PRESTON
Preston on the Hulle (xiv cent.).
The parish of Preston, which lies about two miles
north of Uppingham, contains 1,207 acres, mostly
of grass land. The surface soil varies and lies on a
subsoil of Inferior Oolite.
The village is situated in the middle of the parish on
high land (450 ft. above Ordnance datum), which falls
steeply to the north to the River Chater (about 255 ft.),
forming the northern boundary of the parish, and
to a stream on the south forming the southern
boundary (about 330 ft.). It is built mainly along
the western limb of a loop in the road from Oakham
to Uppingham. The church stands to the southwest of the village and the houses about it are mostly
of stone. The picturesque Old Manor House, with
its outbuildings, now a farm, lies in the middle of the
village. It is a large 17th-century building of two
stories and attics, with slightly projecting gabled end
wings, four-centred doorway and flanking bay windows
carried up above the roof as stone dormers. The
walling is of ironstone rubble, with ashlar dressings,
and the roofs are covered with stone slates; the
mullioned windows are without transoms, the larger
ones of six lights. The building is of simple but
impressive design, its massive character giving great
dignity to the long symmetrical south front, which
faces directly on to the road. Adjoining the Manor
House is the Congregational church, a plain brick
building erected in 1830.
The school-house is a 17th-century ironstone building of two bays, standing north and south, with
coped gables, low mullioned windows and stone
dormers breaking the roof on either side; the large
transomed end windows are modern, and there is an
extension on the west side.
The Hall, a small 17th-century building with considerable modern additions, is now the seat of
Lieut.-Gen. Sir Alfred Edward Codrington, K.C.B.,
K.C.V.O., D.L., J.P., and stands to the north-west
of the village. A windmill was situated in the extreme west (fn. 1) but is now demolished. King John
stayed here 21–22 July 1208. (fn. 2) Preston was the
birthplace of Sir Edward Ward (1638–1714), Chief
Baron of the Exchequer, who was second son
of William Ward of Preston (fn. 3) and was educated at
Uppingham School. The nearest railway station is
Manton, 1½ miles to the north. By Act of Parliament,
1773, for 1,100 acres here, (fn. 4) an inclosure award was
made for the common fields and waste grounds of
the manor, parish and liberties of Preston in 1774. (fn. 5)
The king's demesne wood of Preston is mentioned
in 1217, (fn. 6) and in 1223 Henry III gave instructions
that the parson of the church should have estover in
the king's hay of Preston for maintaining his houses
and hays as the king's demesne men of that vill
had then and before the barons went to war with
King John. (fn. 7) In the 18th century an annual rent of
£26 1s. 1¾d. from the manor of Preston was descending
with Ridlington (q.v.) park and Beaumont Chase. (fn. 8)
In a dispute with the lord of Martinsthorpe it was
agreed that a river divided that manor from the manor
of Preston. (fn. 9)
Manors
The manor of PRESTON is not
mentioned in Domesday Book, and was
probably a berewick of Ridlington (q.v.)
at that date. A jury of 1274 returned this manor
as demesne of William I which he gave to the Earl
of Warwick as 1½ knight's fees, and the Earl gave it
to Thurstan de Montfort. (fn. 10)
Hugh de Montfort held Preston in the early part
of the reign of Henry I, and in 1130 Robert de Montfort, his son, gave a palfrey that he might hold it as
his father had held. (fn. 11)
No specific mention of the Warwick overlordship
here has been found before 1296, but Preston would
be included in the 5½ fees held by Peter de Montfort
of the Earl of Warwick in 1235–6, (fn. 12) and in 1315 this
manor appears as head of the group—'Preston with
its members,' Uppingham, Wing, Ridlington, Glaston,
Martinsthorp and Lyndon—held of the Earl as 6
knights' fees by Peter de Montfort. (fn. 13) Later it
followed the descent of Uppingham (q.v.) both as to
the overlordship and tenancy in demesne. In 1817
the name is given either as Preston cum Uppingham
or Uppingham cum Preston. (fn. 14) The manors, now
united, belong to the trustees of the Earl of Gainsborough.
The soke of Preston is referred to in 1251, (fn. 15) and
in 1274 Peter de Montfort
had gallows here as his ancestors had. (fn. 16)
Church
The church of
ST. PETER AND
ST. PAUL consists of chancel 31 ft. 6 in. by
14 ft. 8 in. with vestry on the
north side, nave of three bays
39 ft. 2 in. by 14 ft., north
and south aisles respectively
6 ft. 8 in. and 7 ft. 8 in. wide,
south porch, and west tower
9 ft. 3 in. square, all these
measurements being internal.
The tower is surmounted by
a lofty spire, and there are
clearstories to both chancel
and nave. The aisles are
52 ft. 3 in. long and cover
the chancel for about a third
of its length, forming north and south chapels;
the north chapel is now used as an organ chamber.
The width across nave and aisles is 33 ft. The
vestry is modern and extends the full length of the
chancel.
The church is built of coursed dressed local ironstone (fn. 17) and has low-pitched leaded roofs, except to the
porch, which is covered with stone slates. There are
continuous plain parapets to the chancel and nave,
and also to the south aisle, but the roofs of the north
aisle and porch are eaved. Internally the walls have
been stripped of plaster.
The earliest church on the site was probably an
aisleless building, but was enlarged c. 1150 by the
addition of a north aisle, the arcade of which, of three
bays, still remains. The piers and responds are
cylindrical and the semicircular arches are of two
orders, with chamfered hood-moulds, but both arches
and pillars differ in design. From the east, on the
side towards the nave, the first arch has both orders
plainly chamfered; in the second arch the inner order
only is chamfered, the outer having an edge-roll
and cheveron ornament on the soffit plane; the inner
order of the westernmost arch has an edge-roll on
both sides, and towards the nave the outer order is
enriched on both wall and soffit planes with cheveron.
Towards the aisle the inner order of the first arch is
chamfered, while that of the second and the outer
order of all three arches is square. The east respond
has a half-octagonal scalloped capital and circular
moulded base on a chamfered plinth; the capital of
the first pillar has a plain circular bell with octagonal
abacus and circular moulded base on an octagonal
plinth, while the second pillar and west respond
have scalloped capitals with square abaci and circular
moulded bases with claw corners, or 'spurs,' on
square chamfered plinths. The arcade appears to
have been begun at the west end, the west respond
and pier being earlier in character and of greater diameter than the others, but the whole is probably of one
build, though perhaps spread over a number of years.
Plan of Preston Church
Early in the 13th century, c. 1200–10, a south aisle
was added to the nave and the chancel rebuilt on
its present plan, the aisles being extended eastward
so as to form chapels open to the chancel at its west
end by rounded arches. The south arcade is of
uniform character throughout, with semicircular
arches of two chamfered orders springing from
cylindrical pillars and half-round responds with
circular moulded capitals and bases. The arches
have hood-moulds on the nave side only.
The chancel arch is sharply pointed and of two
orders, (fn. 18) with hood-mould on both sides, the inner
order springing from coupled detached shafts on the
soffit plane of the wall, with very early leaf capitals
and elongated square abaci, the top mouldings of
which are of unusual character; the outer order is
carried on single angle shafts of similar character, all
the shafts having circular moulded bases. The arch
is much restored, but with what degree of fidelity is
uncertain. The chancel was so much altered in the
succeeding period that not very much work of
13th-century date remains. The arches opening
to the former chapels are of two chamfered orders
with hood-moulds, springing on the west side from
moulded corbels and on the east from half-octagonal
responds with moulded capitals and bases, the
capitals being enriched with nail-head. The east
wall is in the main original with an external stringcourse chamfered on both edges at sill level and
returning for about 4 ft. along the south wall, but
the insertion of a later window has disturbed the
masonry in the upper part, the original walling
remaining only for about 3 ft. at each end. Internally, however, the outer jambs of the 13th-century
window, which apparently consisted of three lancets,
remain in position with the springing of their respective rear arches, and in the north wall is a rectangular
aumbry. The line of the former roof remains on the
east side of the chancel arch.
In the 14th century, the whole of the fabric was remodelled, the south aisle being entirely rebuilt and
the north aisle in part, (fn. 19) new windows inserted in the
chancel, the porch and tower erected, and a clearstory added to the nave. The tower and clearstory
are late in the century, but the remodelling of the
chancel probably began before 1320, a new high altar
having been dedicated in the time of Bishop Dalderby,
whose episcopate ended in that year. Extensive
restoration and alterations have obliterated a good deal
of the old work, but the east window is said to be a
copy of the old one and is of four cinquefoiled lights
with Decorated tracery: externally the sill and the
lower part of the jambs are old, and internally the
jambs to the spring of the arch. Two squareheaded traceried windows of two trefoiled lights were
inserted in the south wall, their sills being lowered
to form seats, and in the wall between was set a
beautiful canopied seat with trefoiled ogee arch on
shafted jambs with foliated capitals and moulded
bases; the arch is under a straight-sided crocketed
gable enriched with ball-flower and is flanked by
crocketed pinnacles. The windows have segmental
rear arches, the mouldings of which are taken down
the jambs, the whole composition having apparently
formed triple sedilia, but at some later period a doorway
was made near the west end of the wall and the
window considerably shortened. (fn. 20) There is no
piscina. (fn. 21) The doorway to the vestry in the north
wall is of the 16th century, with moulded fourcentred arch with a square frame, probably brought
here from elsewhere, inserted within a former blocked
opening, or window recess. The addition of the
chancel clearstory by the heightening of the walls
appears to have been early in the 15th century, the
two windows on the south side being later in character
than those to the nave; they are square-headed and of
two cinquefoiled lights, but those on the north are
trefoiled. In the nave the clearstory windows, three
on each side, are all of two trefoiled lights. A partly
blocked rood-loft doorway south of the chancel arch,
at the east end of the nave wall, is probably contemporary with the clearstory.
The south aisle has a moulded plinth and three
windows east of the porch, two of which are 15thcentury insertions, with four-centred heads and
respectively of two and three lights. The squareheaded easternmost window is of the 14th century
and of three trefoiled lights, and at the west end is a
pointed 14th-century window of two lights. The
east wall is blank, but internally has a slightly ogee
arched recess forming the reredos of the chapel
altar; a string with chamfered upper and lower edge
forms the sill. The trefoil-headed piscina, with
fluted bowl, remains in the south wall. The sharply
pointed south doorway is in the western bay of the
aisle, and has a continuous chamfer without hoodmould.
In the north aisle are three square-headed 14thcentury windows of two trefoiled lights, with a modern
pointed window at the west end, copied from that
in the south aisle, and in the western bay a plain
chamfered segment-headed doorway, now blocked.
At sill level there is a keel-shaped string, which is
taken round the buttresses. A pointed window of
two cinquefoiled lights in the north wall of the vestry
is an old one re-used.
The porch is of the same build as the south aisle.
It is very low, without buttresses or bench tables, and
its pointed doorway is of two hollow chamfered orders.
The side windows are modern. An ogee-shaped stone
in the north-east angle may be the head of a former
stoup recess.
The tower is of four stages with moulded plinth,
diagonal angle buttresses to the top of the third stage,
and battlemented parapet. There is a vice in the
south-west angle. The pointed west window is of two
trefoiled lights with quatrefoil in the head, and is
common to the two lower stages, breaking the string.
There are small openings in the third stage on the west
and south, and loops to the vice. The pointed bellchamber windows are also of two trefoiled lights with
quatrefoil in the head, but have transoms at half
height. There are grotesque gargoyles at the angles,
but no pinnacles. The spire has short broaches and
plain angles, with two tiers of crocketed gabled
lights, above the upper one of which it is banded.
Internally the tower opens into the nave by a lofty
pointed arch of two chamfered orders, the inner
springing from half-round responds with octagonal
moulded capitals and bases.
The roof of the south aisle, though much restored,
is in the main old, with arched struts and wall pieces
on carved stone brackets. The chancel roof is of four
bays with moulded principals, apparently of 17thcentury date, with carved bosses.
The 13th-century font has a plain square bowl with
bevelled angles, on a circular stem and four cylindrical
legs. (fn. 22)
The pulpit and all the fittings are modern. In
1605 the pulpit was said to be 'very undecent.'
There is no chancel screen. A Caen stone reredos,
extending across the east wall, was erected in 1880.
There are wall memorials to John Hill, rector
(d. 1690), who by his will gave 'one silver plate to the
churchwardens of the parish of Preston for collecting
the offertory at the communion table,' (fn. 23) Henry Sheild
(d. 1792), Jeremiah Belgrave, rector (d. 1802), and
Henry Sheild, rector (d. 1811). In the churchyard
is a War Memorial Cross. There was formerly a
churchyard cross which in 1640 was said to be 'ruinous.' (fn. 24)
Inserted in the floor at the east end of the nave are
several fragments of marble which formed part of the
mosaic pavement of the ruined church of St. John the
Baptist, in the stadion, at Constantinople, removed in
1923 and placed here in 1924, and in the chancel step
a fragment of the pavement of the church of St.
Sophia, Nicæa. (fn. 25) There is also a wooden alms box
from one of the churches of Smyrna, probably of late
17th-century date, with ikons of the Virgin and Child,
St. George of Cappadocia, and St. Nicholas, Bishop of
Myra. (fn. 26)
There are five bells, two new trebles by Taylor of
Loughborough having been added in 1909 to a former
ring of three. Of the old bells the first is inscribed
'+ Gabriel,' the second dated 1717, and the tenor
inscribed 'God save our Queene Elizabeth.' (fn. 27)
The plate consists of a pre-Reformation silver-gilt
paten, c. 1500, without marks but with the Manus Dei
in the centre; a cup of 1610, an almsdish of 1680, a cup
and paten of 1863, and a flagon of 1864. (fn. 28)
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) all
entries 1560–1734; (ii) baptisms and burials 1735–1812;
marriages 1735–54; (iii) marriages 1754–1812. There
are churchwardens' accounts 1598–1789 and overseers'
accounts 1647–1796.
Mounted in a book kept in the safe in the parish
church are two sets of documents: (1) Historical
papers found in the parish chest illustrative of the
taxation of the parish, 1635–1660; (2) twelve Indemnity Bonds, 1630–1702.
Advowson
Preston was possibly one of the
three churches of Ridlington recorded
in Domesday Book, but when first
specifically mentioned the advowson belonged to the
undertenant of Preston manor. In 1216 Walter de
Cantilupe had letters of presentation, the gift belonging to the king because the land of Thurstan de Montfort was in his hand. (fn. 29) The advowson descended with
the manors of Preston and Uppingham (q.v.) (fn. 30) through
the Montforts and Earls of Warwick, until the death of
Richard, sixteenth Earl of Warwick (the King Maker)
in 1471, when the Crown presented until the grant to
Richard Branthwaite and Roger Bromley in 1588. The
patronage then followed the descent of the manor
through the Cecils, Fawkeners and Sheilds until Rev.
Cornelius Belgrave, rector of Ridlington, married
Mary daughter and coheir of William Sheild of
Preston, (fn. 31) and presented to the church in 1734. (fn. 32)
He died in 1757 and his son and heir Jeremiah, rector
of Preston, died in 1802 leaving sons Charles, rector of
Ridlington, who died unmarried in 1804; William, of
Preston Hall, who died in 1824 leaving daughters;
George, of Preston Hall, rector of Cockfield, who died
childless 1831. A fourth son Jeremiah, of Stamford,
had died in 1819 leaving a son William who succeeded
to the estates of his uncle George in 1831. (fn. 33) The
patronage has passed from this date in the Belgrave
family, the present patron being Mr. William Belgrave
of Preston House.
Charities
Unknown Donor's Charity No. 1, or
Cockayne's Charity.—The origin of this
charity is unknown. The endowment
consists of a rent-charge of £2 12s. per annum issuing
out of land at Preston belonging to Major Henry Noel
of Catmore. The income is distributed once a month
by the rector in bread to 12 people in accordance with
ancient custom.
Unknown Donor's Charity No. 2.—This charity
originally consisted of a sum of £2 per annum paid by
the overseer of the poor in respect of the poor house
in Preston. This payment existed for many years, but
its origin is unknown.
Unknown Donor's Charity No. 3.—In respect of this
charity a yearly sum of £1 is paid out of a farm at
Preston, the property of Mr. William Belgrave. This
payment has been made for many years, but the origin
is unknown.
The Poor's Money.—The endowment of this
charity originally consisted of a sum of £40, but from
what source is wholly unknown. This charity and
Unknown Donor's Charity No. 2 are now represented
by a sum of £97 17s. 3d. 2½ per cent. Consols producing
£2 2s. 8d. yearly in dividends, which sum, together
with the income derived from the Unknown Donor's
Charity No. 3, is distributed in money and bread to
about 65 poor persons.
Thomas Green Parker, by his will proved in the
P.C.C. 29 March 1858, bequeathed to the poor a
yearly donation of forty sixpenny loaves to be distributed on 21 March, the day of his birth, and directed
his executor to invest sufficient money in stock to
secure the payment. The endowment consists of a
sum of £40 2½ per cent. Annuities producing £1 yearly
in dividends, which sum is applied in accordance with
the trusts.
The sums of stock are with the Official Trustees.