A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



lights, with double transoms and perpendicular 

 tracery. The lofty arch to the nave is of three hollow 

 orders, the two inner resting on embattled imposts, 

 below which the jambs are moulded. 



The 15th centur)' font consists of an octagonal 

 panelled bowl and plain pedestal. Bridges records 

 some old glass,i' but this has disappeared. 



At the east end of the south aisle is a medijeval 

 grave slab, re-used in the 17th century, inscribed 

 round the verge in Lombardic characters — ' Margery 

 la femme Johan ci Dieu de sa alme eyt mercy.'^* 



In the north chapel is a mural monument to Sir 

 John (d. 1703), Sir Gilbert (d. 1735), and Sir Edward 

 Pickering (d. 1749), baronets, and other members 

 of the family down to 1766 ; and a table tomb to 

 John, eldest son of Sir Gilbert Pickering, who died in 

 1703 in his eighth year. The chapel also contains two 

 wooden mural tablets painted by Mrs. Elizabeth 

 Creed, the first about 1710^* in memory of her brother 

 the Rev. Theophilus Pickering, D.D., Prebendary 

 of Durham, and successively rector of Gateshead and 

 Sedgefield, who died in 1710 :-* the second in 1722 in 

 memorv of her cousin John Dryden, and his parents 

 Erasmus Dryden and Mary Pickering, which is sur- 

 mounted by a wooden bust of the poet.-' 



The east end of the south aisle, which was the 

 burial place of the Creed family and formerly enclosed 

 by a wooden screen,^ contains mural monuments to 

 John Creed of Oundle (d. lyci), ' a wise, learned, 

 pious man,' who ' served His Majesty King Charles 

 ye II in divers Honorable employments at home and 

 abroad ' ;23 his wife Elizabeth (d. 1728), daughter of 

 Sir Gilbert Pickering ;-•• his son Richard who was 

 kiUed at Blenheim in 1704 ;25 and his daughter 

 Jemima (d. 1705). In another part of the aisle is a 

 monument to Colonel John Creed (d. 1 751) who 

 ' served under the Duke of Marlborough in the 

 wars during the reigns of King William and Queen 

 Ann.' 



There are three scratch dials on the south side of 

 the church, (i) on porch, (ii) on gable of middle 

 buttress of aisle, and (iii) on lower stage of angle 

 buttress of chancel. 



There were formerly six bells in the tower, but two 

 trebles were added in 1885, and the whole eight recast 

 in 1913 by Gillett and Johnson, of Croydon.-* 



The plate consists of a silver cup and cover paten of 



1670, another cup and cover paten of 1674, ^ flagon 

 of 1670 (inscribed ' 1671 '), and a silver alms-dish of 

 1836, given in 1837 by the Hon. and Rev. L. Powys, 

 recto. .^' 



The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) 

 baptisms 1544-1651, marriages 1556-1646, burials 

 1543-4, 1556-1646; (ii) all entries 1653-1715 ; (iii) 

 baptisms 1715-1789, marriages 1715-1754, burials 

 1715-1787; (iv) baptisms and burials 1789-1812; (v) 

 marriages I7r5-l8l2. There are two volumes of 

 churchwardens' accounts : (1)1730-1766; (ii) 1779- 



The church of St. Mary the Virgin^* 

 ADVOWSON is a rectory, of which the advowson 

 was held by the lord of Lovel's 

 manor since the early 13th century.-' The first 

 recorded presentation was by Ascelin de Sidenham in 

 1224.5" At the present day. Lord Lilford is patron. In 

 1616, Sir John Pickering sold the next presentation 

 to Lord Say and Sele,^' who presented, together with 

 Robert Horseman in 1633,'- while in 1660,^ presum- 

 ably before Sir Gilbert Pickering, the Parliamentarian, 

 obtained his pardon, a presentation was made by the 

 Crown. The rector of Achurch, in 1291, had a 

 portion in the rectory worth ^i a year.^'" 



The free chapel of St. Stephen^* founded by John, 

 son of John Lovel, is first mentioned in 1293^* and 

 was a chantry chapel in the castle or manor of Titch- 

 marsh. It was served by a chaplain presented 

 by the lords of Lovel's manor,^' the last recorded 

 presentation being by Alice, the widow of William, 

 Lord Lovel in 1462.^' No chantry certificate exists 

 and presumably the Somersets retained possession of 

 the Chantry lands, though the latter and some of the 

 demesne lands called Somerset's lands were later 

 separated from Lovel's manor. They came into the 

 possession of Boniface Pickering, who died seised 

 of the Chantry lands in 1586, which were held in chief 

 of the Crown.^ The lands presumably passed with 

 Tyrringham's manor {q.v.) to the Creeds, but they 

 did not include the Chapel itself and the Chapel Hill, 

 which were held by James Pickering, the second son of 

 the first Gilbert Pickering. On his death in 1602 

 they passed to his grandson William Bury,^* who is 

 said to have sold them again to the Pickerings.*' 

 Bridges mentions the Chapel Hill in the centre of the 

 village in the early l8th century.*' 



•' Hist. Norihanis. ii, 385. In the lower 

 window, south aisle, the effigy of a woman 

 ' Mar^areta Hlythc,' and in tfiis and the 

 adjoining window were * snints, a king, 

 a bishop, and an old man.* In the east 

 window of the same aisle ' a parson 

 praying ' with the inscription ' Lord God 

 who sittcst on Thy t?nc have fiici on 

 Thos, Criston.' 



*• The inscription is now partly covered, 

 but is recorded by Bridges ; the slab was 

 re-uscd in 1691, and again in 1765 (for 

 John Creed, jun.). 



" The inscription records that she was 

 lixty-cight when the tablet was erected. 



*° He was son of Sir Oilbert Pickering, 

 born 1662, buried at Sedgefield, co. Dur- 

 ham. The inscription, which is a very long 

 one, is given in Itridgcs, op. cit. ii, 3K7. 



" He is described as ' the celebrated 

 Poet and Laureate of his time.' The 

 inscription consists of sixty-four lines, 

 and was executed by Mrs. Creed in her 

 eightieth year. 



" Bridges, op. cit. ii, 3S5. 



" He was Secretary to the Commis- 

 sioners for Tangier. 



^* She painted the tablets recorded 

 above. 



'' There is a monument to M.ijor Creed 

 in Westminster Abbey (south aisle of 

 nave). He was interred on tlu field of 

 battle. 



** Four of the old bells were cast by 

 Henry Ha^Icy of F.cton, 1688, the tenor 

 was by Henry Penn of Peterborough, 1708, 

 ^nd the third by l-'dward Arnold of St. 

 N^ots, 178 r. The inscriptions are given 

 in North, Cb. Dells oj Northann. 420; only 

 two have been retained on the new bells. 



•' Markham, Ch. I'laUaJNortbants. 284. 



" Assise R. 632, f. 751/. 



" Rot. Hug. dc H'cUcs (Cant, and York 

 Soc), ii, 119, 215; Chan. Inq. p.m. 

 Edw. II, file 37, no. 3 1 F.dw. HI, file 84, 

 no. 15; ibid. Hen. VI, file 6; Common 

 Pleas, Rccov. Trin. 7 Edw. VI ; Recov. 

 Mich. 12 Jai. I, ro. 142 ; East. 4 Ceo. HI, 



ro. 27S ; Mich. 6 Geo. IV, ro. 265 ; 

 Instit. Bks. (P.R.O.), 1631, 1648, 1751, 

 1770, 17SS. 



" Rol. Hug. dc irdles (Cant, and York 

 Soc), ii, 119. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. ii), ccccxlvi, 84. 



"Instit. Bks. (I'.R.O.), 1633. 



•> Ibid. 1660. 



>'» Pope .\'iih. Tax. (Rcc. Com.), 39*. 



" Cal. I'm. 1327-30, p. 319. 



" Line. Fpis. Rep. Inst. D.ilderby Lilt 

 of Instit., Bridges, Hist. NorthntttSy ii, 388. 



"■ Line. Epis. Rog. Inst. Chedworth, 

 fol. 651/; List of Instit., Bridges, Hist. 

 h'orthiints, ii, 388; Cal. Pat. 1327-1330, 

 pp. 319, 324; ibid. 1350-54, p. Sof'i 

 Cal. Inq. ix, no. 393 ; Chan. Inq. p.m. 

 Edw. HI, file 84. 



" List of Instit., Bridges, Hitl. 

 NoTthanis. ii, 388. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. (Scr. ii), ccix, 33. 



•• Chan. Inq. p.m. (Scr. ii), cclxxxiv, 97. 



*" Bridges, Htit. Nertbanti. ii, 383, 384. 



"Ibid. 



148 



