GREETHAM
Gretham (xi–xviii cent.); Greteham (xii–xvi cent.);
Greatham (xiv cent.); Gretam (xvi cent.).
The parish of Greetham covers an area of 3,081
acres. The land falls gradually about 100 ft. from west
to the eastern boundary, where it is about 300 ft. above
Ordnance datum. The soil is Inferior Oolite. There
are about 325 acres of woodland, including Greetham
Wood, Woolfax Wood, and Ash Wood, all in the eastern
half of the parish, and the Domesday Survey (1086)
showed a considerable quantity of woodland here. (fn. 1)
The rest of the land is about half pasture and half
arable growing cereals and roots. Under the
award of 1763 some 2,200 acres were inclosed,
and shortly afterwards a system of cottage holding
was introduced. In 1901 there were forty-three
smallholders, each having from five to forty acres
of grass land. (fn. 2) The census of 1921, giving 505
inhabitants, shows a declining population. The
stream called the North Brook flows through the
village in a south-westerly direction into the River
Gwash, a tributary of the Welland. On it, near the
boundary of Horn parish, are the remains of an old
water mill, and a little to the south is an old windmill.
The village stands on high ground along the road
from Oakham, which joins the Ermine Street near
Stretton, and forms the High Street of the village.
Lanes branch off on the north side of the High Street
to the North Brook, and join a lane leading to the
church, which stands to the north-west of the village.
Most of the cottages have stone or tile roofs, a few
only being thatched; several are in ruins. Greetham
House is modern, the site of the old manor house
is to the north-west of the church; to it in 1446
was attached a park. A public elementary school
was built by Mr. G. H. Finch in 1847–8, and there are
Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels. The
ancient Greetham Inn is now a farm house. The Ram
Jam Inn, a noted house of call on the west side of the
Great North Road, opposite Stretton village, was
formerly the Winchilsea Arms, (fn. 3) but appears to have
been known by its present name since the latter half
of the 18th century. (fn. 4) In 1929 additions were made to
the building, which was altered and modernised.
A Saxon sundial, found in excavating the new foundations, is inserted in the walling, and above the doorway
is a carved stone, formerly on a house in Stretton,
depicting the fight between Cribb and Molyneux
at Thistleton Gap in 1811. (fn. 5)
Edward I was at Greetham in September 1290. (fn. 6)
Newburgh. Checky or and azure a cheveron ermine.
Mauduit. Argent two bars gules.
Beauchamp. Gules a fesse between six crosslets or.
Manors
In 1066 one Goda held the manor
of GREETHAM with that of Cottesmore (q.v.), having three carucates of
land in each. The Conqueror kept these manors until
at least 1086; (fn. 7) and it was probably from William II,
in 1090, that the family of
Newburgh received them with
the earldom of Warwick. Unlike the other Warwick lands
in Rutland, but like the grant
of the earldom of Warwick, (fn. 8)
the grant of Greetham and
Cottesmore cannot be traced.
Henry de Newburgh, the first
earl, died in 1123. His son
and successor Roger, chiefly
known for his endowments of
religious houses, (fn. 9) gave the
Templars 11s. rent out of his
mill at Greetham and 4 bovates of land there. (fn. 10) This
is the first mention of the Warwicks in connection with
Greetham and Cottesmore, but the fact that until
the 16th century Cottesmore was said to be held
'of the earldom of Warwick' points to its grant
with the earldom. Roger, second earl, died in 1153;
his son William, leaving no issue, was succeeded
by his brother, the 4th earl, Walran, bearer of the
right-hand sword, as Chamberlain of the Exchequer,
at the coronation of John. (fn. 11) This Walran gave 'the
vill of Greetham and the half of Cottesmore that he
held and the advowson of the church of the said
vill' to his younger son Walran, King John twice
confirming, and stating that the 'manor of Greetham
and Cottesmore' was to be held by the service of one
knight's fee. (fn. 12) Walran's second confirmation was in
1208, four years after the father's death; (fn. 13) but the
manor was taken into the king's hands in 1217, because
the elder son Henry, the 5th earl, claimed it. (fn. 14) Henry
obtained seisin, (fn. 15) but it was again taken into the
king's hands because of Walran's claim in 1218. (fn. 16)
Whether Walran recovered it is not recorded; in
any case, he died childless before 1263, (fn. 17) and it descended to the elder line. Henry died in 1229, and
his son Thomas in 1242. Margaret or Margery,
sister and heir of Thomas, married firstly John
Marshal, who died in 1242, and secondly John de
Plessetis, who died in 1263. Both her husbands are
considered to have been Earls of Warwick. (fn. 18) Margaret
and John de Plessetis claimed the manor of Greetham
and half the manor of Cottesmore, by right of Margaret,
against William Mauduit (of Hanslope, Bucks),
and Alice his wife in 1248. (fn. 19) This Alice was paternal
aunt of Margaret, and her
son, Sir William Mauduit,
was heir on Margaret's death,
in 1253. The Mauduits had
held Barrowden (q.v.) for over
a century; and the Warwick
lands in Rutland seem to have
been settled on the above
Alice on her marriage, for in
1236 William Mauduit was
holding in Rutland with Peter
de Montfort 5½ fees of the
honor of Warwick. (fn. 20) William
Mauduit, son of Alice, succeeded his father as hereditary chamberlain of the exchequer, and on the
death of John de Plessetis he became Earl of Warwick. (fn. 21) He died seised of this estate in 1268, when his
heir was his nephew William de Beauchamp, son of
his sister Isabel. (fn. 22) William, ninth earl, was succeeded
in 1298 by his son Guy, (fn. 23) bearer of the third sword
at the coronation of Edward II. He died seised in
1315, leaving an infant son, Thomas. (fn. 24) Thomas,
who made a settlement of the manor in 1344, (fn. 25) distinguished himself at Crecy, and died in 1369. His
son Thomas, bearer of the third sword at the coronation of Richard II, was one
of the Lords Appellant, and
was imprisoned and lost his
lands in 1396. (fn. 26) His Rutland
lands were granted in 1397 in
tail male to the earl marshal, (fn. 27)
but were restored immediately after the accession of
Henry IV. (fn. 28) He took part as
above in the coronation, (fn. 29) and
died seised in 1401, leaving a
son and heir Richard, (fn. 30) who
made a settlement in 1425. (fn. 31)
Richard died in 1439, leaving a son Henry, a
minor, (fn. 32) who was created Duke of Warwick in
1445, and died in 1446. His only child Anne was
an infant, (fn. 33) and the king appointed a bailiff here
during her minority. (fn. 34) On her death in 1449, the
earldom lapsed to the Crown, and the estates
devolved on her four aunts, daughters of her grandfather, Richard. One of them, Anne, was wife of
Richard Nevill, the 'King-Maker,' created earl of
Warwick, and slain at Barnet 1471. His and his wife's
estates were divided between their two daughters.
Isabel, the elder, married George, Duke of Clarence
(attainted in 1478). She died in 1476, and their son
Edward, Earl of Warwick, who was unmarried, was
executed in 1499. Anne, the younger daughter,
married firstly Edward Prince of Wales, and secondly
Richard III, and died childless
in 1485. (fn. 35) Greetham was
taken into the king's hands on
account of the attainder of
Clarence. (fn. 36) The right of Anne,
Countess of Warwick, was
disregarded, and her lands
were only restored in order
that she might settle them on
the Crown in 1491–2. (fn. 37)
Nevill. Gules a saltire argent and a label gobony argent and azure.
The Crown retained the
manor until 1550, appointing
as stewards, among others, Sir
Everard and Kenelm Digby. (fn. 38)
In 1550 it was granted to John,
Earl of Bedford, in fee. (fn. 39) He was succeeded in 1555
by his son Francis, (fn. 40) who in 1561 had licence to
alienate the manor to Sir John Harington, kt. (fn. 41)
From this time the manor followed the descent of
the manor of Exton (fn. 42) (q.v.) until in 1623 Edward
Lord Noel (grandson of Sir James Harington of
Exton) conveyed the manor and advowson of
Greetham to George, Marquess of Buckingham; (fn. 43)
from this time the manor follows the same descent as
that of Burley (fn. 44) (q.v.), Mr. Wilfrid H. M. Finch
being now owner.
Free warren in his demesne lands here was granted
to the Earl of Warwick in 1291, (fn. 45) and during the
minority of the duke's heir in 1446 the king appointed
a bailiff here and a master forester of Rutland forest
and Greetham park. (fn. 46) In 1293–7 the suitors attended
the court at Burley, (fn. 47) and from at least 1300 the
township was in the soke of Oakham (q.v.). There
was a mill in 1086, (fn. 48) in the possession of the Earl of
Warwick before 1153, (fn. 49) and from 1315 to 1651 a
watermill and windmill are mentioned as descending
with the manor, while the site of the capital messuage
is mentioned in 1315. (fn. 50)
Seven virgates in WOOLFOX (Wlfhous, Wulfhus
xiii cent.; Wolfhous xv–xvii cent; Wolfox xviii cent.)
were held in the time of Henry II by Nigel de Mundevill. (fn. 51) The lands descended to Ranulf son of Nigel,
whose son Richard claimed them in 1224 from his
uncle John, who stated that he was his brother's
heir, (fn. 52) and obtained from his nephew tenure for life. (fn. 53)
Jordan Lurty (de Urtiaco) was summoned to answer
the executors of the will of Thomas de Nevill in
1304–5, as to a claim by the executors to the manor
of Woolfox under a grant to Thomas for life and for
ten years after his death; whereupon Jordan had to
surrender the manor for the remainder of the said
term. (fn. 54) The next reference is in 1495, when Henry
Wykes, clerk, trustee of her father, settled it on
Elizabeth Elmes, widow, and William Elmes, together
with some Northamptonshire manors (fn. 55) that had
belonged to Elizabeth's father, William Brown of
Stamford, merchant. (fn. 56) Elizabeth's son William died
in 1504, leaving a son John, who died in 1545, leaving
a son Edmund. He was succeeded in 1602 by his
son John, (fn. 57) who died seised of this manor in 1624,
when his brother Thomas, aged 70, was his heir. (fn. 58)
Thomas in 1632 left a son and heir William, (fn. 59) who
settled the manor in the following year. (fn. 60) George
Nevill and Oliver Slater were concerned with it in
1663. (fn. 61) The last reference found is a grant of the
tithes to the vicar and his successors by the Earl of
Nottingham and Henry Foster of Thistleton. (fn. 62)
Church
The church of ST. MARY consists
of chancel, 22 ft. 6 in. by 15 ft., with
north vestry, clearstoried nave 46 ft. by
24 ft. 6 in., north and south aisles, south transept,
15 ft. 6 in. by 13 ft. 6 in., south porch and west tower,
10 ft. square, surmounted by a broach spire. The
width of the north aisle is 11 ft. 6 in. and of the south
aisle 8 ft. 9 in., the total width across nave and aisles
being 48 ft. 6 in. All these measurements are
internal. The vestry dates from 1858, in which year
the church was reseated, a west gallery removed, the
arcades cleaned of whitewash and the chancel
restored. (fn. 63) There was a further restoration in 1897,
when the south arcade (fn. 64) and the west wall of the
south aisle were taken down and rebuilt, a certain
amount of new material being introduced. In the
rebuilt west wall of the aisle inside were inserted a
number of 12th-century fragments (fn. 65) and two of preConquest date, (fn. 66) found during the restoration. No
part of the existing fabric, however, appears to be
earlier than c. 1200, at which period, or shortly after,
the church seems to have been rebuilt. To this
early 13th century building the south arcade and the
greater part of the chancel and south aisle belong,
but at some subsequent time the chancel was reduced
to its present dimensions. This may have occurred
in the first half of the 14th century, when the fabric
underwent many changes. The north arcade and
aisle, the clearstory, and the tower and spire are of
this period and probably
represent additions to the
building. The chancel
arch was also rebuilt and
made of greater width
than the chancel itself,
the south wall of which
at its west end, where
there appears to have
been a chapel, (fn. 67) was reconstructed in its present
form, inclining outwards
so as to clear the arch.
The transept may represent a chapel at the east
end of the south aisle, but
it appears to have been
rebuilt at some comparatively recent time, and
is perhaps contemporary
with the wooden-framed
windows of the aisle,
which took the place of
the original lancets. (fn. 68)
The porch appears to
have been rebuilt in 1673, (fn. 69) and it is not unlikely that
other work was done at this time.
The tower is faced with ashlar, but the rest of the
building is of rubble, plastered internally, with plain
parapets to the nave and north aisle. The chancel
has a high-pitched, stone-slated, eaved roof, but the
other roofs are leaded. (fn. 70) The clearstory and the spire
were restored in 1897.
The chancel has a modern pointed east window of
three lights with reticulated tracery, (fn. 71) and in the
south wall are two widely splayed lancets, the easternmost close to the end wall. (fn. 72) The shortening of the
chancel accounts for the absence of the usual ritual
arrangements, and a single buttress remains on the
south side, near the east end. The north wall is
pierced by a modern doorway to the vestry, but is
otherwise blank. A lancet in the inclined western
portion of the south wall was inserted in 1858, in
place of a square wooden-framed window. (fn. 73) The
wide and lofty 14th-century chancel arch, which is of
the same build as the north arcade, is of two hollow
chamfered orders, springing from half-octagonal
responds with moulded capitals and bases: it has a
hood-mould on the nave side only.
Plan of Greetham Church
The 13th-century south arcade consists of three
pointed arches of two orders, the outer with a straight
and the inner with a hollow chamfer, on octagonal
piers with moulded capitals and bases, and responds
of generally similar character, but the capitals of the
responds are enriched with nail-head ornament and
the bases are chamfered. The arches are without
hood-moulds. Cut in the face of the east respond is
a small trefoiled niche. (fn. 74) As rebuilt the arcade is
in part modern. (fn. 75) The south aisle is lighted by two
rectangular wooden framed windows in the south
aisle and at the west end by a modern lancet. (fn. 76) The
transept (fn. 77) projects nearly 7 ft. beyond the aisle,
but is structurally part of it, there being no dividing
arch. It is lighted at the end by a modern squareheaded three-light window, but it has no ancient
ritual arrangements. The east wall is blank. The
13th-century south doorway has a single chamfered
pointed arch, with moulded imposts, and hood-mould
with head-stops. (fn. 78)
The 14th-century north arcade consists of four
pointed arches of two hollow chamfered orders, with
hood-mould on both sides, on tall, slender, octagonal
piers, and similar responds all with moulded capitals
and bases, the latter on square plinths. (fn. 79) The
north aisle has diagonal angle buttresses and moulded
string-course at sill level: it is lighted by a large
pointed 14th-century window of three trefoiled lights
with reticulated tracery in the north wall and by a
similar window of two lights at the west end. The
east window was originally of the same character,
but the tracery has been removed, the head blocked,
and a new four-centred arch with Perpendicular
tracery introduced below.
The clearstory has three original circular windows with quatrefoil cusping on the north side,
but on the south the windows are square-headed
and modern of two trefoiled lights. (fn. 80) Below the
nave parapets, on each side, is a hollow moulding
enriched with heads and ball-flowers. The roof is
modern.
The tower is of three stages, divided by plain
strings, and has clasping angle buttresses and a
massive moulded base and chamfered plinth. There
is a vice in the south-west angle, and a pointed west
window of two trefoiled lights (fn. 81) in the lower stage:
the middle stage has a single trefoil-headed window
north and south. The deeply recessed bell-chamber
windows are of two lights with moulded jambs and
banded mid-shafts with moulded capitals and bases:
on the north and south the lights are trefoiled, with
a quatrefoil in the head, but east and west they are
lancet shaped. The spire is of the same build as
the tower, with plain angles and three tiers of lights (fn. 82)
in the cardinal faces. It rises from a corbel table of
heads between the buttresses, and there is a small
head at the top of the broaches. The arch to the
nave is of four orders, of alternate hollow and wave
mouldings, the two inner springing from moulded
imposts and responds consisting of attached triple
shafts. (fn. 83)
The font is shaped in the form of an early 13th
century circular capital, with square top and moulded
edge, below which is a line of dog-tooth, and at each
angle is a carved head, (fn. 84) or mask, with a line of nail
head below. It is set angle-wise on a drum-shaped
modern base and square plinth.
The Jacobean panelled oak pulpit is much restored.
In the north aisle are the royal arms of one of the
Hanover sovereigns on a painted wood panel, with
supporters and garter and the words 'Fear God,
honour the King.' Some carved oak panels, said to
have come out of a church in Sussex, have been
placed in the chancel. (fn. 85)
The four bells formerly in the tower were recast
into a ring of five in 1923 by Gillett and Johnson of
Croydon. (fn. 86)
The plate consists of a silver gilt paten of 1681–2
inscribed 'Ex dono Booth Wright vicar de Greetham
a.d. 1681,' a cup and paten inscribed 'Ecclesia de
Greetham ex voto Henriettae Henrici de Foe Baker
a.d. 1828,' and a modern flagon given in 1862. (fn. 87)
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) all
entries 1576–1709; (ii) baptisms and burials (fn. 88) 1729–
1812, marriages 1729–54; (iii) marriages 1754–84;
(iv) marriages 1784–1813. There are churchwardens'
accounts from 1788.
Advowson
Walran Earl of Warwick, 1184–
1204, granted the advowson to his
younger son Walran. (fn. 89) The latter
and his elder brother Henry may both have granted
it to St. Sepulchre's Priory, Warwick, which had
appropriated it before 1235, when a vicar and manse
had been provided and a stipend fixed by agreement
with the Earl of Warwick. (fn. 90) The priory remained in
possession until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. (fn. 91)
In 1551–52 the rectory and advowson were granted
to Edward Lord Clinton; (fn. 92) but in 1553 Sir John
Harington, kt., died seised. (fn. 93) In 1601–2 his successor
received a grant of the rectory from the Crown; (fn. 94)
and the advowson then descended with the manor (fn. 95)
until about 1915, when it had passed to the Bishop
of Peterborough, the present patron.
Charity
This parish participates in Thomas
Birch's or Byrch's Charity—see under
Cottesmore with Barrow.