CALDECOTE
Acreage: 707.
Population: 1911, 123; 1921, 114; 1931, 133.
Caldecote is a small parish, described in 1849 as
excellent land in equal portions arable and pasture. (fn. 1)
There are quarries in the south-west corner of the
parish at Caldecote Hill, where a height of 460 ft. is
reached, the ground sloping rapidly northwards down
to about 250 ft. where the church and the Hall stand
on the east bank of the Anker. The woodland, which
in 1086 was 3 leagues long and the same in breadth, is
now confined to Caldecote Park in the northern part of
the parish and a few scattered spinneys. The parish is
bounded on the north-east by Watling Street, separating
it from Leicestershire, and on the west by the River
Anker. A branch road from Watling Street runs south
to the church, the Rectory, the Hall, and Caldecote
Farm. In 1730 there were 10 houses in the parish
besides the manor-house, and a house and mill on the
other side of the Anker. There was a mill worth 2s. at
Caldecote in 1086, (fn. 2) and a water-mill is mentioned in
1364 (fn. 3) and 1548. (fn. 4) In 1584 there were three mills in
Caldecote. (fn. 5) A water-mill and a windmill were conveyed
with the manor in 1794, (fn. 6) but both have now disappeared.
Caldecote Hall was attacked by Prince Rupert and
Prince Maurice in 1642, at the head of 18 troops of
horse. It was defended by George Abbott, son of
George Abbott, Archbishop of Canterbury, and sonin-law of Colonel Purefey, assisted by only 8 men,
besides his mother and her maids. The small garrison
held out until the Royalists fired the outbuildings,
forcing them to surrender to avoid suffocation by the
smoke. Prince Rupert was so struck by their courage
that he spared their lives and forbore to sack the house.
Tradition states that the pewter dishes and plates used
in the house were hastily melted into bullets. The
whole story is set out on a monument to George Abbott
in Caldecote Church. (fn. 7) The present Hall is modern.
By the Borough of Nuneaton (Extension) Order,
1931, a small portion of the parish was transferred to
Nuneaton, and by the Leicester and Warwick Order,
1934, parts of the parishes of Higham-on-the-Hill and
Fenny Drayton, co. Leic., were added to this parish.
MANOR
CALDECOTE
CALDECOTE was held before the
Conquest by Tonna, 'who could not betake
himself where he would with his land'. In
1086 the Bishop of Chester held it in demesne as 2
hides, with land for 6 ploughs. (fn. 8) One of the bishops
evidently subinfeudated the land at an early date to the
family of Ruffus or Rous of Walsall, but the overlordship of the bishops was recognized until 1470. (fn. 9)
Caldecote was perhaps the half-fee held in 1166 by
Herbert Ruffus of the Bishop of Coventry, (fn. 10) Coventry
and Chester being then alternate titles of the see. In
1201 Margaret widow of William Ruffus, then wife
of William Fitz Odo, claimed the manor as dower
against William grandson of Herbert Ruffus. (fn. 11)
William Ruffus succeeded and in 1228 his possession of
the manor as half a knight's fee in Caldecote was
apparently disputed by William le Archer. (fn. 12) The latter
conveyed the manor in that year to William Ruffus, (fn. 13)
but in spite of this a long controversy ensued between
the descendants of Ruffus and le Archer. William
Ruffus, or le Rous, left two daughters, Margaret and
Enycina as his heirs. (fn. 14) Margaret was married about
1255 by the Bishop of Chester to Richard son of
Richard de Alanson (or Alizun), (fn. 15) but they subsequently separated, and in 1270 Margaret recovered the
manor against Richard de Alanson and William de
Morteyn, who had married Enycina. (fn. 16) Four years
later Nicholas le Archer grandson of William le Archer
sued Margaret for the manor but she refused to plead
without her sister. (fn. 17) They based their claim upon the
fine of 1228 and the suit dragged on for several years,
during which Enycina was succeeded by her son
William de Morteyn, (fn. 18) and Nicholas by a son Nicholas
le Archer of Sybertoft. (fn. 19) By 1284 William de Morteyn
also was dead and had been succeeded by his nephew
Roger son of Roger de Morteyn. (fn. 20) Meantime, though
she had not been formally divorced from Richard de
Alanson, Margaret appears to have married John
Paynel, for in 1283 John Paynel is called lord of
Caldecote when he and Margaret granted land in
Walsall to a canon of Lichfield. (fn. 21) In 1289 Richard de
Alanson and two of his sons came to the manor and took
away goods, and the jury appointed to inquire into the
matter said they knew of no true lord of the manor save
Richard, since he had children by Margaret and had
never been divorced. (fn. 22) The suit between the Archers
and Margaret was still going on in 1294, (fn. 23) but in 1304
Margaret sold the manor to Robert de Herle, (fn. 24) and
this was confirmed by her son Richard Paynel. (fn. 25)
Caldecote manor was settled in 1320 upon Robert's
successor William de Herle and his wife Margaret. (fn. 26)
William died in 1347 when his son Robert, afterwards
a knight, succeeded. (fn. 27) He died in 1364 and was succeeded by his nephew Sir Ralph de Hastings, son of his
sister Margaret. (fn. 28) Sir Ralph gave the manor in 1369 to
the Warden of the Chapel of St. Mary, Noseley, co.
Leic., (fn. 29) and although in 1418 the manor was claimed
by Sir Richard Hastings, who said that it had been
settled in fee tail on William de Herle, (fn. 30) the wardens
continued to hold the manor until the Dissolution.
All the estates of the late warden in Caldecote were
granted in August 1548 to Michael Purefey of Whellesborough, co. Leic., who already held some land in
Caldecote of the warden. (fn. 31) Michael settled the manor
in 1559 on the marriage of his son William with
Katherine daughter of Sir William Wigstone, (fn. 32) and died about 1570. (fn. 33) William sold
three mills in Caldecote to Francis Curzon
in 1584. (fn. 34) His son Francis Purefey, upon
whom the manor had been settled, died before
him, and on his death in 1615 his grandson
William son of Francis succeeded. (fn. 35) William
made conveyances of the manor in 1617 and
1657. (fn. 36) He was a strong supporter of Parliament and at the head of his regiment of horse
took part in many small engagements. He
was a member of the high court which tried
the king, and signed his death warrant. He
succeeded in keeping Coventry and the neighbourhood for Parliament in 1659, and died
in that year. (fn. 37) At the Restoration he was
exempted from the Act of Indemnity and
his estates were forfeited. (fn. 38) Caldecote was apparently
restored to the Purefey family, for William Purefey
presented to the church in 1662 (fn. 39) and in 1702 Dorothy
Purefey, William's widow, Jane Purefey, his only surviving daughter, (fn. 40) and Sir Edward Seabright and Anne
his wife conveyed it to Sir Nathan Wright, Keeper of
the Great Seal. (fn. 41) Wright made it his principal seat,
and died there in 1721. (fn. 42) William and George Wright
his sons sold it in 1751 to Robert Prinsep. (fn. 43) Robert
presented to the church in 1755 and the manor passed
before 1771 to his son Thomas Prinsep, who conveyed
it in 1781 to John Cave Brown, who was probably
trustee for Thomas Fisher the elder of Raunston Hall,
co. Leic. (fn. 44) Thomas Fisher his son held it in 1794 and
1797. (fn. 45) It passed before 1811 to Thomas Bowes, Earl
of Strathmore, (fn. 46) who still held it in 1828, (fn. 47) but in the
following year Dempster Heming was lord of the
manor. (fn. 48) From him it appears to have passed to Henry
Townshend, who owned Caldecote Hall in the middle
of the 19th century, and Capt. Harry Leigh Townshend was lord of the manor until about 1925, soon
after which date the property was sold and the manorial
rights apparently lapsed.
Purefey. Sable six armed hands clasped in pairs argent
Townshend. Azure a cheveron engrailed between three scallops ermine.
CHURCH
The parish church of ST. THEOBALD AND ST. CHAD consists of a
chancel, organ-chamber, nave with a west
turret, south porch, and north vestry in place of a porch.
The chancel and nave are of late-13th-century date.
The remainder is modern. The church was restored in
the 19th century at a cost of £2,000.
Plan of Caldecote Church.
The chancel (about 28 ft. by 16 ft.) is deflected
slightly north of the nave-axis. It has a restored east
window of three trefoiled lights and tracery in a two-centred head of late-13th-century style. In the south
wall are two original windows of two trefoiled lights
and restored tracery with external hood-moulds. Between them is a blocked doorway of the 14th century
with chamfered jambs and a segmental-pointed head.
Under the western window is a blocked rectangular
low-side window. The north wall has a similar window
and in the west half is a modern archway to the organchamber. The original two-light window and a lowside window have been reset in the north wall of the
chamber. In the south wall is a piscina with hollowchamfered jambs and trefoiled head. The walls are of
local purple-red sandstone rag and have chamfered
plinths and moulded string-courses below the windows.
At the eaves are later medieval moulded stone courses.
The angles and side walls have small square buttresses
of cream stone ashlar. The gabled roof is modern, with
hammer-beam trusses. The chancel arch is two-centred
and of two chamfered orders with small voussoirs of
cream sandstone; the inner is carried on attached round
shafts with moulded capitals and bases: the outer order
towards the nave is hollow-chamfered with trefoiled
stops.
The nave (about 41 ft. by 22½ ft.) has three windows
each side like those of the chancel with restored tracery;
the hood-moulds, which differ from those of the chancel, have fleurs-de-lis carved on the splayed ends. The
doorways have original jambs and pointed heads of two
chamfered orders with hood-moulds. The southern has
an ancient oak door with applied ribs and hung by
strap-hinges; the upper is original and has large thin
scrolled branches and a fleur-de-lis end. The lower and
later hinge is a plain strap with a fleur-de-lis end. There
is also an ancient ring-handle with a plain plate. The
side walls have similar masonry and buttresses to those
of the chancel. The thicker west wall has most of its
masonry concealed by ivy. It has a 6-ft. wide shallow
middle buttress to support the bell turret. This is
flanked by two much restored 14th-century windows
high in the wall, each of two trefoiled lights and a
quatrefoil in a two-centred head. The turret is octagonal and of rebuilt stonework. Four sides have halfheight buttresses, the western being carried on an
ancient moulded corbel above the wide buttress; the
other four sides are pierced by open lancets. Above is
a tall pointed roof with a weathercock. The nave roof
is modern. The north doorway opens into a small
modern vestry which is lighted by a north window; in
the glass is set a small 15th-century figure of St. John,
mostly of white and yellow but wearing a blue robe: he
holds a chalice and dragon and a quill pen. A scroll
bears the black letter inscription: 'euāgelifta'. The font
is modern. (It is claimed that the remains of a 12th-century font in the grounds at Ansley Hall belonged to
this church.) At the west end of the nave are two mural
monumental tablets of stone; the southern is to Michael
Purefey, lived 73 years and died 22 July 1570, and the
northern to Joyce his wife, who died 6 March 1585 (6).
They are alike carved with fluted Corinthian shafts
standing on shelves and supporting entablatures and
curved pediments, with crests of a hand holding a spear.
In panels are achievements of the Purefey arms and
brief inscriptions in Latin.
On the north side of the chancel is an alabaster mural
monument to William Purefey, son of Michael and
Joyce, married Catherine Wigston, and died 1 September 1616; and to Francis son of William and Catherine,
married Eleanor Baskervile and died 27 April 1613.
It contains their life-size kneeling effigies in identical
armour, before prie-dieux, one behind the other. The
monument has a pair of round-headed recesses flanked
by Corinthian shafts, on enriched pedestals, that support an entablature with fourteen painted shields in its
frieze. Above is an achievement of arms between scroll
cresting and obelisks. There are also two shields on the
middle prie-dieu. The apron has panels with the
inscriptions. The arms are those of Purefey, Wigston,
and Baskervile, and lozenges on the obelisks bear the
wives' arms.
On the south side another monument with a similar
effigy before a round-headed recess flanked by Ionic
shafts is to Michael, only son of Thomas, who was the
fourth son of Michael and Joyce; he died 23 August
1627; also to Gamaliel, only son of George the fifth son
of Michael and Joyce, who was executor to this Michael and caused the monument to be erected. Also on the
south side is an alabaster tablet, flanked by Corinthian
shafts of grey marble, to George Abbott of Caldecote
who defended the 'adjoining house' against Prince
Rupert 28 August 1642 with eight men besides his
mother and her maids. He died 21 February 1648 (9)
in his 44th year and the monument was erected by his
mother and executrix Joan Purefey, wife of Colonel
William Purefey his beloved father-in-law, 28 August
1649.
A small mural tablet is to Sir D. Nathan Wrighte,
over five years keeper of the Seal of England, died
4 August 1721.
The registers date from 1725.
An ancient table tomb with a coped top in the well-kept churchyard is of the 18th century or earlier: there
is no visible inscription left.
ADVOWSON
There was a priest at Caldecote in
1086. (fn. 49) The advowson apparently
passed with the manor, though no
mention is made of the patronage until 1349, when Sir
Robert de Herle presented. (fn. 50) He held the advowson
at his death (fn. 51) and it was not granted with the manor by
Sir Ralph Hastings to the warden of Noseley, but
passed from Sir Ralph to Sir Richard Hastings, on
whose death about 1436 it passed to his brother
Leonard. (fn. 52) Leonard was afterwards knighted and was
succeeded in 1455 by his son William. (fn. 53) William
became Lord Hastings of Hastings in 1462 and held
many offices under King Edward IV. He was arrested
in 1483 by order of Richard, Duke of Gloucester,
charged with high treason, and beheaded. (fn. 54) His grandson George Hastings was created Earl of Huntingdon
in 1529, (fn. 55) and in 1540 a presentation was made to the
church by John Osburne, clerk, by the earl's grant. (fn. 56)
Before 1566 the advowson had been acquired by the
Purefeys, (fn. 57) and it descended with the manor until
about 1925, when it was acquired by Mr. Bracebridge
Lindsay Hall, the rector. (fn. 58) The living is now united
with Weddington in the gift of the Church of England
Temperance Society.
CHARITY
George Abbott by will dated 24 Sept.
1647 gave out of lands at Badsley (1)
£4 10s. per annum for a salary for a
schoolmaster to teach poor boys and girls, (2) 10s. per
annum to buy schoolbooks and catechisms for the
schoolchildren, and (3) £5 per annum to be disposed
of as follows: 10s. a year to the minister to buy himself
a pair of gloves, and the remainder to be laid out in
Bibles and catechisms to be given to poor families. The
rent-charges amounting to £10 per annum were subject
to certain deductions and in 1922 were redeemed under
the authority of the Charity Commissioners in consideration of a sum of £360 Consols, producing £9
annually in dividends. The charity is regulated by a
Scheme of the said Commissioners of 22 May 1914
which appoints the rector and two others as trustees and
directs that out of the income of the charity one-half
shall be applied to educational purposes, 10s. a year
to the rector for his own use, the remainder to be applied in the purchase of Bibles and Testaments to be
distributed among deserving poor people resident in
the parish or towards the maintenance of a Reading
Room.