Thrale history

Marshalswick, Sandridge, Hertfordshire, England

Tree: UK Thrale family

Notes:

The name Marshalswick comes from John and William Marschal who owned land between 1271 and 1377, and Wick which meant 'hamlet', 'town' or 'village' in Old English.

Marshalswick mansion house & estate

1728 - 1768. Thrale ownership

In 1728 Thomas Thrale of Marshalswick surrendered part of Marshalswick Farm, Potten Field which was part of the farm called Greens, as well as Johnsons and Sharps Closes of the same farm. The acreage was 80 acres for Marshalswick Farm and 50 for the Greens Farm Fields. The purchase mortgage was to John Thornton of St. Pauls, Covent Garden, and Thomas Fortescue of St. Giles.

On 25 February 1736, it was reported the steward received for Duchess Sarah Jennings £120 from Thomas Thrale for corn grown at Marshalswick. On the 17th May Ralph Thrale was reported as promising to pay the last year's Tithe in a week, but on the 25th May, Ralph could still not pay but would be sure to pay two years tithe before he cut any of his corn.

In 1765, further mortgages took place by Thomas and Elizabeth and their eldest son Thomas, to Joseph Osman, the house being in the tenure of Major Richardson.

Three years later, in 1768, the mortgage money was increased: Osman sold his claims to James Higgins, who completed the purchase, and thus, the Thrale interest was finally extinguished.

1769-1921. Marten ownership

In 1769 Samuel Marten brought the property, although Major Richardson was still the occupier. By 1788, Samuel Marten had died, 2nd Earl Spencer declined to purchase, and Charles Bouchier of Tittenhanger purchased the estate. He changed the name of the main house to Sandridge Lodge, altered the character of the house by adding the west wing and added to the estate.

In 1802, Mr Strode bought the estate, and the Marten family repurchased it in 1803 and restored the name 'Marshalswick' in 1818.

In 1824, they added a West Wing. The early death of the first Mrs. Marten and four of her boys is commemorated in the church.

In 1826, bachelor George Marten inherited the estate and lived there for fifty years. A billiard room and two lodges to the east and west were also built. George's half-sister Cecilia fell in love with William Holloway, the tenant of Marshalswick Farm. The Martens hardly approved, and at the age of 48 she was still single: it is happy to record however that she died at Welwyn in 1881 as Mrs. William Holloway.

G.N. Marten writing to Cussans in 1888 gave further information that he inherited in 1876 from his elder brother and added a billiard room, two lodges to the east and west and several cottages; the estate then was about 809 acres.

On 12 May 1921, Marshalswick was sold for £22,000 and 127 acres of land were sold for private housing development.

1927 demolition & redevelopment

In 1927, the houses were demolished and replaced with two lodges that are now known as 1 Marshals Drive and 191 Marshalswick Lane.

In the late 1930s, the farm was bought for residential development and a shopping precinct which is called The Quadrant. The only remaining historic building is the old brewhouse on Marshals Drive.

Marshalswick Farm

The estate plan shows the west-to-east carriageway to be the present line of Marshals Drive. The old brewhouse in Marshals Drive is the only building not to have been demolished. The area sold was bordered on the north and east by Marshalswick Lane as we now know it from the William IV corner round to Sandpit Lane, the southern end of this road being called at that time New Road. The southern boundary was Sandpit Lane and the western boundary was the railway line. Much of the old Home Wood was cut to form Homewood Road and the estate is now bisected by roads such as Gurney Court Road and Charmouth Road.

1825

1880 murder of Edward Anstee

In 1880, the building at Marshalswick Farm was described in the Herts Advertiser newspaper following the murder of the farmer Edward Anstee and the subsequent hanging of convicted killer Thomas Wheeler. The description of the farmhouse was …

A dwelling of red brick with a portico and bow drawing-room window projecting beyond the other parts of the building. The back of the house was enclosed in a small court so frequently seen at older farmsteads. The house, very nicely furnished, consisted of a drawing room, dining room and kitchen on the ground floor with four bedrooms on the first floor and some other accommodation above.

1921 sale & redevelopment

Marshalswick Farm was auctioned for redevelopment in 1921 for £22,000. The farm occupied the site where the Quadrant Shopping Precinct now stands.

Location : Latitude: 51.7675435, Longitude: -0.3063565