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FIRST GENERATIONThomas de Hayden (1) was born in 1185. He died in 1250. The earliest Heydon of record is
Samuel de Heydon. His son, Thomas de Hayden, was born c. 1185 and died about
1250. He was a justice itinerant in Norfolk in 1221 during the reign of Henry
III, a position that was created by the Magna Carta. Simeon Hayden, the fourth
generation at Heydon Hall, had a son Sir Richard Heydon who went to war in
the time of King Edward III and the Black Prince and was killed in France in
1370. His son, John, is the first of the Hayden’s recorded at "The
Grove" of Cassiobury. They held The Grove along with other property
there, including Watford Place. The original Hayden Manor at the Grove no
longer exists but its replacement is currently being renovated and will open
as a hotel in 2003. An archeological dig was conducted recently on the
grounds of The Grove. This branch of the Hayden’s eventually settled in St.
Mary’s County, Maryland and became a prominent family of that area. The Main line of the Hayden’s
settled in village of Baconsthorpe near Hayden, where they flourished for
many generations. They accumulated several manors in the area and married
into a number of prominent families, most notably the marriage of Sir Henry
Hayden who died in 1503 and married Ann Boleyn, aunt of Anne Boleyn, the
second Queen of Henry VIII. Sir Henry Hayden would have been a frequent
visitor at the Boleyn family seat, Hever Castle Kent. The Hayden’s built Baconsthorpe Castle in
c. 1450 and have several monuments and windows dedicated to the Hayden’s at
Baconsthorpe Church. Although in ruins, there are still current occupants of
Baconsthorpe castle living there today.
The castle was largely destroyed
in 1650 after a long siege by roundhead troops. Its stained glass windows
were moved to the church.
Thomas de Hayden and unknown had the following children: |
+2 i.