THRAPSTON
Trapestone (xi cent.), Thrapeston (xiii and xiv
cent.).
The parish of Thrapston contains 1,149 acres of
land and is low-lying, being only about 100 ft. above
the ordnance datum. The subsoil is alluvium, near
the bed of the River Nene, which forms the western
boundary of the parish, upper lias, great oolite series
and Oxford clay. The Thorpe brook forms part of
the eastern boundary. About half the acreage is
arable land and the remainder grass land, with
practically no woods. A quarry is mentioned in 1330,
and mines and quarries in a sale of the manor in
1770. (fn. 1) There is an ironstone quarry at the present
day, but the Nene Side Iron Works which once
flourished no longer exist.
Thrapston is a small market town, probably owing
its prosperity to its situation near the bridge over the
Nene, towards which bridge several roads converge. It
is the head of the Thrapston Petty Sessional Division,
the Thrapston and Oundle County Court District
and the Thrapston Rural District. It was almost
entirely rebuilt in the 19th century, the later buildings
being of red brick. A few older houses remain; a
cottage in the Huntingdon road is dated 1755, and
the Baptist Chapel adjoining bears a tablet recording
that "This place of Worship was built by public
Subscription A.D. 1787, for the Propagation of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ." It is a plain brick building
of two stories. There is also a Wesleyan Chapel in
the town.
There is a market place in the centre of the town
and the church and manor house lie on its north side.
The bridge over the Nene is mentioned in 1224, when
Bishop Hugh of Welles granted an indulgence to
travellers contributing to its repair (fn. 2) and in 1313
Bishop Dalderby granted an indulgence for the
fabric of the chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr next
the Bridge of Thrapston. (fn. 3) In the later 14th and early
15th centuries, the bailiffs and men of Thrapston
obtained several grants of pontage for the repair of
the bridge. (fn. 4) Leland about 1543 mentions a stone
bridge with eight arches, (fn. 5) but in a brief for its repair
of 1664 it is said to have twenty-four arches. (fn. 6)
The Leper Hospital of St. Leonard existed in the
12th and 13th centuries, but nothing is known of its
history and it probably had no endowment. (fn. 7)
There is a station on the Northampton and Peterborough branch of the London Midland and Scottish
Railway, which crosses the parish. Thrapston mill
is on the river Nene, to the south of the town. A
water mill is mentioned as parcel of the manor in
1336 and 1355. (fn. 8) The parish was inclosed by Act of
Parliament in 1780. (fn. 9)
Wake. Or two bars with three roundels gules in the chief.
Manors
There is no mention of a pre-Conquest
tenant in THRAPSTON, but in 1086
Oger the Breton held 2½ hides. (fn. 10) In the
following century 2 hides and 1 virgate were held by
his son Ralph fitz Oger of the fee of Bourne in Lincolnshire. (fn. 11) The honour of Bourne passed to the
Wakes and Baldwin Wake granted his holding to
Robert de Vere, in the latter half of the 12th century. (fn. 12)
The overlordship was held by
the Wakes, until 1350, when it
passed to Margaret, Countess
of Kent, (fn. 13) sister and heir of
Thomas Wake. On the death
of her son John, Earl of Kent,
it went to his sister Joan, the
wife of Sir Thomas Holand, (fn. 14)
but Elizabeth, the widow of
John, held it in dower till her
death in 1411. (fn. 15) In the interval four Earls of Kent had
died, (fn. 16) and in 1424 Joan,
daughter of Thomas Holand
and Joan, above mentioned, died seised of the rent of
50s. from half a knight's fee in Thrapston. Her
property was divided amongst her six sisters or their
descendants (fn. 17) and the overlordship probably disappeared after this. In 1481 Roger Wake, of Blisworth,
was stated to be the overlord, (fn. 18) and in 1493 Edward,
Earl of Wiltshire, (fn. 19) but both statements were probably
due to a confusion with the tenure of other property.
The manor of Thrapston was granted by Baldwin
Wake to Robert de Vere, and followed the descent
of Great Addington (q.v.), where the Veres lived,
until the 18th century, when Thrapston was sold.
In 1335 during Ralf de Vere's tenancy an extent
of the manor of Thrapston shows there was there
a capital messuage with two gardens, 100 acres of
arable land in demesne, 10 acres of meadow, 10 free
tenants, 10 native tenants, 10 cottages, a water mill,
and a market and fair. (fn. 20) Alice, widow of John de
Vere, in 1386 had her dower in Thrapston, including
the profits of the market and fair, the common oven
and a cottage in 'le Draperie.' (fn. 21) Thrapston was sold
to Humphrey Morice (d. 1731), a merchant and M.P.
for Grampound, or to his son of the same name
(d. 1785). (fn. 22) It was sold by the latter in 1770 to
Leonard Burton, (fn. 23) and the Burton trustees were holding in 1874. (fn. 24) Mr. John Pashler afterwards held the
manor, and his widow now holds it.
The third part of the manor, which went to
Etheldreda, the youngest daughter of Henry Vere, on
his death in 1493, was still in her possession, as a
widow, in 1553. (fn. 25) She gave it to her son, George
Browne, and it passed to his son, Wystan, (fn. 26) but before
1572 her third part seems to have been again divided
amongst heiresses, as transactions as to their thirds
of one-third of the manor were carried out by
Christiana Browne in 1572, (fn. 27) and Catherine Browne
in 1576, (fn. 28) and later by Christiana, the wife of John
Tufton, Mary, the wife of Thomas Wilfride and
Catherine, the wife of William Rooper. (fn. 29) The last
of these transactions was in 1590; no later history of
this part of the manor appears, and it was probably
conveyed to the Mordaunts.
In the 14th century Ralph de Vere claimed view of
frank-pledge, pillory and tumbrels in the manor, (fn. 30)
and the view is mentioned in 1668 (fn. 31) and again in
1770. (fn. 32)
Clare. Or three cheverons gules.
Stafford. Or a cheveron gules.
In the time of Edward the Confessor, Burred held
freely 3 virgates of land in Thrapston. (fn. 33) In 1086
this land was held of the Bishop of Coutances, (fn. 34) but
after his fief escheated it was granted to the Clares,
this holding apparently formed part of half a knight's
fee held of the fee of Clare in Thrapston, Denford and
Ringstead. (fn. 35) After the death of the last Gilbert de
Clare at Bannockburn, this half fee passed to his
eldest sister, Margaret, (fn. 36) and through her to the
Earls of Stafford. (fn. 37) The last overlord mentioned
was Edward, Duke of Buckingham, who was attainted
and beheaded in 1521, (fn. 38) and the half fee was presumably held of the Crown after that date.
In 1086, Odelin held this land of the Bishop, (fn. 39) and
his son Robert was the tenant under the Clares early in
the 12th century. (fn. 40) Towards the end of the century
the tenant was Richard de Marun, (fn. 41) but it is difficult
to trace the descent of the land in Thrapston. In 1236
Maud, the wife of William Hay, was dealing with land
in Thrapston, and in 1242 William Hay held an eighth
part of a knight's fee there and in Denford. (fn. 42) Between 1252–3 and 1263, William de Shardelawe and
his wife Joan were parties to various fines levied on
land in Thrapston which were part of her inheritance. (fn. 43)
The next tenants seem to have been John Spigurnel
and his wife Alice. (fn. 44) In 1310, they settled a considerable estate in Thrapston, Woodford and Denford on themselves and the heirs of their bodies, with
remainder of John, son of Roger Bozun. (fn. 45) Before
1330, John Bozun sold one quarter of a knight's fee in
Thrapston to Bernard de Brus, the son of John de
Brus of Thrapston. (fn. 46) Athelina, daughter of Bernard, is mentioned in 1367 in connection with other
property, (fn. 47) but the next tenants were William
Everard de Sutton in Holand and his wife Alice, who
settled the manor of Thrapston in 1379 on Hugh
Hekelyng and Richard Gettyngton, clerks, with
warranty by the heirs of Alice. (fn. 48) In 1387, amongst
the tenants of the half fee held of Hugh, Earl of
Stafford, appear Alice Vere, possibly identical with
Alice Everard, and Henry Petelyng, clerk. (fn. 49) In 1392
they were succeeded by Margery Table, (fn. 50) in 1394 and
1396 by William Braunspath, (fn. 51) but in 1401 Margery
Table reappears. (fn. 52) No further tenants are recorded
till 1515, when William Thorley died seised of two
virgates of land and other property in Thrapston,
held of the Duke of Buckingham, his heir being his
son Richard. (fn. 53) This holding, however, can only have
been a small part of the lands attached to the manor
of Thrapston, and presumably they had passed into
the hands of many tenants. They seem, however,
again to have come into the possession of one tenant
and the manorial rights revived, possibly when the
over-lordship passed to the Crown. (fn. 54)
In 1574 the manor of THRAPSTON, alias
THRAPSTON GALES, was held by John Gale, and
was possibly the manor formerly held of the honour
of Clare. Gale sold it to Henry Daye, (fn. 55) who in
turn sold it in 1575 to Lewis, Lord Mordaunt. (fn. 56) In
1582 the latter obtained a quit-claim of the manor
from Anthony Muscott and his wife Ellen, presumably the heir either of John Gale or Henry Daye. (fn. 57)
From this time the manor of Thrapston Gales was
held with Thrapston manor (q.v.). (fn. 58)
The tenant of the land held of the Honour of Clare
did suit at the Abbot of Peterborough's court for
Navisford Hundred. (fn. 59) The Earl of Gloucester also
held a view of frankpledge, pleas 'de namio vetito,'
and the assizes of bread and ale for his tenants at
Thrapston. (fn. 60) He also had the return of writs, (fn. 61) and
his successors held a view of frankpledge and a court,
generally at Denford, for their tenants of the half fee
in Thrapston, Denford and Ringstead. (fn. 62) In the early
part of the 18th century the Duke of Montagu held
the court of Navisford Hundred at Thrapston. (fn. 63)
In 1205 Baldwin de Vere gave two palfreys for the
privilege of having a market every Tuesday, (fn. 64) and his
market rights were specially reserved to him in the
agreement as to view of frankpledge made with the
Abbot of Peterborough. (fn. 65) Ralph de Vere in 1330
claimed the market under a charter of Henry III, (fn. 66)
and presumably the succeeding lords of the manor of
Thrapston held a market there, as it was in the
possession of Sir John Germaine and his wife in
1706. (fn. 67) It was not mentioned in the sale of the
manor in 1770 (fn. 68) to Leonard Burton, and in 1870 the
Thrapston Market Co. was formed by Act of Parliament, in which all control and profit of the market
and of the fairs are vested. In 1226 Baldwin de
Vere obtained a grant, until the coming of age of
Henry III, of a fair to be held on the eve and day of
St. Michael. (fn. 69) A fair is now held on the first Tuesday after old Michaelmas day.
Robert de Vere obtained the grant of another fair
in 1245 on the vigil, feast and morrow of St. James
the Apostle. (fn. 70) A fair was still held on St. James' day
early in the 18th century, (fn. 71) and was afterwards kept
on 5 August, old St. James' day, but it had fallen into
disuse before 1874. (fn. 72) The second fair is now held on
the first Tuesday in May.
Church
The church of ST. JAMES consists
of chancel 37 ft. 8 in. by 19 ft. 4 in.,
with organ chamber and vestry on the
north side, clearstoried nave, 50 ft. 6 in. by 20 ft.,
north and south aisles, each 12 ft. 8 in. wide, and west
tower, 13 ft. 6 in. by 11 ft., surmounted by a spire.
All these measurements are internal. The ground
floor of the tower forms the porch. The nave and
aisles, (fn. 73) together with the chancel arch, were entirely
rebuilt in 1842 in the Gothic style of the period,
when galleries were erected on three sides. The
galleries still remain. In 1888 an old vestry which
had blocked a 14th century window in the chancel
was removed, and the present vestry built further
west. The building throughout is of rubble with
ashlar dressings, and has low-pitched roofs and plain
parapets. The walls inside are plastered.
The chancel is substantially of the later part of the
13th century, and retains strings, angle buttresses,
priest's doorway, and internally a double piscina of
that date. The piscina has two plain pointed arches
set within a larger arch, the tympanum being pierced
with a quatrefoil. In the 14th century an east
window of five lights with reticulated tracery (now
restored) was inserted, and long two-light windows
with transoms in the side walls. These windows,
two in the south wall and one in the north, have
cinquefoiled lights and a quatrefoil in the head.
West of the piscina, below the first window, are three
ogee-headed sedilia of 14th century date, with
crocketed arches and dividing shafts with moulded
capitals and bases. The seats are on one level. The
sanctuary was panelled in oak and a reredos erected
in 1920 as a war memorial.
The 14th-century tower has a battlemented parapet,
and is of five stages marked by strings, with diagonal
buttresses and a vice at the north-east angle. The
west doorway has a continuous series of wave
mouldings divided by deep casements, and over it is
a two-light window with modern tracery. The bellchamber windows are each of two cinquefoiled
lights with a quatrefoil in the head. Below the
parapet is a continuous row of square quatrefoiled
panels, and the gargoyles are set in the middle of each
side. The spire is without ribs, and has three sets
of lights on each of its cardinal faces. The tower arch
is of three chamfered orders, the inner carried on
responds with moulded capitals and bases.
Washington. Argent two bars with three molets gules in the chief.
The nave is of four bays, and retains most of the
fittings of the period of its erection. In the west wall
is set a stone with the arms
and crest of Washington. It
is without inscription, but is
said to commemorate Sir John
Washington, some members of
whose family are buried in
the churchyard. The font
dates from 1888.
There is a ring of eight bells,
cast in 1897 by John Taylor
and Co. of Loughborough. (fn. 74)
The plate consists of a cup
and paten of 1570, and a cup,
paten, and flagon of 1855,
given by Alfred Wigan in 1860. There are also a
pewter flagon, pewter plates and a brass alms
dish. (fn. 75)
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) baptisms, marriages and burials 1560–1640; (ii) births and
baptisms, marriages, and burials 1653–87, with a few
earlier notes (1641–52) on one page of births; (iii)
parish clerk's paper register book 1643–87; (iv) parish
clerk's register 1688–1709; (v) baptisms and burials
1709–59, marriages 1709–54; (vi) marriages 1754–98;
(vii) parish clerk's book 1761–90; (viii) baptisms and
burials 1790–95; (ix) baptisms and burials 1796–1812,
marriages 1798–1812.
In the churchyard is the head of a mediæval grave
slab with cross patonce.
Advowson
The church of St. James (fn. 76) was
granted by Baldwin, son of Gilbert,
to the Abbey of Bourne in Lincolnshire, which he founded in 1138. (fn. 77) The abbey held
the advowson until its dissolution in 1534, but from
1422 frequently granted away the presentation on a
particular occasion. (fn. 78) From the Dissolution till the
present day the advowson has belonged to the Crown. (fn. 79)
No vicarage was instituted, but the rector paid a
pension of 4s. a year to the abbey. (fn. 80) In 1600 Queen
Elizabeth granted certain tithes in Thrapston formerly
belonging to the abbey to the Bishop of Ely. (fn. 81)
Three roods of land and a fishery in the Neve were
given for the maintenance of a light in Thrapston
church, and in 1552, Edward VI granted them to
Sir Thomas Tresham and George Tresham. (fn. 82)
Charities
Mary Allen in 1685 bequeathed £1
a year for poor widows. The sum
of £20 which was appropriated to
answer this charity was applied towards building a
poor house, and £1 a year was formerly paid out of
the rates and distributed in bread.
By his will proved at Lichfield 31st October, 1878,
Matthias Royce Griffin gave £1,000 to the trustees of
the Baptist Chapel at Thrapston for the poor. The
sum was invested in stock now represented by
£969 13s. 11d. India 3½ per cent. Stock, producing
£33 19s. yearly in dividends. The income is distributed in kind among about 50 recipients.
The Reynold Hogg Fund is regulated by a scheme
of the Charity Commissioners dated 16th April, 1924.
The property originally consisted of a piece of land
in Church Street with buildings formerly used as a
Protestant Dissenting Chapel comprised in an indenture dated 6 November, 1812. The property was
sold in 1924 and the proceeds invested in £177 19s. 4d.
5 per cent. War Stock, which stock was made up to
£200 by the deacons of the Baptist Chapel who were
appointed trustees of the scheme. The income is
applied for the general purposes of the chapel.
The sums of stock are with the Official Trustees of
Charitable Funds.