NEWBOLD PACEY

Acreage: 1,851.

Population: 1911, 373; 1921, 347; 1931, 349.

For the most part the parish lies within 20 ft. on either side of the 200-ft. contour line, but in the north Ashorne Hill and on the east Bromson Hill rise a little over 300 ft. On the east the boundary is formed in part by the Fosse Way and the road from Warwick to Banbury. The small village, on the western edge of the parish, contains at least one 17th-century cottage, of timber-framing, and the Vicarage, farther east near the church, is a late-17th-century building of red and black brick, partly refaced in the 18th century. Immediately north of the village is Newbold Pacey Hall, whose spacious grounds are bounded on the north by the Thelsford, or Ouseley, Brook, which runs across the parish and divides Newbold Pacey from the hamlet of Ashorne. The country is mostly open, with a few small coppices. The common fields were inclosed, with those of Wellesbourne, in 1733. (fn. 1)

Manors

At the time of the Domesday Survey the 5 hides in NEWBOLD which had formerly been held by Alvred were in the hands of Hasculf Musard, of whom they were held by Humphrey. (fn. 2) It was among the fees of Robert Musard in 1235, (fn. 3) and Humphrey's descendants, the Hastangs, retained their interest here until at least as late as 1339; (fn. 4) but by the end of the 12th century one of the family of Pascy, or Pacey, had been enfeoffed here, from whom the manor took its name of NEWBOLD PACEY. The first of these who is known to have held the manor was Adam de Pacey, father of Robert, (fn. 5) who was flourishing in 1221 (fn. 6) and was father of William. This William left at least two sons and a daughter Margery, on whose death her younger brother Nicholas de Pacey in 1261 claimed her lands in Newbold on the ground that his elder brother Robert, being lord of the fee, could not inherit lands which were held of himself. Robert replied that he had a son John and other sons who had a better claim than Nicholas. (fn. 7) One of these other sons was presumably the William de Pacey who held Newbold of Robert Hastang as 1 knight's fee in 1279, Robert holding of Ralph Musard. (fn. 8) Richard, son of William Pacey, had succeeded by 1320, (fn. 9) and in 1347 he and his wife Pernel gave rents in Hapsford to Combe Abbey, retaining land in Newbold Pacey. (fn. 10) He appears to have been the last of his line and in 1428 Newbold is said to have been formerly held by Richard Pacey. (fn. 11)

Little. Azure a cinquefoil between four stars in cross or.

John Faux died in 1585 and left to his elder daughter Elizabeth a capital messuage and lands in Newbold Pacey, of which her husband Edward Venner died seised in 1627. (fn. 12) Elizabeth Venner was said to own the 'manor' in 1647, her heir-apparent being her son John; at which time her sister Margaret undertook to rebuild a cottage which her late husband William Banbury (fn. 13) had destroyed. (fn. 14) In 1664 Joseph Venner and Sara his wife and Timothy Venner and Ann his wife conveyed the manor of Newbold Pacey to William Bishop and Henry Smith. (fn. 15) Edward Greene held the manor in 1688 (fn. 16) and, with Aphra his wife, conveyed it in 1693 to Sir Thomas Wagstaffe. (fn. 17) William Charnley owned it in 1720, (fn. 18) and Ann Charnley, widow, in 1757. (fn. 19) William Charnley was lord in 1785 and his widow left it in 1789, to her nephew Thomas Little. (fn. 20) He was succeeded in 1791 by William Little, who died in 1834, when he left the manor to the Rev. George Ernest Howman, a connexion by marriage, who took the name of Little. (fn. 21) His great-grandson George Jerningham Knightley Little, C.B.E., is the present owner of the manor.

ASHORNE was part of Newbold, the two in 1235 constituting 2½ fees of Robert Musard. (fn. 22) The overlordship came into the hands of Sir John de Mowbray, on whose death in 1361 a half-fee here was found to have been held of him by the heir of Robert Hastang. (fn. 23) This may perhaps have been derived from his marriage with the youngest daughter of Henry, Earl of Lancaster, as in 1369 the manor was said to be held of the fee of the Earl of Leicester (fn. 24) [and Lancaster], which was probably a reference to earlier conditions no longer correct, as in 1430 Ashorne was definitely said not to be held of the king (fn. 25) (who held the Lancaster fee). The mesne lordship descended with Newbold in the Hastang family.

The fee of Roger Balance in Ashorne is mentioned in 1196, (fn. 26) and in 1228 William Balance, 'valet' of Master Stephen de Lucy, was excused scutage of a knight's fee, evidently here, which he held of Robert Hastang of the fee of Ralph [Musard]. (fn. 27) Thomas Balance was lord of Ashorne in 1279, holding it as half a fee of Robert Hastang, who held of Ralph Musard. (fn. 28) The other half-fee was at this time held by Hugh de Bromley and Amice his wife, in her right. (fn. 29) The Bromley portion seems to have escheated (possibly after the Black Death), as in 1365 John Hastang granted all the lands in Ashorne formerly of John de Bromley to John de Blockeleye. (fn. 30) In 1428 the fee was said to have been formerly held by Thomas Balance and John Lyouns, (fn. 31) the latter presumably representing the Bromley portion, of which no more is known. Nicholas Balance, who was the largest taxpayer here in 1332, (fn. 32) was the last of his line. His daughter Joan married John Vesey and they granted the manor to Sir Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick. (fn. 33) It then descended with the earldom until 1430, when Earl Richard granted it to his chantry of Guy's Cliff. (fn. 34) In 1547 Thomas Moore and Roger Higham, the last priests of that chantry, conveyed the manor to Sir Andrew Flamock. (fn. 35) From him it passed to John Colborne, who died seised thereof in 1600, leaving a son (Sir) Edmund. (fn. 36) It is said to have been bought by Timothy Wagstaffe, (fn. 37) whose grandson Sir Combe Wagstaffe, with Flamock Colborne and Mary his wife, and Matthew Newton and Margaret his wife, made a conveyance of the manor in 1661. (fn. 38) After this it descended with the Wagstaffe's manor of Tachbrook (q.v.), passing to the Bagots and eventually to the Earl of Warwick.

Land in Newbold Pacey amounting to 2 hides had been given to the Knights Templars before 1185. (fn. 39) This passed to the Hospitallers, and in 1553 the messuage and lands here belonging to the dissolved Preceptory of Balsall, leased to William Savage, were granted to Thomas Lucy. (fn. 40)

In 1395 Sir William Lucy and others were licensed to grant a messuage, 40 acres of land and 6 acres of meadow in Ashorne and Newbold Pacey to the Friary of Thelsford. (fn. 41) This property still belonged to the friars at the Dissolution. (fn. 42)

Church

The parish church of ST. GEORGE consists of a chancel, south organ-chamber and vestry, nave, south transept, south aisle, and a north porch-tower. The church was entirely rebuilt in 1881–2 in the 13th-century style by Mr. J. L. Pearson, who, however, saved two late-12th-century doorways and reset them. The former south and more elaborate doorway is now on the north side, entered from the porch. It has jambs of two square orders with nook-shafts. These have moulded bases with spurs on square sub-bases. The capitals are of cushion type with carved enrichments and voluted top angles and cable neck-moulds. The decoration of the eastern is a latticediaper and of the western interlacing strap and scroll ornament. The abaci are chamfered and enriched with cable, diaper, and lattice ornament. Below the abacus of the western the face is scratched with a mass dial. The round arch has a square inner order; the outer has a three-quarter roll-mould. The hood-mould is enriched with billet and cable ornament.

The south doorway is a much plainer feature but unusually treated. It is of one square order with an outer half-round pilaster on the face of the wall continued around the head: at the springing-level is a halfround impost treated with cable fluting.

The windows of the church are of the lancet type, variously treated. The tower has east and west gables.

The font and other furniture are modern. On the north wall of the nave is a marble monument to Edward Carew, 16 November 1668, and Felicia his infant daughter. It has his bust in an oval recess flanked by Ionic shafts and above it is an achievement of arms, and over that is a separate quasi-funeral helm and crest. There are several other later monuments.

There are four bells of 1707.

The communion plate includes a massive silver cup of unusual shape with the hall-mark of 1600; its patencover is a later addition, bearing the mark of 1632. (fn. 43)

The registers begin in 1554.

Advowson

The church of Newbold was given to the Yorkshire Priory of St. Oswald of Nostell by Eytrop, son of the Domesday tenant Humphrey, and confirmed by his son Eytrop. (fn. 44) The latter's grandson Robert Hastang in 1221 disputed the charter which the prior produced and said that it was made after his grandfather's seal had been stolen out of a chest in the church of Leamington Hastings; (fn. 45) Robert, however, ended by confirming the prior's right to the advowson. (fn. 46) In 1344 Nostell sold the church to Queen's College, Oxford, (fn. 47) to whom it was appropriated in 1351, a vicarage being ordained and the vicar made responsible for the upkeep of the chancel and ornaments. (fn. 48) The church had been valued in 1291 at £8 3s. 11d., (fn. 49) and the vicarage was rated in 1535 at £8 13s. 4d. (fn. 50) The living was united in 1932 to that of Moreton Morrell and continues in the gift of Queen's College. (fn. 51)

Charities

Samuel Gibbons by will dated 20 August 1830 bequeathed to the vicar and churchwardens £100, the interest, now amounting to £2 14s. 4d., to be distributed on St. Thomas's Day amongst the poor families in the parish.

William Little by will proved 26 February 1834 bequeathed to the owner of his mansion house and the vicar £400, the income to be similarly distributed.

John Little by will proved 22 April 1873 gave to the successive owners of his house at Newbold Pacey and the vicar £400, the income to be distributed on St. Thomas's Day among six of the eldest and most necessitous poor resident in the parish. The bequest now produces £10 15s. annually in dividends, which are applied for the benefit of the poor of the parish.

Mrs. Catherine Carter by will proved 9 June 1848 gave £40 to the vicar and churchwardens, the income to be applied in the purchase of flannel to be distributed on 21 Dec. amongst poor widows of the parish. The interest, amounting to £1 1s. 4d. annually, is applied for the benefit of poor widows of the parish.

Sundry donors: The following benefactions are recorded in a tablet in the church of this parish:

These sums amounting to £77 were invested and the interest, amounting to £2 4s. yearly, is distributed among the poor of the parish.

Footnotes