WESTON TURVILLE
Weston, xi cent.; Weston Turville, xiii cent.
The parish of Weston Turville contains 2,323¼
acres of land, (fn. 1) of which rather more than 1,070 are
arable, the rest, with the exception of about 7½ acres of
wood, being laid down in permanent pasture. (fn. 2) The
subsoil is Gault, Upper Greensand, and Chalk, the
surface being variable, either loam or clay. The
population is occupied in agriculture and duck breeding. A little straw-plait is still made, but the industry is gradually dying out. The parish is well
watered by various streams running north, one of
which supplies the water for the mill. There are
moats at the Manor House, Manor Farm at West End,
and near Broughton Farm. The Wendover branch
of the Grand Junction Canal crosses the parish, and
there is a large reservoir belonging to the Canal
Company in the extreme south. The land lies for
the most part between 200 ft. and 300 ft. above the
Ordnance datum, and the village stands 300 ft. above
the same datum. The Akeman Street, which runs
from Aylesbury to Tring, and the main road from
Aylesbury to Wendover, which follows the line of
the Lower Icknield Way for part of its course, cross
the parish, and the village of Weston Turville lies at
the crossing. The nearest station is Stoke Mandeville, on the Metropolitan Extension Railway, about
1½ miles away. A Roman amphora and other objects
were discovered in the rectory garden. The parish
was inclosed by Act of Parliament, the award bearing
the date 5 July 1800. (fn. 3) The manor-house is the
residence of Mr. T. C. H. Hedderwick.
Manors
In the time of the Confessor (fn. 4)
WESTON TURVILLE was held in four
parts. Earl Leofwine held 9½ hides of
land himself, and two of his men held 9½ hides; 2
hides were held by a man of Earl Tosti; Godric the
sheriff held 3½ hides as one manor, and two of his
men held another 3½ hides, making a total of 20
hides. After the Norman Conquest (fn. 5) Weston Turville belonged to the lands of the Bishop of Bayeux,
and the earlier division into four parts was obliterated.
After the forfeiture of the bishop, Weston Turville
was presumably granted to one of the Counts of
Meulan, Earls of Leicester, and in this way became
part of the honour of Leicester. (fn. 6) Simon de Montfort
as Earl of Leicester (fn. 7) held it early in the 13th century,
but after his death the earldom was granted to Edmund
of Lancaster, the second son of Henry III. (fn. 8) The
latter died seised of three knights' fees (fn. 9) in Weston
Turville. From his time the honour of Leicester
was held by the Earls and Dukes of Lancaster, so that
Weston Turville became part of the Duchy of Lancaster. (fn. 10) Under the Inclosure Act of 1798 a piece of
ground, rather more than half an acre in extent, was
allotted to the Duchy of Lancaster. It was to equal
one-twelfth of the common and waste lands and
grounds as a 'compensation for all rights and interest
of his said Majesty as Lord of the Manor.' This
½ acre was sold shortly before 1862 to Mr. John
Eldridge of Weston Turville. The paramount lordship presumably passed with it, but apparently no
homage had been done to the duchy from any of the
manors in Weston Turville since the inclosure of the
common fields. (fn. 11) The Earl of Leicester in the 13th
century held the pleas of namio vetito and the view of
frankpledge in Weston Turville. In 1254 the rights
were said to have belonged to the overlord of the
manor since the Conquest, except for a time when
the honour of Leicester was in the hands of the king. (fn. 12)
This presumably refers to the time just before Simon
de Montfort was made Earl of Leicester.
In the reign of Edward I the lords of the honour
also claimed to have the return of writs in the manor
of Weston Turville. (fn. 13)
The Bishop of Bayeux (fn. 14) had subinfeudated all his
land in Weston Turville in 1086. One hide was
held by the Bishop of Lisieux, and the remainder of
the land was in the hands of Roger, who may have
been the Roger from whom the Bolebecs traced their
descent in the female line. His son was named
Anketill, and Roger son of Anketill was said to be in
seisin (fn. 15) of the manor of Weston Turville in the time
of Henry I. Roger's daughter Isabella married a
Bolebec, and through this marriage his descendant
Herbert de Bolebec claimed the manor in 1212. (fn. 16)
Whether his family ever held it in right of Isabella is
not clear, but at the time of his claim the Turvilles
were in seisin. How they became possessed of it is
also lost in obscurity, but they
may have obtained it through
another daughter and heiress
of Roger son of Anketill.
William de Turville held the
manor in the reign of King
John, (fn. 17) and in 1206 he granted
it for the term of thirteen
years to Geoffrey Fitz Piers,
Earl of Essex. William de
Turville was succeeded by his
son William, who had, however, died before 1222, apparently leaving no children. (fn. 18) His heirs were Cecilia
the wife of Reginald or Roger de Croft, Isabella
the wife of Walhamet le Poure, and Petronilla the
wife of Simon de Crewelton or Turville, who were
presumably his sisters. (fn. 19) The manor of Weston
Turville was divided between Cecilia and Petronilla, but the land was divided amongst the
three heiresses, (fn. 20) who seem each to have held one
fee. (fn. 21) The moiety of the manor assigned to Petronilla obtained the name of WESTON MOLYNS.
Simon de Crewelton seems to have assumed the
name of his wife's family and to have transmitted
it to his descendants. In 1236 he and Petronilla
obtained a quitclaim (fn. 22) from Gilbert de Bolebec of
his claim to Weston Turville. They were succeeded
by William de Turville before 1278, (fn. 23) and he in
turn was succeeded by Nicholas de Turville before
1296–7. (fn. 24) William was sheriff of Bedfordshire and
Buckinghamshire in 1288 and 1291, (fn. 25) and Nicholas
in 1293. (fn. 26) The latter granted the manor to Hugh
de Turpleton in 1329, (fn. 27) but before 1333–4 it had
passed to Sir John de Molyns. (fn. 28) Walter son of
Hugh de Turpleton quitclaimed it to Sir John and
his wife Gille and their son John in 1338–9. (fn. 29) The
new tenants had obtained a pardon from the king, (fn. 30)
shortly after entering in the manor, of all debts and
arrears of farms due at the Exchequer from William
and Nicholas de Turville, contracted during the time
of their shrievalty. Sir John de Molyns held the
manor in 1346. He enfeoffed his son John de
Molyns and his wife Joan for themselves and the
heirs of their bodies, with remainder to William the
brother of the feoffee. (fn. 31) John de Molyns the younger
predeceased his father, (fn. 32) but his widow Joan, who
afterwards married Sir Michael Poyninges, held the
manor till her death in 1369. (fn. 33) She had no children
by her first husband, and it passed, according to the
settlement by Sir John de Molyns, to William de
Molyns. The latter died in 1380–1, (fn. 34) and the
manor was held by Margery his widow till her
death. (fn. 35) It then passed to her grandson Sir William
de Molyns, (fn. 36) who granted it to Margaret Bedford for
life. (fn. 37) She held the manor at the death of a second
Sir William de Molyns in 1429, (fn. 38) but his daughter
and heiress Eleanor presumably entered on the manor
on Margaret's death. (fn. 39) Eleanor married Robert
Hungerford, Lord Hungerford and de Molyns, (fn. 40) and
they held the manor of Weston Molyns jointly, but
it was mortgaged in 1460 (fn. 41) with other lands to
raise Lord Hungerford's ransom when taken a
prisoner in Aquitaine. Lord Hungerford was attainted (fn. 42) after the battle of Towton and died in
1465; (fn. 43) afterwards his wife married Sir Oliver
Maningham, and brought a lawsuit to recover the
mortgaged manors, (fn. 44) alleging that the debts had
been paid. (fn. 45) Apparently she recovered Weston Molyns, since in 1491 (fn. 46) Maningham granted the manor
to certain feoffees during his life, and afterwards
quitclaimed to them his right in it for ever. (fn. 47)
Eleanor's son and heir, Thomas Hungerford, was also
attainted and beheaded in 1469. (fn. 48) On the accession
of Henry VII the attainder was reversed, and Mary
his daughter and heiress was restored in blood. (fn. 49) She
was in the wardship of William, Lord Hastings, and
was married to his son Edward. (fn. 50) The latter was
created Lord Hungerford, (fn. 51) and he and his wife recovered many of the manors belonging to her inheritance, Weston Molyns being among them. (fn. 52) After
the death of Edward Hastings his widow married Sir
Richard Sacheverell, and they were in seisin of the
manor in 1512. (fn. 53) It was apparently sold to Sir
Andrew Windsor, first Lord Windsor, who also
acquired the other moiety of Weston Turvilie about
the same time. His grandson Edward, Lord Windsor,
held the whole manor of Weston Turvilie in 1568, (fn. 54)
and died seised of it. (fn. 55) Before 1617–18, however,
his successor must have sold it to the family of Hill. (fn. 56)
In that year William Hill settled the manor, after his
death and that of his wife Dorothy, on his son
Bartholomew and Katherine his daughter-in-law and
on their sons in tail male, with further remainders. (fn. 57)
Bartholomew in the same year, however, was found to
have been a lunatic for many
years, but the 'lordship or
manor of Weston Turvilie
formerly known by the names
of the manors of Weston
Molyns and Weston Butlers'
was still held by his mother
according to the settlement. (fn. 58)
Turville. Gules three cheverons vair.
De Molyns. Paly wavy or and gules.
Hungerford. Sable two bars argent with two roundels argent in the chief.
Windsor. Gules a saltire argent between twelve crosslets or.
Bartholomew's heir was his
infant son William, (fn. 59) who may
presumably be identified with
the William Hill who held the
manor in 1677. (fn. 60) Another
William Hill had succeeded
him in 1703, (fn. 61) and, together with his wife Jane,
was in seisin of Weston Turvilie Manor. He
had died before 1717–18, (fn. 62) when it was in the
hands of Jane Hill, widow, Mary, Elizabeth, and
Katherine Hill, and Martha Potter, widow, the last
four being probably his daughters and heiresses.
From them it seems to have passed to Henry Tomkins, who held the manor in 1754. (fn. 63) He died in
1784, (fn. 64) and Weston Turvilie presumably passed to
his son Henry. The latter only survived his father a
few years, and about 1789 his brother, Lieut.-Colonel
Tomkins, succeeded him. (fn. 65) Lieut.-Colonel Tomkins
died in 1800, and his widow held the manor during
her life. (fn. 66) She presumably died about 1835, when it
was advertised for sale (fn. 67) at the Auction Mart in
London. It was then or shortly afterwards sold by
H(enry) Tomkins to the Duke of Buckingham, who
bought large estates in Buckinghamshire at this time.
Many of them were mortgaged, and in a few years
were seized by the mortgagees. Weston Turvilie was
sold to Sir Anthony de Rothschild, bart., (fn. 68) a few years
before 1862, and Lord Rothschild is now lord of the
manor.
The other moiety of the manor of Weston Turvilie was held by Roger Croft and his wife Cecilia,
one of the heiresses of William de Turvilie. (fn. 69) Roger
Croft held one fee in demesne, (fn. 70) and his moiety of the
manor afterwards became known as the manor of
WESTON BUTLERS. He and his wife obtained
a quitclaim similar to that given to Simon de Turvilie and Petronilla from Gilbert de Bolebec in
1236. (fn. 71) A Roger de Croft died in 1255, (fn. 72) but he
held no land in Buckinghamshire, and apparently
his land, held in demesne, had passed to Hugh de
Herdebergh in 1254. (fn. 73) Hugh was succeeded by
his son Roger de Herdebergh, (fn. 74) who, however, died
before 1296, (fn. 75) when his land was held by his heirs,
his two daughters Ella and Isabel. The former
married William le Botiller of Wem, (fn. 76) and her sister
may perhaps be identified with Isabel the wife of
John de Hulles, who, jointly with her husband,
granted the manor of Weston Turville to Ella widow
of Walter de Hopton. (fn. 77) This perhaps was a settlement of the inheritance of
the two sisters, since Ella may
have been married to Walter
de Hopton before her marriage with William le Botiller.
It is, moreover, certain that
this moiety of the manor of
Weston Turville was not subdivided at this time, but passed
to Ella and her heirs. Edmund le Botiller held one
knight's fee in 1346, (fn. 78) and
after his death it passed to his
brother Edward. (fn. 79) He also
died without direct heirs in
1376, (fn. 80) and the moiety of the manor of Weston
Butlers was subdivided among his four sisters or their
heirs. (fn. 81) Dionisia, the eldest, was alive at the time
of her brother's death, and was the wife of Hugh
de Cokesey. (fn. 82) The next sister Ida married William
Trussel of Odiham, but she had predeceased her brother,
and her purparty came to her daughter Margaret, (fn. 83)
the wife of Fulk de Pembrugge. (fn. 84) In 1383 Fulk and
Margaret granted their quarter of Weston Butlers to
Walter de Cokesey the son and heir of Dionisia, (fn. 85) so
that her descendants became possessed of a half. Another Walter de Cokesey died seised in 1407, (fn. 86) leaving
Hugh his son and heir, aged three. (fn. 87) The latter died,
and the moiety of the manor passed to his sister Joice, (fn. 88)
whose husband was John Greville of Camden. (fn. 89) Their
son Sir John Greville died seised probably in 1467 (fn. 90)
and was succeeded by his son Thomas, who assumed the
name of Cokesey. He seems to have died in 1498–9, (fn. 91)
and was succeeded by his cousins Elizabeth and Margery, the daughters of Thomas Huddington and the
descendants of Cecily, a sister of Joice Cokesey. In
1500 (fn. 92) Elizabeth was the wife of Robert Russel, and
Margery of Robert Winter, and they sold their moiety
of Weston Butlers in that year to Sir Reginald Bray
for £120. (fn. 93) Elizabeth afterwards married as her
second husband Sir Edward Stanley, and gave a further
quitclaim to Sir Reginald Bray. (fn. 94) The latter died in
1503, and his niece Margaret, (fn. 95) who had married William Sandys, Lord Sandys, (fn. 96) inherited the greater part
of his lands. (fn. 97) A dispute arose between them and
Edmund Bray, a nephew of Sir Reginald, as to the
partition of Sir Reginald's lands, but in 1510 a settlement was made through the mediation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and others, and the manor of
Weston Turville was granted to Edmund. (fn. 98) He
seems to have sold it to Sir Peter Vavasour, Edmund
Windsor, and John Ede in 1529, (fn. 99) and ten years later
Sir Andrew Windsor, Lord Windsor, was the lord of
the manor, (fn. 100) which was united by him to the manor
of Weston Molyns.
Botiller. Gules a fesse checky argent and sable between six crosslets or.
The third sister of Edward le Botiller, Alice,
married Nicholas de Longville. (fn. 101) She did not survive
her brother, and her son Nicholas de Longville succeeded in 1376 (fn. 102) to a fourth part of the manor of
Weston Butlers. A third Nicholas de Longville, her
grandson, held this part of the manor in 1406. (fn. 103)
Probably his share may be identified with the fourth
part of the manor afterwards known as Whaplode's
part. What Whaplode this was is unknown. A
William Whaplode died presumably during the reign
of Henry VI, since an inquisition on his lands was
made in 1448. (fn. 104) The finding was, however, that he
held no land in Buckinghamshire, and that neither
the date of his death nor his heir could be ascertained.
A man of the same name had been an escheator in
the county in the reign of Henry V. (fn. 105) Whaplode's
part, however, came to Sir Edmund Hampden, the
second son of Edmund Hampden (fn. 106) of Great Hampden, and a vigorous Lancastrian partisan. He was
attainted on the accession of Edward IV, (fn. 107) and his
lands were forfeited. The king granted Whaplode's
part for life to Richard and Thomas Croft in 1465, (fn. 108)
and in 1467–8 their lands were specially exempted
from the Act of Resumption of that date. (fn. 109) On the
expiration of the grant this part of the manor seems to
have remained in the hands of the Crown. Possibly
it may be identified with a manor that Charles I held
belonging to the Duchy of Lancaster. In 1650 it
was taken into the hands of the commissioners for the
sale of the honours, manor, and lands belonging to
the king and queen. (fn. 110)
Ankaretta the fourth sister of Edward le Botiller
married John Lestrange of Blakemere, and her greatgranddaughter Elizabeth Lestrange obtained her
fourth share of the manor of Weston Butlers on the
death of Edward in 1376, (fn. 111) but being still a minor
it was taken into the hands of the king. (fn. 112) Considerable confusion seems to have existed as to Elizabeth's
true name, sometimes Joan (fn. 113) and sometimes Elizabeth
being given; but the latter seems to be correct. (fn. 114)
She married Thomas, Earl of Nottingham, but died
in 1383 (fn. 115) while still a minor, and her share of the
manor of Weston Butlers came to her aunt Ankaretta,
her father's sister (fn. 116) Ankaretta was the wife of Sir
Richard Talbot, (fn. 117) and her property came to her descendants, the Earls of Shrewsbury. (fn. 118) The last time this
part of the manor can be
identified is in the inquisition
on the lands of John Talbot,
Earl of Shrewsbury, who died
seised of it in 1460, (fn. 119) leaving his son John, aged twelve,
as his heir. George Talbot,
the fourth earl, married Anne
daughter of William, Lord
Hastings, (fn. 120) and sister to Edmund Hastings the husband of
Mary Hungerford, who held
the manor of Weston Molyns, and the fourth part of
Weston Butlers probably came into the hands of the
Hastings and passed with their manor to Lord
Windsor, who obtained both Weston Molyns and
Weston Butlers.
Talbot. Gules a lion and a border engrailed or.
There is considerable obscurity in the descent of
the third knight's fee in Weston Turville after its
division among the sisters of William de Turville.
Roger Croft paid scutage for it in 1234, (fn. 121) but he does
not seem to have held it in demesne, and twenty
years later it seems to have passed to Henry Hubald, (fn. 122)
who held immediately of the honour of Leicester.
He was succeeded by a family of the name of
Charnells; in 1278 William de Turville (fn. 123) quitclaimed certain messuages and lands in Weston Turville for himself and his heirs to Nicholas de Charnells
and his heirs in return for 12½ marks. Nicholas held
the knight's fee in 1285. (fn. 124) He was succeeded before
1296–7 by George de Charnells. (fn. 125) In Warwickshire the name is also associated with the Turvilles
and Herdeberghs, (fn. 126) so that it seems possible that the
Charnells claimed their fee from Isabel, the third
sister of William de Turville. In 1316 John de
Longville appears as a military tenant in Weston
Turville, (fn. 127) but possibly he was holding the land in
wardship for one of the Charnells. At the close of
the 14th century John Charnells and his wife Elizabeth
held a manor in Weston Turville, which they sold
to William Rede, clerk, and others, in 1396 for 200
marks. (fn. 128) They were apparently the tenants in
demesne, but this is the last time that the Charnells
are mentioned, and the descent of their land is
lost.
The sub-manor of HIDE in Weston Turville was
held as half a knight's fee of the manor of Weston
Molyns. (fn. 129) There is, however, some confusion as to
the overlordship, since in the 13th century the half
fee seems to have been held directly of the honour of
Leicester, (fn. 130) and again in the reign of Henry VIII
the manor of Hide was said to be parcel of the Duchy
of Lancaster, and held of the king as of the manor of
Weston Turville. (fn. 131) Except in these two instances,
however, the overlordship seems to have belonged to
the manor of Weston Molyns and the half-fee is
specially mentioned in the grant of that manor by
Nicholas de Turville to Hugh de Turpleton. (fn. 132) In
the early years of the 13th century Fulk de la Hide
had several lawsuits with Robert de Turville about
land in Weston Turville. (fn. 133) In one instance the land
in question was said to contain two hides. John
son of Fulk is also mentioned, (fn. 134) and in the time of
Roger de Croft and Simon de Turville, Roger de la
Hide held this half-fee. (fn. 135) He also paid scutage for it
in 1234. (fn. 136) The manor of Hide afterwards passed to
Robert Fitz Nigel, who was killed at the battle of
Evesham. (fn. 137) Probably his widow Grace held it after
his death, and she may have been the heiress of Roger
de la Hide. In 1265–6 she obtained lands (fn. 138) from
Alan son of Gervase of Aldermanbury by exchange,
and in 1287 (fn. 139) Robert Fitz Neel also bought land in
Weston Turville from Roger le Sometur and his
wife Alice. In 1302–3 (fn. 140) Hide is mentioned, but
the tenant's name is not given; in 1329, however,
Robert Fitz Neel held the half fee, (fn. 141) and died seised
of messuages, lands, and of rents of free and customary
tenants in Weston Turville, leaving his daughter
Grace as his heir. (fn. 142) These lands had been settled
in 1317–18 on Grace, with remainder to her son,
Robert de Nowers. (fn. 143) In 1346 the holding of Grace
de Nowers in Weston Turville is described as one
hide of land held as a knight's fee of John de
Molyns. (fn. 144) Grace died about 1349, (fn. 145) and her lands
passed to John son of John de Nowers. (fn. 146) Her
capital messuage at Weston Turville was then of no
value, (fn. 147) but her holding was released by the new
tenant with other possessions as the manor of Weston
Turville to King Edward III, (fn. 148) Sir Ingelram Coucy,
Earl of Bedford, and his wife Isabel, the daughter of
the king. (fn. 149) At this time it seems to have followed
the same history as the manor of Fenels Grove in
Great Kimble, (fn. 150) and came into the possession of Sir
Robert Whitingham. He, however, gave Hide to his
brother, John Whitingham, (fn. 151) who obtained a pardon
from Edward IV in 1472 and retained the manor
during the struggles of the Verneys to recover Sir
Robert's lands. John died in 1485, (fn. 152) Margaret
Verney being his heiress, (fn. 153) and in the same year Sir
John Verney and Margaret petitioned Henry VII
for the recovery of her lands, including Weston
Turville. (fn. 154) The manor, however, had been sold by
John Whitingham in 1483–4 to Sir Henry Colet, (fn. 155)
citizen and alderman of London, and the Verneys do not
seem to have obtained it. In
1485 the manor was said to
be held of the Verneys, (fn. 156) but
at the death of Sir Henry
Colet in 1505 (fn. 157) it was held
of the king. It passed to
John Colet, Dean of St. Paul's,
son and heir of Sir Henry, (fn. 158)
and was given by him to
St. Paul's School. (fn. 159) The trustees of the school lands, the
Mercers' Company of London,
have held Hide (fn. 160) ever since, and they hold a court
leet at the Manor Farm, the last having been held
about twelve years ago. (fn. 161)
Colet. Sable a cheveron between three hinds tripping argent with three rings sable on the cheveron.
The name of BEDGRAVE can now only be
traced in the name of a farm in Weston Turville. In
the time of Edward the Confessor, however, it was
held as a manor by Suen, (fn. 162) a man of Alwin Varas,
who could sell his land. After the Norman Conquest
it was granted with Weston Turville to the Bishop of
Bayeux, (fn. 163) and his sub-tenant Roger held it at the
time of the Domesday Survey. It was then assessed
at two hides of land. (fn. 164) It does not seem to have
followed the same descent as the rest of Roger's lands.
In 1211 (fn. 165) Ralph Malet paid half a mark for the enrolment of a release by Roger de Paschedale of all
the land which the latter held of Ralph's fee in Bedgrave. This land may probably be identified with
the half-fee held by the heirs of William Malet of
the honour of Leicester in the 13th century. (fn. 166) The
descent of Bedgrave cannot be traced further, and it
probably was united with one of the other manors in
Weston Turville. Early in the 19th century Bedgrave Manor Farm was the property of John Newman
of Wendover. (fn. 167) In 1827 it was sold by him to John
Hulbert of Stokes Hill, near Portsmouth, and in
1862 it belonged to Mr. G. A. Hulbert. (fn. 168)
In 1086 there were said to be four mills in Weston
Turville worth 33s. 4d. (fn. 169) At the end of the
14th century Walter de Gayton and his wife Amice (fn. 170)
held four and a half carucates of land, a mill, and £4
rent in Broughton and Bedgrave, which were let at
ferm to Michael of Northampton in 1276. Another
mill is mentioned in 1346–7 (fn. 171) in Weston Turville.
Church
The church of ST. MARY consists
of a chancel 30 ft. by 18 ft. 10 in. with
a north vestry, a nave 62 ft. by 20 ft. 6 in.,
north and south aisles 9 ft. 2 in. and 9 ft. 6 in. wide
respectively, a western tower 11 ft. 6 in. wide, and
north and south porches. That there was a church
here in the 12th century is to be assumed, and the
present font and part of an octagonal shaft built into
the south wall of the chancel are of that date, but the
chancel arch and the three eastern bays of the south
arcade are the oldest part of the existing building,
dating from the middle of the 13th century. The
chancel was probably narrower than at present, and
seems to have been rebuilt of its present width about
1340–50, the chancel arch being widened at the
same time. About the same date a north aisle of five
bays was added, and the south aisle rebuilt and lengthened westward by two bays to make it the same
length as the north aisle.
In the 15th century a west tower was built, projecting but slightly beyond the west wall of the nave,
and filling up the west bay of the arcades, within
which it stands. The reason for this appears to be
that the western limit of the churchyard was, as now,
too close to the west end of the building to allow of
the building of a tower wholly outside the nave in
the usual fashion; a procession path within the
boundaries of the churchyard would not then have been
practicable, except by making an arched way through
the tower from north to south, as has been done elsewhere in a good many instances. In this case the
expedient of building the tower partly within the
nave seems to have been considered the better
solution.
At the same time, or soon afterwards, a clearstory
was added to the nave, the chancel roof was heightened, the north aisle of the nave rebuilt, and the
north vestry (or chapel) added. The lines of the
14th-century roofs of nave and chancel are still to be
seen on the wall over the chancel arch.
The chancel has a modern east window of three
lights with flowing tracery of 14th-century design,
and in the north wall a two-light window of similar
character, but old. To the west of it is a large arch,
widened in modern times to hold the organ, leading
into the north chapel or vestry, now also used as an
organ chamber. It has a square-headed 15th-century
east window of two cinquefoiled lights with upright
cusped openings over, and a north door which is
modern. There are three two-light windows in the
south wall of the chancel, with modern tracery, but
old jambs and rear arches of the same date as the
north window; the middle of the three has flowing
tracery, and the others have quatrefoiled circles in the
head. At the south-east is a very pretty 13th-century
piscina, with two drains and two pointed arches with
a pierced quatrefoiled circle in the head and engaged
shafts in the jambs. Into the same wall are built
several architectural fragments, the voussoirs of a
13th-century arch with dogtooth ornament, two
small armed figures of 13th-century date, perhaps
part of a destroyed Easter sepulchre, and the 12th-century shaft already referred to.
The chancel arch is of rather clumsy shape of two
hollow-chamfered orders, with responds of three
engaged shafts having rather coarsely-moulded capitals.
The nave has a north arcade of five bays, the piers
being of four half-round shafts attached to a central
square, and the arches of two wave-moulded orders
with labels and drips in the form of human heads;
the capitals and bases are semicircular and moulded.
The south arcade has two bays of the same description
at the west, the three eastern bays being of two
chamfered orders with a scroll label, and octagonal
moulded capitals on round columns. The third bay
is irregular, the western half of its arch being narrower
than the eastern, and belonging to the date of the
western bays, but copying the older detail. There is
also a difference in span between the 13th and
14th-century bays, the former averaging 12 ft., the
latter 10 ft. 6 in.
The clearstory has four windows a side, each of two
cinquefoiled lights under a square head; they are
spaced evenly between the tower and the east wall of
the nave, and do not range with the arcades.
The north aisle opens to the north chapel by an
arch of two chamfered orders, and at its south-east
angle is the opening for the rood stair. In the north
wall are four two-light 15th-century windows, cinquefoiled, with square heads and spandrels ornamented
with trefoiled cusping in low relief on both faces.
Between the second and third windows is the north
doorway, a two-centred arch with continuous mouldings of mid 14th-century section, under a 15th-century
wooden porch whose outer four-centred archway is
partly built up on the west side. The west window
of the aisle is c. 1350, with flowing tracery and good
moulded details, of two trefoiled lights.
The south aisle has an east window of excellent
14th-century design, of two trefoiled lights with leaf
tracery in the head, and a moulded rear arch and
jambs with label. On either side are moulded image
brackets, and at the south-east a trefoiled piscina
recess with a shelf and drain, of the date of the
window.
In the south wall are four square-headed two-light
14th-century windows of the same section and detail
as the east window, but of unusual design, with cinquefoiled or feathered trefoiled heads and leaf tracery.
The south doorway is between the second and third
windows and is blocked up, the porch being also
blocked and used as a coal-hole. The west window
of the aisle is almost exactly like that of the north
aisle, the tracery being modern. Externally the
windows of the south aisle are a good deal made up
in Roman cement, which destroys their effect to some
extent, but in any case they are very remarkable
specimens of 14th-century tracery, of bold and
original design.
Weston Turville Church from the South-east
The tower is of three stages, embattled, with a
half-octagonal stair projecting on the north face, and
has square-headed belfry windows of two cinquefoiled
lights, a wide cinquefoiled light on the west in the
second stage, and in the ground stage a three-light
west window over a four-centred doorway with continuous mouldings and plain spandrels under a square
head.
The east arch is very tall, with an engaged shaft to
the inner order and a wide splayed face on either
side with continuous outer mouldings; in the north
and south walls are four-centred chamfered arches
opening to the aisles. The west bay of the south
aisle is screened off as a vestry.
The roofs of nave and chancel are fine specimens
of 15th-century detail, but the design of the former
is inferior to the other. This has collars and arched
braces, and a wide moulded wall plate, above which
is a band of pierced cresting on which is set a line of
modern shields with painted heraldry. The nave
roof is of four bays, with tie-beams and collars with
arched braces, the spandrels being filled with tracery
below the tie-beams only, so that the upper members
of the roof are rather empty, all the ornament being
concentrated on the lower parts. The plates, as in
the chancel, have open tracery with shields above
them, but in this case the shields are blank. In the
west bay on the north pairs of small shields take the
place of the single shields elsewhere. Both aisles
have lean-to roofs, that of the south aisle being
modern, while the other retains some of its 15th century timbers.
The wooden fittings of the church are all modern,
except for the traceried head of a screen at the west
end of the first bay of the south aisle; it is of 15th century date, with a row of quatrefoiled circles over
cinquefoiled heads. The pulpit also is old, of 17thcentury date, with pretty low-relief bands of carving
on the styles and rails, and there are two old chairs
within the altar rails.
Just to the west of the screen head in the south
aisle is a panel of oak with an inscription in incised
letters filled in with black composition: 'Faith not
exercised so one waxeth sicke. Ano domini 1578.'
The font stands in the third bay of the south
arcade, and is a good example of the local late 12thcentury type, with a large cup-shaped bowl, fluted
below, and having a band of foliate ornament above,
with a base like an inverted scalloped capital. In
this instance there is only a single scallop on each
face, filled in with foliate ornament. In the east
window of the chancel is a half figure of our Lady
and Child in white and gold 15th-century glass, and
in the south-west window a shield of England with a
label of France; the field is uncoloured. In the
south aisle the tracery of the east and south-east
windows is filled for the most part with original
glazing, in conventional patterns of green, brown,
and yellow. In the south-east window also is a
quarry in one of the main lights, on which is the
inscription, cut on the outer face:
Altissmo gloriosissmo Optmo Maxmo Laus et honor et
prostracio H.W. 1655.
On the north wall of the chancel is the brass figure
of a man, c. 1600, with a shield having a cheveron
between three crescents.
There are five bells, the treble by Chandler, 1700,
the second blank, the third a London bell by John
Danyell, c. 1460, inscribed 'Sir Nomen Domini Benedictum,' the fourth by Joseph Carter, 1590, and the
tenor by the same founder, 1608.
The plate consists of a cup and cover paten of
1638, a flagon of 1694, given in 1697 by John
Tipping, and two standing patens of 1608, given in
that year by another man of the same name.
The first book of the registers contains the baptisms
from 1538, the marriages from 1573, and the burials
from 1676 to 1720; the second contains baptisms and
burials from 1721 to 1781, and marriages 1721–54;
the third is the printed marriage register 1754–1812,
and the fourth the baptisms and burials 1781–1812.
Advowson
The advowson of the church of
Weston Turville was held by William
de Turville at the close of the 12th
century. In 1206 (fn. 172) he granted it to Geoffrey Fitz
Piers, Earl of Essex, with the manor for thirteen years.
On the subdivision of the lands and property of the
younger William de Turville the advowson does not
seem to have been divided, but probably was assigned
to Cecilia and her husband Roger Croft. It came in
consequence to the heiresses of Roger de Heder
bergh, (fn. 173) and passed to his daughter Ella and from
her to the Botillers. After the death of Edward
Botiller the advowson was held by his four sisters or
their heirs, (fn. 174) each co-parcenor presenting every fourth
time. (fn. 175) The whole advowson passed to the Windsors
and the Hills in the 16th and 17th centuries. (fn. 176) In
1660 the Crown presented, (fn. 177) and in 1678 John
Tipping. (fn. 178) The year before, however, William Hill
and his wife Mary owned the advowson, (fn. 179) and the
Hills probably had recently recovered it. It was
settled by William Hill in that year on his son
William, who, however, sold it in 1691 to All Souls
College, Oxford. (fn. 180) The warden and fellows presented in 1722, (fn. 181) and are still the patrons of the living, which is a rectory.
The lords of Weston Molyns Manor also claimed
the advowson of the church of Weston Turville, (fn. 182)
but it does not seem probable that they ever presented
to the benefice.
There is a Baptist chapel at Weston Turville, which
was built in 1855.
Charities
In 1604 William Findall, as appeared from a tablet in the parish
church of Aylesbury, gave £6 13s. 4d.
to be paid on Mid-Lent Sunday out of Summer Leys
in Weston Turville, out of which 6s. 8d. was to be
given to the poor of Weston, the remainder being
applicable in Aylesbury.
Widow Turpin's Charity is endowed with 10a.
1 r. 34 p. in this parish, now let at £22 a year, which
is distributed in bread.
The Pennant Trust.—In 1837 the Rev. Thomas
Pennant, a former rector, by deed dated 20 January
(enrolled), conveyed unto the then rector two cottages
near the rectory upon trust that the net rents and
profits should be applied in November and December
in the distribution of articles of useful clothing to
any number not exceeding six in any one year of the
poorest inhabitants of the parish, constant attendants
at divine service in the parish church.
The cottages are let at £8 a year, the net income
is usually divided equally among six poor people.