SOUTHILL with ROWNEY

HOLME MILL GRANGE was an estate belonging to Warden Abbey, which after the Dissolution was conveyed in 1594 to Richard Sutton for the use of George Fish, queen's surveyor in the county of Bedford. George Fish died in 1603, and was succeeded by his son Sir John Fish. The estate was alienated by Sir Edward Fish, son or grandson of Sir John, between 1635 and 1668, and does not reappear. Holme Mills formed a separate estate from the grange, and were granted in 1607–8, being then in the tenure of William Rolffe, to John afterwards Sir John Brett, who died in 1620, leaving a son and heir Owen, after which they do not reappear as a distinct estate, though the name has survived in the district to the present day. Holme Mill was partly destroyed by fire, and rebuilt, a few years ago. The old water-mill is still working, with additional enginepower. There was a rabbit warren in Southill covering 100 acres, and worth £1 13s. 4d. yearly, which after the Dissolution was in the tenure of George Fish, and was granted in 1607 to Sir Edward Phillips.

The names of five other tenants in Southill were recorded in the Domesday Survey. Of these Walter the Fleming held half a hide of woodland, which his predecessor owned in the time of King Edward, and Alric held 1 virgate of Walter; further, Richard Pungiant owned another half-hide of woodland, which had belonged to Archbishop Stigand before the Conquest. It has been found impossible to trace the later descent of these holdings. Another of the small Domesday tenants was William le Caron, who held half a virgate of Eudo Dapifer, to whom reference has been made under Shefford Hardwick.

Countess Judith also owned 1 hide of land in this parish, having Hugh de Beauchamp as her tenant. This holding followed the same descent as that of Southill Manor, which passed to Warden (q.v.), and in 1257–8 Robert Bruce, representing the honour of Huntingdon, relinquished to Warden all claims in Southill.

The priory of St. John of Jerusalem had an estate in Stanford in 1284–6 which they held of the barony of Eaton, and which was tenanted by Richard Wyscard. During the reign of Edward I the prior claimed view of frankpledge in his lands in Stanford under a charter of Henry III, and in the time of Edward III the courts were held twice a yeare in the manor of Clifton. After the Dissolution in 1540 this property was granted to Sir Richard Longe. The later descent of this estate has not been traced.

The priory of Chicksands owned part of a knight's fee of the barony of Bedford in Stanford during the 14th and 15th centuries, but at the Dissolution their property in the hamlet was only worth 2s. 8d. One tenant in Broom is mentioned in Domesday, Nigel de Wast, who held 5 hides of Nigel d'Albini. It has been found impossible to trace the early descent of this land, but in 1319 land in Broom was named in connexion with Holme and Biggleswade, and awarded to Thomas de Holme and Nichola his wife as against Roger son of Richard de Milnho. Broom remained closely connected with Holme, for at the end of the 14th century, when Richard II transferred Richard le Scrope's gift of all his lands there to the monastery of St. Peter at Westminster, the grant included all manors, lands and tenements in the hamlet of Broom formerly belonging to Richard le Scrope. After the Dissolution these lands were granted in 1542 to the Dean and abbey of Westminster.