PILLERTON PRIORS
Acreage: 1,547.
Population: 1911, 117; 1921, 110; 1931, 112.
This parish, also known as Over Pillerton from its
standing some 100 ft. higher than its northern neighbour Pillerton Hersey, is attached to the latter for
ecclesiastical purposes. In the village the site of the
ancient church, or chapel, is now marked only by its
churchyard. West of this is an early-17th-century
farmhouse, of L-shaped plan; it has rubble stone walls
with Hornton stone dressings. The central stone
chimney-stack contains a Tudor fire-place in an upper
room and has a rectangular shaft of thin bricks, with
square pilasters on each face. An original window in
the east face of the back wing has lost its mullions.
The Methodist chapel was built in 1863 by Mr.
John Walton of the adjacent Millfield Farm. (fn. 1) This
farm no doubt marks the site of the windmill referred
to in various Elizabethan records, (fn. 2) and lies on the
Stratford-Banbury Road, known in the 17th century
as Nollens Lane, (fn. 3) now marked by Nolands Cottage.
Manor
In addition to the estate which he retained
in Nether Pillerton Hugh de Grentemaisnil
held one in Little Pillerton, the whole of
which he granted to the abbey of St. Evroul before
1081, when it was confirmed to the monks by William
the Conqueror. (fn. 4) Accordingly, the abbey is entered
in the Domesday Survey as holding 6 hides and 1
virgate in PILLERTON under Hugh. This had been
held before the Conquest by four thegns, and in 1086
three thegns and a Frenchman were among the
tenants. (fn. 5) The abbey's English estates were administered from their cell, the priory of Ware in Hertfordshire, and in 1279 the Prior of Ware was returned as
lord of OVER PILLERTON. (fn. 6) On the suppression of
the alien monasteries the possessions of Ware priory
were given in 1415 to the Carthusian priory of Sheen,
in Surrey; (fn. 7) and after the dissolution of that house the
manor of Pillerton was granted in 1543 to Geoffrey
Shakerley. (fn. 8) He at once disposed of it to William Holte,
merchant tailor of London, (fn. 9) who died in 1546, leaving
the manor to his sister Agnes, widow of William
Dunkyn and then wife of Christopher Alee, cutler of
London. (fn. 10) She and her husband sold the manor in
1557 to Henry Warde, (fn. 11) who died next year, leaving
a son William, aged 19. (fn. 12) William Warde and Lucy
his wife made a settlement of the manor of PILLERTON PRIORS in 1577, (fn. 13) and in 1587 they, with
Richard and Humphrey Warde,
probably their sons, conveyed
it to Thomas Broxolme. (fn. 14) By
1594 the manor had passed into
the hands of Roger Manners, (fn. 15)
who still held it in 1607. (fn. 16) John
(Manners), Earl of Rutland,
was dealing with the manor in
1646, (fn. 17) and it was held by the
succeeding Earls and Dukes of
Rutland until at least 1800. (fn. 18) By
1779 the property is described
as 'the manors of Over and
Nether and Nallands Pillerton'. (fn. 19)
The manor was in the hands of Charles Mills, who
held Nether Pillerton in 1823, (fn. 20) and has descended
with Pillerton Hersey since that date.
Manners, Duke of Rutland. Or two bars azure and a chief gules.
Earl Hugh of Chester in 1086 held 1 hide 3 virgates
in PILLERTON, which Waleran held of him; before
the Conquest it had been held by Hugh, the Chamberlain of Edward the Confessor. (fn. 21) On the death of
Ranulph, Earl of Chester, in 1232, his estates were
divided between the representatives of his four sisters, (fn. 22)
and Pillerton is found in 1235 (fn. 23) as a quarter-fee among
the fees of Hugh d'Aubigny, Earl of Arundel, son of
Ranulph's sister Mabel. After his death without issue
in 1243 it seems to have passed to Ada, one of the four
daughters of Maud, Mabel's elder sister, who married
Henry de Hastings, (fn. 24) as his descendant Laurence de
Hastings, Earl of Pembroke, died in 1348 seised of a
carucate in Pillerton, then let for 40s. (fn. 25) His son John
settled the 'manor' of Pillerton on trustees in 1370 (fn. 26)
and after his death it was assigned to his widow Anne,
subsequently Countess of Warwick. (fn. 27) Their son John
died in 1389, when his heir was Reynold de Grey of
Ruthin, (fn. 28) who, in 1400, made a settlement of various
manors, including Pillerton. (fn. 29) After this time it
seems to have lost any manorial character that it had
possessed.
Hugh de Hercy's grant to the priory of St. Neots
of Nether Pillerton church (q.v.) included the chapel
of the Blessed Mary of Over Pillerton. No other
reference to it appears to be known until 1513, when
John Walton was curate here. (fn. 30) It does not figure in
the Valor of 1535, but it is said that at that time the
curate serving it had tithes to the value of £5. (fn. 31) The
chapel seems to have survived until 1672, when it was
burnt down, all that was saved being 'pieces of the
three bells, part of the clock, a silver chalice and cover,
the great church Bible and Book of Common Prayer'. (fn. 32)
The chalice seems to have come into the hands of the
family of Gardner at Sandpit Farm in the 19th century, but its present whereabouts is unknown. (fn. 33) The
register of baptisms, beginning in 1604, is preserved at
Pillerton Hersey, in the registers of which parish marriages and burials of parishioners of Pillerton Priors are
entered. (fn. 34)
Charity
Poor's Money. In the Returns to
Parliament in 1786 there was at that time
a sum of £30 belonging to the poor of
this parish, but from what source was unknown. The
endowment now produces an annual income of 17s. 8d.
A Scheme of the Charity Commissioners dated 23
February 1909 appoints trustees to administer the
charity and contains provisions for the income to be
applied for the general benefit of the poor under various
heads.