WILLYBROOK HUNDRED 



APETHORPE 



Patorp (xi. cent). 



The parish of Apethorpe, formerly part of the 

 forest of Rockingham in the bailiwick of Clive, 

 covers 1,381^ acres of arable land, 2,005 of pas- 

 ture, and 745 of woodland It is situated almost in 

 the centre of the hundred of Willybrook ; the little 

 Willow brook from which the hundred takes its 

 name runs through the parish in a southerly direction 

 and forms the boundary for some distance on the 

 eastern side. There is no great elevation in the parish, 

 the ground being only from 100 to 200 ft. above 

 the ordnance datum, but the surface is sufficiently 

 varied to prevent a flat or monotonous appearance. 

 No railroad passes through Apethorpe, and the only im- 

 portant road is that from King's Cliife to Woodnewton, 

 from which a branch road east of Apethorpe village 

 leads to Nassington. The soil is clay on a subsoil 

 of great oolite, and produces grain and pulse. The 

 parish was enclosed in 1778 ; there is now about 

 an equal amount of arable and pasture land. The 

 population, consisting of 1 70 persons in 1 90 1, is 

 wholly engaged in agriculture. 



The village of Apethorpe is small and compact, 

 h.aving the church at the east, and near it a school 

 built about 1 846 by the Earl of Westmorland 

 for seventy children. Opposite the west end of the 

 church are stocks to hold three persons, and a whip- 

 ping post in good repair. Apethorpe Hall, formerly 

 the residence of the Earl of Westmorland, and now 

 that of Mr. Leonard Brassey, stands south of the 

 village in a park of about 44 acres, being approached 

 by a road running south from the east end of the 

 village street. On the west side of this road stands the 

 house built in 171 1 by Thomas, earl of Westmorland, 

 as the agent's house for the estate, and still so 

 occupied.! 



To the extreme south-east of the parish, near the 

 road between Woodnewton and Southwick, stands 

 Halefield Lodge on the reputed site of the village 

 of Hale, formerly a separate parish, which disappeared 

 at the time of the plague in the 14th century. 

 Halefield Hall is said to have stood in Apethorpe 

 Park. From Apethorpe to Wansford (4 miles) is a 

 private drive called ' the Gravel,' made by the owners 

 of the Apethorpe estate. 



APETHORPE manor formed part of 

 MANOR the ancient demesne of the crown. Its his- 

 tory as far as is known does not begin until 

 1086, when there was in ' Patorp' two hides with 

 a mill pertaining to Nassington held by the king.^ 

 The manor appears to have remained in royal hands 

 for the next 150 years; its 'farm,' paid by the 

 sheriff, is enrolled at intervals on the Pipe Roll, and 

 two hides in Apethorpe are mentioned in the 12th- 

 century survey of Northamptonshire.' In the time 



of Henry III there were nvo mills belonging to the 

 manor, and about 1250 an inquisition was taken 

 concerning the right of common belonging to the 

 king's men of Apethorpe within the bounds of Clive 

 Forest.' In 1231 the manor was granted in fee farm 

 to Ralph Brito and his heirs to hold of the king and 

 his heirs free from tallage for j^io per annum.* It 

 did not long remain in this family, for in 1 281 

 John Lascy was granted the custody of the manor for 

 two years at the rent of ^^39 19/. 3</.,' and it was 

 subsequently held by Queen Eleanor of Provence in 

 dower for eleven years.' Margaret de Henle next 

 held Apethorpe for a short time,* and in i 3 1 2 the 

 manor was granted for life to John Clavering, who 

 two years later received permission to grant it to 

 Donus de Podio to hold for life of the grantor.' 

 In 1330 the heirs of Ralph Brito brought a suit 

 against John Clavering for the manor, but on John 

 stating the terms of his grant from the crown the 

 suit was dropped.'" Ten years afterwards the whole 

 rent of the manor was granted to Robert Dalton, 

 whose family is the first to have a long connexion 

 with Apethorpe." The rent descended in the male 

 line of the Daltons until 1442, when Richard Dalton 

 died, leaving an only daughter Alice, who succeeded 

 to his possessions." It is not known what became 

 of Alice Dalton, but the manor appears to have been 

 in the royal hands during this period, and was ap- 

 parently granted to the Ridels of Wittering, whose 

 heiress was in possession in 1480." In 1 491 Sir 

 Guy Wolston, who had held several offices from the 

 crown and was at one time sheriff of Northampton- 

 shire, was the possessor ; he settled Apethorpe, in 

 default of heirs male, on his daughter Etheldreda 

 and Thomas Empson her husband.'* In 1 5 1 5 the 

 manor was bought of them by Henry Keble, citizen 

 and grocer of London and merchant of the staple, 

 William Blount, Lord Mountjoy, his son-in-law, and 

 others." Henry Keble died in 1517, leaving Ape- 

 thorpe entailed successively on his son George Keble 

 and William Lord Mountjoy and Alice his wife, with 

 remainder to John Browne, son of William Browne, 

 late mayor of London, brother to Robert Browne of 

 Walcot in Barnack parish.'* In 1543,'" before the 

 death of George Keble, the manor was sold to the 

 king by Charles Lord Mountjoy, son of William, 

 and the manor and park of Apethorpe were granted 

 in the early part of the next reign to ' the Lady 

 Elizabeth ' the king's sister. This grant was soon 

 after rescinded," and in 1550 the park and manor 

 held in free socage with court leet and view of 

 frankpledge were granted to Sir Walter Mildm.ay, a 

 prominent and distinguished servant of the crown," 

 whom Camden declared ' justly deser^'ed ' to be 

 ranked among the excellent men of this age for his 



' For a notice of the remains of a 

 Roman villa discovered at Apethorpe, see 

 ;'. C. H. Norihann, i, 191. 



' y. C.H.Norlhants, i, 307a. 



s Pipe R. 13 Hen. II, rot. 8, m. 2 ; 

 Ibid. 19 Hen. II. rot. 3, m. 2 ; V. C.H. 

 NorfkantSy i, 38SJ. 



■* Chan. Inq. p. m. Incert. temp. Hen. 

 Ill, No. 180 ; Ibid. 35 Hen. Ill, Nn. 61. 



* Cart. Antiq. PP. 22. 



' Pat. 9 Edw. I, m. 3. 



' Close, 27 Edw. I, m. i ;. 



^ Ibid. 10 Edw. II, m. 2. 



9 Ibid. 6 Edw. II, m. II ; Pat. 8 

 Edw. II, m. 30. 



^^ Duchy of Lane. Misc. |. 



" Pat. 14 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 23. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. 27 Edw. Ill, No. 5; 

 Ibid. 43 Edw. Ill, pt. i, No. 30; Ibid. 

 8 Hen. IV, No. 56 ; Fine R. 16 Hen. VI ; 

 Ibid. 20 Hen.Vi. 



" Earljr Chan. Proc. Bdle. 66, No. 59. 



543 



This may have been only land inApethorpe, 

 as are several other estates mentioned in 

 this document as manors. See Utford and 

 Southorpe. 



" Feet of F. Northants, 7 Hen. VI I 



" Ibid. Mich. 7 Hen. VIII. 



•* Chan. Inq. pjn. (Ser. 2), juciii, 9. 



1" Feet of F. Northants, Mil. 35 Hen. 

 VIII. 



's Pat. 4 Edw. VI, pt. iti, m. 26. 



" Pat. 5 Edw. VI, pt. iii. 



