A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



no works. A cottar paid 6d. rent, but worked for the 

 lord every Monday from midsummer to Michaelmas." 



John Nor\s7ch of Gayton died in 1504 holding a 

 messuage in Ashton of the abbot of Peterborough by 

 fealty and Sd. rent. His wife Katherine is named, 

 and his son Simon, aged 13, was heir.'* 



In 1535 the revenues of the abbey from Ashtprt are 

 given.*' In 1553 the manor of Ashton, with manor 

 house and three mills, and the rectory, etc , of Wil- 

 boston, were sold by the Crown to Hugh Lawe and 

 Thomas Lawe, who were to hold them by the service 

 of Jj; knight's fee.** 



A dispute arose in 1602 between Sir Anthony 

 Mildmay and others and Thomas Lawe concerning 

 the tithes of Ashton and its four mills. Three of the 

 mills were corn mills under one roof; the other was 

 a fuUing mill. Defendant and his father Hugh Lawe 

 were alleged to have had the tithes by lease 50 years 

 ago. Robert Selbie, a tanner, aged 78, deposed that 

 in his youth the fulling mill was known as the New 

 Mill; 13/. 4^. used to be paid as tithe for the corn 

 mills. Hugh Lawe had transferred his lease of the 

 tithes to Mr. Price (who married Hugh's daughter), 

 and Sir Anthony Mildmay then had it. He remem- 

 bered the chapel of ease at Ashton; a priest called 

 Sir John said service there in the time of Henry VIII, 

 and witness had acted as his clerk. Another witness 

 said that the minor tithes were paid to Sir John as 

 ' chapel tithes,' but the tithes of corn, wool, lamb, 

 and the mills, with 30^. 2\d. and a few pence for the 

 ancient meadows belonged to the rectory. There 

 was mention of Sandells meadow in Ashton, said to 

 belong to Oundle.*' 



Thomas Lawe died at Ashton in 1628, holding the 

 manor of Ashton, and a capital messuage occupied by 

 Peter Dayrew. By a settlement made in 1627 the 

 estate was to remain to John Lawe of VVigston (Leics) 

 and then to his brother Thomas Lawe of Mount 

 Sorrell (Leics) ; but the heirs were Bridget Aprice, 

 widow, his sister ; Thomas Aprice, son of Robert 

 Aprice by Elizabeth his wife, another sister ; John 

 Wildbore, gent., son and heir of Matthew Wildbore 

 and Elizabeth his wife, one of the daughters of John 

 Flamsteed and Catherine his wife, another sister of 

 Thomas Lawe ; and this Catherine's four other 

 daughters — MericU wife of William Gifford, KLiry 

 wife of Francis Muscott, Joan wife of Roland Tampian, 

 clerk, and Catherine Fowler, widow.*" The brothers 

 were probably half-brothers and therefore passed over 

 by the jury. 



The estate was probably disposed of in parcels and 

 the ' manor ' does not occur again, though J. W. 

 Smith of the Rectory, Oundlc, was styled lord of it in 

 1874.'! A manor house and a green are marked on 

 the map to the south of the chapel. 



Peter Dayrew or Darrell, mentioned above, was 

 succeeded by Newdigate Paynes, who died at Ashton 

 in 1643, leaving a son and heir Thomas, aged 14J. 

 The tenure was unknown.** 



Croyland Adbey. GuUs 

 three knnes argent quar- 

 tering azure three scourges 



Bridges states that about 1710 there were 25 

 families in Ashton.*^ About 1870 ' a few scattered 

 farm houses ' was the description. The Hon. Mrs. 

 N. C. Rothschild is now the owner, with a residence 

 called Ashton Wold. 



In ELMINCTON, according to a spurious charter 

 in Ingulph, the abbey of Croyland held 3 hides of 

 land at an early date, possession being confirmed by 

 Edred (946-95 5). *■' Ingulph says that Abbot Turketul 

 gave this manor when he became a monk.** In 1086 

 the abbey had two estates 

 there ; one hide was held in 

 demesne, with land for one 

 plough, and was worth 8s. in 

 1066 and l6x. in 1086 ; two 

 hides, with land for three 

 ploughs, were worth 12s. and 

 20/. res[iectively at those 

 dates.** In the survey made 

 c. 1125 only one hide is re- 

 corded.*' A fine in 121 8-9 

 between the abbot of Croyland 

 and Ascelin de Waleis con- 

 cerning land in Elmington is 

 recorded.** It was found in 

 1276 that the abbot's tenants in Elmington had 

 withdrawn suit to the hundred court for the last 

 24 years ; they had been accustomed to do this suit 

 and pay lid. at the sheriff's tourn.*^ In 1 3 16 the 

 abbot of Croyland was lord." 



At the dissolution it was found that the abbey had 

 received £j los. from Elmington, by a demise made 

 in 1534 to Thomas Clark and Margaret his wife ; the 

 money was used by the pittancer and almoner." The 

 reversion of the ' manor and hamlet ' was sold to Sir 

 Robert Kirkham in 1542, it being stated that Richard 

 Clark, father of Thomas, had held it beforetime ; 

 Kirkham was to hold by knight's service.'* The manor 

 had been included in the jointure of Queen Katherine 

 Howard in 1541," but she was executed a year later. 

 Sir Robert Kirkham, who also acquired Fineshade, 

 which became the seat of his family, died in 1558, while 

 the lease was still in force.'* 

 The manor of Elmington was 

 included in a settlement made 

 by his son William Kirkham 

 the elder in 1586.'* This settle- 

 ment is recited in the inquisi- 

 tion taken after his death in 

 1599, when he was succeeded 

 by a son William, who had a 

 brother Thomas.'* Walter 

 Kirkham son of William died 

 in 1636 holding the manor of 

 Elmington of the king by 

 knight's service ; the heir was 

 his cousin Robert (aged 40), 

 son of the above-named Thomas 

 Kirkham, Anne his wife and Wa 



000 



Kirkham of Fine- 

 ahadc. .Urgent a fesse 

 piles xvith three bezants 

 thereon. 



In J647 Robert 

 Iter (his son) joined 



" Sparke, ffiit. An^l. Script, iil, 191. 

 " Cal. Inq. p. m. Hen. VII, ii, 882. 

 •' Valor Eccl. (Rtc. Com.) iv, 279. 

 " Pat. R. 7 Edw. VI pt. 3. 

 " Exch. Ucpi. 44 Eliz. Trin. 4, 

 Northantt. 

 •" Chan. Inq. p. m. (ler. ii) ccccUxiv,69. 

 •' Whclan, Northantt. 716. 

 •• Chan. In<j. p. m. (ler. ii) dcclxxvi, 69. 



•• llitl. Northantt. ii, 411. 



" Dugdalc, Mon. Angl. ii, 115. 



•' Ingulph's Chron. (cd. Birch) 55, 59. 



" V.C.H. Northanls. i, 319. 



•' Ibid. 387. 



" Feet ol F. Northantt. caie 172, file 14. 



•• Rot. llund. (Rec. Com.) ii, 14. 



'" Feuil. jlidi, iv, 23. 



" Mini. Accti. Hen. VIII, 2020. 



94 



'•t. and r. Urn. VIII, xvii, g. 1012 



(4°). 



" Ibid, xvi, p. 716. 



'* Chan. Inq. p.m. (per. ii), cxix, 117. 

 Will printed (but misdated 1657) in Coll. 

 Top. et Gen. vii, 44. 



" Feet of F. Northanti. Eait. 28 Elii. 



'° Chan. Inq. p. m. (ler. ii), cclxxx, 76. 



'^ Ibid, cccclxxxi, 104. 



