Part 27 (1/2)

Among the Lincolns.h.i.+re gentry called upon (with the Ma.s.singberds, Heneages, and many others) to furnish ”launces and light horse,” in the 16th century, when the Spanish armada was expected, was one ”John May of Mairing,” who failed to present himself at the muster in 1584, but in 1586 supplied ”one light horse.” {196b}

In Notes on Low Toynton mention is made of the old family of Newcomen, originally ”of Salaby,” _i.e._ Saltfleetby, where many generations of them were buried, from the time of Richard I. They married into influential and t.i.tled families, in various parts of the county. Charles Newcomen lived at Hagnaby in 1634, and bought land in Revesby. A Newcomen lived in Mareham in the 17th century. They were connected, by marriage, with the family of Sir Joseph Banks, as Mr. Banks, grandfather of Sir Joseph, had a house in Lincoln, the adjoining one being occupied by Newcomen Wallis, Esq., and Mr. Banks married Catherine the widow of Mr. Wallis (see the Banks monument in Revesby church, north aisle), whose mother was daughter and co-heir of Nicholas Newcomen, Esq. {196c}

We here give a few old records in connection with this parish in the past. The Court Roll of Mareham-le-Fen (preserved among the doc.u.ments of the Listers of Burwell) for 2 Elizabeth, shows that, at that date (A.D.

1559), Thomas Glenham, Esq. (variously written Glemham), had the Manor of Mareham. In the 23rd Elizabeth it is recorded that Charles Glenham, Esq., by his lawful attorney, Francis Colby, of Glenham Parva, Esq., granted leases for seven years to divers tenants in Mareham. Thomas owned also the Manors of Calceby, Belchford, Oxcomb, and Burwell; these he sold to Sir Matthew Lister, afterwards of Burwell. He married Amye, daughter of Sir Henry Parker. {196d}

In a suit, inst.i.tuted 29th May, 1239, between William de Bavent, plaintiff, and Walter, Bishop of Carlisle, defendant, regarding the advowson of the church of ”Merum,” the said William ”quit claimed” all his right to the said advowson, to the bishop and his heirs for ever; and in return for this the bishop gave him 10 marks. In the old record, Testa de Nevill, folio 556 (circa 1326), Walter de Bavent held certain lands in Marum, ”by service of falconry,” _i.e._ by providing yearly, in lieu of rent, one ”gay goss-hawk,” or more, for the use of the Lord of the Manor. {196e}

Robert de Weston, Rector of Marum, by his will, dated 3rd March, 1389, requested that he might be buried in Marum Church. He bequeathed to the Mendicant Friars of Boston 6s. 8d. ”to remember me in their ma.s.ses,” to Lady Margaret Hawteyn, Nun of Ormsby, 10s.; to Trinity College, Cambridge, a book called ”Johannes in Collectario,” to every fellow there 2s., and every scholar 1s. Among other bequests are to Mgr. Eudo la Zouch ”12 cocliaria nova de argento” (_i.e._ 12 new spoons of silver); to ”John Geune my clerk a missal of the new use of sarum”, and ”ma.s.ses for souls of Walter ffelsted, William Stel, and James de Medringham.

Executors, Eudo la Zouch, John ffoston my chaplin, &c., the residue of my goods to be sold, as quickly as possible, communi pretio, so that the purchasers may be bound to pray for my soul.”

William Leych, parson of Mareham, by will dated 11th Aug, 1556, requests that he may be buried ”in the quire of St. Helen.” ”To my brother Robert Leych 12 silver spoons, to Sir John Richardson 6 great books, containing the holle course of the bybyll, and a repetorii, and a concordance”; to Sir John Morland ”Opera Chrisostomi & Sancti Thomas, & Haymo super epistolas sauli”; to Mr. Lancelot Sawkeld ”Deane of Carlyle 20s., praying him to cause a dirige and ma.s.ses to be said for me . . . I make Mr.

Arthur Dymok and Mr. Robert Dymok supervisors.”

[Picture: Wesleyan Chapel, Mareham-le-Fen]

Henry Ayscough, of Blyborough, by will dated 19 Oct., 1611, left lands in Mareham-le-Fen, and the Manor of Tumby, and other lands, to his grandsons. In connection with this we may mention that the late Sir Henry James Hawley married, as his first wife, Elizabeth Askew, a descendant of the same family. The Ayscoughs (or Askews) were a distinguished Lincolns.h.i.+re and Yorks.h.i.+re family, and have still numerous representatives. {198a}

Here is another record of the same family. By will, dated 15th April, 1612, Walter Ayscoughe, of Mareham-le-Fen, left to his wife Bridget 20 annuity, and other property, for her life; then to his sons Henry and Walter, and two daughters Margaret and Elizabeth; also 12d. to the same; and 5s. to Nicholas Cressey, gent, supervisor, witness Clynton Ayscoughe; proved at Horncastle, 2nd May, 1613. To this family belonged Anne Askew the martyr, who was the younger daughter of Sir William Ayscough, Bart., of Stallingborough. Their property eventually came to the late Ascoghe Boucherett, of South Willingham.

Next we find one of the old family of Newcomen, already referred to, ”Edward Newcomen of Mareham-le-Fenne, by will, proved at Horncastle, 1st July, 1614,” leaving to his daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, 10 each, the same to his son Robert, and the residue to his wife; the personality being 120 3s. 8d., a vastly larger sum in those days than now.

Another will is that of Annie Elie, widow, of Mareham-le-Fen, dated 13th July, 1616, in which she desires ”to be buried in the church,” so that she was probably some one of importance. She leaves everything to her son-in-law John Wymberley, and her daughter Susan Wymberley. {198b}

Among the deeds and charters of Revesby Abbey, privately printed by the Right Hon. E. Stanhope a few years ago, No. 24 gives, among the witnesses to a deed of gift, the name of Eda, wife of Richard, Priest of Mareham (temp. Henry II., or Richard I). Hence it is evident that celibacy was not strictly enforced on the clergy at that period. {198c} Among the witnesses to other deeds are Robert, Priest of Marum, and Richard, Priest of Marum, A.D. 1172. The deed of gift of certain lands to Revesby Abbey (No. 29), by a certain John, is stamped with a round seal, having an equestrian figure, and the legend Sigillum Johannis de Maringe. By another deed William, son of John of Maring, gives certain lands; the seal bearing a lion and dog, or fox ”contourne regardant,” {198d} the legend of this is Sigill. Will. de Marige.

With these records and a.s.sociations with the past, the parish of Mareham may surely be said to have a history on which its people may well look back with interest and satisfaction.

MOORBY.

Moorby lies about 4 miles from Horncastle, and about 1 miles beyond Scrivelsby, in a south-easterly direction. Letters _via_ Boston arrive at 9.30.

The registers date from 1561, but contain no entries of any particular interest. The church, dedicated to All Saints, has undergone several transformations. This was one of the 222 parishes which possessed a church before the Norman conquest, and it still contains a fragment (to be noticed later on) which is apparently of Saxon origin. Both Weir in his History (1828), and Saunders (1834) agree in stating that in the early part of the 19th century the church was ”totally dest.i.tute of interest.” _The Gazetteer_ of 1863 describes it vaguely as a ”Gothic structure.” It was rebuilt in 1864, from designs by Mr. James Fowler, Architect, of Louth, at a cost of 1,100, defrayed by J. Banks Stanhope, Esq., Lord of the Manor; and was further repaired in 1891, by public subscription. It consists of nave, chancel, vestry, north porch, and small square tower at the north-west angle, with low spire containing one bell. It is built chiefly of brick with facings of Ancaster stone.

In the north wall of the nave are a couple of two-light windows, in the Perpendicular style; in the south wall are three two-light windows; all these having bands of red and black brick alternately. In the west wall are two single-light lancet windows, with an ox-eye window above. In the chancel there is a small lancet window in the north wall, and a square aumbrey. The east end has a three-light plain lancet window; beneath which is a stone reredos, having three compartments filled with encaustic tiles, having, as their designs, in the centre a cross in gilt, and Alpha and Omega, within ox-eyes, on either side. In the south wall in front of the vestry is a lancet-shaped doorway, and, west of it, an arcade of two lancet apertures, supported by four columns of serpentine. Within the vestry is a two-light lancet window; and let into the eastern wall is a small slab, having four grotesque figures, one blowing a kind of bagpipe, the others dancing. This is said to have been a portion of a ”minstrel pillar,” it is apparently Saxon, and is probably a relic from the original fabric. The chancel arch is of red and black bricks, in alternate bands, the capitals nicely carved in stone, supported by small serpentine columns. The pulpit is of Caen stone, having a cross within a circle on the front panel, and one serpentine column. The chancel choir stalls are of good modern oak; the sittings in the nave and the roof being of pitch pine.

The font is the most remarkable feature of the church. It has a large square bowl; the device on the east side is a skeleton being drawn from the tomb by two angels, doubtless emblematic of the ”death unto sin and new birth unto righteousness,” accomplished in baptism. On the north face is the virgin and child, with the sun and moon in the corners above.

On the south side is a figure in long vestment, apparently sitting on an altar, much defaced. On the west are six figures, much defaced, in the att.i.tude of prayer. At the four angles are quatrefoiled niches, having at their bases, alternately, a crowned head and a mitre. This may have been of the 14th century. The shaft is square and modern, with columns at the angles.

The communion plate is modern, except the paten, which bears the inscription ”Matthew Sympson, M.A., inst.i.tuted Rector of Moorby, Feb. 28, 1705, collated Prebendary of Lincoln, June 25, 1718, Rector of Wenington, May 29, 1728.” The present Rector is the Rev. R. C. Oake, late Vicar of Broughton, Manchester. The rectory of Moorby is consolidated with the vicarage of Wood Enderby.

By deed dated Nov. 24th, 1855, the guardians of the poor, by consent of the ratepayers, gave certain land in Moorby for the site of a parish school to the minister, churchwardens, and overseers, and their successors; and more recently a school district has been formed for the parishes of Moorby, Wood Enderby, Claxby, and Wilksby; the school, which was built in 1855, being enlarged in 1872, to provide the accommodation required by this union.

Moorby was one of the ”thousand four hundred and forty-two manors” which William the Conqueror took as his own portion, when he divided the lands of England among his Norman followers. Being in the Soke of Horncastle, it was doubtless granted, along with that manor, and those of West Ashby, High Toynton, and several others, to Adelias or Alice de Cundi, daughter of William de Cheney, Lord of Caenby ann Glentham, and wife of Roger de Cundi. As she took part against King Stephen, in favour of the Empress Maud, he took the property from her; but eventually restored it to her, on condition that she should demolish her castle at Horncastle; this however was only for life, the estates again reverting to the crown.

Henry II. made a grant of them to Gerbald le Escald, a Fleming n.o.ble, who was succeeded by his grandson and heir, Gerard de Rhodes. His son, Ralph de Rhodes, in the reign of Henry III., sold the manors to Walter Mauclerke, Bishop of Carlisle, and until recently the patronage of Moorby benefice belonged to the Bishops of Carlisle. After the creation of the See of Manchester, the patronage, with that of High Toynton, Mareham-le-Fen, &c., was transferred to the Bishops of Manchester.

_Domesday Book_, describing the soke of the Manor of Horncastle, says ”In Morebi there are 3 carucates of land (or about 360 acres). There are 6 soc-men, and 10 bordars, who have 4 carucates (or 480 acres). There is a church and a priest (evidently a resident; of whom, according to Sir Henry Ellis, there were only 130 in the country), and 240 acres of meadow and 6 acres of underwood.” In the old record, Testa de Nevill (circa 13261328), the benefice of ”Morby” is said to be ”of the gift of the lord the king,” _i.e._ Edward II. or III. The original charters of Henry III., granting these manors to the Bishops of Carlisle, were confirmed by Henry VI.; but in course of time they pa.s.sed to the Brandons, and to various other proprietors, until the ancestor of Sir Joseph Banks became lessee of the Manor of Horncastle, and also acquired the Manor of Moorby; to which James Banks Stanhope, Esq., and the late Right Hon. Edward Stanhope succeeded; although T. Elsey, the Artindale family, and the trustees of Bardney school, own portions of the parish.

In the year 1554 (Aug. 6th) Thomas Bewley, Clerk, was admitted to this benefice by Robert, Bishop of Carlisle, it being ”vacant by deprivation.”