WEDDINGTON
Acreage: 952.
Population: 1911, 102; 1921, 87; 1931, 643.
Weddington is a small parish, bounded on the northeast by Watling Street, and on the west by the river
Anker. The village is surrounded on the west and
south by the Anker, and comprises the church, Rectory,
Church Farm, the Grove, and Weddington Castle and
grounds. A branch road leading south from Watling
Street passes through the village.
Weddington Castle is probably on the site of the
capital mansion-house mentioned in a suit of 1566. (fn. 1)
It may have been built by Thomas, Marquess of
Dorset, who inclosed the whole manor of Weddington
in 1491, converting all the land to pasture, whereby
300 acres went out of cultivation, 10 houses were
allowed to go to ruin, and 60 persons were driven
from their homes, losing their occupation. (fn. 2)
After the forfeiture of Thomas's son, the Duke of
Suffolk, the manor was leased by the Crown until
1561 and one of the lessees, Mr. Trye, rebuilt the
village and 'made habitations mete for husbandry'. (fn. 3)
In 1730 Thomas notes that there were four farmhouses and the Manor House in the parish, (fn. 4) and even
in 1901 the population was only just over 100; but
since that time, with the development of Nuneaton,
many small houses have been built.
Weddington is now included in the parish and
borough of Nuneaton under the Borough of Nuneaton
(Extension) Order 1931, which came into operation
1 April 1931.
The woodland in Weddington was 2 furlongs in
length and 1 furlong broad in 1086, (fn. 5) and in 1849 there
were 90 acres of woodland, but by 1886 there was
none outside the grounds of the Castle. (fn. 6)
Richard Vines, a Puritan Divine and Greek scholar,
was presented to the living of Weddington in 1627
and to Caldecote in 1630, holding both for a time.
He was one of the orthodox divines presented for
Warwickshire to be consulted about the reformed
liturgy. He had gifts as a preacher, and a sermon
preached before the House of Commons in 1642 made
a great impression. With other Puritans he took refuge
at Coventry in 1643. In the following year he was
made Master of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, where he
did good work, showing himself a good administrator
and promoter of learning. He married Katherine
daughter of Humphrey Adderley of Weddington. (fn. 7)
MANOR
Hereward, a free man, held WEDDINGTON in the time of King Edward
the Confessor. After the Conquest the
manor was given to the Count of Meulan and Hereward
continued to hold it of him. (fn. 8) With much of the count's
land this manor passed to the Earls of Warwick and
was held together with Astley, Hillmorton, Milverton,
and Merston by the service of holding the earl's stirrup
whenever he mounted his horse. (fn. 9)
It was held under the Earls of Warwick by the
Astley family of Astley, and descended with that manor
(q.v.) until the forfeiture of Henry, Duke of Suffolk,
in 1554. (fn. 10) Walter de Astley held 1 knight's fee here in
1235, as did Thomas in 1242. (fn. 11) Andrew de Astley
in 1285 claimed here view of frankpledge, gallows,
free warren, and waif, but acknowledged that the vill
was geldable with the hundred and county. (fn. 12) In 1370
Sir William de Astley had licence for an oratory in this
manor, and the licence was renewed for a year in 1371. (fn. 13)
Astley. Azure a cinq foil ermine.
Adderley. Argent a bend azure with three voided lozenges argent thereon.
The manor was granted by Queen Elizabeth in
1561–2 to Henry, Earl of Huntingdon, Humphrey
Adderley, and John Cholmeley. (fn. 14) Humphrey Adderley, who was Groom of the Queen's Robes, shortly
after acquired the whole manor. (fn. 15) He was disturbed
in possession in 1566 by William White, who entered
into the chief mansion-house, claiming a lease from
the late Duke of Suffolk. William's father had held the
manor under lease from the duke, and William the
son had acquired a subsequent lease for 21 years
granted to the duke's physician, Henry Bayley. (fn. 16)
Humphrey was in possession when he died in 1598,
leaving a son Humphrey, a minor. (fn. 17) This manor
formed part of the dower of Elizabeth widow of the
elder Humphrey, who married Sir Richard Norton,
and afterwards John Chamberlayne. (fn. 18) The younger
Humphrey Adderley died seised of the manor in 1637. (fn. 19)
His son, a third Humphrey, died about 1639 (fn. 20) without
children, and Weddington Manor passed to his brother
John. (fn. 21) John died about 1663, and his widow Jane
and son Wolstan made a conveyance of the manor in
1667. (fn. 22) Wolstan died in 1689 and was buried in the
church of Skipwith near York. (fn. 23) His son Gilbert
succeeded, (fn. 24) and from him the manor passed to his
son Thomas, who made a conveyance of the manor in
1738 and presented to the church in the following
year. (fn. 25) Under the will (dated 20 March 1753) of
Thomas Adderley the manor passed to his sister
Elizabeth and her husband the Rev. Thomas Liptroth (fn. 26) for her life; then to Amice, 2nd daughter of
his cousin the Rev. Philip Bracebridge, D.D., who
married George Heming of Jamaica. (fn. 27) They were
succeeded in 1804 by their son the Rev. Samuel
Bracebridge Heming, (fn. 28) who was lord of the manor and
patron in 1849, (fn. 29) and died in 1856. (fn. 30) In 1874 the
estate was bought by Henry Cunliffe Shawe, whose
son Henry Nigel Pole Shawe sold it in 1923, (fn. 31) when
the manorial rights appear to have lapsed.
CHURCH
The parish church of ST. JAMES consists of a chancel, nave, north transept,
south porch, and west tower.
The north transept is probably of early-14th-century
date. The chancel, nave, and west tower were rebuilt
in red brick in 1733. The building was restored in
1881, when Gothic windows, &c., were inserted in
place of the 1733 details.
The chancel (21 ft. by 15½ ft.) of red brick has a
stone plinth. It has a modern east window of three
lights and tracery, a north window of one light and a
south window of two lights and tracery, and a modern
chancel-arch, all of the 13th-century style.
The nave (37½ ft. by 17½ ft.), all of red brick, has
at the east end of the north wall a stone archway to the
transept. In the west half of the wall is a window, and
in the south wall three windows, all of 1881 and of
two lights and tracery of late-13th-century style. The
modern south doorway is at the west end of the
wall: over it is the faint outline of a former roundheaded window. The gabled roof is of four bays and
is tiled.
The north transept (12½ ft. deep by 13½ ft. wide)
has an early-14th-century stone archway to the nave
with responds and two-centred head of two continuous
chamfered orders with a modern hood-mould. The
east respond on the transept side is square, and close
to the edge is a piscina with chamfered jambs and ogee
head and a round basin (half missing). In the east wall
is a window of three trefoiled ogee lights under a
square main head; the lights are dwarfed because the
sill is raised for a former altar: the window has been
mostly restored. In the north wall is a reset early-14thcentury pointed door-head (blocked) seen only in outline outside and having a hood-mould with head-stops.
Flanking it outside are two quatrefoil windows of
weather-worn stone. The west wall is unpierced. The
walls are of cream sandstone ashlar, the plinths have
a large projecting chamfered course. The roofs are
modern. The west tower (about 8¼ ft. square) is of
red brick with a stone plinth. At the angles are brick
clasping buttresses, shallowed above to pilasters. It is
of two stages. The ground floor, originally a porch,
now the vestry, has a modern pointed west doorway
and another into the nave. In the north wall is a modern
square-headed window. The second story has a 1733
south window of two lights. There is no way up into
the bell-chamber, which is lighted by modern windows
of two lights. The roof is a tall pyramid with small
lights as dormers.
The font has an early-12th-century round, slightly
tapering bowl. The surface has a slightly sunk arcade
with interlacing round heads, and over that a band of
shallow diaper ornament and a small round mould to
the edge. The stem and base are modern.
The hexagonal pulpit with fielded panels is of 1733
and was originally a 'three-decker'. The pews, also of
1733, have been cut down to modern seats. In the
chancel is an alabaster mural monument to Humphrey
Adderley, died 29 July 1598, aged 86: he was Gentleman of the Wardrobe to Kings Henry VIII and
Edward VI, and Queens Mary and Elizabeth. Also
to Humphrey his son, died 10 November 1637, aged
54. The two inscriptions are on slate panels flanked by
panelled pilasters with Ionic caps, carrying a moulded
and carved cornice and a tall pediment. The monument was erected 1639 by Jane, widow of the younger
Humphrey, and his son Humphrey. There are shields
of Adderley, Capell, and Ward of Nunthorpe.
There is a grave-slab to Gilbert Adderley, who built
the church at his own expense in 1733 and died
30 December 1734.
There is one bell, dated 1703, probably by George
Oldfield of Nottingham.
The communion plate includes an Elizabethan
chalice and paten.
The registers begin in 1663.
ADVOWSON
The advowson descended with the
manor, (fn. 32) until the death of the Rev.
S. B. Heming, when it passed to the
Rev. B. H. Hall, and in 1873 to the Rev. R. S. Bracebridge Heming Hall. Since 1906 it has been held by
the Rev. Bracebridge Lindsay Hall, the rector. (fn. 33)
The church was valued at £4 in 1291, (fn. 34) and at
£8 10s. 6d. in 1535. (fn. 35)