BOROUGH OF HICHAM FERRERS 



and the emblems of the four Evangelists at the 

 extremities of the arms. Another, with double canopy, 

 represents thearchbisliop's brother, William Chicheley 

 (d. 1425) and Beatrice his wife, tlie man in civilian 

 dress : it has a long border inscription in English 

 and the emblems of the Evangelists at the corners." 

 Near to it is the brass of William Thorpe, merchant 

 (d. 1504) and Marion his wife, two small figures, 

 the man in civilian dress, with scrolls, groups of six 

 sons and six daughters and the Evangelists' symbols. 

 Other brasses in the Lady chapel without date or 

 inscription comprise a civilian, a woman (imperfect) 

 and a child ; there is also the indent of a female figure. 

 In the south aisle chapel, near the altar, is the brass 

 of Henry Denton, chaplain of Chelveston (d. 1498), 

 who is represented in mass vestments. 



There is no medieval glass. 



At tlie west end of the north aisle are two suits of 

 17th-century town armour suspended from iron 

 stanchions fixed to the wall. Each suit consists of 

 breast and back plates, to which are attached a pair of 

 broad taces. There is also a pikeman's steel cap, with 

 low comb and broad flat brim.' 



In the chapel at the east end of the outer north 

 aisle is a 16th-century iron chest with an elaborate 

 lock and two large siiields of arms painted on the 

 front, one with the double-headed eagle of the Empire.* 



There is a scratch dial on one of the buttresses of 

 the soutli wall of the chancel. 



Tiiere are eight bells, two trebles by Taylor of 

 Loughborough having been added in 1 892 to a 

 former ring of six. The third is by Robert Taylor & 

 Co., of St. Neots, 1820, the fourth and sixtii re- 

 castings by Taylor in 1892, the fifth an alphabet 

 bell dated 161 1, the seventh dated 1636, and the 

 tenor 1633.° 



The plate consists of two silver cups and cover 

 patens of 1653 given to the church in that year by 

 John Boughton ; there is also a pewter flagon, and 

 brass alms dish.i" 



The registers begin in 1589 : the first volume con- 

 tains entries to 1641, the second 1653-1693, the third 

 1694-1742, and the fourth 1742-1801. 



To the west of the tower is a 14th-century church- 

 yard cross II ft. high on a Calvary of four circular 

 steps ; the shaft, square below and above, is splayed 

 for the greater part of its length so as to form an 

 irregular octagon, with sliglitly hollowed sides, orna- 

 mented on the broader faces with oak-leaf foliage 

 and on the narrower with ball flowers, leaves, and 



crockets. The head was restored in 1919, and a 

 Calvary group (west) and figure of our Lady and 

 Child (east) added to the capital." 



The church of Higham Ferrers is 

 ADVOWSON dedicated to the honour of St. Mary 

 the Virgin.'- It may be assumed 

 tliat there was a church here in 1086, when there 

 was a priest in the manor of William Pevcrel.*' 

 He gave the church to the priory of his own foundation 

 at I.enton*'' before 1113,'" but thougli tliis grant was 

 confirmed by Henry I and later kings," as also by 

 Innocent 111," the church formed part of the forfeited 

 possessions of the younger William Peverel. Richard I 

 presented to it, and when in 1 237 William de Ferrers 

 claimed the advowson as an appurtenance of his 

 manor of Higham Ferrers he won his suit.'* 



The plea and judgment in the suit are interesting. 

 The earl pleaded tliat King John had given to William 

 de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, Higliam with the hundred 

 and a half and otlier their appurtenances, and the 

 carl quitclaimed the rest of the lands formerly of 

 William Peverel to the king. The judgment in the 

 earl's favour was based on the points that the manor 

 was in the hands of King Richard when he presented, 

 and King John afterwards gave the manor to the earl 

 with all its appurtenances and the advowson was an 

 appurtenance of the manor. The church descended 

 with the manor (q.v.) until in 1354 Henry Duke of 

 Lancaster obtained licence to make it part of the 

 endowment of and appropriate it to the Hospital of 

 the Annunciation which his father had founded at 

 Leicester," and he was about to convert into a college.-" 

 It belonged to that house when in 1422 Archbishop 

 Chicheley obtained licence to found his college at 

 Higham Ferrers,^' which he described nine years 

 later as established on condition that for all future 

 times its master or warden should be presented to 

 the perpetual vicarage of the parish church of Higham 

 Ferrers by the dean and chapter of the Newark 

 college and bound to continual residence and the 

 cure of souls there.-- In 1535 the church of Higham 

 Ferrers was amongst the spiritualities of the College 

 of Newark, Leicester,-' and eight years later Henry 

 VIII granted it to Robert Dacres, of Cheshunt,^ 

 Master of the Requests and one of his Privy 

 Councillors. 



From Robert, who died that year, the advowson 

 of Higham Ferrers descended through his son George, 

 and grandson, Sir Thomas Dacres, of Cheshunt, to 

 his great-grandson Thomas,^^ whose right of presenta- 



• This brass was rep.iircd and parts 

 renewtd in igzj : the date of death is 

 recorded by a modern inscription. 



' Assoc. Arch. Soc. Rep. xxxvi, qj, where 

 the armo-jr is figured and described. It 

 was brought to the church from the old 

 Town Hall at its demolition. The date 

 of the armour is c. 1650. 



' The chest was the gift of Mrs. Mack- 

 worth Dolben. 



• North, Ch. Bells of Northaius. 305, 

 where the inscriptions on the old bells 

 are given. There is also a priest's bell of 

 1660. 



'" Markham, Cb. Plate of Korthants. 

 158. 



" Assoc. Arch. Soc. Rep. xxiii, 178. 

 The capital is square and deep, with 

 plain moulded members below and tri- 

 angular ornaments on the four facet. 



The shaft is S ft. high, of Wcldon stone, 

 the steps of local ironstone. 



*^ Iltst. MSS. Com. Rep. xii, app. 9, 

 p. 532 ; Bridges, His:. Sorihanis. ii, 173 ; 

 Bacon, Lih. Re^. 824. 



■> y.C.H. Northants. i, 336*. 



" Chart. R. 141, m. 9, no. 7. 



*^ He died in June, 11 13. Complete 

 Veera^e (New Ed.), iv, 771. 



'» Ch.nrt. R. loc. cit. 



" Cal. Pap. Reg. Letters, i, 18. 



" Bracton's Note Bk. 1236; Rot. Rob. 

 Crossetesle (Cant, and York Soc), 178, 

 196. 



"• Inq. a.q.d. file 313, no. 1 ; Pat. R. 



29 Edw. in, pt. I, m. 22; Close R. 



30 Edw. Ill, m. I2d. 



" Dugdale, .l/on. Angl. vi, 1397. 

 "VClI. .\orthanis. ii, 177-79; Cal. 

 Pat. 1422-29, p. 472. 



277 



*2 Cal. Pap. Re^. Letters^ viii, 330-31 ; 

 Stowe MS. m. 59-62. 



23 Valor F.ccles. (Rcc. Com.), iv, 169-70. 



" Pat. R. 34 Hen. MH, pt. 7, no. 10. 

 In this grant, which included the rever- 

 sion of certain messuages and lands in 

 Higham Ferrers, formerly of Archbishop 

 Chichelcy's college and leased by the last 

 master and two of his predecessors, and 

 which was accompanied with the condition 

 of tiie maintenance of two chaplains in 

 the parish church and a schoolmaster in 

 the town {see above) : the advowson ii 

 described as one of the possessions of 

 the Higham Ferrers college. 



'* Clutterbuclc, Herts, ii, loi ; Berry, 

 Cotintv Genealogies^ Hens, 66 ; Cussans, 

 Herts, i, pt. iii, 188 ; Feet of F. Div. Cos. 

 Hil. 7 Jas. I; Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. ii) 

 ccclix, 119 ; Ct. of Wards, file 54, no. I18. 



