A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



bearing the arms of England, Ponthieu, or Castile 

 quartering Leon.' Each alternate side is further orna- 

 mented near the middle of the panel with an open book 

 supported on a lectern. 



The second stage, which appears as an octagon, is 

 formed by a solid square pillar, in front of each side of 

 which is a statue of the Queen under an elaborate 

 gabled and vaulted canopy supported by slender shafts, 

 facing the cardinal points; the statues, which are 

 6 ft. 8 in. high and in different postures, are said to be 

 original.^ The third stage, which rises from behind 

 the canopies, is square on plan, each side with a pointed 

 traceried panel ot four 'lights', surmounted by a 

 crocketed gable with foliated finial. The present ter- 

 mination, as already stated, is modern and reproduces 

 no ancient feature. 



The present Delapre Abbey, standing in a fine park, 

 has undergone so many alterations that it is not possible 

 to give a connected history of its development, but it 

 retains quite a considerable amount of ancient work. It 

 apparently incorporates no actual portions of the old 

 abbey, but in one of its internal waUs are two good 

 doorways dating from about 1550. These were origin- 

 ally external doorways, but they now open into a pas- 

 sage leading from the hall to the kitchen. The opposite 

 wall of the passage, of somewhat later date, has at each 

 end a curious small recess, some 4 ft. off the floor. These 

 were evidently intended to hold lamps to light the pas- 

 sages. The western or entrance front is of good Jaco- 

 bean work and was lighted by mullioned windows, some 

 now replaced by sashes. This front followed the cus- 

 tomary E plan, with a projecting wing at each end and 

 a porch in the middle. The old views, before the 

 modern additions, show a very charming, quiet house. 

 Its northern gable has a neighbour of much the same 

 date, which is the end of a long range of rooms of which 

 the northern wall, against the stable-yard, is of plain 

 Jacobean work, while the southern wall is that in which 

 the two mid- 16th-century doors occur, near to them 

 being an original circular stone staircase. 



The Jacobean work may probably be attributed to 

 Zouch Tate, who was in possession from 16 17 to 1650, 

 and, according to Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy, 

 'built on the site of the nunnery and part of the church; 

 turned other parts to profane use, particularly the chan- 

 cel, to a dairy, buttery and such other offices'. But it 

 must be said that no actual evidences of his profanity 

 are now identifiable. Many of the rooms still retain 

 wood panelling of his time, and in the servants' quar- 

 ters is a staircase of the same period. In the year 1764 

 the property passed into possession of the Bouveries, 

 and to them may be attributed the handsome south 

 front with its long rows of sash windows, lighting rooms 

 with panelling of the period. Later years brought more 

 changes, among them being the enlargement, perhaps 

 between 1830 and 1840, of the library by lengthening 

 the original south wing westwards. Other rooms were 

 contrived within the main block of the building, and 



although they make its history puzzling they helped to 

 produce a very commodious and imposing home. 



The stables are a simple but striking building of 

 much the same period as the south front. The gardens 

 are the particular delight of the present owner. Miss 

 Bouverie. In the wall on the south front is a handsome 

 old doorway treated in the fine manner usually asso- 

 ciated with Inigo Jones. 



The fields were inclosed 1765-6.' 



Among the lands of ancient demesne 

 MANORS held by the Confessor and retained by 

 William I was HJRDINGSTONE, in 

 'Coltrewestan' hundred. There were 5 hides besides 

 the inland. William Peverel and Gunfrid de Cioches 

 held 2 hides and 60 acres of meadow, by the king's gift 

 'as they say'. Another 2 hides, which had been held 

 by Waltheof formed a manor for the Countess Judith 

 in 1086.'' 



Of the fee of Chokes here no more seems to be heard; 

 but under-tenants of the honor of Chokes elsewhere 

 appear in Cotton,^ where tenements were also held of 

 the honor of Peverel in the 14th century.* 



Most of the royal demesne was soon alienated, 7 

 hides being in the possession of King David in 11 24.'' 

 The overlordship of all the manors in the parish des- 

 cended from David with the honor of Huntingdon 

 in the Hastings pourparty until 1 542 w^hen they were 

 made members of the new honor of Grafton.* 



King David's stepson Earl Simon I before 11 3 5 gave 

 all his demesne here to St Andrew's Priory, Northamp- 

 ton, which he founded, with 3 carucates of land, 3 

 doles of meadow, a holme, the mill called Cotesmeln, 

 the new mill 'Riscmiln' (now Rush mills), the church 

 and whole tithe.' Other gifts of land in Hardingstone 

 Cotton were made by various donors.'" 



The priory held 4 carucates in 1275 '" the fields of 

 Northampton," and continued in possession of manor, 

 rectory, and advowson until its surrender in 1538.'^ 



The crown, although alienating the rectory in 1 590, 

 retained manor and advowson, making various leases,'^ 

 including a life grant to the Princess Elizabeth in 

 1551.''' Bridges, about 1720, said that the 5 hides 

 held by the crown in 1086 were still held by tenants 

 in ancient demesne who paid a rent of ;^52 per annum 

 to the Lord Chief Justice Raynsford's heirs, grantees of 

 the crown, 'and are so far lords of Hardingstone as to 

 fish and hunt within the parish'. They were also 

 exempted from payment of toll in the hundred. '^ 



In 1275 the Earl of Cornwall had a prison at Cotton 

 and took toll of 50 herring from each cartload, and one 

 each of other fish; while the bailiff of the Hastings 

 in Cotton took the same toll of herring, two of other 

 fish, and from a sumpter horse one fish or from a 

 sumpter horse with salmon quarter of a salmon, and 

 6d. for carrying mill-stones, all to the damage of 

 Northampton, whose merchants and brewers he fore- 

 stalled here, besides distraining them for debt against 

 their privileges.'* Toll at Cotton and view of frank- 



■ There are sixteen shields, two on each 

 face. For their disposition see Marl<ham, 

 op. cit. 10. 



^ They are attributed to Alexander of 

 Abingdon and William of Ireland : Assoc. 

 Arch. Soc. Rep. vii, 125; Markham, op. 

 cit. 10. 



' y.C.H. Norihants. iii, 23. 



■• Ibid, i, 273, 305a, 35ii. 



-^ See below. 



" Cat. Pal. 1307-13, p. 158; Ct. R. 



(Gen. Ser.), bdle. 195, no. 67. 



' F.C.H. Norihants. i, 360, 375 and 

 note. In 1220 the King of Scotland 

 vouched the King of England to warrant: 

 Cal. Docts. Scolland, i, 768. 



8 L. and P. Hen. Fill, xvii, 28 (22). 



^ Cal. Charl, 1327— 4.1, pp. 1 18-19. 

 '^ Cott. MS. Vesp. E. xvii, fols. 101 v, 

 102, 106. 



" Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), ii, i. For its 

 lands and rents in Cotton see ibid. 



'^ Feud. Aids, iv, 6, 27 ; Valor Eccles. 

 (Rec. Com.), iv, 313-14; Feet of F. Div. 

 Co. Hil. 29 Hen. VIII. 



" L. and P. Hen. P'llI, xvi, g. 5S0 (10); 

 xviii (i), g. 226 (79, p. 131); Pat. 2 Eliz. 

 pt. 13, 5 Eliz. pt. 3, m. 40; Chan. Proc. 

 (Ser. 2), bdlc. 3, no. 10. 



'* Cal. Pat. Ediv. VI, iii, 240-1 ; iv, 90. 



's Op. cit. 359. 



■' Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), ii, i, zh, 4, 

 8, 13. 



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