A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



are of trvvo cinquefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in the 

 head. The two square lower stages are blank on the 

 north and south, except for a small rectangular quatre- 

 foiled window on the south side, and on the east, above 

 the roof, is a pointed opening. There is a vice in the 

 south-west angle. The arch to the nave is of two hollow- 

 chamfered orders, the inner springing from half- 

 octagonal responds with moulded capitals and cham- 

 fered bases. 



The west doorway is a 1 5th-century insertion. It has 

 a continuous moulded four-centred arch framed in a 

 rectangular hood-mould, the spandrels being fiUed with 

 quatrefoiled circles. Above it is an ogee-headed traceried' 

 window of two cinquefoiled lights with crocketed 

 hood-mould and finial, on either side of which, at sill 

 level, is a canopied niche with tall straight-sided 

 crocketed hood-moulds, finials, and rounded stops: the 

 niches have image-brackets, but are unoccupied. The 

 spire has plain angles and two tiers of gabled lights on 

 the cardinal faces. 



The font consists of a plain circular tapering bowl, 

 on a rectangular stem with chamfered angles and 

 square plinth, and is apparently of early- 13th-century 

 date.^ 



The 17th-century oak pulpit has three tiers of panels, 

 the two lower arched, as at Doddington, but is octagonal 

 on plan: it stands on a modern stone base.-' 



Below the tower arch is a modern screen, the top- 

 rail of which is old work from YaxJey, Hunts.'' The 

 royal arms of Queen Victoria are over the south 

 doorway. 



There were three bells till 1878, when a treble by 

 Taylor of Loughborough was added and the tenor re- 

 cast. The ring was increased to five in 1893 by the 

 addition of another treble, also by Taylor. The old 

 treble (now third) is by Henry Penn of Peterborough 

 1705, and the fourth by Matthew Bagley of Chacomb 

 1682. The old tenor bore the inscription: 'Sit nomen 

 Domini Benedictum' and was from the Leicester 

 foundry.5 



The plate consists of a silver chalice and paten of 

 1853, a flagon of 1850, and an alms basin of 1857:^ 

 there is also a plated bread-holder. 



The registers before 1812 are contained in a single 

 volume beginning in 1562, but there are gaps. The 

 book consists of 'many separate parts which were before 

 in several volumes'' but were collected and bound in 

 one volume in 1767 by Thomas Percy, rector. The 

 entries of baptisms are continuous to 1650, of marriages 



to 1635, and of burials to 1639, ^^'^ ^^ entries are 

 complete from 171 3 to 1812. 



There are constables' accounts from 1627 to 1678. 

 In 1205 Robert son of Henry re- 

 ADFOWSON mitted his claim to the advowson of 

 Wilby Church to John de Wileby,* 

 to whose heir the presentation belonged in 12 19.' 

 Robert son of Richard of Northampton presented in 

 1243.'° In 1260 William son of Robert deWileby re- 

 covered the advowson, apparently in right of his wife, 

 against Geoffrey de Leukenore as guardian of the heir 

 of Robert de Wileby, but the said heir was to have the 

 patronage when he came of age;" and in 1276 John de 

 Wileby sued William Fitz Warin for the right to 

 present to the church.'^ In 1330 Henry de Maundeville 

 and his wife Elizabeth, grand-daughter of William Fitz 

 Warin, held this advowson;'^ and in 1340 Robert de 

 Wilby sued Richard de Maundeville for the next 

 presentation. '•• In 1403 the advowson had passed into 

 the hands of William Vaux;'5 but in 1427 Reynold, Lord 

 Grey, then holding the honor of Huntingdon,'* was 

 patron presumably during the minorit}' of the younger 

 William Vaus. From this date until 1621, when it was 

 sold by Edward Vaux to Henry Neale of Northampton,"' 

 the advowson followed the same descent as the manor. 

 In the same year Valentine Lane presented and next 

 year the Crown was patron. In 1626 it was held by 

 Thomas Pentlow,'* and by 1640 it was held by Sir 

 Christopher Yelverton" from whom it descended to his 

 grandson Talbot, the patron in 1712.-° The advowson 

 continued in this family^' until 1783 when it was trans- 

 ferred to Matthew Easton.-^ Matthew Easton held the 

 advowson as late as 1829; from him it passed to the 

 Rev. William Stockdale,^' father of the present patron, 

 H. M. Stockdale, esq., D.L. 



The living of Wilby is a rectory; in 1291 the annual 

 value of the church was £?>''-'^ and in 1535 the value of 

 the rectory and tithes was £n. <)s. i ic//^ 



Church Land. About 2 acres let in 



CHARITIES allotments, the rent of which is applied 



by the rector and churchwardens for the 



repair or service of the church. 



Poor's Land, 

 applied by the rector and churchwardens in the distri- 

 bution of bread among the resident poor, and is partly 

 given or sent in money to poor persons belonging to, but 

 not resident in, the parish. 



The origin of the above-mentioned charities is 

 unknown. 



About 2 acre, the rent of which is 



' The tracery and muUion are modern. 



2 The bowl was restored to use in 1878. 



3 Two of the sides are open and form 

 the entrance : there is no door. 



* The screen was designed by Mr. 

 Temple Moore, c. 1912. 



5 North, Ck. Bells of Nortiants. 448, 

 where the inscriptions are given. 



' Marldiam, Ci. Plate ofNorlhants. 318. 



' From inscription by Dr. Percy at 

 beginning of the booic ; 'the several leaves 

 were paged as far as p. 165 on Feb. 26, 

 1780, and all appearance of chasms and 



leaves torn out was before that time.* 



8 Feet of F. Northants. 7 John. 



9 Rot. Hug. de fVelles (Cant. & York 

 Soc), i, 139. 



'<> Rot. Rob. Grosseleste (Cant. & York 

 Soc), 218. 



" Rot. Ric. Gravesend (Cant. & York 

 Soc), 1 00. 



" De Banco R. Trin. 4 Edw. I, m. 13. 



" Cott. Ch. xxvii, 73. 



" Pedigree! from Pleas Rolls, 6. He 

 claimed that Walter son of Robert de 

 Wileby had given it to Peter son of 



William Dru, his ancestor. 



■5 Bridges, Northants. ii, 155. 



'* Cal. of Papal Letters, vii, 545. 



■' Add. Chart. 4672. 



'8 Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



" Bridges, Northants. ii, 155. 



2° Recov. R. Hil. 11 Anne, ro. 113. 



" G.E.C. Complete Peerage (ist ed.), iv, 

 107. 



" Recov. R. Trin. 22 Geo. Ill, ro. 157. 



23 Clergy Lists, 1829-60. 



^* Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 39. 



^5 yalor Eccles. (Rec. Com.), iv, 305. 



148 



