Box Moor Trust
Encyclopedia
The Box Moor Trust is a charitable trust
responsible for the management of certain open lands in the parishes of Hemel Hempstead
and Bovingdon
, in Hertfordshire
.
. The gift included pasture
s in the Hemel Hempstead area, at Boxmoor, and these were purchased in secret by three Hemel Hempstead townspeople - John Rolfe, Richard Pope and Willian Gladman - in 1581 for £75. They had feared the common land
would be enclosed
and townspeople would be denied grazing rights: the price had been raised by secret public subscription. In 1594, ownership of the pastures was transferred to 67 local inhabitants (Feoffes), "whereby their heirs and assigns might and should for ever thereafter have, hold and enjoy the said meadows and all the commodities that might or should arise thereof".
The Trust, a legal entity formed in 1594, has survived over 400 years up to the present day. Twelve of the 67 Feoffes were appointed as Trustees with the powers to make Orders
and Bye-laws
that they deemed necessary. New Trustee appointments were made in 1659, 1711, 1757 and 1787.
The Trust once issued "Pasture Tickets " to its members to allow them to graze a specified number of livestock on its land.
On 11 March 1802, highwayman
Robert Snooks
was hanged
at the scene of his crime on Boxmoor for the robbery of a postboy. Snooks was the last man to be executed
in England for highway robbery
. The Trustees placed a grave marker in 1904.
St John's Church in Boxmoor was built, in 1874, on land the Trust had provided in 1829.
d for a succession of transport schemes since the eighteenth century. This is because it is located in the valley of the River Bulbourne
which is one of the few easy crossing places in the Chiltern Hills
for travellers from London to the English Midlands
. Corridors of land have been sold, first of all to the Grand Junction Canal
in 1795, then to the London and Birmingham Railway
in 1837, and finally for the A41
trunk road improvement in the 1990s.
Replacement lands have been purchased by the Trust so that Box Moor Trust lands now extend up on to the chalk hills to the west. These include Further Roughdown. Additional sites have been acquired at Pixies Mere at Bourne End (a fishing lake) and the Bovingdon Brickworks quarry, south west of Bovingdon village.
) for the public benefit. The lands are used for leisure, recreation and wildlife conservation.
The Trust is now governed by an Act of Parliament
of 1809, updated by a Charity Commission
Scheme in 2000. Under this, Trustees are elected by residents of the "area of benefit", defined as the old parishes of Hemel Hempstead and Bovingdon. Apart from when Charity Commissioners' approval is needed for major expenditure, the Trust is independent of other authorities and doesn't answer to local or central government. It is self-funding, deriving income from rentals, pasture tickets and investments. A valuable part of the property portfolio is Boxmoor Wharf, a canalside commercial site formerly used for the shipment of port
and whisky
, then lime juice and currently by B&Q
for a hardware warehouse store.
The summer grazing of rare breed cattle (Belted Galloway
) and sheep (Norfolk Horns) continues and the "Boxmoor ponies" are a local attraction. Sections are used for sports - golf, rugby and cricket. Other areas are used purely as public open space; others are preserved or adapted for nature conservation. The Trust holds a biennial music festival ("Music on the Moor") and an annual conker
festival.
Volunteers are invited to join in the work of the Trust. The Trust has set up "Friends of the Box Moor Trust" as a vehicle to spread information about its work.
Charitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
responsible for the management of certain open lands in the parishes of Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
and Bovingdon
Bovingdon
Bovingdon is a large village in the Chiltern Hills, in Hertfordshire, England, four miles south-west of Hemel Hempstead and it is a civil parish within the local authority area of Dacorum...
, in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
History
In 1574 Queen Elizabeth I gifted certain Hertfordshire lands to the Earl of LeicesterEarl of Leicester
The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...
. The gift included pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
s in the Hemel Hempstead area, at Boxmoor, and these were purchased in secret by three Hemel Hempstead townspeople - John Rolfe, Richard Pope and Willian Gladman - in 1581 for £75. They had feared the common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
would be enclosed
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
and townspeople would be denied grazing rights: the price had been raised by secret public subscription. In 1594, ownership of the pastures was transferred to 67 local inhabitants (Feoffes), "whereby their heirs and assigns might and should for ever thereafter have, hold and enjoy the said meadows and all the commodities that might or should arise thereof".
The Trust, a legal entity formed in 1594, has survived over 400 years up to the present day. Twelve of the 67 Feoffes were appointed as Trustees with the powers to make Orders
General order
In militaries, a general order is a published directive, originated by a commander, and binding upon all personnel under his command, the purpose of which is to enforce a policy or procedure unique to his unit's situation which is not otherwise addressed in applicable service regulations, military...
and Bye-laws
Bylaw
By-law can refer to a law of local or limited application passed under the authority of a higher law specifying what things may be regulated by the by-law...
that they deemed necessary. New Trustee appointments were made in 1659, 1711, 1757 and 1787.
The Trust once issued "Pasture Tickets " to its members to allow them to graze a specified number of livestock on its land.
On 11 March 1802, highwayman
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
Robert Snooks
Robert Snooks
Robert Snooks was the last man to be executed in England for highway robbery, on 11 March 1802.Born in Hungerford in Berkshire, he was christened as James Blackman Snook on 16 August 1761...
was hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
at the scene of his crime on Boxmoor for the robbery of a postboy. Snooks was the last man to be executed
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in England for highway robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
. The Trustees placed a grave marker in 1904.
St John's Church in Boxmoor was built, in 1874, on land the Trust had provided in 1829.
Land changes
Sections of the Boxmoor trust land have been compulsorily purchaseEminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
d for a succession of transport schemes since the eighteenth century. This is because it is located in the valley of the River Bulbourne
River Bulbourne
The River Bulbourne is a river in Hertfordshire, England. It runs from Dudswell in Northchurch, through Berkhamsted , Bourne End and Boxmoor to where it joins the River Gade at Two Waters in Apsley near Hemel Hempstead. The total length of the river is 11 Km....
which is one of the few easy crossing places in the Chiltern Hills
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
for travellers from London to the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
. Corridors of land have been sold, first of all to the Grand Junction Canal
Grand Junction Canal
The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-passing the upper reaches of the River Thames near Oxford...
in 1795, then to the London and Birmingham Railway
London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
in 1837, and finally for the A41
A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
trunk road improvement in the 1990s.
Replacement lands have been purchased by the Trust so that Box Moor Trust lands now extend up on to the chalk hills to the west. These include Further Roughdown. Additional sites have been acquired at Pixies Mere at Bourne End (a fishing lake) and the Bovingdon Brickworks quarry, south west of Bovingdon village.
Today
The moor and associated lands - 480 acres (1.9 km²) in all - and other properties are managed by the same historic entity, The Box Moor Trust (now a Registered CharityCharitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
) for the public benefit. The lands are used for leisure, recreation and wildlife conservation.
The Trust is now governed by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of 1809, updated by a Charity Commission
Charity Commission
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales....
Scheme in 2000. Under this, Trustees are elected by residents of the "area of benefit", defined as the old parishes of Hemel Hempstead and Bovingdon. Apart from when Charity Commissioners' approval is needed for major expenditure, the Trust is independent of other authorities and doesn't answer to local or central government. It is self-funding, deriving income from rentals, pasture tickets and investments. A valuable part of the property portfolio is Boxmoor Wharf, a canalside commercial site formerly used for the shipment of port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
and whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
, then lime juice and currently by B&Q
B&Q
B&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
for a hardware warehouse store.
The summer grazing of rare breed cattle (Belted Galloway
Belted Galloway
The Belted Galloway is a rare beef breed of cattle originating from Galloway in South West Scotland, adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and windswept moorlands of the region...
) and sheep (Norfolk Horns) continues and the "Boxmoor ponies" are a local attraction. Sections are used for sports - golf, rugby and cricket. Other areas are used purely as public open space; others are preserved or adapted for nature conservation. The Trust holds a biennial music festival ("Music on the Moor") and an annual conker
Conker
Conkers is a traditional English children's game played using the seeds of horse-chestnut trees – the name 'conker' is also applied to the seed and to the tree itself...
festival.
Volunteers are invited to join in the work of the Trust. The Trust has set up "Friends of the Box Moor Trust" as a vehicle to spread information about its work.