| Lords
of Newselles |
| The
Scalers established themselves initially as Lords
of Newselles in Hertfordshire (see the map
top right), a name to be attached intermittently
to the family for many generations. The current
OS map has the spelling Newsells, which is
4 miles south-east of Royston in Hertfordshire,
but there is no longer a village as such.
Neighbouring Reed (see the map bottom right) was
to become an important seat of the family. There
are the remains of a number of ancient moated
dwellings and a motte and bailey castle in the
area. There is also a Scales Park
south-east of Barkway. The major Roman Road Ermine
Street passes nearby. |
| |
| Lands in Hertfordshire |
| By
the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, Hardwin
held a considerable amount of land around the
Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire border. In
Hertfordshire, these possessions lay to the south
and west of Royston connected with the villages
of Reed, Therfield, Kelshaw, Hinxworth, Ashwell,
Wallington, Clothall, Rushden and Sacombe. He
also had land about 1 mile north of Cottered at
Broadfield, a village that is now extinct, and a
more southerly domain at Little Berkhamstead
about 5 miles south-west of Hertford. Reed was to
become an important family seat. |
| |
| Lands in Cambridgeshire |
| In
Cambridgeshire, most of Hardwin’s territory
lay in a triangle between Royston, Cambridge and
St. Neot’s connected with the villages of
Caxton, Croxton, Caldecote, Longstowe, Kingston,
Great Eversden, Little Eversden, Orwell, Wimpole,
Shepreth and Little Shelford. Caxton and Little
Shelford were to become further important family
seats. |
| The
current OS maps show the remains of many
mediaeval moated dwellings in these Hertfordshire
and Cambridgeshire villages. These moats can not
have been built for defence as they would have
been rather ineffective as such. They are more
likely to have been fashionable status symbols in
imitation of the great castles. |
|
|
