Ewelme Park - Early history to 1450 continued

By an undated deed, possibly from around 1290, “the land of Heydon in the vill of Newelme” was conveyed from a William Bryton to his brother Henry, who was probably Henry le Burton. On the 1839 Tithe map of Nuffield two field names refer to a Burton Park. In the early 15th century, at least part of Heydon Ground passed to the de la Pole family as part of Alice’s dowry (in about 1430). It is mentioned in William de la Pole’s Post Mortem Inquisition in 1450, and is referred to as “the New Park called Heydon Park”. This may simply be repeating the wording in the purchase of 1440, noted below, implying that it had only then been emparked recently. It was evidently separate from the original park, and perhaps then separated from the original Heydon Ground since there are no further specific references to it, while Heydon Ground is subsequently mentioned.

In 1440, Alice and William purchased a block of land lying in Nuffield, Ewelme and Benson parishes called the Grendon Land, from the Hospital of St. John the Baptist in Wallingford. It was described as lying “between the new park called Hayden park on the east and land called ‘le Potters’ [Potters Farm now] on the west, and extending from the hill called Ewelme Downe on the north to land sometime of John Kentwode called the ‘Mares’ and ‘Moggeputtes’ and a common of pasture called ’Heretak’ in the south”. This fixes its location in part to include what is now Harcourt Hill. It seems unlikely it would have extended south over the old coaching road since the land there already formed part of Mays Farm. The parish boundaries then were different to those now, with a strip of Benson parish extending up onto Harcourt Hill, and the Nuffield parish boundary extending towards Potters Farm. The area described in the deed does include parts of all three parishes. There is still a Grindon Lane shown on current maps, on the route from Ewelme to this area of land.
William’s PM Inquisition records he held 300 acres of land and 20 acres of wood with appurtenances, called Grendonland, in the parishes of “Tuffield, Ewelme and Bensyngton”, showing its overall size. The calculated area of its assumed boundaries closely tallies. It also suggests Grendonland was then still separate from the park and Haydon Ground.

There is no later reference to Grendonland although, from the acreage of the Park when sold, it was evidently merged with the other park land, very probably before 1500. If its proposed location is correct, Haydon Ground can only have been the land immediately to the east of that.