BIGGLESWADE HUNDRED 



POTTON 



The advowson of Langford church 

 ADFOWSON went with the Rectory manor until 

 its sequestration in the reign of 

 Henry VIII,*' when it was separated from the Rectory" 

 and retained by the crown, with whom the right of 

 presentation now remains." 



Langford has a Wesleyan chapel. 



The parish officers formerly held 

 CHARITIES £^o, known as the Poor's Money, 

 arising partly from small benefac- 

 tions and partly from accumulations and contri- 

 butions. j^20 thereof was expended at the time 

 of the parish inclosure, and ^^zo in 1869 among 

 the poor. 



In 1777 John Ward by a codicil to his will, proved 



in the P.C.C., bequeathed ;^200 stock to the minister 

 and churchwardens, dividends to be applied for the 

 benefit of the poor not receiving parish relief. The 

 legacy is now represented by ^^222 4/. ^d. consols 

 with the official trustees. The annual dividends 

 amounting to £^ 1 2s. are distributed in coals. 



The parish is possessed of about 3 a. of land known 

 as the Town Land, producing a rental of about £6 a 

 year, which is distributed in bread and clothing, and 

 the official trustees hold a sum of ^^19 14/. zd. 

 consols transferred to them under the title of Wallett's 

 Charity, presumably in extinguishment of a rent- 

 charge of 6s. 8d. on land sold in 1885 by the 

 authority of the vestry ; the dividends thereon are 

 similarly applied. 



POTTON 



Potone (xi cent.) 



Potton is a parish and ancient market town on 

 the borders of Cambridgeshire, about 4 miles north- 

 east from Biggleswade. It has an area of 2,676 J 

 acres, of which 1,5 9 5 J- are arable land, and 317^ 

 permanent grass.' The slope of the land is from 

 north-west to south-east, the greatest height above the 

 sea level (258 ft.) being in the east ; the lowest point 

 is 129 ft. in the south-west. The greater part of the 

 east and west portions of the parish is arable land. 

 In the south-east corner is Potton Wood, of consider- 

 able extent. The town of Potton lies on a slight slope 

 trending south to some low land bounded by a small 

 stream. 



The market-place, which is in the centre of the 

 town, contains three square brick buildings (the 

 middle with a wooden tower and clock) connected by 

 smaller buildings of wood, on the south side of 

 which is a row of wooden booths with tiled roofs, 

 provided with wooden shutters to let down as 

 counters. In front of them is an open arcade, 

 and the whole building is still known as 'the 

 Shambles.' 



From the market-place Bull Street runs north- 

 west, and is crossed at right angles by Horselow 

 Street ; King Street runs north-east and Brookend 

 south-east to the stream, while Sun Street leads east- 

 wards to the cross roads where the Sandy and Biggles- 

 wade roads meet. 



The town contains several stone houses, dating 

 from the seventeenth century, and a fair number of 

 timber-framed buildings of the same or an earlier date. 

 These latter in several cases seem to have remained 

 in their original use as inns. The Sun Inn is a good 

 example of this, and in Horselow Street is a house, 

 not at present an inn, but with a characteristic 

 entrance leading to a garden which covers most of the 

 space originally occupied by the courtyard. There 

 was a fire here in 1783, which destroyed more than 

 fifty dwelling houses. 



The church stands a short distance outside the 

 town to the east on rising ground, with the vicarage 



close by on the north. Between them and the town 

 runs the small stream already mentioned. 



One of the few remaining windmills is to be seen 

 on the left approaching Potton from Sandy. 



Ancient British gold coins have been found in this 

 parish.* 



The following place-names have been found in 

 Potton : — Le Sondewode, Mawnnes forlong,' and 

 Marketstede * in the sixteenth century. 



The earliest mention that has been 



MANORS found of Potton is a tenth-century grant 



of land by Alfelm and his wife, AfFa, to 



Ramsey Abbey,' but there is no subsequent trace of 



the abbey holding here. 



At the time of the Domesday Survey one holder of 

 land only is mentioned in Domesday, the Countess 

 Judith, who held Potton manor, which was assessed at 

 ten hides.' She had acquired it as wife of Waltheof, 

 whose father, Siward, slew Tosti, earl of Huntingdon, 

 and received his inheritance from Edward the Con- 

 fessor.' Maud, daughter of Judith, married David of 

 Scotland, afterwards created earl of Huntingdon, and 

 the Potton manor continued to be attached to the 

 earldom of Huntingdon until the death of John le 

 Scot, earl of Huntingdon, without issue in 1237. 

 The overlordship of the three manors at that time 

 existing in Potton was then divided among his 

 three sisters — Margaret, Isabel and Ada.' 



The overlordship of POTTON MANOR, also 

 called POTTON REGIS, the principal manor, passed 

 to Isabel the second sister, wife of Robert Bruce. 

 Their son, Robert Bruce the elder, was exercising the 

 overlordship in 1284,' but with the forfeiture of 

 Robert Bruce the younger, the overlordship passed 

 into the king's hands." 



The earliest mention of sub-tenants of this manor 

 has been found in 1 2 14, where Wischard Ledet and 

 Margery, his wife, were holding twelve virgates of 

 land in Sutton, by the service of one-fourth of a 

 knight's fee." Christina, their daughter and heir, 

 brought the manor as dower to her husband, Henry 

 de Braybrook, who was holding it in 1227." 



■IS Cf. hist, of Langford Rectory. 

 ■•'' Pat. 22 Eliz. pt. 10. 

 « Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



1 Return of the Bd. of Agric. 

 (1905). _ 



2 r.CH. Beds. 1, 173. 

 8 Ct. R. bdle. I, No. i. 



* Com. Pleas D. Enr. Trin. 32 Hen. 

 VIII, m.yd. 5 Birch, Cart. Sax. iii, 282. 



6 y.CH. Beds, i, 258*. 



7 Dugdale, Baronage, i, 4. 



' G.E.C. Complete Peerage, iv, 282 ; 

 Abbre-v. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 36 ; Feet of F. 

 Beds. East. 15 John. 



237 



'Chan. Inq. p.m. 55 Hen. Ill, No. 

 59 ; Feud. Aids, \, 3. 



1° Feud. Aids, i, 23 ; Chan, Inq. p.m. 

 10 Edw. Ill, No. 48. 



>l Feet, of F. Beds. East, i ; John. 



"2Jof. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), 178; 

 Cal. of Chart. R. i, 22. 



