TUTINGTON.
This village in the time of the Saxons belonged to Agelwin, an
alderman or nobleman of that race, who gave it with the church to
the abbey of St. Bennet in the Holm; and it was confirmed to that
convent by the charter of King Edward the Confessor, (fn. 1) and settled
to find provision for the monks there. In Domesday we find that
Earl Ralf was seized of half the convent's land, when he forfeited
his estate to the Conqueror, by his rebellion, and that a freewoman
then held it of him; (fn. 2) but the Conqueror gave it again to the monastery
which held the whole at the survey, except two freemen that formerly
belonged to Guerd the Dane, (fn. 3) and 16 acres, &c. which belonged to
the manor of Ailesham. We meet with no mensuration of this vill in
that record, and the reason is because it was included in the measures
of Crachefort, Ailesham, and Banningham, to which all Crachefort
belonged, (fn. 4) and indeed the style of the manor is Tutington cum
Crackforth, (fn. 5) which extended into Oxnede; (fn. 6) the manor was held
of the convent by Sir Peter de Hautbois, as of the Earl Warren,
who had it originally from that house; in 1234 it was a rectory,
and the Abbot of Holme presented John son of Sir Peter de Alto
Bosco or Hautbois to it, and soon after, Adam, abbot of St. Benet,
granted the church and manor to Thomas de Thirkelby and his
heirs, to be held of the convent; and to this deed Sir Roger de Thirkelby, one of the King's itinerant justices or judges, was witness; this
Thomas de Thirkelby gave the advowson to the prior and convent of
Bromholme in Norfolk, but the manor went to Cecily his widow;
and at her death, to Sir Walter de Thirkelby, brother of Sir Roger, (fn. 7)
who granted it to Henry son of Robert de Hastyngs of Aylesham, (fn. 8)
and his heirs. In 1274 the Earl-Marshal was found to have freewarren here and in Coleby and Aldby; and in 1284 Henry de Hastings
brother of Jeffry de Hastyngs, died seized of it, it extending then into
Banningham, Erpingham, Ingworth and Oxnede, and it was found,
that Thomas de Wighton or Witton, to whom Henry conveyed all but
the Erpingham part, in his life time had it, and that part Jeffry had;
Wighton and Hastings conveyed all to Roger Bygod Earl of Norfolk, who in 1285 was allowed free-warren, and had a fair held here,
upon the vigil and day of St. Butolph, (fn. 9) in 1315, (fn. 10) the Earl-Marhal
Bigod, and the Abbot of St. Bennet, of whom he held it, were found
lords here; the Abbot of St. Edmund's manor of Sexton's in Ailesham
extended hither, and John de Banningham, Isabel late wife of Hen. de
Hastings, (who had her dower for life in it,) and Robert de Crakeford,
had free tenements here and in Banningham. (fn. 11) In 1328 John son of
Roger Bigod of Felbrigge, (who assumed the name of Felbrigge,)
and Lucy his wife, settled it on themselves and their heirs; and in
1338 the said John purchased the free-tenements here.
In 1393 George Felbrigge of this town, (so called to distinguish him
from Sir George of Felbrigge, Knt.) owned two parts of Hales-hall manor in Loddon, by the courtesy of England, his wife, the heiress
thereof, being dead, and the inheritance being in William de Kerdeston.
In 1418 Sir Simon Felbrigge, Knt. of the Garter, settled this manor, (fn. 12) with the rest of his estate, by which settlement it came to the
family of the
Wimondhams or Windhams, with Felbrigge, in which family it
hath continued ever since, William Windham of Felbrigge, Esq;
being the present lord. (fn. 13)
This town is in the dutchy of Lancaster; its church is dedicated
to St. Peter and Paul, and was a rectory in the patronage of Holm
abbey till that convent granted the advowson to Thomas Thirkelby,
and he to the prior and convent of Bromholme, to which it was appropriated in 1275, (fn. 14) and the vicarage endowed, which was to consist
in every thing belonging to the living, except the tithe-corn, and the
house where Sir John, late minister here, lived. The vicar is to pay
the synodals, and the impropriator the archdeacon's procurations,
and repair the chancel, and upon this the prior and convent presented
Sir Benedict de Bromholm, their first vicar.
In 1214 there was a chapel dedicated to St. Butolph at Meton-he,
in this parish, to which the Earl's fair, held on that day, belonged.
The Prior of Bromholme was taxed for his spirituals at 18 marks,
including the vicar's portion, and 53s. 4d. for their other lands and
revenues here, viz. the tithes of the demeans of William de Glanvile
in Burgh, &c. which were by him given to Bromholme priory.
In 1314, on the death of the first vicar, there was a jus patronatus,
to know if the nomination was not reserved to the see, and it was
found not to be so, upon which John de Wesenham, then 30 years old,
an unbeneficed priest, was instituted vicar, at the prior's presentation;
and in 1349 Henry Hervy of Tutington, priest; he resigned the same
year to Clement Tyllock of Colby, on whose death, in 1352, Nicholas
Wolverys had it; in 1419 Thomas Pepyr was vicar; in 1446, Robert
Smith, in 1500 Roger Blether died, and the convent gave it to John
Warmalle. (fn. 15)
At the Dissolution, the rectory impropriate and vicarage fell to the
Crown, and continued there till Queen Elizabeth settled them on the
see of Ely, the bishops of which see have leased out the tithes, and
presented Anthony Iveson, Thomas Marsh, &c. as also Mr. Connold,
the present vicar, who holds it united to Stratton Strawless.
The sacrist of Bury abbey was taxed at 22s. 10d. for part of his
manor of Aylesham, that extended into this town.
The Church fell into great decay, upon which, in 1749, a faculty
was obtained by which the lead was sold off the nave, and it being new
roofed, was covered with tiles; the round tower had a spire on it
covered with lead, which was taken down and sold; the second bell is
now in the steeple, the first, third, and fourth, being sold; the south
porch is leaded and the chancel thatched; there were the arms of sab.
a castle trippled towered or, arg. a lion rampant sab. quartered with
England; Felbrigge in a bordure ingrailed gul. ditto in a plain bordure gul. Sir Simon Felbrigge in his coat armour kneeling, and arg.
on a cross gul. a label of three az.; but most of them are lately broken.
In 1487, Mrs. Elizabeth Clere settled an estate here and in
Burgh by Ailesham, on Gonvile hall, for the stipend of one fellow,
&c. which is now held of Caius college, by Peter Elwin, Esq. of
Booton, who also holds by lease the great tithes of Ely see.
In the chancel a black marble with the crest of a buck's head
proper, and Elwin, arg. a chevron engrailed gul. between three
martlets sab. impaling Scamler:
Herelyeth the body of Anne Elwin, late the Wife of Peter
Elwin, Gent. only Daughter and Heiress of Thomas Scamler
of Hevingham, Esq; and Great Grand-daughter of Edmund
Scamler formerly Lord Bishop of Norwich, who departed this
Life, the 26th Day of September, in the Yeare of our Lord 1697,
and of her Age 37.
Elwin and crest impales three swords in fess.
Sacred to the Memory of Peter Elwin, Esq; son of Peter
Elwin late of this Parish, Esq; Deceased, who departed this
Life the 15 of Sept. 1731, Aged 47 Years.
Elwin and crest, impaling, quarterly three birds, and Scamler, seven feathers in a crown.
Petrus Elwin, Armiger, ob. 5 Febr. 1721, Æt. 60.
Valuation to the land-tax, 313l. 15s.;—a 300l. levy of the county rate,
5s. 6d.;—old tenths, 3l.;—synodals, 1s. 6s.;—the Bishop's procurations,
1s. 3d.;—archdeacon's procurations, 5s.—old valuation of the living,
18 marks,
King's Books, 5l. 0s. 7d. ob.—Tutington vicarage 13l. clear
yearly value,
and so it is capable of augmentatioa.