HIGHAM FERRERS HUxXDRED 



IRCHESTER 



Irencestre, Hirecestre (xi cent.); Yrencestre (xii 

 cent.); Ircestre (xiii cent.); Iringchester (xiv cent.); 

 Erncestre, Archester (xvi cent.); Erchester (xvii cent.). 



The parish of Irchester lies in the south-east of 

 Higham Hundred on the borders of Bedfordshire, 

 where it is bounded by Podington. The navigable 

 River Nene forms its northern boundary. It covers an 

 area of 2,788 acres, divided between arable land, the 

 chief crops being cereals, and permanent grass, with 

 some 40 acres of woods and plantations. The upper 

 soil is fertile and of a mixed character, the subsoil 

 mainly Oolite, with a streak of Cornbrash at Knuston, 

 but along the banks of the Nene at and south of Chester 

 Upper Lias. The parish stands at a height of 200 ft., 

 rising on the Bedfordshire border to 300 ft. Knuston 

 was inclosed in 1769, Irchester proper in 1773.' ^" 

 193 1 the population numbered 2,503 persons. 



The highroad from Wellingborough to London 

 enters Irchester on the north-west and leads southwards 

 into Wollaston. Two branches of the L.M.S. railway 

 intersect the parish, the Wymington Loop Line on 

 which is Irchester station half a mile east of the village, 

 and the Northampton and Peterborough branch run- 

 ning to Wellingborough station on the north-west 

 boundary of Chester. In this direction lies the hamlet 

 of Little Chester. Traces of Roman occupation have 

 been found close to the River Nene about half a mile 

 from the village, and at Chester House,^ a 16th-century 

 mansion, once the seat of the Ekins family.^ A few 

 prehistoric and Anglo-Saxon remains have also been 

 discovered.* 



The old rectory house stands on the south side of 

 the church and, though modernized, incorporates some 

 portions of a 14th-century building: in its north gable 

 is a blocked pointed window with ogee hood-mould. 

 The rectorial tithe barn still stands to the south of the 

 church, but is newly roofed with thatch. It is about 

 70 ft. long by 22 ft. 6 in. wide inside with buttressed 

 stone walls, but is otherwise without architectural 

 features. 



The Methodists have two chapels, one, opened at 

 Easter 1870, replacing an earlier building, and the 

 other erected in 1877. 



About a mile north-east of the village is the hamlet 

 of Knuston where there are now few buildings besides 

 Knuston Hall, a large square mansion on rising ground 

 in the centre of a well-wooded park. 



Ditchford Bridge, crossing the Nene near the bound- 

 ary of the parish, is medieval, probably dating from the 

 14th century. It has six semicircular arches over the 

 stream with sharp cutwaters; on the parapet facing up- 

 stream are carved the crossed keys of Peterborough, and 

 on the opposite side is a St. Catherine's wheel. 



The overlordship of i hide and 3 virgates of socland 



in IRCHESTER which belonged to William Peverel's 



manor of Higham Ferrers in 1086' 



MjINORS descended with Higham Ferrers (q.v.), 



and in 1769 the king was lord of the 



manor of Irchester in right of the Duchy of Lancaster.* 



'A Frenchman' was sub-tenant here of William 

 Peverel at the Survey. Goscelin of Irchester held land 

 of the manor of Higham Ferrers from 1 164 to 1 179,' 

 but by 1 1 8 1 this had descended to Richard of Irchester, 

 tenant until 1 200* and probably later.' Peter son of 

 Peter of Irchester held land herein 1231,'° and in 1242 

 a later Richard of Irchester was the Earl Ferrers's 

 tenant for one-eighth of a knight's fee in the parish." 

 Richard his son, on whom he made a settlement in 

 1249,'^ settled the manor in trust for his brother Wil- 

 liam on William de Clifford,'^ rector of Irchester from 

 1268 and in later years Bishop of Emly.'* In 1275 

 Amy, wife of William de Polebrook, with her husband 

 sued William de Clifford for the manor as heir of her 

 brother William of Irchester. Richard, however, was 

 still alive and in accordance with the Dictum of Kenil- 

 worth was allowed to redeem his inheritance, which he 

 settled afresh on William de Clifford and his brother 

 Richard." A later suit brought by William and Amy 

 against Richard of Irchester himself was equally unsuc- 

 cessful,'* and in 1284 William de Clifford held a quarter 

 of a knight's fee in Irchester," which he and his brother 

 Richard transferred to Thomas de Morton five years 

 later," possibly in trust for Margery, wife of Sir Nicho- 

 las de Crioll, who was tenant in 1298 and 1 3 16." She 

 was a widow in 13 1 3 when Richard son and heir of 

 Sir John de Clifford surrendered to her and her co-heirs 

 Elizabeth, wife of Sir John Pabcnham the elder, and 

 Margery Hereward, daughter and heir of Margaret, 

 late the wife of Sir Robert Hereward, all his right to 

 lands in Irchester and neighbouring parishes.^" Possibly 

 she or Margery Hereward after- 

 wards married Sir William Lovel 

 whom, with his wife Margery, 

 Elizabeth de Pabenham sued in 

 1 342 for a moiety of the manor 

 of Irchester as her inheritance.-' 

 This she recovered and settled 

 upon her son Thomas, on whose 

 death in 1345 the manor was 

 taken into the king's hands during 

 the minority of his heir, Eliza- 

 beth's petition for its restoration 

 to herself being rejected.-- Her 

 grandson Laurence de Pabenham was seised of her in- 

 heritance in Irchester at his death in 1 399.^-' His son 

 John, then aged 9, survived his father only eight years. 



Pabenham. Biirry azure 

 and argent a bend gulej 

 tvith three moletl argent 

 thereon. 



■ ActsPriv. and Local,9Geo. III,c. 73; 

 I] Geo. Ill, c. p. 15. 



» r.C.H.Northantl.\, 178-84. 



' WhcMan, Hiii. Northanti. 1919-20. 



* F.C.H. Sorihantt. i, 155, 183, 239. 

 » Ibid, i, 336A. 



* Acts Priv. and Local, 9 Ceo. Ill, c. 



73- 



' Tipe R. 10 Hen. II (Pipe R. Soc.), 95 

 ct %v\. 



* Ibid. 27 Hen. II, 66; ibid. 2 John, 56. 

 « Cur.Reg.R.u, 252. 



'» Bracion't Ncie-Booi, ^Sj. 

 " i(i. o/fffi, ii, 933, 945. 



" Feet of F. Northants., file 1 2, no. 247. 



•> Rot. Ric. Graveiend (Cant. & York 

 Soc.), 109. 



■< Cal. Papal Leiteri, I, 494, 509. 



'» Coram Rege R. 18 m. 3od.j Feet of 

 F. Northants., file 51, no. 29. 



" Coram Rege R. 20, m. i. 



" Feud. Aidi, iv. 14. 



" Feet of F. case 175, file 56, no. 260. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. Edw. I, file 81 ; Feud. 

 Aid%, iv. 2g. 



" Coram Rege R. 214, m. 67. 



'* Assite R. 1433, m. 6d, m. 18, m. 

 32 i\ Cal. Clote, 1341-3, p. 685. Bridges 



{Northants. ii, 179) says that Sir William 

 Love! held the eighth of a knight's fee in 

 Irchester in 1346. and the return of 1428 

 mentions him as late tenant here to that 

 extent: Feud. Aids, iv, 45. In 1384 Sir 

 John, in 1385 Sir Ralph Lovcl were 

 amongst the free tenants in default of the 

 Duchy of Lancaster in Irchester: Ct. R. 

 (Duchy of Lane), bdle. 105, nos. 1497, 

 1498. 



" Chan. Inq. Miic, file 15;, no. 2; 

 Chan. Inq. p.m. Edw. Ill, file 78, no. i. 



" Chan, Inq. p.m. Ric. II, file 106, 

 no 37. 



21 



