A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



1576 ' ; and in the vestry a small wooden box inscribed 

 'This belongs to the vestry in Oundle 1676,' a 17th 

 century table, and a chest with two locks of about the 

 same period. Below the tower is a brass chandelier 

 inscribed ' Ex dono Edvardi Bedell generosi anno 

 Dni 1687.' 



The oldest monument is the grave slab of John 

 de Oundle, rector {d. 1278), in the floor of the chancel. 

 It has a floriated cross and imperfect border inscrip- 

 tion in Lombardic characters, which Bridges recorded 

 as 'Johan : de : Undele : ke : ci : Lid: Re: de: Scoteye.'*' 

 In the chancel floor are also three large blue slabs 

 with indents of brasses, two of which were of priests, 

 and stones marking the burial places of John Lewis, 

 apothecary, and William Filbrigge,*-* gent., both of 

 whom died in 1687. On the north wall of the chancel 

 is an elaborate Renaissance monument with Ionic 

 columns, strapwork patterns, and shields of arms, to 

 Martha Kirkham of Fineshade {il. 1616), the pedestal 

 of which bears inscriptions to Susanna, widow of 

 William Walcot {d. 1737) and her daughter Elizabeth 

 (d. 1735), and on the opposite wall tablets to William 

 Walcot, M.D. of Oundle {d. 1806), and his son of the 

 same name (d. 1827). There is also a tablet in the 

 chancel to William Raper, gent. {d. 1746), who 

 ' studied physick all his life, not to profit but for the 

 pleasure of doing good.' In the floor of the north 

 aisle is a stone with indents of two figures and a brass 

 inscription recording the burial of Katharine, wife of 

 Peter Dayrell, second son of Sir Thomas Dayrell 

 of Lillingstone Dayrell, Bucks, and eldest daughter of 

 Edward Cuthbert of Oundle, who died in 1615,®^ 

 and at the west end of the same aisle is a small mural 

 monument to William Loringe of Haymes, Gloucester- 

 shire (d. 1628).** In the south aisle is an inscription 

 to James Risley (d. 1605) and Joan his wife {d. 1612). 

 There is an elaborate monument between the windows 

 of the south chapel to Mary Gaymes {d. 1760) and 

 Mrs. Mary Kirkham, formerly wife of W. Langhorn 

 Games (d. 1754), and at the west end of the south 

 aisle one commemorating the Rev. John Shillibeer, 

 head master of Oundle School and rector of Stoke 

 Doyle {d. 1 841). 



There is a ring of eight bells in the tower, four of 

 which (the treble, second, third and tenor) were 

 recast by Mears and Stainbank in 1869, after damage 

 by a fire in the belfry on 16 August, 1868. The 

 fourth is by Thomas Eayre, of Kettering, 1735, the 

 fifth by the .same founder 1742, the si.xtli by Joseph 

 Eayre, of St. Neots, 1763, and the seventh by Thomas 



Osborn, of Downham, Norfolk. 1801.*' The chimes 

 date from the renewal of the clock in 1868. 



The plate consists of a silver cup, paten, flagon 

 and breadholder of 1697, given by William Whitwell, 

 each piece engraved with liis crest, a talbot passant ;" 

 two silver basins of 1729; two silver plates of 1731, 

 inscribed ' The gift of Mrs. Alice Hunt, widow, to 

 the church of Oundle, Com. North'ton,' with the 

 .irms of the donor; two silver cups of 1847, and two 

 plated cups given in 1855.^ 



The registers before 1812 are as follows : (i) all 

 entries 1625-1732, (ii) all entries 1733-1748, (iii) 

 baptisms and burials 1 749-1 Si 2, marriages 1749-5S, 

 (iv) marriages 1755-80, (v) marriages 1780-1806, 

 (vi) marriages 1808-12. 



The advowson of the rectory be- 

 ADVOWSON longed to the abbey of Peterborough. 

 The earliest of the rectors known is 

 one Ralph, who occurs in 1159.' He may be the 

 rector, Ralph, who renounced his right to certain 

 tithes.^ The earliest recorded presentation is that of 

 John de Burgo, subdeacon, in 1234.^ John deThoresby, 

 one of the king's clerks, held the rectory of Oundle 

 for a time (1346) as one of his many preferments; 

 he became chancellor (1349-56) and archbishop of 

 York (1352-73).* Richard de Treton, rector, made 

 an agreement with the abbot in 1395 concerning his 

 claim to take wood and brushwood in the abbot's 

 woods at Oundle for his fires in the rectory.* 



To Treton in 1393 succeeded Thomas Brake, 

 presented by the abbot ; two years later the king 

 presented John Boor, and a long dispute ensued, in 

 the courts in England and at Rome, with various 

 changes of fortune,* but at last, in 1402, Brake's 

 right was fully acknowledged, and he retained the rec. 

 tory for about thirty years in peace.' Anotlier dispute 

 occurred about 1447, when Dr. Henry Sharp, rector 

 of Potterspury, obtained a papal grant of the rectory, 

 vacant by the promotion of John Delabere to the see 

 of St. David's ■? the king pardoned this breach of the 

 statute of provisors on account of Sharp's services 

 at Rome in the establishment of Eton college,* but 

 one John Middlehame appealed to the pope against 

 it, alleging a presentation by the abbot. ^* 



In 1477 the king, after inquiry, allowed the abbot 

 to appropriate the rectory in mortmain, a sufficient 

 endowment for a vicarage lacing provided, and a 

 distribution to the poor yearly. For this permission 

 the convent gave the king certain lands at Cotten- 

 ham." This was carried out, and the vicars were 



" lliil. oj Northanls. ii, 408. John 

 was also rector of Scotter, in I.incoln- 

 thirc. 



*• He issued .1 token in i/i^S with 

 inscription * Will. I-'ilbrigp, linen draper 

 of Oundle ' and arms borne by the family 

 of the same name se.tced at Fclbrigg, 

 Norfolk. Sorlhanis X. and (J. ii, 92. 



•*Thc Inscription is given in Bridges, 

 op. cit. ii, 409. The brasses had then 

 been lorn a"ay. 



•* The monument wa» on the sicstcrn- 

 most pillar of the north aisle in Bridget' 

 time. It has small Corinthian pillars, 

 but the figure of I.oringe (kneeling at a 

 desk) il missing, below are twelve children 

 — five loni, five daughters, and two 

 infants. This William Loringe had two 

 sons at Sir William Laxton'i school; 

 .Smilley law, op. cit. 61. 



"' The former treble and second uerc 

 by Thom.TS Osborn, 1780, the third hy 

 Henry Baglcy, of Ecton, :6S8, and the 

 tenor by Thomas Eayre, 174S. 'I'he 

 inscriptions on all the bells arc given in 

 North, Ch. llelli of Xorihniiis. 3-;5. The 

 old third was the gift of John Lewis;, 

 apothecary, who is buried in the chancel. 

 Ili< bequest of ,^50 ' to buy a sixth bell ' 

 indicates that there were then five, and 

 that a new treble was added. Eayrc's 

 tenor of 1748 was a recasting of one ' paid 

 for by Thomas Tranklin,' who in his will 

 dated 12 May, 1544, beijiicathcd xijd. 

 to the rcp.'iration of the bells within 

 Oundle church : Smallcy Law, op. cit. 



"The flagon, in addition, bears the 

 inscription ' Lx dono Wm. Whitewell, 

 cent. 1697.' 



'•'' ^Llrkham, Cit. Plate of Norlhaiiis. 221. 



' W. S. Law, UundU's Story, 15. 



' Sp.irkc, lliil. Angl. Script. (Swaphain), 

 t. \cvii. 



= Rat. /fug. df ll'rUes (Line. Rec. Soc). 

 ii, 115. 



* U. N. B. i C<il. Pat. 1343-45, p. 4S0. 



' Cal. Pat. 1391-96, p. 610; Cal. Pap. 

 Letters, v, 608 ; vi, 26. 



'Cal. Pal. 1391-96, p. 649; 1396-9, 

 P' 52' i '399-'4ot, p. 311 ; 1401-5. 

 p. 9 ; Cal. Pap. Letters, v. 94, 229, 330, 367, 



3871 442- 



' tW. Pat. 1413-6, p. igo; 1429-36, 

 p. 229. 



' Cal. Pap. Letters, x, 4. 

 " Cal. Pal. 144O-52, p. 17;. 

 '» Cal. Pap. Letters, X, 1 8. 

 '* Chan. Inq. p. ni. 17 Ldw. I\' ; 

 Cal. Pat. 1476-85, p. 41. 



98 



