HUXLOE HUNDRED irthlingborough 



Untern retains its original internal features, but the 

 floor joists are left open to allow of greater dispersion 

 in the sound of the bells. 



The doorway in the middle stage on the north side 

 of the tower no doubt gave access to a building on 

 tliat side, which was continued eastward as far as 

 the porch, covering and forming part of the existing 

 building between the porch and the tower. The 

 cellars of this structure, as already stated, still remain 

 and consist of two vaulted chambers about 6 ft. 

 high, one opening from the other. The larger is 

 entered from the chamber west of the porch and has 

 two bays of quadripartite vaulting in one of which the 

 boss bears the arms of Pyel : the smaller cellar north 

 of the tower is about 13 ft. square and has a more 

 complicated vault the boss of which is carved with 

 a rose. Both cellars are lighted by splayed windows 

 just above ground level. 



The building between the porch and tower is 

 approximately the height of the second stage of the 

 tower, but its south wall has been rebuilt. On the 

 north side it is of two stories with a blocked pointed 

 doorway in each. From the ground floor the tower 

 is entered by a moulded doorway and in the south-cast 

 corner is a squint piercing the buttress and command- 

 ing the south doorway of the porch. 



There are eight bells, two trebles by J. Taylor 

 and Co., of Loughborough, having been added in 

 1893 to a former ring of six cast by T. Mears of 

 London in 1829.** 



The plate consists of a cup, paten, flagon, and two 

 plates with the London date-letter 1832-3, each 

 inscribed ' Irthlingboro' 1833.'** 



The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) 

 baptisms and burials 1562-1739, marriages 1562-1738; 

 (ii) baptisms and burials 1739-1812, marriages 

 1739-1753; (iii) marriages 1754.-1812. The earlier 

 entries in the first volume were copied from an old 

 register book in the year 1603. 



The church of St. Peter must be 

 ADVOWSON that church of Irthlingborough con- 

 firmed to Peterborough Abbey in the 

 charters of Eugenius III,*' Richard I,"* Henry III,** 

 and Edward III.* Pope Eugenius III also confirmed 

 to the abbey two parts of the tithes of the lordship 

 of Irthlingborough .2 In 1291 the value of the church 

 was £\6 ly. \d. a year, in addition to a pension of 

 £2 6s. Sd. paid to the abbot of Peterborough.^ In 

 1332 an inquisition having found that no wrong 

 would thus be done,* the abbot and convent of Peter- 

 borough received licence to grant to the parson of 

 St. Peter's Church in Irthlingborough, for the 

 enlargement of the rectory house, a messuage there, 

 in exchange for another messuage and an acre of 

 land in the same place.* 



In 1388 the rectory became Irthlingborough 

 College* (q.v.) and the patronage was exercised 



alternately by the heirs of the founder and the abbot 

 of Peterborough. This house, when dissolved, was 

 found to hold lands and other property to the value of 

 ^73 4s. 9d. a year, and to have goods and chattels 

 variously returned as worth £6 1 p. ^d? and £"] y. 2d.* 

 The commissioners stated that ' a vicar of necessitie 

 is to be indowed there forasmuch as the master of 

 the seyd college is both vicar and person there.' 

 The college house, which was annexed to the church, 

 was roofed with lead.' The rectory, the advowson of 

 the vicarage and the church were, in 1581, granted by 

 the queen in fee-farm to Edward Downing and Peter 

 Ashton, the fee simple being vested in John Morley." 

 At this time the holder of the rectory was bound to 

 pay out £2^ ios. ^^d. a year, namely ^^13 6s. id. 

 to the curate for his stipend, 33^. ^d. to the dean and 

 chapter for their pension, and ^^^9 2;. \o\d. to them for 

 their due rent, 13;. ^d. to the bishop for his pension 

 and is. ^d. to him for the visitation of Irthlingborough 

 College, and 10/. ()d. to the Archdeacon of North- 

 ampton for synodals and procurations.** In 1597 

 Irthlingborough rectory was conveyed to Edward 

 Vaux, Lord Harrowden, by Sir Thomas Tresham and 

 others.*^ It is not clear when the advowson passed 

 to this family. Thomas Infield, clerk, in 1639 peti- 

 tioned Archbishop Laud, who had, he alleged, 

 licensed him in 1633, during a vacancy of the bishopric 

 of Peterborough, to serve the cure of St. Peter's, 

 Irthlingborough. He stated that subsequently 

 William Crane, clerk, had been nominated to the cure 

 by Edward, Lord Vaux, and that the archbishop, 

 by an oversight, had licensed him. George Broughton, 

 Lord Vaux's bailiflF, had seized the keys of the church 

 and kept Infield out of it, so that on Sunday, 21 

 October 1638, there had been no service. Infield 

 declared that the records had been searched and the 

 church found to be a vicarage to which the king 

 presented, institution and induction being by the 

 archbishop. Crane counterpetitioned, stating that 

 he was a poor man with a wife and eight children and 

 no means of subsistence except his curacy, and that 

 Infield had created a disturbance in the church. 

 The Court of High Commission found in favour of 

 Infield, Broughton and Crane being ordered to make 

 submission and the former fined /20 and the latter 

 ^10. Crane was also ordered to pay costs. '^ 



It seems to have been established that the advowson 

 was vested in the Crown, for in 1641 the receiver of 

 the king's revenues for Northamptonshire was directed 

 to stay payment to Thomas Infield of the stipend due 

 to him as curate of Irthlingborough, since he was 

 acting as vicar and claiming tithes.** The advowson 

 of St. Peter's vicarage, as well as the rectory, was, 

 however, settled in 1646,** 1651*" and 1655" on 

 Nicholas, first Earl of Banbury, the holder of the 

 manor. From him both the rectory and the advowson 

 of the vicarage passed to his son Charles, the second 



" North, Ch. Bills of Norihanii. J 12. 

 The inscription on the tenor records that 

 five old bells were ' exchanged for this 

 peal of six a.d. 1829.' 



•• Mirkham, Ch. Plate of Nortbonli. 165. 



•^ Sparke, HtU. Cotn. Burg. Script. Far. 

 (Hugo Candidus). 78. 



" Col. Chan. 1327-41, p. 275. 



•• Ibid. 1226-57, p. iq. 



' Ibid. 1 327-4 >> P- VS- 



* Sptrke, op. cit. 82. 



• Popt Nich. Tax. fRec. Com), \oh. 



• Inq. a. q. d. F.ccxxiii, no. 4 ; Cal. 

 Inij. a. (j. d. (Rec. Com), 294. 



' Cal. Pat. 1330-34, p- 405. 



• Ibid. 1385-9, p. 42S. 



' Chant. Cert. 36, no. 3. 

 ' Ibid. 35, no. 10. 

 •Ibid. 



'» Cal. Chan. Proc. Eliz. (Rec. Com), 

 i, 105. 



" Pat. R. 23 Elii. pt. i, m. 19. 



213 



" Feet of F. Northants. Hil. 39 Eliz. 



'• Cal. S. P. Dom. 1639-40, pp. 123, 

 156; 1640, p. 399; 1640-41, p. 381. 

 George Broughton ii sometimes called 

 Draughton. 



'« Cal. S. P. Dom. 1625-49, p. 751. 



■' Feet of F. Northants. Chas. I, 22 

 March 1646. 



'• Ibid Hil. 1651. 



" Ibid. Mich. 1655. 



