The Manor of Norwood

The Victoria County History for Bedfordshire, published in 1912, traced the histories of the various manors in the county. This manor is first recorded in the 14th century when the overlord was John Peyvre, though before 1388 overlordship had passed to the Barony of Wahull remaining with the barony until the latter years of King Henry VII (1485-1509) when it passed to the Crown and after 1524 there is no further mention of it.

The Northwood family coat of arms

The manor probably originated in land of Henry de Northwood who held 10 acres, 3 roods of land from Robert de Bray in Silsoe in 1203. In 1315 Thomas de Northwood held the manor from John Peyvre. In 1360 Richard Northwood alienated the manor to Reginald de Grey of Ruthyn.

The Greys, later Earls of Kent, and their descendants the Barons Lucas of Crudwell continued to hold the manor into the 20th century. In the 1920s a succession of Law of Property Acts ended manorial fines and the copyhold status of land thus ending manors in all but name.

The de Grey coat of arms