BARTON-ON-THE-HEATH
Acreage: 1,177.
Population: 1911, 139; 1921, 133; 1931, 125.
This small parish, which was also often called Barton
in Henmarsh, (fn. 1) is dominated on the south by Barton
Hill, which attains a height of over 600 ft.; from here
the ground falls rapidly to 300 ft. in the valley of the
Stanford Brook, north of the village.
The village is small and lies mostly north of the
church: it is chiefly of small stone-built houses with
slate or stone-tiled roofs. It has a small triangular
green. One house of farm-house type north of the
green dates probably from the 17th century. It has
mullioned windows with labels in its west gable end
towards the roadway.
The Rectory, south of the church, is an 18th-century
building of red brick.
The Manor House, north of the church, is a typical
Cotswold manor-house built of the local yellow (Campden) stone and depending almost entirely on its material
and proportions for its attractiveness. The story is that
it was built in 1612 by Inigo Jones, the architect, for
James Overbury; but the property was only acquired
in 1625 by Walter Overbury, and there is no James in
the pedigree. It is probable that the building is mainly
of the late 16th century; perhaps Jones may have carried
out some sort of remodelling, chiefly to the middle
range and interior, after Walter Overbury bought it.
The plan is of the usual late Tudor type, having a
main block facing east and west with wings extending
to the east and projecting slightly to the west. It is of
three stories—the third being in the roofs—those of the
main block being taller than in the wings. In the south
wall is an original arched and square-headed doorway
to the stair hall and east of it outside is a recess, also with
a four-centred head, that was used formerly for charitydoles. The windows in the wings are of the normal low
and wide, mullioned, type: the moulded string-courses
that mark the floor levels serve as the drip-stones for
most of them, but where they are at other levels they
have their own labels. The third story has large gabled
dormers flush with the lower walls, three on each side
of the main block and one on each side of each wing:
all the gables have moulded copings with small ballfinials at the apices and pointed pinnacles above the
kneelers. The three outer walls have projecting chimney-stacks, each with a range of three tall detached
diagonal shafts. There are also later chimney-stacks at
the two ends of the main block.
The entrances on the east face of the main block
depart from the traditional central porch and door-way
plan and may perhaps be a later change, made to give
better access to the wings from the main block. There
is a two-storied lobby-tower built in each angle, with
archways into the main block and wings. On the inner
faces of these are lower porch wings communicating
with them and with their outer entrances facing each
other. Above the porches are low upper stories, and
the space between them is bridged to form a covered
way faced with a large round arch with rusticated
voussoirs and a carved foliage key-block, reaching to
half the height of the main upper story. Within this
recess the main wall has a modern large six-light
transomed window to the hall, placed where the
entrance would have been originally. The entrances
have round-arches with carved spandrels and pediments, and both porches and lobby-towers have
mullioned and transomed windows differing from the
original windows. The lobby-towers have plain parapets (at the main second-floor level), and above their
angles are ball-finials larger than those of the original
gables. The roofs, which show no very distinctive form
of construction, are covered with stone tiles.
The hall in the main block has a stone fire-place on
its west side which begins as a normal four-centred
arch but has a horizontal middle part as though the
fire-place had been widened, but it is all of one kind of
stone, so may have been part of the later remodelling.
Above it is a pulvinated frieze and moulded cornice
shelf. The openings to the hall from the lobbies are
moulded and round-headed with panelled soffits and
carved key-stones.
The south wing contains the 17th-century main
staircase in its middle part. It has square-turned
balusters, the mouldings of which slope with the rise
of the stair, and panelled newels with small heads. In
the north wing is an original and smaller staircase with
flat, shaped balusters. The doorway at its foot has a
moulded frame with moulded base-stops. The diningroom, the easternmost chamber in the north wing, has
a moulded Tudor fire-place and is lined with butt
panelling of c. 1600 with a fluted frieze at the top and
a dentilled cornice. The ceiling also has enrichments
of the same period—a large oval middle panel, formed
by a moulded rib, surrounded by four diamond-shaped
panels that have central triple-rose bosses; and there
are other small square paterae of foliage and flowers,
all differing. The 'Oak Room', at the east end of the
south wing, has richer panelling, perhaps unique for
Warwickshire and probably by Inigo Jones. There are
six tiers of small panels from floor to frieze with mitred
mouldings: the panels in the second to fifth tiers, having
their angles rebated, are really cross-shaped, and at the
intersections of muntins and rails are raised square
'jewel' ornaments. The topmost tier are rectangular
panels but have an inner oval frame with four keyblocks, and at the ceiling is an elaborately carved frieze.
At the windows are fluted pilasters. The stone Tudor
fire-place has an oak overmantel of three bays with
elliptical-headed arched panels with radial or shell
tympana. The west room of this wing was the former
kitchen and had a large fire-place, with a spit, now
replaced by a modern fire-place. This room and the
room above have been provided with modern threesided west bay-windows. Some of the upper rooms
preserve the original Tudor fire-places and have
moulded ceiling beams. There may have been a
gallery originally over the hall, but it is now divided
into chambers, and an east passage, entered from the
lobbies.
A water-mill in Barton is mentioned in 1541 (fn. 2) and
1591 (fn. 3) and occurs as an appanage of the manor in 1617 (fn. 4)
and 1702. (fn. 5)
Robert Dover, an attorney who was remarkable for
persuading his clients to compromise and avoid litigation and obtained fame by founding the 'Cotswold
games', was resident in this parish for some years about
the beginning of the 17th century. (fn. 6) A later resident
was Olivia Wilmot, who spent much of her childhood
under the care of her uncle, Dr. James Wilmot, rector
of Barton, and was married here in 1791 to J. T. Serres,
from whom she separated in 1804. She achieved some
fame as an artist, becoming landscape-painter to the
Prince of Wales, and more notoriety as claiming to be
'Princess Olive', daughter of the Duke of Cumberland, (fn. 7)
a descent less substantial than that of Christopher Sly,
in the Prologue to Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew,
as 'Old Sly's son of Burton Heath'.
Manors
In 1086 Grim held ½ hide in BARTON
of Robert de Stafford, (fn. 8) and the overlordship of a fractional fee, called 1/16 in 1242 (fn. 9)
and ¼ in 1398, (fn. 10) continued with the Staffords until at
least 1460. (fn. 11)
In 1166 the fees of the honour of Stafford included
¾ fee held by Roger Vigil (fn. 12) in Staffordshire and Warwickshire. (fn. 13) He, as Roger le Wayte, in 1197 granted
to Simon de Berton ½ virgate in Barton, namely 10
acres in the field to the north and 10 acres in that to the
south (suggesting that the two-field economy ruled
here), with its tenant William the miller and his brood. (fn. 14)
He was living in 1199, (fn. 15) but was probably dead by the
end of that year, when his daughter Cecily (fn. 16) with her
husband Thomas the Chamberlain gave to Simon son
of Richard de Berton ½ virgate in Barton with 'Linlandesich' to hold by the render of a pair of spurs or
2d. (fn. 17) Cecily married Richard de Bereford in 1211. (fn. 18)
Alice widow of William le Wayte held land in Barton
in 1240, (fn. 19) as did a later William in 1261. (fn. 20) In 1242
the Staffordshire portion of the Wayte fee, in Rickerscote, was held by Hugh le Wayte, (fn. 21) but the 1/16 fee in
Barton was then held of Robert de Stafford by Richard
le Frankeleyn. (fn. 22) This was probably under some
temporary arrangement, as Simon le Wayte (fn. 23) in 1309
settled a messuage and a carucate of land here on himself with remainder to his son John and his wife Alice. (fn. 24)
John le Wayte was one of the chief taxpayers in Barton
in 1332. (fn. 25) In 1392 and 1398 the quarter fee was held of
the Earl of Stafford by Edmund Wayte. (fn. 26) A William
Wayte of Barton was collector of a subsidy in 1446, (fn. 27)
and in 1460 the fee was said to be held by 'Wayte', (fn. 28)
but after this date neither the family nor the fee can
be traced.
Another quarter-fee in Barton was held of the Earls
of Warwick between 1235 and 1407. (fn. 29) In 1235 and
1242 a mesne lordship was held by Thomas de
Arden, (fn. 30) and this can be traced back to about 1220. (fn. 31)
It was probably the Arden interest that was represented
by William Ranes and John de Clinton, who held the
quarter-fee in, or perhaps before, 1400 and 1407 from
the Earl of Warwick. (fn. 32) They were apparently husbands of the two daughters of John de Dycheford, who
died in 1375. In 1487 Anne and Ursula, daughters of
Thomas Ranes, and John Clinton were suing William
Bury (see below) for land in Barton. (fn. 33)
The quarter-fee, or part of it, was held in the 12th
century by Ranulf de Berton. He had by his first wife a
son Einulf, and by his second, Maud, two daughters—Margery who married Richard and had a son Simon de
Berton, and Felice who had two daughters, Avice, and
Aldith who married Walter Belham. Einulf made over
his rights to Simon, who in 1214 was holding 8½
virgates here. (fn. 34) Simon was murdered about 1220 (fn. 35)
and left a son Richard de Berton, (fn. 36) who in 1249 conveyed the advowson of the church to Mr. Simon de
Wauton. (fn. 37) Four years later, however, Robert le
Mareschal and Emma his wife were holding half the
advowson, and 3 virgates of land, as well as another
2 virgates leased to Henry de Wolward and Alice his
wife, about which they made an agreement with
Robert's son Richard. (fn. 38) This Robert le Mareschal and
Richard 'le Eyr' were holding the quarter-fee under
Thomas de Arden in 1242. (fn. 39) A later Robert Mareschal
with Rose his wife in 1338 conveyed 3 messuages and
6 virgates in Barton to Nicholas Makerel and Gilbert
de Welton, John son of (this ?) Robert Mareschal at the
same time registering a claim. (fn. 40) The history of this
manor, if such it was, then becomes obscure. Gilbert
de Welton, who was elected Bishop of Carlisle in
1353, presented to Barton Church in 1354, as did
John de Welton, in 1364, and Sir William Peyto in
1449. (fn. 41) In 1471, however, when John Peyto presented, William Marshall alias Bury challenged his
right and recovered the advowson, (fn. 42) though Dugdale's
assertion that he was of the same family as the earlier
Mareschals (fn. 43) is not proven. Thomas Bury of Barton
is mentioned in 1498, (fn. 44) and in 1518 John Bury was
presented for having inclosed a messuage and 45 acres
of arable in this parish. (fn. 45) He, or another John, died in
1551 and his son Edmund died in 1559 leaving a son
William then a child. (fn. 46) During the minority of William
the manor seems to have been in the hands of his
mother's brother William Underhill, who died in
1570. (fn. 47) William Bury and his son William were
dealing with the manor and advowson in 1617, (fn. 48) and
in 1625 conveyed them to Walter Overbury, (fn. 49) who
rebuilt the manor-house (fn. 50) and died in 1637. (fn. 51) His
son Nicholas died in 1681 leaving a young son Thomas
Overbury. (fn. 52) Thomas died without issue in 1739 (fn. 53) and
under his will the manor was apparently sold. (fn. 54) From
1759 to 1784 it was held by Robert Bird and in 1792
by his widow Mary; Henry Bird occurs as lord of the
manor in 1806 and 1813, and Robert Merttins Bird
in 1822. (fn. 55) The latter was dealing with the manor in
1824, (fn. 56) and was chief landowner in the parish in 1850. (fn. 57)
In 1897 it was bought from his son Major Robert
Wilberforce Bird by Col. Stanley Arnold, on whose
death it passed to his daughter Ethel Constance wife of
Robert Grosvenor Perry, who was holding it in 1937. (fn. 58)
Bury. Argent a cheveron sable between three squirrels gules.
Overbury. Sable three molets between two bends argent.
Church
The parish church of ST. LAWRENCE
consists of a chancel, nave, short south
aisle or chapel, south porch, and small
west tower.
The chancel and nave are of early-12th-century
date, but there seems to have been some attempt at
enhancing the details of the chancel arch and north
chancel-window later in the century. The small west
tower, hardly more than a turret, was built late in the
12th century and its top stage added early in the 14th
century, when the east wall of the chancel was rebuilt,
and probably also the south wall, which, however, was
rebuilt again in some post-Reformation restoration and
all the earlier details destroyed. The south chapel was
added c. 1330. The south porch is modern, and there
have been modern renovations to the masonry and to
all the roofs.
Plan of Barton-on-the-Heath Church.
The chancel (21 ft. by 15 ft.) has an early-14thcentury east window of three cinquefoiled lights and
geometrical tracery in a two-centred head, with an
external hood-mould that is decorated with ball-flowers
and has head-stops. The sunk-chamfered outer order
of the head is similarly enriched and the rear-arch is
moulded. The masonry has been largely renewed. In
the north wall is an 8-in. light of the 12th century with
wide internal splays. The head was semicircular, but
later in the 12th century was cut to a point and
enriched outside with carving. The semicircular reararch has moulded cheveron ornament. At the west end
of the wall is a 14th-century low-side window with a
trefoiled pointed head and a chamfered segmentalpointed rear-arch. The lower half has been walled up.
The only south window, near the west end, is a modern
one of two trefoiled lights and a quatrefoil in a pointed
head. Farther east is a modern sedile recess.
The east wall is of early-14th-century coursed and
squared yellow ashlar, less regular in the gable-head
than below, and has a projecting splayed plinth: the
restored coping has some ball-flower ornament. The
north wall is of 12th-century small rubble-work and
has no plinth except a short return of the 14th-century
plinth at the east end. The south wall has obviously
been rebuilt, perhaps in the 17th century, with very
yellow and regularly coursed rough ashlar: a broken
vertical seam marks the south end of the 14th-century
east wall and the plinth is the same as the east plinth.
The gabled roof of two bays is modern and is
covered with stone tiles. The chancel arch, only 11 ft.
wide, is of early-12th-century date but was probably
partly rebuilt about the end of the same century. The
semicircular head is of two square orders, the outer
continued from the responds and having a hood-mould
on the nave side of half-round section, stopping on the
plain chamfered abaci. Its voussoirs are mostly small,
but near the springing level on the east face of the
south side is one about twice the average size and of a
different stone, carved in low relief with a pig and a
fragment of interlacing scroll ornament: it is obviously
brought from elsewhere and may have been part of
the tympanum of a doorway. The inner order is of
larger voussoirs and is carried on half-round shafts with
scalloped square capitals: between the scallops is square
pellet or nail-head ornament. The bases are moulded
on square chamfered sub-bases.
The nave averages 32 ft. by 18 ft. inside, but the
walls are rather out of square. The only remaining
12th-century details are the two doorways. The south
doorway is of mid-12th-century date and is of one
order with a large edge-roll interrupted at the springing
level by moulded and hollow-chamfered abaci. The
hood-mould of the round head is also hollow-chamfered.
On one of the west jamb-stones is a scratched mass-dial.
The north doorway, which is blocked and not visible
inside, is plainer than the other, being only chamfered,
and having a plain hood-mould to the round head.
Over it is a relieving arch.
In the east half of the north wall is a large 15thcentury window of three cinquefoiled ogee-headed
lights and tracery in a square head. The jambs and
head are moulded with wide casement hollows inside
and out and it has an external moulded label with
beast-like stops. Under its east jamb inside is reset an
early-14th-century piscina with a trefoiled head and
remains of a round basin. This was probably in the
south wall formerly, where a modern archway leads
into the south chapel. The larger pointed archway to
the chapel, immediately west of this, is of two chamfered
orders with hood-moulds differing in section on the two
faces. The inner order has a 14th-century moulded
capital to the west respond. The whole of the east
respond was modernized with the insertion of the
narrower archway.
West of the south doorway is a 14th-century window
of two trefoiled ogee-headed lights and a quatrefoil in
the two-centred head, with an external hood-mould.
The jambs are of one chamfered order, the splays are
wide and as the window is set close to the west wall the
west splay is not complete. The chamfered rear-arch
is semicircular. Just east of the south doorway is a
stoup in a 15th-century four-centred head. In the west
wall is a plain round-headed doorway into the tower
and presumably contemporary with it. Above it is a
12th-century round-headed light put out of use by the
tower: it has plastered wide splays. The masonry of
the nave walls is like the north wall of the chancel.
The coping and gable-cross of the east wall are modern.
The roof is modern, of trussed rafter type and covered
with stone tiles.
The chapel south of the nave (about 17½ ft. by 12 ft.)
has a window of c. 1330 in each of its three walls. The
east and south windows are each of the usual two trefoiled ogee-headed lights and a quatrefoil in a twocentred head, with an external hood-mould. The jambs
are of one chamfered order and the wide splays have
dressed angles: the rear-arch is moulded. The narrower
window in the west wall is blocked because of the porch.
It was of two pointed lights in a two-centred head: the
jambs are of two chamfered orders. It is set very low
in the wall and is not visible inside, but a moulded
string-course across the west end was interrupted for it.
Presumably the floor of the chapel was lower than now.
The chapel walls are of coursed roughly squared
rubble. At the angles are ashlar dressings and very low
diagonal buttresses: the plinth is chamfered. On two
stones are scratched sundials. The east and west walls
are gabled and have old coping stones and weatherworn crosses.
The south porch is modern and has a pointed
entrance and a west window.
The west tower (only about 5½ ft. square) is of three
stages divided by plain string-courses. The walls of the
two lower stages are of courses of small squared yellow
stones with mostly larger dressings at the angles. The
lowest 10 ft. of the south side is of a lighter tinted stone
than the others, and the north side has had some repair.
The top stage is generally of larger courses and has east
and west coped gables to the saddle-back roof, which
is covered with stone tiles. In the west wall of the
lowest stage is a narrow rectangular light with a semicircular rear-arch, and the south wall of the second
stage has another rectangular light. The third stage
(bell-chamber) has a 14th-century trefoiled light in
each wall. At the apices of the gables are the ancient
bases of crosses, but the east cross is modern and on the
western is a weather-vane.
The font, of the 15th century, is octagonal: the sides
of the bowl have quatrefoiled panels with square
central paterae and on the concave underside are foliage
bosses. The stem has plain panels and the base is
moulded.
In the north windows of the chancel are reset fragments of glass from the east window. In the eastern is
some tabernacle work, some black and white foliage
and floral borders, pieces of plain ruby and green and
one small piece with the gridiron symbol of St. Lawrence. In the western are some 13th-century quarries—clear with thin line foliage patterns, also some 14thcentury running foliage borders, &c. In the six tracery
lights of the 15th-century north window of the nave
are white and yellow line figures of falcons with spreading wings, all contemporary except one which is
modern.
A late-17th-century chair in the chancel has a high
back with a cane centre and cane seat, turned legs and
carved rails.
In the chancel is a brass effigy of a man in Elizabethan
costume and an inscription to Edmund (altered from
Edward) Bury, died 22 January 1558(–9). His
widow Elizabeth (Underhill) of Nether Ettington
married secondly Thomas Tawyer of Raunds,
Northants., and caused this stone to be prepared in
1608. There are also two shields of arms and a rect
angular indent. There are other later floor slabs,
including one to Thomas Overbury 1739 with a shield
of arms. A mural monument on the south side of the
chancel is to Anthony Weoley, November 1643 and
Clement (Fox) his wife June 1653: above it is an
achievement of arms.
A few loose carved fragments of medieval stonework
lie in the porch.
There are two bells, a small one bearing the name of
John Kerry, 1672, and a large one by Henry Bagley
1740. (fn. 59)
The communion plate includes a large cup, paten,
and flagon, all of 1638, provided by the bequest of
Walter Overbury and the gift of his widow Magdalen.
There is also a second cup, given by Nicholas Overbury
in 1670. (fn. 60)
Advowson
The advowson appears to have been
attached to the Warwick quarter-fee
(see above). Robert le Mareschal in
1317 conveyed it to Nicholas Makerel of Carlton in
Lindsey, (fn. 61) who in 1323 presented Gilbert de Welton
to the rectory of Barton. (fn. 62) When the latter resigned he
is called Gilbert Makerel; (fn. 63) as Gilbert de Welton,
Bishop of Carlisle, he presented Mr. John de Welton
to Barton in 1354, and the said John, who had resigned
in 1355, presented in 1364. (fn. 64) As already stated, Sir
William Peyto was patron in 1449, but William
Marshall alias Bury recovered the advowson in 1471.
John Peyto, however, died seised thereof on 15 August
1487; his eldest son Edward died a month later, (fn. 65) and
Edward's widow Godith claimed ⅓ of the advowson in
dower, it having passed to their son John, aged 9, then
in ward to Robert Throckmorton. (fn. 66) The advowson
afterwards came into the hands of the Burys, and it then
followed the descent of the manor until 1704, when
Thomas Overbury gave it to the President and Fellows
of the College of Holy Trinity, Oxford, (fn. 67) in whose
gift the rectory remains.
The church was valued at £5 in 1291, (fn. 68) and at
£12 17s. 11d. in 1535, at which time Edmund Bury
was rector. (fn. 69)
Charities
William Adams by will proved 9 November 1891 gave £600, the income
to be applied by the churchwardens in
the purchase of coals for the needy poor for distribution
annually at Christmas. The dividends, amounting to
£15 9s., are annually distributed to the poor of the
parish.
Catherine Sophia Bird by will proved 22 January 1921
gave the income from the sum of £250 in 2½ per cent.
Consols to the rector for the time being of the parish.
The charity is administered by the churchwarden.