Having been in and out of favour with the King because of his associations with and support for Richard, Duke of York, Sir William Oldhall did not enjoy unencumbered ownership of Hunsdon. His property was confiscated and passed to others, including York’s rival Somerset. However, at the time of his death in November 1460, he was able to call it his own. In his will, dated 15th November, he left Hunsdon to his executors to be sold to pay legacies. One of the executors was the Archbishop of Canterbury. He transferred the Manor to trustees who conveyed it to the Bishop of Durham (Lawrence Booth) and others who, it appears, were acting for King Edward IV.
However tortuous the route, Hunsdon became the property of the Crown by 1476.[1]
[1] https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/herts/vol3/pp323-332#h3-s2 accessed 22nd August 2024