A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



tion was usurped, in 1631 by Archbishop Abbot and 

 in 1635 by Laud.-* In 1662, however, this second 

 Sir Thomas Dacres had recovered the patronage,-' 

 and two years later, with his son Thomas and grand- 

 son Robert, made a settlement in which the church 

 of Higham Ferrers was included.-* Robert was 

 seised of it in 1670,-' 1676 and 1691.'" A petition 

 dated 12 February 1725-6, was presented to his son 

 and heir Thomas, then patron, by the townsfolk of 

 Higham Ferrers, in which they claimed fulfilment of 

 his promise to allow them the choice of the next 

 vicar,^^ which he did by presenting the candidate of 

 their recommendation.^- Within the next ten years 

 he seems to have sold the advowson to the Earl of 

 Malton, afterwards Marquis of Rockingham,^ patron 

 in 1735 and 1745.*^' From his son and heir, Charles 

 Marquis of Rockingham, Prime Minister of England, 

 who died without issue in 1782, the advowson came 

 to the grandson of the first Marquis, William Went- 

 worth, fourth Earl Fitzwilliam,'^ patron in 1800. 

 His son, Charles William, Earl Fitzwilliam, patron in 

 1838,'* was succeeded by his third son, the Honourable 

 George Wentworth Fitzwilliam of Milton, Peter- 



Dacru of Cheshunt. 

 Or a chei'fron sable 

 bel-uweti jbri-e roundels 

 gules eaeh charged tvitb 

 a scallop argent. 



Watson, Marquis of 

 Rockinghnm. Argent a 

 cbeveron azure bcKveen 

 three martlets sable wtth 

 three crescents or upon 

 the cbeveron. 



Fitzwilliam. Lozengy 

 argent and gules. 



borough, since whose death in 1874. his son, George 

 Charles Wentworth Fitzwilliam, of Milton, has been 

 patron.^' 



The rectory of Higham Ferrers followed the descent 

 of the advowson (q.v.) down to the dissolution of the 

 college of Newark. It had been leased with a burgage 

 lying to the south of the rectory house and also tlie 

 rectories of Caldecote and Chelveston by the dean of 



the college in 1 5 30 for 40 years to Laurence Washing- 

 ton and Elizabeth his wife. In 1567 Queen Elizabeth 

 granted a lease to John Jones for a term of 21 years 

 from the expiration of the lease to Washington. 

 Further leases in reversion were granted by the Crown 

 in 1570 to Nicholas Stere for 31 years, and in 1574 

 to John Jones for 21 years. The interests under these 

 leases seem to have been acquired by Christopher 

 Freeman, who in 1602 obtained a lease for his life and 

 the lives of Martha his wife and his sons Ralph and 

 George.** In 1606 he had a grant of the chapels, 

 messuages, mills, glebe lands, tithes, etc., in the 

 parishes of Higham Ferrers, Chelveston and Calde- 

 cote, parcel of the said rectory.^ An action was 

 brought in the Court of Chancery by Henry, son of 

 Christopher Freeman, regarding the liability to 

 repair the chancel of Higham Ferrers church. The 

 plaintiff, Henry Freeman, admitted his liability as 

 owner of the rectory, but claimed that Christopher 

 Rudd and i\Iartin Creake as lessees had allowed the 

 chancel to fall into decay and ruin. It appears that 

 Christopher Freeman, by his will dated in 1610, left 

 the parsonage house, tithes, etc., to his wife Martha, 

 for life, with remainder to Ralph his son and heir. 

 Martha afterwards married Anthony Herenden, and 

 then neglected to repair the chancel, but being 

 threatened with proceedings in the Ecclesiastical 

 Court, leased the tithes to Christopher Rudd and 

 Martin Creake. The lessees held them for some ten 

 years before the death of Martha in 1621. Ralph 

 Freeman having predeceased Martha without issue, 

 he was succeeded by his brother Henry, the plaintiff, 

 who had to disburse 200 marks on repairs to the 

 chancel, for which he sued the lessees Rudd and 

 Creake.'"' Another Henry Freeman owned the rectory 

 in l68i.''i In 1696 one moiety belonged to James 

 Johnson and his wife Judith, and this or the other 

 moiety was held by Susan Wickham, widow, in 1714.*^ 

 Both belonged to Thomas Dacres in 1731, and have 

 since descended with the advowson (q.v.). 



The chapel of Jesus in Higham Ferrers was included 

 in the grant to Robert Dacres and still owned by his 

 heirs in 1731. 



The following charities are ad- 

 CHJRITIES ministered by the Mayor of Fligham 

 Ferrers and 11 other trustees in 

 conformity with a scheme of the Charity Commis- 

 sioners dated 3 April 1914, under the title of the 

 United Charities : — 



Charity of Archbishop Henry Chicheley for Bedes- 

 men founded under a licence from the Crown in 1422, 

 originally consisted of the Bedehouse and Garden 

 Ground and an annual charge of ^^24 10;. out of land 

 belonging to Robert Dacres. The endowment is now 

 represented by ^^890 8s. %d. New Zealand 4 per cent. 

 Inscribed Stock, ^^239 zs. id. India 3 per cent. Stock 

 and a yearly payment of j^4 by the Corporation of 

 Higham Ferrers. 



" Init. Bki. (P.R.O.). Bolh prclatci 

 held that the advowson belonged to 

 Canterbury (S. P. Uom. Chai. I, ccxriii, 

 128). 



" In.t. Bki. (P.R.O.). 



«• Feet of I', Uiv. Coi. Trin. 16 Cha.. II. 



"Ibid. Mich. 12 Chai. II. 



•« Init. Bki. (PRO.). 



" Norihanis. N. and Q. i, 34-5. 



" In.t. Bk.. (P.R.O.). 



"See Rccov. R. Hil. 5 Geo. II, ro. 135. 

 He is said to have sold the college estates, 

 included in the grant of the advowson to 

 Robert Dacres, to the Earl in 1734- 

 Whellan, Hist. Northants. ()|6. 



'* Bacon, Lib. Regis. 824-25. 



•^ Complete Peerage (New Ed.) luc. cil ; 

 Burke, Peerage, 1927. 



*• Act Priv. and Loc. 40 Geo. Ill, cap. 

 36 i I Vict, cap II. 



" Cler. Guide ; Clergy List ; Burke, 

 loc. cit. 



'» Pat. R. 44 Eliz. pt. 33, m. 17. 



" Ibid. 4 J.ii. I, pt. iq. 



*" C'han. Prnc. (Scr. ii), cccxiviii, 14. 



«■ Ibid. 



*' Kccov. R. E,ist. 33 C'has. II, ro. 169. 

 Feet of V. Northants. Trin. 8 Will, and 

 Mary ; Trin. I Geo. I. 



278 



