GREAT PAXTON
Parchestune, Pachstone (xi cent.), Pacstonia,
Paxton (xii cent.), Magna Paxton (xiii cent.), Much
Paxton (xvi cent.).
The parish of Great Paxton contains 1406 acres.
The land is low-lying, the river Ouse forming the
western and the Gallow brook the southern boundaries. There is a ferry over the Ouse called Wrayhouse ferry, in the south-west of the village. The
subsoil is chiefly Oxford clay, and the soil clay
growing wheat, barley and root crops.
The village lies on the main road from St. Neots
to Godmanchester and is two and a half miles from
Offord station on the main line of the London and
North-Eastern Railway, which crosses the parish
parallel with the Ouse. The Towgood Institute in
the village was built and endowed in 1904 by
Mr. Hamer Towgood, whose ancestor, Rev. Micaiah
Towgood, was a celebrated 18th-century nonconformist divine. There are some interesting 17thcentury timber-framed cottages in Adams Lane and
London Lane, a name which goes back to the 16th
century.
College Farm, in the west of the parish, takes its
name from St. John's College, Cambridge, which
purchased land in Great Paxton in the 16th century,
at the same time that the manor of Little Paxton was
bought. (fn. 1) The parish was inclosed under a private
Act of Parliament of 1811. (fn. 2) Both Neolithic surface
implements and a few Romano-British finds have
been discovered in the parish. (fn. 3)
MANORS.
King Edward the Confessor held
twenty-five hides of land in the manor
of PAXTON, with its three berewicks. (fn. 4)
Two of these berewicks were Toseland and Little
Paxton, which formed one township with Great
Paxton, (fn. 5) and are still in that ecclesiastical parish.
The third was possibly Buckworth, which was stated
in Domesday Book to have been a berewick of Great
Paxton under King Edward, but had been separated
before 1086. (fn. 6) In this case, the 17th-century suggestion that the third berewick was Abbotsley (fn. 7) and
the recent suggestion that it was Agden are incorrect. (fn. 8) In 1086, the manor of Great Paxton was
held by the Countess Judith (fn. 9) and later formed part
of the Honour of Huntingdon. (fn. 10) On the death of
John, Earl of Huntingdon, in 1237, it was assigned to
his eldest sister Margaret, and so passed to the
Balliols. (fn. 11) A rent of 8s. from the manor was granted
in 1305, out of the forfeited possessions of John
Balliol to John of Brittany, (fn. 12) who obtained leave in
1331 to grant it for life to Mary, Countess of Pembroke. (fn. 13)
The Earls of Huntingdon seem to have held the
manor in demesne as late as 1192. (fn. 14) Very shortly
afterwards, however, it was granted to a sub-tenant,
since in 1215 King John restored a manor of Great
Paxton to Gilbert de Hallinge, as part of the inheritance of his wife Agnes. (fn. 15) She may have been
one of two co-heirs, since shortly after this the
manor was divided, each tenant holding half a
knight's fee and the lands assigned to each moiety
were most exactly divided into two shares. (fn. 16) One
moiety was known as GREAT PAXTON or DE
LA HAYE MANOR
(fn. 17) and was held in 1230 by
William de la Haye or Dulay. (fn. 18) He was probably
identical with William, son of Gilbert de la Haye,
who granted a charter to the Priory of St. Neots. (fn. 19)
It seems a plausible suggestion that Hallinge was a
mistake for Hay. William was succeeded by his son
Gilbert, (fn. 20) and his grandson William, who was the
tenant in 1279 (fn. 21) and 1316. (fn. 22) Another William de la
Haye had succeeded before 1344, but was holding
it as a mesne lord. (fn. 23) Before 1343 it was held in
demesne by William Lengleys or English, who
settled it on his son William and the heirs male of
his body, with remainder to his daughter Juliana. (fn. 24)
Lengleys died in 1344 (fn. 25) and his son in 1369. (fn. 26) The
latter's heir was his daughter Isabella, so that the
manor reverted to William Restwold, son of Juliana. (fn. 27)
The Restwolds presumably sold it, since in 1428 it
was held by John Bullock. (fn. 28) In 1433, he sold it to
Sir John Popham (fn. 29) and from this time until the
17th century it followed the descent of the manor of
Eynesbury Bulkeley (q.v.). (fn. 30) In 1628, it was sold by
Sir Ludovic Dyer to Robert Counton, (fn. 31) probably
the son of the lessee of the Rectory manor (q.v.). (fn. 32)
Robert was probably identical with the Robert
Compton who, with William Compton, levied a
fine of the manor in 1647 with William Alleyn. (fn. 33)
The latter married Elizabeth, daughter of William
Compton. (fn. 34) His second son Thomas was lord
mayor of London in 1659–60 and was created a baronet
in 1660. (fn. 35) His son Thomas, the second and last
baronet, sold the manor in 1700 to Thomas Wright. (fn. 36)
It seems to have passed to the Leeds family, and in
1811 belonged to Sir George Leeds, who, like his
predecessors, was also lessee of the Rectory manor. (fn. 37)
The other moiety of the manor of GREAT PAXTON was held before 1219, (fn. 38) by Alan, son of Hugh,
who enfeoffed his nephew Robert, son of Robert, (fn. 39)
before 1230. (fn. 40) Another Robert, son of Robert, had
succeeded before 1261, when the manor was successfully claimed by William de Hardreshull, as a
descendant of Alan. (fn. 41) William recovered all the lands
and rights granted to the first Robert, with the
exception of one messuage and two virgates of land,
but paid 100s. in compensation. (fn. 42) He was succeeded by his son, Robert de Hardreshull, who was
killed at the battle of Evesham. (fn. 43) Henry de Whaddon
immediately took seisin of the manor, (fn. 44) although
Henry III in 1266 is said to have granted the forfeited lands to Matthew de Bezille. (fn. 45) In the same
year the king granted certain lands in Paxton to
Robert's widow, Margaret, for her life. (fn. 46) Henry de
Whaddon seems to have held the manor till his death,
probably early in the reign of Edward I, when John
de Hardreshull, either a son or brother of Robert, (fn. 47)
recovered it and granted it to Remy de Melinge, (fn. 48)
who was his tenant in 1279 (fn. 49) and was still living in
1327. (fn. 50) In 1315, Thomas, son of Thomas of Ellesworth claimed the manor as the heir of Henry de
Whaddon, but did not apparently recover it. (fn. 51) The
history of the manor is very
confused, but it was divided
into moieties, possibly after
the death of Remy. In 1345,
Thomas Aleyne and his wife
Elizabeth levied a fine of onesixth of the manor with John
de London. (fn. 52) In 1360, Sir
John Hardreshull of Hardreshull, Warwickshire, gave the
manor of Great Paxton to
Robert Spigurnell, (fn. 53) who,
however, only seems to have
obtained possession in 1362, by the disseisin of
Robert, son of Robert, son of Roger of Wollaston.
The latter brought an action in 1364, but it
appeared that Sir John and Robert Spigurnell only
held a moiety of the manor, the other moiety
being in the possession of John Cheyne and his wife
Joan and Elizabeth, daughter of William Mochet. (fn. 54)
In 1366, (fn. 55) a sixth part of the manor was claimed by
Richard de Overe and his wife Joan and William
Clerk of Great Paxton and his wife Beatrice. Joan
and Beatrice were the sisters and heirs of a certain
John, whose father William had received it in frank
marriage with Agnes, daughter of John Eustace of
Hilton. In 1379, William Smith of Wollaston and his
wife Lucy sold the manor of Great Paxton to Sir Roger
de Trumpington and others, it being part of her
inheritance. (fn. 56) No further history of the manor
appears.
Hardreshull. Argent powdered with martlets gules a cheveron sable.
The RECTORY MANOR may be traced back to
Domesday Book, when one hide of land belonged to
the church of Paxton. (fn. 57) Between 1124 and 1128,
an exchange was made by which the rector received
7 virgates of land in Great Paxton from David I of
Scotland, instead of 8 virgates in Little Paxton and
Agden. (fn. 58) An additional grant was made of a croft
and part of the king's demesne, besides grants of
tithes. (fn. 59) Before 1279, another 30 acres had been
granted to the rector by the free tenants of Little
Paxton to provide for the service of the chapel there. (fn. 60)
King Malcolm (1157–65) gave the church to the
Abbey of Holy Rood, Edinburgh, (fn. 61) a gift which was
confirmed by John, Earl of Huntingdon in 1232. (fn. 62)
By some arrangement the rectory was ceded to the
Bishop of Lincoln, a yearly payment being payable
to the Abbey. (fn. 63) In 1274, Bishop Gravesend granted
it to the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln, who in
1285 bought up the pension payable to Holyrood. (fn. 64)
The Rectory manor remained in their possession
until the Commonwealth, (fn. 65) when it was forfeited (fn. 66)
and granted in 1650 by the Trustees under the Act
for abolishing deans and chapters to Timothy
Middleton and Thomas Smith. (fn. 67) It was recovered
at the Restoration (fn. 68) and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners are the lords of the manor at the present day.
The dean and chapter appear to have paid an
annual pension of £13 6s. 8d. from the Rectory as
late as 1652. It was presumably originally payable
to the Bishop of Lincoln, since it is said to have
belonged to the chantry and obit lands of Hugh de
Welles, Bishop of Lincoln. (fn. 69) The latter seems to
have decided a lawsuit concerning the church in
favour of the Abbey of Holy Rood, and the pension
may have been reserved at that time. (fn. 70)
In 1285, the lords of De La Haye's manor, Great
Paxton manor and the Rectory all claimed view of
frankpledge for the tenants of their manors. (fn. 71) The
Abbot of Sawtry also claimed to hold a view for his
thirteen tenants in Paxton, some of whom held land
in Great Paxton. (fn. 72) The view belonging to De La
Haye's manor is mentioned in 1700. (fn. 73) In 1285 its
lord also claimed the rights of waifs and strays,
gallows and tumbrils. (fn. 74)
A fishery in the Ouse was appurtenant, in 1279, to
both De La Haye's manor and Great Paxton manor. (fn. 75)
It is mentioned at the sale of the former in 1566 (fn. 76)
and in various transfers of the manor until 1700. (fn. 77)
In 1279, the Abbot of Sautrey held a water-mill by
the gift of a King of Scotland in frank almoin. He paid
from it a rent of 10s. a year to Remy de Mellinge. (fn. 78)
CHURCH
The Church of the HOLY TRINITY
consists of chancel (29 ft. by 17¼ ft.),
nave (50 ft. by 18 ft.), north aisle
(44½ ft. by 9½ ft.), south aisle (54 ft. by 9 ft.), west
tower (12 ft. by 12 ft.), modern vestry (10 ft. by
10 ft.) at the west end of the north aisle and south
porch. The walls are of rubble with stone dressings,
and the roofs are covered with tiles, slate and lead.
Plan of Great Paxton Church.
The church is mentioned in the Domesday Survey
(1086), and of this building the piers of a central
tower and two and a half bays of the north and south
arcades still remain. Originally the nave must have
had four bays, as evidenced by the position of the
porch, and these probably remained until the west
tower was built. Meanwhile, the chancel had been
rebuilt towards the end of the 13th century, and
some fifty years later a south porch was built. Late
in the 14th century much reconstruction took place.
The western bays of the nave were taken down and a
sturdy tower built in their place, the central tower
(if it existed) probably disappeared at this time, and
certainly the east and south arches of the crossing
were reformed. In the following century both aisles
were rebuilt, buttresses were added to the chancel
and a new east window inserted, and somewhat later
still new side windows were put in. The church
was completely restored in 1880, when the vestry
was added.
The late 13th-century chancel has a 15th-century
four-light east window, much modernised; in the
north wall is an original three-light window, and
another of the early 16th century; and in the
south two early 16th-century three-light windows,
an original doorway and piscina, and a 14th-century
double sedilia. The chancel arch has mid 11th-century responds with 12th-century abaci (reused), but
the arch is two-centred and of late 14th-century date.
On the east face of the gable above, the string-course
of a former parapet gives the line of the 14th-century
nave roof. The north-west window contains fragments of 15th-century glass. The roof is modern.
The mid 11th-century nave (fn. 79) comprises the piers
of a central tower and two and a half bays of a contemporary nave arcade. Of the central tower, the
responds on the east support a 14th-century chancel
arch. On the north the responds and semicircular
arch of one plain order still remain. On the south
the responds have been lowered some 3½ ft., the
original capitals reset, and a two-centred 14th-century
arch built upon them. The responds of the former
western arch with the arch and wall above have been
entirely cut away. All the responds, especially the
western on north and south, have their stones set
like 'long-and-short' work, and the attached shafts
have plain bulbous caps with a narrow necking. The
responds of the north and south arches have pilaster
strips on the sides, and each eastern respond has an
inserted 15th-century bracket. The rood stairs have
been cut into the north-east pier; the lower doorway, very high up, is in the aisle, and the upper opening
has cut largely into the respond of the chancel arch.
The nave arcades have semicircular arches of two
plain orders resting on columns composed of four
circular shafts with small rolls or fillets at the intersections; the shafts have bulbous capitals similar to
the responds of the crossing and square abaci. The
bases consist of four flattened rolls and follow the
plan of the shafts and small rolls. The two eastern
responds consist of flat pilasters with crudely
moulded caps, and their stones are set like 'long-andshort' work. The south-west respond was reset in
its present position when the tower was built. The
half bay on the north side has been filled in with a
doorway to the vestry. The arches both of the
crossing and of the nave arcades are entirely faced
with cement, and possibly their real construction is
of rough rubble. Above the arches of the arcade is
a heavy splayed string-course, and considerably
higher still are two contemporary clearstory windows
on each side, and a third (visible outside) has been
blocked by the building of the tower. They are
splayed inside and out; inside they are cemented, but
outside they show rather rough rubble arches and
jambs. Below the outer sills is another heavy
splayed string-course, indicating the height of the
original aisle roofs; and, on the south, a later stringcourse has been cut in at about half the height of the
windows, probably representing the upper edge of
a later roof of the aisle. The north-east angle of the
nave has large, flat quoin stones set on edge and
alternated, but not long-and-short work nor of early
date. The roof is of 17th century date, the eastern
tie-beam being dated 1637.
The 15th-century north aisle has a three-light east
window, two others and a blocked doorway (fn. 80) in
the north wall, and a moulded and carved bracket in
the north-east angle. The west wall is modern.
The north wall stands upon rough projecting
foundations, probably the base of an earlier wall.
The slightly later 15th-century south aisle has a
three-light east window; and in the south wall are
two others, a 13th-century piscina re-set, (fn. 81) and a
doorway of clunch, having a two-centred arch in a
square label, and with tracery spandrels. The oak
door has some 13th-century ironwork re-used, with
ornamental ends shaped as birds' heads. In the west
wall is a two-light window practically all modern.
The late 14th-century west tower is of three
stages, and is finished by an embattled parapet. The
arch to the nave is two-centred and of three orders;
under it is a 15th-century screen, formerly the roodscreen. The west doorway is of two continuous
chamfered orders; above it is a three-light window
with modern mullions and tracery; in the second
stage there is a square-headed single-light window
on the west, and a small quatrefoil in the south
wall. The belfry windows are of two lights.
The 14th-century south porch has a two-centred
outer arch with continuous moulded jambs. The
walls are not bonded into those of the aisle.
The 15th-century font is a plain octagon, with
similar stem and base.
There are five bells, inscribed: (1) M.T. XP. T. V.
(2) RVSSELL MADE ME, 1721. (fn. 82) (3) Jos: Eayre, St.
Neots, fecit, 1756. (4) Sancta Caterina ora pro
nobis. (5) Praise the Lord, 1758. The bells were
rehung and the treble recast by Mears & Stainbank
in 1896–97. One of the bells was recast about the
time of Edward VI. (fn. 83)
There are a few 15th-century seats in the nave, and
a plain oak, hutch-shaped chest in the north aisle.
In the churchyard is the octagonal base of a 15thcentury cross.
There are the following monuments: In the
chancel, to the Rev. A. G. Cane, Vicar, d. 1919;
and floor slab to the Rev. Isaac Nicholson, Vicar,
d. 1839; in the nave, to Captain Lionel Alfred
Francis Cane, d. 1914; on the floor of the south aisle,
to Joshua Dobson, d. 1820.
The registers (fn. 84) are as follows: (i) Baptisms, marriages and burials, 15 May 1583 to 7 Oct. 1702;
(ii) the same, 24 Nov. 1702 to 23 Aug. 1807; marriages
end 3 July 1753; (iii) baptisms and burials, 2 May
1807 to 17 Nov. 1812. (iv) the official marriage book,
10 Dec. 1754 to 25 May 1812.
The church plate consists of the following:
A small silver cup engraved 'Deo et Altari Sacrum,'
and inscribed, 'The Gift of Thomas Bowdler,
Esqre.' hall-marked for 1813–14; a silver-gilt
paten, a mere disc, with Birmingham hall-mark for
1873–74; a silver paten, hall-marked for 1899–1900;
a silver flagon engraved, 'Behold the Lamb of God,'
and hall-marked for 1880–81.
ADVOWSON
The church of the Holy Trinity, (fn. 85)
of Great Paxton, is mentioned in
1086. (fn. 86) In the charter of King
David I (1124–1153), already mentioned, reference
is made to the prior and canons regular serving
the church there. (fn. 87) A charter of Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury (1162–70), gave licence for
the establishment of a college of canons regular,
at the request of Osbert of Paxton, but this
apparently was never carried out. (fn. 88) Osbert was
probably identical with Osbert, a chaplain of
King David, at whose request, made jointly with
Orger the priest, the king had granted the charter.
The companions (socii) of Osbert are mentioned, and
they may have been the chaplains who helped to
serve the extensive parish. (fn. 89) If so, it may be presumed
that the chapels of Little Paxton (fn. 90) and Toseland (fn. 91)
were already in existence and dependent on the
church of Great Paxton. In the 17th century the
vicar was known as 'the vicar of the three steeples,' (fn. 92)
and the two chapels are still dependent on Great
Paxton. The advowson of the church has always
been held by the lords of the Rectory manor (q.v.).
The vicarage was ordained in 1274, (fn. 93) certain land and
tithes being assigned to the vicar. In the 17th
century, however, the provision for the vicar was
found so inadequate that it was said no 'preaching
minister' had held it since the Reformation, while
during the Civil War the vicar was left undisturbed,
and throughout the Commonwealth used the services
of the Church of England in his church and chapels. (fn. 94)
After the Restoration the dean and chapter of
Lincoln, as patrons and impropriators, augmented the
vicarage by £75 a year. (fn. 95) They are still the owners of
the advowson. (fn. 96)
In 1563, Queen Elizabeth granted a close of land
called Middle Orchard, in Paxton, to William Grice
and Anthony Foster. It had formerly belonged to
Whitwell chantry. (fn. 97)
CHARITIES
William King, by will dated about
1643, gave a rentcharge of £5. The
annuity is regularly paid out of land
in Great Paxton now in the occupation of Mr. G. F.
Rowley, and is distributed by the churchwardens,
viz.: £4 among poor parishioners, and £1 to the
vicar for preaching a sermon.
Poor Land or St. Thomas's Day. A benefaction
of £16 given by some person unknown was laid out
in the purchase of 3 acres of land in Great Paxton,
and in lieu thereof an allotment of 2 a. 1 r. 23 p.
was awarded on the inclosure of the common fields.
The endowment now consists of about 2 acres of
arable land let for £3 2s. 6d. a year, which is distributed in money to poor parishioners.
Widows' Dole. A customary payment of 5s. 6d.
is made by the lessee of lands in the parish belonging
to the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln, and the money
is distributed according to usage among poor
widows.
Eleanor Towgood, by will proved at the Principal
Registry, 26 March 1898, gave a sum of £500, the
interest to be applied towards the maintenance of the
Reading Room and Club of the parish.
The same donor, by will proved as above, gave to the
Ely Diocesan Trustees the sums of £500, £2,000 and
£400, the income thereof to be applied (1) towards
the expenses of the lighting of the parish church;
(2) towards securing or augmenting any other fund
for securing a second service on each Sunday of every
year in each of the parish churches of Great Paxton
and Toseland; and (3) towards the maintenance and
keeping in order the churchyard of the parish church
of Great Paxton.
The total sum of £2,900 was invested in the
purchase of £2,768 9s. 2½ per cent. Consols, which
sum was apportioned viz. (1) Church expenses,
£477 6s. 4d. Consols; (2) Second Services,
£1,909 5s. 6d. Consols; and (3) churchyard,
£381 17s. 2d. Consols. The income is applied by the
vicar and churchwardens in accordance with the
directions contained in the will of the donor.