ELLINGTON
Elintune (xi-xii cent.); Elinton, Elinton Abbatis
(xii-xiii cent.); Elyngton (xiii cent.).
Ellington Thorpe: Sibbetorp, Elyngton cum
Sibethorp (xiii cent.); Sybethorp (xiii-xvi cent.);
Sibthorpe (xiv-xviii cent.).
Ellington is a curiously shaped parish. From a
central block containing the village is a long tongue of
land projecting west and a shorter tongue running
out to the east. It has an area of 2,700 acres, of which
nearly three-quarters are grass land. The arable
land grows chiefly wheat and beans. The soil and
subsoil are Oxford Clay. The Ellington Brook flows
from west to east through the parish, forming the
southern boundary of the western tongue of land and
skirting the north of the village, and joins the Alconbury Brook about two and a half miles to the east.
Another stream rising in the parish of Spaldwick
flows to the south of the village of Ellington into the
Ellington Brook, about three-quarters of a mile east
of the village. The land rises from these streams,
where it is about 55 ft. above Ordnance datum, to
165 ft. at Belton's Hill and 161 ft. at Grove Barn on the
north and to 172 ft. at Ellington Hill on the south.
There was formerly much woodland in the parish.
In 1086 a hide of land was said to be waste because of
the King's Wood (fn. 1) which was subsequently assessed
with the Forest of Weybridge. (fn. 2) There still remains
a fair amount of woodland, including West Wood to the
south of the village, Ellington Gorse, Underlands
Wood, Sparrow's Spinney and Red Wood.
The road from Huntingdon to Thrapston passes
through the parish, and around a loop in that road
is the village on rising ground. In the middle of the
loop on the south side of the road is the church with
the vicarage house and the school built in 1870.
To the west of a road leading south from the village
is the Baptist chapel, built in 1837. There are several
17th-century timber-framed cottages in the main road.
Red Lodge, on the east side of the village, is a late
17th-century house, built perhaps by the Throckmortons. It was probably the manor house of the
chief manor, and the homestead moat in its grounds
apparently marks the site of the earlier manor house
of the tenants of Ramsey Abbey. St. Peter's College
Farm, to the south-east of the church, is the Rectory
Farm belonging to Peterhouse, Cambridge. On the
Huntingdon Road a mile east of the village is an old
toll-gate house.
Ellington Thorpe, formerly Sibthorpe, is a hamlet
on the road called Breach Road leading south from the
village, and now consists of a few 17th-century cottages.
A little farther south on the west side of the road is
Thorpe Lodge, in the grounds of which are the remains
of a homestead moat, the site of the manor house of
the Sibthorpes or Grims.
There was an Inclosure Award for 1,500 acres in
1774. (fn. 3)
The nearest railway station is at Grafham.
There were two windmills in 1279, (fn. 4) but now there
is only one. Thirteenth-century names are: Coten,
now represented by Coton Barn, (fn. 5) a mile and a half
north-west of the village; Krowenesthill, (fn. 6) Portweye,
Chalpithanedyn, le Haye, Heyneswong; (fn. 7) and names
occurring in a 17th-century terrier are: Nunneshill
peice, Bryarhill, Womerdole, Milleholmes, Wakeland
and Wickeland. (fn. 8)
Manors
According to the records of Ramsey
Abbey, ELLINGTON was granted to
them by Alfwold, brother of their founder,
and by his wife Alfild, who held it for life. (fn. 9)
King Edgar, Edward the Confessor, and succeeding
kings confirmed the place and all appurtenances as
given in the time of King Edgar, (fn. 10) and in 1086 the
abbot held a manor assessed at 10 hides. (fn. 11) The
abbey continued in possession until the Dissolution, (fn. 12)
holding it in demesne, with the exception of a period
when William, steward of Henry I, held it, after
which it was restored to the abbey and assigned for
the monks' food. (fn. 13) It was seized by Geoffrey de
Mandeville when he despoiled the abbey, but
Abbot Walter recovered it. (fn. 14) It was attached to
the barony of Ramsey and its tenants did suit at
Broughton court. (fn. 15) With three other farm manors it
rendered Lent farms, paid 40s. yearly instead of 5 lbs.
of cheese and 5 lbs. of lard
and, like all the farm manors,
gave 16d. to the poor from
Maundy acre on Maundy
Thursday. (fn. 16) The abbot had
gallows, tumbril, view of frankpledge, and amendment of the
assize of bread and ale, waif,
warren, hidage from Ellington
and its hamlets when it ran;
tallage, merchet, leyrwyte,
poll-tax; wardship and marriage of his tenants. (fn. 17)
Ramsey Abbey. Or a bend azure with three rams' heads argent thereon.
Throckmorton. Gules a cheveron argent with three gimel bars sable thereon.
The manor was granted by
Edward VI in 1547 to Sir
Walter Hendle kt. (fn. 18) and in 1552 it was conveyed by
Sir John Mason kt. and Elizabeth his wife with 1,000
acres of wood and several fishing to Gabriel Throckmorton. (fn. 19) Gabriel Throckmorton was son of Richard
Throckmorton of Higham
Ferrers, and married Emma,
daughter of John Lawrence
of Ramsey. He was father
of the five girls who figured
in the case of the 'Witches
of Warboys.' He died in 1553
and was succeeded by his only
son, Robert, aged 1 year, (fn. 20)
who married Elizabeth,
daughter of John Pickering of
Titchmarsh. Robert held the
manor of Ellington, in capite,
for the fourth part of a knight's fee, and seems to
have died in 1613–14, leaving a son and heir Gabriel. (fn. 21)
Gabriel Throckmorton, who was born in 1577, married
Alice, only daughter of William Bedell. He apparently joined his father-in-law, in 1601, in the purchase
of two messuages and 120 acres of land, etc., in
Ellington; (fn. 22) and this purchase seems to have given
rise to chancery proceedings between Henry and
George Bedell, and William and Edward Bedell and
others, the former claiming that William Bedell,
senior, had misapplied trust money to the purchase of
the land. (fn. 23) Gabriel died in January 1626–7, leaving a
son Robert. (fn. 24) Robert, who was born in 1607, lived
for part of his life in America, where he had grants
of considerable estates; (fn. 25) he had two wives, Anne
(d. 1655) and Judith (d. 1686). He died at Offord
Cluny, 1657, but his will was not proved until 1664. (fn. 26)
He made a settlement of the manor of Ellington in
1633. (fn. 27) His heir was his eldest son Albion, who died
without issue at Offord Cluny in 1680, being succeeded
by his brother Robert, who also died without issue at
Offord Cluny in 1681. The third son, John, had died
in America in 1678, and the manor passed to his son
Robert, born in 1662, who came to England; he died
at Little Paxton in March 1698–9, (fn. 28) leaving the manor
of Ellington to his second son Robert, and two estates
in America to his brothers Albion and Gabriel
respectively. Robert, who was a minor at the time
of his father's death, seems to have come of age (at 18)
in 1713, (fn. 29) and sold the manor of Ellington, in 1720,
to John Merrill and Thomas Curtis, (fn. 30) presumably
nominees for the Rt. Hon. Thomas Handasyd. (fn. 31) He,
however, retained some of the land, and dying at
Hail Weston in 1767, left his property in Ellington
to John Throckmorton, eldest son of his cousin
Robert, son of Gabriel Throckmorton, in America. (fn. 32)
John came to England and sold the estate, which
consisted of 2 messuages, 4 barns, 130 acres of land,
etc., in Ellington, to Sir Robert Bernard, bart. (fn. 33)
John returned to America, and died there in 1775.
Handasyd. Argent a lion sable and a chief azure with three molets argent therein.
Thomas Handasyd was lord of the manor from
1720 to 1729, when he was succeeded by his son Roger,
afterwards Lieut.-General Handasyd, who held it
until his death in 1763, when
he was followed by Clifford
Handasyd, his brother. (fn. 34) In
1771 Clifford, with his son
and heir George, suffered a
recovery and sold the manor
to William Watson, Doctor of
Physic, afterwards Sir William
Watson. (fn. 35) Sir William died
in 1787 (fn. 36) and was succeeded
by his son, another William,
who was knighted in 1796
and died about 1825. (fn. 37) The
property went to his sister
Mary, widow of the Rev.
Edward Beadon, (fn. 38) and in the following year was
held by the Rev. John Watson Beadon, apparently
her son, who held it until 1835. It then went to the
Rev. Frederick Flemming Beadon, who died in 1880.
Lieut.-Colonel Reginald Henry Beadon, his son, held
it from 1880 to 1922, when his executors sold it to
Mr. Kenneth Hunnybun.
The overlordship of ELLINGTON THORPE or
SIBTHORPE or GRYMES MANOR belonged to
Ramsey Abbey as a member of the barony of
Broughton. (fn. 39) Eustace de Sibthorpe held lands in
Alconbury about 1200. (fn. 40) Walter de Sibthorpe
granted lands in Sibthorpe to Hugh, abbot of Ramsey (fn. 41)
(1216–31), and his son Robert conveyed a virgate of
land in Sibthorpe to William de Beville and Isolda,
his wife, in 1240. (fn. 42) Robert married Cecily, daughter
and co-heir of Richard de Beville of Upton (q.v.).
Plan of Ellington Church
He was succeeded by James de Sibthorpe 'his heir,'
whose wardship and marriage were granted by the
abbot to Geoffrey de Mortimer. (fn. 43) James seems to
have taken the name of Grim and in 1279 as James
Grim was holding a knight's fee in Sibthorpe of the
Abbot of Ramsey jointly with Nicholas de Grafham. (fn. 44)
His demesne land in Sibthorpe included a carucate of
land and a windmill for which he paid 10s. yearly to
the shrine of St. Ive. (fn. 45) He was succeeded by Robert
Grim, who died seised of the manors of Sibthorpe and
Upton in 1298, leaving a brother and heir Ralph. (fn. 46)
In 1316 Alice, apparently widow of Ralph, was holding
Upton, (fn. 47) but by 1338 Robert Grim, possibly son of
Ralph and Alice, settled the manor of Upton on
himself and Katherine his wife. Robert died seised
of Sibthorpe in 1349, leaving a son Robert, aged 15
years. (fn. 48) The last Robert was born at Sibthorpe on
Monday after the feast of St. Dunstan 1335; his
birth, it is stated in the proof of age, was entered
in the missal of Ellington church, and on the Sunday
previous the great bell of the church of Alconbury,
when being rung for mass, fell to the ground and was
broken to pieces. (fn. 49) Robert married Margery Greenham, who after his death married Sir Thomas Burton
of Tolethorpe (Rutl.), and in 1372 Katherine Grim,
daughter of Robert and Margery, conveyed Sibthorpe
to Sir Thomas Burton and her mother, Margery, for
their lives. Sir Thomas Burton died in 1382, but
Margery was living in 1412. (fn. 50) The manor seems to
have passed to Ralph Grim, from whom it went to
three co-heirs, who were the wives of Thomas Punt,
John Sapcote and William Par. Thomas Punt,
late of London, died in 1454 seised of a third part of
lands in Ellington and Sibthorpe lately belonging to
Ralph Grim. He left a son Robert, whose wardship
was delivered by his mother to the Abbot of Ramsey
as chief lord. (fn. 51) In 1552 Robert, son of Thomas Punt
and Margaret his wife, possibly the grandson of the
previous Robert, conveyed a considerable property in
Ellington, Sibthorpe and Alconbury to William
Hensune. (fn. 52) In 1566 Richard Henson and Alice his
wife granted a property in the same places to William Laurence. (fn. 53) Between 1560 and 1570 William
Laurence was acquiring lands in these places from
the Sapcotes and Holcotes, who seem to have been the
representatives of the co-heirs. (fn. 54) The manor at this
time was known as the manor of Grymes, but its
later descent is lost.
Church
The church of ALL SAINTS consists
of a chancel (34¾ ft. by 18 ft.), nave
(48¼ ft. by 18¼ ft.), north aisle (10¾ ft.
wide), south aisle (12 ft. wide), west tower and spire
(11¾ ft. by 10½ ft.) and north and south porches.
The walls are of rubble and pebble rubble with stone
dressings, and the roofs are covered with lead, slates
and tiles.
The church is mentioned in the Domesday Survey
(1086), but nothing
earlier than the
13th century remains, and of this
period only the
chancel arch is in
situ. The walls of
the chancel probably remained,
much altered, until
1863; and the nave
was probably of
the same length as
at present, for the
south aisle was
added or rebuilt
early in the 14th
century. At the
end of the century
the west tower was
added or rebuilt,
and about 1400 the
nave arcades, north
aisle and north
porch were rebuilt.
The south wall of
the south aisle was largely rebuilt towards the end
of the 15th century, when new windows were also
inserted in its east and west walls; and the clearstory was added to the nave about the same time.
The south porch was built in the 16th century.
The chancel was rebuilt in 1863, the spire restored
in 1889, and the nave roof in 1907–8.
The modern chancel has a large four-light east
window with modern geometrical tracery, but having
some old stones in the jambs and mullions, and with
late 13th-century inner splays having angle shafts
with capitals carved with stiff-leaf foliage and
moulded bases. The north wall has two modern
two-light windows with geometrical tracery, and
a late 15th-century two-light window with a transom
and a four-centred head. The south wall has two
modern two-light windows similar to those on the
north; a late 15th-century two-light window with a
transom and a four-centred head, one of the lower
lights being rebated for a shutter, the two hooks
of which still remain; a reset late 13th-century
doorway with a two-centred head of two moulded
orders resting on jambs having one attached and one
detached jamb-shaft, all with moulded capitals and
bases; and a modern piscina with a late 14th-century
sexfoiled basin.
The late 13th-century chancel arch is two-centred,
of two chamfered orders, the inner order resting on
semicircular attached shafts with stiff-leaf capitals
and moulded bases; on the east side of the south
respond there is part of a small attached shaft with a
moulded base. Built into the wall, south of the arch,
is part of a 13th-century apex-stone with foliated top.
Before 1863 the east window was cut off at the
springing line and finished with a debased square
head; the south wall had a square-headed two-light
window, and the late 15th-century two-light and the
13th-century doorway in their present positions;
the north wall was apparently the same except that
it had no doorway; the walls were finished with a
plain parapet and the roof was of flat pitch. (fn. 55)
The nave, c. 1400, has an arcade of four bays on
each side, having two-centred arches of two moulded
orders resting on columns composed of four semicircular shafts with hollow mouldings between them
and having moulded capitals and bases; the responds
are formed by the continuation downwards of the
outer order of the arch, with an attached shaft,
similar to those of the columns, to carry the inner
order. The labels over the arches curve up at the
apex and run into the string-course under the clearstory windows. The rood-stairs are at the southeast angle; the blocked lower doorway has a fourcentred head, but only small parts of the upper doorway
remain. The weathering of the earlier low-pitched
roof of the nave remains on the east wall of the tower.
The late 15th-century clearstory has on each side
four three-light windows with four-centred heads.
The parapets are embattled and there are three carved
gargoyles on each side, the central one on the north
being especially fine. The contemporary roof has
moulded beams with arched braces and embattled
collars, and intermediate principals having carved
angels with outstretched wings at their feet. The
jack-legs of the main principals are carved with
standing figures.
The north aisle, c. 1400, has a three-light east
window with tracery in a four-centred head. In the
north wall are three similar windows and a reset mid
13th-century doorway with a two-centred arch of two
richly moulded orders resting on jambs having one
detached shaft and two attached shafts with moulded
capitals and bases. In the west wall is a window
similar to that at the east end. The contemporary
roof has moulded beams, jack-legs and braces; the
jack-legs have carved figures of saints, and the feet
of the intermediate beams are carved with angels
holding musical instruments.
The early 14th-century south aisle, altered late
in the 15th century, has a late 15th-century threelight east window with a four-centred head. The
south wall has three similar windows; a 14thcentury doorway with a two-centred head and continuous moulded jambs; and a 14th-century piscina
with ogee head and a square basin. There is a low
segmental-pointed arched recess on the outside,
perhaps a tomb recess, but now obstructed by a late
15th-century buttress. The west window is similar
to that at the east. The late 15th-century roof is
very similar to that of the north aisle, but some of the
timbers are not moulded and others are much mutilated.
The late 14th-century west tower has a two-centred
tower arch of two chamfered orders on the east and
five on the west, the lowest order resting on attached
semicircular shafts with moulded capitals but no
bases; the second order is continuous and the others
die into the walls. The west doorway has a twocentred arch of two continuous moulded orders;
and the window above it is a two-light with a twocentred head. The corbels and springing stones of a
vault to the ground-floor stage remain. The next
stage has a window which is a smaller copy of that
below. The belfry windows are coupled two-lights
with quatrefoiled transoms and with tracery in twocentred heads. The tower has square buttresses set
in from the angles, rising to the full height of the
tower, and just below the spire is a band of quatrefoils. The octagonal broach spire has three tiers of
spire-lights, the bottom and top tiers on the cardinal
faces; the first and second tiers being two-lights,
and the third single-lights.
The north porch, c. 1400, has a two-centred outer
arch of two continuous moulded orders under a
square label; and having spandrels carved with the
wheat-ear. Above the arch is a small niche with
projecting crocketed ogee head and a carved bracket
below. The side walls each have a two-light window
with a four-centred head; and the east wall has a
mutilated stoup. The porch has a moulded plinth,
embattled parapets, remains of crocketed pinnacles
at the angles, and diagonal buttresses.
The 16th-century south porch has a two-centred
outer arch of two chamfered orders, the inner order
resting on semi-octagonal attached shafts with
moulded capitals and bases; above it is a small niche
with four-centred head and much worn bracket.
The side walls each have a two-light window with a
four-centred head. The porch has plain parapets
with an earlier reset apex-stone, and low diagonal
buttresses.
The 15th-century font has an octagonal bowl with
panelled sides and a moulded and curved under-side;
the stem, which had semi-hexagonal angle-shafts,
has been lost, but the moulded base with the attached
lower parts of the shafts remains.
There are four bells, inscribed: (1) R.C. 1699.
(2) Vox Augustini sonet in Aure Dei. (3) Sancta
Margareta ora pro nobis. (4) Robt. Taylor St.
Neots fecit 1788. Thos. Ladds & Henry Hanger
C. Wardens. The first is by Richard Chandler III,
of Drayton Parslow, Bucks; the second by John
Walgrave (c. 1418–1440); the third by John Danyell
(c. 1440–1460). In 1552 there were four bells and a
sanctus bell. (fn. 56)
There are two 17th-century hutch-shaped oak
chests in the south aisle, one of them inscribed
'E. L.'; and in the tower is an old thatch-hook on a
long pole with ring and handles.
In the south aisle is a 13th-century stone coffin
with shaped place for head, which was found under
the floor of the eastern end of the south aisle in 1915,
and the lower part of a stone effigy of a lady, broken
in two, apparently the cover of this coffin, has recently
been found in the churchyard. A 13th-century
coped coffin-lid lies on the churchyard wall by the
south gate. In the churchyard, to the south of the
church, some quatrefoil panelling has been built up
as a double table-tomb. (fn. 57)
There are very faint traces of wall painting, probably a Doom, above the chancel arch, but most of it
has been destroyed.
There is a monument in the south aisle to the
Rev. Francis Jefferson, vicar, d. 1838.
The registers are as follows: (i) baptisms, marriages
and burials 18 March 1607/8 to 14 April 1710, unbound, in very bad condition, and has evidently lost
some earlier leaves; (ii) the same 20 April 1710 to
1 November 1812, marriages end 27 November 1753;
(iii) marriages 22 October 1754 to 25 November 1812,
except the years 1783 to 1798; (iv) marriages
10 November 1783 to 11 October 1798.
The church plate consists of a silver cup, hallmarked for 1725–6; (fn. 58) a silver paten engraved
' + Lord ever more give us this bread,' hall-marked
for 1858–9; a pewter plate. (fn. 59)
Advowson
There was a church on the land of
the Abbot of Ramsey in 1086, (fn. 60) and
from that date the advowson and the
rectory belonged to the abbey until the Dissolution in
1539. The abbot leased them at divers times, and a
little before the Dissolution John Lawrence, the last
abbot, leased the advowson to Thomas Audley (Awdeley), whose executors conveyed the unexpired term of
the lease to Richard Bedell, who presented in 1558. (fn. 61)
In 1553 the reversion in fee of the advowson and
rectory was granted to Sir Edward Seymour, (fn. 62) from
whom it passed before 1563 to Sir Edward North, who
settled the rectory in that year on Sir Roger North,
his son, with remainders over. (fn. 63) The advowson and
rectory were held by William Cordell in 1566 (fn. 64) and
later reverted to the Crown. On 5 March 1574 Queen
Elizabeth granted the advowson, rectory and church
of Ellington, with licence to appropriate and establish a
perpetual vicarage, to Peterhouse, Cambridge. (fn. 65) The
bishop confirmed the appropriation in 1576, (fn. 66) and the
master and fellows of Peterhouse have continued to be
patrons ever since.
Charities
The Town's Land Charity includes
the Town Lands and the charity known
as Doles, and is regulated by a scheme
of the Charity Commissioners dated 13 June 1893.
The Town Lands consist of about 63 acres of land
in Ellington let in allotments and 3 roods of land in
Alconbury. The rents, amounting to about £57 per
annum, are carried to the churchwardens' account.
The endowment of the charity known as Doles
consists of two rentcharges of £1 6s. 8d. per annum
and 5s. per annum respectively issuing out of land in
Ellington. These charges are regularly paid and distributed in bread to the poor on Good Friday.
The trustees are the vicar and churchwardens
(ex officio), three representative trustees and three
co-optative trustees.