MARTINSTHORPE
Martintorp (xii cent.); Martinesthorp, Martinthorp (xiii cent.); Martinesthorp, Martynsthorp
(xiv cent.); Martinsthorpe, Masthorpe (xv cent.);
Mastropp (xvi cent.); Marstingthorpe, Martinsthorpe, Marstroppe (xviii cent.).
Martinsthorpe is a small parish containing 539
acres to the west of Manton. It is separated from
Gunthorpe on the north by the river Gwash and from
Ridlington and Preston on the south by the river
Chater. The parish is wholly pasture land. The
population in 1921 was one.
There is no village and the only house in the parish
is the Old Hall Farm, which is all that remains of
Martinsthorpe Hall, the seat of the Earls of Denbigh.
This house has been described as having been 'a
handsome edifice of two stories and a basement, with
a light portico and battlements, and twelve windows
in a line on the front,' (fn. 1) but, with the exception of
the chapel, was pulled down in 1755, the stables being
turned into a house (fn. 2) in which Col. Heathcote's farm
bailiff now lives.
The chapel of St. Martin seems to have been on the
ground floor of the house, with two square-headed
two-light transomed windows at its liturgical east
end. On the demolition of the mansion the walls of
the chapel were left standing and a gabled roof was
erected over it, the chapel thus forming a small oblong
building, standing detached from, but in proximity to,
the old stables. At the beginning of the 19th century
the chapel was described as 'totally deserted and its
windows gone,' (fn. 3) though it was still roofed. Later
the roof fell, but considerable portions of the walls,
including both end gables, were standing until about
1908, when they were removed and used elsewhere
for purposes of building. (fn. 4)
Marriages were solemnised as late as 1744, (fn. 5) and a
sermon was preached there on particular occasions
about 1813 to secure the possession, (fn. 6) but since that
time the chapel had been desecrated to secular uses
and latterly had the appearance of a barn.
Seyton. Gules a bend argent between six martlets or.
Manor
MARTINSTHORPE probably formed
part of Preston from the earliest times,
and was acquired with that manor by the
Montfort family. It formed part of 6 knights' fees
held by the Montforts of the Earls of Warwick in
Preston, Uppingham, Wing, Ridlington, Glaston,
Martinsthorpe and Lyndon. (fn. 7)
The earliest reference to
Martinsthorpe is in 1199,
when three bovates of land
there were divided between
William de Banull and Hawisia
his wife and Thomas de
Bringeton and Gunnora his
wife, (fn. 8) but it probably formed
part of Robert de Montfort's
estate in 1130, (fn. 9) and of the
land in Rutland for which
Robert's brother Thurstan de
Montfort paid 20 marks in
1156–7. (fn. 10) From this date to the end of the 13th century
the manor followed the descent of Uppingham (q.v.).
According to the Northamptonshire visitation of
1564, the Montforts had subinfeudated Martinsthorpe
to the Seytons early in the 13th century, and Erasmus
(Ernisius ?) de Seyton, stated to be father of Sir Roger,
the justice in the time of Henry III, was said to have
held it. Richard de Seyton who was lord of Martinsthorpe in 1316 (fn. 11) was probably Richard brother of
John de Seyton who was accused by Ralph de Beaufeu
(Bello Fago) of destroying his houses at Seaton in
1295. (fn. 12) He was pardoned for adhering to Thomas,
Earl of Lancaster, in 1318. (fn. 13) He or another of the
same name presented to the church from 1305 to
1344, (fn. 14) and in 1345 with his wife Alice, widow of
William Cagge, was described as of Martinsthorpe. (fn. 15)
Before 1357, however, the manor had reverted to the
elder branch of the Seyton family, when Sir John
Seyton presented to the church. (fn. 16) From this date the
manor descended with that of Seaton (q.v.); (fn. 17) the
overlordship of the Montforts was recognised as late
as 1515, (fn. 18) although occasionally it was said to be held
of the Earls of Warwick. (fn. 19)
Feilding. Argent a fesse azure with three lozenges or thereon.
Though the pedigree of the Seytons given in the
visitation of Northamptonshire shows that John
Seyton had a son Thomas and
three grandsons, Martinsthorpe is said to have passed
to William Feilding by his
marriage with Agnes, daughter
and heir of John de St. Liz or
de Seyton. (fn. 20) This John may
perhaps have been a younger
brother of Thomas, who had
acquired the manor under a
settlement. In any case the
manor came into the possession
of the Feildings, and William
presented to the church in
1442. (fn. 21) Everard Feilding, son of William, died seised
of the manor in 1515, having settled it on his wife
Juliana, with remainder to his son William. (fn. 22) William
was knighted in 1533, (fn. 23) and became involved in a
dispute with Anthony Cope, or Coope, who had
obtained a grant of the lands of the priory of Brooke,
as to their respective possessions in Martinsthorpe.
Cope claimed Martinsley, Esturwende and Westurwende and 7s. rent from Tymsons land, while Feilding
maintained that Martinsley alone came into his
grant. (fn. 24) Sir William died in 1547, having settled the
manor on his wife Isabel, who survived him. (fn. 25) Basil,
son and successor of Sir William, made conveyances
of the manor in 1557 and 1584, the latter being a
settlement on his son William and his wife Dorothy,
daughter of Sir Ralph Lane. (fn. 26) Basil died in 1585,
when William succeeded. (fn. 27) William was knighted in
1603, and died 1607 holding the manor. (fn. 28) Basil son of
William succeeded, and in 1608 he and his son Sir
William conveyed the manor to trustees. (fn. 29) William
had been knighted on 4 March 1607 and was in 1620
created Baron Feilding of Newnham Paddockes and
Viscount Feilding, and in 1622 Earl of Denbigh.
He was one of the attendants on the Prince of Wales
at the Spanish court in 1623 and was an admiral in
several expeditions. He joined Prince Rupert's
Horse as a volunteer in 1642, and was mortally
wounded in a skirmish near Birmingham in the following year. His son and successor Basil joined the
Parliamentary faction. (fn. 30) Susan, the Dowager Countess of Denbigh, was the only sister of George, Duke of
Buckingham. In 1651 she was accused of recusancy,
a charge which she denied, and by her son's agency
some allowance was made for her. In a letter to her
son she stated that she was no longer with the queen,
who had gone into a nunnery, leaving her in a sad
condition, ready to be cast into the streets. Owing
to ill-health she was unable to come to take the oath of
abjuration. (fn. 31)
De Capell-Brooke, baronet. Or a fesse azure with three scallops or thereon.
Basil, Earl of Denbigh, though a Parliamentarian,
concurred in the Restoration and was in Feb. 1664–5
created Baron St. Liz. He was four times married,
but died in 1675 without issue. Martinsthorpe was
at this time one of the principal seats of the Earl of
Denbigh, and Elizabeth, daughter of Edward, Earl
of Bath, the third wife of Basil, died there in 1670. (fn. 32)
Basil's nephew William Feilding, son of George
Feilding, Earl of Desmond, succeeded, and settled the
manor and park of Martinsthorpe in 1676. (fn. 33) He died
in 1685, when his son Basil succeeded. William, Earl of
Denbigh (d. 1755), who succeeded Basil his father
in March 1716–17, settled the manor in 1720, (fn. 34)
probably for the purpose of selling it to William
Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire, to whom it is known
the manor was sold before 1758. (fn. 35) It passed to
William son of George Augustus Henry Cavendish,
third son of William, fourth Duke of Devonshire, (fn. 36)
who was dealing with it in 1804. (fn. 37) William died in
1812, but in 1808 Lord George Henry Cavendish,
the brother of William, (fn. 38) sold Martinsthorpe to the
Hon. George Watson of Glaston. From him the manor
passed to his niece Catherine
Watson, daughter of Lewis
Thomas, second Lord Sondes,
and wife of Sir William de
Capell-Brooke, third baronet. (fn. 39)
Sir Arthur Richard de CapellBrooke, grandson of William
and Catherine, who succeeded
his father Richard Lewis as
fifth baronet in 1892, sold the
manor in 1918 to Mr. A. M.
Bradshaw of Oakham. Mr.
Bradshaw sold a part of the
estate in 1925 to Richard Bradley, and it is now owned
by his son Sir Guy Bradley; the remainder of the
property was sold by Mr. Bradshaw in 1927 to Col.
Heathcote of Manton. (fn. 40)
Advowson
The advowson followed the descent
of the manor until about 1804, when
the manor passed to William Cavendish. The Duke of Devonshire was patron until
1897, but since that date the advowson has followed
that of Manton (q.v.) The rector was presented in
1589 for having no service or sermon in the church, (fn. 41)
and from about 1656 the rectory became a sinecure,
there being no church or chapel.
There are no charities in this parish.