DINTON
Daniton (xi cent.); Dunigton (xiii cent.); Donyngton (xiv cent); Dynton (xvi cent.).
Dinton is a large parish in the Vale of Aylesbury
and it lies in three hundreds. The village of Dinton
and Upton hamlet are in Aylesbury Hundred;
Moreton Farm or Liberty is in Desborough Hundred,
and Aston Mullins Farm and Waldridge hamlet in
Ashendon Hundred.
The River Thame forms part of the northern
boundary, and Bonny Brook flows from Marsh
hamlet through Dinton parish near Ford. There is
water in the grounds of Dinton Hall.
The subsoil is Kimmeridge Clay, Portland Beds
and Gault; (fn. 1) the surface soil is Clay, Sand, and Limestone. The occupation of the inhabitants is entirely
agricultural, 2,288 acres being laid down in permanent
pasture and 1,177¼ in arable land. (fn. 2) Duck and
poultry breeding is also carried on. The village of
Dinton lies on a side road running parallel to the
main road from Thame to Aylesbury, at a short
distance to the south. A lower road from Thame
also crosses the parish. The nearest railway station
is at Aylesbury, 4 miles away, for the Great Western,
Great Central, and Metropolitan Extension lines.
The common fields were inclosed under Act of
Parliament, the award being made in 1804. (fn. 3) Various
Anglo-Saxon remains have been found, and are preserved at Dinton Hall. The parish is celebrated for
having been the place of residence of two regicides in
the 17th century, Simon Mayne at Dinton Hall
and Sir Richard Ingoldsby at Waldridge.
John Bigg, joint secretary to the two regicides,
also lived at Dinton. Tradition names him as the
actual executioner of Charles I. After the Restoration, apparently pursued by remorse, he became a
hermit and lived in a cave in the parish, without
ever changing his clothes. He died in 1696, and
one of his shoes is preserved at Dinton Hall, the other
being in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. There
are four hamlets in the parish: Ford, Upton, Westlington, and Gibraltar. Westlington is the most
considerable of these, and lies to the west of the
grounds of Dinton Hall, the church and village of
Dinton adjoining the same grounds on the east.
Upton is a little farther to the north-east, all three
settlements being built on the southward slope of the
narrow ridge of land along which the Aylesbury road
runs. All this part of the parish is very well timbered,
especially near the church and Hall. On the southern
boundary of the churchyard are some disused almshouses of 18th-century brickwork, with a little
timber work of earlier date, the south entrance to the
churchyard being by an archway through the buildings. They face on to a pretty green, with the
boundary wall of the Hall gardens on the west, and a
line of tall trees, beneath which the village stocks and
whipping-post yet stand. The road runs on the east
side past two small houses with half-timbered gables
of early 17th-century date, which are the two wings
of an H-shaped house, whose central block has been
destroyed, leaving two fireplaces exposed on the wall
of the south wing. The hamlet of Ford, as its name
implies, lies to the south at the point where the road
from Dinton village crosses the Ford Brook, and
farther to the south stand the farm-houses of Upper
and Lower Waldridge. The small collection of
houses known as Gibraltar is on the main Aylesbury
road, north-west of Dinton village, and about half a
mile to the west of the ridiculous 18th-century ruin
known as Dinton Castle, built in 1769 by Sir John
Vanhattem. Though in itself of no importance, it
stands on a Saxon burial mound from which a number
of valuable objects have been dug out. Besides the
church there are two buildings of historical interest
in the parish, Dinton Hall and Upper Waldridge.
Of these the former, said to have been in great part
built by Archbishop Warham c. 1500, has been
much modernized, but shows a few traces of work as
early as the 14th century, though the main part of
the building appears to be of 17th-century date. In
the cellars, under the present drawing-room, is a
curious structure apparently designed to support a
projecting fireplace above (the present fireplace is over
it), and constructed of arched ribs of stone stiffened
by horizontal slabs, and springing from corbels carved
with the masks characteristic of 13th and 14th-century
Gothic work.
The plan is quite abnormal, the situation, on the
side of a fairly sharp southerly slope, probably
accounting for this. It is possible that there were at
one time wings extending northwards at either end of
the existing house, which runs east and west, and is
entered from the north. The north face has been
much restored in modern times and little or none of
the old masonry, whether stone or brick, remains.
The entrance doorway opens to a corridor running
east and west, at either end of which is a 17th-century
staircase. On a level with the corridor are two
rooms facing south, the western of which is panelled
from floor to ceiling with very fine moulded oak
panels of large size and late 17th-century date. In a
bedroom over these rooms is a mantel of 16th-century
date, with carved ornament which seems a later addition.
Dinton Hall: The Staircase
East of this central portion are the kitchen and
offices, on the north elevation of which is a brick
cloister with plain three-centred arches. West of the
hall, and at a higher level, is the drawing-room,
which has been completely redecorated in comparatively modern times. Opening out of it to the west
is a small room of one story, once used as a chapel,
and probably mediaeval, though its open timber roof
is of 18th-century date, and there are no masonry
details of an earlier period now visible. Above the
drawing-room is a large room partly in the roof, extending from north to south of the house, in which
are preserved a number of curiosities more or less
connected with the Hall.
The south front was largely rebuilt in the 18th
century, a contemporary drawing showing it fitted with sash windows. In
comparatively recent times, however, this
front was restored to what must have
been, approximately, its original condition, with stone mullioned casements.
Upper Waldridge, now a farmhouse, is
a picturesque example of early 17th-century design. The main feature of the
plan as it now exists is a large central
stack of chimneys, the shafts of which
are set anglewise above the tiled roof.
Round this the rooms are grouped, opening out of each other with no attempt
at corridor or suite planning, the staircase
being on the south side. As the house
evidently extended farther to the east, it
is possible that what remains is one wing
and half the main block of an H-shaped
house. The original work is all halftimber filled with herring-bone brickwork, but the south and west faces have
been refronted later in the 17th century
with a thin skin of brickwork, with stone
mullioned and transomed windows set in
projecting brick panels with ribbed brick
cornices and base-moulds. The north
gable remains in its original state, and
has a very pretty projecting gabled window
on the first floor, of five latticed lights
with wooden mullions and a transom.
Manors
In the time of Edward
the Confessor DINTON was
held by Avelin, one of his
thegns, but after the Norman Conquest
it was granted to the Bishop of Bayeux. (fn. 4)
It was assessed in Domesday Book at
15 hides of land. (fn. 5) Bishop Odo lost all
his lands under William Rufus, and
many of them afterwards came into the possession
of the family of Munchesney. Dinton presumably
followed the history of Swanscombe in Kent, which
belonged to the barony of the Bishop of Bayeux, and
was held by the same under-tenant, Helto, in 1086. (fn. 6)
Swanscombe was the head of the honour of the
Munchesneys, and in the early 12th century was held
by Geoffrey Talbot. (fn. 7) He died in 1140 during the
civil wars of the reign of Stephen, (fn. 8) and his barony
passed to Walter of Meduana. Walter's widow,
Cecilia, Countess of Hereford by her first husband,
Roger Fitz Miles of Gloucester, Earl of Hereford,
and daughter of Payne Fitz John, held his barony
after her husband's death. She seems to have been
succeeded in the barony by her nephews, the sons of
her sister, Agnes de Munchesney, (fn. 9) but in 1185 Agnes
herself held Dinton. (fn. 10)
In 1190–1 the latter
was a tenant in chief
in Buckinghamshire, (fn. 11)
but she must have
died very shortly afterwards. Possibly she
held as a sub-tenant
of her eldest son, Ralph
de Munchesney, (fn. 12) who
obtained various privileges in Dinton during the reign of Henry
II. (fn. 13) He seems to
have died before 1196,
when Cecilia, Countess of Hereford, and
William de Munchesney, the second son, answered for 29 knights'
fees of the honour of
Walter de Meduana. (fn. 14)
He was succeeded by
his son William, a minor
in 1204. (fn. 15) The latter
only lived till 1213,
and was succeeded by
Warine de Munchesney, (fn. 16) presumably his brother,
who held the manor 'by ancient tenure by the
gift of the king.' (fn. 17) He was living in 1253, (fn. 18) but
in the next year William de Valence had obtained
a grant of the manor. (fn. 19) He had married Joan,
daughter of Warine de Munchesney, (fn. 20) and tried
to wrest the inheritance from her brother William, of
whose lands and person he had custody. (fn. 21) This
latter William, however, obtained seisin of his lands, (fn. 22)
and died leaving an only daughter Dyonisia. (fn. 23)
William de Valence again attempted to get possession
of her lands, casting doubts upon her legitimacy.
The Bishop of Worcester gave his judgement in favour
of Dyonisia, and further efforts to oust her from her
inheritance also failed. (fn. 24) She married Hugh de Vere, (fn. 25)
but had no children, so that Dinton finally came to
the Valences, as the heirs of Joan de Munchesney,
Dyonisia died about 1314, (fn. 26) and Aymer de Valence,
son of the above-mentioned William de Valence, Earl
of Pembroke, and Joan his wife, succeeded to her possessions. (fn. 27) Aymer, some time between 1316 (fn. 28) and his
death in 1324, (fn. 29) granted the manor to his wife Mary
de St. Paul, Countess of Pembroke, who held it for
life. (fn. 30) Subsequently his lands were partitioned
amongst the heirs of his sisters, (fn. 31) and Dinton came to
Elizabeth Comyn, who married Richard Talbot. (fn. 32)
Talbot granted the reversion of the manor to Thomas
Talbot, clerk, and his heirs, (fn. 33) and on the death of the
Countess of Pembroke in 1377–8 the manor passed to
Gilbert Talbot, the great-nephew of Thomas. (fn. 34)
Finally in 1384 this Gilbert Talbot granted the
manor to Sir John Devereux, (fn. 35) who had already
become his tenant for a term of years. (fn. 36) Sir John
died in 1392–3, and was succeeded by his son John,
a minor. (fn. 37) The latter, however, died three years
later, his sister Joan, wife of Walter, Lord Fitz
Walter, inheriting his lands. (fn. 38) Joan died in 1409,
having survived her husband, and left two sons,
Humphrey and Walter. (fn. 39) Humphrey died while
still under age, and was succeeded by his brother,
who in 1423 sold the manor to John Barton, sen., and
John Barton, jun. (fn. 40) The latter died in 1433–4, (fn. 41)
having held it in common with John Longville and
others, who, however, do not appear to have had any
right in the manor after his death. (fn. 42) His sisters were
his heiresses, but Dinton was settled on his wife
Isabella. (fn. 43) A certain Andrew Sparlyng was seised of
the manor to the use of Isabella and sold it to Sir
Robert Whitingham (fn. 44) and other feoffees, Isabella
holding it for her life by a grant from the new
tenants. Sir Robert was a strong Lancastrian partisan, and on the success of the Yorkist cause he forfeited all his lands, which were granted by Edward IV
to Sir Thomas Montgomery, first for life and finally
in fee-tail. (fn. 45) Margery Whitingham, Sir Robert's
heiress, had however married John Verney, the son of
Sir Ralph Verney, a Yorkist, who had rendered great
service to his party. Consequently many attempts
were made to recover the Whitingham lands. Sir
Ralph first obtained a grant of the reversion of the
manor of Dinton, a prudent measure since Montgomery was elderly and childless. (fn. 46) Long law suits
ensued and (fn. 47) the Verneys, on the accession of
Henry VII, changed the ground of their claim from
the Yorkist services of Sir Ralph to the faithfulness of
Sir Robert Whitingham to the Lancastrian cause.
John Verney finally obtained his wife's lands, (fn. 48) and
his son, Sir Ralph Verney, jun., held them in peace. (fn. 49)
The Whitingham and Verney monument in Aldbury
Church, Hertfordshire, is a complete record of this
phase of the family history. (fn. 50)
Munchesney. Or three scutcheons barry vair and gules.
Valence. Burelly argent and azure an orle of martlets gules.
Dinton: Upper Waldridge
Whitingham. Argent a fesse vert with a lion gules over all.
Verney. Azure a cross argent with five pierced molets gules thereon.
Early in the 17th century the Verneys sold the
manor of Dinton to Simon Mayne. Between 1585–6
and 1604, Thomas Saunders appears to have had some
right in the manor, but presumably only as trustee or
mortgagee, (fn. 51) since there is no record at Dinton of his
ever being lord of the manor.
Simon Mayne bought the manor in 1604, (fn. 52) but he
does not seem to have settled there till two years
later. (fn. 53) He was succeeded by his son, Simon Mayne,
the regicide, who died in the Tower in 1661. By a
special provision he was excepted from enjoying the
benefits of the Act of Indemnity and Oblivion passed
by the Restoration Parliament, (fn. 54) and his estates were
forfeited to the Crown. It seems probable, however,
that his son and heir recovered possession of the manor
of Dinton. In a dispute as to tithes in 1794 it was
stated that Charles II granted the Mayne estates to
James Duke of York, but there is no other record of
the grant. (fn. 55) Simon Mayne the younger certainly
obtained office after the Restoration. He was sub-commissioner of Prizes at Portsmouth till 1689, (fn. 56) and Commissioner of Victualling until
the Accession of Queen Anne. (fn. 57)
He also sat in Parliament in
the reigns both of William III
and Anne. (fn. 58) In a petition
for a renewal of his Crown
lease of the tithes issuing out
of 'the demesne lands of the
manor of Dinton,' Mayne was
stated to be the owner of
the lands in question. (fn. 59) This
certainly suggests that he had recovered possession
of the manor.
Mayne. Argent a bend sable with three right hands argent thereon.
It is possible that this occurred after the flight of
James II, since Mayne represents himself as having
been devoted to the Protestant interest. (fn. 60) He died
in 1725, and his son, another Simon, inherited the
manor, (fn. 61) which he, together with the Hon. Edward
Harley, of Iwood, Herefordshire, Auditor of the Imprest, sold to Sir John Vanhattem in 1727. (fn. 62) Sir
John Vanhattem died in 1787, and left an only
daughter and heiress, who married the Rev. William
Goodall. Her descendant, Lieut.-Colonel Goodall,
is the present owner of the manor of Dinton. (fn. 63)
The homage of the manors of FORD and WESTLINGTON is said to be included in the manor of
Dinton, while a small manor called BLOMERS belonged at one time to the Hampdens, lying intermixed
with Ford. (fn. 64) It is said to have passed from the
Hampdens to the Claytons and in 1813 was the
property of the Earl of Chesterfield. (fn. 65) It now belongs to the lord of the manor of Dinton.
The manor of Dinton was held by military service
as one knight's fee. (fn. 66) At one time one mark was paid
on St. Nicholas' Day for hidage and suit to the shire
court, but this payment was remitted by a charter
granted by Henry III either to Warine de Munchesney or William de Valence before 1254. (fn. 67) The latter
held the view of frankpledge for his tenants at that
date, (fn. 68) and Dyonisia de Munchesney also held the
Assizes of Bread and Ale. (fn. 69) In 1253 Warine de
Munchesney obtained a grant of free warren for himself and his heirs in the demesne lands of Dinton. (fn. 70)
ASTON MULLINS, otherwise known as ASTON
BERNARD, was probably included in the Domesday
Survey either in Ilmer or in Aston Sandford. Both
these townships were in the hands of the Bishop of
Bayeux, and the same under-tenant Robert held both
in demesne. (fn. 71) It lay in the hundred of Ashendon.
Afterwards Aston Mullins was held with Ilmer, and
like Ilmer did not pass to the Munchesney family.
How long they remained in the king's hands after the
forfeiture of Bishop Odo does not appear, but in the
12th century they were held by the family of
Rumenel. (fn. 72)
David de Rumenel held Aston Mullins and died,
probably leaving two daughters. (fn. 73) Of these Aubrey
married William de Jarpenville, (fn. 74) and brought to her
husband her father's office of marshal of the king's
falcons. (fn. 75) William died before 1203–4, leaving as
his heir his daughter, Alice de Jarpenville. (fn. 76) She
married Thomas Fitz Bernard, from whom the manor
first took its name, and by grant from Aubrey he
became marshal of the royal falcons. (fn. 77)
During the lifetime of Aubrey, Thomas held Aston
Mullins, while she kept Ilmer in her own hands. (fn. 78)
In 1222 Aubrey de Jarpenville was involved in a lawsuit with Robert Achard, Roger de Cauz, Almaric
de Nowers, and Gilbert de St. Clare, who claimed a
moiety of Ilmer and Aston as part of the inheritance
of David de Rumenel, (fn. 79) their common ancestor.
Presumably they were the descendants of the second
daughter of David de Rumenel, since they claimed
half his inheritance. The suit, however, resulted in
their yielding their rights to Aubrey. (fn. 80) She died before
1226, and her daughter Alice succeeded to her lands. (fn. 81)
Ralph Fitz Bernard, the son of Alice and Thomas,
recovered his father's lands in 1214 from the hands
of Isaac of Norwich, a Jew. (fn. 82) He was succeeded
by John Fitz Bernard. Land in Aston Mullins,
however, was held by Joan, the widow of Ralph
Fitz Bernard, who afterwards married Humbert
Pugeys. (fn. 83) John Fitz Bernard was in seisin of the
manor in 1254, (fn. 84) but he died a few years later,
leaving his son Ralph as his heir. (fn. 85) Ralph was still
a minor, (fn. 86) and Humbert Pugeys obtained Aston
by a grant of Henry III, presumably to hold in
wardship. (fn. 87) In 1284–6 Ralph was himself holding
the manor. (fn. 88) He died between 1302 (fn. 89) and 1307, (fn. 90)
his heir being his nephew Thomas, a ward of the
king. (fn. 91) Aston Mullins formed part of the dower of
Ralph's widow Agatha, (fn. 92) but the reversion of the
manor on her death was granted by Thomas Fitz
Bernard to Sir John Blacket in 1313. (fn. 93) The final
conveyance took place in 1315, (fn. 94) and Sir John held
it until his death before 1328–9. (fn. 95) His widow Gille
married Sir John de Molyns, (fn. 96) and the latter acquired
the manor of Aston Mullins from John the son and
heir of Sir John Blacket. (fn. 97) De Molyns obtained further security in this manor by releases of their respective rights from John Fitz Bernard (fn. 98) and Giles (fn. 99) and
Isabel Blacket. (fn. 100) Various letters patent (fn. 101) and charters
from the king were also obtained, one amongst them
granting leave to Sir John de Molyns and his wife
to embattle the house at Aston Mullins. (fn. 102)
In 1344 the manor was seized by the king with
the other lands of Sir John de Molyns, (fn. 103) but the
next year he regained the king's favour and obtained
fresh grants. (fn. 104) Gille de Molyns died in 1367–8
seised of the manor of Aston Mullins, which then
passed to her son Sir William de Molyns. (fn. 105) The
family held it until 1440, when Sir William de
Molyns died, leaving an only daughter Eleanor. (fn. 106)
She married Sir Robert Hungerford, Lord Hungerford and de Molyns. (fn. 107) He was taken prisoner in
Gascony during the French War, and to raise his ransom of £3,000 Aston Mullins with various other
manors was given in surety to the Bishop of Winchester and other feoffees. (fn. 108) Eleanor, after the death
of her husband, had some difficulty in recovering
possession of these manors. (fn. 109) Her son Thomas, Lord
Hungerford, succeeded to his mother's possessions.
He was attainted as a Lancastrian, but the sentence
was reversed by Act of Parliament on the accession of
Henry VII, and his daughter Mary recovered her
inheritance. (fn. 110) She was in the wardship of Lord
Hastings, and was married to his son Edward. (fn. 111) The
family of Hastings held the manor of Aston Mullins
till 1537, when George Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon,
and his heir Francis, sold it to Michael Dormer. (fn. 112)
Geoffrey Dormer made a settlement of the manor in
1561, by which he was to hold it for seven years, the
reversion being granted to Elizabeth, widow of
William Serjeant, with reversion to Richard Serjeant
her son and his wife Marian Boller. (fn. 113) Marian survived her husband, and held the manor till 1614. (fn. 114)
Her son William Serjeant also predeceased her, and
Richard her grandson succeeded to the manor. (fn. 115) The
Serjeants held Aston Mullins till the 18th century,
and the last members of the family who are mentioned
as holding it were Jane Serjeant, widow, and Winwood
Serjeant. (fn. 116)
Molyns. Sable a cheif or with three lozenges gules therein.
Hungerford. Sable two bars and in the chief three roundels all argent.
In 1793 Matthew Raper and his wife Anne owned
the manor, (fn. 117) and in 1827 Henry Raper had succeeded
them. (fn. 118) General Raper was lately in possession of a
farm called Aston Mullins in Dinton parish, but it
has now passed into other hands. (fn. 119)
The manor of Aston Mullins was held in grand
serjeanty, together with Ilmer, the holder being the
marshal of the king's falcons. (fn. 120) This service was
unchanged until the abolition of feudal tenures, the
last mention of it being in 1613, on the death of
William Serjeant. The manor was then held of the
king-in-chief' by the service of serjeanty, viz., Marshal of the goshawks and birds of the King.' (fn. 121) Sir
John de Molyns, owing to the high favour in which
be stood with Edward III, obtained the grant of
many liberties and franchises within his manors, the
chief being the return of writs, in-fangthief, outfangthief, gallows; freedom from toll, murage, pavage,
and pontage, throughout the kingdom, for himself and
his tenants, and free warren in his demesne land. (fn. 122)
Early in the 13th century, a considerable number
of alienations of this serjeanty seem to have taken
place. Though only Ilmer is mentioned, the alienations in Aston Mullins seem to have been included
under this heading. Robert Passelewe, in the reign
of Henry III, recovered these alienations for the
king. The tenants paid a fixed yearly rent, while
military service was substituted for serjeanty. (fn. 123)
Robert Pykoc held 1½ virgates of land and pasture
of this serjeanty, and had also granted another half
virgate to Richard Pykoc. (fn. 124) This land was probably
in Aston Mullins, since a conveyance was made between John Pykoc and Robert Pykoc of messuages
and land in Aston Mullins and Waldridge in 1310. (fn. 125)
After the Norman Conquest Miles Crispin obtained the grant of 1½ hides of land in Upton, (fn. 126)
the origin of the estate of NETHER UPTON. In
the Confessor's time it had been held by a thegn
named Albric, and he remained in possession of this
land as a sub-tenant of Miles Crispin. (fn. 127) The lands of
Miles Crispin, together with those of Robert Doyly
afterwards formed the royal honour of Wallingford, (fn. 128)
to which this part of Upton belonged. (fn. 129) In the
12th century William de Upton appears to have been
the tenant of this land. In 1197 there was a lawsuit between Samson de Ie Pomerae and his wife
Christian and William as to the service due from
6 virgates of land in Upton, of which Samson appeared
to be the mesne tenant between William de Upton
and the honour of Wallingford. (fn. 130) Geoffrey, son of
William or Geoffrey de Upton, succeeded his father, (fn. 131)
but in 1235 another William de Upton paid the feudal
dues from the land. (fn. 132) He was succeeded by Geoffrey
de Upton, (fn. 133) who, however, granted all his land in
Upton to William Giffard in 1267. (fn. 134) The heirs of
Geoffrey de Upton attempted to recover their possession and seized the land. (fn. 135) Long law-suits ensued,
the pleadings being rather obscure. The jurors said
that Geoffrey de Upton never enfeoffed William
Giffard with the tenements in question, namely, one
messuage and 183 acres of land, 8 acres of wood, and
8 acres of meadow, but that the latter entered on the
tenement shortly after the battle of Evesham.
William demised it to Adam de Caudes for life, but
afterwards resumed it into his own hands. (fn. 136) In spite
of this evidence it was acknowledged that in 1267
Geoffrey de Upton came before the Chancellor and
quit-claimed for himself and his heirs his manor of
Upton to William Giffard. (fn. 137) Geoffrey's heirs were
two nieces, Cecilia de Gatesdon and Alice Haket, and
John de Middleton, John de St. Owen, and Robert
Covert. The three last-named were presumably the
nephews of Cecilia and Alice. (fn. 138) Finally William
Giffard appears to have recovered possession of the
manor. (fn. 139) During the disseisin of Giffard, John de
Middleton and his co-parceners enfeoffed John le
Waleys and his wife Maud with half of the land in
question. After the death of John, Maud married
Simon de Kingesmede. (fn. 140) In 1290 they were disseised of their land by Hamo Hawtrey, the descendant
of William Giffard. (fn. 141)
They petitioned the king, and presumably recovered
seisin, since in 1302–3 Master William Bernel and
Simon de Kingesham (or Kingesmede) (fn. 142) held this
part of Upton. In 1346 it was held by Michael atte
Watre and John le Waleys, (fn. 143) the son and heir of John
le Waleys and Maud. (fn. 144)
The later history of Nether Upton cannot be
traced. In 1346 John de Handlo died seised of rents
in Upton by Aylesbury, which he held of the honour
of Wallingford. (fn. 145) Hence the land from which they
were paid was presumably in Nether Upton. His
heir was a minor, Edmund, son of Richard de
Handlo. (fn. 146) Edmund died before 1363, and his lands
were divided between his two sisters Margaret the
wife of Sir John Appleby and Elizabeth the wife of
Edmund de la Pole. (fn. 147)
The land in Upton belonging to the honour of
Wallingford was held as the twentieth part of a
knight's fee. (fn. 148)
Before the Norman Conquest Alwin, a thegn of
Queen Edith, held 3½ hides of land in UPTON,
which he could sell as he pleased. (fn. 149) At the time of
the Domesday Survey this land had passed to William
Peverel, (fn. 150) and formed part of the honour of Peverel
of Nottingham. (fn. 151) William Peverel had granted this
land to a sub-tenant named Robert, (fn. 152) but later it was
held by the family of Hussey.
The first mention of Upton after the entry in
Domesday Book occurs in 1207, when one knight's
fee in Upton was in the king's hands, but three years
earlier William Hussey held one fee in the county. (fn. 153)
About 1210 Henry Hussey held Upton, (fn. 154) and in
1211 or 1212 William Hussey is mentioned as the
tenant. (fn. 155)
Not long after this, however, another Henry Hussey
held it. (fn. 156) In 1302–3 it was held by a sub-tenant of
his heir, (fn. 157) but after this the name of Hussey does not
appear in connexion with land in Upton.
Henry Hussey granted his fee in Upton to the
abbey of Oseney. (fn. 158) This grant was confirmed in
1238, (fn. 159) and in 1276 the abbot was said to hold the
manor of Upton of Henry Hussey, doing suit at the
court of the honour of Peverel. (fn. 160) In 1346, however, he held a knight's fee in 'Upton cum Stone' of
the king in chief, (fn. 161) and it belonged to the abbey till
its dissolution. (fn. 162) The manor of Upton was granted
in 1541 to Sir John Baldwin, Chief Justice of Common Pleas. (fn. 163) In his will it was left to the king 'for
the wardship and primer seisin' of his heirs, Thomas
Pakington and John Borlase. (fn. 164) The latter was the
son of the younger daughter of Sir John, and Upton
formed part of his share of the inheritance. (fn. 165) The
Borlases held the manor (fn. 166) until the death of Sir John
Borlase, bart., without heirs male in 1688–9, (fn. 167) when
the four daughters of his uncle, William Borlase,
inherited Upton. (fn. 168)
Hussey. Barry ermine and gules.
Oseney Abbey. Azure two bends or.
Baldwin. Argent three pairs of oakleaves vert with stalks sable.
Borlase. Ermine a bend sable and thereon two arms coming out of clouds, the hands grasping a horseshoe or.
John Wallop, who had married Alice, the eldest
sister, apparently bought the other three shares of the
manor. His second son John, who afterwards became
Earl of Portsmouth, inherited it in 1762. (fn. 169) The
second earl held it in 1789–90, (fn. 170) and his son and
successor was said to hold it in the first part of the
19th century. (fn. 171)
Upton is at the present day a sub-manor appendant
to the manor of Dinton, the
land being owned by Mrs.
Parker. (fn. 172)
The manor of Upton was
held by the military service
due from one knight's fee. (fn. 173)
The Abbot of Oseney held
it in frankalmoign of Henry
Hussey and his heirs, paying
5s. a year (fn. 174) at Michaelmas.
This rent was afterwards paid
to the bailiffs of the honour
of Peverel. (fn. 175) The abbot,
however, was answerable for
the service due to the honour, and paid the feudal
dues from his fee. (fn. 176) In 1254 the bailiff held the
view of frankpledge, pleas of namio vetito, and the
return of writs within the manor. (fn. 177) The abbot
claimed the view of frankpledge and waifs in the
reign of Edward I. He presented a charter of
Henry III, which confirmed rights granted by
Henry II as warranty, but he renounced his claim
to waifs. (fn. 178) The Borlase family and their successors
also claimed to hold the view of frankpledge and a
court-leet in their manor of Upton. (fn. 179)
Wallop, Earl of Portsmouth. Argent a bend wavy sable.
In the time of Edward the Confessor two socmen
held WALDRIDGE. They were respectively the
men of Avelin and of Alveva, sister of Earl Harold,
and they could sell their land at will. (fn. 180) After the
Conquest this land, containing I hide and 2 virgates,
was granted to the Bishop of Bayeux. (fn. 181) It passed
with the manor of Dinton in succession to the Munchesneys (fn. 182) and the Earl of Pembroke; (fn. 183) the last
mention of the overlordship of Waldridge occurs in
1316, and was then held by Aymer de Valence, Earl
of Pembroke. (fn. 184)
Helto, the steward of the Bishop of Bayeux, held
Waldridge as an under-tenant in 1086. (fn. 185) In
1254, 9 virgates of land were held by John de
Stoke and Richard de Middleton. (fn. 186) Geoffrey de
Upton also held 3 virgates of land, but his overlord
was said to be Adam Rumbald. (fn. 187) No further mention of this mesne tenancy appears. Geoffrey, how
ever, held more land in Waldridge, (fn. 188) and in 1267 he
granted it as a member of the manor of (Nether)
Upton (q.v.) to William Giffard. (fn. 189) The latter, together
with John le Waleys, held 11 virgates of land in
1284–6. (fn. 190) The heirs of Geoffrey de Upton attempted to recover Waldridge as well as Upton (q.v.),
with presumably the same result, and its history at
that time is very obscure. (fn. 191) Five virgates of land in
Waldridge were granted by Edward IV to Sir Thomas
Montgomery in 1464. (fn. 192) The reversion in the event
of his dying without heirs male was obtained by
Ralph Verney and Richard Fowler. (fn. 193) The manor of
Waldridge, however, came into the possession of the
Hampdens. In 1487 Margery, the widow of Thomas
Hampden, claimed a third as her dower and recovered
her seisin. (fn. 194)
Land in Waldridge was held by the family until
the death of Sir Alexander Hampden, (fn. 195) a fine of
messuages, lands, and rents in Waldridge being levied
in 1622 between two of his heiresses, Anne the wife
of Sir John Trevor, and Margaret the wife of Sir
Thomas Wenman. (fn. 196)
The manor, however, appears to have come into
the possession of the Serjeants before this time. In
1615 William Serjeant died seised of a capital messuage or farm in Waldridge. (fn. 197)
In 1650 Sir Richard Ingoldsby the regicide purchased the manor of Waldridge from the Serjeants
and lived there. (fn. 198) The family remained as residents
in the parish for many years, and presumably held
the manor of Waldridge.
In 1849 it was purchased by the lord of Dinton
Manor, the father of Lieut.-Col. Goodall, and is now
appendant to the main manor. (fn. 199)
In 1254 John de Stoke and Richard de Middleton
paid 20s. a year to Warine de Munchesney for the 9
virgates that they held of him. (fn. 200) They held the view
of frankpledge for their tenants, but made a yearly
payment of 2s. to the king for this right. (fn. 201) Geoffrey
de Upton, however, paid 15s. a year to his immediate
lord, and did no forinsec service to the king. (fn. 202)
The manor or liberty of MORETON belonged to
the hundred of Desborough. It is not mentioned
separately in the Domesday Survey, but it may have
been included in West Wycombe, (fn. 203) since it was afterwards held by the Bishop of Winchester, (fn. 204) and was
appendant to his manor of West Wycombe. (fn. 205) Bishop
Richard Pope held a court-leet for Moreton in the
reign of Henry VII, (fn. 206) but in 1551 Bishop Poynet
surrendered his manors of West Wycombe, Moreton,
and Ivinghoe to the king. (fn. 207) The two last-mentioned
manors were, however, restored to the see of Winchester. The bishop held the manor in 1613, (fn. 208) and in
1797 it still belonged to the bishopric. (fn. 209) Moreton
was held in frankalmoign of the king in chief. (fn. 210)
John Duncombe held a capital messuage in Moreton
in the 16th century. (fn. 211) It passed into the hands of
John Saunders of Long Marston, Hertfordshire, who
sold it to Richard Saunders. (fn. 212) The latter died in
1601, leaving a son John as his heir, (fn. 213) from whom
Robert Waller bought two messuages, a garden, an
orchard, and 90 acres of land in Moreton and
Dinton. (fn. 214) Edmund Waller
was his son and heir, but was
a minor at the time of his
father's death in 1617. (fn. 215) His
descendant, Edmund Waller,
held Moreton under the Bishop
of Winchester in 1797, (fn. 216) and
the Wallers still own Moreton
at the present day. (fn. 217) In 1606
Sir Thomas Lee died seised
of a farm called Moreton
Farm in Dinton, which had
previously been held by Edmund Waller. (fn. 218) How Sir
Thomas had obtained this farm does not appear, nor
the date of its recovery by the Wallers. Moreton is,
however, best known as the first place of residence of
the Lees in Buckinghamshire. Thomas and Ralph
Lee held lands in Moreton, which they granted on
lease to Francis Lee for twenty-six years. (fn. 219) Thomas
Lee, the son of the lessee, held the remainder of this
lease at the time of his death in 1572. (fn. 220) He left in
his will the house in which he lived at Moreton to his
wife, together with all lands belonging to it and other
tenements there. (fn. 221) The Lees had probably settled
there in the 15th century, a brass to William Lee,
of Dinton, who died in 1485, still existing in the
church.
Waller. Sable three walnut leaves or between two bends argent.
The family of Compton held land under the
Bishop of Winchester in the 15th century. There
is a brass in Dinton Church commemorating members of the family, and bearing the date 1424, and
John Compton held land in Moreton in 1407. (fn. 222)
Sir Ralph Verney (jun.) died seised of COMPTON'S MANOR in 1525 and it formed part of the
jointure of his wife Elizabeth. (fn. 223) His son and heir
Ralph succeeded him. (fn. 224) William Serjeant, however,
held this manor at the beginning of the 17th century. (fn. 225)
Compton's Piece and Compton's Lane are mentioned
in 1714, (fn. 226) and Compton's Farm is mentioned in the
early part of the 19th century. (fn. 227)
The tenure by which the Comptons held their
land does not appear. Sir Ralph Verney, however,
held the manor of the Bishop of Winchester, (fn. 228) and
William Serjeant held it of the bishop as of his manor
of Moreton by fealty and a yearly rent of 16s. (fn. 229)
Church
The church of ST. PETER and ST.
PAUL consists of a chancel 39 ft. by 17 ft.
8 in.; a nave 56 ft. 9 in. by 23 ft. 1½ in.; a
south aisle 14 ft. 3 in. wide with south porch, and
a western tower 15 ft. 2 in. by 12 ft. 2 in. The
church seems to have been almost entirely rebuilt in the
13th century, but the walling above the south arcade
is probably older than the arcade, and at the east end
a shallow pilaster buttress shows in the east wall of the
south aisle, which looks like 12th-century work. The
south doorway is also of this date, and was doubtless
removed to its present position from the wall of an
aisleless nave.
In the first half of the 13th century the nave was
brought to its present plan by the rebuilding of its
north wall, perhaps a little outside the line of the
former north wall, and the addition of the south aisle
and its arcade. The present chancel arch was built
about the same time, and the chancel was rebuilt as it
now appears, except in the matter of length. This
has been increased by some feet in modern times.
In the north wall of the nave pilasters were set to
take the ends of the roof timbers, corresponding with
the spacing of the south arcade, but all the windows
of this date have been replaced by later work. At
some time in the 14th century four buttresses were
built to support this wall, spaced symmetrically on the
outer elevation, without regard to the pilasters within,
and in the 15th century three large square-headed
windows were inserted, also set with regard to the
outside elevation, as far as the internal pilasters allowed.
The tower is of the 15th century, the 13th-century west
door of the nave being removed to serve in the west
wall of the tower, and the south porch is also of the
15th century. The church is covered externally by an
almost complete coat of rough-cast, the only part not
so treated, the chancel, having been largely re-pointed
and re-faced in modern times. The church was
'restored' by Street in 1868.
The east windows of the chancel, three lancets, are
entirely modern. There are three lancets also in the
north and south walls, which though re-tooled are in the
main old. The south doorway, between the first and
second lancets, is also in part old, and now blocked
with masonry. At the east end of the north wall is a
square locker rebated for a door, and in the same position on the south a much-scraped and restored piscina
of 13th-century date with a trefoiled head and label.
At the west end of the south wall is the opening of a
squint which passes through the south respond of the
chancel arch, giving a view of the former position of
the high altar from the south aisle.
The chancel arch appears to be of the same build
as the nave arcade, and is of three plain chamfered
orders set centrally with both nave and chancel. The
responds are semi-octagonal with moulded capitals and
bases, the abaci being continued as a string across the
west face of the wall, and ranging with those of the
south arcade. The pilasters in the north wall are semioctagonal and very slender in form, with small moulded
capitals, which are probably 15th-century additions to
take the feet of the wall brackets of the principals, a
purpose they continue to fulfil in the case of the modern
roof. The south arcade is of five bays with octagonal
columns having moulded capitals and bases; the arches
are of two chamfered orders struck from a point
well below the springing line. All the north windows
are square-headed, the first from the east being of two
trefoiled lights under a square head; it is of the same
section as the others in the wall, though its tracery has
a somewhat earlier character. The others are three
in number, with ogee cinquefoiled lights under a square
head with small quatrefoils in the spandrels. Above the
crowns of the three eastern bays of the south arcade are
15th-century clearstory openings with quatrefoil heads
in a square frame, the wall above the arcade being set
out on a chamfered string on account of the irregularity
of the old wall face below.
The east window of the south aisle is of three
trefoiled lights, with tracery of 15th-century detail, and
almost entirely modern. At the east end of the south
wall is a piscina with a hollow-chamfered two-centred
head and an old drain, and above it a much restored
three-light 15th-century window with modern tracery.
The south door, nearly opposite the middle bay of the
south aisle, is of 12th-century date, c. 1140–50, a very
fine specimen, with a semicircular arch of two orders
with zigzag ornament, a continuous label with triple
billet ornament, spirally fluted shafts to the inner order,
and a carved tympanum and lintel. The capital of
the western shaft is scalloped, and that of the eastern
has a bird with outspread wings.
On the tympanum is a conventional tree between
two monsters, and on the lintel below are St. Michael
and the Dragon, the underside of the lintel and the
upper border of the tympanum having bands of interlacing ornament. On the lower part of the tympanum and the upper edge of the lintel is the inscription
+ Premia Pro Meritis si Q(u)is Desp(er) Et Habenda
Audiat Hic Prec(e)pta Sibi Qve Si(n)t Retinenda +
The jambs of the inner order appear to have been
altered, and have stops of modern classical character
immediately below the lintel.
West of the door is a three-light 15th-century window of the same design as that on the east of the door,
and, like it, much restored. The west window, of
two lights with tracery of 15th-century design, is
almost completely modern, the sill and a few stones in
the jambs alone being old. The porch has a good
15th-century roof with moulded timbers resting on
four stone carved corbels; the inner tie-beam being
cut away to show the details of the inner doorway.
The tower is of three stages, with an embattled
parapet and belfry windows of two trefoiled lights with
a quatrefoil in the head. The tower arch is two
centred, of three chamfered orders, dying out at the
springing. The west window of the ground stage is of
15th-century date, with three cinquefoiled lights and
tracery over in a four-centred head. The west door
has a two-centred head of three deeply-moulded orders
and double-shafted jambs, the inner order being continuous. The label has mask drips, and the doorway
is a fine piece of 13th-century detail.
The font has a large cup-shaped bowl on a wide
circular moulded base, and much resembles in outline
a type of late 12th-century font common in the neighbourhood. The base appears to be of that date, but
the details of the bowl look like 14th-century work,
and it is possible that it is in reality a 12th-century
font recut. It has a scroll moulding on the lip, and
below it a band of quatrefoiled circles, the lower part
of the bowl being fluted, with trefoiled ogee heads to
the flutes.
The roofs, except that of the porch, are modern, those
of the nave and aisle being of low pitch and covered
with lead, while that of the chancel is of steep pitch and
tiled. The seating is also modern, but there is a fairly
good 17th-century pulpit, and in the vestry, at the west
end of the aisle, is a table with large carved baluster
legs dated 1606, and an inscription cut on the top,
Francis Huntts Geven By The Youth Of Upton
the initials, presumably, of the donors being cut on the
front of the frame. There is also a chest with linen
panels and styles carved with detail of c. 1540, but
a lid of 17th-century date, and under the tower a
cupboard made up of similar materials. At the northeast of the nave is a tablet to Simon Mayne of Dinton,
1617, who married Collubery, the daughter of Richard
Lovelace of Hurley, Berkshire, and had one son and one
daughter. In the tower is a small wall monument to
Richard Ingoldsby, 1703, his wife Mary (Colmore),
seven sons and seven daughters. In the same place is
a large monument of black and white marble with Ionic
columns carrying an arched pediment, commemorating
Richard Serjeant, 1661, and his two wives Anne (Ingoldsby) and Jane (Harrington); on the plinth is an
inscription to the last with blanks left for the age and
date of death. Above are the arms: Gules a bend
wavy argent between two dolphins or impaling Sable
fretty argent, which are the arms of his second wife.
In the floor at the west end of the south aisle are the
following brasses: John Compton, 1424, and his wife
Margery (Hurley), with four sons and five daughters;
William Lee of Moreton in the parish of Dinton, 1486,
and Alice his wife; John Lee of Moreton, 1500 (inscription plate only); Francis Lee, 1558, and Elizabeth
his wife; Elinor, wife of Sir Thomas Lee of Moreton, who had twenty-four children and died 1633;
Simon Mayne, 1617, and Collubery his wife, 1628
(see above); Thomas Grenewey, 1538, and his wife
Elizabeth, 1538; and their son and heir Richard
Grenewey, 1551, and his wife Joan (Bulney). On
the last named are the arms of Grenewey: Gules a
fesse and a chief or with three martlets vert in the
chief. In the chancel are some 18th-century monuments to the Vanhattem family. Under the tower
hangs a funeral helm of 16th-century type. In the
south-east window of the south aisle is a shield of
old glass bearing Barry … in chief three griffins'
heads.
There are six bells; the treble, second and third of
1656, the fourth by Richard Chandler, 1682, the fifth
of 1658, and the tenor of 1892. The bells of
1656–8 are from the Knights' foundry at Reading.
The church plate is very handsome, and consists of
a large covered cup of Elizabethan design bearing the
date letter for 1569; a salver inscribed as the gift of
Thomas Ingoldsby in 1721 and hall-marked for that
year; and two large flagons, the gift of Sir John Vanhattem in 1772, hall-marked for 1771.
The first book of the registers contains all entries
between 1562 and 1648; the second all between
1653 and 1742, and a third book contains burials in
woollen from 1689 to 1737. After 1742 there is a
gap, baptisms and burials being continued in one book
from 1773 to 1812, while two books contain the
marriage entries between 1754 and 1768, and 1768
and 1812.
Advowson
The church of Dinton was
granted by Agnes de Munchesney
to the convent of Godstow, Oxfordshire, in the reign of Henry II. (fn. 230)
The rectory was impropriated and the vicarage
ordained by the time of Bishop Hugh of Wells. (fn. 231)
After the dissolution of the convent, Henry VIII
in 1545 granted the rectory and church with the
advowson of the vicarage to Robert Brown, Christopher Edmesdes, and William Windlow. (fn. 232) They
enfeoffed Robert and John Doyley, (fn. 233) the former of
whom sold the rectory and advowson in 1556 to
Richard Shrimpton. (fn. 234) From Shrimpton they passed
to John Duncombe, (fn. 235) who together with his son
Edward granted the rectory, (fn. 236) and apparently the
advowson also, to Elizabeth, the wife of Richard
Saunders, for life, with remainder to Richard and
to his son John. (fn. 237)
After the death of her first husband Elizabeth
married Sir — Hoddesdon, (fn. 238) and John Saunders
seems to have entered into possession of the rectory
and advowson. (fn. 239) The latter he granted separately in
1623, with the consent of his mother, to William
Carter of Offley, Hertfordshire. (fn. 240) John died in the
same year, leaving an only daughter Elizabeth, aged
seven at the time of her father's death. (fn. 241) She
probably married Sir Walter Pye, (fn. 242) and they were
in possession of the advowson of the church of
Dinton in 1639. (fn. 243) Elizabeth died seised of the
rectory and advowson, which were inherited by her
son Walter. (fn. 244)
He sold the advowson of the vicarage about
1650 to Simon Mayne the regicide, (fn. 245) so that after
the Restoration it was forfeited to the Crown. It
was not alienated, (fn. 246) and the patronage of the vicarage
of Dinton is in the hands of the Lord Chancellor at
the present day.
The rectory was not sold by Sir Walter Pye with
the advowson, but he conveyed it to John Harrington
and Richard Serjeant (jun.) in 1655. (fn. 247)
The warrant for a grant of the rectory and tithes
of Dinton was made out in 1662 to the Bishops of
London and Winchester and others, to be held in
trust for the maintenance of a minister. (fn. 248) The
rectory was then said to have come to the Crown by
the forfeiture of the lands of Simon Mayne; (fn. 249) but
this presumably was a mistake, since he does not
seem ever to have bought the rectory. In 1705
Winwood Serjeant and his wife Martha held the
rectory, hence his family had presumably owned it
without interruption since its purchase in 1655. (fn. 250)
There is a Baptist chapel at Ford in this parish,
built in 1716, with a mission chapel attached to it
at Dinton.
Charities
Dame Elizabeth Hoddesden, who
died 11 March 1637, by will left
£15, the interest to be given yearly
on the day of her death to ten or twelve poor old
persons by the direction of the minister and churchwardens. The principal sum appears to have been
received and spent by the parish, but no sum
by way of interest has been distributed for many
years.
Mrs. Matilda Phelps by will, proved in 1867, left
£100 to be invested and income applied by the
vicar of Dinton, and the owner of Dinton Hall, in the
distribution of coals to poor and aged widows and
spinsters. The legacy is represented by £103 18s. 9d.
India 3 per cent. stock with the official trustees.
The dividend, amounting to £3 2s. 4d., was in
1905–6 distributed in coal to eight widows and
two spinsters.
In 1876 Miss Eliza Goodall by will left £200
consols (with the official trustees), the dividends to
be applied annually in the month of January for the
benefit of all or such of the poor as should be then
residing in the cottages known as the 'Church
Houses,' and in such shares as the owner of the
Dinton Hall estate should think well. By a scheme
of the Charity Commissioners, 1901, it was provided
that so long as there should be no inmates of the
Church Houses the income should be applied for the
benefit of deserving and necessitous persons in such
way as might be considered most conducive to the
formation of provident habits. In 1906 coal, articles
of clothing, and money were distributed to twenty
recipients.
Mrs. Sarah Maria Clotilda Roper by will 1866,
proved in 1881, among other charitable legacies,
bequeathed specific sums and share of residue for
the benefit of this parish. The estate was administered
in the Chancery Division of the High Court, and in
the result £89 consols (with the official trustees) and
£450 17s. 4d. consols (in court) were assigned for
the benefit of the organist; £89 15s. 6d. consols
(with the official trustees) for the poor; £558 3s. 5d.
consols (in court) for the poor schools; and £507 17s. 5d.
consols (in court) for the benefit of the Dinton schoolhouse. The amount applicable for educational purposes, about £26 a year, is received by the national
schools.