FOSCOTT
Foxescota (xi cent.); Foxcota (xii cent.); Foscote
(xv cent.); Foxcott, Foscott (xvi cent.).
The parish of Foscott or Foxcott covers 718 acres,
of which 501 are permanent grass, 157 arable and
47 woods or plantations. (fn. 1) The land falls from over
400 ft. above the ordnance datum in the north-west
to about 260 ft. in the south and south-east. The
Ouse with one of its tributaries and the Grand
Junction Canal form a portion of the county
boundary. In the middle of the parish stands
Foscott Manor House, a large stone building with
a tiled roof, the property of the trustees of the late
Mrs. Lawrence Hall. There was a capital messuage
here in 1333. (fn. 2) Edward Grenville is said to have
built the present house about 1656, (fn. 3) and it was considerably restored by Lawrence Hall in 1868. (fn. 4) The
garden front is divided into three bays by Doric
pilasters. There is an original staircase, but perhaps
not in its original position.
The soil is clay and gravel. Roman remains have
been found in the parish. (fn. 5)
Manor
Leit, a thegn of King Edward, held
and could sell the manor of FOSCOTT
before the Conquest. At the date of the
Survey it was assessed at 6 hides, and belonged to
Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. (fn. 6) His tenant was Turstin,
who as Turstin de Giron held of the bishop in
Dunton (q.v.). The overlordship of Foscott descended
with Dunton Manor, ward at Dover Castle being
owed for both manors by the Giron or Gerunde and
the Chalfont families. (fn. 7) It was attached to the honour
of Grafton after 1542. (fn. 8) Hamo de Gerunde and
Hugh his son subinfeudated their land in Foscott to
Walter de la Hay in 1194–7. (fn. 9) A fine was levied
in the latter year by which Walter agreed for himself and his heirs to render the service of one knight's
fee for the land, and for this agreement he gave
Hamo de Gerunde 5 marks of silver and a black
and white horse (nigrum equum bausein). (fn. 10) In 1215
Walter de la Hay was numbered among the king's enemies,
and the sheriff was ordered to
give his lands to his brother
Roger de la Hay. (fn. 11) They
were, however, afterwards restored to Walter, who held as
late as 1226–7. (fn. 12) Stephen de
la Hay succeeded to Foscott
not long afterwards. (fn. 13) In
1278–9, when he was still
lord, his son, also called
Stephen, was one of his free
tenants. (fn. 14) One of the two
held in 1284–6, (fn. 15) but John de la Hay was seised of
the manor by 1302–3 (fn. 16) and still held in 1308. (fn. 17)
In 1316 and 1323 Robert Kynne held Foscott, (fn. 18)
apparently as second husband of Agnes widow of
John de la Hay, (fn. 19) who died seised of the manor
before June 1333, leaving her son Thomas de la
Hay as heir. (fn. 20) Thomas was holding in 1348, (fn. 21) and
had a son named Simon, (fn. 22) of whom, however, there
is no trace after 1346, and the Thomas de la Hay
who was holding in 1364 (fn. 23) was probably his father.
In 1371 the manor was held by John Kynne,
subject to the life interest of Agnes wife of Alan
Aete or Ayote, (fn. 24) and, possibly, the widow of Thomas
or Simon de la Hay. Alan Aete held as late as
1400. (fn. 25) In the early 15th century John Barton,
jun., was seised of Foscott, which he granted to
feoffees to the use of his wife Isabel and her heirs for
conveyance to All Souls College, Oxford. (fn. 26) Possibly
Isabel was the daughter and heir of John Kynne,
since two of the feoffees were also feoffees of John
Kynne in 1371. After the death of John Barton,
Isabel brought a suit against John Dayrell and
Eleanor his wife, who had entered the manor so that
the feoffees were unable to perform the deceased's
will. (fn. 27) The nature of the Dayrells' claim is not
evident, but apparently Isabel came to terms with
them, since the conveyance of the manor to All Souls
was never carried out. By 1457 Foscott was held
by William Purfrey or Purefoy, (fn. 28) whose wife Marian
was the daughter and heir of Alan Aete, (fn. 29) although
it is not apparent that he held the land in his wife's
right. (fn. 30) In 1464 he conveyed the manor to Thomas
Waldyve, (fn. 31) whose brother and heir Nicholas Waldyve
of London, mercer, sold it in 1475 to John Denton
of 'Shirford' in Warwick. (fn. 32) John Denton died
seised of Foscott in 1497, leaving a son Thomas, (fn. 33)
who was holding in 1525. (fn. 34) In 1542 John Denton
surrendered the manor to the Crown in exchange for
other lands, (fn. 35) and in 1557 it was granted in fee to
Thomas Smythe, who died in the same year. (fn. 36) By
his will he left the 'manor of Foscote or bargayne of
Foscote' to his wife Agnes to sell or give at her
pleasure for the payment of his debts and legacies. (fn. 37)
She married Thomas Westwick in 1558, (fn. 38) and in the
following year they conveyed two-thirds of the manor
to Nicholas and Joan West,
who conveyed immediately to
Marmaduke and Elizabeth
Claver and Matthew Claver
their son. (fn. 39) In 1570 Edmund
or Edward Smythe, son and
heir of Thomas, came of age
and received the remaining
third of the manor, (fn. 40) but the
Clavers appear to have held
the entire property by 1587,
about which date, on the
marriage of Matthew, it was
settled on him and his wife
Jane Tyrell and their issue
male. (fn. 41) Matthew died in 1605, (fn. 42) and Jane afterwards married John Phillips, (fn. 43) who held her life
interest in Foscott, and who in 1620 acquired from
John Claver, son and heir of Matthew Claver and
Jane, (fn. 44) his reversionary interest in the manor. (fn. 45)
De la Hay. Argent a sun gules.
Claver. Sable a gimcl bar between three castles argent.
At the death of John Phillips, in 1630, the manor
was worth only 33s. 4d., because, according to the
inquisition, 'a great part of the manor was alienated
by Phillips to certain persons' (fn. 46) ; it had been valued
at £13 2s. in 1557. (fn. 47) Thomas Phillips, son and
heir of John, conveyed the manor to Thomas Hunt
in 1635, (fn. 48) and in 1638 it was held by the latter and
by Ralph Hunt and Frances his wife, (fn. 49) she being
the daughter and heir of John Phillips by a former
marriage. (fn. 50) The Hunts mortgaged the manor to
Edward Grenville, son of Richard Grenville of
Wotton Underwood, to whom they were finally
obliged to convey it. (fn. 51) A fine of the manor was
levied in 1650 between Ralph and Frances Hunt and
Richard Grenville and others, trustees for Edward
Grenville. (fn. 52) The latter died in 1661; his sons
Edward and George were both minors, their guardian
being their uncle Richard Grenville. (fn. 53) Edward, the
elder, died in the same year as his father. (fn. 54) George
died without issue in 1693, (fn. 55) and the Foscott estate
passed, according to the terms of a previous settlement, to the elder branch, the descendants of Richard
Grenville, (fn. 56) in which it remained until the sale of
the second Duke of Buckingham's estates in 1848, (fn. 57)
after which date it passed to Lawrence Hall, who
held in 1862. (fn. 58) His son Lawrence succeeded him
in 1866 and died in 1891; the trustees of his
widow are now lords of the manor and sole landowners.
A free fishery in the Ouse is mentioned among the
appurtenances of the manor in the 16th century. (fn. 59)
Church
The church of ST. LEONARD consists of a chancel 19 ft. by 15 ft. 6 in.,
nave 32 ft. 6 in. by 18 ft., and south
porch, all measurements being internal.
The church was apparently built in the middle of
the 12th century. About 1350 the chancel was
enlarged and the chancel arch rebuilt. The south
porch was added and other alterations were made in
the following century, and in 1887 the church was
restored. The walling is of rubble and the roofs are
tiled.
The chancel has a 15th-century east window of
three cinquefoiled lights in a pointed traceried head
and two two-light windows on the south side, both
probably of the 14th century, but much altered and
restored. Only the opening of the eastern window,
which is pointed and of two plain lights, is original,
while the western window, the rear arch of which
is at the same level, has two square-headed lights
placed low down. The former contains some fragments of 16th-century coloured glass showing the
head of a woman and what appear to be bones. The
14th-century priest's doorway between the windows
has a pointed head and a label on the outside with
carved stops representing the heads of a man and a
woman with head-dresses of the period. In the same
wall is a 15th-century cinquefoiled piscina. The
chancel arch is of three orders with plain jambs, the
innermost order springing from corbels ornamented
with the ball flower.
The eastern of the two south windows of the nave
is probably of the 14th century, though much altered;
the western window is of the 15th century and is of
two trefoiled lights. The south doorway is of the
12th century and has a round moulded head and
moulded label. At the east end of the north wall
is a much-altered window, which appears to have
been originally similar to that opposite to it. On the
same wall are remains of texts, possibly of the time
of Edward VI. The north doorway is now blocked,
but the arch is apparently of the 15th century and the
jambs and imposts of the 12th century. The staircase
to the rood-loft, which projects slightly externally and
is lighted by a small loop, remains with its upper and
lower doorways at the south-east angle of the nave.
The porch has a 15th-century outer entrance, and
there is a stoup with a four-centred head, probably
of the same date, on the east side of the south doorway. The communion table bears an inscription
recording its presentation in 1633 by Samuel Wastel.
The rails are probably of a slightly later date. The
pulpit is made from 17th-century panelling.
There is a brass to Edward Grenville (d. 1661)
with a shield of arms, a cross with five roundels
thereon, and there is also a monument to Richard
Major (d. 1705) and Anne his wife (d. 1708).
A bell, probably of the early 14th century, (fn. 60) now
hangs in an upper window at the west end of the
nave. There was formerly a small wooden bell-turret
at the west end.
The plate consists of a cup and cover paten of
1632.
The registers begin in 1664.
Advowson
Presentation to the church at Foscott was made in 1220 by Walter
de la Hay, lord of Foscott. (fn. 61) The
advowson has always remained appurtenant to the
manor, (fn. 62) the living, a rectory, being now in the gift
of the trustees of the late Mrs. L. Hall. In 1535 the
annual value was £10. (fn. 63) In 1639 the terrier of
the parsonage showed that the dwelling-house had
three rooms—parlour, kitchen and dairy—with three
chambers over them, while outside there were the
usual farm-buildings with 20 acres of arable land and
pasture and 8 acres of orchard and close. (fn. 64)
There do not appear to be any endowed charities
subsisting in this parish.