A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



that year**' and Robert Ekins in 1631.'* Jane Ekins 

 presented in 1686*- and JefFery Barton and John Sawyer 

 in 1703.'^ The advowson was acquired before 1773 

 by the Duke and Duchess of Montagu** and the 

 Duke of Buccleuch is patron of the living at the 

 present day. 



By his will dated in 1760 John 

 CHARITIES. Ekins gave ^^50 for the poor. In 

 respect of this charity a sum of 

 £1 los. is yearly paid out of land now belonging to the 

 Islip Iron Co. near Thrapston and is distributed by 

 the churchwardens equally among six poor widows. 



BURTON LATIMER 



Burtun (xiii cent.) ; Burton I.atymer (xv cent.) ; 

 Burton Lattimer (xvii cent.). 



The parish of Burton Latimer, which was con- 

 stituted an urban district in 1923, comprises 2,756 

 acres.' The soil is clay and limestone lying on Upper 

 Lias, Great Oolite and Cornbrash beds. The land 

 rises northward and eastward from the river Ise 

 which forms a part of the western boundary and from 

 a stream flowing into the Ise on the south, the height 

 at the rivers being a little below 200 ft. and in the 

 north-east of the parish about 300 ft. above the 

 ordnance datum. 



The village, which is fairly large, lies on the road 

 from Higham Ferrers to Kettering, about 4 miles from 

 the latter place. The church stands in the middle of 

 the village. The rectory house is a I7th-centurv 



Burton Latimer Hall 



building with vaulted cellars of that period but was 

 newly fronted in the style of the time in the 1 8th 

 century and added to in more recent years. A house 

 known as the Manor House, wliich lies immediately 

 to the west of the church, probably stands on the site 

 of the Plcssey manor house. It is a two-story build- 

 ing with thatched roof, in a gable of which is a panel 

 dated 1704 and with the initials, I * M. The house 

 has been modernised and none of the original windows 

 remain. The school house is situated to the north- 

 west of the church and is a rectangular 17th-century 

 building of Wcldon ragstone measuring internally 

 44 ft. 4 in. by 16 ft., with a fine oak roof of five bays, 

 now covered with modern tiles. The front to the 



road has four mullioned windows and a good central 

 doorway, above which is a curved gable breaking the 

 roof-line and containing a panel inscribed; — this house 



WAS BUILT 1622 I THE FRESCHOOLE WAS FOUNDED | 

 BYTHOMASBURDANKE AND | MARGARET HIS WIFE I587 | 

 MEMORIA • IVSTI ■ BEKEDICTA. Pro. 10. Over Cach of 



the windows is an inscription, as follows: — (i) ' Ex 

 dono Johannis Michel ' (ii) ' l6 Donum Johannis 

 Barriffe 22 ' (iii) ' 16 Georgius Plowright me 

 dedit 22 ' (iv) ' W. Carpes citius quam imitaberis. 

 N.'^ The larger three-light end windows have the 

 middle light heightened. The school-house was 

 renovated and additions made at the back about 1904. 

 To the north of the village is Burton Latimer Hall, 

 which was the manor house of the Latimer manor. It 

 is a picturesque, two-story gabled stone building of 

 simple but attractive design, erected in 

 the first half of the 17th century. It 

 contains a fine oak staircase and some 

 original oak doorways of unusual char- 

 acter. Alterations were made in the l8th 

 century, including one or two new 

 windows and a wing facing the main 

 road, and the house was restored and 

 additions made in 1872. The garden 

 retains the spacious outline given to it 

 in the l8th century, and near the house 

 are stables of the same period and a 

 rectangular dovecote with end gables and 

 lantern, all this work being of a plain 

 character. In the grounds are some 

 ancient fishponds. A boot and shoe 

 factory, large flour mills, and quarries 

 give employment to the inhabitants. 

 The parish was inclosed by Act of Par- 

 liament.* 



Several of the rectors of the parish 

 attained a certain degree of eminence or notoriety 

 beyond its limits. Hugh Ashton, who owed his pre- 

 ferment to Lady Margaret Beaufort, was, like her, a 

 generous benefactor of St. John's College, Cambridge.* 

 Dr. Robert Sibthorpe was a royalist, who made his 

 reputation by his advocacy of extreme obedience to the 

 king in an assize sermon preached in 1627.* John 

 Owen, who succeeded his father in 1608 in the rectory 

 of Burton Latimer, became Bishop of St. Asaph, and 

 was chiefly famous for his work as a W'clsh bishop.* 

 Thomas Grimthorpc is best known for his Life and 

 H'orki of H'illiam Cotvper, published in 1 835, and 

 Thomas Barlett for the Memoir of the Life, Character 

 and Writings of Bishop Butler, published in 1839.'' 



'» Init. Bki. (P.R.O.). 

 •' Ibid. ; Feet o( F. NorthanO. E.iie. 

 16 Chai. I. 

 •' Init. Dk». (F.R.O.) •• Ibid. 



•* Ibid 1773, 1798, 1800. 



' Minii. of I Ii alth ('onf. Order, 29 Mjy. 



' The fiKnrci and Ictlcrt at the begin- 

 nings :tn<i rndf of linei are dates and 

 iniii-ili, r.c, 1622 twice, and W.N. 



180 



> I'rivitif .1(1, 43 Cieo. III. c. 65. 



« ly.s.n. 



' Ibi.l. 

 « Ibid. 

 ' Ibid. 



