Greenford: Other estates

OTHER ESTATES.

Before the Conquest there had been an estate held by Leofric (Leuric), a man of Earl Lewin, which in 1086 was held by one Alveve in free alms from the king. There was also a Frenchman in Greenford in 1086 who held a hide and a virgate from Westminster Abbey. (fn. 1) About 1220 there were three free tenants of the abbey, two of whom held ½ hide each, the land of the other one being unspecified. (fn. 2)

In 1199 Richard of Hinton held a virgate in Greenford, (fn. 3) and in 1202 Henry of Hinton received ½ virgate from Mabel of Greenford. (fn. 4) This land may possibly have been situated in Little Greenford, or Perivale, as both in 1210-12 (fn. 5) and 1235-6 (fn. 6) Maud of Hinton held a knight's fee in Greenford of the honor of Mandeville. The honor is not known to have held any land in Great Greenford whereas Geoffrey de Mandeville held land in Perivale in 1086. (fn. 7) During the Middle Ages there seem to have been some other small estates of 20 acres and less in Greenford, (fn. 8) and one or two of over 40 acres. (fn. 9)

In the 16th century the estate of the Millett family amounted to two houses and 153 acres of land, (fn. 10) which in 1601 lay in Great Greenford and on Horsenden Hill. (fn. 11) By 1683 the Jeffreys family owned a house, two closes, and 30 acres of copyhold land, which lay near Greenford Green. (fn. 12) This holding was increased during the 18th century and passed through the female line of the Jeffreys family to Charles Pratt, created Earl Camden in 1786. Thomas Jeffreys held 102 acres in 1775, (fn. 13) and in 1795 Earl Camden held these, which included the 30 copyhold acres. (fn. 14) Before 1816, however, 117 acres of freehold had been sold by Lord Camden to Benjamin Way. (fn. 15) Another fairly large estate found in the middle and late 18th century is the 201 acres belonging to Robert Child (d. 1782) of Osterley. (fn. 16) After his death his estates descended with his neighbouring estate of Osterley, and by 1806 the Earl of Jersey held 211 acres in Greenford. (fn. 17) During the mid-19th century this estate was dispersed, and by 1841 194 acres of it were owned by Charles Shadwell, lord of the manor of Northolt. (fn. 18) The largest of the freehold estates in Greenford was that of the Way family. Probably descended from Lewis Way, the lessee of part of the manor in the early 18th century, (fn. 19) Benjamin Way owned 415 acres in 1775, (fn. 20) but by 1781 there were only 356. (fn. 21) By inclosure in 1816 his estate had been diminished to little more than 200 acres, (fn. 22) which was still owned by the Ways in 1841. (fn. 23) There were five other estates of 40-100 acres in the 19th and late 18th centuries, and one or two lesser ones. (fn. 24)

The manor of Flambards in Harrow owned appurtenances in Greenford (fn. 25) which lay in 1506 at Brabden Green and on Horsenden Hill. (fn. 26) The manors of Northolt and Down also seem to have held some land in Greenford and Stickleton in the later Middle Ages. (fn. 27)