HITCHIN HUNDRED 



figures of a man and his wife. A late 15th-century 

 altar-tomb has panelled sides with shields inscribed 

 c. a. and t. a., and a slab with the brasses of a civilian 

 and his wife. The mural monuments are those of 

 Edward Docwra, 1610, John Skiuner, 1669, and 

 Ralph Skinner, 1697. 



The south chapel contains a large 17th-century 

 monument to Ralph Radcliffe, 1559, Ralph Radcliffe, 

 1621, Sir Edward Radcliffe, 1631, and Edward 

 Radcliffe, 1660, as well as other monuments to 

 members of the same family. 



In the floor is the indent with the brass feet 

 remaining of John Pulter, 1421, and his wife 

 Lucia, 1420, with a square plate, worn smooth, a 

 much worn and imperfect inscription, and the indents 

 *of two roundels ; the half-figure indent of John 

 Parker, 1578, with a square plate and brass inscrip- 

 tion ; the indents of a civilian and his wife, and 

 inscription brasses of four sons and four daughters of 

 the late 15th century, partly covered by pews ; and 

 the brasses of a shrouded woman with four sons and 

 four daughters, with indents of an inscription 

 and seven scrolls, undated. 



In the two easternmost window sills of the north 

 aisle are the Purbeck marble effigy of a knight wearing 

 a mail hauberk with a coif, mail chausses and a long 

 surcoat, of mid- 13th-century date, and the late 14th- 

 century effigies of a knight and lady, much defaced. 



At the west end of the nave are the raid- 15th- 

 century brasses of a civilian and his wife, and in the 

 tower the indents of a woman and two men, and of 

 a man and a woman, with an inscription, a scroll, and 

 four roses, of the late I 5 th century, and much worn. 

 There is a ring of eight bells, seven of which are 

 by Joseph Eayre of St. Neots, 1762, and the eighth 

 by Edward Arnold of St. Neots, 1784. 



The plate includes patens of 1625 and 1634, a 

 salver of 1635, and two cups and two flagons of 

 1705. 



The registers are in eight books. The first book 

 contains baptisms, burials and marriages from 1562 

 to 1653. The book of the civil register from 1653 

 does not now exist. The second book contains all 

 entries from 1665 to 1680. On 8 November 1667 

 William Gibbs, vicar of Hitchin, and nine other 

 persons certified that 'the registry for Christenings, 

 Marriages and Burialls in the Parish of Hitchin . . . 

 through the carelessnes and neglect of former 

 Regesters is wholly lost for the space of seventeen 

 years and upwards last past, from Feb. I, 1648/9 to 

 Aug. 1, 1665.' The third book contains all entries 

 from 1679 to 1746, and duplicates the second for 

 about a year. The fourth includes baptisms and 

 burials from 1747 to 1800 and marriages from 1747 

 to 1753. The fifth has baptisms and burials from 

 1801 to 1812, the sixth, seventh and eighth contain 

 marriages from 1754 to 1776, 1776 to 1811, and 

 1811-iz respectively. 



The church of Hitchin is described 



JDFOffSON in the Domesday Survey as the 



minster (manaitetium) of Hitchin, and 



to it belonged as much as 2 hides out of the 5 hides 



HITCHIN 



at which Hitchin was assessed. The exact significance 

 of the term minster is not clear, but it would perhaps 

 seem to imply something more than an ordinary 

 parish church, and the very large amount of glebe 

 attached to it is suggestive of this. There is no 

 evidence that there was here an early monastery, but 

 there can be little doubt that ecclesiastically, as well 

 as temporally, Hitchin was the head of a large district. 

 It was the head of a deanery, and, as appears from 

 later evidence, was the mother church of the two 

 Wymondleys, which formed one chapelry, and ofthe 

 chapelries of Dinsley and Ippollitts. 



At the time of the Domesday Survey the church 

 probably belonged, like the manor, to the king." 7 In 

 the 1 2th century the church was said to have been 

 given to the nuns of Elstow by the Countess Judith, 

 niece of William I, founder of that house, and 

 charters to that effect from the countess, William I 

 and William II were produced by the abbess. ett The 

 countess's endowment of the monastery, however, 

 took place before 1086, for the lands in Bedfordshire 

 (Elstow, &c.) which she granted to them are said in 

 the Domesday Survey to be held by the nuns of her 

 grant, G9 whereas the church of Hitchin is not men- 

 tioned in connexion with Elstow until the time of 

 Henry II, who by charter confirmed the lands granted 

 by the Countess Judith, and granted also the church 

 of St. Andrew of Hitchin. 70 The evidence, there- 

 fore, points to the grant by the Countess Judith being 

 fictitious. 71 The abbey held the advowson till the 

 dissolution of this house. Early in the 13th century 

 a vicarage was ordained, to be supported by the 

 altarage ofthe high altar, 2 acres of land and a suit- 

 able house. Out of the stipend the vicar was to pay 

 13 marks to the monks, but they were to entertain 

 the archdeacon, while the vicar paid the synodals. 

 It was said that two chaplains were necessary for the 

 parish at this date.' 1 * 



After the Dissolution Henry VIII granted the 

 advowson and rectory of this church with that of 

 Ippollitts (q.v.) to the Master and Fellows of Trinity 

 College, Cambridge, 72 and they have held it ever 



In 1 301 the belfry of the church was in such a 

 bad state as to be dangerous, and the parishioners 

 were ordered to repair it 7 ^ ; sentence was then passed 

 against some persons who appropriated some of the 

 goods left to the church and some of the fabric, which 

 hindered the restoration. 7fl 



In the 15th and 1 6th centuries many bequests were 

 made to this church. Thomas Pulter 76 and Agnes 

 Lyndesey 77 in 1464, Laurence Bertlott in 1471, 78 

 left gifts for prayers to be said for their souls. Agnes 

 Lyndesey also gave y. \d. to the great window in 

 the chapel of St. Edmund, 7 ' and Laurence Bertlott 

 desired that cloth should be hung about his sepulchre 

 in the church. 80 John Pulter in 1487 left z6.f. %d. 

 for repairs and lights before the crucifix. He also made 

 the following bequest: 'I bequeath to the paynting 

 of the He of the north side of the seid paroch church 

 of Hicchen which I did doo to make after the deceese 

 of my fader on whoes soule Jhu doo mercy iiijli to 



