A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Tyrwhitt, who sold them with the Peterborough 

 manor of Clapton to William Dudley.*' 



The Church of ST. PETER stands at 

 CHURCH the extreme south end of the village 

 and is a structure in the style of the 

 late 13th century, erected in 1862-3 at the charges of 

 William Peere Williams-Freeman," on, or near, the 

 site of an older building then pulled down. The 

 former church consisted of chancel, clearstoried nave 

 of four bays, north and south aisles, south porch, and 

 west tower and spire, and appears to have been mainly 

 of late 13th or early 14th century date, though one of 

 the stones in the hoodmould of the chancel arch was 

 a re-used fragment of the pre-Conquest period.'* 

 The tower and spire having been struck by lightning 

 at the end of the 1 8th century, were allowed to 

 fall in order, it is said, to save the expense of 

 repair. A wall enclosing the nave at its west end 

 was built, but the base of the tower remained stand- 

 ing to the top of the plinth until 1 862.'* 



The present building, which was consecrated 23 

 July, 1863, consists of chancel 21 ft. 8 in. by 17 ft. loin., 

 with north vestry and organ chamber, nave of three 

 bays 38 ft. 6 in. by 18 ft. 6 in., north aisle 10 ft. 

 wide, south porch, and west tower 9 ft. 6 in. square, 

 all these measurements being internal. The building 

 is faced with coursed dressed stone and has red-tiled 

 eaved roofs. The tower is of three stages with 

 diagonal buttresses and saddle-backed roof. The 

 aisle is under a separate gabled roof. 



The font consists of a plain octagonal bowl, 

 apparently ancient, on a modern pedestal. The 

 pulpit and all the fittings are modern. A 13th century 

 sepulchral slab with dog-tooth ornament and 

 elaborately carved top, is preserved under the tower, 

 and in the vestry is a marble tablet to William Breton, 

 D.D., rector (d. 1658). 



The tower contains one bell, by Thomas Mears 

 of London, 1800.* 



The plate consists of a silver-gilt cup and cover 

 paten of 1548, a silver-gilt paten of 1740 given by the 

 Rev. Claudius Founereau, rector, in 1 749, and a 

 plated cup with two handles.^ 



The registers begin in 1558. 



The advowson was granted either 



ADFOWSON by one of the Lovetots or their 



sub-tenants, the Claptons, before 



1 183 to the Priory of St. Neots, Huntingdon, the gift 



being confirmed by Richard, son of Walter de Clapton 



in tliat year.3 In 1219 Abbot Robert de Lindesey of 

 Peterborough obtained the advowson from the Prior 

 of St. Neots in exchange for that of Hemington,* 

 but the Abbey was apparently disturbed in possession 

 by the claims of various tenants of lands in Clapton, 

 who had succeeded William de Clapton. The 

 archdeacon of Northampton held an inquiry into the 

 matter in 1220 and the patronage was confirmed to 

 Peterborough.^ Renunciations of their claims were 

 made by Ralph de Clapton, possibly the heir of 

 Geoffrey, son of Ralph de Clapton, a sub-tenant of 

 William de Clapton, by Sir William Dacus, husband of 

 Emma, niece or great-niece of William ' and by 

 Rohesia, the lady of Polebrook and her son Robert.' 

 In 1282, John Faunel obtained the next presentation 

 to the living,* but from that time it passed with the 

 manor of Clapton.* 



In 1274-5 Hugh de Colingham, as rector of Clapton, 

 had for three years withdrawn the suit of his tenants 

 there at the Hundred Court as well as the payment 

 of 2s. a year for sheriff's aid. He also claimed to have 

 view of frank-pledge and the assizes of bread and ale.'* 



W'illiam de Clapton granted the third sheath of 

 the tithes of his demesne to the Prior of Huntingdon 

 and this was reserved to the Priory, when the advow- 

 son of the church was assigned to the Abbey of 

 Peterborough."^ In 1 291 the Priory received an 

 annual pension of £z.^' A further sheath of the 

 tithes of his demesne was granted by William to the 

 Sacrist of Peterborough,*^ whose pension in 1 291 was 

 worth ^l 6s. Sd. a year.''' A pension 25^. 8d. a year 

 was reserved to the Priory of St. Neots, when the 

 advowson was exchanged,'^ but in 1 291 the value 

 was returned as ;^i." 



In 1250, a chapel is said to have been built in 

 honour of the Holy Trinity, in the churchyard of 

 Clapton, but no mention of it appears in later docu- 

 ments." In 1306-7 Sir William Hotot gave a pension 

 of j^4 to Ralph de Clapton to celebrate daily at the 

 altar of St. Mary Magdalen in Clapton church, but 

 presumably it was merely a grant for life.'* 



The Rev. William Breton who died 

 CHARITY in 1658, by his will directed his 

 executors to purchase land of the 

 yearly value of ^5 for the benefit of the poor. The 

 land is situated in the adjoining parish of Winwick 

 and contains about 15 acres, producing £\6 10/. 

 yearly, which is distributed in coal to about 30 

 householders. 



" L. and P. Hen. fill, xvil, g. 714 

 (15 and 17). 



•' There is a memorial tablet to him in 

 the nave ; he died in 1X73. The fovmdation 

 stone wai laid 3 Jidy, 1S62. The architect 

 wai Rictiard Armstrong, of London. 



•• It was ornamented with plait work 

 and was probably part of a cross shaft ; 

 see V.C.n. Northants. ii, i83. 



•• There is a plan of the old church, 

 made by Sir Henry IJryden in 1862 

 among the Dryden papers in the Nortli- 

 ampton Free Library. The east end of 

 the north aisle widened out and was the 

 burial place of the Dudley family ; 

 Bridges, Htit. of Northnntf. ii, 370. There 

 was a figure of St. Katharine in the cast 

 window. There is also an account of 

 the old church with drawings of details, 

 dated 1862, among the church papers. 



' There svere four bells in the tower 

 of the old church, one of which was by 



John de Yorkc, of Leicester (15th cen- 

 tury) ; another was inscribed " Sancte 

 Petre, ora pro nobis." North, Cb. Beth 

 oj Xorthants. 222. 



• Markham, Ch. I'lile of Xorlhanls. 70, 

 where the 1548 cup and paten are figured 

 full size. On the foot of the paten is 

 inscribed "1595: E.D.," the initials 

 being those of Edward Dudley, son and 

 heir of Thomas Dudley, lord of the 

 manor. 



• Soc. of Antlt]. MS. 38, p. M'. 



• I'eet of I". Northants. Trin. 3 Men. Ill; 

 Ducclruch Deeds, U. 1 1 j Kol. Iluj;. de 

 If'fllet (Cant, and York Soc.) '., 160-1. 



• Roi. Hug. de ll'elles (Cant, and York 

 Soc.) ii, 190. 



• Ibid. ; Soc. Antiq. MS. 38, f. 66 j 

 Bridges, op. cit. ii, 26S-9 ; cf. Feet of V. 

 Northants. Trin. 1 John. 



' Swallham Reg. IT. ccl.6, cclxl.6 ; Feet 

 of F. Northants. Trin. 3 Hen. III. 



128 



• Feet of F. Northants. Trin. to Edw. I. 



• Rot. RfC. Gratrsend (Cant, and York 

 Soc), pp. 109, il6; Add. MS. 25288, 

 f. 38 i /,. c~ P. Hen. rill, xvii, g. 714 

 (15 and 17); Ch;in. Inq. p.m. (ser. ii) 

 cccv^ 129; dcxviii, 4t ; F"ect of F. 

 Northants. Trin. 10 Geo. 1 ; ibid. Trin. 

 29 Geo. HI. 



" Rot. Hund. (Rcc. Com.), ii, S4. 



" Rot. Hug. de It'elles (C.mt. and York 

 Soc), i, 160-I ; Cill. Papal Letters, i, 

 p. ss*!- 



" Pope Nicb. Tax. (Rcc.Com.), p. 39A. 



" Rot. Hug. de IfeUes (Cant, and 

 ^'ork Soc.) i, 160-I. 



" Pope Nieb. Tax. (Rcc. Com.), 39A. 



" Rot. Hug. de ll'elles (Cant, and York 

 Soc.) loc. cit. ; Feet of V. Northants. 

 Trin. 3 llro HI. 



" I'ofte \i,h. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 39*. 



" Bridges, //ij(, Northants. ii, 37J. 



"Ibid. 



