ORLINGBURY HUNDRED 



WALGRAVE 



WALGRAVE 



Woldgrave (xi cent.); Waldegrave (xiii cent.). 



This parish lies to the west of the road from North- 

 ampton to Kettering, which for a short distance forms 

 its eastern boundary; and is bounded on the north by 

 Broughton, south by Hannington and Holcot, east by 

 Orlingbury, and west by Old. The ground in a con- 

 siderable part of it rises as high as 400 ft. or more, but 

 the village is situated in something of a hollow, and has 

 a stream running to the south of it. It is very prett)- 

 and compact and occupies the centre of the parish, 

 along a road branching west from the Northampton 

 road. This branch road is crossed by another running 

 north and south: the church stands on high ground at 

 the centre of the village near their point of intersection, 

 and close to the church is a ford. Grouped near by are 

 the smithy; the Council school, a large building erected 

 in 1900 to replace one built in 1828; the Baptist 

 chapel, erected in 1788, with a small burial-ground 

 attached; and the Calvinistic Baptist chapel built in 

 1853. The rectory house, built in 1687 by John Smith, 

 rector, but subsequently enlarged, stands east of the 

 church. At the west end of the village, on the Holcot 

 road, is a thatched house dated 1672. 



Lewis referred in 1849' to the remains of a cross in 

 the centre of the village, and a cross has now been 

 erected on the village green as a memorial to twenty- 

 five men of the parish who gave their lives in the Great 

 War 1914-18. 



In a field at the northern end of the village are the 

 remains of a moat, and the foundations of the house to 

 which it belonged, probably the 'Northall' referred to 

 in certain documents. Walgrave Hall stands a short 

 distance to the south-east of the village, on the road to 

 Hannington, and is a 17th-century two-story building 

 with attics, now a farm house, with a projecting 

 gabled wing at the east end, and slated roofs. ^ Though 

 much altered and modernized the house retains some 

 of its mullioned windows, and contains a fine oak stair- 

 case, with flat balusters and panelled newels with open- 

 work finials. The great hall was originally 39 ft. by 

 19 ft. 3 in., but has been divided: over the fireplace 

 on the north side (now a passage) are the arms' of 

 Sir John Langham, bart., with the date 1674, probably 

 placed here by his second son Dr. W. Langham after 

 he took possession of the Hall in 1671.'' The front 

 of the house, which faces south, is in the main of Wel- 

 don stone, but elsewhere the walling is of local iron- 

 stone, and the chimneys are of brick. The gateway 

 has good stone piers with finials. Fishponds in the 

 grounds are fed by the stream previously referred to. 

 It is now owned and occupied by William A. Knight, 

 esq., one of the principal landowners. 



The population, which in 1871 was 660, was 659 

 in 1 93 1.' The area of the parish is 2,381 acres. The 



soil is partly clay and partly northern sand ; subsoil iron- 

 stone. The chief crops are wheat, barley, and much of 

 the land is pasture. 



The parish has had many notable inhabitants. As 

 rector in the early 17th century it had the celebrated 

 Archbishop Williams,* who was presented to Walgrave 

 in 1 61 4 and retained the living after his appointment, in 

 162 1, as Bishop of Lincoln, of whom it was alleged 

 in 1638 'he has never been at Walgrave since he was 

 made bishop, whereat the whole county murmurs'.' 

 But the work he did in repairing the church still bears 

 his initials and the date 1633, and he left land to the 

 poor. Another rector of Walgrave was Walter Whit- 

 ford, who as Bishop of Brechin in 1637 had ascended 

 his pulpit in Scotland to read the new service armed 

 with a brace of pistols, his servants and family attending 

 him armed, after which, on taking refuge in England, 

 upon his deposition and excommunication by the Glas- 

 gow Assembly, he was presented to Walgrave on 5 

 May 1642.* 



Three hides and 3 virgates in If-'AL- 

 MANORS GRAVE, appurtenant to the manor of Fax- 

 ton, which were before the Conquest held 

 with soc and sac by Alsi, were in 1086 among the lands 

 of the Countess Judith, being then, as formerly, worth 

 ;{^3.' The overlordship descended with the honor of 

 Huntingdon, as Yardley Hastings (q.v.). 



The Malesoures family were under-tenants in this 

 manor from an early date. Fulcher, who was holding 

 under the Countess Judith in 1086,'° and Henry, his 

 successor in the 12th century," were members of that 

 family.'^ Geoffrey de Malesoures, described as son of 

 Henry de Malesoures in the grant of Walgrave church 

 made by him to the priory of Daventry," appears in 

 1242 as holding this fee in Walgrave,'* which he had 

 obtained in 1227 from Walter de Malesoures. '^ It was 

 possibly his son of whom we are told'* that 'there was 

 strife and hatred between Master William Brokedys, 

 parson of Walgrave, and Robert Malesoures of Wal- 

 grave about a common of pasture in the fields of 

 Walgrave. And so, as Robert was passing William's 

 door on 9 September 1274 in the twilight, there came 

 William Pollard, William Pillecrowe, and Walter, ser- 

 vant of Master .'Uan de Brokedys, and dragged Robert 

 within Master William's door, and slew him with their 

 knives, and this they did by assent of Master Alan 

 Brokedys, and before his eyes; and Catelina, servant of 

 Master William, held a burning candle while they slew 

 Robert.' Henry Malesoures was holding Walgrave in 

 1275 and claimed view of frankpledge, assize of bread 

 and ale, &c." The last Malesoures recorded in Wal- 

 grave was Richard son of Henry who was holding of 

 John de Hastings in 1284." 



Walgrave was next held by the family of Walgrave 



' Tofoi. Did. 



* 'The whole of the roof was al some 

 time taken off and reinstated at a lower 

 level.' The modern ceiling rests upon the 

 tops of the upper landing staircase newels. 

 Norilianii. A'. S' Q. N.». vi, 58, where a 

 description of the house is given, and a 

 drawing by Geo. Clarke, 1S36, reproduced. 



^ Langham impaling Bunce. 



* 'He simply erected his Father's arms 

 with a Knight's helm, to which be was 

 then entitled, and added a crescent for dif- 



IV 



fercnce': Korihanti. N.& Q. N.s. vi, 58. 



* In 1705 there were 37 freeholders in 

 Walgrave: in 1831 there were 14: Poll 

 Books. ' Diet. Nal. Bicg. 



' Cal. S.P. Dom. 1638-9, p. 219. 

 He had had trouble in 161 8 with some 

 of his parishioners who objected to his 

 upholding 'The Declaration of Sports': 

 Ilisl. MSS. Cum. Rip. on the MSS. of 

 LatH Ahntagu of Beaulieu, 94. 



' Did. Nat. Biog. 



• y.C.H. Korthanll. i, 35 3 J. 



217 



>o Ibid. 



" y.C.H. Ncrthanls. i, 380. 



■2 Cf. ibid. 380-1, Lamport, Pitsford, 

 ic. 



I) Dugdale, Man. Angl. v, i8z. 



■» Bi. of Fed, 9iS. 



" Feet of F. Northants. Hen. Ill, 

 file 23. no. 226. 



" CjI. Inij. Miic. 1219-1307, no. 2188. 



" llunJ. R. (Rec. Com.), li, 1 2. 



" Feud. AiJi, iv, 1. 



Pf 



