I40 HEMINGTON CHURCH. 



Chartley. His second wife was probably Elizabeth Langham, 

 whose beautiful effigy lies on her tomb in the Hemington choir 

 or chapel in Lockington church. — Nichols. 



Amongst the property which the Abbot and convent of S. 

 Mary de Pratis at Leicester possessed at Hemington, we find the 

 following : — 



" We have there of the gift of Robert Meynell, John de 

 Langton, and Hugh of Derby, eleven acres of meadow and one 

 rood, in augmentation of the breadth of their two acres of 

 meadow which lacked in their breadth by the name of tithes of 

 hay,* appertaining to our church of Lockington of them and of 

 their men of Hemington — viz ; those two acres which are near 

 our meadow and our land called Foule as far as the west part in 

 the meadow of Hemington. 



" Mem : That we have granted to ' Dominus' (? Sir) Thomas 

 Meynell of Hemington and Alice his wife as long as they shall 

 live to hear Divine Service in their Oratory constructed (' in 

 curia sua ') in the village of Hemington." 



This expression is somewhat remarkable ; it may mean within 

 the precincts of their own mansion, to which the present ruins are 

 contiguous ; or, it may mean in their ward or lordship, i.e., 

 within the districts of their courts, leet and baron. It is more 

 likely, however, to signify an oratory within the confines of their 

 own mansion, such as we find at Haddon and elsewhere. 



The present house at Hemington is but a fragment of the 

 original. From the disposition of the remaining portions, the 

 original structure seems to have enclosed two large courts, the 

 scheme of the apartments following the usual mediaeval plan. 

 The present inhabited portion formed the centre or dividing 

 block between the two courts, and it still shows the passage 

 between the kitchen and dining-hall as at Haddon. The south 

 doorway of the passage was constructed about the year 1600, 

 whilst the northern is of the Decorative period, c. 1300. The 

 wall of the passage to the west was constructed when that portion 

 of the range between the kitchen and the hall was removed. 



* Probably given as a substitute for certain tithes of hay. 



