A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Elizabeth Goodman by will dated 8 May 1728 

 gave a rent-charge of ^3 per annum to the vicar and 

 churchwardens for distribution in prizes to scholars 

 in All Saints School and Freeman's School, Welling- 

 borough. 



The Charity of George Lawrence founded by will 

 proved on the 13 October 1914 is regulated by a 

 Scheme of the Charity Commissioners dated 19 Septem- 

 ber igi6. The endowment produces about £39 yearly. 

 One-eleventh of the income of the charity is applied by 

 three trustees for the general purposes of the Welling- 



borough Cottage Hospital and the residue for the 

 benefit of not more than ten aged married couples. 



The Charity of Richard Fisher for the poor, founded 

 by will dated g May 171 1, is regulated by a Scheme of 

 the High Court of Chancery of the 24 March 1819. 

 The endowment originally consisted of land which was 

 sold, and is now represented by Stock with the Official 

 Trustees. The dividends amounting to £2<^ lis. 6J. 

 annually are distributed by trustees appointed by deed 

 to two poor aged inhabitants not having received parish 

 relief. 



WILBY 



Wilibi, Wyleby, Welby (xi-xiv cent.) ; Wilby (xv- 

 XX cent.). 



The parish of Wilby covers 1,161 acres. The soil is 

 rich loam with a clay subsoil, and cereals form the chief 

 crops. The highest point in the parish is 388 ft. in the 

 north-west. From there the land slopes gradually to the 

 south-east, where the lowest point is 214 ft. The main 

 road approaches the parish from the south and runs 

 north-east to Wellingborough, passing through Wilby 

 village. St. Mary's Church is situated a little to the west 

 of this road; other places of worship are the Methodist 

 chapel and a Congregational Sunday school. Of the 

 manor-house, on the south of the viUage, the only relic 

 is a rectangular stone dove-house. To the east of the 

 viUage lie the brickworks, and near the road which runs 

 west to Meats Ashby are several stone-pits. Wilby 

 parish was inclosed in 1 80 1.' 



Bridges writing in 17 19 says that 'Certain closes 

 named Bareshanks, belonging to Mr. Sheppard and Mr. 

 Lord, pay a modus, the first of 4J. and the latter of is., 

 only in lieu of tithes'. - 



In 1086 the Countess Judith held 4 

 MANORS hides in WILBY. Bondi had been the 

 tenant in the Confessor's time.^ Until 1329 

 this overlordship follows the same descent as the manor 

 of Fotheringhay."* In 1242 one-third of a fee in Wilby, 

 formerly of the honor of Huntingdon, was said to be 

 held of Hugh Despenser,' a whole fee being at the same 

 time held of William de Forz and John de BaiUol as of 

 their portion of the honor of Huntingdon.' In 1329 

 John of Brittany, Earl of Richmond, then holding 

 Fotheringay Castle, was overlord of Wilby,' and Wilby 

 was among the fees held of Edward Prince of Wales at 

 the time of his death.* The overlordship is last men- 

 tioned in connexion with this manor in 1388.' 



During the 13th century the manor appears to have 

 been held by a family who took their name from the 

 parish. Two fees in the county were held of Earl David 

 by John de Wileby in 1204,"* and presentation to the 

 church of Wilby was made in 12 19 by Sir Philip de 

 Hamton as guardian of the heir of John de Wileby." 

 This heir was probably John's grandson, Walter; John 



seems to have had a son Robert de Wileby, also called 

 Robert le Eyr,'^who married twice. By his first wife 

 Amice he had three sons, William and Robert, who died 

 childless, and Walter, whose two sons WiUiam and 

 John were living in 1260; by his second wife Lucy he 

 had four sons, Peter, Roger, Elias, and Stephen.'^ Lucy 

 survived until, at least, 1232.''* In 1242 a certain Robert 

 son of Richard held in Wilby one-third fee of Walter de 

 Wileby and one fee 'with the heir of Robert Foliot'.'^ 

 A John Foliot was dealing with land in Wilby in 1203,'* 

 as was Robert Foliot in 1226,''' and it looks as if Robert 

 son of Richard, called 'de Northampton' in 1243 when 

 he presented to Wilby church,'* had married the widow 

 of Robert Foliot and was guardian of his heir, holding 

 the manor under Walter. William de Wileby, pre- 

 sumably Walter's son, was seised of the manor in right 

 of Margery his wife (possibly the said heir of Foliot) 

 and granted it to 'Eudes' Fitz Warin." William Fitz 

 Warin died in 1299, holding the manor of William son 

 of William de Wileby.^" His son Alan Fitz Warin in 

 1 3 10 mortgaged the manor to John de Wileby for a 

 debt of j/^6oo,^' but by 1329 it had passed to Alan's 

 daughter Elizabeth and her husband Henry de Maunde- 

 ville.-- In 1330 they conceded the manor to Peter Fitz 

 Warin for his hfe.^^ Henry de Maundeville was suc- 

 ceeded by his son^+ Richard,^' who continued in posses- 

 sion until 1359 when he conceded the manor to William 

 de Wilby, clerk, to hold for 16 years rent free and after 

 that at a rent of;^i 00 yearly.^* Between 1359 and 1368 

 the manor passed to WiUiam Latimer^' who died in 

 1 38 1 and was succeeded by his daughter Elizabeth, 

 who married John Lord Nevill.-* He died seised of 

 Wilby in 1388 and was succeeded by his son Ralph.'' 

 From the Nevills the manor passed to the Vaux, but 

 how it was transferred cannot be traced. As early as 

 1405 William Vaux held the advowson of Wilby^" and 

 it is probable that he held the manor also. In 1462 

 William Vaux son of the former WiUiam" forfeited the 

 manor by reason of an act of attainder,^- and it was 

 granted to Ralph Hastings; it was afterwards restored, 

 and in 1525 Nicholas Vaux died seised of it.^^ Until 

 1624 WUby Manor follows the same descent as Great 



' Priv. & Loc. Act, 41 Geo. Ill, cap. 70. 



2 Bridges, Northants. ii, 156. 



3 y.C.H. Narr/iants. i, 312. 



■• Ibid, ii, 570-1 ; FeuJ. Aids, iv, 16. 



5 Bk. of Fees, 936. 



' Ibid. 938. See below. 



' Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 516. 



' Chan. Inq. p.m. 2 Ric. II, no. 57. 



» Ibid. 12 Ric. II, no. 40. 

 "> Curia Regis R. iii, 100. 

 *^ Farrer, Honors and Knights* Fees, 

 ii, 349. " Assize R. 616, m. 1 1 d. 



" Ibid. '* Farrer, loc. cit. 



IS Bk. of Fees, 936, 93S. He held half 

 a fee in 1244: Farrer, loc. cit. 



" Feet of F. Northants. 4 John. 



" Ibid. II Hen. III. 



'8 Rot. Rob. Grosseteste (Cant. & York 

 Soc), 218. 



'9 Ptac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 516. 

 If 'Eudes' is not a mistake he must have 

 been succeeded shortly by William. 



" Cal. htj. f>.m. iii, 576. 



" Assize R. 633, m. 72. 



22 Ibid, i Plae. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 

 S.6. 



" Cott. Ch. xxvii, 73. 



" Close, 33 Edw. Ill, m. 30 d. 



25 Cott. Ch. xxiii, 27. 



26 Close, 33 Edw. Ill, m. 30 d. 

 2' Chart. R. 42 Edw. Ill, no. 9. 



28 G.E.C. Complete Peerage (ist ed.), v, 



23- 



29 Chan. Inq. p.m. 12 Ric. II, no. 40. 



30 Bridges, Northants. ii, 155. 



3' G.E.C. Complete Peerage (1st ed.), viii, 

 18. 



32 Cal. Pat. 1461-67, p. 195. 



33 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), xli, 60. 



146 



