A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



straight hood-mould.' Like the chancel, the nave has 

 a modern open-timbered roof, but of four bays. 



The 12th-century tower, which is about 50 ft. high, 

 is of massive construction, strengthened by a flat but- 

 tress^ in the middle of each face stopping at the lower 

 part of the top stage (except on the east side) where it 

 weathers back. On the east side, where the two 12th- 

 century tall, round-headed, bell-chamber windows re- 

 main, the buttress is taken up between them, weathering 

 back level with their heads, as no doubt was the case 

 originally on all four sides, but late in the 14th century 

 pointed windows of two trefoiled lights with quatrefoil 

 in the head were substituted for the original windows 

 on the other faces. Elsewhere in the tower the 12th- 

 century windows remain: on the west side of the ground 

 stage there is one on each side of the buttress, the in- 

 ternal splay of each taken round the head; on the south 

 a similar window on the east of the buttress, and on the 

 north one on the west of the buttress. There is a 

 blocked round-headed doorway near the east end of the 

 north wall. These windows and the doorway are of 

 very plain character, without hood-moulds, their heads 

 in several stones, and with square jambs. On the east 

 face of the tower is the line of a former high-pitched 

 nave roof, the ridge of which was above the sills of 

 the bell-chamber w-indows. There is no vice. The 

 semicircular tower arch is obscured by plaster; it 

 springs from moulded imposts with bold edge rolls 

 and is apparently rather later than the arch of the 

 chancel. 3 



The original roof of the tower was at some time 

 replaced by a temporary slated covering fixed within 

 the walls below the bell-chamber windows,'* and from 

 this and other causes the tower fell into disrepair. A 

 new roof was erected in 1927 and certain other repairs 

 effected, but the proper restoration of the tower was 

 unfortunately not undertaken at that time. 



The font stands against the west wall of the nave; 

 it has an octagonal cup-shaped bowl and is apparently 

 of 18th-century date. The pulpit is modern. 



In the floor of the chancel is a brass plate with 

 accompanying figures of Sir Clement Edmonds (d. 

 1622) and his wife,' but the alabaster monument men- 

 tioned by Bridges* no longer remains. There are also 

 grave-slabs to Charles Edmonds (d. 1661), and Henry 

 Edmonds (d. 1701), and to Richard Newman, aged 

 fifteen (d. 171 1), son of Sir Richard Newman of Fife- 

 head-Magdalen, Dorset; and marble wall memorials 

 in the chancel to Purbeck Langham (d. 1773) ^"'i ^'^ 

 wife Elizabeth Lawton (d. 1756), Daniel Beat Christie 

 (d. 1809) and other members of the Christie family, 

 and Charles Newman (d. 1821). 



The tower contains one beU cast by Henry Penn of 

 Peterborough in 1710.' 



The plate consists of a silver-gilt cup and paten of 

 i860 given in the following year by the Rev. J. H. 

 Brookes, rector.* 



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

 entries 1676— 1780; (ii) marriages 1754-1812; 

 (iii) baptisms and burials 1783-1812. 



The church of Preston was given 

 ADVOWSON to the priory of St. Andrew in 

 Northampton by Gilbert de Preston 

 in the middle of the 12th century and confirmed by 

 his successors.' After the Dissolution the right of 

 patronage remained with the Crown until granted by 

 Elizabeth to John Doddington of London and John 

 Jackson in 1559.'° On the death of Jasper HartweU in 

 1584 it was found that he had purchased the rectory 

 and advowson from Sir Robert Lane who had bought 

 it from John, Stephen, and WiDiam Jefirey and John 

 Basse." Since that date it has been held by the owners 

 of the manor and it is at present in the gift of John 

 Christie, esquire. 



OUINTON 



Quintone (xi cent.); Quenton (xii cent.); Quenyn- 

 ton (xiii cent.); Quynton, Queenton (siv cent.). 



The parish of Quinton covers an area of 1,225 ^^res. 

 The soil varies from strong clay to yellow marl, and in 

 some parts it is of a light gravelly nature; the subsoil 

 is mainly rock. The chief crops produced are wheat 

 and barley, a fair proportion of the parish being devoted 

 to pasture. In 1931 the population was 92. 



In 1086 the Countess Judith held the 

 MANORS manor of Yardley Hastings to which per- 

 tained I hide and 3 virgates of land in 

 QVINTON.'^ The overlordship of this estate de- 

 scended with Yardley Hastings (q.v.). At the time of 

 the Northamptonshire Survey (12th cent.) William 

 Peverel held 4 small virgates in Quinton'^ which are 



not traceable in the Domesday survey. The overlord- 

 ship of this land passed with the honor of Peverel to 

 the house of Lancaster, and the fee itself was held by 

 the family of Preston of Preston Deanery (q.v.) until 

 1428, when Wynmer de Preston, the last of his line, 

 was holding it.'* 



Under the Countess Judith J hide and 3 virgates in 

 Quinton were held by Winemar the Fleming,'^ the 

 other ^ hide being held by two socmen.'* At the time 

 of the Northamptonshire Survey David and Philip 

 held if hides in Quinton of the honor of Hunting- 

 don, while Gilbert held 4 small virgates of the honor 

 of Peverel." Walter de Preston, descendant of Wine- 

 mar, held the vill of Quinton in 12 16 when he for- 

 feited it on joining the rebel barons.'* He returned to 



' The windows and doorway, as already 

 stated, belong to the 17th-century restora- 

 tion. The windows have hood-moulds and 

 chamfered jambs and mullions : that on 

 the north side is deeply recessed, the 

 jambs having a double cliamfer. 



2 The buttresses project 10 in. and 

 measure 2 ft. on the face. 



3 It would appear that the tower was 

 not begun until after the completion of the 

 nave, its east wall being built against the 

 wall of the nave. The arch is 7 ft. wide 

 on the tower side and 5 ft. 4 in. towards 

 the nave. 



** N'lon Independent, 18 July 1925. 



5 Hudson, Mont. Brasses of Northants, 

 where it is figured. The plate is 2 ft. 1 4 in. 

 by loj in. with Latin inscription, and the 

 figures are 12 in. high. The man is bare- 

 headed and wears an ornamental suit of 

 armour. 



' Hist, of Northants. i, 382. 



' North, Ch. Bells of Northants. 387. 



8 Markham, Ch. Plate of Northants. 

 245. The pieces are of medieval design. 

 In 1843 there were 'a pretty good silver 

 cup with cover, which was used for a 

 paten, and a metal plate'. 



' Cott. Vesp. E. xvii, fols. 69-70 ; Harl. 

 Chart. 43 H. 11; Bridges, i, 382. 



'» Pat. 2 Eliz. pt. 15, m. 35. 



^* Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccvii, 103. 



'^ P'.C.H. Northants. i, 351, 354. 



'3 Ibid. 375. 



'* Bk. of Fees, i, 495; ii, 333; Cal. Inq. 

 p.m. iii, p. 296 ; Feud. Aids, iv, 42. 



■5 V.C.H. Northants. i, 354. 



" Ibid. 351. 



" Ibid. 375. Gilbert was probably 

 Gilbert de Preston, grandson of Winemar. 



■8 Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), i, 258. 



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