FOLKSWORTH
Folchesworde (xi cent.); Fulkesworth (xi-xiv cent.);
Folkesworthe (xii-xiv cent.).
Folksworth lies between Morborne on the north,
and Stilton and Washingley on the south, and is
bounded on the east by the Ermine Street or Great
North Road. There are roads to Caldecote, Morborne,
and Peterborough, and the village lying in the west
of the parish, near the southern boundary, is south of
their point of junction. The church stands on rising
ground, between Rectory Farm and the Rectory.
Less than 700 yards away to the south-west, at the
western limit of the village, is the Manor Farm,
marked on the Ordnance map as the site of the Manor
House, with the Old Rectory to the south-east, and
the school to the east. A little farther still to the
south is The Elms, a house and barn dating from the
early 17th century, with modern additions, but with
an original two-storied porch, a window (now blocked)
and two buttresses. There is a thatched barn and a
ruinous dovecot to the east of it, both of 17th-century date; a moat, now largely obliterated, formerly
surrounded the house. At the Manor Farm, there is
another moat of roughly oval form with slight indications of an outer inclosure on the western side,
now called Otter Pond. Bigling Wood is near the
Manor Farm, and Folksworth Spinney is in the
south-western angle of the parish; at the extreme
north is Venetian Lodge, about half a mile north of
Folksworth Lodge. Cuthbert Bede mentions a coffin
and pottery found in Folksworth Close, south of the
village, (fn. 1) but actually in the parish of Stilton.
The ground is undulating and varies from 46 to
141 ft. above Ordnance datum. The parish has an
area of 896 acres, and a population of 119 in 1921.
The soil is a stiff clay, and the chief crops are wheat,
barley and mangolds.
510 acres in the parish were inclosed under an Act
of 1760. (fn. 2)
Manor
Before the Conquest FOLKSWORTH
was held by Chetelber, probably identical
with Chetelbert the king's thegn who
was entered in the Domesday Survey as sharing
Washingley with Eustace the Sheriff. (fn. 3) The 5 hides
he held in Folksworth had been granted, before
the Survey was made, to Walter Giffard, the Conqueror's cousin. This was the single manor among
all those granted to him which was situated in this
county. (fn. 4) The Giffards were lords of Longueville,
in Normandy, and they granted the demesne tithes
of Folksworth to the Cluniac Priory they founded at
Newton Longueville (Bucks). (fn. 5) Walter Giffard died
in 1085 and his son Walter, who owned Folksworth at
the time of the Domesday Survey, was created Earl
of Buckingham and died in 1102. He was followed
by a third Walter Giffard, who confirmed the gift of
tithes to the priory at Newton Longueville. On his
death without issue in 1164, the Giffard property
descended to Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke,
the famous Strongbow, as great-grandson of Rohese,
sister of Walter Giffard, first Earl of Buckingham. (fn. 6)
From him the overlordship of Folksworth descended
to his heirs, the Earls of Gloucester and of Stafford,
and the Dukes of Buckingham, (fn. 7) and, as parcel of the
honour of Gloucester, it passed to the Crown on the
attainder of Edward, Duke of Buckingham, in
1521. In 1611, James I granted to George and
Thomas Whitmore, the fishing grantees, all that parcel
of the honour of Gloucester which was in Huntingdonshire, together with a quit-rent of 6s. 8d. from
lands in Folksworth, in the tenure of Edward
Montagu. (fn. 8)
Clare. Or three cheverons gules.
Stafford. Or a cheveron gules.
Bolebec. Vert a lion argent.
Vere. Quarterly gules and or with a molet argent in the quarter.
Under Walter Giffard, Folksworth was held in
1086 by Hugh, (fn. 9) evidently Hugh de Bolebec, whose
son Hugh, the founder in 1145 of Woburn Abbey,
was succeeded by his brother Walter de Bolebec,
c. 1166. Walter de Bolebec died before 1185,
leaving two co-heiresses, Constance, wife of Elias
de Beauchamp, (fn. 10) who held two knights' fees in
Folksworth in 1210–12, (fn. 11) and Isabel, who ultimately
succeeded and married Robert de Vere, third Earl
of Oxford. As Isabel de Bolebec, widow of Robert
de Vere, Earl of Oxford, she had a grant of the custody
of their son and heir, Hugh de Vere, Earl of Oxford,
in 1221, (fn. 12) and died in 1245. Hugh, who held 10 fees
in Swaffham, Folksworth, Walton and Stilton of the
Earl of Gloucester, in 1262, (fn. 13) died in 1263, and was
succeeded by his son Robert, who died in 1296.
In 1286 Folksworth was returned as held of the fee
of Bolebec. (fn. 14) Robert's son, Robert, married Margaret
daughter of Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, but
left no issue, and he was succeeded in 1331 by his
nephew John. The mesne lordship followed the
descent of the Earldom of Oxford. Robert, the
9th earl, a favourite of Richard II, was attainted and
died without issue in France in 1392; and the
earldom was afterwards restored to his uncle, Aubrey
de Vere. John, the 12th earl, was executed during
the Wars of the Roses in 1461; his descendant,
John the 14th earl, died childless in 1526, when
the Barony of Bolebec was inherited by his sisters
and co-heirs: Elizabeth, wife of Sir Anthony Wingfield; Mary; Dorothy, who married John Neville,
Lord Latimer; and Ursula, who married firstly George
Windsor, and secondly Sir Edward Knightly. (fn. 15) The
mesne lordship is last mentioned in 1534 as being in
existence about the latter part of the 15th century,
when John Stukeley held of the Earl of Oxford. (fn. 16)
The first tenant who held the manor of Folksworth
in demesne whose name is preserved was Guy de
Folksworth, who in 1201 gave the advowson of the
church to the Abbey of Crowland (fn. 17) and in 1206 was
summoned by his overlords Elias de Beauchamp and
his wife Constance for arrears of service. (fn. 18) In the
course of the suit Guy stated that his father and grandfather had held Folksworth before him. He tried
to prove that he only owed service for one knight's
fee, but lost his case. (fn. 19) He was living in 1208, (fn. 20) but
had been succeeded, probably before 1211 (fn. 21) and certainly by 1214, by his son, Henry de Folksworth. The
latter again tried to withdraw half his service and
had a further lawsuit with the Beauchamps. (fn. 22) The
matter was not settled until 1239, when Isabel de
Bolebec, Countess of Oxford, had succeeded the
Beauchamps, and again it was decided that Folksworth was held as two knights' fees. (fn. 23) He and his
father had alienated one hide of land in frankalmoin to the Knights Templars, (fn. 24) and about 1242
he, or a son of the same name, was holding only four
hides of land in Folksworth. (fn. 25) Sir Henry de Folksworth, knt., appears as a juror in 1244 (fn. 26) and a Henry
de Folksworth was dealing with land here in 1255. (fn. 27)
He had probably died by the end of 1260, or the
beginning of 1261, (fn. 28) since shortly after this date the
manor was divided into two moieties, so that it seems
probable that he was succeeded by two daughters or
sisters. One perhaps married Thomas de la Huse,
to whom he granted tenements in Folksworth in
1255; (fn. 29) and in 1279, and probably earlier, Geoffrey
de la Huse held the chief manor in Folksworth as
one fee, while another holding of apparently equal
value was held directly of the Earls of Oxford by
Robert Russell. (fn. 30) By 1303, the service due from
Folksworth had been halved, (fn. 31) so that the reduction
of service found so frequently in the county at this
time had also taken place here. Consequently
Geoffrey de la Huse's successors held only half a
knight's fee. (fn. 32) He was living in 1286, (fn. 33) but in 1303
his moiety of Folksworth was held by John de
Quappelode, (fn. 34) as the dower of his wife Aline, presumably the widow of Geoffrey. In 1306 the reversion belonged to Isabel, wife of Henry de Tychemersh,
and probably the daughter and heir of Geoffrey, (fn. 35)
but his heir male was apparently Walter de la Huse,
who in 1314 appears as the immediate tenant at the
death of Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. (fn. 36) Walter's
claim to Folksworth was endorsed on the deed of
sale of the reversion of Folksworth, made in 1306
by Henry de Tychemersh and Isabel to John de
Pabenham, senior, and his wife Elizabeth, with remainder to the heirs of John. (fn. 37) The Pabenhams had
obtained seisin of the manor by 1316, (fn. 38) when they resettled it on themselves for their lives with remainder
to their son Edward, a younger son of John. Walter
de la Huse's tenancy disappeared, since in 1322
John de Pabenham at the time of his death held
Folksworth immediately of the Earl of Oxford,
when his heir was his elder son John. (fn. 39) Elizabeth
survived her husband, but both she and Edward
had died before 1361, (fn. 40) when the manor was held
by Lady Pabenham, who may be identified with
Edward's widow Maud. (fn. 41) She held it with the
consent of Laurence de Pabenham, head of the elder
branch of the family. (fn. 42) She was living in 1398 (fn. 43) and
probably in 1403. (fn. 44) By 1428, the manor had passed
to Ralph Stukeley, (fn. 45) who also acquired the other
moiety of Folksworth.
The other moiety of the estate had, apparently
passed on the death of Henry de Folksworth before
1261 to Robert Russell, (fn. 46) probably by marriage with
one of Henry's heirs. It was not called a manor in a
return made c. 1278, but it consisted of a messuage,
a carucate of land and one acre of meadow in demesne,
with 4 villeins and several free tenants. (fn. 47) Another
Robert Russell seems to have succeeded before 1269,
when he obtained a quitclaim of a rent of 40s., which
he had paid to Thomas de Heyle, clerk, and his wife
Sybil, for one-third of his carucate of land, which had
formed her dower. (fn. 48) A Robert
Russell of Folksworth granted
tenements there in 1326 to
Edmund Neve of London, (fn. 49)
but the family disappears after
this date. In 1361 (fn. 50) and 1371, (fn. 51)
the Russell moiety was in the
hands of John Randolf, and
by 1428 it had been acquired
by Ralph Stukeley, (fn. 52) who
thus held the whole of Folksworth. He was followed by
John Stukeley, who gave it
to his son and heir John; and
he left a son and heir Thomas,
who died in 1534. (fn. 53) His daughter Anne married George
Windsor, who it may be suggested was a relative of
George Windsor the first husband of Ursula, sister and
co-heir of John, 14th Earl of Oxford. (fn. 54) They were
dealing with the manor shortly after Thomas Stukeley's
death, but whether it was sold at this time or later is
not certain. (fn. 55) The manor was acquired, probably
by purchase, (fn. 56) by Robert Castel, who died seised of it
and the advowson of the church in 1619. (fn. 57) It followed
the descent of the Castel property in Glatton, (fn. 58)
coming in 1658, under the will of John Castel, to his
grandson Castel Sherard. (fn. 59) Its subsequent history
is again uncertain. Castel Sherard was dealing with
the manor in 1660, (fn. 60) but whether it was sold then to
Sir Brockett Spencer, bart., or whether he was merely
a party to a settlement is uncertain; Castel Sherard
died in 1701. (fn. 61) The manor was acquired by Sir
John Cotton, who owned it in 1711, (fn. 62) and by 1739
another John Cotton appears to have succeeded him. (fn. 63)
The manor passed again to the Sherards, probably
after the death of Sir John Cotton in 1752. (fn. 64) Robert
Sherard and his wife, Grace Martha, conveyed it to
John Roberts in 1805, (fn. 65) and it was afterwards owned by
Sir Thomas Apreece of Washingley (d. 1842), his representatives being lords of the manor in 1854. (fn. 66) Owing
to litigation over his will, his estates were not sold
till 1859, but Folksworth passed with Washingley
to the Earl of Harrington, who was holding that
estate in 1861, and to the Robertsons, being held
in 1920 by Major George Robertson. The manorial
rights now appear to have lapsed.
Stukeley. Sable a fesse argent with three molets sable thereon.
A branch of the de Folksworth family continued to
hold land in the parish after the manor had passed
to Geoffrey de la Huse and Robert Russell. A
messuage was held in 1279 by Sir John de Folksworth,
who apparently paid 16d. for assarts to the king and
½d. to Geoffrey de la Huse. (fn. 67) This holding presumably followed the descent of the de Folksworth
property in Stibbington (q.v.) as it passed with it,
on the death of Richard de Folksworth in 1529, to
his grandsons John Cotton and Leonard Stubbs. (fn. 68)
In 1279 a messuage and 4 virgates of land were
held by Robert Dyscy, 2 virgates being held of
Geoffrey de la Huse and two of the fee of Robert
Russell, but he did homage to Geoffrey for the entire
holding. For the whole he owed scutage and paid
to the pitanciary of Thorney a rent of 6s. (fn. 69) A Robert
Discy of Folksworth and Alice, his wife, were dealing with a messuage and lands here in 1302, and
he settled 12 acres of land in Yaxley with Robert,
son of Robert Discy junior, at the same time. (fn. 70)
Robert Discy was included in a commission of oyer
and terminer in 1323, (fn. 71) so it is probable that this
family also remained as freeholders in Folksworth.
According to a return made in 1286, Henry de
Folksworth some 24 years earlier had rendered suit
of court at county and hundred, the free tenants of
the vill attending the sheriff's tourn twice yearly;
the king received half a quarter of oats a year, with
6d. wardpenny, 2s. head penny and 4s. for sheriff's
aid. (fn. 72) About 1278, Reginald Pigoiny, one of the
free tenants in the fee of Robert Russell, held a half
virgate at a rent of 6d. and 2 capons, but he had
formerly done suit to the county and hundred for
the whole vill. (fn. 73) The suit apparently had been
withdrawn by the Earl of Gloucester, (fn. 74) and he and
his successors, Earls of Gloucester and Stafford and
Dukes of Buckingham held a leet and view of frankpledge in Folksworth. (fn. 75) During the minority of
Humphrey, afterwards first Duke of Buckingham, it
was granted in 1404 to Queen Joan. (fn. 76)
The Knights Templars. Argent a cross gules and a chief sable.
The Knights Hospitallers. Gules a cross argent.
Guy de Folksworth (living 1201–1208) granted one
hide of land in Folksworth to the Knights Templars,
who had 12 acres in demesne and 12 free tenants
and 7 villeins. (fn. 77) It was granted in frankalmoin, but
in 1279 it was described as the fee of the Knights
Templars, so that possibly it was still charged with
the foreign service due from it. (fn. 78) They withdrew the
service of their tenants from sheriff's tourn. (fn. 79) In 1544
a grant of lands in fee to Sir Edward Montagu, Chief
Justice, included a messuage, etc., in Folksworth, in
the tenure of Thomas Radborne and of Thomas
Curtwys in Folksworth, the property of the Preceptory of Temple Bruer (Lincs), and of St. John of
Jerusalem. (fn. 80) This may have formed part of the
estate in Folksworth owned at his death in 1628 by
Edward Newman, who died at Folksworth seised
of a chief messuage which he inhabited, with lands
purchased by him, held of the king in chief. These
included, with the chief messuage, a garden, 60 acres
of land, 1 acre of meadow, and 13 acres of pasture
purchased from Robert, Lord Willoughby, Beke and
Eresby, and of Sir Edward Montagu, kt.; another
messuage, 70 acres of land, 1 acre of meadow, and
10 acres of pasture purchased from Agnes Cooke,
widow, and William Cooke and his wife Jane; 74
acres of woodland called Folksworth Wood, Caldecote
Wood and Temple Wood in Folksworth, Caldecote and
Washingley, purchased from Sir Thomas Cheeke, kt.,
and his wife Katherine; and 16 acres of pasture
in Folksworth purchased from John Castel, esq.,
and his wife Mildred, with other parcels purchased
of Sir Robert Bevill of Chesterton, kt. Newman's
heir was his son Edward, (fn. 81) and he left a widow,
Grace, and four other sons, John, Richard, Thomas
and George.
The master and brethren of the Hospital of St. John
of Huntingdon made a grant to Thorney Abbey of
3s. yearly payable at two terms from the brother
or servant at Folksworth for the use of the sick brothers
of Thorney, in compensation for the damage done
to the Abbot and Convent in All Saints' Church,
Huntingdon, this grant being inspected and confirmed in 1348. (fn. 82) The hospital temporalities in 1535
included land in Folksworth let at farm to Sir Edward
Montagu at 13s. 4d. a year. (fn. 83)
Church
The church of ST. HELEN consists
of a chancel (25 ft. by 14½ ft.), with
vestry on north (7½ ft. by 6 ft.), nave
(38¾ ft. by 18 ft.), south transept (17½ ft. by 12¾ ft.),
and south porch. The walls of the chancel are
of ashlar and those of the rest of the church are of
coursed rubble with stone dressings, and the roofs
are covered with stone-slates.
The church is not mentioned in the Domesday
Survey (1086), and the present building seems to have
been built as a chancel and aisleless nave about 1150;
the south transept was added c. 1300, and the porch
about 1430. The chancel was standing in 1537, (fn. 84)
but had apparently been entirely destroyed before
the end of the 17th century, (fn. 85) and was rebuilt by
Robert Pupplett, rector 1702–1706. (fn. 86) The church
was restored in 1850, when the chancel was entirely
rebuilt and the vestry added, the north wall of the
nave largely rebuilt, and a bell-cote built on the west
gable.
The modern chancel has an east window of three
graduated round-headed lights in imitation Norman,
and there is a circular window in the gable above.
In the north wall is one round-headed single-light
window, and a doorway into the vestry. The south
wall has three similar single-light windows. The
mid 12th-century chancel arch has a semicircular
arch of two moulded orders both having the chevron
ornament; the responds have detached shafts, two
of which have late scalloped capitals with carved
faces, and two have crude volutes, and modern bases.
On the gable above is a broken fragment of a 14thcentury gable cross.
The modern vestry has a single-light window in
the east wall; and in the south-west corner some
stone steps lead up into the modern pulpit.
The mid 12th-century nave has in the north wall
two modern two-light windows with plate-tracery
under two-centred arches; and an original doorway
having a semicircular arch with a large roll moulding,
inclosing a tympanum diapered with studs within
squares, and jambs having detached shafts with
scalloped capitals and moulded bases. The south
wall has a two-centred arch of c. 1300, of two continuous chamfered orders, opening into the transept;
an early 15th-century doorway with a four-centred
head; and a 14th-century square-headed two-light
window. The west wall has no windows, but a large
buttress occupies the middle of the gable, above
which is a modern stone bell-cote for one bell.
The south transept, c. 1300, has a two-light
window with a pointed head in the east wall. The
south wall has a three-light window with a modern
two-centred head; and a piscina with a two-centred
head and a sexfoiled basin. The west wall has a
16th-century square-headed two-light window.
The south porch, c. 1430, has a four-centred archway of two chamfered orders.
The font, c. 1500, has an octagonal bowl on an
octagonal stem and a square base.
There is one bell, inscribed T. Harris 1660, and
apparently by one of the Norris family. It is cracked.
According to Owen, there are said to have been formerly two bells, but only one is recorded in 1709. (fn. 87)
In the south transept is a rather narrow coffin-lid
with scrolled crosses at each end.
In the yard of the Fox Inn is the base-stone of a
14th-century cross; it is square and is brought to
an octagon with bold angle stops.
There are no monuments, but the east window
commemorates the Rev. Henry Freeman, Rector, d.
1864.
The registers are as follows: (i) baptisms, marriages
and burials, 11 March 1563 to 11 December 1746:
no entries from 1679 to 1713; (fn. 88) (ii) baptisms and
burials, 28 April 1754 to 31 March 1795; (iii) the
same, 10 May 1795 to 25 December 1812; (iv) the
official marriage book, 16 April 1754 to 22 December
1811; the usual modern books.
The church plate consists of a silver cup with two
rows of Elizabethan ornament, hall-marked for
1569–70; a cover paten for the last, inscribed
'1569,' and hall-marked as the cup; a standing
paten of Britannia silver, with gadrooned edge, and
inscribed 'W.H.D.,' hall-marked for 1697–8; a
flagon inscribed 'Folksworth, 1866, Henry John
Wale, Rector,' no marks. (fn. 89)
Advowson
The church was given to the
Abbey of Crowland by Guy de
Folksworth in 1201, (fn. 90) and the
rectory was so held until the Dissolution. (fn. 91) In 1279
the abbot had a virgate and 5 acres of land of the
demesne of Folksworth. (fn. 92) The advowson was
granted with the manor and advowson of Morborne
to Miles Forrest in 1540, (fn. 93) but the presentation was
made in 1573 (fn. 94) by Sir Edward Montagu. The
patronage passed with the manor (q.v.) to Robert
Castel, who was holding it at his death in 1619, (fn. 95)
and it followed the descent of the Castel property in
Glatton (q.v.) until 1658, when it passed under the
will of John Castel to his second grandson, William
Sherard, (fn. 96) who died in 1690. (fn. 97) In 1706 the presentation
was made by William's youngest brother, John, (fn. 98) but
in 1722, Katherine, daughter and heir of his eldest
brother, Castel, and wife of William Sherard, presented.
After this date the advowson passed through a succession of owners to Mr. Henry Stokes, who held it from
1886–1907, but it was acquired in 1913 by the Bishop
of Ely, who is the present patron.
In 1291, (fn. 99) and again in 1428, (fn. 100) the church was
valued at £6 13s. 4d., and in addition paid pensions of 6s. 8d. to the Abbey of Crowland and
13s. 4d. to the Prior of Northwood. The former
pension was still paid in 1535, when the church
was valued at £9 3s. 6d., (fn. 101) and was reserved
when the grant of the advowson to Miles Forrest
of Morborne was made. In 1549, the pension
was sold by Edward VI to Sir Edward Warner, knt.,
Silvester Leigh and Leonard Bate, to hold free of
any service or rent to themselves, their heirs and
assigns. (fn. 102)
Charities
Henry Fryer, by will proved
17 June 1823, directed that the interest
on the sum of £50 should be laid out
in the purchase of meat to be distributed among the
poor. The endowment of the charity now consists of
£47 6s. 2d. Consols with the Official Trustees, the
dividends of which are distributed among the poor of
the parish.
Under the charity of James Charles Dymock
Robertson (1895) this parish, together with Washingley (q.v.), receives a yearly sum of money which
is distributed in coals to the aged and needy.