Where exact dates are known, these are given on the timeline headers, otherwise we have used “January 1st in the year X” to represent “sometime in year X” or a nearby known date. Where events took place over or within a period of several years, we have listed the year in which the events started. The finer detail, where known, is included in the text, and this should help clarify.
The “Read More” links in the summaries open short articles with more information. These open in new web tabs so you can easily return to your place in the timeline.
This is a work in progress – we will add more as time allows.
We are hugely indebted to Amber Dunstan for her research and hope you enjoy reading about the people involved with Hunsdon and its church over the years…
Our Story
St Dunstan is not strictly connected to the history of Hunsdon Church, but since the building is now dedicated in his name, it seems appropriate to mention him. Throughout most of its past, Hunsdon Church has simply been known as Hunsdon Parish Church, with occasional instances where it appeared to…Read More
In 1086, the Domesday Book was compiled. There were just 19 households recorded in Hunsdon (the land of Ralph Tallboy’s Daughter). Among the residents listed are three slaves, one Frenchman (probably a soldier) and, importantly, a priest.[1] Historians calculate that the population would have been roughly five times the number…Read More
John Tyrrell was Sheriff of Hertfordshire and Essex in 1413 and 1423. Knighted in 1431, he was appointed Treasurer of the Royal Household in May of that year. It was a role he kept until his death in 1437.[1] He was also elected Speaker of the House of Commons in…Read More
On 20th October 1445, Richard, Duke of York returned from war in France and acquired the Manor of Hunsdon. The circumstances of this acquisition are not clear, though John Tyrrell had been appointed to the role of Steward of Clare and Thaxted when Richard was a child, so there may…Read More
Sir William Oldhall (c. 1390 – 1460) was a soldier in the later years of the Hundred Years War, fought between 1337 and 1453 by France and England.[1] 1440- Became chamberlain to Richard, 3rd Duke of York, also known as Richard Plantagenet.[2] 1448- Given Hunsdon as a gift, or possibly…Read More