RUSHDEN
Risendene (xi cent.); Ressenden, Ryshenden,
Russenden (xiii and xiv cent.); Rissheden, Russhenden (xiv cent.); Risden (xvii cent.).
Rushden is a small parish with an area of only
1,508 acres, of which about two-thirds are arable
land, a quarter permanent grass and a fifteenth woodland. (fn. 1) Friars Wood, of some considerable size, is in
the north-east of the parish and Bachelors Wood to
the north of Southend Green. The parish lies on
the chalk downs, which here reach a height of 500 ft.
in the north-east, sloping down to about 350 ft. in
the south.
Evidence of early settlement on the chalk lands of
this district is furnished by the discovery of about
forty implements of the Bronze Age at Cumberlow
Green, which is the most important find of this period
in Hertfordshire. (fn. 2)
The village of Rushden is very small. It is situated
a little off the road connecting Baldock and Buntingford, and lies about midway between these two towns,
in which are its nearest railway stations. An old
road, called in Rushden (of which it forms the western
boundary) Shaw Green Lane, intersects this road
near Cumberlow Green, and after passing through
Rushden and Wallington joins the road known as
the Icknield Way. Another road which branches
off from this at Cumberlow Green and joins it again
near Redhill passes through the Mill End. The
church of St. Mary stands a little to the east of it,
with the school close by. The vicarage is half a mile
to the east at Southend Green. To the south of the
church in the main part of the village called Church
End is a plastered timber building of the 16th or 17th
century, formerly used as a post office. It has a tiled
roof and one overhanging gable. It bears the date
1730, but this probably only refers to the plaster.
Near it stands the old Rose and Crown Inn, which
dates from the end of the 16th century. It also has
a tiled roof and is built of plastered timber which is
decorated with combed work. In addition to these
there are some 17th-century thatched cottages and
farm buildings. The village smithy is at Mill End.
The parish of Rushden includes several small
hamlets. Shaw Green, on Shaw Green Lane, is a
mile to the north-west of the village, Mill End is
half a mile to the west, Southend Green half a mile
to the east, connected with the village by a road,
Offley Green a mile to the north-east between
Julians and Friar's Wood, whilst Cumberlow Green
is situated on the main road at the point where it
enters the parish one mile to the south-west of the
village.
MANORS
Rushden
The manor of RUSHDEN was held
before the Conquest by two sokemen,
'men' of Archbishop Stigand. (fn. 3) In 1086
it was assessed at 5 hides and was held by Sigar de
Cioches. (fn. 4) The lands of the Cioches family lay for the
most part in Northamptonshire and were known as
the honour of Chokes. (fn. 5) These lands descended to
Anselm de Cioches, who forfeited under Henry I,
and in 1130–1 paid 170 marks of silver, five warhorses and three palfreys for the restoration of his
lands. (fn. 6) He was succeeded by his son Robert de
Cioches or Chokes. (fn. 7) Robert was the last in the direct
line to hold this honour, which on his death passed
to William of Bethune, advocate of Arras, brother of
Baldwin de Bethune Earl of Aumâle, who in 1200
paid £100 to have seisin of the lands in England (fn. 8)
which had belonged to Robert de Cioches and which
he claimed as great-nephew of Anselm father of
Robert. (fn. 9) In 1203 Baldwin was granted the lands
and possessions of his brother William in England. (fn. 10)
Baldwin died in 1212, (fn. 11) and William de Bethune must
have died shortly after, as in 1214 his son Robert was
allowed full seisin of his lands. (fn. 12) Robert was succeeded
by his brother Daniel in 1217, (fn. 13) and the latter before
1223 by Robert de Bethune, advocate of Arras, (fn. 14)
presumably his son. Robert granted the honour
of Chokes to Robert Count of Gisnes, who became
the advocate of Bethune. (fn. 15) He was holding 3 hides of
land in Rushden when he died. (fn. 16) After this the
overlordship of Rushden appears to have lapsed. In
1461 the manor was said to be held of George Hyde
in socage, (fn. 17) but this was possibly an error, as seventeen
years later it was said to be held of the king in
chief. (fn. 18)
The first sub-tenant in the manor of Rushden of
whom there is any trace is William Basset, who held
it at the beginning of the 13th century. (fn. 19) In 1239
a William Basset, probably his son (see advowson),
was holding a carucate of land in Rushden of Thomas
de Breaute. (fn. 20) This William paid £6 yearly for the
lands which he held in Rushden of the honour of
Chokes. (fn. 21) In 1272 Peter Basset was evidently lord
of the manor, (fn. 22) but before 1310 he had been
succeeded by Robert Basset, (fn. 23) of whom there is
mention in 1313, 1353, and 1384. (fn. 24)
With La More in Sandon (q.v.) Rushden came soon
after to the Bealknaps and in 1390 was in the king's
hands by the forfeiture of Sir Robert Bealknap. It
was granted with other lands to Juliane, wife of Robert,
for the support of Robert, then in exile in Ireland, and
of Juliane and her children. (fn. 25) Hamon son of Robert
was holding the manor in 1419 and sold it in that
year to John Fray and Agnes his wife. (fn. 26) John Fray
held it until his death in 1461, (fn. 27) when by his will
it remained with his widow Agnes for life, with
reversion to their daughter Agnes and her heirs, with
contingent remainder to their youngest daughter
Katherine and their other daughters in succession. (fn. 28)
Agnes Fray died in 1478, (fn. 29) their daughter Agnes died
without issue, (fn. 30) and Rushden passed to Katherine,
then wife of Humphrey Stafford. (fn. 31) In 1482
Katherine died, (fn. 32) her husband only surviving her for
four years, (fn. 33) and Rushden descended to her young son
Humphrey, aged eight. (fn. 34) He was knighted before
1531, (fn. 35) and died in 1545, his son Humphrey, aged
forty, being his heir. (fn. 36) This Humphrey (of Kirby
Hall, co. Northants) was knighted in February 1546–7
at the coronation of Edward VI. (fn. 37) He held the
manor (fn. 38) until 1574, when he sold it with a wood
called Westhay to Robert Newport of Sandon (co.
Herts.). (fn. 39) Robert Newport died in 1583, (fn. 40) and
Rushden passed to Edward Newport, (fn. 41) apparently his
son. (fn. 42) He with his wife Anne sold it in 1604 to
John and William Rowley. (fn. 43) By 1615 it had come
into the possession of John Goodman (whose family
had held land in Rushden for some time previously), (fn. 44)
who with John Goodman, junior, and Grace his wife
then conveyed it to Sir William Smyth. (fn. 45)
From Goodman the manor seems to have passed
to Sir Thomas Stanley, kt., of Leytonstone (co.
Essex). (fn. 46) His wife was Mary Hammond, sister to
William Hammond and cousin to Richard Lovelace
the poet. Stanley held in 1648, when he settled
the manor on his son Thomas Stanley, (fn. 47) who is
known as a poet and as the author of the Lives of
the Philosophers, (fn. 48) on the occasion of his marriage
with Dorothy daughter of Sir James Enyon, bart.,
of Floore (co. Northants). (fn. 49) Thomas Stanley died
in 1678, (fn. 50) and his widow Dorothy Stanley and
his son Thomas sold the manor the following year to
Joseph Edmonds (fn. 51) of Cumberlow Green, son of
Simon Edmonds, alderman of London. (fn. 52) On the
death of Joseph Edmonds Rushden descended to his
daughter and heiress Anne, who married Sir Cleave
More, bart., in or before 1689. (fn. 53) She died in 1720, (fn. 54)
and Rushden was inherited by her son Sir Joseph
Edmonds More, (fn. 55) who continued to hold it with his
wife until 1729, when it was bought by John
Spence (fn. 56) in trust with other lands under the terms
of the will of Luke Hodges, merchant of London,
who had married John's daughter Mary Spence in
1692. (fn. 57) This was proved in 1715 by his widow, (fn. 58)
who subsequently married Benjamin Avery, LL.D. (fn. 59)
On her death in 1737 (fn. 60) these lands passed by settlement to the sons of Dorothy Mole, cousin of Luke
Hodges. The two eldest sons must have died without
children, for in 1779 Rushden had descended to
Christopher Hodges, formerly Mole, late of the Inner
Temple, only son and heir of Christopher Mole, late
of the East India House, deceased, (fn. 61) third son of
Dorothy Mole. (fn. 62) In this year Christopher Hodges
sold it to Adolphus Meetkerke the younger of
Julians. (fn. 63) He died in 1784, (fn. 64) and his son Adolphus
Meetkerke died in 1841. (fn. 65) He was succeeded by a
son of the same name, who on his death in 1879 left
two daughters. (fn. 66) The elder of these, Mary Florence,
married in 1878 Frederick Morehouse Metcalfe of
Inglethorpe Hall (co. Norfolk), who died in 1893. (fn. 67)
Mrs. Metcalfe inherited her father's estates in
Rushden, and is the present owner of the manor,
residing at Julians. (fn. 68)
Warden Abbey. Azure a crozier between three warden pears or.
Bradfield Grange alias Fryers Grange
BRADFIELD GRANGE alias FRYERS GRANGE (fn. 69) originally formed part of the manor of
Broadfield, but there seems no doubt that it lay in
Rushden. (fn. 70) In the days of Edward the Confessor
Broadfield was divided between the men of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Queen Edith. (fn. 71) In 1086
one of these holdings, a hide and a quarter of a
virgate, had passed into the possession of Hardwin de
Scales and was held of him by Theobald. (fn. 72) In 1150
Theobald, probably grandson
of the former Theobald, with
consent of his brother William,
granted 30 acres of land in
Broadfield (i.e. in the manor
of Broadfield) to Warden
Abbey (co. Beds.). (fn. 73) This
estate, according to a later
confirmation of the grant, included the grange of Bradfield
and a wood named Fildenwode. (fn. 74) In 1291 the abbot
was assessed at £1 19s. 8¼d.
for his lands in Rushden. (fn. 75)
These remained with the
abbey until its dissolution. (fn. 76) In 1543 they were
granted as 'Bradfield Grange in the parish of Rushden'
to Richard Andrewes of Hailes (co. Gloucester), (fn. 77)
who in the same year alienated the Grange to John
Newport, who for many years had held a lease of it
under the abbey of Warden. (fn. 78)
John Newport died in 1552 and his lands passed
to his son and heir Robert, aged thirty. (fn. 79) Robert
acquired the manor of Rushden (q.v.), and on his
death in 1583 Edward Newport inherited his lands. (fn. 80)
In 1603 Edward Newport alienated Bradfield Grange
to John and William Rowley, (fn. 81) who sold it to
John Stone of co. Hunts., (fn. 82) son of William Stone of
Segenhoe (co. Beds.). After this there seems no trace
of it as a separate property. The situation of Bradfield or Fryers Grange is marked by a large wood
called Friars Wood in the north-east of the parish,
which has Friars Farm on its north side.
Julians
JULIANS was a capital messuage or farm which
Richard and William, sons of John Stone, bought in
1603 from Edward Newport, who had acquired it in
1586 by purchase from William Wilson of Walkern. (fn. 83)
Richard Stone was knighted, and in 1651, with
Elizabeth his wife and John Stone, was holding land
in Rushden. (fn. 84) On his death his heir was his son
Thomas Stone, who died in 1696. (fn. 85) He left no
son, and his elder daughter and co-heir Penelope
inherited Julians. (fn. 86) She married in 1699 Adolphus
Meetkerke, who was descended from Sir Adolphus
Meetkerke, President of the High Court of Flanders
in the latter half of the 16th century. (fn. 87) He was
an adherent of the Reformed religion and took part
in an endeavour to surrender Leyden to the Earl of
Essex. (fn. 88) The plot failed and he was obliged to
take refuge in England. Later he was appointed
ambassador to England by the
United States of Holland, and
he died in London in 1591. (fn. 89)
His two eldest sons were
killed fighting in the Netherlands, but his fourth son
Edward, who was only a year
old at the time of his father's
death, settled in England, and,
taking holy orders, was for
many years Professor of
Hebrew at Christ Church,
Oxford. (fn. 90) His grandson, who
married the heiress to Julians,
died in 1732, (fn. 91) and Penelope
died in 1746, (fn. 92) when Julians
descended to their son Adolphus Meetkerke, (fn. 93) who
purchased the manor of Rushden in 1779, and from
this date Julians has descended with that manor
(q.v.).
Meetkerke. Gules two swords or crossed saltirewise with the hilts upwards.
The mansion-house of Julians is situated about half
a mile north of the church. It was erected by
William Stone about 1610. The house was entirely
recased about the beginning of the 18th century, but
the old walls appear to have been left standing, so
that the general arrangement of the house is very
little changed. The present front is cemented and is
very plain. The doorway is in the middle, entering
into the hall. The staircase opens directly off the
hall, and probably at one time formed a back projection, but considerable additions have been made to
the house. The stair is a very good example of the
Queen Anne period, with delicately twisted and
fluted balusters and carved ends to the steps. The
details are very similar to the stair at the Great
House, Cheshunt, which belongs to the same period,
though the arrangement of the returned ends of the
steps is somewhat different. There are wide folding
doors at the foot of the stair, to shut it off from the
hall when desired. To the right of the hall on
entering is the drawing-room—no doubt the old
parlour, and to the left is the kitchen wing, which
still contains a little 17th-century panelling and an
oak chimneypiece. The site of the old Bury can be
traced in the park, immediately to the north of the
church.
Cumberlow Green
The descent of the manor of CUMBERLOW
GREEN (Comerlowe Green, Cumbarlo Green, xvi
cent.) is very difficult to trace. It appears to have
been called the manor of Broadfield in 1346, when
it was held by Walter de Mauny, (fn. 94) and from him it
afterwards took the name of Maunseys. (fn. 95) He does
not appear to have held it long, and it may probably be identified with the manor of Broadfield
which in February 1361–2 was in the hands of
John de Ellerton, King's Serjeant-at-Arms, to whom
Edward III granted free warren. (fn. 96) In 1376
Sir Walter Lee, kt., quitclaimed all right in the
manor of Cumberlow to Richard de Ravensere and
others, (fn. 97) probably in trust for the lord of the manor
of Broadfield, for in 1428 Walter de Mauny's holding
had come to John Clerk, to whom the manor of
Broadfield belonged. (fn. 98) It descended with that manor
(q.v.) until 1486, when, on the death of Margaret
Dunstable, they became separated and Maunseys in
Cumberlow descended to her son and heir Thomas
Hatfield, (fn. 99) who sold it in 1492, as the manor of
Broadfield in Cumberlow Green, to Thomas Oxenbrigge. (fn. 100) He must have sold it to John Fortescue,
who died seised of the manor of Cumberlow Green in
1517, when it descended to his son Henry. (fn. 101) Henry
Fortescue was holding lands in Cumberlow in
1537–8, (fn. 102) but he conveyed the manor to William
Goodman, (fn. 103) who was holding it in 1574. (fn. 104) On his
death it descended to his son John, to whom Francis
Fortescue quitclaimed all right in the manor in 1577. (fn. 105)
John Goodman, who built a house at Cumberlow
Green, (fn. 106) was holding the manor in 1601. (fn. 107) He
shortly afterwards acquired the manor of Rushden
(q.v.), and from this date the two manors have
descended together. Cumberlow Green lies in the
south-west of the parish, on the borders of Clothall,
into which parish the manor extended and in which
the manor-house was situated. (fn. 108)
The Knights Hospitallers held certain lands in
Rushden which were attached to their preceptory of
Shingay in Cambridgeshire. (fn. 109) This manor of Shingay
was given them by Sybil de Raynes, daughter of
Roger de Montgomery, in 1140, (fn. 110) and it is probable
that the land attached to it in Rushden represents the
half hide which Earl Roger held in Broadfield in
1086, (fn. 111) for there is no further trace of this holding in
Broadfield and the boundaries of the manorial holdings do not seem to correspond with the present
boundaries of the parishes. (fn. 112) In 1198 the Knights
Hospitallers were holding land in Rushden and were
fined for receiving a fugitive, Ralph Rusticus, there. (fn. 113)
They continued to hold these lands (fn. 114) until the dissolution of the order, after which the preceptory of
Shingay with all its appurtenances in Rushden and
elsewhere was granted by Henry VIII to Sir Richard
Long in tail-male in 1540. (fn. 115) There is no further
record of the Rushden estate after this date. Shingay
survived as the name of a wood, which is marked on
the tithe map of 1845. (fn. 116)
The Knights Templars also seem to have had a
small holding in Rushden, attached to their manor of
Temple Dinsley, in 1309, the year of the suppression
of their order, when a report was ordered to be made
on all their lands in Hertfordshire. (fn. 117) After the grant
of the Templars' lands to the Knights Hospitallers (fn. 118)
this estate probably became amalgamated with the
Hospitallers' other holding in Rushden.
CHURCH
The church of ST. MARY THE
VIRGIN consists of chancel 28 ft. by
14 ft., nave 43 ft. by 20 ft., south porch,
west tower 11 ft. by 10 ft. 6 in., all dimensions
taken internally. The walls are of flint rubble
covered with cement, the dressings are of stone; the
chancel is built of brick and the roof slated, the nave
roof being covered with lead.
The nave dates from about 1340–50; the chancel
is modern, although built on the old foundations,
parts of which are visible on the south side. The
chancel arch is of 15th-century date; the west tower
of about 1400.
In the original 14th-century plinth visible on the
south side of the chancel are the jambs of an old
doorway. The four-light window in the east wall of
the chancel and the two windows of two lights in
each of the north and south walls, together with the
doorway in the south, are all modern. In the south
wall a late 14th-century piscina has been reset; the
head is cinquefoiled and the plain projecting sill is
made up with cement. The 15th-century chancel
arch is of two moulded orders, the inner one supported on responds with capitals but no bases, the
mouldings stopping on a plain splay. The jambs
have been repaired. In the north wall of the nave
is a late 15th-century window of three cinquefoiled
lights under a four-centred arch, a good deal repaired;
a late 14th-century doorway has been blocked: it
has an arch of two orders. In the south wall are
two windows of two cinquefoiled lights with transom
and traceried heads under four-centred arches; they
are of late 15th-century work much repaired. The
mid-14th-century south doorway is of three moulded
orders, with moulded capitals and splayed bases; the
capital on the east side is enriched with leaf ornament, the other being plain. The south porch is
modern. At the south-east angle of the nave are the
remains of the stair to the rood loft, constructed in
the thickness of the wall. In the east wall, north of
the chancel arch, is a large niche with cinquefoiled
four-centred arch under a square head; above is a
frieze filled with square panels cusped and traceried;
portions of the flanking buttresses and the sill have
been cut away. It is of 15th-century work. On
the north wall of the nave, opposite the south door,
are traces of paintings.
Rushden Church From The South-East
The west tower is of three stages with an embattled
parapet. The tower arch is of three splayed orders
with responds and moulded capitals, the bases are
modern. The west window is of two trefoiled lights
with a sixfoiled opening in the centre and is of late
14th-century date. The second stage is pierced on
the south face only by a narrow loop-light; the
belfry lights are single with trefoiled heads and are
much decayed.
The low-pitched roof over the nave has been
much restored, but some of the old timbers still
remain; the marks of the original high-pitched roof
are visible on the east face of the tower.
The octagonal font belongs to the middle of the
15th century; the sides of the basin are decorated
with cusped and foliated panels; the base mouldings
have been repaired with cement; the cover is of
17th-century work.
The communion table is of the early part of the
17th century and has plain turned legs. All the
other fittings are modern.
On the south nave wall is a mural monument,
with arms, to Sir Adolphus Meetkerke, who died in
1591.
There are five bells cast from four old ones in
1787 by John Briant of Hertford.
The communion plate consists of cup, paten and
flagon, 1714, and another paten, 1847.
The registers are in four books: (i) baptisms from
1607 to 1668, burials 1607 to 1668, marriages
1607 to 1669; (ii) baptisms and burials from 1673
to 1770, marriages 1673 to 1753; (iii) baptisms
and burials from 1700 to 1812, marriages 1700
to 1748; (iv) marriages from 1792 to 1812. It
will be seen that book iii is largely a repetition of
book ii. A book containing marriages (1754–92)
was accidentally burnt in 1792.
ADVOWSON
The patronage of the church of
St. Mary the Virgin was originally
vested in the lord of the manor, the
earliest recorded presentation being made by William
Basset in 1220. (fn. 119) Soon after he granted the church
to the Prior and convent of Dunstable. (fn. 120) On the
living falling vacant in 1241, however, William
Basset, probably his son, disputed the presentation,
but the prior succeeded in securing the living to his
own nominee. In 1272 a similar dispute took
place between the prior and Peter Basset, who
presented his brother John. This ended in a composition made between them by which Basset quitclaimed all right to the prior. (fn. 121) In 1310 the Prior
and convent of Dunstable received a confirmation of
the church from Robert Basset, and in the same year
obtained licence to appropriate the church, (fn. 122) which
in 1310 they alienated in mortmain to the Chapter
of Lincoln. (fn. 123) To this alienation Robert Basset gave
his consent. (fn. 124) The advowson of Rushden remained
with the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln until 1908, (fn. 125)
when an exchange was made by which the Dean
and Chapter of Lincoln became patrons of South
Reston, co. Lincoln, and the Chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster became patron of Rushden. (fn. 126)
The living was formally declared a vicarage in 1336.
A terrier of 1709 shows that besides the small tithes
the vicar had half the tithes of hay and the tithe of
wood excepting Shingay Wood, which was tithe free. (fn. 127)
CHARITIES
In 1815 William Love by his
will gave £180 3 per cent. consols,
the dividends thereon to be applied
towards providing a master or mistress of the Sunday
or any other school for the instruction of poor children
and for purchasing books and other necessaries for the
use of the school. This stock was sold in 1819, and
with the proceeds and from part of the residue of the
personal estate a sum of £233 6s. 8d. consols was
purchased.
The dividends, amounting to £5 16s. 8d., are
paid to the mistress of the Sunday school.