A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



ceeded by his son, grandson, and great grandson, all 

 named John, and the land they held came to be called 

 ' Bretonesdybbing.' ' The last John had no children, 

 but about I 312 died, leaving his sister Maud, wife of 

 Richard de la Ryver, as heiress.' Maud's daughter 

 Margaret left as co-heirs, in 1376, Sarah, wife of 

 John Garlck, and Margaret, wife of Robert Swylling- 

 ton, and ' Bretonesdybbing ' is then said to comprise 

 200 acres of land and 2 acres of wood still held of the 

 king itt cafiti for the service of a pair of gilt spurs.' 

 Next year Robert Swyllington, who was a large land- 

 owner in several counties, bought the share of Sarah, 

 and so obtained the whole estate.* ' Bretonesdybbing ' 

 is mentioned in the description of his lands taken on 

 his death in 1391,' but after this date no further 



DUDDINGTON ChURCH FROM THE SoUTH. 



reference has been found to this estate. It is possibly 

 now represented by the Sart Farm, owned by Mr. VV. 

 Goddard Jackson, which is a sep.irate estate, not part 

 of the manor. 



The men of the vill of Duddington in the time of 

 Henry III had common pasture in the wood of the 

 king of Westhay.* This common was still claimed 

 by the tenants of the manor in the 17th century.' 

 Queen Elizabeth in 15!) 3 confirmed to the men of 



Duddington the privilege of freedom from toll 

 throughout the realm as tenants of ancient demesne.* 

 The church of Duddington was, 

 ADVOIVSON until the 19th century, a chapel of ease 

 to Grctton, and in the gift of the pre- 

 bendary of Gretton in Lincoln Cathedral. This 

 prebend was dissolved under the Ecclesiastical Com- 

 mission Act of 1836, and by the Act of 1840 the 

 patronage of the vicarage of Duddington was vested in 

 the bishop of Peterborough, who now presents. 



The church is dedicated in honour 



CHURCH of our Lady, and stands in the middle 



of the village on a level site, though the 



general line of the ground falls quickly from south 



to north. The churchyard lies on the north and 



south, the church coming close to the 



east and west boundaries. 



It has a chancel 34 ft. by 16 ft., a 

 tower and spire at the south-west of the 

 chancel, and a nave 40 ft. by 14 ft., with 

 north and south aisles 7 ft. 6 in. and 9 ft. 

 wide respectively. There is an unusually 

 deep south porch near the west end of 

 the aisle. The chancel, porch, and north 

 aisle have roofs covered with Collyweston 

 slates, while those of the nave and south 

 aisle are of flat pitch, leaded. The nave 

 roof has an embattled parapet, and that 

 of the south aisle is plain. 



The development of the building is 

 interesting, and seems to be somewhat as 

 follows: — The first building was a small 

 aisleless nave and chancel church, the 

 nave measuring about 30 ft. by 14 ft. 

 inside. To this a north aisle was added 

 c. 1150-60, and a south aisle some 

 thirty years later. 



A new chancel was built round the 

 old one about the beginning of the 13th 

 century on a considerably larger scale, 

 being made 2 ft. wider than the nave, 

 and a tower was about the same time 

 begun at its south-west angle, probably 

 for want of space at the west of the nave, 

 where the levels fall quickly, though now 

 in the course of time made up to some 

 degree by the churchyard soil. 



A bay was added to the nave about 

 1230, bringing it to its present internal 

 length of 40 ft., and both aisles must 

 have been lengthened westward in conse- 

 quence. The north aisle seems to have 

 been entirely rebuilt at this time, and 

 perhaps slightly widened, while the south 

 aisle was widened and rebuilt about 1330, the south 

 doorway being re-used. The south porch is of this 

 date or a little later, and the clearstory of the nave 

 may be of the 14th century also. 



The chancel has been practically rebuilt in modern 

 times, but retains early 13th-century shallow buttresses 

 at its east angles, and a dwarf buttress in the middle 

 of the east wall with a chamfered string over it. In 

 this wall are three lancets under a semicircular arch 



' Chan. Inq. p.m. 54 Edw. I, No. 29 ; 

 HunJ. R. (Rcc. Com.), ii, 14. 



3 Chan. Inq. p.m. 5 Edw. II, No. 30. 



' Ibid. 49 Edw. Ill, No. 32 i Orig. R. 

 (Rec. Com.), ii, 338. 



•• Orig. R. (Rec. Com.), ii, 349. 

 ' Chan. Inq. p.m. 15 Ric. II, pt, i. 

 No. 61. 



* Misc. Inq. File 5, No. 24. 



' Forest Proc. bdle. 59, No. 57. Right 



562 



extinguished by enclosure of Forest of 

 Clive in 1805. 



' Confirmation R. 32-30 Eliz. No. 15. 

 This grant was not enrolled until 1743. 

 See back of roll. 



