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A History of Preston in Hertfordshire
Revealed: the forgotten secret of Spindle Cottage, Preston.
How can the remarkable history of a cottage in a Hertfordshire village be hidden for decades?
One authority replied, ‘No-one has joined up the dots before’.
Yet, Spindle Cottage on the Hitchin Road beside Preston’s Cricket Ground has a past to be
celebrated and acknowledged.
In this article, the process of discovery is described.
It was featured in a talk sponsored by the Preston Trust the Village Hall on 23 October 2025.
Also discussed here are future plans to permanently place the cottage’s history in the public eye.
Spindle Cottage’s forgotten secret has been unveiled.
For many years, the two fragmentary historical references to ‘Widow Heath’ have been known. She
owned house at Preston in the 17th century, but no-one has wondered and investigated where her
home was located. It has only been during 2025 that the trail of breadcrumbs has been followed to
discover the answer. .
This article describes in detail the research steps which were taken towards the final unexpected
denouement.
Widow Heath in Temple Dinsley’s manorial record
Every fifty years or so, in the manorial record of Temple Dinsley, there is a summary page of the
Manor’s holdings. One was in 1718 with Temple Dinsley Summary of Fees :
This a record of a cottage at Preston, which had an annual manorial rent of 6d. As noted here, it had
been owned by Widow Heath, and then Stephen Swain by 1718.
Stephen Swain’s ownership of the cottage
Here is an odd circumstance. Stephen Swain lived and died. He probably made a will. But it seems that
the only confirmation of the transfer of his property to his son Edward Swain is in the pages of the
records of the Manor of Maydencroft. What happened to Widow Heath’s cottage is reported in the next
Temple Dinsley summary - the Rental of 1761 :
:
By 1761, Edward Swayne (sic) had a holding of four properties in the Manor of Temple Dinsley. They
included the cottage with a manorial rent of 6d which had been owned by his father Stephen, and
before him by ‘Widow’ Heath’. Thus, the chain of ownership has a third link.
Edward Swain’s ownership of the cottage
Now the identity of the cottage can be prematurely revealed. Affixed to the front of today’s Spindle
Cottage (in the crude working of a blacksmith - for such were at least three generations of these Swains)
are the initials and numerals E S and 1717:
The E S refers to Edward Swain. ‘1717’ is probably a nod to when he took up residence in the cottage.
John Swain’s ownership of the cottage
The next link in the cottage’s chain of ownership is the bequest of it is Edward Swain’s of it to his son,
John. This was made in his will (probate of which was granted in 1794):
Edward left everything in his estate initially to John. But he specifically said, ‘ I give…my freehold
messuage…in the parish of Ippollitts…in the occupation of Henry Merritt…unto my son John Swayne’.
Extracting the pertinent details, the cottage was in the parish, not of Hitchin, but of Ippollitts. This
helps to confirm that the correct property is being referred to - as does the reference to its occupier,
Henry Merritt.
Henry was a woodman at Wain Wood which was just a cricket ball’s throw from Spindle Cottage. By
by a delicious aside, Henry married Hannah Heath (probably the widow’s grand-daughter) in 1732.
The Merritt family had strong connections with Hitchin’s Congregational Back Street Independent
Chapel - their children were baptised there.
William Swain’s ownership of the cottage
The last link in the chain of the cottage’s ownership is that John Swain left it to his son, William:
John’s will (of which probate was granted in 1794) bequeathed, ‘his ‘freehold tenements…in the
several parishes of Hitchin, Ippollitts and Kings Walden (Herts) unto my said son, William’.
The location of the cottage confirmed
The map above is the Tithe Map of Ippollitts Parish (1816) . The parish boundary ran down the centre
of the Hitchin Road and along the centre of Chequers Lane, as shown by the dotted line on the map.
The location of the cottage being referred to through the length of chain is thus confirmed as being
beside the Hitchin Road at Preston, just beyond the branch in the road and neighbouring the
Chequers. The cartographer helpfully added the name of the owner to his map, and that it was
William Swain was noted in the Award (No 457) which accompanied the map. It included a barn:
The chain of ownership of Widow Heath’s cottage
Why Widow Heath’s cottage features in the religious history of
Hertfordshire and England
Dating the origins of Spindle Cottage
When was ‘Spindle Cottage’ built. The Historic England website is unhelpful. It only notes the iron
figures on the front wall - 1717. Their exact comment is ’IE 1717 in metal letters on front.’ This is non-
committal. Are they suggesting this is a reference to when it was built? However, as noted earlier,
1717 was likely the year during which Edward began residing there.
There is more substantive evidence nearby which helps to answer the question of when was the
cottage built. As shown below, beside the home is a barn. As pictured above, a barn is shown near the
property on the 1816 Tithe Map. Historic England date the barn as follows: ‘Barn, now garage, C17’.
If the barn was built in the 1600s, then it is probable, if not certain, that the cottage with which the
barn has always been associated was also built in the 1600s.
A review of the religious landscape of England from 1534 to 1672 helps to explain why Widow Heath’s
Cottage is historically significant.
From Henry VIII’s break with Rome (1534) and the Elizabethan Settlement (1559) through to the mid-
17th century, England was repeatedly reshaped by shifts in church policy and enforcement.
The Elizabethan church sought a Protestant uniformity that many - Puritans, Separatists,
Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, Quakers and recusant Catholics alike - found increasingly
intolerable; disputes over liturgy, local patronage, episcopal authority and clerical appointments. These
fed wider political tensions at parish and national levels.
Those religious conflicts were a major element in the crisis of the 1640s and the Civil Wars, and
although the Interregnum brought a measure of pluralism and experimentation, it did not produce a
durable settlement.
The Restoration reasserted Anglican conformity: the Clarendon Code (notably the Act of Uniformity
1662, the Conventicle Act 1664 and the Five Mile Act 1665) made dissent increasingly risky and
pushed many congregations into clandestine worship.
Charles II’s Declaration of Indulgence in 1672 temporarily relaxed enforcement and licensed some
meeting-houses, but it proved politically contentious and short-lived - precisely the moment when a
house used for nonconformist meetings could acquire lasting historical significance.
The small hamlet of Preston in Hertfordshire was not untouched by this turmoil. Sir Thomas Sadleir at
Temple Dinsley, Preston, was an ardent supporter of the Parliamentarians. He was the grandson of a
famous military engineer, Sir Richard Lee, and was part of the Council of War for Hertfordshire,
serving on the Committee of the Eastern Association.
When the Royalist army led by Rupert threatened nearby Hitchin in 1643, a force of three to four
thousand Trained-Band Volunteers were mobilised which, in view of Sadleir’s involvement, may well
have included men from Preston. Several of this force were killed in the fields around Hitchin. During
the winter of 1643-4, the army was billeted at Hitchin, much to the town’s people’s annoyance. Sadlier
was in the party dispatched to Parliament to lobby that their soldiers be removed and that the taxation
for their upkeep levied upon Hertfordshire be abandoned. Thomas himself, despite his mansion and
600 acres of land, was no longer able to maintain his son because of these dues.
Also, Crunnells Green at Preston today was formerly known as ‘Cromwell’s Green’. This stands as a
monument to its historical relevance. In addition to this, during the 1660s John Bunyan often preached
to hundreds of supporters at ‘Bunyan’s Dell’ in Preston. There was also discontent brewing about the
hard-line stance of St Marys, Hitchin clerics towards Preston folk for not supporting their parish
church. Many preferred to worship at Minsden Chapel and other local Anglican churches.
The historical record of the contribution of Widow Heath to the
history of Nonconformity as detailed in its record books.
Below is a template of the license form which Widow Heath completed in 1672:
Next is how the licenses are recorded in history books:
There are at least five histories which mention this episode in Nonconformist history. Here are two of
them:
Reference: Turner, Prof. George Lyon (1911) Original records of early nonconformity under persecution and
indulgence. London: T. F. Unwin. p. 240
Reference: Urwick, W. (1884) Nonconformity in Herts;
being lectures upon the nonconforming worthies of St.
Albans, and memorials of Puritanism and Nonconformity in
all the parishes of the County of Hertford pp. 640 and 641.
Why Widow Heath and her cottage are worthy of recognition
and celebration
Widow Heath’s house at Preston was one of only five properties licensed in Hertfordshire during the
first six weeks following the Declaration of Indulgence of 1672.
By 1675, six properties in total in Hertfordshire had been licensed. During this time more that 150
licenses were issued for properties in Devon.*
The cottage was licensed to a woman for Congregational worship.
Thus, Spindle Cottage has historical significance. It places the building among an exceptionally rare
group nationally. Nonconformist meeting houses from this period are extremely scarce. The 1672
Declaration was a watershed moment when dissenting worshippers could emerge from secrecy.
The licensing, not to a man but to a woman, for Congregational worship adds another layer of rarity
and importance, as female licensees were uncommon.
The speed with which Widow Heath applied for a license demonstrates how closely folk were
watching for royal policy shifts and suggests that here was a community which was worshipping
clandestinely, ready to formalise its position the moment it was safe to so do. Her action also reflects
how female householders played a quiet but crucial role in sustaining dissent during repression.
She showed remarkable personal courage and conviction by taking this step of early expression of
local Nonconformity - many dissenters hesitated to register their meeting houses because they
distrusted the government’s motives and doubted the durability of royal indulgence.
The scarcity of such early applications across Hertfordshire reinforces the impression that Widow
Heath was acting at the forefront of local religious dissent and that her action was a landmark moment
not just in the county, but in the whole of England.
Preparations for an application for a Historic England’s Blue
Plaque to consolidate Spindle Cottage’s place in history
Applications for Historic England’s Blue Plaque can next be made in May 2026.
Already a seventeen-page dossier of evidence of Spindle Cottage’s place in history has been
prepared. It has been accepted and lodged at Historic Environment Records Hertfordshire. Its officer
wrote. ‘ Thank you for sending your interesting and useful dossier. The Historic Environment Record for
Spindle Cottage does not currently mention Widow Heath, and your research will enable me to remedy
this. I would like to include your dossier in its entirety in our library as the major source for this
information. It is well researched, and the references are good.’
In the meantime, the Hitchin Comet included an article about Spindle Cottage on 24 November 2025:
Blue Plaque plans for widow's North Hertfordshire cottage
Link: Comet
1
2
3
4
References:
1. Temple Dinsley Summary of Fees (1718) DE/X169 Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies
(HALS), Hertford.
2. Temple Dinsley Rental 1761 DE/X169 Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS), Hertford
3. Ippollitts Enclosure Map 1816: CP83/26/1 Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS),
Hertford.
4. Ippollitts Enclosure Award 1818: CP83/26/2 Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS),
Hertford.
Re: England’s religious turmoil - Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History. London: Penguin, 2005;
Eamon Duffy, The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England, 1400–1580, 2nd ed. New Haven: Yale
University Press, 2005; Patrick Collinson, The Elizabethan Puritan Movement. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1967; John Spurr, English Puritanism, 1603–1689. Basingstoke / London: Macmillan / Palgrave, 1998 and
Tim Harris, Restoration: Charles II and His Kingdoms, 1660–1685. London: Allen Lane, 2005.
Parish boundary
Reference: Brown, John (1918) John Bunyan: His
life, Times and Works p. 240
*The following comments are based on Original Records of Early Nonconformists under
Persecution and Indulgence (1911) by Lyon H Turner. This can be read in its entirety at the Internet
Archive.The Declaration of Indulgence became law on 15 March 1672.
From that time, homes could be licensed for Nonconformist religious assemblies. The records covered
in the book are incomplete being only those found at Lambeth Palace Library. Also, they cover a
limited period from 1662 until 1675. Nevertheless, certain conclusions can be made. There appears
not to be a single Nonconformist Church to be in existence in England and Wales until February 1673.
The reason for this is obvious, but also, as has been mentioned elsewhere, Nonconformists generally
seem to be from the poorer sections in society (certainly this was true in the Hitchin area).
The amazing statistic that stands out from the records concerning the Widow Heath’s house is that it
was among the first five to be licensed in Hertfordshire. Indeed, only six homes had been licensed in
the county by 1675. There were other homes at St Pauls Walden (the first, April 1672), Chesham (2),
Punsborne and Chipping Barnet - and there the list ends for Nonconformist meeting places (for groups
such as Congregationalists and Presbyterians) in Hertfordshire. In contrast, there were more than 150
such homes in the county of Devon.
Heath family tree - with notes
The Heath family lived in the Hertfordshire parishes of Ippollitts and Hitc
hin during most of the
seventeenth century. The so-called Commonwealth period of 1649 to 1660 permanently disrupted the
keeping of parish records which are so essential when creating family pedigrees. The Hitchin parish
ledger contains the note that ‘through the carelessness and neglect of the former Registrar is wholly
lost for the space of seventeen years’ from February 1648 to August 1665. As a result, it is a
challenge to attempt to construct a family pedigree during this time.
The Heath family lived in the Hertfordshire parishes of Ippollitts and Hitchin during most of the
seventeenth century. The so-called Commonwealth period of 1649 to 1660 permanently disrupted the
keeping of parish records which are so essential when creating family pedigrees.
The Hitchin parish ledger contains the note that ‘through the carelessness and neglect of the former
Registrar is wholly lost for the space of seventeen years’ from February 1648 to August 1665. As a
result, it is a challenge to attempt to construct a family pedigree during this time.Additionally, during
the second half of this century, it is obvious that the parish records of Hitchin were copied from other
documents - there are few errors and the entries are too orderly to have been entered at the time of
the event. Such transcriptions may result in mistakes.
Oddly, at Ippollitts the entries between 1650 and 1670 are only of the Papworth family (Edmund
Papworth’s wife was buried in the church ‘at the upper end of the middle space near the pulpit under
the planks’). A critical eye will spot that there are probably other gaps in the written record.
Focussing on the family tree of the Heaths of Preston, where births/baptisms cannot be found, it is
assumed that a birth took place approximately twenty-five years before a marriage. Much of the
following information is derived from the wills of John Heath, who died in 1661 and Susannah Heath,
who passed away in 1736. Looking at the likely dates when John and Elizabeth Heath’s children were
born or baptised, it is probable that the Heaths moved to Ippollitts parish (and probably Preston)
between 1616 and 1625. It may be that John Heath was baptised at Hertford on 16 October 1612,
being the son of John Heath.
Re: John Heath (born 1612) although not certain from the records, it is possible that his first wife died
and he remarried in 1652, his new bride being Hannah Saunders (see marriage record below). This is
based on a number of factors - such as the gap between children born to him and that one of his
grand-daughters was called Hannah.
This impacts on identifying Widow Heath. There is a burial of a Widow Heath at St Pauls Walden in
1702 (see below). Elizabeth, John’s first wife would have been aged about ninety-two then, so that
scenario seems to be improbable. Hannah would have been seventy-four.
Ippollitts
St Pauls Walden
It is probable that Widow Heath was John Heath’s (born 1660) mother based on the entries in Heath
Tax accounts at this time. No Heath’s are mentioned in the Preston, Hitchin record in 1663, 1670 or
1674. John Heath is recorded as having two hearths in Ippollitts Parish on 2 May 1674 (see below).
This likely relates to Spindle Cottage - older photographs (such as the one at the head of this article)
show the house as having two chimneys.
