ODSEY HUNDRED 



^., m ■"+&' violent. A wicked populace survives to 

 witness [to the shocking plague].' These lines with 

 their glosses refer to the Black Death of i 350. The 

 third line alludes to the great storm on St. Maur's Day 

 (15 Jan ), 1361, mentioned in the 'Eulogium His- 

 toriarum.' 1a It may be that this great wind destroyed 

 the newly-erected tower and two western bays of the 

 nave, which had to be rebuilt ; the present western 

 bay, which is wider than the others, and the panelled 

 buttresses to the tower occupy the same space as two 

 of the earlier eastern bays. Underneath the inscrip- 

 tion is a roughly incised drawing of a large church 

 with double transepts, and a lofty central tower and 



ASHWELL 



686 to 1754 ; (ii) burials 1678 to 1728 and 1735 

 > 1783 ; (iii) baptisms 1783 to 1801 ; (iv) burials 

 783 to 1801 ; (v) baptisms and burials iSoz to 

 812 ; (vi) marriages 1754 to 1801 ; (vii) marriages 

 802 to 1812. 



The record of a priest among the 

 nants of the Abbot of Westminster 

 in 1086 implies the existence of a 

 church there at that date. 6 In 1223 Honorius III 

 appropriated the church of Ashwell to the Abbot and 

 convent of Westminster/ and in 1241 Bishop 

 Grosteste of Lincoln (in whose diocese Ashwell was 

 situated) ordained a vicarage there, endowing the 

 vicar with the court and house next the churchyard. 8 



4DPOWS0N 



Ashwell : Lych-gate 



There is an open timber lych-gate, with tiled r< 

 a the churchyard. 



3 f, 

 It 

 appears to be of 15th-century work. 



There are six bells in the tower : the treble by 

 John Briant, 1791 ; the second by Charles Newman, 

 1694 ; the third and fourth by John Briant, 1817 ; 

 the fifth by Robert Taylor, St. Neots, 1808 ; and 

 the tenor by John Briant, 1789. 



The communion plate includes an engraved cup 

 of 1568 and paten of 1632. 



The registers are in seven books : (i) baptisms 

 from 1686 to 1785, burials 172910 1735, marriages 



*' Op. cit. (Rolls Ser.), Iii, Z. 8 V.C.H. Herts, i, 3 



5 Neither Old St. Paul's Cath. nor ' Cott. MSS. Faust. 



Westminster. It has the tower of St. Ltttert, i, 181. 



Paul's and the transept of Westminster. s Cott MSS. Faust. 



In 1239 a dispute arose between the Bishop of Lincoln 

 and the Abbot of Westminster as to the appropriation, 

 Grosteste making provision of the church to a certain 

 clerk of his diocese. 9 Peace was only secured by the 

 intervention of King Henry III, who decided that 

 while the church of Ashwell sho lid remain in the 

 possession of the abbey the right of presentation 

 should be reserved to the bishop. 10 Matthew Paris 

 remarks that ' by this the Abbey of Westminster 

 gained great honour, and the Abbot an increase of 

 300 marks a year.' " It would seem, however, that a 

 later composition must have taken place by which the 



*l Liters, i, 181 ; Matth. 

 My. (Rolls Ser.), It, t S i, 



Paris, Chi 



10 Matth. Ps 



11 Cf. Dugdalt, Mon. 



