LITTLE BILLING
Belinge (xi cent.); Billingge (xii cent.).
The parish of Little Billing covers an area of 870
acres. It is long and narrow in shape and is crossed by
the main road from Northampton to Wellingborough,
which passes through the centre of the parish from west
to east, descending from a height of 304 ft. to 207 ft. at
the eastern boundary. Billing Lane, running at right
angles to the Wellingborough road, connects the main
road to Kettering with the Billing road and descends
from a height of 255 ft. to 191 ft. at its junction with
the Billing road in the south of the parish where the
village lies. This consists of one or two farm-houses and
a few cottages only, in addition to the church and
rectory house; in Bridges's time 11 families composed
the population, which in 1931 was 83. Since 1935
Little Billing has been absorbed into the civil parish of
Billing.
The manor-house, mentioned by Leland, stood immediately north of the church, and some remains of it
are incorporated in a modern house on a portion of the
site. In Bridges's time part of the house was still standing, 'the first story supported with broad arches and at
the south end a turret with a staircase leading up to the
leads'. (fn. 1) Pennant, about 1780, speaks of the 'poor remains' of the mansion of the Longuevilles at Little
Billing, (fn. 2) and in 1789 the ruins were described as 'much
reduced' in the course of sixty years. (fn. 3) The turret and
practically the whole of the east end of the building had
then gone, but some portion of the western end was still
standing, of two stories, with embattled parapet and
large ground-floor bay window on the north side. (fn. 4)
These features have in their turn disappeared and such
ancient work as still remains is very slight or of a fragmentary character. The older part, which includes a
small pointed window on the south side near ground
level, may be of 14th-century date, and at the east end
in a modern wall is inserted a quatrefoil circle containing a shield inscribed 'pro aīa', (fn. 5) apparently of the same
period. A four-centred doorway and a mullioned window with rounded lights are probably of the 16th century, but in its present form the house, known locally
as the Castle, dates only from 1880. (fn. 6)
Behind the village the ground slopes down to the
River Nene which forms the southern boundary; this
portion of the parish lies low, falling to 171 ft., and is
watered by numerous small streams, all branches of
the River Nene, which overflow their banks in rainy
seasons and flood the surrounding land.
Longueville. Gules a fesse dancetty ermine between six crosslets argent.
Manor
At the time of the Domesday Survey 1086,
Gunfrid de Cioches held the manor of
LITTLE BILLING of the king in chief, (fn. 7) and
the manor continued to be held of the honor of Chokes.
In the reign of King Edward the manor had been
held freely by Swain, and no under-tenant is mentioned
at the time of the Survey, but Walter fitz Winemar,
whose father Winemar held a great deal of land in
Northamptonshire in 1086, is later found holding the
manor with his wife Osanna. (fn. 8) As in Preston Deanery
(q.v.),where he was under-tenant to the Countess Judith,
he was succeeded by the Preston family. (fn. 9) Gilbert de
Preston in 1236 confirmed a lease of the manor for
6 years to Simon de Esteyland and Guy de Merloue. (fn. 10)
This Gilbert held Billing until 1273, (fn. 11) when on his
death it passed to his widow Alice, as her dower, by
agreement with Laurence, Gilbert's nephew and heir. (fn. 12)
Alice was still holding the manor in 1284, (fn. 13) but by 1301
it had come into the possession of Laurence, who then
alienated Billing to John de Longueville and Joan his
wife. (fn. 14) This John de Longueville was a benefactor to
the religious houses in Northampton, for in 1299 he
bestowed rent and land in Little Billing upon St. John's
Hospital, (fn. 15) and in 1323 he is supposed to have founded
the Northampton house of the Austin Friars, in the
church of which several of his descendants, who were
also benefactors to the friars,
were afterwards buried. (fn. 16) The
Longuevilles retained Little Billing Manor for nearly 400 years;
one of the family, Sir George,
being murdered there in 1357, (fn. 17)
but they ceased to reside there after
the marriage of John Longueville,
a great-grandson of the former
John, with Joan Hunt, daughter
and heir of Margery Wolverton of Wolverton (Bucks.), (fn. 18)
which manor then became their
chief seat, Billing being settled
on George, their eldest son, (fn. 19) who was Sheriff of
Northamptonshire in 1430 (fn. 20) and succeeded his father
c. 1439 in the lordship of Wolverton. (fn. 21) George died in
1458 (fn. 22) and his grandson and heir, Richard, surviving
him a few weeks only, the latter's son John, then only
33 weeks old, inherited the estate. (fn. 23) On the marriage of
John in 1493 with his first wife Elizabeth, the daughter
of Sir Ralph Hastings, a settlement of the manor was
made to their use and their lawful issue. They had one
child Anne who married Drew Cheyne and by him had
a son John, (fn. 24) to whom the manor ought to have passed
in 1541 on his grandfather's death, (fn. 25) but the latter in
1527 (fn. 26) had made over Billing to his illegitimate sons
Thomas, Arthur, Richard, and John in tail male.
Thomas dying before his father in 1540, (fn. 27) the manor
was resettled on Arthur (fn. 28) who entered into it on his
father's death in 1541 and bought out John Cheyne's
claim by giving up to him manors and lands to the yearly
value of £20, John in 1542 renouncing all right in the
manor of Little Billing. (fn. 29) Arthur died in 1557 leaving
a son Henry, then aged 10, (fn. 30) against whom, when he
came of age, Henry the son of John Cheyne brought an
action, alleging that the terms of the contract had not
been kept. (fn. 31) Henry Longueville lived till 1618, (fn. 32) his son
Henry surviving him only three years, when the manor
passed to the latter's son Edward (fn. 33) who was created a
baronet in 1638 and died in 1661. His son and heir
Thomas was killed by a fall from his horse in 1685 (fn. 34) and
his son Edward in 1688 sold Little Billing. (fn. 35) The manor
was acquired by William Thursby, from whom it
passed, with Abington (q.v.), to John Harvey Thursby,
and was bought of the Thursby family in 1837 by Mr.
Loyd, whose grand-daughter was Lady Wantage.
There was a mill attached to the manor worth 2s. in
1086, (fn. 36) described as a water-mill in 1273 (fn. 37) and last
mentioned in 1361, there being no trace of a mill at the
present day. In 1361 the manor comprised 73 acres of
arable land, 60 acres of meadow, and £4 14s. annual
rent. The serfs owed £7 rent of assize and the cottars
6s., while six free tenants owed works in harvest every
three days. There were two dove-houses, two ponds,
and buildings within the gates, the moiety of a grange,
pleas and perquisites of court. (fn. 38)
Other land in Billing was held by the Count of
Mortain in 1086, of which 2½ virgates were socland of
the manor of Weston. (fn. 39) This holding, which escheated
to the Crown either in the reign of William Rufus or in
1106, was granted to the Avrenches family (fn. 40) and was
held of them by Walter fitz Winemar, lord of the
manor, who bestowed 1 virgate of this fee, together
with Little Billing Church and 1 virgate of the fee of
Chokes, upon St. Andrew's Priory in Northampton. (fn. 41)
Sibyl de Preston daughter of Gilbert gave up her right
in 5 virgates of land in Billing to the priory on the condition that her daughter Eustachia and the latter's husband Robert son of Ralph Raye should continue to hold
2 virgates of the priory. (fn. 42) These gifts were confirmed in
the reign of Henry II by Michael de Preston and by the
latter's son Walter and grandson Gilbert in the reign of
Henry III. (fn. 43) In the reign of Edward II the priory sued
Philip son of John of Boughton for unjustly disseising
them of 1 messuage and 3 virgates of land in Little
Billing, (fn. 44) and in the reign of Richard II, George Longueville, lord of the manor, contended that of the 40d. due
from the whole 'vill' of Billing for ward of the Castle of
Northampton or that of Rockingham, 6d. ought to be
paid by the prior. As a defence the prior successfully
pleaded that the land had been given him in free alms,
the jury also finding that by a charter of Henry II,
confirmed by Edward I, the priory was acquitted from
shire and hundred courts. (fn. 45) In 1291 the priory's possessions in Little Billing were valued at £6 15s., the
meadows being worth £3 and their lands and dovehouses £3 15s. (fn. 46) By 1535 the value of the estate had
fallen to 16s. (fn. 47) and, having been taken into the king's
hand at the dissolution of the priory in 1538, it was
granted out by Edward VI in 1553 to Thomas Sidney
and Nicholas Haleswell, (fn. 48) but after this date no records
of this holding can be found.
Church
The church of ALL SAINTS consists
of chancel, 31 ft. by 12 ft. 8 in., with north
aisle or chapel its full length, 14 ft. 6 in.
wide, nave, 43 ft. 6 in. by 26 ft. 6 in., and south porch,
8 ft. square, all these measurements being internal.
There is also a small modern bell-tower on the north
side, near the junction of the nave and chapel.
The oldest parts of the church are of 14th-century
date but the building has been so much altered in later
times that it now retains very little architectural interest.
The north chapel was rebuilt in 1849, and the nave and
chancel extensively restored in 1854. Before this time,
however, a north aisle had been merged into the nave
by the removal of the arcade, the outer walls rebuilt in
a 'meagre Perpendicular' style, and a wide roof erected
supported by posts in the middle. (fn. 49) In the 1854 restoration the single span roof was reconstructed without its
supporting posts and a wooden turret at the west end
was done away with. The width of the original nave
would be about 16 ft. The chancel and its aisle are
under separate tiled roofs with twin east gables, and
the tower has a pyramidal roof. The walls are plastered
internally and with one exception all the windows are
modern.
The exception is a low-side window in the southwest corner of the chancel, which is a tall pointed
opening with trefoiled head and hood-mould, of early
14th-century date. Though now at some height above
the ground it is more than 2 ft. lower than the two other
windows in the same wall, which presumably occupy
the position of, if they do not actually reproduce, the
original two-light openings. (fn. 50) There is a priest's doorway between the windows.
The chancel arch is a lofty one of two chamfered
orders and probably belongs to a 15th-century reconstruction: the chancel screen is modern. The floor of
the chancel is level with that of the nave, but no ancient
ritual arrangements survive. There is, however, a small
ogee-headed aumbry in the east wall of the chapel at its
south end, and at the north end a carved corbel. The
chapel is open on the south side by two pointed arches,
the westernmost of 14th-century date, the other later,
which may indicate that originally the aisle covered
the chancel for only about half its length. The arch
between the chapel and the former north aisle of the nave
is also of 14th-century date. In the nave, north of
the chancel arch, facing west, is a recess with foliated
head, probably the remains of the reredos of a nave
altar.
The exceedingly interesting cylindrical font has
already been described. (fn. 51) On account of the palaeological peculiarity of its inscription, as well as from its
resemblance to a Saxon baluster shaft, the font is
generally attributed to the pre-Conquest period, but is
probably not earlier than the 11th century. (fn. 52)
In the north chapel is an 18th-century wooden
communion table. The pulpit and other fittings are
modern.
There are three modern bells, cast about 1850. (fn. 53)
The plate consists of a silver cup of 1682 with the
maker's mark IN within a heart, inscribed 'The Parish
of litle Biling in Northamptonshire', a paten without
date letter but of about the same period with the
maker's mark E B repeated. There are also two pewter
alms dishes and a pewter flagon of 1714. (fn. 54)
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) baptisms
and burials 1632–1740, marriages 1632–1720, 1735–
41; (ii) baptisms and burials 1741–1812, marriages
1744–54; (iii) marriages 1754–1812. There is a book
of churchwardens' accounts 1722–1886.
The rectory house, which stands close to the church,
has a good 18th-century panelled entrance hall and oak
staircase.
Advowson
There is no mention of Little Billing Church in the
Domesday Survey, but soon after the foundation of St.
Andrew's Priory, Northampton, between 1093 and
1100, Walter fitz Winemar and Osanna
his wife presented it to the prior and
convent. (fn. 55) This gift was confirmed
by Hugh of Wells, Bishop of Lincoln, 20s. being
assigned to the priory as an annual pension. (fn. 56) This
pension continued to be paid to the priory until the
Dissolution. (fn. 57) The priory was a cell to the French
priory of St. Mary de la Charité and therefore during
the French wars of Edward III the presentation to the
church of Little Billing was often exercised by the
Crown. (fn. 58) In 1535 the value of the benefice was
£11 13s. 4d. (fn. 59) and the church was annexed by the Crown
on the dissolution of St. Andrew's in 1538. It was
apparently granted to Richard Wudcocke, who sold
it in 1548 to Sir Thomas Brudenell, who died seised
of it in 1549, (fn. 60) when it was said to be held of Arthur
Longuevill, but instead of passing to his heir with his
other possessions it escheated to the king, by whom it
was granted in the next year to Sir Ralph Sadler and
Laurence Wennington. (fn. 61) The advowson is found in
1630 in the hands of Richard Stockwell, (fn. 62) but there
is no record of its history during the interval.
Anne Bracegirdle in 1648 presented by reason of the
minority of her son Justinian, (fn. 63) who, with his wife
Martha, sold the advowson to Richard Woodford in
1669. (fn. 64) It remained in the Woodford family until
1741 (fn. 65) when John and Mary Woodford conveyed it to
Ambrose Isted of Ecton, (fn. 66) by whom it was probably
afterwards sold to Sir Thomas Drury, bart., passing
on the latter's death in 1759 to his two daughters and
co-heirs, in undivided moieties. (fn. 67) The younger daughter, Jocosa Catherine, purchased her late sister's moiety
in 1770 and married Sir Brownlow Cust, bart., afterwards Lord Brownlow, in whose descendant, the present Earl Brownlow, the advowson is now vested. (fn. 68)