BIDDLESDEN
Betesdene, Bechesdene (xi cent.); Bethlesdene,
Betlesden (xii cent.).
The area of Biddlesden parish, which was formerly
1,630 acres, (fn. 1) increased to 2,052 acres between 1871
and 1881, (fn. 2) probably under the Divided Parishes Acts
of 1876 or 1879. (fn. 3) A further extension, which gave
the parish its present area, 3,201 acres, was made
before 1891, doubtless under the Local Government
Act of 1888. (fn. 4) A 16th-century account of the bounds
of the manor shows that the extensions have been
made in the east of the parish; it contains many
field-names still to be found. The bounds ran by
Homewood, Earlswood, Briary Coppice, Newridinge,
Whitfield Wood, Evershaw, Westbury Corner, Smallye
mead, Walkemeade, Evershaw Bridge, and along the
banks of the Ouse. (fn. 5)
The River Ouse forms part of the western boundary,
separating Biddlesden from Northamptonshire. The
land is lowest in this part, under 400 ft. Towards
the middle it rises slightly and reaches a height of
a little over 500 ft. in the north-east. There are
560 acres of arable land with 2,215 acres laid down
in grass (fn. 6) on a soil of gravel with a subsoil of limestone, and agriculture forms the main employment of
the population. The numerous woods and coppices
still existing, about 337 acres in extent, are evidence
of the time when the woodland in the parish was
probably far more extensive than at present, since the
royal forest of Whittlewood in the next county lay on
its northern borders. Certain woods in the manor
belonged to the king as part of the forest, and he had
the right of fowling and hunting throughout the manor. (fn. 7)
In 1536 Sir Francis Brian, anticipating the suppression of the foundation, desired to have the abbey of
Biddlesden for himself, 'as it adjoins the forest and
the king's game might be injured by another man.' (fn. 8)
Biddlesden Park
The chief historical interest of the parish attaches
to the abbey founded here in 1147, which owned
nearly all the land and held its markets and fairs
within the manor. The neighbourhood seems to
have been less prosperous after the Dissolution. The
abbey site is now occupied by an 18th-century house
standing in a well-wooded estate, Biddlesden Park,
which covers about 150 acres in the west of the west of the parish.
It is the property of the lord of the manor and the
residence of General F. J. and Mrs. Heyworth. A
pond in the grounds, fed by a small stream which the
road crosses at Beggar's Bridge, probably marks the
site of the old fish-ponds.
Some 16th and early 17th-century accounts of the
manor-house, which must have incorporated at least
part of the old abbey, state that it contained sixteen
bays, a brew-house, stable, 'colehouse,' dovecots,
orchard, hop-yard, and three fisheries. (fn. 9) The abbey
church was destroyed by Sir Robert Peckham about
the middle of the 16th century; its five large bells
are supposed to have been given to Denham parish,
where in 1683 they were melted down and run into
eight. (fn. 10) Browne Willis, when he visited Biddlesden
in 1712, found the ruins of both church and Abbey
House in good part standing; there were then to be
seen the walls of the east side of the cloister and a
part of the tower, together with a small chapel and
the chapter-house, which was
a handsome arched room
about 40 ft. square supported
by four pillars. In the chapel
lay a broken alabaster effigy
of a figure in armour, from
the tomb of one of the Lords
Zouche. (fn. 11) The remains of
other tombs were also to be
seen. Another figure, of
Christ, had been destroyed
about 1704 by the lord
of the manor, John Sayer. His
successor, Henry Sayer, was
still more destructive. Willis
coming to the parish again in
1737 found that Sayer had so
'totally demolished the footsteps of the Abbey that not
the least appearance remains
of the site of any ancient
building.' (fn. 12) Sheahan speaks
of a doorway in the garden to
the west of Biddlesden House
and a bit of wall still existing
in 1862 (fn. 13) ; nothing, however, now remains above
ground but some stones belonging probably to a
13th-century arch. Sayer built the present house
about 1731. (fn. 14) Having also destroyed the old chapel
of St. Margaret, 'a little tiled fabric with a bell in a
turret,' (fn. 15) which stood, according to an early document,
'at the gate of the Abbey, ' (fn. 16) and which, since the
demolition of the abbey church, had probably served
as a parish church, he fitted up a chapel on the left
with of the house as a place of worship for the
parish. (fn. 17) Sheahan, writing c. 1862, speaks of it as
then forming part of the stable, though detached
from the house, and as yet unconsecrated. (fn. 18) It continues to be the parish church. The Churchyard of
St. Margaret's Chapel was likewise desecrated by the
same Sayer, who told Willis he had had the coffins
dug up, 'and several thousand human bones removed
and thrown away, as he gloried in, to level ground,
together with the rubbish, with great indecency.' (fn. 19)
Finally, however, He caused a low arch to be turned
over some of the graves. (fn. 20)
Biddlesden Farm, now called the Abbey Farm, is
a 17th-century stone house, to which belongs a stone
barn of the same date.
Evershaw (Eversel, xi cent.; Euersache, xii cent.;
Evereshag, Eversschawe, Evirsaw, xiii-xiv cent.; Hevershay, xv cent.), now the name only of a farm and
adjoining lands, was described as a village of three or
four houses in 1755, (fn. 21) and seems to have ranked as a
separate parish as late as the 15th century. (fn. 22) A church
or chapel, dedicated to the honour of St. Nicholas,
formerly stood here, but no traces of it remained in
the 18th century. (fn. 23) Sheahan, however, speaks of the
Upper and Lower Chapel Fields (still so called) near
Evershaw Farm, where signs of a moat and foundations of buildings had been discovered. (fn. 24) An early
17th-century record of Evershaw Close of 110 acres
and of Evershaw Bridge, which apparently crossed
the Ouse at what is now the south-west corner of
Biddlesden, (fn. 25) suggests the extent and locality of the
former parish. Browne Willis also speaks of Gorral
or Gorhall or Gorrell, now a farm, as a 'decayed
hamlet' in this parish. (fn. 26)
Manors
Before the Conquest Azor son of
Tored, a thegn of King Edward, held
this manor, but the Conqueror afterwards
gave it to Earl Aubrey. (fn. 27) It was, however, held by
King William in 1086 as 4 hides and 1 virgate. (fn. 28) In
the reign of Henry I Robert son of William de
Meppershall was lord of BIDDLESDEN. (fn. 29) According to a 16th-century story he was threatened with
disgrace at court for having stolen a hound, and gave
the land to Osbert or Geoffrey de Clinton, chamberlain of the king and a royal favourite, in order to
obtain his protection. (fn. 30) Robert afterwards married
a kinswoman of Osbert de Clinton, and so obtained
the land again, (fn. 31) but in the reign of Stephen he forfeited it for default of service due. It was thereupon
given to the Earl of Leicester, whose steward, Arnold
de Bois, (fn. 32) being subinfeudated, (fn. 33) founded the abbey
here, as has been already related, (fn. 34) endowing it with
all his land in the parish. Confirmations of this
grant were made to the abbey by Arnold's son, grandson and great-grandson, all bearing the same name, by
John de Bois, son of the last, and in the 14th century
by Stephen de Bois. (fn. 35) The abbey continued to hold
the manor until its dissolution in 1538. (fn. 36) A little
before this the site of the abbey and its lands here had
been leased for ninety-nine years by the abbot to
Edmund Clerke, (fn. 37) who in December 1538 transferred
his interest to Sir Thomas Wriothesley, kt., by whom
it was conveyed in 1539 to Robert, afterwards Sir
Robert, Peckham. (fn. 38) In October 1540 Wriothesley
obtained from the king the reversion in fee of the
site, (fn. 39) which he conveyed in the following month
for £700 to Edmund Peckham, cofferer, afterwards
knighted and father of Sir Robert. (fn. 40) Sir Edmund
died in 1564. (fn. 41) and his son Robert in 1569. (fn. 42) He
was succeeded by his brother, Sir George Peckham, (fn. 43)
who in 1577 conveyed Biddlesden to Arthur Lord
Grey de Wilton, (fn. 44) lord of Giffards Manor in Whaddon
(q.v.), with which it afterwards passed to the Duke
of Buckingham. In 1651, when the duke's estates
were held by the Commonwealth, Biddlesden Manor
was granted to John Thurloe and Nathaniel Waterhouse in trust for the widow and children of Henry
Ireton, late Lord Deputy of Ireland. Hugh Royell
was authorized to receive the rents, and disputes arose
with the tenants. (fn. 45) About 1681, when the second
Duke of Buckingham had regained his estates, (fn. 46) he
sold Biddlesden to Henry Sayer, (fn. 47) who died soon
after. His son, John Sayer, was murdered in 1712
by John Notle, an attorney who had intrigued with
his wife. (fn. 48) Henry Sayer succeeded to Biddlesden,
and held until about 1755, (fn. 49) when he conveyed
it to Ralph, second Earl Verney. (fn. 50) His niece
and successor, Mary, created Baroness Fermanagh, (fn. 51)
sold it about 1791 to the Rev. George Morgan, (fn. 52)
in whose family the manor has since remained. (fn. 53)
Major Luis F. H. C. Morgan, son of Lieut.-Col.
George Manners Morgan, married Lady Kinloss in
1884, and in 1890 they assumed her family name
of Grenville. (fn. 54) Their son, the Hon. Richard G.
Morgan-Grenville, was killed in action in 1914, and
was succeeded by his brother Robert.
In 1086 two mills valued at 28d. belonged to the
manor. (fn. 55) They are mentioned in 1278–9 as standing
one within and one without the abbey. (fn. 56) By the
13th or 14th century there was also a windmill here, (fn. 57)
later apparently called 'Walkermyll.'
Among the 17th-century appurtenances is included
a rabbit warren. (fn. 58) A grant of a weekly Monday
market and of an annual eight-day fair to be held at
the feast of St. Margaret the Virgin in their manor of
Biddlesden was made to the abbot and monks in
1315, (fn. 59) but there is no later reference to them.
The first Sunday in August, as next but one after
St. Margaret, is still called Feast Sunday.
A second entry in the Survey concerning Biddlesden shows that 3 virgates there, held before the
Conquest by Alric, a man of Alwin son of Goding,
formed part of the lands of the Count of Mortain;
the land, sufficient for one plough, had been laid
waste. (fn. 60) It does not appear to have any further
separate history. Nicholas de Stuntevile held half a
fee in 'Briddischame' in this county in the time of
Henry III. (fn. 61)
In the time of Edward the Confessor 'a certain
bandy-leg' held EVERSHAWas I hide, and in
1086 the same man still retained it holding 'in
almoin of the king,' although the land was reckoned
as part of Lewin of Nuneham's holding. (fn. 62) In the
12th century it belonged to the fee of the Beauchamps
of Bedford, being held by Pain de Beauchamp, (fn. 63) and
the overlordship was still in this family at the end of
the 13th century. (fn. 64)
The family who held under the Beauchamps took
its name from the place. William de Evershaw,
called lord of Evershaw, flourished in the 12th century,
and gave half a hide here to the priory of Luffield. (fn. 65)
Pain de Beauchamp confirmed this gift, (fn. 66) which must
thus have been made before 1155–6. (fn. 67) In 1200 the
prior claimed against Simon de Beauchamp the service
of Hugh de Evershaw for a whole hide of land, but
his right to only half this amount—4s. 8d.—was
allowed. (fn. 68) The priory continued to hold this part of
Evershaw until it was annexed with its possessions to
Westminster Abbey in 1504. (fn. 69) In 1535 the abbey
received £3 16s. 8d. per annum for its demesne lands
in Evershaw from Biddlesden
Abbey. (fn. 70) This part of Evershaw apparently descended in
part with the site of Luffield
Priory and its manor of
Thornborough to the Temple family, who held land
here in the 18th century, (fn. 71)
and in part with the priory's
manor in Whitfield, Northamptonshire, with which it
was purchased in 1720 by
Worcester College, Oxford,
who still hold. (fn. 72)
Worcester College, Oxford, Or two cheverons gules between six martlets sable.
Pain de Beauchamp is
recorded to have given his other half hide to Biddlesden Abbey. (fn. 73) In this case the original total of land
in Evershaw—1 hide—must have been considerably
added to, for William de Evershaw, called lord of
Evershaw, son of Hugh, (fn. 74) held half a fee of William
de Beauchamp in the reign of Henry III. (fn. 75) The
Evershaw family made extensive grants of lands to
Biddlesden Abbey during this time. Hugh de Evershaw and his sons William, Ralph, Osbert, Philip,
Henry and Walter gave lands amounting to over
100 acres to the abbey. (fn. 76) William de Evershaw also
granted the monks his 'free park' and his 'free court
to receive fines from malefactors and to do justice.' (fn. 77)
Henry, his brother and heir, a chaplain, granted
them his capital messuage with the rents of all his
free tenants, ward, reliefs, escheats, &c., saving only
foreign service to the king and 4s. 8d. annually to the
priory of Luffield. (fn. 78)
Biddlesden continued to hold its portion of Evershaw, which included a mill, (fn. 79) until the Dissolution, (fn. 80)
after which date it apparently became merged in the
manor of Biddlesden. (fn. 81) According to the conveyance
of 1540 the Biddlesden estate comprised Evershaw
Park. (fn. 82)
GORRAL was apparently among the lands granted
to Biddlesden by the Evershaw family. (fn. 83) In 1232
the abbot was granted twenty oaks in Whittlewood
Forest to repair his grange of Gorral which was burnt. (fn. 84)
It appears to have lain partly in Dadford Manor in
Stowe parish, (fn. 85) with which it was assessed in the 13th
century. (fn. 86) In 1540 it was granted to Sir George
Giffard, kt., (fn. 87) whose son Thomas (fn. 88) conveyed it to
John Temple in 1570. (fn. 89) He died in 1603 seised of
Gorral and also of the manors of Dadford and Stowe, (fn. 90)
with which it was held as late as 1819. (fn. 91) Lands
called Gorral woods, however, remained appurtenant
to Biddlesden Manor. (fn. 92)
Church
The church of ST. MARGARET
was built by Henry Sayer about 1730.
It is a plain brick building with stone
dressings, having a turret with one bell. In the
churchyard is a gravestone of 14th-century date, from
Biddlesden Abbey.
The plate consists of a silver-gilt cup inscribed
'The guift of Mrs. Philadelphia Sayer to ye Church
of Bidlesden 1702'; a small paten (also silver-gilt,
as is the rest of the church plate), probably part of
the same gift, inscribed 'P.S. 1702'; a large paten
bearing the inscription 'This and the guilding the
cup and cover the gift of Henry Sayer, esq. to the
Church of Bidlesden 1735'; and a flagon and almsdish presented in 1880.
The registers begin in 1686.
Advowson
The church of St. Mary at Biddlesden was confirmed to the monastery there by the Archbishop of
Canterbury between the years 1147 and 1160, (fn. 93)
and it seems to have become the conventual church
of that foundation. (fn. 94) After the Dissolution the
patronage followed the descent of the manor, and
is now vested in the Hon. Robert Morgan-Grenville.
The benefice is a perpetual curacy. (fn. 95) The lord of
the manor in the 16th century had to pay an annual
stipend of £6 to the curate. (fn. 96) This was reduced
to £4 in the early part of the 17th century, (fn. 97) but
the incumbent was then said to have a little house of
one bay adjoining the church, with tithes and oblations amounting to 20s. per annum. (fn. 98) Willis, however, states that in 1631 the stipend amounted to
£20 per annum, with 40s. from lands, &c. (fn. 99) In 1720
the living was augmented by William Freind, a divine,
and Alexander Denton, who gave £200 to enable it
to obtain a grant from Queen Anne's Bounty. (fn. 100)
About 1293 the Bishop of Lincoln consecrated
three altars in the church of Biddlesden. (fn. 101) Bishop
Burghersh (1320–40) granted an indulgence for fabric,
lights and ornaments therein. (fn. 102)
The chapel of St. Margaret, which served as the
parish church in the 17th century after the destruction of the abbey building, existed as early as the
13th century, when Robert son of Osbert Carpenter
granted a messuage and half an acre for the support
of the said chapel. (fn. 103)
William lord of Evershaw in the 12th century gave
the church of Evershaw to the priory of Luffield. (fn. 104)
The name of 'Oliver, priest of Euersache' occurs as
witness to a charter of the reign of Henry II. (fn. 105) In a
later charter the names of Ralf, vicar of Evershaw,
and Richard, chaplain of Evershaw, occur. (fn. 106) The
church is mentioned as belonging to Luffield in 1291,
when it was taxed at 13s. 4d. (fn. 107) In 1341–2 the value
of the ninth in the 'parish of Evershaw' was again
I mark only, as there was very little land in the
parish. (fn. 108) A suit occurred towards the end of the
15th century between the prior and others concerning tithes due to Evershaw parsonage, which the prior
farmed out; this document again mentions Evershaw
as being a parish. (fn. 109) After Luffield Priory passed to
Westminster its possessions were leased in 1513 to
William Tyler and included the advowson of the
chapel of St. Nicholas in Evershaw, with a cottage,
10½ acres of land and a rood of pasture in Evershaw. (fn. 110) In the grant of these Luffield possessions to
Sir Nicholas Throckmorton in 1551 the chapel is not
specifically mentioned, although 'Evershaw' is included among the long list of advowsons. (fn. 111) There
is no later reference to this chapel, and it probably
fell into disuse with the general decay of the parish.
There do not appear to be any endowed charities
subsisting in this parish.