A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



STOKE DOYLE 



Stoche (xi cent.), Stokes, Stok juxta Hundel 

 (Oundle) (xiii cent.), Stokes de Olv, Stoke Leukenors 

 (xiv cent.). 



The parish of Stoke Doyle, which lies about two 

 miles south-west of Oundle, contains 1,570 acres, 

 the greater part of which is laid down in permanent 

 grass. The subsoil is Oxford clay, stone marls and 

 cornbrash. The land rises gently to the west from 

 the River Nene, which forms the eastern boundary. 

 Along the river bank the ground falls to a little below 

 the 100 ft. contour line, but in the north-west of the 

 parish near Stoke Wood it reaches 238 ft. above the 

 ordnance datum. Stoke Doyle was formerly within 

 the metes of the Forest of Rockingham, but in 1638 

 Edward Doyley obtained licence to disafforest his 

 manor which contained 1,200 acres of land within the 

 Forest.i There are two disused stone quarries in the 

 parish. 



The village lies along the road from VVadenhoe to 

 Oundle, where the road is crossed by a stream rising 

 in Lilford Wood and running into the Nene. The 

 church stands on the east side of the road. A little 

 distance to the south-east is the Rectory, a 17th 

 century house with later additions. On one of the 

 bay windows is the date 1633 with the initials T. B., 

 and a gable of this north wing is dated 1 731. The 

 old manor house south of the church was pulled down 

 about 1870 and a farm house erected on the site.^ 

 A square stone dovecot with hipped roof and lantern 

 survives from the old buildings. 



There is no railway line in the parish, and the 

 nearest station is at Oundle on the London Midland 

 and Scottish Railway. 



The manor of STOKE DOYLE may 

 MJA'ORS be identified with one of the Domesday 

 holdings of the Abbey of Peterborough, 

 which contained 2 hides and a virgate of land, but 

 was then appurtenant to Oundle manor.'* By II25, 

 tlie land had been subinfeudatcd, but the overlord- 

 ship was held by the Abbey, until its dissolution.* 

 Afterwards the manor was held of the Crown as of 

 the Hundred of Navisford^ (?-^-)> -""^ when the latter 

 was granted by James I to Lord Montagu, he also 

 obtained the overlordship of Stoke Doyle.* 



About 1 1 25, Wymund de Stoke was the tenant of this 



land, which he held as one knights' fee, but claimed 

 to hold l\ hides in socage.' In the 1 2th century 

 survey of Northamptonshire, Stoke does not appear, 

 but as Wadenhoe, Pilton and Stoke formed one town- 

 ship,* it is possible that the entries under Wadenhoe 

 include holdings in the other two parishes. Wymund 

 appears as holding one virgate of land,' which may 

 have been the virgate which the lords of Stoke Doyle 

 afterwards held of the manor of Pilton," but if so 

 his main holding is omitted. He was probably suc- 

 ceeded by another Wymund before 1146.*' In 1 189, 

 the fee was held by Guy de Stoke, ^- and in 1 199 

 Robert de Stoke agreed to perform the military service 

 due from half a knight's fee and to pay a rent of 8x. 

 a year for the other half.^^ He was living in 1227,** 

 but was succeeded by Edmund or Simon de Stoke 

 shortly afterwards. ^^ In 1242-3 John de Stoke was 

 the tenant,** but he had died before 1246-7,*' and in 

 1254 the half fee was held by the heir of Robert de 

 Stoke.** In 1275 John de Stoke was lord of the 

 manor," but he apparently died before 1280.-" 



The manor then passed to Alice, the wife of John 

 Doyley, who obtained in I3I3,2<'-" {rom Robert son of 

 John de Stoke, a quitclaim of 

 his right in the manor. In 

 the same year they settled it, 

 with remainders to their son 

 Thomas and the right heirs of 

 Alice.^* Thomas did homage 

 to the abbot in 1322.2'- A 

 John Doyley, possibly son of 

 Thomas, held the manor in 

 1 34123 and in 1353 he made a 

 settlement on his son Tliomas 

 by his second wife Margery.** 

 This Thomas seems to have 

 died young, and the manor 



went to Henry Doyley, probably his great-uncle, 

 son of John Doyley and his wife Alice.25 On his 

 death after 1367 the manor went to John, son of 

 Robert Knightley (d. c. 1326) and Alice his wife 

 (d. 1349), who was sister of Henry Doyley. John 

 Knightley presented to the church in 1 369 and 1390.2* 

 A settlement of Stoke Doyle was made in 13702' on 

 Joan, said to be daughter and heir of Sir John Doyley, 



DovLEV. Ctilfs thref 

 bans' brads cabosbed 

 argent. 



' I'.it. R. 14 Ch.iB. I, pt. 18. 



' Whclbn, lliil. of Noribani! 1S74. 

 The iron gatci were taken to a house in 

 Oundte. 



• V.C.U. A'orlhanls. i, JI4'J. 



• C'bron. Peiroh. (Camden Soc), 1 57 ; 

 Ftud. Aidi, iv, 48, 448 ; Chan. Int). p.m. 

 18 p.dw. IV, no. 37. 



'Ibid. (Ser. ii), civlii, 14; P.R.O. Ct. 

 R. ptf. 19;, no. 56. 



• Chan. Inq. p.m. miic. ptf. 22, no. 

 9b. 



' Chron. Peiroh. (Camden Soc), i 57. 



• Kgcrton MS. (ll.M.), 27J3, f. 15 ;. 



• Cott. MS. Vein. F. xxii, f. 94. 

 "Soc. Antiq. -MS. 60, f. ijCi. 



" Sparke, Ihil. /Itif.l, Script, d;, 81. 

 ^^ (.'al. Chart. 1226-57, p. 20. 

 '•I'eet o( F. Northanti. 10 Ric. 



caie 77, no. •). 



" Rfd Hi. 0/ rx.hrj. (Rolli 



I, 

 Ser), 



C19; Rot. Hug. dc H'clles (Cant, and 

 \'ut\( Soc.), ii, 140. 



"Egerton MS. (B.M.) 2713, f. Ijzd. 



'* Soc. Antiq. MS. 60, f. 251 d. 



" Cott. MS. Clfop. C i, f. 58 d. 



"Soc. Antiq. MS. (io, f. 249. Sit 

 Robert de Stoke had a brother Walter 

 (Hucclcuch Deed. II. 18). 



'» Rot. Ric. Gravcscnd (C.int. and York 

 Soc), 126. In 1273 a John de Stiike juxta 

 Ilundcl (Oundle) wa« in gaol for robbing 

 Borne merchants of a great Bum of money 

 [Cal. Pat. 1272-81, p. S). VV'ilh.mi Bon 

 of Sir Jolin Stoke waB witness to a 13th 

 century diartcr as to landi in Itarnwcll 

 (Duitleuch Decdi, II. 20). 



■" De Ilanco R. 42, m. 82d. As lord 

 of the manor, John presented to the 

 rectory in 1275, but in 1280 the Ilishnp of 

 Lincoln presented owing to lapse (HridgcB, 

 //ii/. Norlhanli.W, 377). Rifore 12S2, John 



132 



Doyley and his wife Alice recovered the ad- 

 vowsun from John de Stoke and others, but 

 it seems clear that the defendant in thii 

 case must have been another John de Stoke. 



•»• Dc Ranco R. 201, m. id (3). 



•' Feet of F. Northants, llil. 6 Edw. 11; 

 Cott. MS. CIcop. C i, f. 144. 



" Ibid. Vcsp. E xxi, I. 79b. 



"Feet of F. Northants. Mich. 14 

 Edw. Ill ; Feud. Aids, iv, 44X. 



»« Feet of F. Northants. Mich. 26 

 Edw. III. 



'* See I'.C.ll. Northants. Familtcs, 174, 

 where John tie Kniglilley is descrihetl as 

 his nephew, and Alice, John's mother, 

 wife of Robert Knightley, is described ai 

 daughter of John Doyley in 1313. 



•" List of I'resentatiimi, cit. Ilridgei, 

 op. cit. ii, 377. 



" Baker, Northants. 508 ; Feet of F. 

 Div. Cos. Trin. 44 Edw. III. 



