A HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX 



and Frances conveyed it in 1595 to .Walter Gibbes 

 and Elizabeth his wife. 96 By his will (dated 7 June 

 1612) Walter settled it on Elizabeth for twenty- 

 one yean. 97 She apparently died before May 1 620, 

 for Walter Gibbes, eldest son and heir of the elder 

 Walter, came into his inheritance at that time. 98 

 He conveyed it in 1626 to William Penfather, 

 from whom it passed to Francis Lord Cottington," 

 who had a grant of the reputed manor of Feltham 

 in 1631 (q.v.). From that time the rectory and 

 manor have passed through the same hands. 



The church of ST. DUNST4N has 

 CHURCH a nave and chancel of equal width, 

 built in 1808, with a west tower and 

 wooden spire covered with shingles. North and 

 south aisles, in a feeble Romanesque style, were 

 added in 1853, and to the north of the chancel is 

 a vestry. The whole is built of yellow and purple 

 stock bricks, with round-headed windows, and has 

 no architectural merit ; but being set in a thickly- 

 planted churchyard, with a path shaded by yews 

 leading to its principal doorway in the west wall of 

 the tower, can hardly be said to detract from the 

 simple charms of its surroundings. It retains its 

 high pews, and a western gallery, and has nothing 

 worthy of note beyond a tablet to Sir Thomas 

 Crewe of Steane, Northamptonshire, 1688. 



There are three bells by Thomas Mears, 1803. 



The plate consists of a flagon of 1801, ' the gift 

 of Henry Capel to Feltham 1 802,' two chalices of 

 1787,3 paten of 1769, and a credence paten of 

 1777, all presented in 1802 ; there is also a large 

 secular Georgian salver of 1769 presented in 1900. 



The registers previous to 1634 were burnt in a 

 fire in that year, and the earliest now existing are 

 in two books in which those from 1634 onward 

 are placed in irregular order ; a third contains 

 baptisms 1711 to 1806 ; a fourth marriages from 

 1754 to '812 in printed forms, and a fifth burials 

 1754 and 1812. 



The church is first mentioned 

 ADVOWSON in a 12th-century grant, when it 

 was given to the Hospital of St. 

 Giles in the Fields by Hawis, the wife of 

 William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln, 100 the sister 

 of Earl Baldwin de Redvers who gave other lands 

 (v.s. rectory manor) in Feltham to the same 

 hospital. 101 The gift of the church was confirmed 

 by Henry II, and about 1221 by Eustace, Bishop 

 of London, and again by Pope Alexander IV, 

 and later by Edward I. 101 Before 1322 a vicarage 

 was ordained and endowed, to which the warden 

 and brethren continued to present until the 

 Dissolution. 103 



In 1293, when the breth-en of St. Giles were 

 resisting the claim of the Bishop of London to 



exercise jurisdiction over the hospital and all its 

 possessions, a special exception was made in the 

 case of Feltham, and it was stated that as the 

 church was quite outside London, yet in the dio- 

 cese of London, the bishops had been wont to 

 make visitation there, and apparently they con- 

 tinued to do so. 104 



In 1 398 Richard II gave the Hospital of St. 

 Giles, with the church of Feltham, to the abbey 

 of St. Mary Graces by the Tower of London. 104 

 It is doubtful, however, if the grant took effect, 

 and in either case, the custody of St. Giles was 

 confirmed to the monastery of Burton Lazars by 

 Henry V."* 



When the master of Burton ceded the rectory 

 manor of Feltham to the king in 1537 the church 

 was excepted from the grant, 107 and probably did 

 not come to the Crown until the suppression of the 

 monastery in I539. 108 From this time onwards 

 the advowson was held with the rectory manor 

 (q.V.). 



On the confiscation of Lord Cottington's estates 

 in 1 649 the advowson was assigned with the manor 

 to John Bradshaw. lw On receiving the tithes of 

 Feltham he issued an address in 1651 to the in- 

 habitants of the parish, stating that his anxiety 

 ' touching spyrituals ' had led him to provide and 

 endow a minister for them without putting them 

 to any charge. 110 He left a bequest in his will for 

 maintaining a good minister at Feltham, 111 but all 

 his property was confiscated under the Act of 

 Attainder of May 1660,"' and the advowson was 

 restored to Lord Cottington's nephew and heir, 

 Charles Cottington. 1 " 



It continued with the manor (q.v.) for over a 

 century, 114 and thus was held by the Duke of St. 

 Albans in i8o2, ui but it seems to have been 

 separated from the manor early in the igth century. 

 The Rev. Joseph Morris held it from about 1 8 1 6 

 to 1 840,"' after which it was held by the Rev. 

 P. P. Bradfield until about 1850. It then came 

 to Charles E. Jemmet, after whose death it was 

 held by his executors. It now belongs to Mr. E. J. 

 Wythes of Copped Hall, Essex, whose father married 

 Catharine Sarah, daughter of Mr. C. E. Jemmet. 



The Poor's Stock, which, as 

 CHARITIES appeared from the table of bene- 

 faction, formerly consisted of pay- 

 ments made to the overseers of 2 6/., 2, and 

 i 2;. annually, and carried to the poor rates, has 

 ceased to be paid. 



In 1798 Robert Lowe by his will bequeathed 

 200 stock, the dividends to be applied in bread. 

 The legacy is now represented by 202 1 3*. 4^. 

 consols, producing 5 li. \d. a year, which, to- 

 gether with certain fixed payments amounting to 



Feet of F. Midd. Mich. 37 & 

 38 Eliz. 



< Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. z), cccxxvii, 

 no. 128. 



98 Fine R. 18 Jas. I, pt. i, no. 57. 



M S.P. Dom. Chas. I, ccclxxvii, 177. 



> Harl. MS. 4015, fol. 5-9. 



101 Diet. Nat. Biog. xlvii, 385 ; xlix, 

 3>4- 



1M Harl. MS. 401 5, fol. 5-9. 



JM Newcourt, Repert. i, 602. 



104 Cal. Pat. 1388-92, p. 458. 



W Ibid. p. 475. 



1M Dugdale, Man. vii, 635 ; Parton, 

 Account of Hasp, and Par. of St. Gilei in 

 the fields, 27. 



W Parton, op. cit. 31. 



108 Dugdale, Man. vii, 635. 



109 Cal. of Com. for Compounding, 

 146. 



*" Athenaeum (1878), 689. 



111 Ibid. 



11J Diet. Nat. Biog. vi, 179. 



118 G.E.C. Complete Peerage, ii, 384 ; 

 Feet of F. Div. Co. Mil. 18*19 Cha. II. 



1M Ibid. Midd. Trin. 22 Chat. II ; 

 P.R.O. Inst, Bk. 



115 Recov. R. East. 43 Geo. Ill, rot. 

 233. 



Clerical Guide. 



