GREAT BOWDEN
Great Bowden village lies on the south-east
border of Leicestershire, about sixteen miles from
Leicester. On the south and south-east the ancient
parish of Great Bowden was bounded by the River
Welland, which was and largely remains the boundary between Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. In shape the parish was compact and approximately rectangular. The ancient parish formerly
contained, besides Great Bowden, two dependent
chapelries, St. Mary in Arden and Market Harborough. The connexions between the mother church
and the two chapels are discussed elsewhere. (fn. 1) St.
Mary's chapelry included dispersed houses and their
attached lands in Little Bowden township, which
was originally in Northamptonshire; the rest of the
township lay in the parish of St. Nicholas, Little
Bowden. (fn. 2) For civil purposes Little Bowden township seems always to have formed a single unit, and
for such matters it had no connexion with Great
Bowden. Harborough was a separate township
within Great Bowden parish as early as 1254, (fn. 3) and
was always independent for civil purposes. (fn. 4) St.
Mary's chapelry never formed a separate civil unit.
The part that lay outside Little Bowden was included in Great Bowden township, which formed a
separate unit for civil purposes comprising the whole
ancient parish except Harborough and the lands
in Northamptonshire attached to St. Mary's. By
1881 Harborough was considered to be a separate
civil parish. (fn. 5)
Under the Local Government Act of 1888 a large
part of Little Bowden, including the village, was
transferred to Leicestershire by 1891. The part of
Little Bowden that remained in Northamptonshire
was transferred to Great Oxendon civil parish. In
1895 Market Harborough Urban District was
created, to include the whole of Great Bowden
ancient parish, including Harborough, and all of
Little Bowden that was in Leicestershire. In 1927
Great and Little Bowden were absorbed into
Market Harborough civil parish, which thus became co-extensive with the urban district. In
1924 a small part of Lubenham parish was transferred to Great Bowden. (fn. 6) In 1935 two small areas of
Market Harborough Urban District, which had
formerly lain in Great Bowden ancient parish, were
transferred to Foxton and Lubenham respectively,
and small areas of Foxton and Lubenham were
transferred to Harborough. (fn. 7)
The area of Great Bowden ancient parish, not
including the lands in Northamptonshire attached to
St. Mary's, was 3,120 acres. (fn. 8)
In 1086 Great Bowden was the centre of a large
soke, which included lands in twelve other Leicestershire villages. (fn. 9) The origin of the soke is unknown,
but it seems to have existed under Edward the Confessor. (fn. 10) Great Bowden soke is mentioned in 1173, (fn. 11)
but not subsequently. Nothing is known of its
organization. Part of its territories evolved into a
separate entity known as the soke of Stretton. (fn. 12)
So far as can be discovered the remaining lands
outside Great Bowden parish had ceased to have
any connexion with Great Bowden by 1200, but
Great Bowden was still said to be ancient royal
demesne in 1247. (fn. 13) In 1605 James I confirmed the
manorial tenants' immunity from subscribing to the
maintenance of the knights of the shire while Parliament was sitting. (fn. 14)
In this article Great Bowden township is dealt with
first, followed by an account of St. Mary in Arden.
The history of Market Harborough forms a separate
article.
GREAT BOWDEN
The south and south-west parts of Great Bowden
township are mostly occupied by the modern suburbs of Market Harborough, which have spread as
far west as the boundary between Great Bowden and
Lubenham. The remainder of the township was
mostly meadow and pasture in 1957. Much of the
township lies low in the Welland valley, but in the
west the land rises to over 400 ft.
The underlying soil is mainly a stiff blue clay of
the Middle Lias series, with some scattered pockets
of gravel. The surface soil is yellow boulder clay,
containing many erratic boulders. Along the Welland
and along the Langton brook at the northern edge
of the township there are stretches of alluvium.
In 1957 those parts of the parish which had not been
built over were mostly used as pasture for beef
cattle.
Great Bowden village lies in the south-east part
of the township, about 500 yds. from the River
Welland. The village is linked with Northamptonshire by a bridge, probably already existing in
1523 (fn. 15) and mentioned in 1636. (fn. 16) The bridge was
rebuilt in 1821 and again in 1900. (fn. 17) The main road
from Harborough to Leicester crosses the western
part of the township, (fn. 18) but does not go through the
village. In 1832 nearly a mile of this road was reconstructed to give an easier gradient at Gallow
Hill, (fn. 19) and the old road can be seen alongside it
further east. The branch canal from Foxton to
Harborough also passes through the township. (fn. 20)
Two railways, from Leicester and from Stamford,
enter the township from the north and run through
it to Market Harborough station. The line then
continues southward across the Welland. There is
no station at Great Bowden, and although Harborough station is within the township it lies in
Harborough's suburbs and serves that town. (fn. 21)
North of the station there are marshalling yards.
The recorded population was 49 in 1086. (fn. 22) In
1327 Great Bowden seems to have been slightly
smaller, though perhaps wealthier, than Harborough. (fn. 23) In 1377 there were 107 taxpayers. In
1670 there were 96 houses assessed for hearth tax,
and 40 were exempt because of poverty. Great
Bowden was then still not much smaller than Harborough. There were 363 communicants in 1676, (fn. 24)
and 150-60 families in the early 18th century. (fn. 25)
In 1801 the population of Great Bowden township
was 783. During the 19th century it rose steadily to
2,250 in 1891. In the next twenty years it almost
doubled, largely because of Harborough's expansion into Great Bowden. (fn. 26)
Great Bowden seems to have had no street lamps
until 1885, when 50 oil lamps were provided by the
local board of health. (fn. 27) In 1890 it was decided to
install gas lamps. (fn. 28) The first systematic sewerage
scheme was carried out in 1886. (fn. 29) Piped water was
first supplied in 1890. (fn. 30)
The road linking Market Harborough with Great
Bowden is built up for almost its entire length,
mostly with detached houses built since 1900. It
enters Great Bowden at the south end of the Green,
a large open area which forms the centre of the village.
North of this stands the church and the glebe house.
Dingley Road skirts the south side of the churchyard
and leads south-eastwards across the Welland into
Northamptonshire. Main Street runs due west from
the Green, crossing the railway and leading past
Upper Green to the west end of the village. From
this point Burnmill Lane, still an open road at its
northern end, leads south to Market Harborough.
Leicester Lane continues westwards, crosses the
canal and finally, as a little-used minor road, joins
the main Market Harborough to Leicester road near
Gallow Hill. Near the east end of Main Street two
roads, Manor Road and Langton Road, lead northwards and later join to form the road to Thorpe
Langton. In this area are the remains of some old
mud houses, probably those mentioned in 1849. (fn. 31)
Knights End is a cul-de-sac at the south-east corner
of the Green, mostly built up with early-19th-century brick cottages. Nether Green, a group of larger
houses and outbuildings, lies north of the church.
The Green is a large irregularly-shaped open
space, intersected by roads which divide it into
several subsidiary greens. One of these is still known
as Stocks Green from the village stocks which
stood there. (fn. 32) Church Green lies to the north. South
of it is Pond Green, where a large pond was filled
up in 1928. This was supplied by a stream known as
Gunsbrook which formerly flowed through the
village but which is now enclosed in ditches and an
underground culvert. (fn. 33) Near the pond is the former
smithy and blacksmith's house, a timber-framed
range with brick-filled panels. It was probably
built late in the 17th century and was extensively restored in 1958. The houses surrounding the Green
are of all periods with early-19th-century brick
cottages predominating. As a whole it still retains
its village character. On the east side no. 43 has a
timber-framed upper story with an overhanging
gable-end. The ground floor is of ironstone with
stone-mullioned windows and an original doorway.
A beam internally is dated 1664 with initials R.B. and
S.B. The building contains no original chimney and
was probably part of a larger house of which a wing
was demolished when the late-19th-century cottages
were built next door. Evidently this combination of
ironstone and timber was a usual method of building
on the fringe of the stone belt in the mid-17th
century. Examples exist in Main Street (see below),
in Manor Road, and on the west side of Church
Green. Old photographs show similar houses with
thatched roofs and overhanging gables. (fn. 34) One
group to the west of Church Green was demolished
in 1900 when Bishop's House was built on the site
by John Henry Stokes. (fn. 35) Bishop's House and the
adjacent Green Lodge are two large detached
residences belonging to the period when many
houses in the village were built or altered for use as
hunting-boxes. Green Lodge, a particularly ornate
example of Edwardian architecture, occupies the
site of the former Congregational chapel. (fn. 36) To the
north of it is Welham Bush Farm. The farm-house,
also at one time a hunting-box, (fn. 37) is a brick house
of c. 1800 with an earlier gabled wing of ironstone.
At some later date (fn. 38) a second stone gable was built
and a covered gateway formed between the two.
The village hall, built in 1902, (fn. 39) is on the east side
of the Green.
The former glebe house, now known as the Old
Rectory, was evidently the most important house in
the village before the 19th century. In the late 18th
century the tenant was Henry Shuttleworth. (fn. 40) Since
1926 it has been the property of the farmer who
occupies it. (fn. 41) The house is of two stories and attics
and is built largely of ironstone. It was formerly
H-shaped in plan, consisting of a central range with
north and south cross-wings, but the east end of the
north wing has been demolished. The surviving
features do not suggest that the present house was
built before the late 17th century, but the base of the
walls may be older. (fn. 42) In the angle of the north
wing is a massive chimney, beyond which the
building has been demolished, and this may represent the oldest part of the house. The entrance
front faces west and is flanked by the gables of the
two cross-wings. The south wing was remodelled in
the first half of the 18th century. Internally it
contains a remarkable open circular staircase,
supported by a central newel which rises to the attic
floor. The south front, facing the churchyard, has
seven windows to the first floor and a central doorway with a rusticated surround. Four dormer
windows have been removed since the 18th century
and the front has been rough-cast. (fn. 43) On the west side
several of the 17th-century mullioned and transomed windows have been replaced by sashes, and
a late-18th-century fanlight has been inserted.
There is a mud wall between the garden and the
churchyard, and one of the outbuildings is partly
mud-built. Near the house are 18th-century brick
walls and gate piers with ball finials.
Nether Green Lodge (a nursing home in 1958)
was built c. 1908 by J. H. Stokes for his own occupation. It is a large gabled house of ironstone
in the local 17th-century style. The Grange, although it contains a beam dated 1567, was apparently
rebuilt in the early 19th century. Nether House was
a relatively small residence of the early or mid-19th
century, enlarged later but never of impressive
proportions. It was occupied by J. H. Stokes c.
1900 when the extensive stabling was built for his
horses. (fn. 44) After 1923 it became the residence of the
master of the Fernie Hunt. (fn. 45) It was damaged by
fire c. 1950 and was later acquired by a firm of
brush manufacturers who in 1958 were using part
of the outbuildings as a factory. The stables then
remained the property of the Fernie Hunt, as did
the kennels which were built to the north of the
house in 1923-4.
There are a number of old houses between the
Green and the west end of the village. The earliest
is probably Tudor House in Manor Road, at one
time divided into two cottages but restored in 1955
to form a single house. (fn. 46) It is of three bays and contains two cruck trusses, probably medieval in origin.
The front is faced with stone, partly dating from
1955, carrying a date tablet of 1746. The features
suggest, however, that the stonework is of the 17th
century and the tablet a later addition. No. 55
Main Street, known as the Old Bakery, consists of
a two-bay range, faced with 18th-century brickwork,
and a cross-wing with its overhanging gable-end
facing the road. The former may have been a singlestory structure, open to the roof, perhaps dating
from the 16th century. Its central truss is of the
raised cruck type and has chamfered timbers. The
cross-wing is probably of later date and has an ironstone lower story with timber-framing above. It
appears that after the middle of the 17th century
timber-framed upper stories were abandoned in
this district and the houses were built completely of
ironstone. Brick came into general use in the 18th
century. Stone House in Main Street has an ironstone wing dated 1671 and, at right angles to it,
a brick addition of 1773. The walls of the stone
wing were evidently raised in brickwork at the later
date. Old Hall is an ironstone house of c. 1700 with
alterations and additions dated 1864. The WesterbyBasset beagles were kept here in 1958 and the house
was occupied by the master. (fn. 47) Upper Green Farm
has an ironstone front dated 1674. There are several
houses in the village which have been largely rebuilt but contain carved beams of an earlier date.
These include a house in Manor Road (1598) and
a cottage in Leicester Lane (1638). Upper House at
Upper Green is a large residence built in 1879 with
additions of 1911. At the extreme west end of the
village, adjacent to the canal, is Bowden Hall, of
which the outbuildings are said to incorporate the
Britannia Inn, which served the former canal
wharf. (fn. 48) The house is a stucco mansion built c.
1860, although the style is earlier. It was built by
William Hay (d. 1878). His son W. H. Hay (d. 1924)
was regarded for many years as the squire of the
village. (fn. 49) In 1958 the house was occupied by his
daughters.
A row of brick cottages in Leicester Lane is
known as Navvies' Row and was built to house
workmen at the time of the railway alterations of
1884. (fn. 50) Nine pairs of Council houses were built at
Upper Green between 1948 and 1950 and 7 pairs
in Harborough Road in 1952.
MANOR.
The manors of Great Bowden and
Market Harborough appear always to have been
held by the same lords, and the descent of both
manors is given below. (fn. 51)
ECONOMIC HISTORY.
In 1086, the king's holding of 9½ carucates had land for 2 ploughs in demesne,
and the demesne was worth 40s.; 13 socmen, 8
villeins, and 16 bordars had 13½ ploughs and rendered 30s. a year. On Robert de Buci's holding of
3 carucates there was 1 plough in demesne, and 4
villeins and 8 bordars had 2 ploughs; there were
15 a. of meadow; the value had increased from 10s.
before the Conquest to 20s. (fn. 52)
In the 14th and 15th centuries there were three
principal fields in Great Bowden. A fourth and
apparently smaller field was mentioned in the 15th
century. (fn. 53) The common rights enjoyed, or claimed,
by the inhabitants of Harborough in Great Bowden
fields are discussed elsewhere. (fn. 54) During the 17th
and 18th centuries parts of the open fields were used
as leys. (fn. 55) An Act passed in 1776 authorizing the
inclosure of Great Bowden was not opposed in
Parliament. (fn. 56) Under the award of 1777 (fn. 57) the tithes
of the open fields, except those from a small area
where the Rector of Church Langton was entitled to
some tithes, were commuted. (fn. 58) The total area inclosed was 2,982 a. The joint lords of the manor
received a very small allotment, of just over an acre,
for their manorial rights. The largest allotment was
the 525 a. awarded to the Dean and Chapter of
Christ Church, Oxford, as impropriators of the
rectory. No other landowner was allotted as much
as 200 a. but three were allotted between 100 and
200 a. There were numerous small allotments, including just over 50 of under 5 a. Certainly no single
landowner occupied a dominant position. After the
inclosure much of Great Bowden was used for pasture, and in 1801 there was less than 150 a. of arable. (fn. 59)
Since that time Great Bowden has chiefly been used
for grazing.
In the earlier 19th century the condition of the
labouring population at Great Bowden seems to have
been unsatisfactory. Expenditure on poor relief
reached a high level at the beginning of the century. (fn. 60)
In 1849 it was reported that there was severe overcrowding in the village, and that there were 42
cottages, mostly of mud, and all unfit for habitation.
These had originally been built on waste land
by labourers, but had been taken over by the parish
when their builders needed poor relief. (fn. 61) There
were no public sewers and no adequate water supply.
The village's two public pumps had long been unusable. (fn. 62) It is evident that public services in the
township were inadequate, though probably no
worse than in most other rural areas at the period.
No real improvements were made until a local
board of health was set up in 1880. (fn. 63) Steps were
then taken to provide a piped water supply and a
drainage system. (fn. 64) Since about 1900 Great Bowden
has to a large extent become a residential suburb of
Harborough.
A glue factory at Gallow Hill on the western
boundary of the parish was owned by Charles
Massey & Son Ltd. from 1904 until the firm's amalgamation with British Glues & Chemicals Ltd. in
1922. The factory was still operating in 1959. The
buildings lie beside the canal and on the line of the
old turnpike road from Harborough to Leicester.
The former Gallow Hill Inn, a brick building of the
early 19th century, is used as a house and office
by the company. (fn. 65)
MILLS.
A windmill at Great Bowden was amongst
the property which John Kelyng was licensed in
1473 to alienate as an endowment for his chantry. (fn. 66)
In 1548 the king granted it to Robert and Frideswide Strelley. It was then said to have been blown
down. (fn. 67) In 1543 a windmill in South Field was
leased by Francis Entwysell to William Beyerley for
21 years. (fn. 68) This was presumably not the mill that had
belonged to the chantry. The former chantry mill
was sold in 1574 to Edward Griffin by William
Saville, Robert Strelley's nephew and heir. (fn. 69) In
1623 John Fish died possessed of a windmill at
Great Bowden, held of John, Lord Stanhope, (fn. 70)
and a windmill there was conveyed in 1690 by
Jeremiah Sprigg to Edward Sprigg. (fn. 71) There was
also a horse mill at Great Bowden, once belonging to
Kelyng's chantry and granted by the king to Robert
Strelley in 1548. (fn. 72)
PARISH ADMINISTRATION.
The churchwardens of Great Bowden are mentioned in 1509, (fn. 73)
and the constables in 1541. (fn. 74) The establishment of a
workhouse by 1802-3 was perhaps due to the great
rise during the late 18th century in expenditure on
poor relief, from £207 in the year ending Easter
1775, to £882 for the year ending Easter 1803.
There were 7 people in the workhouse in 1802-3,
and 66 adults and 77 children received out-relief. (fn. 75)
There are surviving churchwardens' accounts for
1849-1915, overseers' accounts for 1718-51, 1756-
62, 1802-14, and 1828-36, and vestry minutes for
1818-83. (fn. 76) In 1885 Great Bowden came under
the jurisdiction of the Market Harborough and
Great and Little Bowden local board of health, and
subsequently it was included in the Market Harborough Urban District. (fn. 77) In 1927 Great Bowden
civil parish was absorbed into Market Harborough
civil parish. (fn. 78)
CHURCH.
The church at Great Bowden is first
mentioned in about 1220, when it was said that
besides the parish church there was another chapel
or church with its own resident chaplain. Dependent
on this chapel was another, at Harborough, also
with its resident chaplain. (fn. 79) Neither the dedication
nor the situation of the first chapel is indicated, but
clearly it was that later known as St. Mary in
Arden. The history of St. Mary's, and of Harborough chapel, is discussed elsewhere. (fn. 80) Vicars
of Great Bowden, presented by the rector, are mentioned in 1237-8, 1258, and 1266, (fn. 81) but no vicarage
seems to have been ordained.
In 1546 the rectory was appropriated to Christ
Church, Oxford, the rector having resigned shortly
before. (fn. 82) It was provided that the cure should
be served by a vicar, with a yearly stipend of
£13 6s. 8d., and that the poor were to have 10s. alms
a year. (fn. 83) In 1556 it was said that there was neither
vicar nor rector at Great Bowden, and that the
living had long been vacant; (fn. 84) it may have been
so ever since 1546. The terms of the appropriation
never seem to have been carried out. In the late
16th century there were separate curates for Great
Bowden, St. Mary's, and Market Harborough,
and it does not appear that then, or subsequently,
the curate of Great Bowden exercised any authority
over the other two. (fn. 85) St. Mary's and Harborough
became virtually separate benefices. (fn. 86)
During the 19th century and before 1879 Great
Bowden became a vicarage. (fn. 87) In 1931 the benefice
was united with that of Welham, a small village
to the north. (fn. 88) In 1901 a considerable area in the
south of Great Bowden was transferred to Harborough for ecclesiastical purposes. (fn. 89)
About 1220 it was said that the advowson of
Great Bowden belonged to the king, but that he had
handed over the manor to William de Cantilupe
and that it was not known whether William had
obtained the advowson too. (fn. 90) In 1237-8 and in
1247, William's son, also William, who was holding
the manors of Bowden and Harborough during the
king's pleasure, was in possession of the advowson. (fn. 91)
Whether it was ever in the hands of Gruffydd or
of Queen Eleanor, both of whom in turn held the
manors after the younger Cantilupe's death, (fn. 92) is
not known. After the queen's death in 1290 the
advowson was certainly held by the king, who
presented in 1291. (fn. 93) Subsequently, like the manors, (fn. 94)
it was acquired by Queen Isabel, who presented in
1328. (fn. 95) The advowson is not mentioned in Edward
III's grant of the manors to John of Eltham in
1331, but it seems to have been included. (fn. 96) The
king's grant of the manors to Geoffrey le Scrope,
after John's death, in 1336 again does not mention
the advowson, but it was acquired by Scrope (fn. 97)
and no doubt was considered as appurtenant to
the manors. It remained in possession of Geoffrey's
heirs until it was forfeited in 1415 by Henry le
Scrope. (fn. 98) The king then granted it to William
Porter. (fn. 99) Porter presented Robert Felton, who was
duly instituted, but Porter's right to present was
contested by Scrope's relict Margery, though it is
not clear on what grounds. Felton resigned his
benefice, obtained a new presentation from Margery
le Scrope, and in 1416 was instituted for a second
time. (fn. 1) When the next vacancy occurred in 1425,
Porter again presented (fn. 2) and this time there seems to
have been no opposition. (fn. 3) Subsequently the patronage, with the manors, was recovered by John le
Scrope, who presented at the next vacancy in 1438. (fn. 4)
The advowson was held by the Scrope family until
the death of Geoffrey le Scrope in 1517. (fn. 5) On his
death the manors were partitioned amongst several
co-heirs (fn. 6) and the advowson seems to have been
partitioned too. In 1533 Nicholas Strelley and his
wife Elizabeth, Geoffrey's niece, sold a fourth part
of it to William Strangways, clerk. (fn. 7) The whole of
the advowson seems later to have been in the hands
of Sir James Strangways the younger, Scrope's
great-nephew. (fn. 8) After Strangways's death the advowson passed to, or was claimed by, Robert Roos, his
nephew and co-heir, who in 1543 sold it to Edward
Griffin. (fn. 9) Disputes evidently arose about the division
of Strangways's property, and in 1543 an agreement
was made between his heirs providing that the
advowson should go to one of them, Sir William
Malyvorie. (fn. 10) This arrangement does not seem to
have been carried out, and in 1545 it was delivered
to Roos. (fn. 11) Griffin's possession thus for the first
time became secure, and four months later he
granted the advowson to Thomas, Lord Wriothesley, the Chancellor; (fn. 12) he a few weeks later granted it
with other property to the king. (fn. 13) In 1546 the king
granted the advowson to Christ Church, Oxford. (fn. 14)
This grant leaves no doubt that the advowson
belonged to Christ Church, which in fact presented
regularly until the 19th century, except for the period
of the Civil War and Interregnum. (fn. 15) Nevertheless,
the advowson was listed amongst the property
which John, Lord Stanhope, granted to the king in
1611, and received back. (fn. 16) The advowson remained
in the hands of Christ Church until it was transferred to the Bishop of Peterborough in 1879, (fn. 17) and
upon the establishment of the See of Leicester in
1926 to the Bishop of Leicester. After the union
with Welham in 1931, however, the bishop presented
for two turns, and the Lord Chancellor, formerly
patron of Welham, for one. (fn. 18)
In 1254 Great Bowden rectory was assessed at
£20, (fn. 19) and in 1291 at £37 6s. 8d. (fn. 20) In 1535 it was
valued at £53 8s. 10d. net. (fn. 21) A valuation of the
rectory made not long after its appropriation to
Christ Church gives its gross yearly value as £54 and
its net value, after deducting stipends to curates at
Great Bowden, St. Mary's, and Harborough, and
other expenses, as £25 8s. 10½d. (fn. 22) In 1614 the
rectory was said to be worth £350 in an average
year; this was apparently the gross value. (fn. 23)
Great Bowden inclosure award (fn. 24) allotted to the
Dean and Chapter of Christ Church, as rectors, 73
a. in respect of 2 yardlands of glebe, and 452 a. in
commutation of tithes from the open fields and from
some of the houses and old inclosures. The other
houses and old inclosures in Great Bowden and
Harborough remained liable to tithe until 1844,
when the tithes were commuted for £7 a year. (fn. 25) At
the time of the inclosure award there was in North
Field a furlong called Towcroft in which the tithes
were divided between the Rector of Great Bowden
and the Rector of Church Langton. From part of the
furlong all the great tithes and half of the small tithes
were payable to the Rector of Church Langton,
and half the small tithes only to the Rector of Great
Bowden, while for the rest of the furlong the
position was reversed. Little Bowden was inclosed
in 1779 and the award allotted 83 a. to Christ
Church in commutation of the tithes from that part
of the open fields lying in St. Mary's chapelry, and
just under one acre in commutation of the tithes
from the old inclosures of the chapelry. (fn. 26) At the
beginning of the 19th century the rectory was said
to be worth more than £1,000 a year. (fn. 27)
The former glebe house of Great Bowden rectory
stands immediately to the north of the church. (fn. 28) In
1510 the Rectory seems to have been on the same
site, (fn. 29) and it is possible that some parts of the present
fabric date from before the appropriation in 1546.
The glebe house is mentioned in 1638. It was then
said to have ten bays of building, besides barns, and
was evidently a large house, (fn. 30) but how far the existing
structure dates from that time is uncertain.
After the appropriation of this rich living the
curates appear to have been very badly paid. At the
appropriation in 1546 it was provided that the
rectors should pay the vicar £13 6s. 8d. (fn. 31) This never
seems to have been done and in the late 16th century
there was a curate at Great Bowden being paid
£10 a year. (fn. 32) In 1603 and in 1614 the curate was
said to be receiving the same stipend. (fn. 33) In 1626,
and again in 1638, he was said to have a stipend of
£20 a year. (fn. 34) In 1662 the curate had £30 a year. (fn. 35)
Great Bowden was augmented in 1776 by grants
of £200 from Queen Anne's Bounty and £200 from
Dr. Stratford's trustees. (fn. 36) In 1814 it was augmented
by a Parliamentary grant of £600. (fn. 37) In 1833 the
living was further augmented by a Parliamentary
grant of £200 and a grant of the same amount from
the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church. (fn. 38) In 1836
Queen Anne's Bounty and Christ Church made
grants of the same sum each to the benefice. (fn. 39)
In 1472 John Kelyng, Rector of Great Bowden,
obtained a licence to alienate lands up to a yearly
value of 10 marks to endow a chantry in Great
Bowden church, for a chaplain who was to pray for
the souls of himself, the king and queen, and others. (fn. 40)
In 1473 Kelyng obtained a second licence, empowering him to grant the chaplain of his chantry a windmill and 120 a. of land at Bowden and Harborough
in part satisfaction of his previous licence. (fn. 41) The
chantry was set up in St. Mary's chapel in Great
Bowden church. (fn. 42) In 1535 it had a net revenue
of £8 12s. 2d. (fn. 43) In 1544 the king granted the advowson to John, Lord Russell, and Roger Clarke. (fn. 44)
It is not known how the king acquired the advowson.
Immediately after this grant Russell and Clarke
obtained a licence to alienate the advowson to
Robert Strelley. (fn. 45) It is probable that the alienation
was carried out, for in 1548 the chantry's confiscated property was granted to Strelley. (fn. 46)
One of the chantry priests, William Sotherey,
by his will proved in 1523 left land to the yearly
value of 10s. to found an obit in Great Bowden
church. (fn. 47) The land was seized by the Crown and
granted in 1549 to Edward Pease and James Wylson
of London, (fn. 48) who sold it to Robert Strelley. (fn. 49)
In 1547 there was a house at Great Bowden forming
the endowment of St. Sepulchre's light in the
parish church and producing a revenue of 2s.
yearly. (fn. 50) In 1549 the house was granted to Pease and
Wylson, who sold it also to Robert Strelley. (fn. 51)
The medieval rectors of Great Bowden were
sometimes, perhaps usually, absentees. Robert of
St. Albans, presented to the benefice in 1291, was
a royal clerk and a pluralist, and not in priest's
orders. (fn. 52) His successor, John of Melbourn, was only
an acolyte when instituted in 1328 (fn. 53) and is known to
have been absent for at least 3 years. (fn. 54) Geoffrey le
Scrope, instituted in 1365, was a wealthy and well
connected pluralist. (fn. 55) His successor was Richard le
Scrope, rector 1378-84, a pluralist and later Archbishop of York. (fn. 56) The next rector, John of Clare
(1384-91), was also non-resident. (fn. 57) William Wolstanton (1391-1403) was buried at Great Bowden,
and may have resided, (fn. 58) but his successor, William
Hose or Hussey, was an absentee, (fn. 59) and so were
John Kelyng, rector 1463-74, (fn. 60) and John Chambers,
presented in 1508. (fn. 62) In 1518 it was reported that the
rector, who may then have been Polydore Vergil,
the historian, had never been to his benefice, and
that the rectory house was very dilapidated. (fn. 62) In
1556, after the appropriation, it was said that the
living had been long vacant and without either rector
or vicar. (fn. 63)
About 1780 the incumbent of Great Bowden was
living at Dingley (Northants.), a few miles away. (fn. 64) In
1832 the archdeacon recorded that services were
held at Great Bowden once every other Sunday,
and communion was celebrated once a year only.
There were weekday services on Fridays in Lent.
The minister lived at Stoke Albany (Northants.),
about 5 miles away. (fn. 65) Ten years later the position
was little changed. The minister still lived outside
the parish, though he had a resident curate. (fn. 66)
The church of ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL
consists of a clerestoried nave with north and south
aisles, a clerestoried chancel flanked by chapels
forming continuations of the aisles, north and
south porches, and a spired west tower. It is built
of ironstone with limestone dressing. The oldest
parts of the fabric date from the second half of the
13th century when the main plan of the church was
probably similar to the present one with the exception of the north chapel. The chancel and the
south chapel are much altered, but were originally
of this date, and there is a single window with plate
tracery near the west end of the south aisle. The
arcade between chancel and chapel consists of two
pointed arches resting on a low central pier and
moulded responds. The chancel has a 13th-century
piscina in its south wall and a blocked doorway
beside it. The tower, which is of two tall stages
above a high plinth, was probably built fairly late
in the 14th century. The lower stage has angle
buttresses and above are tall two-light windows
with Decorated tracery. The castellated and pinnacled parapet is of limestone and is pierced by
cruciform loops. Behind the parapet rises a short
octagonal stone spire. Considerable alterations were
made to the church in the 15th century when the
aisles were raised and the three-bay arcades were
rebuilt. Probably at the same time clerestories with
square-headed windows were added to both nave
and chancel. The north chapel, which has large
square-headed windows and is separated from the
chancel by an arcade similar to those of the nave,
appears to be an addition entirely of the 15th century.
It contains some original roof timbers and on its
north wall the remains of a large fresco representing
the Last Judgement. Most of the windows in other
parts of the church are replacements of the 15th
century and later.
In 1639 it was said that the west end of the
chancel was in disrepair and that the aisles and
steeple needed attention. (fn. 67) In 1777 there was a
crack from top to bottom of the tower and in the
following year, although other defects had been
made good, the crack was still there. (fn. 68) New pews
were installed in 1790 (fn. 69) and it is evident that much
work was done to the church at about this time or
soon afterwards. (fn. 70) It included the insertion of a
west gallery on which the organ was mounted, the
erection of galleries in both aisles, and the addition
of a north porch in which a gallery staircase was
incorporated. The south porch may be of the same
date or somewhat earlier. (fn. 71) The insertion of plaster
ceilings to nave and chancel, divided by an elliptical arch, was also probably done in the late 18th or
early 19th century. (fn. 72) The low ceiling level appears
to have necessitated the blocking of the clerestory
windows in the chancel. (fn. 73) Throsby, who visited the
church c. 1790, remarked on its well-kept appearance, with handsome pews and a fine stone floor. (fn. 74)
In 1795 the archdeacon noted that the building was
exceptionally well maintained and that the parishioners had been at great expense in beautifying and
repairing it. (fn. 75) In 1832 it was reported that the
tower had been cramped with iron. (fn. 76) In 1836 a
new east window was inserted (fn. 77) and in 1842 the
church was still well maintained. (fn. 78)
In 1886-7 the building was restored under the
direction of W. Talbot Brown and Fisher of Wellingborough at a cost of over £2,200. (fn. 79) Except for the
north chapel, the church was re-roofed. External
buttresses were built against the south aisle wall
and a large internal buttress to support the south
wall of the chancel. The interior was much altered:
a stone chancel arch was inserted and a new arch
between the north aisle and the north chapel. The
galleries were removed, the tower arch opened up,
and a west doorway in the tower blocked. The
organ was transferred to the north chapel. The
pews were reduced in height, the tall 18th-century
pulpit was removed, and new fittings were provided
in the chancel. The font was replaced (fn. 80) but the
carved oak font cover of two tiers, dating from the
17th century, was retained. Other original fittings
include a 17th-century oak chest in the north
chapel and a panel bearing the royal arms, repainted in 1778. (fn. 81) The fine carved organ case is of
c. 1700, mounted on panelling from the later gallery.
A new east window was inserted in 1891 (fn. 82) and a
wrought-iron chancel screen in 1892. (fn. 83) The vestry
screen in the south chapel was erected in memory
of the Revd. H. W. Brutzer (d. 1920), the tower
screen dates from 1927, and the reredos from 1932. (fn. 84)
A small brass, taken up from the floor in 1886, (fn. 85) is
now on the chancel wall. It commemorates William
Wolstanton (rector 1391-1403) by an inscription
on the face. The brass plate, which had been reused, bears on its reverse side engraved decoration
and a man's figure, thought to have been part of a
larger Flemish brass of the 14th century. The
church contains many mural tablets of the 18th
and early 19th centuries. These include tablets
giving details of the John Parsons charity (1716),
the John Durrad and Robert Atkins charities (tablet
dated 1736), and the James Clarke charity (1755).
The most impressive monument is a large marble
tablet on the north side of the sanctuary signed 'J.
Wing, architect'. It commemorates Henry Shuttleworth (d. 1800) and his two wives and was probably
set up soon after his first wife's death in 1787,
blank spaces being left in the inscription for his own
name. (fn. 86) There are also tablets to Henrietta (d. 1703),
wife of Augustine Fish, to James Retchford (d.
1766), and to several members of the Shuttleworth
family (1812-51). Later tablets include those to
Frederick York Powell, Regius Professor of Modern
History at Oxford (d. 1904), and John Hales Neal,
Principal of the Royal School, Mandalay (d. 1935).
Stained glass windows commemorate William Hay
of Bowden House (d. 1878), Thomas Seabrooke and
his wife (erected 1887), Hugh D. A. Owen (killed
in the hunting field, 1903), and those who died in
the First World War.
The plate consists of a silver paten of 1704, given
by the Revd. R. M. Wotton (d. 1758), and silver
cups of 1717 and 1737, one of which had been only
recently purchased in 1832. There are also a dish
and flagon of silver-plate. (fn. 87) There are six bells:
(i) and (ii) dated 1737 and 1739, by Thomas Eayre
of Kettering; (iii) 1624; (iv) 1621; (v) 1599; these
were re-hung in 1926; (fn. 88) (vi) a treble bell, given in
1955 in memory of John Thomas March (d. 1954). (fn. 89)
Painted on a board below the tower is a verse dated
1741, giving rules for the conduct of bell-ringers and
the fines to be imposed if these were infringed. The
registers date from 1559 and are complete.
NONCONFORMITY.
Laud's metropolitical visitation of Leicestershire in 1634 revealed some
Puritanism at Great Bowden. (fn. 90) In 1669 there were
reported to be 200 Presbyterians of the better sort
at Great Bowden. (fn. 91) In 1672 Nicholas and Richard
Kestian were licensed as Presbyterian teachers at
Great Bowden, (fn. 92) and John Heath's house there was
licensed for Congregational worship. (fn. 93) In 1714 a
house at Great Bowden was licensed for the worship
of Protestant dissenters, and in 1718 another house
there was similarly licensed. (fn. 94) A document compiled
in 1705-23 states that there were fewer than 20 dissenters at Great Bowden. (fn. 95)
A Congregational chapel first seems to have been
built in the village in 1801. (fn. 96) It stood in Sutton
Road on the site now occupied by Green Lodge, and
was a single-story brick building with a thatched
roof and sash windows. (fn. 97) The chapel was without
a minister of its own and was served from Market
Harborough. (fn. 98) A new Congregational chapel was
built in Main Street in 1885. (fn. 99) In 1897 the site of
the old chapel was sold and the sum obtained used
to build a schoolroom adjoining the new chapel. (fn. 1)
The chapel and schoolroom were still in use in 1957.
The chapel is a rectangular building of red and
yellow brick, with a large rose window in the gableend facing the road and round-headed windows elsewhere.
SCHOOLS.
It was reported in 1614 that there was
a schoolmaster at Great Bowden, but that he did
not teach. (fn. 2) In 1634 Richard Harris of Great Bowden
was charged in the ecclesiastical courts with acting
as a schoolmaster without having a licence. He
stated that he did not teach himself, but that his
wife taught a few small children. (fn. 3) About 1735 Robert
Atkins, schoolmaster and curate of Market Harborough, bequeathed some land at Great Bowden
in trust, part of the revenue to be used to teach
poor children English. (fn. 4) John Durrad, by will proved
in 1726, left £20 to Great Bowden parish, the
interest to be used for teaching children, both
Anglicans and dissenters, to learn to read. (fn. 5) How
Durrad's and Atkins's charities were employed in the
18th century is unknown. A boys' school existed
from 1814 to 1834, (fn. 6) and was probably that noted
in 1833 as being attended by 25-30 boys. (fn. 7) It is
uncertain how the school was maintained, but it
may have been supported by the Durrad and
Atkins charities. In 1833 there were three other
day schools, two of them each containing 20 or 30
girls. (fn. 8) There were also two Sunday schools, each
containing about 55 children. (fn. 9) One of these must
have been the parish church Sunday school, whose
existence is noted in 1832. (fn. 10) The other was probably
attached to the Congregational chapel. In 1837
the money from Durrad's and Atkins's charities
was being paid to a dame school. (fn. 11)
In 1839 a National school was built, partly with
funds raised by subscriptions, partly at the expense
of the feoffees of the town lands, and partly from a
state grant. (fn. 12) It stood immediately east of the churchyard and consisted of a central gabled block with
lower side-wings. (fn. 13) The school was supported by
Atkins's charity, and at times by the feoffees of the
town lands. (fn. 14) In 1849 Dinah Wymant, in accordance
with the wishes of her deceased husband William
Wymant, gave £500 in trust, the interest to be used
for the school. (fn. 15) In 1865 a yearly government grant
was obtained, (fn. 16) but in 1869 payment was suspended,
apparently because the buildings were thought
inadequate. (fn. 17) In 1873 the school was enlarged
and the payment of the grant was resumed. (fn. 18) In
1866 it was decided that the income from the
Wymant endowment should be used for the Sunday
school only, (fn. 19) but by 1869 payments from it to the
National school had been resumed. (fn. 20) In 1876
the attendance at the school was 99. (fn. 21) In 1903 the
school became a voluntary maintained school under
the Act of 1902. (fn. 22) There were 85 boys and girls
attending in 1910, when the school was overcrowded. (fn. 23) In 1930 it was decided that it should be
for primary children only, and the senior pupils
were transferred to Fairfield Road school at Harborough, later replaced by Welland Park secondary
school. (fn. 24) In 1933 there were 61 children attending
Great Bowden school. (fn. 25) In 1948 the school accepted
'controlled' status under the local authority. In
1957 the attendance of juniors and infants was 85. (fn. 26)
CHARITIES.
The origin of the Great Bowden
Town Lands is not known. (fn. 27) In 1635 four feoffees let
land described as ¾ yardland for £14 10s. a year. (fn. 28)
The deed conveying the property to new feoffees in
1650 states that the revenue was to be applied to the
repair of the parish church and of the roads and
bridges for the repair of which the parish was
liable. (fn. 29) The charity was allotted about 25 a. by the
inclosure award of 1777. (fn. 30) In 1837 the land was being
let for £33 13s. 2d. a year. This was less than the
highest obtainable rent, but the land was deliberately let at a low figure to assist the 8 tenants and
prevent them from becoming chargeable to the
parish. (fn. 31) In 1837 regular payments were being
made to the parish church organist and for tuning
the organ. Sums were paid periodically for church
repairs. (fn. 32) In 1868 the charity's yearly income was
£69. (fn. 33) In 1900 3 a. were sold and the proceeds invested in £1,281 stock. (fn. 34) In 1952 the income was
about £100, which, less administrative expenses,
was divided equally between the parish church, the
Market Harborough Urban District Council for
road repairs, and payments to the poor. (fn. 35)
Richard Kestian, by will proved in 1675, left the
rent of his house at Great Bowden to the poor,
except for 1s. yearly which was to be paid to the
ringers for ringing on 17 November yearly in
memory of Elizabeth I's accession. (fn. 36) In 1837,
when the charity income was 10s. a year, 1s. was
paid to the ringers and the rest to 4 poor widows. (fn. 37)
In 1957 1s. was paid to the ringers and 5s. each to
2 poor widows. (fn. 38) John Parsons, by will dated 1716,
gave £1 4s. a year to the poor of Great Bowden. (fn. 39)
In 1837 the sum was being paid as a rent-charge on
land in the parish. (fn. 40) The income was distributed in
bread in 1951, with Atkins's and Clarke's charities. (fn. 41)
The Revd. Robert Atkins, minister of Great Bowden, devised land there in 1736 for charitable
purposes. Out of the yearly rent £1 4s. was to be
distributed in bread and the remainder applied to
education. (fn. 42) The educational part of the charity has
been dealt with elsewhere. (fn. 43) Under the inclosure
award of 1777 the churchwardens, as trustees of
the charity, were allotted about 3 a. (fn. 44) In 1951 the
eleemosynary part of the charity was being distributed together with Parsons's and Clarke's
charities. (fn. 45) James Clarke, by will proved 1755,
left a rent-charge of £1 6s. to be given in bread to
the poor of the parish. (fn. 46) The money was being
distributed in 1951 together with Atkins's and
Parsons's charities. (fn. 47)
Before 1786 an unknown donor gave £3 5s.
to be laid out in coals for the poor. The sum was
held by one of the churchwardens, and used to buy
coal which was retailed at such a price as to ensure
the return of the capital. (fn. 48) In 1896 the charity was
reported lost. (fn. 49) Mary, relict of Henry Shuttleworth,
in accordance with her late husband's wishes,
bequeathed by her will proved in 1806 an endowment to produce £5 4s. yearly, half of which was
to be given to the poor in bread, and half to be paid
to the minister of Great Bowden yearly on condition
that he should preach four special sermons, should
comply with certain conditions about the conduct of
church services, and should forbid any bell-ringing
on Sundays. If these conditions were not fulfilled
the money was to be paid to the dissenting minister
if there was one. If there was not, it was to be
distributed to 10 poor householders of the parish. (fn. 50)
The minister never fulfilled the conditions, there was
no dissenting clergyman, and the money for the
second part of the charity never seems to have been
paid. (fn. 51) There was litigation over the will and the
charity income seems to have been reduced. (fn. 52) By
1868 it received £3 8s. 5d. a year from its endowment of £114 in stock. The two sections of the
charity had been merged, and the income was
distributed in cash. (fn. 53) In 1934 the interest on the stock
was being distributed in coal. (fn. 54) In 1879 Joanna
Barfoot Saunt settled £350 in trust for the benefit of
the aged and infirm poor and cripples of the parish.
The charity was called 'The Gift of Thomas Barfoot Saunt'. (fn. 55) In 1952 the charity's income of £9 9s.
was being distributed in coal and clothing. (fn. 56) Benjamin Cort, by will proved 1890, gave £400 in
trust to make payments to the poor of 70 years of
age or over at Michaelmas. (fn. 57) In 1952 the income
of £10 a year was being distributed as laid down by
the testator. (fn. 58)
The Lord of the Manors' charity cannot be traced
before 1890, and its origin is not known. It is not
mentioned in the Charity Commissioners' report. (fn. 59)
The endowment consists of £1,000 in stock. The
income of about £37 in 1957 was distributed to the
sick and poor of the manors of Harborough and
Great Bowden. The trustees of the charity are the
lord of the two manors, the Vicars of Harborough
and Great Bowden, two representatives of the
urban district council, and representatives of the
two parish churches and other religious bodies. (fn. 60)
ST. MARY IN ARDEN
The church of St. Mary in Arden is first mentioned about 1220, when it had a resident chaplain.
Harborough chapel was dependent on it. (fn. 61) The
phrase then used to describe it, capella sive ecclesia, (fn. 62)
perhaps indicates that its status was doubtful. For
the rest of the Middle Ages St. Mary's remained a
chapel of Great Bowden, but it is noteworthy that it
was often said to be a parish church, even in documents that clearly described the church of St.
Dionysius at Harborough as a chapel. (fn. 63) During
the later Middle Ages there is no mention of clergy
at St. Mary's, which may have been served from
Great Bowden or Harborough. After the appropriation of Great Bowden it evidently had a separate
curate, as one is mentioned in 1574 and subsequently. (fn. 64) In 1613 the cure of St. Mary's was united
with that of Harborough, (fn. 65) partly at least because of
scandalous conduct by the curates. (fn. 66) Since that
time St. Mary's had remained united with Harborough. The inhabitants of Harborough had been
buried at St. Mary's since at least the 15th century, (fn. 67)
and probably from a much earlier date. After 1614 it
continued to be used for burials, and was in fact
little more than a mortuary chapel. (fn. 68)
The area attached to St. Mary's lay, except for
the churchyard itself, beyond the Welland, in Little
Bowden township. It was consolidated in 1780 into
15 separate parcels totalling 466 a., then in Northamptonshire. The whole chapelry was merged in the
parish of St. Nicholas, Little Bowden, in 1892, with
the exception of the church and churchyard. (fn. 69)
A churchwarden of St. Mary's is mentioned in
1606, (fn. 70) and the wardens in 1620 (fn. 71) and 1647, (fn. 72) so
that the church evidently continued to have these
officials after the cure had been united with Harborough. No later mention of churchwardens has been
found. In 1653 there seem to have been doubts
whether St. Mary's had wardens or not. (fn. 73)
At an unknown date in the late 16th century the
curate at St. Mary's was being paid £7 a year. (fn. 74)
In 1585 he was receiving £10 a year. (fn. 75) The tithes of
all the land attached to St. Mary's belonged to Great
Bowden rectory. (fn. 76)
It may be reasonably assumed that the land
attached to the church in Little Bowden was once a
manor, and it is possible that St. Mary's was once
the church of the land in Great and Little Bowden
held by the Countess Judith, and later included
in the honor of Huntingdon. (fn. 77) In 1382 the
church was described as St. Mary's in the fields, (fn. 78)
and it evidently stood isolated, as it continued to do
until Harborough expanded in the 19th century.
It may be assumed that there was once a settlement
around the church, and it is possible that the population migrated to Harborough during the 12th
century. (fn. 79) This is suggested by the fact that Harborough chapel was dependent on St. Mary's and
that the men of Harborough were buried there.
Possibly St. Mary's was once a parish church, but
became dependent on Great Bowden when the
population migrated.
The medieval church consisted of nave, chancel,
south aisle, south porch, and steeple; (fn. 80) no mention
of a north aisle has been found. Little is known
about the date of the fabric, the only surviving
features being the south doorway and the south
porch. The doorway, which appears to be in situ,
presumably formed the entrance to the south aisle.
It dates from the 12th century and has a semicircular arch enriched with Norman beak ornament.
The porch, which is of ironstone and limestone,
is of the 14th century. In 1510, and again in 1518,
the chancel was in need of repair. (fn. 81) After the union
with Harborough the church was not well maintained. In 1617 the steeple was suspected to be in
danger of falling. (fn. 82) In 1626 it was reported that the
steeple had been damaged a year earlier by an
earthquake, and it was feared that it might be
further damaged if the bells were rung. (fn. 83) In 1633
all the buttresses on the north side were said to be
in decay, the chancel and south aisle were unevenly
floored, the east end needed repair, and the lead
roof on the south side was defective. (fn. 84) Several of
the same defects were noted in 1639. (fn. 85) Subsequently
the church was allowed to decay completely. By
1662 it appears that lead had been removed from
the roofs. (fn. 86) In 1682 it was said that the church had
been ruinous for some 20 years. (fn. 87) In 1692 the archdeacon noted that St. Mary's was so dilapidated
that it gave no protection from the weather when
burials were being performed there. Stone and timber
from the fabric were continually being stolen. (fn. 88)
According to Nichols the church had been largely
destroyed c. 1650 by the steeple's collapse during
a storm. (fn. 89) In 1692 it was intended to rebuild the
fabric (fn. 90) and in the following year a design, estimated
to cost £243, was prepared by Henry Dormer. (fn. 91)
The rebuilding was probably completed in 1694. (fn. 92)
It appears that the new chapel covered only the site
of the former aisle (fn. 93) and that parts of the south
wall of the aisle, including the doorway and porch,
were left in position. Much of the stone (fn. 94) was reused and the surplus apparently carted away as
'rubbish' in 1694. (fn. 95)
The rebuilt chapel is a plain rectangular structure
faced with limestone ashlar. It has a continuous
moulded parapet and low-pitched gable-ends, the
roof being formerly of lead. The north wall contains a central square-headed doorway. The windows,
two on the south and one on each of the other sides,
are described by Rowland Rouse (c. 1760) as 'wellproportioned and finished with a modern semi
circular top'. (fn. 96) The simple tracery consists of a
flattened circle above two round-headed lights. (fn. 97)
At the end of the 18th century the building was not
well-maintained; the floor was partly unpaved and
only two of the windows were glazed. The only
seating was a pew for the minister and two benches
for those attending funerals. (fn. 98) In 1925 the chapel
was repaired and refitted so that it might be used for
occasional services. (fn. 99) After the Second World War
the fittings were dismantled and in 1950 the lead
from the roof was removed and sold. (fn. 1) In 1958 the
building was standing roofless and derelict.
In the porch is a mutilated effigy, apparently
one of three which were lying in the churchyard in
1740 and which probably came out of the demolished
church. (fn. 2) Among mural tablets, several of which
have fallen, are those to John Holmes and his relatives (1769-84), to the How family (1775-98), and
to the Walker family (1786-93). There are also
slate floor slabs of the 18th and early 19th centuries.
The large graveyard contains headstones from the
17th century onwards, many being of Swithland
slate. A number of those erected in the mid-18th
century are of limestone and are elaborately carved
with designs of cherubs' heads. In 1878 the churchyard was closed for burials. (fn. 3) Four bells from St.
Mary's are said to have been lying in the chancel
of Market Harborough church in 1682. They
are thought to have later been sold, with perhaps
one exception, to help defray the cost of rebuilding. (fn. 4) The existing chapel has never possessed
bells.