NAVISFORD HUNDRED 



CLAPTON 



Cloton (xi cent.), Clopton, Clotton (xii cent.), Clop- 

 ton, Cl.ipton (xiii cent.). 



The parish of Clapton lies on the eastern side of 

 tlie county, the Huntingdonshire county boundary 

 marking its eastern limits. It covers 1,952 acres of 

 land of which over half is laid down in grass. A stream 

 crosses its western side and here the land is only 

 some 100 ft. above the ordnance datum, but eastward 

 near the church it rises to about 250 ft.* The sub- 

 soil is mainly Oxford clay, with some stone marls.'^ No 

 railway crosses the parish and the nearest station is at 

 Thorpe, on the London Midland and Scottish Rail- 

 way. The vill.ige lies to the east of the main road from 

 Kimbolton to Oundlc, with the church and rectory a 

 little to the south. Tliere is a homestead moat in 

 Ringsdale's wood,' and SkulLing Dudley Coppice pre- 

 sumably gained its name from one of the former lords 

 of the manor. A water-mill at Clapton is mentioned in 

 1397.* There were formerly brick-works in the 

 parish. 



The manorial history of CLAPTON or 

 MANORS CLOPTON in the years succeeding the 

 compilation of Domesday Book is dif- 

 ficult to unravel, the confusion arising from the fact 

 that Eustace the Sheriff of Huntingdonshire held part 

 of Clapton in chief of the King and part as a tenant of 

 the Abbey of Peterborough. The manor of Clapton, 

 later held in demesne of the Abbey, developed from 

 land forming part of the Abbey holding, but the 

 manor of Clapton Hotots or Hotofts was formed from 

 land belonging to both of the 

 Domesday holdings. 



In 1086, Eustace held 3 

 hides, 3 virgates and \ part of 

 J hide of land, of the Abbey 

 of Peterborough.' No tenant 

 is named in the 12th century 

 Survey of the county,' but in 

 1125 Eustace had been suc- 

 ceeded by Roger de Lovetot, 

 who held 2 knights' fees of the 

 Abbev,' containing as appears 

 later land in Clapton, Pole- 

 brook, Catworth, Winwick and 

 Remington.* In 1 146 William 



de Lovetot his son was the Peterborough tenant.* 

 William had two sons, Richard and Nigel, the 

 Hallamshire (co. York) fees passing to Richard and 

 the Southoe (co. Hunts) and Peterborough fees, in- 

 cluding Clapton, going to Nigel. There is some 

 uncertainty about the family of Nigel, who is said 



Lovetot. Arg.'nt aUon 

 parted fessewtse, gules 

 and sable. 



to have had five sons, namely, Richard, Roger, Nigel, 

 Robert and William. The identity of Richard and 

 Roger has been confused, but it appears that Richard 

 died childless before 1192. Roger seems to have 

 had six children, namely, William, who died child- 

 less,'* Nigel, a clerk, who before 1201 held Clapton 

 and later gave it to his brother Geoffrey for life. 

 Geoffrey refused to pay the relief and the Abbot 

 of Peterborough seized his land. Both Nigel and 

 Geoffrey died without direct heirs, and their property 

 passed to their three sisters or their heirs, whose 

 homage and relief was refused by the Abbot because 

 the earlier relief was still unpaid. '^ The matter was 

 apparently settled and Clapton passed to Elias de 

 Mundevillc or Amundeville, the son of the eldest 

 sister. Amice or Avice, wife of Ralph de Amundeville, 

 and to William Patrick, the son of the youngest sister 

 Alice, who had married William Patrick. i'' Rose, the 

 second sister, was still living at the time of Nigel's 

 death in 1219,'' but no part of Clapton was assigned 

 to her.''' Before 1234, William Patrick granted his 

 moiety to his sister Margery, the wife, first of William 

 de Vernon and secondly of John de Littebury.'^ After 

 the death of her first husband, both she and her 

 cousin, Nigel de Mundeville, the brother and heir 

 of Elias, granted their moieties in Clapton, consisting 

 of the homage and service of their sub-tenants, to John 

 de Caux, abbot of Peterborough (l 250-1 262)." Before 

 1259, however, Margery and John de Littebury, her 

 second husband, sold to Richard de Clare, Earl of 

 Gloucester," the services of Thomas de Hotot, a sub- 

 tenant in Clapton, and other properties. This sale led 

 to a claim being made in 1347 by Hugh Audley, Earl 

 of Gloucester (whose wife had inherited part of the 

 Honour of Clare), to the overlordship of land in Clap- 

 ton held by the Abbot. A lawsuit ensued'* and the 

 case is interesting as showing the care with which the 

 Abbot's defence was prepared from researches among 

 public records. The abbot was able to prove that the 

 Earl could have no claim in the land since Margery 

 and John de Littebury had no right to it at the time 

 of the sale to Richard, Earl of Gloucester. Although 

 in 1372 the land in Clapton was returned amongst the 

 fees held by the Earl of Stafford,'* the Abbey was 

 apparently left in undisputed possession of the Love- 

 tot rights there. 



The history of the sub-tenants of the Lovetot's lands 

 is confused. In 1086 a nameless knight appears as the 

 tenant under Eustace the Sheriffj^" who may perhaps 

 be identified with Alured, Eustace's tenant in the 

 other holding in Clapton.*' In c. 1 125, Walter son of 



' Ord. Surv. 



• V.C.H. Soribanls. i. Geological 

 Map. 



* Ibid. ii,4i2. 



* Col. Pal. 1396-9, p. 184. 

 ' V.C.H. Soitbants. i, 316*. 



• Ibid. p. 366. Bridget {Hist. Sn'tbants. 

 ii, 367) give* the early history of Clapton 

 from a MS. in the possession of the Dud- 

 leys, the lords of the manor. In the 

 nuin facts the manuscript is corrobor- 

 ated by other contemporary evidence. 

 The statement, however, that Roger de 

 Lovetot was enfeofled by Abbot Turold 

 (1069-109S) docs not scciii correct, as his 



name would in that case have appeared in 

 the Survey. 

 " Cbron. Petrob. (Camden Soc). p. 173. 



'Soc. Antiq. MS. 38,1. 64. 



' S. Gunton, Hist, oj Cb. of Peter- 

 bjfeugb, 129; Thoroton, H.st. of Notts, i, 

 63. 



*" The above descent is taken from 

 Pytchlcy, Bk. 0/ Fees (Northants Rcc. 

 Soc), 95fl, 96«, where authorities are 

 quoted. See also Rot. de Obi. et ? tn. 

 (Rec. Com.), 149. 



" Egerton MS. (II. M ) No. 2733, 

 f. 129. 



" I'ytchley, Bk. of Fees (Noilh.inii 



125 



Rcc. Soc), p. 541. Excerpt, i Rot. Fin. 

 (Rcc. Com.), i, p. 32 ; Soc. Antiq. MS. 38 

 f. 64; ibid. MS. 60, f. 156^. 



" Excerpt. > Rot. Ftn. (Rec. Com.) i, 

 p. 32. 



'* Soc Antiq. MS. 38, f, 64. 



" Excerpt. > Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), i, 

 p. 255 ; Soc. Antiq. MS. 38, f. 64. 



'• ("ylchlcy, op. cit. 96 ; Soc Antiq. 

 MS. 38, f. 64. "Ibid. 



'» Ihid. ft. 62-121J. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. 45 Edw. Ill (iil 

 nos.), no. 62. 



" f'.C.H. Northants. i,ii('h. 



" Ibid. 3:ca. 



