ORLINGBURY HUNDRED 



ORLIXGBURY 



of knd on Adam Trussell, parson of Orlingbury, to find 

 a priest to perform services three times a week in With- 

 male chapel." Another John was returned as owner in 

 1428,* and at his death, or perhaps that of his son, the 

 manor descended to Rose Withmale, wife of Sir Wil- 

 liam Pulteney. Sir William died seised of the manor, 

 together with that of Loges in Orlingbury, in i 507,^ 

 and for the next i 50 years the descent of the manor 

 follows that of Loges (q.v.). 



In 1654* Edward, 4th Lord Vaux of Harrowden, 

 settled a yearly rent of £^0 issuing out of Withmale 

 Park on Frances Harvey. At Lord Vaux's death in 

 1 66 1 it passed by previous settlement to Nicholas, titular 

 3rd Earl of Banbury. 5 Charles, titular 4th earl, sold 

 it in 1694 to Thomas Wentworth,* with Great Har- 

 rowden (q.v.), with which manor it passed to the Earls 

 Fitzwilliam, who continued to own it until recent 

 times, when it was sold to Mrs. Jacques, the present 

 owner of Orlingbury Hall. 



The church of 57. M^RTwis entirely 

 CHURCH rebuilt in 1 843 on a new plan, and consists 

 of chancel with north vestry, lofty central 

 tower, north and south transepts, aisleless nave, and 

 south porch. It is in the style of the 14th century, faced 

 with local ironstone, with embattled parapets and 

 low-pitched roof The east window is circular, but the 

 others are pointed, those of the bell-chamber being of 

 three trefoiled lights with reticulated tracery. The 

 tower is in two stages above the roof, and has open 

 traceried parapets and tall angle pinnacles. The build- 

 ing was repaired in 1 91 2. 



The old church, according to Bridges, consisted of 

 chancel, nave, north cross-aisle, and west tower and 

 spire,' but no adequate record of it has been preserved. 



The 14th-century alabaster effigy, already de- 

 scribed,' lies in a wall recess on the north side of the 

 chancel, a position similar to that which it occupied in 

 the old church. In the chancel (south wall) a brass plate 

 records the burial-place of John Mar (father of Henry 

 Mar, rector), who died 2 August 1450,' and in the floor 

 of the south transept are the figure brasses of William 

 Lane (d. i 502) and Elizabeth his wife, but the portion 

 of inscription recorded by Bridges is missing. The 

 figures are no longer in their proper relative positions, 

 and the four brass shields, which were formerly at the 

 corners of the original slab, are now on an adjoining 

 stone.'" In the floor of the south transept also are brass 

 plates to Thomas Chybnale (d. 1673), his son Godfrey 

 (d. 1 678)," and his two wives, Elizabeth eldest daughter 

 of Thomas Andrewe (d. 1643) and Elizabeth daughter 

 of Sir John Wingfield (d. 1671). In the chancel is a 

 floor-slab with the name of Alexander Ekins, rector 

 (d. 1699), and a mural tablet to Charles Sturgis, rector 

 and canon of Lincoln (d. 1745). The south transept. 



which has a separate entrance on the west side, contains 

 various 18th-century tablets to members of the Young 

 family. 



The font now used is modern, but the bowl of an 

 ancient one, much weathered, is in the south transept. 

 It is roughly octagonal, but quite plain. There is a 

 17th-century oak chest. 



The tower contains a ring of five bells cast by 

 Thomas Mears of London in 1843. They were rehung 

 and rededicated in 1919." 



The plate consists of a cup and cover paten of 1637, 

 a bread-holder of about 1673 inscribed '1691 Patina 

 ecclesiae de Orlingbury ex dono .Alexandri Ekins Rec- 

 toris Ecclesiae praedicte', and a flagon of 1776 in- 

 scribed 'Orlingbury: the gift of a pious and charitable 

 Lady 1 776'. 'J 



The registers begin in 1564, but the years 1653 to 

 1668 are missing. Before 1812 the volumes are as fol- 

 lows: (i) all entries I 564-1653; (ii) baptisms 1667/8- 

 1750, marriages 1668-1749, burials 1667/8-1751; 

 (iii) baptisms and burials 1 749-1812; (iv) marriages 

 1 7 5 4-8 3 ; (v) marriages 1 7 8 3- 1 8 1 2 . Penances are re- 

 corded in 1753, 1757, and 1763, and briefs between 

 1699 and 1722. There is also a parchment roll con- 

 sisting of many strips stitched together, with entries of 

 baptisms, marriages, and burials 1 564-1646. 



The advowson of Orlingbury ap- 

 ADVOIVSON pears to have belonged from the 

 earliest times to the honor of Wahull 

 (Odell), and was probably held by the Malesoures, for 

 their successors, the Trussells, held the right of presenta- 

 tion as parcel of their manor of Lamport, '■' with which 

 it passed to the Veres. The 17th Earl of Oxford sold it 

 with Lamport Manor to John Isham, who sold the 

 right of presentation in i 561 to Sir Robert Lane,'^ then 

 owner of Beaver's Manor. It followed the descent of 

 this manor through the Toftes, Chibnalls, and Bridges, 

 but was retained by Brook Bridges at the sale of the 

 manor to Richard Young in 1705. The Bridges family 

 presented until the middle of the 19th century, but had 

 disposed of the right before 1874, when it was in the 

 possession of the then rector. Mrs. Jacques of Orling- 

 bury Hall is the present patron of the living. 



In 1254 Orlingbury church was valued at 13 marks 

 and in 1535 at £,zo ijs. lOi/.'* 



In 1750 Robert Bushby left C\o 

 CHARITIES and in 1 8 1 8 Joseph Manning left C^ 8 

 to the poor. In 1874 these produced 

 TO/, and 1 8/. per annum respectively, but at the present 

 time the combined value is only i 5/. per annum, and 

 this is distributed in bread to the poor on Christmas 

 Day. 



Eighteen acres of land called 'Poors' hold' are let at 

 an annual rental of £(). 



' Inq. a.q.d. 6 Hen. IV, no. 31. 



" FfuJ. Jlidi, iv, 33. 



' Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), xx, 88. 



* Fret of F. Northints. Trin. 1654. 



» Ibid. Hil. 1651; ibid. Mich. 1655. 



' Baker, Hill, of Ncrihanii. i, 33. 



' Hiii. of Ncrthanti. ii, 1 1 8. The length 

 of nave and chancel was 95 ft. 7 in., the 

 width across the aisle 23 ft. 4 in. The 

 internal dimensions of the present building 

 are: chancel, 24 ft. 6 in. by 14 ft. 10 in.; 

 transepts, each 16 ft. 2 in. by 14 ft. 8 in.; 



nave, 42 ft. 6 in. by 22 ft. 6 in. ; tower, 

 II ft. by I 3 ft. 



• y.C.H. Norlhanii. i, 408. See also 

 Alb. Hartshornc, Recumbent Mont. Effigiet 

 in Northanti. 68. The figure is that of a 

 knight, probably a Dc Orlingbur)-. 



' The inscription is given by Bridges, 

 op. cit. 1 19. 



'" In Bridges' time the figure of the 

 woman was missing. Originally the 

 brasses were on a tomb 3 ft. high. The 

 figures are 1 8 in. in length. 



" The dates arc hidden by pews. 



" The inscriptions arc given in North, 

 Ck. Belli of IS'orihanti. 354. In Bridges' 

 time there were three bells. 



" Markham, Ch. Plate of Northanti. 

 219. 



'♦ Chan. Inq. p.m. 20 Edw. Ill, no. 83; 

 ibid. (Ser. 2), IV, 18; ibid, xx, 40. 



'5 Feet of F. Northants. East. 3 Elii. 



'<• MS. Cott. Nero D. i.; l-'ahr Eccl. 

 (Rcc. Com.), iv, 305. 



207 



