LUDDINGTON
Lullintone, Lullinthone (xi to xiii cent.); Lylington, Lollington, Lullyngton (xiv cent.); Lodyngton
in the Brooke (xv cent.); Leddyngton, als. Luddyngton, als. Lullyngton (xvi cent.); Ludington als.
Lullington (xviii cent.).
The parish of Luddington, or Luddington-in-theBrook, lies on the borders of Huntingdonshire and a
small part of it falls within the Hundred of Leightonstone in that county. It covers 1,104 acres on a
subsoil of Oxford clay, with a border of cornbrash
in the east. Of this area rather more than a third is
pasture, about eight acres are woodland, and the
rest is arable, producing chiefly wheat and barley.
The average height above the ordnance datum is
200 ft.
A long and rather narrow tract of land in the east
of the parish stretches south of Lutton and east of
Hemington along the county boundary in Gipsy
Lane to the Rectory Farm. Farther south on the
east the road from Great Gidding enters the parish
and runs through the village in a north-westerly
direction into Hemington, passing the church of St.
Margaret and the Church Farm. A very winding
stream called Alconbury Brook rises in the Great
Hall Spinney north of the church and flows in a
south-easterly direction through a tract of land liable
to floods. In the early part of the 18th century the
county historian described the situation of the village
as 'low and dirty' from the overflowing of this
rivulet, and attributed its title of Luddington-in-theBrook to this cause. (fn. 1)
In 1921 the population of Luddington consisted
of 65 persons.
Manor
A hide and a half in LUDDINGTON
which was parcel of Oundle were held
of Peterborough Abbey by Walter in
1086. (fn. 2) The lordship of the Abbey over this fee continued without interruption until its surrender in 1539. (fn. 3)
The names of Walter's successors in the 12th
century and early 13th have not been preserved.
A mesne lordship over the fee was held by Richard
Poure, possibly the Shropshire and Stafford landowner
of that date, in 1243. (fn. 4) It came afterwards to the
Marmion lords of Lutton manor, of which the manor
of Luddington was a member, until John Marmion,
who did homage to the abbot of Peterborough in
1300, (fn. 5) released all his rights in Luddington to the
Abbey. (fn. 6)
In 1243 William de Lullington was subtenant
to Richard Poure, holding half a knight's fee of the
old enfeoffment, of him. (fn. 7) He presented to the church
four years later, (fn. 8) but in or before 1275 had been
succeeded as patron by Gregory de Lullington. (fn. 9)
Within the next thirty years the manor had passed
into the possession of John, son of Thomas de Oundle,
probably Gregory's grandson, (fn. 10) who held it of John
Marmion by homage and fealty and service of half a
knight's fee. (fn. 11)
In 1304 he granted it to the abbot of Peterborough, its chief lord, John Marmion, the mesne
lord giving his consent. (fn. 12)
Abbot Godfrey de Crowland assigned the manor
to the convent for his anniversary. (fn. 13) He was returned
as lord of Luddington in 1316, (fn. 14) and it remained
among the temporalities of his house until the surrender of the Abbey in 1539. (fn. 15) In 1544 it was
granted to Sir Edward Montagu, (fn. 16) and followed the
descent of Barnwell St. Andrew (q.v.), but was not
sold by the Duke of Buccleuch in 1913, and the duke
is still owner of the manor. Mr. James Cheney is
one of the chief landowners in the parish.
Land in Luddington formed part of a knight's
fee in Great Gidding and Luddington, given by
Ingeram de Owe (Auco) to the Austin Canons of
Huntingdon (fn. 17) and confirmed to them by Henry I. (fn. 18)
The lands and rents of the Priory in Fotheringhay
and Luddington together were valued at £4 9s. 1d.
in 1291 (fn. 19) and in 1539 its rents in Luddington alone
amounted to 102s. 11d. (fn. 20) The possessions of this
house in Luddington remained with the Crown until
1546, when they were sold with the manor of Great
Gidding to Edward Watson of Rockingham and
Henry Herdson, skinner, of London, (fn. 21) who in the
same year obtained licence to convey them to Sir
Edward Montagu. (fn. 22)
Church
The church of ST. MARGARET consists of chancel, 22 ft. 3 in. by 14 ft. 2 in.;
clearstoried nave, 39 ft. by 15 ft.;
south aisle, 9 ft. 6 in. wide; south porch and west
tower, 6 ft. 2 in. by 6 ft. 8 in., all these measurements
being internal. The tower is surmounted by a short
broach spire. The building is almost entirely of
15th century date, but it appears to have taken the
place of a 13th century church, which seems to have
had both north and south aisles. The building was
very completely restored in 1874, the chancel being
in a great measure modern work, but four lancet
windows, three on the north and one on the south,
which had survived the 15th-century rebuilding, were
retained in modern form. The buttresses and part
of the walling at the west end of the nave may belong
to the 13th-century church, the north buttress
indicating the line of the former north arcade.
The building is of rubble masonry, with plain
parapets, large grotesque gargoyles, (fn. 23) and leaded
roofs to nave and aisle. The chancel is covered with
grey slates. All the roofs are modern. The spire
dates only from 1874, but is said to be a copy of a
spire long ago destroyed; before the restoration only
its base remained, covered with a slated pyramidal roof.
The chancel retains no ancient features except
its 15th-century arch with moulded capitals and bases.
The rood loft doorway remains on the north side,
approached by a stairway, still perfect, in the north
nave wall, here thickened out. The nave arcade
consists of three pointed arches of two chamfered
orders, the outer running down the piers to the
ground, the inner resting on attached shafts with
moulded capitals and bases. All the windows of the
nave are four-centered, those of the clearstory of
two cinquefoiled lights, the others of three lights,
and at the east end of the aisle, in the usual position,
is a piscina with four-centered head and quatrefoil
bowl.
The tower is divided by string courses into five
short stages, and has clasping buttresses and bellchamber windows of two cinquefoiled lights with
quatrefoil in the head. The tower arch is lofty and
of a single chamfered order. There is no vice.
The font is of 15th century date, with plain octagonal
bowl and stem.
The oak pulpit and the seating are modern, but
some old linen pattern panels have been used up and
have been copied in the bench ends. There is a good
carved oak chest, probably of 16th-century date.
The only ancient glass consists of some fragments
of late 15th-century canopy work in the east window
of the aisle and in one in the north wall. (fn. 24)
The two bells in the tower were cast by Henry
Penn, of Peterborough, in 1710. (fn. 25) The frames were
renewed in 1861.
The plate consists of a silver gilt cup and cover
paten of 1640, both bearing the initials of Richard
Faulkner, and the date 1641. (fn. 26) There are also a
pewter alms plate and a brass alms dish.
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i)
baptisms 1673–86, 1702–31, 1733–58, marriages
1673–1702, 1711–43, burials 1635–92, 1711–57;
(ii) baptisms and burials 1759–1812; (iii) marriages
1754–1812.
Advowson
The church, which until the latter
part of the 18th century was dedicated to St. Andrew, (fn. 27) has been
known as the church of St. Margaret of Antioch since
1791. (fn. 28) It was included in the grant of the manor
(q.v.) by John, son of Thomas de Oundle, to the
Abbey of Peterborough, and remained one of the
possessions of that house until its surrender. (fn. 29) Sir
Edward Montagu bought it with the manor in 1544.
The rectory, which was united to the vicarage of
Hemington before 1854, has, with the advowson,
followed the descent of the manor. In 1920 it
was conveyed by the Duke of Buccleuch with Hemington to Mr. Benjamin Measures.
Charity
An annuity of 13s. 4d. is payable out
of the estates of Lord Montagu for
distribution to the poor. The origin
of the charity is unknown.