A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



The earl (later, marquis) of Powis refused to accept 

 the Revolution of 1688 and went into exile with 

 James II, dying at St. Germains in 1696. Being out- 

 lawed, his estates were confiscated, and in 1691 it was 

 found on inquiry that he had held the manor of 

 Oundle, with court baron, market, three fairs, water 

 mill, lime kiln, Park Wood, 

 Hills Wood, Pexley Wood, 

 Hall Wood, Parson's Wood, 

 the capital messuage called 

 the Berrystead and site of the 

 manor (late in the possession 

 of Bridget Page and then of 

 Thomas Manning), also the 

 manor of Biggin, with appur- 

 tenances in several adjacent 

 parishes.' The estates were 

 in 1696 granted to William 

 Earl of Rochford* but were 

 eventuaUyrestored to theMar- 



quis of Powis's son William (d. 1745),* who sold Oundle 

 and Biggin together with Benefield in 1724. to James 

 Jove. He died in 1741 and was succeeded by his son 

 Charles who died unmarried in 1776. Charles was fol- 

 lowed by his brother Peter Joje of the Inner Temple, 

 who by his wiU proved in 17821" left his property to his 

 wife Anne for life with remainder to his sisters Eliza- 

 beth and Jane. Anne married as her second husband 

 Sir Isaac Pocock and died in l8l8,i' being predeceased 

 by her sisters-in-law. The trustees under the will of 

 the survivor Jane Joye^^ sold the property in 1822 to 

 Jesse Watts Russell, who had taken the additional 



Herbert, Earl of Powis. 

 Party azure and guUs 

 three lions argent. 



Watts. Azure a bend 

 engrailed ermtnois between 

 two crescents or xotth a 

 quarter gules. 



Russell. Ermine a lion 

 gules with a collar argent 

 and a chief azure with 

 three roses argent thereon. 



name of Watts on his marriage with Mary daughter 

 of David Pike Watts of Portland Place. He was 

 succeeded in 1875 ^X ^'^ son Jesse David Watts 

 Russell, M.P. for North Staffordshire (1879) whose 

 eldest daughter Josephine married Sir Arthur Birch, 

 K.C.M.G. Their son Capt. Arthur Egerton Watts 

 Russell (who took the name of Watts Russell in 1898) 

 died in 1923 leaving a son David. Mrs. Watts 

 Russell of Biggin Hall, is now lady of the manor. 



The Court Rolls begin in October 1678. The 

 market dues are still paid to the lord of the manor.*^' 



The RECTOR!' MANOR has been mentioned in 

 the preceding account. Nothing is known of the 

 conditions while it was in the possession of the rectors 

 of ..he parish ; the rector about 1400 paid 2J. a year 

 for free entry to the fields.*' When the vicarage was 

 constituted the rectory was appropriated to the monks 

 of Peterborough and shared the fate of their other 

 estates. In 1546 John Nox farmed the rectory for 

 ^55 13/. \d. a year,i* and in 1590 the Crown granted 

 the rectory, with the advowson of the vicarage, to 

 Sir Anthony Mildmay, Grace his wife, and Mary their 

 daughter, for life." Mary became Countess of West- 

 morland and died in 1640, when this grant would 

 expire. As already stated it was sold by James I to 

 Sir Thomas Mounson and WiUiam Darwyn with all 

 rights, court, view of frank pledge, etc., except the 

 advowsons of churches, vicarages, etc., to be held in 

 socage of the manor of East Greenwich at a perpetual 

 rent of j^39 6s. Sd. ; ecclesiastical dues were to be paid 

 also, including 6s. Sd. a year to the poor and ^^i 3 6s. Sd. 

 to the vicar of Oundle. ** 



In 1674 the rectory manor was acquired by Bernard 

 Walcott from William Page and Bridget his wife, as 

 the manor of the rectory of Oundle and the rectory 

 with its tithes, etc., two messuages, 30 acres of land, 

 dovecote, etc. ; i' and Bernard Walcott and Elizabeth 

 (Page) his wife were in possession in 1680.** Out of 

 the Crown's reserved rent ^32 13^. ^d. a year was 

 granted by James I to his queen Anne** and by 

 Charles I to Queen Henrietta Maria.^"* Later it was 

 sold and shared by various persons,^* whose rights 

 were purchased in 1750 by William Walcott,^^ who 

 thus held the rectory clear of the rent to the Crown. 

 Dr. WilUam Walcott, who died in 1806, left (by his 

 wife Mary Creed) a son William, after whose death in 

 1827, aged 74, the property went to the Simcoe family, 

 who disposed of it.'' The rectory manor was 

 purchased by John Smith, who was succeeded by his 

 son John WilUam Smith, of a local family of brewers 

 and bankers. The dues included mortuaries and 

 Easter dues, called ' Apron money ' in Oundle, 

 because the tradesmen were the chief contributors ; 

 these were originally fixed at 2d. per head, but ulti- 

 mately stood at is. 2^d. per house.^'' About 1870 the 

 court of the rectory manor was held every two or 

 three years. 



CHURCHFIELD occurs as Ciricfeld in an ancient 

 account of the boundaries of a pieceof land atOundle.*' 

 Abbot Thorold gave Vivian \ hide in Circafeld" as 

 well as the \ hide in Oundle already mentioned, and 

 he held it c. 1125.^' He was succeeded by Henry 

 Angevin, who was living in 1 133 and 1 163, and 

 he by William Angevin before 1 169, who left a 

 widow Ismania.^* Baldric the Angevin, his son, 

 held a knight's fee in Churchfield, Warmington 

 and Oundle in 1189,^' and acquired 32 acres in 

 Churchfield from Matefrei the dispenser in 1202,** 

 and was witness to a charter of Abbot Robert de 



' Excheq. Spec. Com. 6806 ; Cal. S. P. 

 Dom. 1691-2, p. 545; 1693, p. 447. 



• Pat. R. 8 Will. HI, pt. 6. 



• Feet of F. Nurthanti. Trin. 10 Geo. I. 

 "P.C.C. 548 Goieling, 



"Berry, County Geneal. Berkt, 118; 

 In.tit. Bki. fP.R.O.). 



'• Priv. Acti, I Geo. IV, cap. 31; 

 P.C.C. 190 Blihop. 



"• Information of Mr. L. M. Hewlett. 



'• Cott. MS. Nero C. vii, f. ro;. 



"Minj. Acct). Hen. VIII, n. 2661. 



" Pat. R. 3i Eliz. pt. 19. 



"Pat. R. 5 Jame» I, pt. 19. 



" Feet of F. Northants. Hil. 15/26 

 Chai. II. 



"Ibid. Mich. 32 Cha». II. 



'• Pat. R. II Ja.. I, pt. 13. 



" Pat. R. 2 Ch.:i. I, pt. 4. 



•' Feet of F. Nortlianti. Hil. z Will, and 

 Mary ; Trin. 9 Geo. I. 



"Ibid. Trin. 24 Geo. II. The dc- 



92 



forcianls were Elizabeth Horton, widow, 

 James Horton, and Thomas Roane. 



"W. Smallcy Law, op. cit. 98, 121-3, 

 130. " Ibid. 130. 



" Birch, Ciriul. Sa.x. iii, 368. 



«' Chron. Petrob. 175. 



•' r.C./l. Northants. i, 366. 



" For this descent tee Pytchley, Bk. of 

 Fees (Northants. Rec. Soc), I2i. 



•• Cal. Chart. K iv, 277. 



•» Feet of F. Northants. Hil. 4 John. 



