A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



porting a cornice, from which incurved buttresses rise 

 to the base of the spire. The appearance of the spire 

 has been spoilt by the removal of the vases from the top 

 of the buttresses,' but the steeple as a whole is of pleas- 

 ing design, the plainly treated square lower stages con- 

 trasting well with the lighter construction above. On 

 each side of the octagon is a round-headed opening, 

 and the spire has a good iron vane. 



The font and pulpit are modern and in the Gothic 

 style. 



There are wall tablets in the nave to Francis Brown- 

 smith (d. 1778), Theophilus GoodfeUow, rector (d. 

 1782), and others of later date. 



There are six bells, four new small ones by Taylor 

 & Co., of Loughborough, having been added in 1935 

 to the two bells then in the tower. Of these the second 

 is by Robt. Taylor & Son, St. Neot's, 1817.^ 



The plate consists of a silver-gilt cup of i 5 5 3 , a cover 

 paten of 1606, and a paten of 1740 made by Robert 

 Abercromby. There is also a plated flagon of modern 

 medieval design given in 1871.^ 



The registers before 181 2 are as follows: (i) all 

 entries 1558-1678; (ii) August 1678-December 1706; 

 (iii) baptisms and burials January 1706/7— 93, marriages 

 to 1753; (iv) baptisms 1 794-181 2; (v) marriages 

 1 7 54-1812; (vi) burials 1 794-1 8 12. 



Facing the church on the other side of the road is 

 a memorial cross to fourteen men of the parish who fell 

 in the war of 1 9 14-18. 



From the time when William de 

 ADVOWSON Houghton presented, as husband of 

 Isabel Daubeney, the advowson de- 

 scended with the Huntingdon manor and was shared 

 by the three co-heirs of Simon Daubeney in 1272. 

 Elizabeth the eldest presented William de Houghton, 

 in the time of Edward II. On his death (by 1309), 

 Christine presented Brian de Pampworth.'* From Joan 

 the right descended to her son Robert Dakeney and 

 from Robert to his son Roger, who in 1330 granted his 



right to John Kynebelle of Filgrave.^ In 1 363-4 John 

 son of Richard (.' Houghton) granted the next pre- 

 sentation (on the death of Peter Newbold, clerk, who 

 presented 1363*) to Henry Green.' Richard Hough- 

 ton, however, presented in 1 367,* and he or a namesake 

 recovered the next presentation against Thomas Green 

 in 1 399 on a claim that he had been enfeoffed by Roger 

 Dakeney.' Sir Thomas Green conveyed land and the 

 advowson in 1435 to John Throckmorton;'" although 

 it was settled on Sir Nicholas Vaux on his marriage 

 with Ann daughter of Sir Thomas Green," the advow- 

 son apparently descended in the Throckmorton family 

 until 1 562.'^ Sir Robert Throckmorton sold the advow- 

 son in 1 562 toThomas Nichols.'^ It was settled for life on 

 William his father, who was still living when Thomas 

 died ten years later. Sir Thomas Tresham was con- 

 cerned with the advowson in 1576,'* and it was at- 

 tached to the manor of Tresham and Vaux in 1 6 14, 

 as in 1629, when William Baude conveyed it to Sir 

 William Wilmer." John Ward and George Daunce 

 presented in 163 1.'* William Wilmer and Francis 

 Wickes conveyed it to Dabridgecourt Ward in 1654;" 

 but Sir William Wilmer, bart., presented in 1 680,'^ and 

 Francis Arundel in 1706." The last named was patron 

 about 1720.-° During the next sixty years members of 

 the families of Warner, GoodfeUow, and Rogers pre- 

 sented,-" as did Thomas Wilkinson, clerk, in 1 804 and 

 1805,^^ which seems to be the year in which it was trans- 

 ferred to Magdalen College, Oxford,^-' the present 

 patrons. 



Margaret GoodfeUow by will dated 

 CHARITY 18 October 1785 bequeathed sufficient 

 stock to produce an annual income of ^^5, 

 to be applied by the minister and churchwardens for 

 the benefit of the poor. The endowment now consists 

 of ^115 2j% Consols held by the Official Trustees, 

 producing {ji 17/. \d. annually in dividends which 

 are distributed by the rector and 2 trustees appointed 

 by the parish council. 



LITTLE HOUGHTON 



Hohtone (xi-xiv cent.); Hocthone, Houthun (xii 

 cent.); Hoctune (xii-xiii cent.); Houton (xii-xvi 

 cent.); Houghtone (xivcent.). Parva (1220 onwards); 

 Minor (xiii cent.). 



To the parish of Little Houghton, which comprises 

 1,730 acres land and water, was added by Local 

 Government Board Order of 2 5 March 1884a detached 

 part of Brafield-on-the-Green called Brafield Holme. ^^ 

 Little Houghton lies between Brafield to the east, and 



Great Houghton to the west, all three parishes being 

 narrow strips with the Nene for their northern boun- 

 dary. There were 40 families in about 1720;^' in 1 92 1 

 the population of the civil parish was 422, in 1931, 

 41 5. The soil, subsoil, and crops are the same as for 

 Brafield, with some pasture land. On the south bank 

 at a bifurcation of the river, and perhaps guarding the 

 ancient ford here, stands at a height of about 265 ft. 

 the circular moated earthwork of Clifford Hill. Roman 



^ They were removed because their 

 weight endangered the tower. They are 

 shown in a drawing of c. iSio: Add. MS. 

 321 19, fol. 62. 



^ North, Ch. Bells of Northants. 309. 

 The inscription on the first has been 

 effaced. In 1552 there were three great 

 bells and one sanctus bell. Bridges noted 

 five bells in the old church; op. cit. i, 

 372. The old bells were re-tuned, and four 

 new ones given, by Mr. J. J. Martin, J. P., 

 and the rector, the Rev. G. H. Haines, to 

 commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Ring 

 George V. They are chimed by a clavier. 



5 Markham, Ch. Plate of Northants. 

 162, where the cup is figured. 



■* Cat. Pat. 1307-13, p. 324. He may 

 have been a kinsman of Brian Saffrey ; 

 Cat. Pal. 1330-4, p. 314. 



5 De Banco R. 2S3, m. 81. 



** Bridges, op. cit. 372. 



^ Feet of F. Northants. case 178, file 

 82, no. 541. 



* Bridges, op. cit. 372. 



» De Banco R. East. 23 Ric. II, m. 

 208 d. 



10 Feet of F. Northants. case 178, 

 file 94, no. 75. 

 '^ Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), xli, 60. 

 ^^ Bridges, op. cit. 372; Star Cha. Proc. 

 Hen. VIII, bdle. 29, no. 180. Sir Richard 

 Knightley of Fawsley, whose mother, 

 Eleanor Throckmorton, had owned the 

 advowson, claimed it unsuccessfully 

 against the Greens and Throckmortons 

 in 1502: Early Chan. Proc. bdle. 265, 

 no. 29. The advowson seems to have been 

 conveyed to John Warner, the incumbent, 



266 



in 1540 by George Throckmorton, who 

 subsequently had a lease of the rectory : 

 Early Chan. Proc. file 1073, nos. 23—5; 

 Bridges, loc. cit. 



■3 Feet of F. Northants. Trin. 4 Eliz.; 

 Recov. R. Mich. 1561, rot. 708. 



■■> Feet of F. Northants. Mich. 18 & 

 19 Eliz. 



■5 Recov. R. Mich. 5 Chas. I, rot. 3. 



■<' Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



" Feet of F. Northants. Trin. 1654; 

 Recov. R. Trin. 1654, rot. 37. 



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



■» Ibid. 



^^ Bridges, loc. cit. 



" Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). " Ibid. 



" Clergy List, 1881. 



^* Kelly, Northants. (193 l). 



-5 Bridges, op. cit. i, 373. 



