in the kingdom were killed at Hastings in

1086, and WILLIAM the CONQUEROR granted Hanworth to ROBERT under ROGER DE MONTGOMERY, the Earl of Arundel. After his death his second son held the land until his death in the Mowbray conspiracy of 1098, after which it passed to his eldest son, ROBERT DE BELLESME, who also rebelled against the Crown in 1102 with the result that the lands were confiscated.

Towards the end of the 14th century SIR NICHOLAS BREMBRE, who was Mayor of London in 1377 and 1378, occupied the manor. Sir Nicholas was hung at Tyburn in 1387, having been accused of treason.

In 1512 Hanworth came to the Crown and HENRY VIII, who enjoyed hunting on the heath surrounding the village, gave the manor to ANNE BOLEYN for life. After her execution, the manor returned to the King who held it until his death in 1547, when it passed to his final wife KATHERINE PARR , who lived in the house with her stepdaughter PRINCESS ELIZABETH. When the princess became Queen she stayed at Hanworth Manor several times, often hunting on the heath.

1042-1066

4 Hides were confirmed to Westminster Abbey by Edward the Confessor

100s

In the 12^th century the heath was part of the Forest of Staines. The forest Laws applied to it; those found poaching the Kings’ game were mutilated. (1)

1267

The EARL of GLOUCESTER had an army of Londoners, in opposition to Henry I,I on the Heath. (1)

1294:

The Manor House valued at 40s

1300:

The manor had six freeholders who paid quit-rents, amounting to 16s (£0.80p) and 8 villans, whose rents amounted to 24s (£1.20), there was a water-mill value at 10s. (£0.50p). Extracts from LYSONS “The Environs of London” 1791 Hounslow Library

1491-1547

HENRY VIII

1533-1603:

Elizabeth 1

Hanworth Palace during HENRY V111’s reign it was a royal seat. Elizabeth 1 stayed here as a young girl and later on in her life she came back as the hunting was so good in the area. The palace was destroyed by fire in 1797. The only remains of the site are a pair of late C18 alcoves for garden seats, fireplace arches to the South and West of Tudor House, and the West arm of the moat. The former stables, built circa 1770, have been converted to form Tudor Court flats. ( As you travel around the area you are following in Henry's and Elizabeth's footsteps! Perhaps Butts Farm is on their old hunting grounds.)

1548:

50 Houses in Hanworth. Extracts from LYSONS “The Environs of London” 1791 Hounslow Library

1546:

A bill was placed before parliament “The Bill of Hounslow Heath”: to improve the wasteground and soil., 4,239 acres which included: Isleworth, Brentford, Twickenham, Heston, Feltham, Harlington, Cranford, Harmondsworth, Stanwell, Hanworth, Bedfont, Hampton, Hounslow and Teddington. The land belonged to HENRY VIII. Most of the waste land was covered with heath and gorse…it was the rendezvous of gypsies and other loose persons, constant resort of footpads and highwaymen. MR. G.E. BATE “And So Make A City Here”

1500s:

The heath which covered 4,293 acres in the 16^th century (1)

1551-1623

WILLIAM CAMDEN states “Hanworth a small royal seat, which Henry V111 took great delight in and made the scene of his pleasures.” Extracts from LYSONS “The Environs of London” 1791 Hounslow Library

1603:

Plague years – three burials at Hanworth. Extracts from LYSONS “The Environs of London” 1791 Hounslow Library

1606

Berkeley, Sir William -1606–77, colonial governor of Virginia, USA -born at Hanworth (Not a person that we want to be proud of) http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0807178.html

1625:

Plague years – nineteen burials at Hanworth. Extracts from LYSONS “The Environs of London” 1791 Hounslow Library

1629:

Letter from LORD COTTINGTON of Hanworth to LORD STRAFFORD: a brick wall about the gardens at Hanworth…pheasants, partridges, & wild fowl…there is a certain large room made under the new building with a fountain in it… the open gallery is all painted by the hand of a second Titian…certainly they will wholly neglect the flight of HOCUS’S dog

1631

LORD COTTINGTON On 10 July 1631 he was created Baron Cottington of Hanworth . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Cottington,_1st_Baron_Cottington

1635

QUEEN HENRIETTA MARIA wife of CHARLES I stayed in Hanworth with her court to escape the plague in London. (1)

1685-1688

JAMES II had an army of 13,000 men in an attempt to overawe the people of London, but instead it became a popular day out for Londoners. (1)

1678

CHARLES II assembled his troops on the Heath (1)

1740:

GEORGE II had a military camp on the Heath. (1)

1754:

John ROCQUES Map. No houses in our area yet but there is a little track leading from the Crane to the road - it is named "By The Ways". Hounslow Library, Hanworth History Resource File.

2-10-1762

THE RT. HON. LORD CHARLES SPENCER married HON. MARY BEAUCLERK – with consent of parents by special licence. Hounslow Library - Phillimore

29-9-1765:

WRIGHT PRIEST married ANN GODDARD - by licence. (Note: WRIGHT PRIEST, buried 1800, was a blacksmith and inventor of the celebrated kiln-plates for drying malt). Hounslow Library - Phillimore

1778:

JAS. WALLACE ESQ –buried – was Comptroller of H.M. Victualling Office. Hounslow Library – PHILLIMORE

1785:

Map: No buildings on modern day Butts Farm area, there was a Hanworth Farm in modern day Wigley Road area; housing around modern day Bear Road\Main Street. Major General William Roy used Hounslow Heath as a base line for the first Ordnance Survey. This is a copy of his original work. (2) GENERAL ROY died before the work was completed – measurements so accurate that when the last line of the triangle was measured in Romney Marsh it proved to be only 28 inches different from the calculations based on the first line on the Heath. GEORGE III was very interested and personally defrayed the cost of the special surveying instruments that had to be made. (1)

27-9-1789:

Marriage: RICH. GIBBINS and JANE BUTTS. Hounslow Library, Phillimore. (Connection

there with Butts Farm perhaps?)

1790:

53 Houses in Hanworth. Extracts from LYSONS “The Environs of London” 1791 Hounslow Library

1791:

Up to the enclosure the right to pasture their animals on the Heath, and let their geese, ducks and fowls wander over it. Cattle, sheep and geese were reared on the Heath and sold at Hounslow Market. Extracts from LYSONS “The Environs of London” 1791 Hounslow Library

15-9-1793:

CHARLOTTE, daughter of VISCOUNT CHETWYND, baptised. Phillimore

1793:

Thomas Baird reporting to the Board of Agriculture in 1793: almost the whole of the Heath is sacrificed to a few farmers who live on the borders of it, and put on it immense quantities of greyhound like sheep that hunt about for their food, and devour with avidity every pile of grass they can meet with. The Heath cannot have been made any more attractive by the rows of gibbets that lined the route across it, each one of which held the rotting body of a highwayman. The gibbets ceased to be used in about 1801 but were not removed until 1809. The thick bushes that covered the Heath made it easy for a thief to lose his pursuers, and its proximity to London meant that loot could be disposed of easily to a fence. It was a safe place for no one, though the botanist SIR JOSEPH BANKS suffered more from law officers than highwaymen, for he was arrested while collecting specimens in the Heath and was not released till he had been brought before the local magistrate who recognised him as a neighbour. (1)

1796

HORACE WALPOLE: mill caught fire and a large barge and the mill exploded. All the north side of Twickenham and Brentford are shattered. At London it was proclaimed an earthquake and half the inhabitants ran into the street. (1)

1800:

56 Houses with 300 residents. The Soil is for the most part light loam intermixed with gravel. The Parish pays the sum of £122.10s.11d to the land-tax, which is the rate of about 2s in the pound. LYSONS “The Environs of London” 1791.

1800:

The whole area from the Crane River to the main road was common land. It was in 1800 that it was divided up and sold. This was under the Enclosure Act. This was a bit unfair, as local people had been allowed to graze their cattle there and to collect fuel: that is to collect wood for heating and cooking. After it was divided up there was a much smaller are for locals to use. You can see the details and a map of the area in the Local Studies Centre, Hounslow Library. (When I have a decent camera I'll take a photo of the map and put it on here)

1926

Gunpowder Mills closed. Earth mounds in the park were man-made; heaped up on either side of high-risk buildings. Horse Chestnut trees were planted for the same reason: they were there to help contain any explosions. They were occupied (owned) by a Mr Smith. He was succeeded by a Mr Hill and followed by ISAAC BUTTS (Butts Farm perhaps?) who sold out to the partnership of HARVEY & GREUBER. Hounslow Library, Hanworth History Resource File.

1934

As well as jam making etc there was a Paper Cap Works. Building of the A316.

1949-1951

BUTTS FARM ESTATE IS BEING BUILT My mum moved into her home in 1950 and the estate was still being built. Twickenham Council managed to get an Act of Parliament passed to allow them to build the estate. They had to ask Hounslow council for the land as Twickenham had not enough spare for the amount of houses they needed to build.

1952

A landmark for Butts Farm as I was born here!

1954:

The King and Queen of Sweden visit Butts Farm. They had expressed a wish to visit a new housing development – what better place than here.

Other:

THE MOUNT

The hill opposite Hanworth Library is an old ICE-HOUSE. Built for Hanworth Park House, late 1800s. The ICE-HOUSE was cleared of rubbish in WW2 and used as an air-raid shelter. After that it was used by the Parks Department as a storage area. Hounslow Library, Hanworth History Resource File.

BUT is the above the whole story? Because when I googled "Mount" this is what I found:

A Mount is a characteristic feature of English gardens in the Middle Ages.

It is a mound, often with a summer house on top, used to provide a view out from an enclosed garden.

Sometimes, a circular path led to a seat or bower on the summit.

Watch this space as I delve more into this.....

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Most of this information can be found in Hounslow Library, Local Studies Centre and on the web.

(1)The King’s England. London North Of The Thames Except The City And Westminster. ARTHUR MEE 1937. Feltham Library. Local Studies

(2) “An Account Of The Measurement Of A Base On Hounslow Heath By MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM ROY” – an excerpt from the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Vol 75 Pt 2 – I was amazed to find this in Feltham Library.