A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



ISHAM 



Hysham, Hicham, Ysham (xi cent.). 



Isham, divided into Upper and Lower, is on the road 

 from Kettering to Wellingborough, the village lying 

 along a branch road. The Ise Brook forms its eastern 

 boundary and separates it from Burton Latimer, in 

 which parish the local station, on the main line of the 

 L.M.S. railway, is situated. Pytchley lies to the north, 

 and to the south and west Little Harrowden. 



The village, which is less than half a mile south of 

 the station, has the church of St. Peter at its centre. 

 The rectory lies to the west of the church, and to the 



Isham: The Church 



south of it is the smithy. When Bridges wrote there 

 were two rectory houses for the two rectors of Upper 

 and Lower Isham; and a house near the church had 

 medieval features. Attached to a farm west of the 

 church is a rectangular dovecote built of local limestone 

 and covered with red pantiles. It appears to be of 

 17th-century date, though the massive oak door-frame 

 and door may be earlier: there are 580 nesting holes.' 

 A house standing back from the road to the north of 

 the church is dated 1668. The Manor Farm is at the 

 south-western limit of the village: at its north-eastern 

 end is the school (public elementary), built in 1840 

 and enlarged in 1875-6 for 100 children: near by are 

 the Corn Mill and the Methodist chapel. Isham 

 Lodge is in the extreme south of the parish. 



Its population was 247 in 1801 ; in 1871 it was 456; 

 and in 1931 it was 365. It lies mostly at a height of 

 150—250 ft. and has an area of 1,401 acres. The soil 

 is of a good fertile mixed character: subsoil Great Oolite 



and limestone, sand and ironstone. The chief crops 

 grown are cereals. 



A manor corresponding to Upper Isham 



MANORS apparently, since its chief messuage was 

 later known as the OFER HALL, 

 originated in I hide and i\ virgates of land in Isham 

 (on which was a mill rendering 10/.) held of Guy de 

 Reinbuedcurt by Ralf; of which land the Bishop of 

 Coutances claimed li virgates and 3 small gardens. 

 It had been held freely before the Conquest by Elwin 



son of Ulf, its value having risen from 5/. to 40/.^ 

 There were also 3 virgates in 

 Isham held by Walchelin of the 

 Bishop of Coutances and pre- 

 viously held with sac and soc by 

 Burred, the bishop's predecessor 

 in other properties.' After the 

 bishop had forfeited his lands in 

 the county, his Isham virgates 

 appear to have been included 

 with the Reinbuedcurt lands, in 

 2^ hides in Isham held in the 

 1 2 th century by Henry de Isham 

 of the fee of Daundevill.* A fee 

 in Isham was held by Henry de 

 Isham in 1235 among the fees 

 that Christiane Ledet had in- 

 herited from Guy;5 and I J hides 

 in Isham were in 1284 held by 

 Henry de Isham of Alexander 

 Daundewy(l)e, as mesne lord, 

 under William Latimer,* the 

 successor of Guy de Reinbued- 

 curt in the barony of Wardon. 

 This barony paid for castle guard 

 to Rockingham at the rate of 5.r. 

 for each knight's fee,' and Isham 

 is entered in an account of about 

 1 170 as paying 5/. guard money 

 to the castle.' 

 It was pointed out in Northamptonshire Families'* 



that the family of Isham, who appear as tenants at so 



early a date in this property, has probably dwelt in the 



county longer than any other 



family mentioned in that volume. 



Henry son of Henry de Isham 



presented to the church in 



1236,'" and in 1239 was making 



grants of land here to Elias and 



James, sons of Henry, presum- 

 ably his brothers." He had died 



before 1249, when the presenta- 

 tion was made by the guardian 



of the heir of Henry de Isham 



on account of the minority of 



this heir.'- Isham was in 1283 



held by Henry son of Henry 



de Isham. '■' From about this time the Ishams seem also 



to have used the name of L'Isle (de Insula), as in 1 300, 



Isham. Gules a fesse 



iva'vy argent 'with three 



piles ivavy argent point' 



tng to the fesse point. 



' Northants N. & Q.i (n.s.), 210; the 

 doorway is apparently Tudor, but the 

 classic detail in the kneeler stones suggests 

 a later date for the building. 



2 V.C.H. Northants. i, 343. 



3 Ibid. 310. * Ibid. 382, and n. 



5 Bk. of Fees, 943. 

 ' FeuJ. Aids, iv, i. 



7 V.C.H. Northants. \, 295. 



8 Red Bk. of Exch. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 

 cclxxxi. 



9 Op. cit. {F.C.H.), i, 141. 



188 



'" Rot. Rob. Grossetesle (Cant, and York 

 Soc), 164. 



'■ Feet of F. Northants. Hen. Ill, file 

 29, no. 394j ibid, file 30, no. 408. 



'^ Bridges, Hist, of Northants. ii, 108. 



" Cal.In^. p.m. n,zo%. 



