A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



a panel in the gable inscribed 'i.d., mdclxxix'.' A 

 large house at the Strixton end of the village dated 

 1657- has a good contemporary oak staircase to the top 

 floor with turned balusters and newels with ball tops. 

 Opposite this, at the corner of Long Lane, is a house 

 with a panel inscribed 'n. k. 1678' (for Nicholas 

 Keystian), which is said to have been the Manor Farm. 

 A much-modernized house known as 'The Priory', 

 south-west of the church, incorporates part of what 

 appears to be the oldest building in the village, probably 

 of 16th-century date, with low mullioned windows and 

 some internal features the identification of which has 

 been rendered uncertain by successive alterations. A 

 good stone house near the church, occupied by Miss 

 Keep, was erected about 1770 by Ambrose Dickins.^ 

 Wollaston Hall, a stone house now occupied by Mr. 

 H. A. Hall, stands a little to the east of the church, and 

 to the south-west of it is Beacon Hill, a high conical 

 mound planted with trees and shrubs. 



In 1672 Thomas Brett obtained a licence to hold 

 Presbyterian services in the house of John Morrice in 

 Wollaston.* The Congregational chapel was founded 

 in 1775, reopened in 1900; the Methodist chapel was 

 built in 1840 and the Baptist chapel in 1867. 



The population, which was 2,345 in 193 1, has in- 

 creased during the last 20 years, owing to the intro- 

 duction of boot-making ; but some of the inhabitants are 

 still engaged in agriculture. The soil varies considerably 

 within the parish, the subsoil being alluvium in the 

 valley. Great Oolite, limestone, and Upper and Middle 

 Lias clay. The chief crops are cereals and turnips, but 

 much of the land is pasture, and there is a poultry farm 

 belonging to Wollaston Hall. 



The common lands were inclosed, under a Private 

 Act, in 1788.5 



There were, in 1086, two manors in 

 MANORS WOLLASTON: one assessed at 5 hides, 

 which was included in the land of Gunfrey 

 of Chocques under Spelhoe Hundred and had been 

 held by the four thegns who preceded him, with sac and 

 soc;' and another, assessed at 2 hides, which Corbelin 

 held of the Countess Judith. The larger manor formed 

 part of the honor of Chokes, of which the descent was 

 complicated by temporary escheats, due to its holders' 

 connexions with France.' During the 1 2th century 

 Wollaston seems to have been granted to Robert de 

 Newburgh (or Neufbourg, Normandy). The .advocate 

 of Bethune obtained seisin ofit with the rest of his inheri- 

 tance in England in 1 200,* and in 1 208 sued Robert de 

 Newburgh for the manor, on the plea that it had only been 

 mortgaged to him for a loan of ^^40, which he was now 

 willing to repay.' Evidently the Advocate recovered 

 the overlordship and Robert then held of him the manor, 

 which he granted to the abbey of Bindon (Dorset).'" 

 Subsequently, in 1223, Robert de Newburgh commuted 

 this grant for a money payment, as he enfeoffed Robert 



the son of Ralf of the manor, retaining i virgate with the 

 service of Saer de Wollaston and his heirs," and stipu- 

 lating that Robert should pay 210 marks to the abbey. 

 Robert son ot Rait appears to have granted a third part 

 of his manor to John de Newburgh for life in 122 5,'^ but 

 is described as holding two fees in Wollaston in 1 236 of 

 Robert de Newburgh, and in 1242 of 'the Honor of 

 Chokes, which Robertde Gynes holds'.'^ Robert the son 

 of Ralf seems to be Robert le Waleys who died before 

 1 246, when Robert de Guisnes successfully claimed the 

 custody of the manor during the nonage of his heir.''' 

 This heir was presumably William de Bray, who ob- 

 tained from Henry III a grant of a weekly market on 

 Tuesday at Wollaston and a yearly tair there on the vigil, 

 feast, and morrow of the Invention of the Cross." A 

 further grant was made on 4 March 1 263 to the men of 

 Wollaston that they should be quit of the lawing of their 

 dogs and of giving ransom for them, as it had appeared 

 by inquest that they were outside the metes and regard 

 of the forest of Salcey.'* 



In 1 276 William de Bray granted 2 virgatesofland in 

 Wollaston with a messuage to Thomas, son of William 

 and grandson of Gilbert de Wollaston, and Beatrice the 

 wife of Thomas for their lives." In 1280 he, with 

 Helwis, Agnes, and Maud" the daughters of William 

 son of Roger de Newburgh, registered a claim to a 

 messuage and 10 virgates in Strixton and Wollaston, 

 which Richard de Newburgh was granting to Roger de 

 Newburghandhiswife Agatha for their lives." In 1286 

 Edmund the king's brother obtained from William de 

 Cogenho, presumably representingthe Newburgh mesne 

 lordship, a quitclaim of the homage and service of 

 WiUiam de Bray, who, being present, acknowledged 

 that he held his land of Edmund and did him homage 

 in the same court.-" 



William de Bray died before 1305; in which year 

 Robert de Bray, his son and heir, settled the manor of 

 Wollaston on himself and his wife Mary with remain- 

 der to Thomas the son of Thomas de Berkeley, and 

 Margery his wife,-' who was the daughter and heir of 

 Robert de Bray; she died before her husband, who 

 granted the manor in 1340 for the term of his own life 

 to Maurice de Berkeley, with remainder to Katharine 

 his daughter and the heirs of her body.^- 



Thomas de Berkeley died on Wednesday before the 

 Feast of St. Peter in Cathedra 1346, his daughter 

 Katharine de la Dale being then 36. The manor of 

 Wollaston at this time was said to be held of the fee of 

 Chokes by service of a knight's fee and los. yearly to be 

 paid at the king's castle of Northampton for castle ward, 

 and 30/. yearly to the sheriff of Northampton for 

 assessed fines. Richard Chamberleyn, who had married 

 Katharine, petitioned that the king would release the 

 manor, as it was not held in chief, and it was found 

 that the manor was held immediately of the Earl of 

 Lancaster as two knights' fees, by rent of \d. yearly and 



* The house has been much altered: 

 the panel may be a modern rendering of 

 an original date stone. 



^ Another house of this date which was 

 standing at the top of Cobbe's Lane in 

 1893 (Whichello, Amah of WoUauon) 

 has since been pulled down. 



3 Whichello, op. cit. 



■* Cah S.P. Dom. 1672, pp. 62, 1 19. 



5 28 Geo. Ill, cap. 31. 



"> l^.C.H. Northants. i, 347. 



' Farrer, Honors and KnightC Fees, i, 

 20-30. 



8 Pipe R. 2 John, m. 4 d. 



» Cur. Reg. iJ. v, 233. 



"> Cart. Antiq. Q. 17. 



" Feet of F. Northants., file 17, no. 15OJ 

 Farrer, op. cit. 40. 



'^ Cur. Reg. R. 84, m. 19. 



'3 Bk. 0/ Fees, i, 6035 ii, 939. 



'■• Cal. Close, 1242-7, pp. 479, 522. 



'5 Cal. Chart. R. 1257-1300, p. 28. In 

 the charter to William de Bray, bearing 

 the same date (20 September 1260}, now 

 among Lord Middleton's MSS., the fair 

 is to be held at Michaelmas {Hist. MSS. 

 Com. Rept. 70). In the 1 8th century it was 

 held on the first Sunday after 7 July: 



Bridges, Northants. ii, 202. 



'<* Cal. Pat. 1258-66, p. 250. 



" Feet of F. Northants., file 51, no. 39. 



'^ They were heirs of their brother 

 Richard, but Agnes had become a nun 

 before 1285: Assize R. 616, m. 29 d. 



"> Feet of F. Northants., file 52, no. 57. 



'■" Ibid, file 55, no. 207. 



^^ Ibid, file 60, no. 477. 



^^ De Banco R. 362, m. 50 d ; Feet of F. 

 file 76, no. 217. Maurice Berkeley obtained 

 a quitclaim from John de Bray in 1342: 

 Feet of F. file 77, no. 256. 



58 



