WEYBRIDGE FOREST (Walberg, Wardeberg, Warburgeberia [xii cent.]; Wauberg [xii-xiii cent.]; Wabrig [xv-xvi cent.]; Waybridge, Weybridge [xvi-xvii cent.]) was a royal forest, and extended into Alconbury, Brampton and Ellington; it was perhaps formed from the 36 hides 'in Brampton' (q.v.) mentioned in 1086. One hide of land in Ellington (q.v.) was waste because of the king's forest in 1086, and was assessed with Weybridge later by order of Henry II. Henry I dated a writ from his wood here about 1110. The boundaries of the 'hays' of Weybridge and Harthay in Brampton (q.v.), both already afforested, were perambulated in 1154, 1225 and 1301.
Montagu.
Argent a fesse indented of three fusils gules in a border sable, quartered with or an cagle vert.
The foresters of Weybridge are mentioned in 1227, the warden in 1303. The wardenship was given to Lord North in the 16th century, and by James I to his favourite, Robert (Carr), Earl of Somerset. By te the forest must have diminished considerably in area; part of it was sold by Lord Berkeley, by mischance, with his manor of Alconbury in 1600, and he was forced to give James I composition for a close of 480 acres, part of which was called 'Great Sartfeild,' and other lands claimed by the king as parcel of his 'forests of Sapley and Weybridge.' There were 1,229 acres of assarted lands in these two forests in about 1604.
The Crown retained the forest until the 17th century, the wardenship being granted for life to Sir Oliver Cromwell, of Hinchingbrooke, in 1614. Sir Oliver conveyed his interest to Henry, Earl of Manchester, in 1627, and a week later all the Cromwell interest was surrendered to the Crown. Possibly the forest was granted to trustees, as in 1632 Nicholas Bacon, and in 1633 Robert Bernard, of Brampton, conveyed their rights in it to Henry, Earl of Manchester. When Weybridge passed out of the hands of the Crown it ceased to be a forest, and would ordinarily have become a chace, but owing probably to its restricted area, it was known as Weybridge Park. It continued to be the property of the Earls and Dukes of Manchester, and followed the descent of Kimbolton (q.v.) until 1913, when the Duke of Manchester and his trustees sold the two farms, Weybridge Farm and Weybridge Lodge Farm, representing the park, to Mr. George Ralph Cunliffe Foster, of Cambridge. In the same year Mr. Foster sold Weybridge Lodge Farm to Dr. Joseph Griffiths, of Cambridge, who still owns it, and Weybridge Farm to Mr. Henry Ringrow, who put it up for auction in 1915.
Victoria County History - Huntingdonshire Published in 1932
