POLEBROOK HUNDRED 



BENEFIELD 



^^ 



Rich. CiJes a cbtveron 

 betvieen ihree crossUn or. 



daughter of the Earl of Cork." Charles, who suc- 

 ceeded his elder brother in the earldom in 1659,'* 

 with his wife Mary, sold Bencfield in 1666 to Thomas 

 Bromfield of London and others,'* possibly acting 

 on behalf of Sir Thomas 

 Middleton, who held the 

 manor from 1676 to 1689.*" 



Shortly after this date the 

 manor was held by William 

 Marquis of Powis, who already 

 held the adjoining manor of 

 Oundle. In 1724 he sold 

 Benefield to James Joye," and 

 from this date it followed the 

 descent of Oundle (g.v.). 



In 1280 there was a wind- 

 mill'- in the Peterborough fee, 

 and in 1367 a windmill and a 



watermill** probably stood on the same sites as the 

 two mills of the manor of 1566. A dovecote also is 

 mentioned** at this date. Sir Thomas Bnidcnel 

 received a grant of free warren within the manor of 

 Benefield in 1616.** The Knights Templars held 

 view of frankpledge over their tenants in Benefield, 

 as did their successors of the Hospital of St. John 

 of Jerusalem in England.** 



The church of ST. MART stands 

 CHURCH on the south-west side of the 

 village and consists of chancel with 

 vestry, clearstoricd nave of four bays, north and south 

 aisles, north porch, and west tower surmounted by 

 a broach spire. At the east end of the north aisle 

 is a transeptal extension formerly used as a choir 

 vestrv, but since 1925 as a memorial chapel.*' 



With the exception of the chancel, which is of 

 14th-century date, the whole of the church was rebuilt 

 in 1847 at the charges of James Watts Russell, the 

 patron,** in a style roughly approximating to that 

 of the older parts (14th century) of the building then 

 pulled down, but diflfering in many respects from that 

 structure. The aisles and vestry are under separate 

 gabled roofs, and all the roofs are eaved and covered 

 with grey slates. Bridges describes the old church 

 as consisting of ' body, north and south aisles and 

 chancel, all leaded,'** with an embattled tower and 

 spire at the west end : the chancel also was embattled, 

 and the north aisle was prolonged at its east end as a 

 chapel, covering the chancel for about a third of its 

 length. A drawing of the building made before its 

 demolition shows the nave and north aisle** to have 

 been completely niodernised, probably in the 1 8th 



century, the windows of the clearstory being elliptical 

 and those of the aisle plain undivided pointed open- 

 ings.'* There was a north doorway to the chancel. 

 The upper part of the present tower differs completely 

 from the original design, which had single pointed 

 bell-chamber windows of two lights. The chancel 

 was restored and modernised internally in 1847, and 

 a screen erected, but the elaborate mural decorations 

 then carried out perished in course of time, necessi- 

 tating a further restoration in 1897, when a new altar 

 and reredos were erected and other work carried out.'^ 

 In 1901 the south-west corner of the tower was 

 underpinned and rebuilt, and the spire repaired.*' 



The chancel has an original east window of five 

 lights with reticulated tracery, restored in parts. On 

 the south side are three restored windows of two lights, 

 and a similar single window at the east end of the 

 north wall. The chancel has double angle buttresses 

 of two st.ages, and a moulded plinth and string. The 

 piscina and sedilia were 'renewed' in 1847. Three 

 carved misericord seats, said to have come originally 

 from Fotheringhay church, were purchased at Tansor 

 in 1899 and placed in the chancel, one on the north 

 and two on the south side. In 1904 a loft was added 

 to the screen,** and above it a rood with attendant 

 figures, a staircase being added in 1906. All the other 

 fittings, together with the font and pulpit, are 

 modern. 



In the chancel is a brass plate to Elizabeth Grant 

 (d. 1608) inscribed ' my child-bed was my death-bed : 

 thanks I gave to God that gave a child, and so I died.' 

 Under the tower is a marble slab to Mark Lewis, 

 S.T.P., rector (d. 1620). 



Until 191 1 there were five bells, but in that year 

 a treble, by Taylor of Loughborough, was added, 

 making a ring of six. The second (old treble) is by 

 Henry Penn of Peterborough, 171 3, the third by 

 Thomas Eayre of Kettering, 1755, the fourth by 

 C. and G. Mears of London, 1847, the fifth dated 

 1733, and the tenor by R. Taylor of St. Neots, 1815.*' 



The silver plate consists of a cup and cover paten 

 of 1570, a paten of 1637 inscribed with the names of 

 the churchwardens of 1658, and a silver-gilt cup, two 

 patens, and a flagon of 1843. There is also a modern 

 plated cup, paten and flagon.'* 



The registers before 1812 are as follows : (i) 

 baptisms 1570-1705, marriages 1570-1695, burials 

 1570-1684; (ii) baptisms 1705-1742, marriages 1696- 

 1742, burials 1685-1742 ; (iii) baptisms 1743-1812, 

 marriagesi743-l778, burials 1743-1812; (iv) marriages 

 1778-1812. 



" Feet of F. Div. Cos. Trin. 17 Chas. I ; 

 G.E.C. Complete Peerage, viii, 65. 



'» Ibid. 



'» Recov. R. Mich. 18 Chai. 

 226; Com. Pleaj, D. Enr. 

 |g Char II, m. lod. 



••Inst. BIcs. (P.R.O.)j Feet 

 Northants, Mich. 29 Chas. II; 

 I Will, and Mary; Recov. R. 

 1 Will, and Mary, ro. 308. 



•' Feet of F. Northants, Trin. 

 Ceo. I. 



•• Chan. Inq. p.m. Edw. I, file 

 no. 15. 



•> Ibid. Edw. Ill, file 193, no. 15. 



•• Pat. R. 8 Eliz. pt. I, m. 27. 



"Ibid. 14 Jas. I, pt. ii, m. 14. 



•• Plae. de Quo Ifar. (Rec. Com.), 531. 



" In memory of Capt. A. E. Watts 



II, ro. 

 Mich. 



of F. 

 Mich. 

 Mich. 



24. 



Russell. The internal dimensions of the 

 church are : chancel 35 ft. by 18 ft., 

 nave 54 ft. by 20 ft. 6 in., north aisle 

 13 ft. wide, south aisle 17 ft., tower 

 9 ft. 9 in. square. 



" Designed by Mr. Derrick, of Oxford. 



" Bridges Hisl. of Norihants, ii, 39S. 



'^^ The drawing is from the north ; 

 probably the south aisle was modernised 

 also. 



'* There were four windows and two 

 doorways in the north wall of the aisle. 



" The altar and reredos were designed 

 by Mr. J. .N. Comper. During this 

 restoration a piscina was uncovered in the 

 south wall of the chapel (now vestry) 

 north of the chancel. Its state not 

 allowing of restoration, a new one was put 

 in itt place. 



79 



*• When the nave was rebuilt In 1847 

 the ground was considerably lowered, 

 and the footings of the tower on the south 

 fide were only about 15 in. below the 

 surface. 



" The Royal Arms were placed on the 

 screen at this time, flanked by those of 

 Dr. Carr Glynn (Rishop of Peter- 

 borough), and of the Ven. E. M. Moore, 

 Archdeacon of Oakham (rector 1876- 

 1907), who was the promoter of the 

 works of restoration within that period. 

 He was also a generous donor. The loft 

 and rood were designed by Mr. J. N. 

 Comper. 



•^ The Inscriptions on the old bella are 

 given in North, Ch. Bells of Northants. 

 (1878), 190. 



•• Markham, Ch. Plate of Northants. 31. 



