Manor of Harmondsworth

Prior to the Norman Conquest in 1066, Earl Harold Godwinson, later King Harold, was Lord of Harmondsworth manor. William the Conqueror gave the manor to the Benedictine Abbey of Holy Trinity, Rouen in 1069. In 1086 the manor of 'Hermondesworde' had three mills and was valued at £20. In 1391, William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester purchased the estate to provide revenue for his newly-founded College of Saint Mary in Winchester. In 1544, Henry VIII compelled the College to exchange Harmondsworth for other property. The manor was then granted by the Crown in 1547 to Sir William Paget (born circa 1505, died 1563), of Staffordshire, together with the manor of Drayton.

Sir William Paget increased his possessions under Edward VI and was granted Beaudesert, Staffordshire, the principal family seat. Paget was created Baron Paget of Beaudesert, by the Earl of Warwick when Paget deserted the Duke of Somerset as his advisor. Under Mary I, Paget became a member of the Privy Council, but under Elizabeth I he was excluded from the Queen's Council due to his support of Catholicism. On his death in 1563, he had lands in West Drayton, Harmondsworth and Iver, and estates in Staffordshire, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Shropshire, and property in London. His lands in Harmondsworth included the lesser manors of Puryplace, Malinglawe, Luddyngton, and Barnarde.

Sir William Paget, the first Lord Paget of Beaudesert, married Ann Preston and had four sons and six daughters. His eldest son Henry became second Lord Paget and died 1568. Henry's brother Thomas became third Lord Paget. Thomas was also a strong supporter of the Catholic faith and was named by Mary Queen of Scots in the Babington Plot against Elizabeth I. Thomas and his brother Charles were attainted for treason in 1587 and their property was confiscated by the Crown. The manors of Drayton and Harmondsworth was granted for life by Elizabeth I to her favourite Sir Christopher Hatton who was made Chancellor in 1597.

Thomas Paget, the third Lord Paget died in exile in 1590 and was succeeded by his only son William (born 1572, died 1629). William accepted the Protestant faith, was knighted, and went to Cadiz with the Earl of Essex in 1596. On this return he secured Government posts, and the honours and lands lost in 1587 were restored to him by James I, following Sir Christopher Hatton's death in 1603. The manor continued under the Paget family until the 18th century when it was sold by the Earl of Uxbridge.