Thrale history

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The first unofficial St. Albans Corporation of feoffees, consisted of Thomas Lockey (whose brother's name was to be given to the new modern St. Peter's Street building in which the present day Thrales trade), Sir Richard Lee, Ralph Rowlatt, Richard Raynshaw, Henry Gape, Thomas Skipworth, John Maynard, and John Kentish. All have been mentioned except for Richard Raynshaw and John Kentish. The former was once a member of the Yeoman of the Guard, who was a tenant of the Pré on the Redbourn Road, and kicked his landlord Ralph Rowlatt out of the Abbey one Easter Sunday. This is probably what Robert Thrale the younger would have liked to have done also. John Kentish would be a member of a family very close to Sandridge. They also in later years owned much of the old Spencer Park on the west of St. Peter's Street, cut by Gombards. Thomas Kentish of Sandridge in 1711 set up a trust for the education of children by the name of Kentish which is still in being.

The family of one of the feoffees mentioned earlier, the Maynard family, possess a most interesting hatchment board which can be seen in St. Albans Abbey, and is possibly one of the earliest in England. A hatchment is a board erected over a tomb or memorial to indicate the descent and alliances of the deceased person. This particular hatchment is of great heraldic interest, bearing three principal shields, the first of the deceased Ralph Maynard of St. Albans dated 1613, displaying the arms of Maynard and the family alliances on the other ten shields with his, the second of Ralph's mother Margery dated 1547, who was a Rowlatt and the alliances of her family, and the third of Ralph's second wife Margery Seale and her arms, dated 1619.¹⁷

Robert Thrale the younger died a relatively short time after his father in 1541. His wife Jane, his son Thomas who was aged nineteen years, and another son Alban were to share the farm in accordance with the will. His sons John and William Thrale had arrangements made for them, and there is mentioned an arrangement made with the lorde Master Rauf Rowlatt with the result that Thomas was left also Townynges (possibly Town Farm), Alban Phylyps Smythes, John Feyrwnlfes (probably Fairfolds) and William Grownwynd Malewerdecroft anne Howberys. Provision was made for his mother Alice Fitz as is already known and also for Alice his daughter.¹⁸ Besides Sandridgebury therefore, substantial land tenures passed to the next generation.

Thus the Thrales came to Sandridge.

Footnotes

17. A.W. Longden - Heraldry in the Abbey - St. Albans Abbey Magazine October 1972.↩︎
18. Arch. St. Albans Reg. Ower Fo.27.↩︎