Chapter VIII: Preface (8)

In 1780 the northernmost of these barrows—there were formerly three—was explored by Sir Joseph Banks, but nothing was found of any interest beyond indications that it had been examined before, and since that time it has been levelled. He thought, however, that it had been the site of religious sacrifices. In August, 1892, explorations were carried out under the eye of the late Right Honble. E. Stanhope. Here again there were indications of former examination, not however to any great depth, and when the centre of the mound was reached a kind of sarcophagus, made of puddled clay, was found, from 5ft. to 6ft. in length, lying north and south, the sides 7in. or 8in. thick, and having an arch rising to a height of 2½ft.; the bottom, slightly concave, rested on the original soil, within this was black earth quite different in colour to the rest, which was believed to be human remains. No bones, however, were found. Broken pieces of pottery and two old nails, were found outside this receptacle, which were pronounced by Sir A. W. Franks, of the British Museum, to be mediæval, and to have probably been introduced by previous explorers. (Account by E.S., “Linc. N. & Q.,” vol. iii., pp. 145–7.)

We have little more to say of the past history of Revesby. When the Spanish Armada was expected to invade our shores in 1589, one of those Lincolnshire gentry who subscribed £25, a large sum in those days, towards the defence of the country, was Nicholas Saunderson of Rearsby, or Revesby; he also, at the muster at Horncastle in 1586, furnished “1 light horse”; John May of Mareham doing the same (“Architect. S. Journal,” 1894, p. 214.)

Among the old observances of Revesby was the annual fair, an occasion of much jovial festivity, and in the days of Sir Joseph Banks, that fine old English gentleman, the Sir Roger de Coverley of his day, encouraged such old time customs, providing ale most generously for all comers, and driving down to the village green, where the booths were arranged, with his party in two or three coaches. Morrice dancing and the mummers play always had his patronage. In these days of “_autres temps_, _autres mœurs_,” all these have gone out of vogue. Whether the modern, _soi disant_, more refined practices at village feasts are an improvement on the old is a question we leave others to decide.

Revesby church, dedicated to St. Lawrence, was formerly a small structure, rebuilt in 1735, partly with materials taken from the former Abbey, by Joseph Banks, Esq. (great grandfather of the Right Honble. Sir Joseph Banks), who purchased the property from the Honble. Henry Howard, 3rd son of the Earl of Berkshire, in 1714. The benefice then, as now, was a chaplaincy to the owners of the Revesby Abbey estate. {166} That church contained among its chief features a memorial tablet at the east end of the chancel to Nehemiah Rawson, Esq., who died in 1657, a name still common in the neighbourhood; another to the above-named Honble. Henry Howard, who died in 1663; and on the north side of the chancel was a large marble monument, surmounted by a bust, and an inscription in Latin to Joseph Banks, Esq., who died 1727. After renovation at various periods this old fabric was removed, and, on the same site, the present handsome church, a fine specimen of the 14th century, flamboyant style, was erected at the joint expense of J. Banks Stanhope, Esq., and the late Right Honourable Edward Stanhope, M.P., lord of the manor in 1890–2. The church consists of western tower, surmounted by a lofty spire; nave, with north aisle and south porch; and chancel, with organ chamber and vestry on the north side; the whole forming an elegant structure, reminding one, though on a smaller scale, of the famous marble church of Bodelwyddan in North Wales. It is built generally of Ancaster stone, the walls inside being lined with red Hollington sandstone. Mr. Hodgson Fowler was the architect, and in several details of the building he reproduced features borrowed from the original Abbey.

The following is a detailed description of the church:—In the south wall of the interior of the tower, in a recess, are various carved and other fragments of stone, and near them the capitals and bases of some small Norman columns; and on the north wall is a fragment of a canopied niche; all these being carefully preserved remnants of the original Abbey church.

In the centre is a small Norman font with plain bowl, supported on a shaft of 8 clustered columns, resting on a square base. In the tower above is a peal of 8 carillon bells of good tone, embracing the octave. The north aisle has 4 lofty bays. In the north wall are four two-light windows with trefoil and other tracery above. Against the west wall of this aisle is a massive marble monument surmounted by a bust, probably the old monument renewed, bearing in English the inscription, “In memory of Joseph Banks, M.P. for Grimsby and Totnes, born 1681, died 1727, married Mary Hancock, and had issue Joseph, and Mary, Lady Whichcote, died 1726”; to the left, “Joseph Banks II., born 1695, died 1741, married, 1st, Annie Hodgkinson, and had issue, &c.; Eleonora (the youngest) born 1723, died 1793, married the Honble. Henry Grenville, and was mother of Louisa, Countess Stanhope; married, 2ndly, Catherine widow of Newcomen Wallis.” Right inscription, “William Banks, born 1719, died 1761, married Sarah Bate, and left issue, (1) Joseph, afterwards Sir Joseph Banks, (2) Sarah Sophia, born 1744, died 1818.”

The south nave wall next to the porch eastward has two two-light windows similar to those in the north wall, and next to the chancel wall a large three-light window, flamboyant above, of coloured glass—the subjects being St. James, St. Peter, and St. John, bearing the inscription below, “Presented by the tenants of the Revesby estate as a token of esteem for James Banks Stanhope, Esquire, of Revesby Abbey, 1892.” The pulpit is of carved modern oak, being Flemish work, the subjects scriptural, resting on a stone base; the sittings throughout are of oak with carved panels at the ends. There is a good brass lectern, and oak fald-stool. The choir stalls in the chancel are of massive carved oak with good poppy heads. The panels of the sedilia are from the Abbot’s house; the encaustic tiles are copies of the originals, the remains of which are preserved in the bell chamber of the tower. The east window is of five lights with rich flamboyant tracery above. It is filled with coloured glass by Messrs. Heaton, Butler and Bayne, and erected by public subscription in memory of the late Right Honourable Edward Stanhope. The subjects are two rows of figures; in the lower row, in the two lights on the north side, are St. Edward and St. Matthew, then St. Boniface and St. Wilfred; in the central compartment, three figures, St. George, St. Martin, and St. Alban; then, to the south, St. Hugh and St. Jerome, in one light, St. Thomas and St. Lawrence in the other outside light. In the upper row, the central figure is the Saviour, crowned, His right hand uplifted in blessing, His left holding a sceptre; in the two compartments, on either side, are angels with harps, viols, &c. In the tracery above are heads of angels, and above all, the Angus Dei. The reredos is of plush velvet. A jewelled cross stands on the super-altar. The communion table is covered with a rich altar cloth of velvet and lace. To the north and south of the table, the walls are panelled with oak, to the height of the east window, with devices representing the ivy, olive, rose, gourd, pomegranate, vine, and fig; the fruit being inlaid mother of pearl, given by the Honble. Mrs. Stanhope. There is a brass tablet in the north wall, giving an account of the east window. In the south wall is a plain two-light trefoiled window, and a long stone seat below. The organ has handsome coloured pipes, and has in front a richly-carved oak screen. At the main entrance to the churchyard is a lich gate, “erected by friends and tenants, in loving memory of the Right Honourable Edward Stanhope.” In the churchyard, beneath the east window, is the Stanhope grave, framed in white marble, with a recumbent cross of the same material within it. Beneath that spotless emblem of our faith, lies all that was mortal of a noble being, a man “sans peur et sans reproche,” singularly gifted, of varied tastes, wide sympathies, generous instincts, of indefatigable industry as a statesman in the service of his Queen and country, and we may add without presumption, a sincere Christian, of strong convictions. Edward Stanhope, died, 22 December, 1893, admired by his opponents almost as much as he was beloved by his friends, and of him, we may truly say that his gain was our loss. Opposite the village green are alms-houses, for five poor men and five poor women, founded by Joseph Banks, Esq., in 1727, who endowed them with an annual rent charge of £50. Revesby is emphatically a model village, the residences of the tenants and their labourers, being alike maintained in the best order.

The parsonage, a good residence, erected by J. Banks Stanhope, Esq., stands in pretty grounds and is now adorned, internally, with much carved oak furniture, cabinets, overmantel, &c., &c., and with a display of numerous silver cups, trophies won in various competitions, by the Rev. P. O. Ashby, the active and energetic chaplain.

SALMONBY.

Salmonby is distant from Horncastle about five miles, in an easterly direction, on the road to Tetford, which it adjoins. The register dates from 1558, and contains some curious entries. One is as follows:—“Helena More, centesimo decimo ætatis anno, et undecimo die mensis Junii, Anno Dom. 1638 fato succubuit, et die duo decimo dicti mensis sepulta est 1638,” _i.e._, Helena More succumbed to her fate in the 110th year of her age, and on the 11th day of the month of June, A.D. 1638, and was buried on the 12th day of the said month, 1638.

In the month of March, 1723, there were six burials within nine days, three members of the same family; no cause for the mortality being mentioned. In the following year (1724), there were ten burials, among them being four of the name of Wait, three Ansels, and two Bartholomews.

The rector from 1710 to 1741, Rev. Henry Marshall, was also rector of Fulletby, and vicar of Orby, and he was succeeded by his son in the rectory of Salmonby, who also held the benefice of Ashby Puerorum.

There are some rather peculiar field names in this parish, two Wongs, far and near, a relic of Saxon nomenclature; also Skerrills and Skerrills Holt, Bramfleets, Haverlins (Haver=oats), Dry-sykes, Rotten Fen, Wallow Farm, and Wallow Camp, and The Mires, the last four, doubtless derived from the character of the localities. From a part of this boggy land in the north of the parish, rises a spring of chalibeate water, said to resemble the properties of the Tunbridge Wells; a pulverulent blue phosphate of iron, and an earthy oxide of iron. We do not know much of the early history of Salmondby, the village of some Saxon thane of the name of Salmond. The manor was apparently the property of the Saxon Earl, Harold, but William the Conqueror gave it to his nephew, Hugh de Abrincis, or Avranches, surnamed “Lupus,” or the Wolf, from his many deeds of violence, and it was held as part of the soke of the more important manor, or honour, of Greetham. In an ancient charter, found among the “Final Concords” (p. 359), it is stated that Geoffrey de Benigworth, grants to Avice, wife of William de Benigworth, his manors of Walmersty, Friskeney, Salmundesby, and Skreythesfeld (Scrafield), and all appurtenances, saving the advowson of the church of Salmundesby, which remains to Geoffrey and his heirs, and we have here an example of how the common labourers were regarded as little better than “goods and chattels.” Since, herewith he grants all the villeins holding the “villeinages,” or cottages, and “all their sequels,” _i.e._, their progeny, “to have and to hold to the said Avice all her life,” and after her decease, the manors and services were to revert to the said Geoffrey and his heirs for ever.

By will, dated 2 July, 1582 (“Lincolnshire Wills,” 1500, 1600, p. 105, No. 285), Margaret Littlebury, late wife of Thomas Littlebury, Esq., of Stainsby, in the parish of Ashby Puerorum, leaves money to the poor of Salmonby, Greetham, and other places. This Margaret was the daughter of John St. Paul, of Snarford, who, like the Dymokes, the Dightons, Maddisons, Massingberds, and many other leading county families, were mixed up in the Lincolnshire Rebellion of 1536. The Littleburies were seated at Hagg and Somersby, as well as at Stainsby, but they seem to have resided originally at Holbeach Hurn. Sir Humphrey Littlebury, Lord of Littlebury, was born, 1346. He married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Sir John Kirton, knight, Lord of Kirton, and there is a fine altar tomb of them both, in Holbeach church. His will was dated, Dec. 1, 1330. But there was a Sir Ralph Littlebury, knight, a juror at Holbeche, in A.D. 1293.

There would seem at one time to have been a substantial manorial residence at Salmonby, for by will, dated 23 January, 1614, Edward King, of Ashby-de-la-Laund, devises “to my sonne, John Kinge, my manor house, of Salmondbie, _alias_ Salmonbie, with all appurtenances,” also certain “closes,” among them being the “Rush Close, Warlowe close, the Conie Hill, Huntepitts, Sheepe Walks, The Lings, _alias_ Gallows Hill, Rotten Fen, &c., which manor and lands were late in the tenure of Richard Caterton.” He adds a codicil, dated “9 day of June, 1617,” bequeathing to his said sonne, John Kinge, various cottages, with his “commons of Key-gaite, and Sheepe-gait acre, and sheepe pasture in other places in Salmonbie. Lastlie, I bequeath to my right worthie and faithful friende, Sir John Meres, knight, a ring of gold of the value of xl_s._, to be inamiled on the outside, and within to be ingraven these words, Donum Fidelis Amici.” This testator built the hall at Ashby-de-la-Laund in 1595. The Kings took the side of the Parliament, and Colonel Edward King distinguished himself. The last male heir, the Rev. John King, died without issue, a few years ago. The manor took its name from the two families, Essheby and De la Laund, who held it till the reign of Henry VI. It has belonged to the Kings since the reign of Henry VIII., but has now passed to Colonel Neville H. Reeve.

A former rector of Salmonby, Phyllip Robert, clerk, by will, dated 26 July, 1617, but not written in a clerkly style, desired “to be buried in the queare” (choir) of the church.

By a Chancery Inquisition (18 Henry VII., No. 46), it was found that Hamon Sutton, held the manor of Salmonby, with Maydenwell and others, and also the advowson of Salmonby, holding them of the Lord the King, as of his Duchy of Lancaster, and in the time of Queen Elizabeth, Anthony Thorold, knight, is named in certain documents still in the British Museum, as being lord of the manor at that time. (“Collectanea” G. Holles, vol., iii., p. 770.)

In 1415, John Kyghly, of Salmonby, a feoffe of Sir William Cromwell, knight, presented to the chantry in Driby church, because he, Sir William, was “out of the realm.” It is probable that he was with Henry V. at the battle of Agincourt, October 25, 1415. (“Architectural Society’s Journal,” 1895, p. 124).

Among the Revesby charters is a deed of Symon, son of Gilbert of Halton, and his wife Sarah, by which they jointly give to the Abbey of Revesby, all “their lands in Salmonby and in Scraydesfield (Scrafield), and in Stickney, and all their claims on the goods of Gilbert of Benniworth. Witnesses, Gilbert Cusin, seneschal of the house of the Earl Chester, and others.” Date, temp. Hen. III.

The patronage of the benefice of Salmonby was at one time attached to the crown, probably as an appurtenance of the honour of Greetham and Duchy of Lancaster, but it has now passed into private hands. In 1779, Henry Marshall, clerk, already referred to, was patron and incumbent. Prior to 1840, W. Bowerbank held the patronage and rectory. He was succeeded by the late Rev. Henry Fielding, formerly Canon of Manchester, next followed Rev. R. F. Ward, then for a brief period, Rev. F. Cooper, and it is now held by the Rev. John Booth, who is also patron. It has the unique distinction of having once been held in commendam by William Patten, commonly known later as William Waynflete, from his birth place, Wainfleet, in Lincolnshire; that most munificent divine, Provost of Eton, Bishop of Winchester, Lord Chancellor, Founder of Magdalen College, Oxford, and of a free school at his native place.

The church, dedicated to St. Margaret, was until recent years, an ivy-mantled structure, of the period Edwd. III. but it was restored in 1871, during the incumbency of the Rev. R. Fawssett Ward, at a cost of about £600, who also enlarged the rectory, and it now forms an interesting, well-kept and complete church, in the Perpendicular style. It comprises nave, chancel, south porch, and small spire, which contains one bell, and stands at the N.E. corner of the chancel. The east window was given by the late Henry James Fielding, Esq., eldest son of the former rector, in memory of his father and mother. It has five lights, with numerous compartments above, and is filled with good coloured glass, the subjects being, the Crucifixion above, and the Last Supper below, the design adapted from a window in the Refectory at Milan. There is a piscina in the south wall of the chancel. The south wall has also one three-light, and one two-light window in the Perpendicular style. The nave has, in the south wall, one three-light, and one two-light window, and the porch door; and in the north wall, one three-light window. The west window again, of three lights, has good stained glass, in memory of the Rev. Matthewman Manduel, for more than fifty years curate or rector of Tetford; the subject is, Christ Blessing Little Children. The tracery of all these windows is good. There is an organ, by Nicholson, of Lincoln, with nine stops, and handsome coloured pipes in front, the gift of the Rev. F. Cooper. The chancel sedilia and choir stalls are of good carved modern oak, by Messrs. Walter & Hensman, of Horncastle. The nave is fitted with open benches, which, with the roof, are of pitch pine. The font is modern, octagonal, with shields and roses floriated on alternate faces of the bowl, supported by an octagonal shaft and pediment. There is a graceful ogee arch as the priest’s entrance to the vestry. There was formerly in the nave of the church a brass of a civilian of the 15th century, much defaced, but it some years ago disappeared; it is mentioned among the list of sepulchral brasses supplied to the Archæological Institute on their visit to Lincoln in 1848, so that it still existed at that date. (“Journ. Archæol. Institute,” 1848, p. lii, etc.)

The lady of the manor is now Mrs. Nesbitt Hamilton Ogilvy, as representing the late Right Honble. Robert Adam Christopher Nesbitt Hamilton, a staunch Protectionist, who was one of the eight members of Parliament who voted to the last against the abolition of the corn laws. Some of the land belongs to F. S. Dymoke, Esq., and other smaller owners.

An interesting family heirloom preserved at the rectory, is a massive silver urn-shaped cup, 13 inches high, which was presented to Major Robert Booth, great uncle of the present Rector, by the officers and privates of the Wainfleet Infantry Volunteers, comprising three companies, which were raised at the time, when the first Napoleon was expected to invade this country in 1808, and of which he was Major Commandant (Oldfield’s “History of Waynfleet” 1829).

SCAMBLESBY.

This rather straggling village is pleasantly situated about 6 miles north-east of Horncastle, in a basin of the Wolds, between the steep hill on the west, by which it is approached from Horncastle and West Ashby, by the old turnpike road to Louth, and the still steeper hill of Cawkwell, a mile further to the east, Louth-ward. In the centre of this basin, which is watered by a small tributary of the river Bain, rising near at hand, is an almost circular prominence, like the boss of a shield, on which fitly stands the church, above all the other human erections. Only a few years ago, this was a very poor structure of brick, although recent explorations have shewn that there formerly existed a fair-sized edifice, with nave, aisles, and chancel, fragments of which were built into the later brick structure. This earlier church is said to have been demolished about the middle of the 18th century. An inscription in the west wall of the present fabric records that “The nave of this church was taken down, and rebuilt, A.D. 1893: Alfred Soden, Vicar; C. B. Robson, J. R. Bourne, Churchwardens.” The chancel had been rebuilt in the previous incumbency of the Rev. T. White, by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, at a cost of £400, in 1890–1. In the reconstruction, stone was utilized from the small church of Cawkwell, the adjoining parish, which had been disused and in a state of decay for some years, and was not needed for the very small population of that parish, which is now, for ecclesiastical purposes, annexed to Scamblesby. The present erection of stone has a south door, with porch, and a priest’s door in the south wall of the chancel. The nave has north and south aisles, of three bays; the easternmost column in the south arcade is the original Norman, the rest being modern, in similar style. In the north wall are three lancet windows, the central one having two lights, the eastern and western one light, and in the south wall there are two similar windows, one with two lights, the other with one. The west end has two lancet windows, each with a single light, and above them an ox-eye window, with smaller lancets on either side of it. In the eastern wall of the nave, on either side of the chancel arch, is a narrow lancet window. In the chancel, the east window has two lights, with quatrefoil above, two square-headed windows in the south wall, and one in the north. The present font is modern, and plain; the curious, massive, circular bowl of the old font, about 2ft. 8in. in diameter, in height more than 2ft., and with depth of interior 1ft., large enough for immersion, stands outside the porch. The seats of the nave are modern, of deal, but they have very good old oak carved poppy-heads. The pulpit, of oak, was presented as a memorial of the late Vicar, the Rev. T. White, by his pupils; he having been formerly second master of the Horncastle Grammar School; it already, however, shows signs of decay. The chancel sedilia, of deal, were given by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The communion table, of oak, which is raised on two steps, was the gift of the present Vicar. In the north wall of the chancel is a tablet, commemorating, in Latin, and in quaint English verse, Margaret, the daughter of Henry Coppinger, of a distinguished family in Kent, and wife of “Franciscus Thorndike,” a lady, “imbued with a liberal piety from early years, who religiously fulfilled her conjugal duties, and who, suffering severely herself, also bore, as became a Christian, the loss of three children, and then, with one only surviving, herself yielded willingly to the call of God. Erected to a most beloved wife, by the most sorrowing of husbands.” No date is given, but it has been found from the Herald’s College, that she was buried at Scamblesby, Dec. 30, 1629. (“Linc. N. & Q.” iv., pp. 208–9). Another member of this family, the brother of Francis, was the Rev. Herbert Thorndyke, an eminent divine and worthy of Lincolnshire, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, collated prebendary of “Layton Ecclesia” in the cathedral of Lincoln, by Bishop, afterwards Archbishop, Williams (in which dignity he succeeded the well-known George Herbert), and later, made a Prebendary of Westminster. He, by his will, dated July, 3rd, 1672, bequeathed his estates in this parish to the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln, for the endowment of the benefice, which, like that of the adjoining Cawkwell, was a very poor one. Thorndyke’s works form the 6th volume of the Anglo-Catholic Library. That the family was one of good position, is shewn by the fact of the name of Francis Thorndyke appearing in the list of the Gentry of Lincolnshire, in 1634, as “of Scamblesby,” also that of “Herbert Thorndyke, of Greenfield.”

The church is dedicated to St. Martin. Among the church plate is a communion cup, bearing the inscription “Communion Cup, 1712,” the Cawkwell cup is also old, but not dated. The register of Scamblesby dates from 1569, that of Cawkwell from 1685, but they contain no entries of special interest. This was one of the many possessions of the Norman, Ivo Taillebois, nephew of William the Conqueror, and chief of the Angevin auxiliaries, who came over with the Conqueror. After the death of the brave young Anglo-Saxon nobles, Edwin and Morcar, the sons of Alfgar, and brothers-in-law of King Harold, who refused to submit to the Norman yoke, their sister, the Lady Lucia, was the last of that royal line, and, being an unprotected female, William the Conqueror bestowed her in marriage with all her many possessions, on Ivo. He received with her, lands in Goulceby, Cawkwell, Asterby, and other places, too many to enumerate. He was a man of violent and tyrannous temperament, eventually, in the next reign, being outlawed as an enemy of King Rufus. He was subsequently allowed to return to this country, but not long afterwards died of paralysis. According to accounts, more or less authentic, the Lady, with a haste which was hardly decent—though under the circumstances perhaps not surprising—barely allowed one month to elapse (says the chronicler, Peter de Blois), “when she married that illustrious young man, Roger de Romara, son of Gerald de Romara,” who had been seneschal or steward to William of Normandy, before the Conquest; two other sons, Ralph and Edward, subsequently being founders, the former, of the Tankervilles, and the latter, of the Earls of Salisbury. By this marriage, the large possessions of the Lady Lucia, passed to the Romaras. Lucia herself had been a great benefactress to the priory of Spalding, which had been founded by her uncle, Vice-Comes, or Sheriff, Thorold of Buchenale. Among other gifts she conveys to the monks of Spalding “one watermill (a valuable property in those days), and all her tithes in Scamblesby,” with much more in the neighbourhood. (“Charters of Spalding Priory,” British Museum, D. n. 5). William de Romara, her son by her husband Roger, in due course, following suit, founded the Abbey of Revesby. In a later generation, the heiress of this family, married Gilbert de Gaunt, who thus succeeded to the large property, but it is probable that, on the occasions of each of these changes, some of the demesnes were diverted in different directions, and the changes were not few, as the Gaunts were succeeded by the Blondvilles, they by the Lacys, and they again by John of Gaunt, Earl of Richmond, 4th son of Edwd. III. whose son was King Henry IV., of Bolingbroke. How long Scamblesby remained a part of this heritage we are not able to say, but it may be observed that in this varied line of descent (as indeed in many others), there were various causes for the alienation, or disintegration of large demesnes. The Sovereign’s power was absolute and most arbitrarily exercised, unless, as was sometimes the case, the subject’s power was greater. The owners of large estates, and especially heiresses, were an object of peculiar interest to Sovereigns, who by reason of war, or their own extravagance, were not seldom more impecunious than their powerful subjects. The actions of the latter were carefully scanned, in order, if possible, that the Sovereign might find an excuse for confiscation, partial or entire, of the offender’s property, and so replenish the royal coffers. In the case of male proprietors, they could only obtain coveted privileges, or even exercise their own undoubted rights, on the payment of a very heavy fine. The times were turbulent, rebellion was not uncommon, and a large landowner sometimes found that he had espoused the unsuccessful cause, whereupon he naturally incurred the penalty. In the case of an heiress, a marriage contracted without the King’s license, was made sufficient ground for the royal displeasure, and a heavy fine or deprivation was the result. Some, or all of these causes were at work with different members of this particular line. In the case of the attainder of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, even his divorced wife, Alicia, became subject to a penalty of £20,000, a very large sum in those days, when pence were almost equivalent to our pounds. In this, and other ways, the once vast possessions of the Thorolds, in this part of the county, passed into other hands; although they are still one of the leading families on the other side of it. Other families here came to the fore. On the dissolution of the monasteries, any property which had been granted by benefactors to those institutions, would pass, by grant of the sovereign, to others, unless he retained it himself. As we pass the small stream in Scamblesby, over which a child could now leap, we may recognise it as a power that once turned the mill-wheel of the Lady Lucia, or ground corn for the tenants of the priors of Spalding, but it knows their name no more. Some of the land, including the manor, passed to the Bishop of Lincoln; until, in 1862, it was transferred to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, who are now the Lay Impropriators; the living, now, after various augmentations, worth £300 a year, being in the patronage of the Bishop of Lincoln, and the Earl of Yarborough. The latter nobleman is now one of the largest proprietors in the county, though we believe he originally belonged to the south of England, and was connected with the Earls of Chichester, of Stanmer Park, in Sussex, in which county the heraldic Pelham buckle is a marked feature in many of the churches. {178} Other proprietors are the Lill and Bourne families. There is a prebendal stall in Lincoln Cathedral, attached to Scamblesby in conjunction with Melton Ross, which is now held by the Rev. Canon Arthur Wright, rector of Coningsby, and Rural Dean of Gartree.

There are rent charges for the poor of the parish, left by David Atkinson and dame Tyrwhitt; also the interest of £6 6_s._ 8_d._, left by an unknown donor, and a charge on land in Belchford, for poor widows.

Within a short distance of the church, in a south-eastward direction, are traces of a moated inclosure, which has probably been the site of a residence of some size. Nothing is known of its past history, but it may well have been a mansion on the property of the Countess Lucia, or some of her descendants, and occupied by a dependent vassal. There are a few records of former persons connected with the parish, of which we here give one or two. Among the “Final Concords,” under date, 1 July, 1202, is an agreement between Roger de Maletoft, on the one part, and Philip de Claythorp, and Mary his wife, on the other part, tenants of “4 oxgangs in Scamblesbi (about 60 acres),” by which they acknowledge the said land to be the right and inheritance of the said Roger; and in return for this, he granted it “to them and their heirs, to hold of him and his heirs for ever, doing for it foreign service”; and, as an acknowledgment of this, the said Philip and Mary gave the said Roger 4 marks. (Note appended to the will of John Guevera, made 18 March, 1607.) N.B.—A sister of John Guevera, married John Chapman, of Scamblesbi. The Guevera family came from Biscay, in Spain, probably imported by Katherine of Arragon, or Philip of Spain, Queen Mary’s husband.

Thomas Kent, of Scamblesby, clerk, by will, dated 23 July, 1623, among other bequests, leaves, “to my wife Mary, £40, with other benefits; my dau., Lydia Lent £200; my dau., Penelope Dennis, £16; my dau., Mary Martingdale, £20; my son, Thomas Kent, £20; my dau., Anne Millington,—; Henry Neave, my grandchild, £30; Gabriel Neave, my grandchild, £66 13_s._ 4_d._; Mary Neave, £66 13_s._ 4_d._; my son Elias Kent, 2 Kye, a pr. of oxen, a pr. of 2 yr. old fleaces; a mare that I had of my son-in-law, James Martingdale, my waines and waine-geares, and ploughs and plough-geares, my trays and harrows, also a bedd, a presse and a table, with the lease of the manor of Scamblesby; my son, Thomas, 44_s._ in gold; my son, Abell, 44_s._ in gold; to everyone of my grandchildren, 11_s._ in gold; to the poor of Donington, 22_s._; of Goulceby, 20_s._; and to the poorest of Scamblesby 20_s._; to everyone of my servants, 16_d._; to Lewis Whiteing, 2 ewes and 2 lambes; to Dorothie Candroy, a flocked yearing quee.” The testator’s wife is to have his household goods and chattels, for division among his children at her discretion; Timothy, his son, being sole executor, to whom he bequeaths the residence, after payment of debts and funeral expenses. To be buried in the chancel of Scamblesbie.

Elias Kent, of Scamblesby, gent., by will, dated 13 Feb., 1625, bequeaths to “my wife, Elizabeth, £200, and the household stuff, &c.; to my daughter, Martha Kent, £200 when 16, and the lease of Scamblesby manor; to my sister, Marie Martingdale, Mr. Benjamin Storre, 20_s._; Thomas, William, and Elizabeth, the three eldest children of my brother Timothy Kent, deceased, 20_s._ a piece; and to Edward Kent, a new coat; to my brother, Thomas Booth, ‘Speede’s Chronicles’; to my brother, Richard Sharpe, my black gelding; to my mother, a 5_s._ piece of silver; to the poor of Scamblesby, 40_s._; to the poorest of Goulceby, 10_s._ and of Donington, 10_s._; to everie one of my sisters 10_s._; to my cosen, Alice Brooke, £3 6_s._ 8_d._, and the horse called ‘Maud,’ &c., &c. My body to be buried in the chancel. My brother, Thomas Kent, clerk of Donington, to be executor.”

N.B.—On the death of the said Thomas Kent, Incumbent of Donington, 13 years later, he leaves “to my much honored friend, Sir John Munson, my black colt; to Sir Thomas Munson, my noble friend whom I much honor, my Spurr Royal; to the Right Honble., my Lord Beaumont, my bald colt; to the Rectors of Donington, for the time being, and their successors for ever, my Spalding tythes (these were the gift of the Lady Lucia to Spalding priory); to the repairs of St. Paul’s church in London, £5.”

The name Scamblesby means the “By,” _i.e._, farmstead (Scotice Byre) of the Saxon Skamel; probably his land, amounting to six carucates (or 720 acres), was that which, through the Lady Lucia, became the property of Ivo Taillebois, lord of Spalding.

The parish of Cawkwell, now ecclesiastically annexed to Scamblesby, is of small extent, being a lordship comprising some 680 acres of land, now the property of the Duke of Portland; the benefice, a vicarage now valued at £39 a year, being in the patronage of the Earl of Yarborough, who, as such, has the alternate presentation with the Bishop of Lincoln, to the consolidated benefice of Scamblesby with Cawkwell. This property, again, was among the lands of Ivo Taillebois, acquired by his marriage with the Saxon heiress, Lucia. Little is known of its past history. It probably passed through the like vicissitudes as Scamblesby, until it was granted to Sir Charles Cavendish, of Bolsover Castle, and from him, passed to the Dukes of Newcastle, the Earl of Oxford, and finally, by the marriage of his daughter and heiress, to the noble family of Bentinck, the ancestors of the present Duke of Portland, who, in the present generation, has married a lady of the almost neighbouring parish of Walmsgate. There was formerly a priory of Cawkwell, of which Sir William Tyrwhitt was steward. It was probably not a richly endowed institution, as his fee as steward was only £1. It would seem to have been a dependency of the much wealthier priory of Austin Canons, at Nocton. (Dugdale “Monasticon,” vol. ii., p. 211)

The Church, dedicated to St. Peter, was demolished, and the materials, in part, utilized for the rebuilding of Scamblesby church, in 1893. At the date of Liber Regis (temp. Queen Anne), the benefice was so poor that it is there described as “not presented to,” and the church has not been used for divine worship since 1885. Cawkwell house is a substantial residence, standing in good grounds, and occupied by C. B. Robson, Esq. The only thing worthy of note in connection with this parish, is that it was the birth-place, in 1599, of a learned and pious man, Hanserd Knollys, who was educated at Cambridge, distinguished for his zeal in religion, appointed master of the Free School at Gainsborough, took Holy Orders, and was presented by the Bishop of Lincoln to the living of Humberston. Afterwards, conceiving scruples as to the lawfulness of certain church observances, he resigned his benefice; for a time, with the Bishop’s connivance, he preached in various parishes, without using the church service. He eventually abjured his orders, and joined the Baptist persuasion, and became one of its pastors in London. The intolerance of the age forced him to seek refuge in Wales, Holland, Germany, and even America. He died, Sept., 1691, in the 93rd year of his age. (Weir’s “Hist. Lincolnshire,” vol. i, p. 301). {181}

We have mentioned Cawkwell hill. This is one of “the Alps of Lincolnshire,” and, although there are, among the Wold hills, several considerably steeper, being on a high road, formerly having much traffic, it has been the scene of some accidents. Only a few years ago, a gentleman living near, was driving down the hill in a thunderstorm, when he was struck by lightening, his carriage was upset, and his horse afterwards found on the other side of the hedge, he himself recovering without any serious effects. Sometime in the forties, the late Sir Henry Dymoke was driving a carriage and pair down the hill, when the horses bolted. The father of the present writer happened at the time to be walking down the hill, on his way home from Louth; as the horses dashed past him he made a spring at the bridle of the near horse, fortunately catching hold of it, and by running alongside, he succeeded in bringing the horses to a stand, without injury to anyone. But for this timely aid, the champion of England might have incurred a more serious ordeal than that of challenging his sovereign’s enemies.

The name of this parish, “Calche uuelle,” in Domesday Book, and now Cawkwell, might have been given with prophetic foresight into the future, as it is here, from a deep well, the bore of which passes through the chalk to the gravel below, that a pure and plentiful supply of water is obtained for the town of Horncastle, and more recently also for the modern health resort of Woodhall Spa.

SOTBY.

Sotby, also in Liber Regis, called Saltby, lies to the west of Ranby, about 2 miles to the north-west of Great Stourton, and is about 8 miles north-north-west from Horncastle. Letters, _via_ Wragby, arrive at 9.30 a.m. This manor, in the reign of the Conqueror, was granted by him to his half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Baieux, {182} along with many other demesnes, as mentioned more fully in the account of Ranby. Ralph the vassal of Odo is mentioned in Domesday Book, as holding “4 carucates,” or 480 acres, with 16 socmen and 3 villeins. The Saxon thane, Ulnod, had about the same extent. The church had 150 acres of meadow. At an Inquisition, held 1 Edward II. (No. 107, 11 April, 1308), it was shewn that Philip de Kyme, enfeoffed his son, William de Kyme, of the manor of Sotteby, held by the service of half a knight’s fee. This William, in 1334, enfeoffed his nephew, Gilbert de Umfraville, of the manor. He was Earl of Angus. William’s widow, Joan, married as her 2nd husband, Nicholas de Cantelupe, who, through her, held the manor of Baumber. (“Architect. S. Journal,” 1897, pp, 69, 70). This Nicholas de Cantelupe, founded a chantry in Lincoln Cathedral, dedicated to St. Nicholas. It is situated to the east of the great south door, under the lesser east window. On the north side of this chantry, are two altar tombs, one of which, having a figure clad in surcoat of mail, is the sepulchre of Lord Cantelupe. In the pavement below, is a slab, in memory of his wife, the Lady Joan. She founded a small chapel on the east side of the south transept, dedicated to St. Paul. According to “Testa de Nevill,” Simon de Kyme, at an earlier date, held lands in Sotby, in chief from the king (circa, 1242). (“Linc. N. & Q.,” iv., p. 174. Compare Oldfield’s “Hist. Waynfleet,” p. 168).

By a Close Roll, 9 Henry VII., No. 30, it is shewn that Sir Robert Dymmok, knt., was, with others, seized of the manor of Sotby, A.D. 1494.

By an Inquisition, taken 31 May, 1495 (10 Henry VII.), it was found that Robert Taillebois, died seized of the manor of Sotby, held from the king, by the service of half a knight’s fee. (“Linc. N & Q.” ii., p. 141). His ancestor, Ivo Taillebois, had lands in Baumber.

The abbot of Bardney had a pension from Sotby, as he also had from Edlington and other parishes in the neighbourhood. At the Lincolnshire Rising, in the reign of Hen. VIII., Thomas Yoell, parson of Sotby, though old and blind took a prominent part in the movement, along with the rectors of Low Toynton, Belchford, and others. In 1798, Thomas Roe was rector. The Rev. John Bainbridge-Smith, D.D., headmaster of the Horncastle Grammar School, held the rectory of Sotby, with that of Martin-by-Horncastle and the perpetual curacy of Baumber, from 1828 to 1854; he was also Honorary Chaplain to the Duke of Newcastle. He was succeeded at Sotby, by his son, John Bainbridge-Smith, and the latter rebuilt the chancel of the church, St. Peter’s, and made other improvements in 1858–9. The register dates from 1658. Among the entries is a record that in the year 1728, there were sixteen burials, but no cause for that excessive mortality is named. The second Rev. J. Bainbridge-Smith married a daughter of Judge Haliburton, of Nova Scotia, the author of “Sam Slick,” “The Old Judge,” “Nature and Human Nature,” &c. He was for some years chaplain at Smyrna.

When the chancel was taken down in 1858, some interesting relics were discovered. A sepulchral arch was opened at the north-east end, supposed to lead to the burial place of the founder of the Pre-Conquest Church. It was constructed of grey stone. Three very ancient windows, also of grey stone, and blocked with rubbish, were opened, on the splays of which were found frescoes, the figures being, so far as they remained, very distinct. One was a crowned figure, seated, and holding a sceptre in his left hand, the right hand being stretched out in the attitude of judgment or command, but the lower part of the arm was wanting. Another was a female figure, with long tresses, and a robe with lengthy train behind. A third, was one figure complete, probably the Saviour, with the head only of another figure, facing him, probably the Magdalen; both heads being surrounded by a nimbus. The Saviour’s attitude, with uplifted finger, indicated the giving of some command, probably the _Noli me tangere_. The fourth subject was apparently a rude representation of the last supper, the Saviour being in the act of taking the cup. {184} Copies of these frescoes were made, and are preserved with the registers. The present writer has copies, from which this description is given.

When the south and east walls were taken down, a very ancient doorway, probably Saxon, of grey and red sandstone was found; close beside it was another doorway of later date. Towards the east end of the south wall, was found a beautiful geometrical window, the inner arch much broken. This had apparently been the original east window, but in later times broken up, and some of the fragments built into the wall in various parts. All this seemed to indicate that a Saxon church had existed, that it was rebuilt about the time of the Norman Conquest, with stone found in the neighbourhood, that in the 13th century it was adorned with frescoes, an east window, of Lincoln stone, &c. The new chancel was re-opened by the Bishop of Lincoln, in 1859. (Extract from “Lincolnshire Times,” Nov., 1859).

The chief features of the present church are as follows:—The font, modern, octagonal, and plain. A former very small font, with small bowl remains, sunk into the base of a recess in the west wall. A small metal, portable font, is also preserved in the rectory, which was formerly used. The chancel arch is probably Saxon. It is very low, with massive supports, has been mutilated, but is still in fairly good condition. In the south wall of the chancel is a double piscina, supposed to be peculiar to the 13th century. In the north chancel wall is an easter sepulchre, with an aumbrey above, having a trefoil moulding in a 13th century arch. The east window is modern, with three lights. In the south wall is a two-light window, in memory of J. B. Smith, D.D. In the floor of the chancel, in the centre, is a slab commemorating John Porter, rector from 1658 to 1688–9. In the north wall of the nave is one square-headed window; in the south wall are two similar windows. On the north wall there is a tablet to J. Scholey. There is only one small bell hanging in the bell turret. Altogether this church has some very interesting features. In the parish chest, with the registers, is a copy made by the late rector, of the transcripts in the Archidiaconal Registry, dating from 1556 to 1590.

STIXWOULD.

This parish is situated about 6 miles westward of Horncastle; the village being less than a mile from the Stixwould station, on the loop line of the Great Northern Railway, between Boston and Lincoln. The parish is bounded on the west by the river Witham, on the north by Horsington, and on the east and south by Woodhall and Edlington. In Domesday book the name takes the form of Stigeswald, or Stigeswalt. The origin of this name can only be a matter of conjecture, but the following, as not being without interest, is suggested. The ancient arrangement for crossing a river, especially a sluggish, oozy one, such as the Witham, was commonly by a stockaded ford. {185} This stockade would be constructed of stakes or sticks, a kind of structure which is also implied in the names Stickford, (_i.e._, staked ford), and Stickney (staked water, or island), both of which places lie in what was formerly a marshy district in this county. {186a} Hence, we may suppose, the first syllable of the name Stix (or Sticks) wold; as to the next syllable, “Wold,” or wald, is the Saxon for wood. At some places certain woods were anciently assigned by law or custom, for the supply of these stakes. {186b}; and such a wood might naturally acquire the name of the Stakes wood, or Sticks wold.

In the case of this parish, as the embankment, now confining the Witham to its narrow channel, did not anciently exist, that river would then have a much greater width, and the ford would probably be a long “causeway” through a morass, raised by sods and strengthened by stakes. {186c} Mr. C. Gowen-Smith, the translator of Domesday Book, for Lincolnshire, says (Introduction, p. xl.) that “wad,” or “wode,” means “a causeway.” We thus, on either of these suppositions, get Stixwould meaning a staked ford, or causeway. {186d}

In the days of ancient savage warfare, fords were important positions of defence; and especially on the Witham would a ford be important, that river being the boundary between the barbarous “Girvii,” who inhabited the wild Fen tracts, {186e} and the less warlike Saxons, who dwelt east of it. A ford also, or ferry, was a source of considerable revenue; for instance, at Stow, the lord of the manor, in 1234, let the ferry on the Trent (now of Littleborough), with the fishery, for £3 6_s._ 8_d._ yearly, a large sum in those days. Thus the staked ford, and the wood supplying the stakes, may well have been local features of sufficient importance to originate the name of Stickswold.

Of the wood formerly existing, there are still some relics, in fine oak trees of great age; one of these, nearly 20ft. in girth, is to be seen by the garden gate at the abbey farm house; another stands near the drive to Halstead Hall, in the east of the parish; and others are nearer the Witham, in fields adjoining Newstead House farm. The present Stixwould wood, or Long wood, south of the village, is of comparatively modern growth; but on the eastern border of the parish is Halstead wood, separated from Sto-bourne wood, by what, probably, was formerly a “stow,” “stoke,” or stake-marked “bourn,” or boundary stream, being a ditch of running water, which gives its name to the latter wood, which lies in the next parish; the two woods until recent years, belonging to the two different manors.

At the time of the Norman Conquest, we find only two names of Saxon landowners in this parish, viz.:—Ulviet, and Siward, who had here between them, about 720 acres. Both these would seem to have been thanes of some importance, as the former held, in demesne or otherwise, lands in at least ten other parishes, in various parts of the county; and the latter had lands in eleven parishes, also widely distributed, and further, had sufficient influence to continue as tenant, under the Norman proprietors, to whom the Conqueror transferred the lands previously owned by Saxons. {187} Of Normans, a grant of 270 acres (that amount having been previously owned by Ulviet,) was conferred by King William, upon Waldin Brito (or the Breton), a distinguished soldier, who accompanied him from Normandy. These Bretons were highly valued for their faithful services, by the Plantagenet kings, and were largely employed in court offices; Waldin also received manors in eight other parishes in this neighbourhood. Another favourite of the Conqueror, who received land here, was Alured, of Lincoln. The Domesday Survey gives him as owning 180 acres of arable, meadow, and wood land in Stixwould, with fifty-one manors in the county, beside lands elsewhere.