ODSEY HUNDRED 



The octagonal font belongs to the late 14th century! 

 the basin is plain, with mouldings underneath, and 

 mouldings to the base. 



Underneath the tower is a large mural monument 

 of cedar wood, flanked by carved figures, to Ann wife 

 of Francis Turner, a former rector; she died 1677. 

 The carved figure of Time is intact, but the skeleton, 

 Death, is broken. 



There are six bells : the treble by W. & P. 

 Whitman, 1689 (recast in 191 1) ; second and third 

 (recast in 1911) by Miles Grayc, i6z6 and 1656 

 respectively; fourth by John Dier, 1597; fifth in- 

 scribed 'Praies the Lord,' 1608; and tenor by 

 John Waylett, 1707. 



The communion plate consists of cup and two 

 patens without hall mark, a small cup with handle, 

 the hall mark erased, and a large silver-gilt flagon, 

 1667, the gift of Dr. Barwick, Dean of St. Paul's 

 and rector of Therfield. 



The registers are in six books : (i) baptisms from 

 1538 to 1662, burials 1539 to 1662, marriages 1538 

 to 1661 ; (ii) baptisms from l66z to 1750, burials 

 1662 to 1681, marriages i66z to 1 749 ; (iii) burials 

 from 1678 to 1750; (iv) baptisms and burials from 

 175010 1 81 2, marriages 1750101753; (v) and (vi) 

 marriages from 1754 to 1796 and 1796 to 1812 

 respectively. There are some considerable gaps in 



The earliest definite record of the 

 ADVOWSON church is a papal bull of 1 1 78 con- 

 firming the abbey of Ramsey in 

 possession of it. 72 The successive abbots retained the 

 right of patronage until the Dissolution, 73 after which 

 the advowson was granted with the manor to the 

 Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's. 74 They have re- 

 tained the advowson to the present day. 75 



In 1 392 the Abbot of Ramsey had licence to unite 

 the church of Therfield with Shillington Church, 

 co. Beds., notwithstanding that the advowsons of 

 these churches were parcel of the respective manors 

 of Shillington and Therfield. 76 The arrangement, if 

 ever it was carried into effect, does not appear to have 

 been permanent. A licence to appropriate Therfield 

 Church was obtained by the Dean and Chapter of 

 St. Paul's in 1547 upon condition that a perpetual 

 vicar, should be appointed to fulfil in all respects the 

 office of rector, and that he should pay to the Bishop 

 of Lincoln and Archdeacon of Huntingdon for pro- 

 curations and synodals of the church of Therfield 

 iu. bd., and should support all other burdens of the 

 church excepting only the repairs of the chancel, for 

 which the dean and chapter were to be responsible. 77 

 It was also stipulated that a suitable residence and an 

 income of £20 should be .provided for the vicar. It 

 appears that the proposed ordination of a vicarage 

 was never carried into effect. 79 The living is now a 



THERFIELD 



rectory in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of 

 St. Paul's. 



A pension of 4 marks was paid by this church to 

 the monastery of Ramsey™ and devoted to the office 

 of sacrist. 60 Confirmations of this pension were 

 made by Pope Honorius III in 1225 81 and by Pope 

 Gregory IX in 1233, 82 by Richard Bishop of Lincoln 

 in 1 2 6z, H3 by St. Hugh Bishop of Lincoln { 1 1 89-9 5), ** 

 and it was included in a general confirmation by 

 Walter Archbishop of Canterbury of gifts to Ramsey 

 Abbey in 1319.0 s William Burham, rector of 

 Therfield, who was deprived for marriage about 

 1554,™ refused to pay this pension. 87 Thomas 

 Hewlet and another incumbent in the 16th century 

 declared that the living was free of any such 

 charge. 98 



Several men of note have been rectors of Therfield. 

 Among these was John Yonge, Master of the Rolls 

 and diplomatist, whose well-known monument stood 

 in the Rolls Chapel, now the Record Office Museum. 

 He was made Prebendary of Holborn in St. Paul's 

 Cathedral in I 5 1 1, and three years later was presented 

 to the rectory here. In the 16th and 17th centuries 

 William Alabaster, a Prebendary of St. Paul's, Francis 

 Turner, Bishop of Norwich, William Holder, a noted 

 divine, and William Sherlock, Dean of St. Paul's, were 

 successively appointed to this living. In 1604 John 

 Overall, Bishop of Norwich, was rector, but the church 

 was served by a curate. ss 



William Burham, the rector, deprived about 1554, 

 had 'let to farm all the Rectory premises except 

 one chamber in the west end of the parsonage house ' 

 to Andrew Meverell for six years. In August of the 

 next year John Sapcote, a lessee of Burham's successor, 

 John Whiting, clerk, entered upon the parsonage- 

 house. It appears that Sapcote was occupying the 

 rectory in 1561, 90 but Burham let to another lessee, 

 Robert Newport." The end of this dispute is 



Elyn Colle, by will dated 1494, left £3 6s. %ii. for 

 a new rood loft in the church within two years of 

 her decease, 52 and in 1 5 1 1 a bequest was made by 

 William Chapman for the painting of this rood loft. 93 

 In 1503 Edward Shouldam, clerk, made provision 

 for a priest to say mass in the church of Therfield. 94 

 In 1506 Richard Bentley left an offering to the altar 

 of the chapel of SS. John and James, where he desired 

 to be buried. 95 There were also altars of St. John the 

 Baptist and St. Katherinc, 96 and lights of our Lady of 

 Pity, 97 St. Nicholas and St. Katherine. 99 



A devotional gild which paid ltd. yearly to 

 Ramsey Abbey at the feast of St. Benedict was in 



later thar 



i 3 o/' 



Therfield Church were suppressed by Edward VI. 

 One was given by John Bateman, and was of the 

 value of $1. yearly. This was to be paid out of the 



" Cartul. Man. dc Ram 



<14, 



' 9 Cartel. Man. de Rama 



ia (Rolls Ser.), 



Mm. ii, 57+- 



ia (Rolls Ser.), 



B Diet. Nat. Biog. 



3U D. and C. of St. Paul's, Ct. 



" Chan. Proc. (Ser. z), bdle. I 



* P.C.C. Will, 20 Vox, 

 13 Ibid. 6 Fetiplacc 



