A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



fourteenth-century wall painting near the south-east 

 angle representing two figures standing with their 

 faces eastward ; the first being that of a icing with 

 crown and sceptre, while the second wears mail, and 

 has a long surcoat loosely gathered in at the waist. 

 Till recently a good deal more painting of the same 

 style existed here, but it has been plastered over. 



In the south window of the chancel are some frag- 

 ments of ancient glass, the most interesting piece 

 being a fourteenth-century figure of St. Edmund. 

 The rest is chiefly of fifteenth-century date, and in 

 the second clearstory window on the south side is an 

 exceptionally good panel of fifteenth-century glass, 

 with a figure of a saint, and beneath it the inscription 

 ' Sanctus Jacobos.' Here, as in the other window, the 

 glass is made up of various fragments which do not 

 belong to one another, but in the borders the mono- 

 gram S I occurs several times, and may refer to St. 

 James. 



In the chancel are fifteenth-century seats, with 

 traceried fronts and ends, and well-carved poppyheads 

 and finials in the shape of animals. 



The roofs are modern, and there are no other old 

 wood fittings in the church. 



There are three bells, the treble undated, but 



probably by Willi: m Haulsey, ' Hee that will be meri 

 let him be meri in the Lorde ' ; the second by New- 

 come of Bedford, 1 6 1 5 ; and the third by William 

 Kebyll, a London founder of c. 1480, inscribed, 

 ' Sancta Maria ora pro nobis.' 



The plate consists of a silver communion cup and 

 paten of 1772, and a second cup which is plated. 



The first book of the registers runs from 1552 to 

 1678, and the second from 1678 to 1802. 



No reference is made to Edworth 



ADVOWSON church in the Domesday Survey, the 



first mention that has been found of 



it is its grant by Roger Burnard between 1 175-81 to 



the priory of St. Neots." 



The priory held the advowson certainly as late as 

 1377," but between that date and 1440 it seems to 

 have reverted to the lord of Edworth manor, William 

 Furtho, who then held it." 



The prior seems to have retained an annual pension 

 of 2j. in the church, for in 1467 Robert Bothe, called 

 in as patron of the church, to arbitrate between the 

 prior and the parson, confirmed the pension." The 

 living, which is a rectory, has since remained in the 

 possession of the lords of Edworth manor.*" 



There are no endowed charities in the parish. 



EVERTON 



Eureton, Evretune (xi cent.). 



Everton is a parish on the Bedfordshire and Hunt- 

 ingdonshire borders with an area of 1 361 acres, of 

 which 604J are arable land, 367^ permanent grass, 

 and 32 J woods and plantations.' The eastern half 

 of the parish is on the high ground bounding the 

 valley of the Ouse, and the western in the valley, the 

 lowest point being 60 ft. above the ordnance datum, 

 and the highest 224 ft. The greater part of the parish is 

 devoted to agriculture ; the soil in the high lands is 

 sand, and the subsoil sand rock, in the low lands clay 

 to an unknown depth. 



The chief crops are corn and roots of various kinds. 



The parish is crossed from east to west by a road 

 from Potton to Tempsford, and from south to west 

 by a second road from Sandy to Tetworth. The 

 village of Everton itself stands at the edge of the 

 high ground which forms the eastern boundary of the 

 valley of the Ouse, at the junction of these roads. A 

 small detached portion, which includes the church of 

 St. Mary, and the site of the ancient manor-house of 

 Everton, is by schedule M. of the Act 2 and 3 

 Will. IV, cap. 64, declared to be part of Hunting- 

 donshire, and is therefore included in the parish of 

 Tetworth. In the north-east of the parish lie Biggin 

 Wood, in which is a moat, and also Little Biggin 

 Wood. The Great Northern Railway passes through 

 the parish, the nearest station being at Sandy, 2^ 

 miles oS. Everton was inclosed by Act of Parliament 

 in 1807, and the inclosure award, including a plan, is 

 kept at the Public Record Office.' 



The following place-names have been found in 

 Everton : — Pondennellehul and Boresleile in the thir- 

 teenth century,' and Sibbesyard, Wendewod, Grogones, 

 Ballardes (a messuage) and Gores in the fifteenth.* 



Two entries with regard to Everton 

 MANORS occur in the Domesday Survey. The 

 Bedfordshire inquisition states that a 

 manor of 5 hides in EVERTON, -vihidi had formerly 

 belonged to Earl Tosti, now belonged to Potton, the 

 manor of Countess Judith, of whom Rannulf, Ilger's 

 brother, held it.' The history of this manor, of 

 which no further trace has been found in Everton, 

 may probably be identified with one of the sub-manors 

 in Potton (which lies contiguous to Everton), held of 

 this honour of Huntingdon. 



In the second entry, which is to be found in the 

 Huntingdonshire inquisition, mention is made of 

 7 hides of land in Everton, held of the king in 

 chief, formerly belonging to Ingewar, but now to 

 Rannulf, the same probably who held of the Countess 

 Judith.* By 1 1 40 this property had passed to Gilbert 

 earl of Pembroke, who in that year granted the church 

 to St. Neots.' The Pembrokes, and through them 

 the Norfolks, continued to be overlords of Everton, 

 Everton manor being held as of the manor of 

 Weston.' The last mention that has been found of 

 the overlordship is in 1626, when the manor was 

 held of Sir Thomas Puckeringe as of his manor of 

 Weston.' 



In the thirteenth century Roger Burnard was hold- 

 mg, as under-tenant of the Earl Marshal, land in Ever- 



*" Cott. Faust. A, iv, fol. 57a. 



M Cfl/. of Fat. 1377-81, p. 6i. In 

 this year the presentation was in the 

 king's gift, as the temporalities of St, 

 Neots were in his hands on account of 

 the war with France. 



" Feet of F. Beds. 20 Hen. VI, m. 2i, 

 Add. Chart. 35063-5. 



s* Add. Chart. 35076. 



^ Cf. Hist, of Edworth Manor, above j 

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



' Statistics from Bd. of Agric. (1905). 



' Acts Priv. and Local, 47 Geo. Ill ; 

 King's Bench Incl. Award, Trin. 47 

 Geo. Ill, No. 601, pt. 2. 



8 Harl. Chart. 83 A. 36, 48, B. II. 



* Ibid. E. 16. 



5 F.C.H. Beds, i, 259*. « Ibid. 266a. 



226 



' Cott. MSS. Faust. A, iv. 



8 Red Bk. of the Exch. ii, 238 ; flac. 

 de Quo fVarr. (Rec. Com.), 306 ; Feud. 

 Aids, ii, 469 ; Chan. Inq. p.m. 15 Edw. 

 II, No. 44 ; 46 Edw. Ill, No. 66 ; 2 

 Hen. V, No. 79 ; 7 Hen. V, No. 68 ; 1 1 

 Hen. VI, No. 43 ; cf. also history of Ed- 

 worth overlordship. 



' Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), dxv, No. 28. 



