PETERBOROUGH SOKE 



EYE 



EfE was confirmed to Peterborough 

 Mj4N0R in the charter of Wulfhere, and is in- 

 cluded in the less comprehensive con- 

 firmation of King Edgar.' It is not mentioned in 

 Domesday, but about 1 1 25 the abbey was holding 

 I J hides of land in Eye and a certain William of Eye 

 held I virgate and ' served with the Knights.' ' 

 Richard I and Henry III confirmed Eye to Peter- 

 borough in terms almost identical with those used in 

 the charter of Wulfhere.' 



This manor appears to have been kept in hand by 

 the abbot to supply the needs of the monaster)'. In 

 1 307 the abbot granted to the brothers at the cell of 

 Oxncy thirteen stone of cheese every year from the 

 manor of Eye, and every iveelc between the Invention 

 and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (2 May to 

 14 September) a quarter stone of butter and two 

 gallons of milk.' The land at Eye was divided 

 among a number of small holders.' 



Eye was one of the occasional residences of the 

 abbots of Peterborough. Homages are frequently 

 stated to have been performed there," and from the 

 end of the 13th century it is sometimes called the 

 manor of Eyebury or Ibury, probably the name given 

 to the manorial buildings. Abbot William of Wood- 

 ford (1295-9) built a windmill and began a hall 

 there,' which was finished by his successor, Abbot 

 Godfrey (i 299-1 321), who also built a new house 

 with a bakery and dairy, and enclosed land for 

 keeping wild beasts.* This is probably the origin of 

 the abbot's park of Eyebury referred to in the 14th 

 century.' In the third year of his abbacy Godfrey 

 replaced the windmill built by his predecessor, which 

 had been destroyed by fire, and later he built a great 

 stone grange, which was burnt down through the 

 spontaneous combustion of damp hay in the time of 

 Adam Boothby (1321—38). He also made many 

 other additions to the manor house and buildings.'" 



At the dissolution the manor of Eye was granted 

 to John, bishop of Peterborough," and the capital mes- 

 suage of Eyebury, with Eyebur)' Park, formerly leased 

 to John first earl of Bedford, was granted to him in 

 fee," and still remains in the possession of his family, 

 now represented by the duke of Bedford. A farm- 

 house occupies the site of the mediaeval building, 

 but retains no ancient features. It is now the resi- 

 dence of Mr. Alfred Nicholson Leeds, a well-known 

 geologist. 



In 1 64.9 the Commissioners for the sale of Bishops' 

 Lands sold to John Bellamy the manor of Eye and the 

 farms of Singlesole and Northolme, which had been 

 leased to Queen Elizabeth for seventy years from July, 

 1 60 1." This sale was rescinded at the Restora- 

 tion. In 1 860 the land in Eye belonging to the 

 bishop was vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners," 

 and shortly after the bishop was endowed with the 

 manor,'^ which still remains with his successors. 



Several court rolls for this manor exist at Peter- 

 borough, the earliest being of the time of Richard II. 

 There is a roll for nearly every year during the first 

 half of the reign of Henry VIII." 



The abbot of Thorney had some interest in Eye 

 during the 14th century. In 1305 he complained 

 that Godfrey, abbot of Peterborough, and others 'lately 

 by night raised a dike across the highroad at Eye 

 leading from Peterborough to Thorney,' and which 

 was used by the abbot for carrying corn and other 

 necessaries." The next year this dispute was amicably 

 settled through the mediation of Walter Langton, 

 bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, the abbot of Peter- 

 borough allowing the abbot of Thorney and his men 

 and guests to use the road at their will from ' a 

 place in the water of the Neen called Herlotesforthe ' 

 to the village of Eye, to the breadth of I 5 feet.'* 



In 1 330 the abbot and convent of Thorney gave up 

 to the abbot of Peterborough all right of common in 

 Northolm and Eye, saving common pasture in the 

 marsh where they were accustomed to have it." 



NORTHOLME (Northam xvi cent.). — Abbot 

 Godfrey ' began ... a manor at Northolm where 

 there was never before a manor.' He enclosed the 

 pasture of Cranemore, and in its west part planted a 

 wood which he called Childholm,*" and obtained the 

 grant of a market there ever)- week on Thursday, and 

 a fair to last two days on the eve and day of the 

 Exaltation of the Holy Cross" (4 September). The 

 day was changed later to the eve and day of St. 

 Matthew (21 September)." He also built a chapel," 

 setting aside 100/. for the maintenance of a priest 

 there to pr.iy for his soul and the souls of the 

 benefactors of Peterborough. The priest was to be 

 lodged in the manor of Northolme." 



In 1535 among the possessions of Peterborough 

 was a wood called Northolmwood and Okeholt, in 

 the lordship of Eye, containing 9^ acres.*^ This is 

 perhaps the wood planted by Abbot Godfrey, and 

 there is still a wood bearing the name of Northolme 

 in the parish of Eye. 



Northolme was granted to the bishop of Peter- 

 borough in 1 541," and with the manor of Eye was 

 leased to Queen Elizabeth, and sold in 1649 to John 

 Bellamy." '^ 



The farm was taken over by the Ecclesiastical Com- 

 missioners in i860, and returned to the bishop in 

 1862 as part of the endowment of his see.** No part 

 of the farmhouse appears to be older than the 1 6th 

 century, but there are a few pieces of 14th-century 

 detail in the garden. One of the ground-floor rooms 

 has a good 18th-century fireplace and panelling. 



SINGLESOLE (Singlesholt xiii cent.. Single- 

 holt xvi cent., Singlesoule xvii cent.). — The ' her- 

 mitage of Singlesholt' is mentioned in the spurious 

 charter of Wulfhere as an appurtenance of Eye," and 

 is also confirmed to Peterborough in the charters of 



» Birch, Curl. Sax. No. 22 ; yl. S. 

 Chran. (Rolls Ser.), i, 220. See introduc- 

 tion to Soke. 



' CbroiUon, 165, 175. 



8 Cart. Antiq. DD. 17 ; Chart. R. 11 

 Hen. III. pt. i, m. 19. 



* Sparke, Scriptorti, p. 161. 



5 There are several lists of tenants of 

 the manor of Eye (Soc. Antiq. No. 60, fol. 

 i82;Cott. Nero, C.vii, 167*), but the hold- 

 ings are all small, and no families appear to 

 have held for any great length of time. 



' Cott. Vesp. E. xxVi, 49* ; Cbronicon, 

 p. 151. 



' Sparke, Scripnret, 152. 

 ' Ibid 15+. 



» Line. Epis. Reg. Mem. Buckingham, 

 ii, 42+. 



"> Sparke, Serif arcs, 154, 163, 164, 

 224. 

 " Pat. 3J Hen. VIII, pt. iii. m.ij. 

 " Ibid. pt. i. m. 1-3. 

 " Close, 1679, pt. iv. No. 2. 

 '< London Gazette, 24 Feb. i860. No. 

 641 . 

 " Ibid. 4 Nov. 1862, No. 5209. 

 1* Ct. R. in the custody of the dean and 

 chapter of Peterborough. 



^7 Pat. 33 Edw. I, pt. 1, m. 4. J. 



w Soc. Antiq. MS. No. 38, fol. 22*. 



" Ibid. fol. 2 3*. 



^ Sparke, Seripiorei, 156. 



" Chart. R. 34 Edw. I, m. 6, No. 36. 



" Quo. fVarr. R. (Rec. Com.), 551. 



* Sparke, Serif lores, 162. 

 « Ibid. 159. 



's yalor Eeelet. (Rec. Com.), iv, 280. 

 » Pat. 33 Hen. VIII, pt. iii, m. 13. 

 •? Close, 1649, pt. iv, No. 2. 



* London Gas. 24 Feb. 1S60, No. 641 ; 

 4 Nov. 1862, No. 5209. 



" Birch, Cart. Sax. No. 22. 



