A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Northampton, was, it would appear, held in demesne 

 by Simon, son of Simon of Brixworth and Cranford 

 (q.v.), who held the advowson of the church of 

 Slipton. There were five successive Simons son of 

 Simon, the last of whom died in 1280 without issue. 

 In the early part of the 13th century, however, the 

 Simon son of Simon interest seems to have passed 

 to the Veres, when William, son of Robert, son of 

 Aubrey [de Vere] gave to the Master of the Hospital 

 of St. John of Northampton 3 virgates of land in 

 Slipton which Ralph de Stanhern and l.eza his wife, 

 who was the daughter of Wyberd, had held. This 

 gift was confirmed by Baldwin de Vere, brother of 

 William, and Hawise,his wife, and in 1227 by Walter de 

 Drayton.' 



In 1235-6, the Hospital of St. John of Northampton 

 was holding a quarter of a fee in Slipton direct of 

 Margery de Rivers, heir of the Curcy honour.' From 

 Walter de Drayton the principal manor of Slipton 

 passed with the manor of Drayton in Lowick (q.v.) 

 to the present day. 



Richard Fitz Hugh, who held two-thirds of a hide 

 of Peterborough, has been identified with Richard, 

 son of Hugh de Waterville,* whose mesne lordship 

 under the abbot of Peterborough went to the Bassing- 

 bournes of Benefield (q.v.). The Daundelyns, of 

 Cranford St. Andrew (q.v.), held under the Bassing- 

 bournes seven-eighths of a fee in Addington, and one- 

 eighth in Slipton.* In 1346 John Lewkenor was the 

 sub-tenant under John Daundelyn,'" and in 1359 

 John de Lewkenor and Elizabeth his wife conveyed 

 lands herf to Simon Simeon and another,^' which in 

 1380 were apparently included among the fees 

 formerly held by Geoffrey Lewkenor, and at that date 

 by Simon Simeon.*- This holding is lost sight of, 

 but probably became absorbed by the chief manor. 



The third of a hide held by Roger, nephew of the 

 abbot of Peterborough, ancestor of the Torpel family, 

 has not been identified. It may have become the 

 small mesne fee held by the Fauvel family of Peter- 

 borough Abbey. In 1167 lands in Slipton are said 

 to have belonged to the Fauvel fee, and are so returned 

 in 1215 and 1346, the under-tenant being the Master 

 of the Hospital of St. John of Northampton.*^ 



A portion of the fee held by the Veres of Addington 

 of the honour of Huntingdon, in Twywell, which 

 extended into Slipton, has been dealt with under 

 Twywell (q.v.). 



The church of ST. JOHN THE 

 CHURCH BAPTIST stands amongst fields on 

 the east side of the village, and is a 

 small stone building consisting of chancel 24 ft. 

 by 13 ft. 3 in., nave 38 ft. 6 in. by 17 ft. 6 in., with 

 bell-cote over the west gable, and south porch 8 ft. 

 square, all these measurements being internal. 



A single-light window on the north side of the 

 chancel and the chancel arch are of 13th-century date, 

 and the main part of the fabric is probably of that 



period, but it appears to have been largely recon- 

 structed in the 14th century, when the porch was 

 added and new windows inserted. At some time not 

 known the chancel was shortened by about 10 ft., 

 but the foundations being uncovered in 1910 the east 

 end was rebuilt in accordance with the original 

 plan.*^ The building is of rubble throughout, and 

 the roofs are low pitched. Both roofs are modern, 

 the chancel slated, the nave leaded. 



The modern east end of the chancel reproduces 

 no known ancient features, but the windows are in the 

 style of the 14th century. At the west end of the 

 south wall is an original square-headed window of 

 two trefoiled lights, and opposite it on the north 

 the lancet already mentioned, the head of which is 

 in two stones, and without a hoodmould.*'* The 

 chancel arch is of two chamfered orders, the inner 

 springing from half-round responds with moulded 

 capitals and bases. 



The nave has north and south doorways opposite 

 each other, and two windows on each side, those east 

 of the doorways being of three lights, the others of 

 two. The windows and the south doorway are of 

 14th-century date, but the north doorway, now 

 blocked, has a four-centred arch, and is a 15th-century 

 insertion or replacement. The west wall is thickened 

 out in the middle to carry the bell-cote, and is pierced 

 at about half height by a restored quatrefoil opening 

 witliin a circle. The bell-cote appears to have been 

 rebuilt in the l8th century, or perhaps later. Inter- 

 nally the walls are plastered, and the floor is flagged. 

 The porch has diagonal buttresses, moulded outer 

 arch, and a niche in the gable with a modern (1917) 

 figure of St. John the Baptist. 



The font is ancient, and consists of a plain octagonal 

 bowl and stem. The pulpit and fittings are modern. 



In the chancel is a floor slab to Samuel Deacon, 

 rector {d. 1 707), and a mural tablet to Thomas 

 Scriven, rector of Twywell and vicar of Slipton 



{'i- 1737)- 



The bell was cast by John Taylor and Co., of 

 Loughborough, in 1846. 



In 1843 the church possessed a small silver cup, 

 a pewter flagon, and two pewter plates, but there is 

 now only a modern silver-plated paten and alms- 

 dish." 



The registers begin in 1670 ; all the entries to 1812 

 are in one book." 



The War Memorial cross in the churchyard is 

 fitted into the socket stone of an ancient churchyard 

 cross. 



The advowson probably belonged, 

 ADyOJVSON in the 12th century, to Simon, son of 

 Simon, lord of the Curcy fee of 

 Brixworth, of which Slipton was a member. He seems 

 to have granted it to Cirencester Abbey. A dispute 

 as to the advowson arose between them in 1199."* 

 In the following year it was held by the abbey of 



• DtijUin Chart, noi. 40, 41, 93, 96. 

 ' I'jrrcr, op. cit. 118. 



• Mellow* in PyubUy Bk. of Feti, 

 74 n. 



• Ibid. 77 n. 



'» Ffud. Atdi, iv, 448. 



" Feet of F. North.inti. caie 177, 

 file 81, no. 483. 



" Cal. Cloir, 1377-8, p. 443; Chan. 

 In'i p m 2 Kich. II, no. ;7. 



" McUov,,, PylcbUy Bk. oj Feci,%^, 86, 



87- , 



'* The new chancel was dedicated 

 22 February, 1911. 



'* The sill it 4 ft. 6 in. above the ground 

 outBide,and thcupeninRis the f>amc height. 

 Whether it ihould be classed at a lowside 

 window is n(»t ceitain. The till of ihc 

 window on the south side is only 3 ft. 6 in. 

 above the ground, but the opening cannot 



244 



be classed at a lowside window. In the 

 south-west angle of the adjoining buttress, 

 close to the ground, it the head uf a small 

 blocked rectangular opening. 



'* M.trkhnni, Cb. i'late of l^ottbants.z^t). 



'" The register book recordt the plant- 

 ing of ash trees round the churchyard in 

 1740. 



'" Curia lUg, R. (Rcc. Com.), i, 342, 

 432- 



