FLITT HUNDRED 



FLITTON 



chapel appendant to it continued to belong to 

 Beaulieu Priory, but the chapel fell into decay in 

 the fifteenth century. Before 1235 the vicarage of 

 Clophill was ordained,"^ and in 1291 its value 

 was £^ 6s. 8<^."" When the priory in 1428 was 

 merged in the abbey of St. Albans, the living 

 was constituted a rectory on the condition that the 

 rector should say mass three times a week for the soul 

 of the founder Robert de Albini.'"' In 1535 the 

 benefice was worth ^^12."' In 1553 Edward VI 

 granted the right of presentation to Sir William 

 Fitzwilliam and Joan his wife,"" and the history of 

 the advowson until 1656 is identical with that of 

 Bedlow Manor, being divided according to the 

 divisions of that manor."' In the latter year, how- 

 ever, St. John Charnock alienated his right to Lord 

 Robert Bruce,"' and it remained until 1 669 vested in 

 the earls of Elgin,"' who probably sold their right to 

 Anthony earl of Kent, as the latter was presenting in 

 1690."^ Since that date the advowson has remained 

 in the Grey family and is at the present day in the 

 gift of Lord Lucas and Dingwall. The chapel of 

 Cainhoe has long fallen into disuse ; in 1433 it was 

 still existing, and it was stated then that the manor of 

 Bedlow was granted to the priory to sustain for ever 

 four monks to serve the chapel of Cainhoe,"' but 

 after this date there is no further trace of it. 



In 1547 it was found that the rent of three 

 messuages with certain meadows in Clophill, in the 

 tenure of the churchwardens, had been given to the 

 fraternity of Blunham for an obit, and was worth 8/. ; 

 and this chantry also owned a rent of Sa^ from land in 

 the tenure of John Hogens, which had also been 

 granted to it for the sustentation of a lamp ; "° and 

 another rent of 6/. 8</. from certain land, in the 

 tenure of the churchwardens of Clophill, had been 

 granted for an obit for Agnes Rowley, from which 

 rent 2s. were paid to the king as to his manor of 



Cainhoe, and 2S. were also given to the poor in the 

 parish."' 



The Primitive Methodists have a chapel in this parish. 

 The Charity Lands, devised by will 

 CHARITIES of Edward Dearman (date unknown), 

 consist of 8 a. 3 r. let to various allot- 

 ment holders, a messuage and I a. 3 r. 13 p., and 

 ;^244 14/. Ill/, consols with the official trustees, 

 arising from sale of gravel. In 1904-5 the net 

 income amounting to j^ 30 izs. was applied in gifts 

 of 4/. 6</. each to 136 poor men and women. 



The Poor's Estate consists of four cottages and 

 gardens and 12 a. in Church Field, allotted on the 

 inclosure in lieu of divers parcels of open field lands, 

 2 r. 37 p. in Lammas Meadow, rentals about j^30 a 

 year. £6 a year is applicable under .in order of the 

 Charity Commissioners for educational purposes, and 

 the remainder of the net income is applied in the 

 supply of clothing tickets. 



The Church Estate consists of land producing about 

 £12 I ^i. a year applied towards the repair of the 

 church. The Rev. John Mendham by his will, 

 proved on 12 July, 1869, left ;^200 consols (with 

 the official trustees), the dividends of ^5 a year to be 

 applied for the same purpose. 



The Fuel Allotment of 20 acres, made under In- 

 closure Act of 31 May, 1826, produces about ^^20 a 

 year, and there are also about 5 acres, known as the 

 gravel and marl allotments, unproductive of income. 

 The net income is applied in the distribution of coal. 



Charity of John Bryan, will, 1655. — A sum of 

 ^^250 10/. 3</. consols has by an order of the Charity 

 Commissioners of 9 February, 1906, been appor- 

 tioned from the endowment of this charity for various 

 parishes for the benefit of the poor of Clophill. 

 Nine-tenths of the dividends are applicable in gowns 

 and shoes for four poor widows and one-tenth in 

 bread for the poor. 



FLITTON CUM SILSOE 



~ Flichtam (xi cent.) ; Flitte, Flute (xii-xiv cents.) ; 

 Sewilessou, Siwilessou (xi cent.) ; Sivelesho, Syvylyshoo 

 (xii-xvi cents.). 



Silsoe, which is now a separate parish, was included 

 as a hamlet in the parish of Flitton before 1 8 3 1 . Its 

 area at the present day is 2,1 57 J acres, of which 



12 are covered by water, 691 are arable land, i,2 66f 

 permanent grass, and 140I woods and plantations.' 

 The soil is of clay and sand, with a subsoil of strong 

 clay and loamy sand. There are many old clay, gravel, 

 and sand-pits in the parish, most of which are now 

 destroyed. The ground is irregular, the highest ele- 

 vation, 259 ft., being found in the north-west of the 

 parish near Newbury Farm Moat. The lowest point, 

 173 ft., lies in the park which surrounds Wrest House, 

 the property of Lord Lucas and Dingwall, and now 

 occupied by the Hon. Whitelaw Reid, the American 

 ambassador. The park, which is studded with fine 

 trees, occupies about 500 acres of ground, over which 

 large herds of deer roam. The house was built 



MS F:C.H. Beds, i, 316, note 2. 



M? Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 48. 



118 y.C.H. Beds. 1,352. 



109 yalor Eal. (Rec. Com.), iv, 214. 



M» Pat, 7 Edw. VI, pt. 2, m. 20. 



between 1834 and 1839 by the first Earl de Grey 

 and Baron Lucas, after his own designs, the former 

 house being then destroyed : it stood at some distance 

 to the north, on lower ground. The present house 

 is of two stories and an attic, with projecting bays at the 

 centre and angles of the south front, which looks on 

 to the terrace and gardens, having the offices and 

 stables, &c., to the east. A large sheet of artificial 

 water lies to the south, having at its south end a 

 classic pavilion designed by Thomas Archer in 1709, 

 and the grounds, which were laid out by Lancelot 

 Brown in the eighteenth century, abound with fine 

 trees, the principal avenue leading to the house being 

 of elms flanked by Spanish chestnuts. The wilderness, 

 the bowling green, and other parts of the old gardens 

 are preserved, and the great yew hedge surrounding 

 the bath grounds is a notable specimen of its kind. 

 The house contains a good series of portraits by Van- 

 dyck, Kneller, Reynolds, and Gainsborough. Together 

 the house and park occupy about a quarter of the area 



»" q. V. 



1" Feet of F. Beds. East. 1656. 

 "» Inst. Bks. P.R.O. "< Ibid. 



US Ann. Mon. St. Album (Rolls Ser.), 

 iii 109, 



1" Chant. Cert. (P.R.O.), Beds, i, 

 No. 4. 



117 Ibid. No. 32. 



^ Statistics supplied by Bd. of Agric. 



