Transcribed from the 1908 W. K. Morton & Sons edition by David Price,
email ccx074@pglaf.org
[Picture: SEAL OF SIMON DE ISLIP. Vicar of Horncastle, 1349; Archbishop
of Canterbury, 1349-1366]
We are indebted for the engraving of this seal to the courtesy of Miss G.
M. Bevan, author of _Portraits of the Archbishops of Canterbury_,
published by Messrs. Mowbray & Co., London.
A
HISTORY OF HORNCASTLE,
FROM THE
EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME.
_ILLUSTRATED_.
BY
JAMES CONWAY WALTER,
AUTHOR OF
_Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood_, _Parishes around
Horncastle_,
_The Ayscoughs_, _The Coitani_, _&c._, _&c._
HORNCASTLE:
W. K. MORTON & SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, HIGH STREET,
1908.
[Picture: Market Place and Stanhope Memorial]
PREFACE.
The following pages may truthfully be said to be the result of labours,
extending over many years, and of researches in directions too many to
tell.
Born within almost a mile of Horncastle, and only by a few months
escaping being born in it, since his father, on first coming to the
neighbourhood, resided for a time in Horncastle, {0} the author, from his
earliest years (except for periodical absences) has been connected with
the life, social or civil, of the place, probably more closely and more
continuously, than any other person living, in like circumstances.
The notes on which this compilation is based were begun more than 30
years ago. While writing a volume of _Records of more than_ 30 _Parishes
around Horncastle_, published in 1904; and, before that, while describing
about as many more, in a volume, _Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood_,
published in 1899, he had constantly in view the crowning of the series,
by the history of the old town, round which these sixty, or more,
parishes cluster; the haunt, if not quite the home, of his boyhood, and
familiarized to him by a life-long connection.
For this purpose sources of information have been tapped in every
possible direction; of public institutions, the official records, and
title deeds, where available, have been carefully consulted; especially
should be here mentioned various deeds and charters, which are quoted in
Chapter II, from the archives of Carlisle Cathedral, which have not
hitherto been brought before the public, but of which the author has been
allowed free use, through the courtesy of the librarian. These are of
special value, from the long connection of the Manor of Horncastle with
the See of Carlisle.
In other cases the author has been allowed the privilege of more private
testimony; for instance, his old friend, the late Mr. John Overton (of a
highly respectable family, for generations connected with the town and
county), has most kindly given him the use of various family MS. notes,
bearing on parish and other matters. Mr. Henry Sharp has freely assisted
him with most varied information, derived from long years of connection
with the town, in public or private capacity. The late Mr. Henry
Boulton, ancestrally connected with various parts of the county, was
remarkable for a mind stored with memories of persons and things, in town
and neighbourhood, which he freely communicated to the author, who saw
much of him in his later years. While, last but not least, the late Mr.
William Pacey, whether in his "Reminisences of Horncastle," which he
contributed to the public newspapers, or in his personal conversations,
which the present writer enjoyed for many years, yielded up to him
treasure, collected by an indefatigable student of local lore, who
entered into such work _con amore_.
To all these the author would now fully, and gratefully, acknowledge his
indebtedness; but for them this work could not have been produced in
anything like its present fulness. In some of the matters dealt with, as
for instance in the accounts of the Grammar School, as well as in other
portions, he may fairly say, in the language of "the pious AEneas"
(slightly modified), "quorum pars (ipse) fui," (AEneid ii, 6); and in
these he has drawn not a few of the details from his own recollections.
In stringing these records together, of such varied character, and on
subjects so numerous, he cannot but be conscious that, in the endeavour
to give all possible information, and to omit nothing of real interest,
he may, on the other hand, have laid himself open to the charge of being
too diffuse, or even needlessly prolix. Others not sharing his own
interest in the subjects treated of, may think that he has occasionally
"ridden his hobby too hard." If this should be the judgment of any of
his readers, he would crave their indulgence out of consideration for the
motive.
These are the days of historic "Pageants," drawn from life, and with
living actors to illustrate them. We have also our "Gossoping Guides,"
to enable the tourist to realize more fully the meaning of the scenes
which he visits. From both of these the author "has taken his cue." He
had to cater for a variety of tastes; and while, for the general reader
he has cast his discriptions in a colloquial, or even at times in a
"gossoping," form, he believes that the old town, with its "Bull Ring,"
its "Maypole Hill," its "Fighting Cocks," its "Julian Bower," and other
old time memories, can still afford _pabulum_ for the more educated
student, or the special antiquary.
Like the composer of a Pageant play, his endeavour has been rather to
clothe the scenes, which he conjures up, with the flesh and blood of
quickened reality, than in the bare skin and bones of a dry-as-dust's
rigid skeleton. How far he has succeeded in this he leaves to others to
decide; for himself he can honestly say, that it has not been from lack
of care, enquiry, or labour, if he has fallen short of the ideal aimed
at.
[Picture: Signature of J. Conway Walter]
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. PAGE
PART I--PREHISTORIC. Horncastle--its infancy 1
PART II--THE DIMLY HISTORIC PERIOD 3
CHAPTER II.
RECORDS OF THE MANOR, &c., FROM THE NORMAN CONQUEST 11
CHAPTER III.
ST. MARY'S CHURCH 33
CHAPTER IV.
THE CHURCH OF HOLY TRINITY 57
CHAPTER V.
NONCONFORMIST PLACES OF WORSHIP.
The Wesleyans 64
The Primitive Methodists 71
The Independents 77
The Baptist Chapel 84
The New Jerusalem Church 86
CHAPTER VI.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS--THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL 91
CHAPTER VII.
WATSON'S FREE SCHOOL 108
THE LANCASTERIAN AND THE BELL SCHOOLS 111
THE SCIENCE AND ART SCHOOL 112
CHAPTER VIII.
THE DISPENSARY 119
CHAPTER IX.
THE CANAL 126
THE RAILWAY 130
CHAPTER X.
WORKHOUSE OR UNION 133
THE COURT HOUSE 135
THE STANHOPE MEMORIAL 136
THE CLERICAL CLUB 137
THE MECHANICS' INSTITUTE 139
THE CORN EXCHANGE 140
THE WHELPTON ALMHOUSES 142
THE DRILL HALL 145
CHAPTER XI.
HORNCASTLE WORTHIES, &c. 151
ODDITIES 160
PUBLICHOUSES 161
APPENDIX.
THIMBLEBY 165
WEST ASHBY 176
HIGH TOYNTON 180
MAREHAM-ON-THE-HILL 183
LOW TOYNTON 185
ROUGHTON 188
HALTHAM 190
MAREHAM-LE-FEN 192
MOORBY 198
WOOD ENDERBY 201
CONINGSBY 203
WILKSBY 207
LANGRIVILLE 209
THORNTON-LE-FEN 210
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
Mammoth Tooth 5
Hammer Head 7
North-east corner of the Castle Wall 9
Plan of Horncastle, 1819 15
Plan of Horncastle, 1908 23
St. Mary's Church 35
Brass of Sir Lionel Dymoke in St. Mary's Church 42
Ancient Scythes in St. Mary's Church 48
The Old Vicarage 55
Holy Trinity Church 59
Wesleyan Chapel 65
Wesleyan Day Schools 69
Interior Congregational Chapel 79
The New Jerusalem Church 87
Rev. Thomas Lord 90
The Grammar School 93
Lord Clynton and Saye 97
Successive Head Masters of the Grammar School, from 1818 101
to 1907
The Seal of the Grammar School 105
The Market Place 109
St. Mary's Square 113
Bridge Street 117
High Street 121
The Bull Ring 123
The Canal 127
On the Canal 129
The Court House 135
The Stanhope Memorial 137
Watermill Road during the Flood, Dec 31, 1900 141
West Street during the Flood, Dec. 31, 1900 143
Conging Street during the Flood, Dec. 31, 1900 145
The Stanch 147
Old Thatched Inn in the Bull Ring 163
St. Margaret's Church, Thimbleby 171
The Manor House, West Ashby 177
All Saints' Church, West Ashby 179
St. John the Baptist's Church, High Toynton 181
St. Peter's Church, Low Toynton 187
St. Helen's Church, Mareham-le-Fen 193
Wesleyan Chapel, Mareham-le-Fen 197
St. Michael's Church, Coningsby 205
CHAPTER I.
PART I--PREHISTORIC. HORNCASTLE--ITS INFANCY.
In dealing with what may be called "the dark ages" of local history, we
are often compelled to be content with little more than reasonable
conjecture. Still, there are generally certain surviving data, in
place-names, natural features, and so forth, which enable those who can
detect them, and make use of them, to piece together something like a
connected outline of what we may take, with some degree of probability,
as an approximation to what have been actual facts, although lacking, at
the time, the chronicler to record them.
It is, however, by no means a mere exercise of the imagination, if we
assume that the site of the present Horncastle was at a distant period a
British settlement. {1a} Dr. Brewer says, "nearly three-fourths of our
Roman towns were built on British sites," (Introduction to _Beauties of
England_, p. 7), and in the case of Horncastle, although there is nothing
British in the name of the town itself, yet that people have undoubtedly
here left their traces behind them. The late Dr. Isaac Taylor {1b} says,
"Rivers and mountains, as a rule, receive their names from the earliest
races, towns and villages from later colonists." The ideas of those
early occupants were necessarily limited. The hill which formed their
stronghold against enemies, {1c} or which was the "high place" of their
religious rites, {1d} and the river which was so essential to their daily
existence, of these they felt the value, and therefore naturally
distinguished them by name before anything else. Thus the remark of an
eloquent writer is generally true, who says "our mountains and rivers
still murmur the voices of races long extirpated." "There is hardly
(says Dr. Taylor {2a}) throughout the whole of England a river name which
is not Celtic," _i.e._ British.
As the Briton here looked from the hill-side, down upon the valley
beneath him, two of the chief objects to catch his eye would be the
streams which watered it, and which there, as they do still, united their
forces. They would then also, probably, form a larger feature in the
prospect than they do at the present day, for the local beds of gravel
deposit would seem to indicate that these streams were formerly of
considerably greater volume, watering a wider area, and probably having
ramifications which formed shoals and islands. {2b} The particular names
by which the Briton designated the two main streams confirm this
supposition. In the one coming from the more distant wolds, he saw a
stream bright and clear, meandering through the meadows which it
fertilized, and this he named the "Bain," {2c} that word being Celtic for
"bright" or "clear," a characteristic which still belongs to its waters,
as the brewers of Horncastle assure us. In the other stream, which runs
a shorter and more rapid course, he saw a more turbid current, and to it
he gave the name "Waring," {2d} which is the Celtic "garw" or "gerwin,"
meaning "rough." Each of these names, then, we may regard as what the
poet Horace calls "nomen praesente nota productum," {2e} they are as good
as coin stamped in the mint of a Cunobelin, or a Caradoc, bearing his
"image and superscription," and after some 17 centuries of change, they
are in circulation still. So long as Horncastle is watered by the Bain
and the Waring she will bear the brand of the British sway, once
paramount in her valley.
These river names, however, are not the only relics of the Britons found
in Horncastle. Two British urns were unearthed about 50 years ago, where
is now the garden of the present vicarage, and another was found in the
parish of Thornton, about a mile from the town, when the railway was
being made in 1856. The latter the present writer has seen, although it
is now unfortunately lost. {2f}
These Britons were a pastoral race, as Caesar, their conqueror, tells us,
{2g} not cultivating much corn, but having large flocks and herds, living
on the milk and flesh of their live stock, and clad in the skins of
these, or of other animals taken in the chase. The well-watered pastures
of the Bain valley would afford excellent grazing for their cattle, while
the extensive forests {2h} of the district around would provide them with
the recreations of the chase, which also helped to make them the skilled
warriors which the Romans found them to be. {3} Much of these forests
remained even down to comparatively recent times, and very large trees
have been dug up, black with age, in fields within four or five miles of
Horncastle, within very recent years, which the present writer has seen.
Such were some of the earlier inhabitants of this locality, leaving their
undoubted traces behind them, but no "local habitation" with a name; for
that we are first indebted to the Romans, who, after finding the Briton a
foe not unworthy of his steel, ultimately subjugated him and found him
not an inapt pupil in Roman arts and civilization. Of the aptitude of
the Briton to learn from his conquerors we have evidence in the fact,
mentioned by the Roman writer Eumenius, that when the Emperor Constantius
wished to rebuild the town Augustodunum (now Antun) in Gaul, about the
end of the 3rd century, he employed workmen chiefly from Britain, such
was the change effected in our "rude forefathers" in 250 years.
We may sum up our remarks on the Britons by saying that in them we have
ancestors of whom we have no occasion to be ashamed. They had a
Christian church more than 300 years before St. Augustine visited our
shores. They yet survive in the sturdy fisher folk of Brittany; in those
stout miners of Cornwall, who in the famed Botallack mine have bored
under the ocean bed, the name Cornwall itself being Welsh (_i.e._
British) for corner land; in the people who occupy the fastnesses of the
Welsh mountains, as well as in the Gaels of the Scottish Highlands and
the Erse of Ireland. Their very speech is blended with our own. Does
the country labourer go to the Horncastle tailor to buy coat and
breeches? His British forefather, though clad chiefly in skins, called
his upper garment his "cotta," his nether covering his "brages," scotice
"breeks." Brewer, _Introduction to Beauties of England_, p. 42.
PART II--THE DIMLY HISTORIC PERIOD.
The headquarters of the Roman forces in our own part of Britain were at
York, where more than one Roman Emperor lived and died, but Lindum, now
Lincoln, was an important station. About A.D. 71 Petillius Cerealis was
appointed governor of the province by the Emperor Vespasian, he was
succeeded by Julius Frontinus, both being able generals. From A.D. 78 to
85 that admirable soldier and administrator, Julius Agricola, over-ran
the whole of the north as far as the Grampians, establishing forts in all
directions, and doubtless during these and the immediately succeeding
years, a network of such stations would be constructed in our own
country, connected by those splendid highways which the Romans carried,
by the forced labour of the natives, through the length and breadth of
their vast empire.
Coins of nearly all the Roman Emperors have been found at Horncastle; one
was brought to the present writer in the 1st year of the 20th century,
bearing the superscription of the Emperor Severus, who died at York A.D.,
211.
NOTE ON ANCIENT COINS FOUND AT HORNCASTLE.
The following list of Roman and other coins found at Horncastle, has been
supplied by the Rev. J. A. Penny, Vicar of Wispington, who has them in
his own possession.
Consular, denarius, silver.
OEs grave, or Roman as, heavy brass.
Augustus, quinarius (half denarius). B.C. 27-A.D. 14.
Claudius, brass, of three different sizes. A.D. 41-54.
Vespasian, denarius, silver. A.D. 69-79.
Domitian, brass. A.D. 81-96.
Nerva, brass. A.D. 96-98.
Trajan, brass, of two sizes. A.D. 98-117.
Hadrian, brass. A.D. 117-138.
Antoninus Pius, denarius, silver. A.D. 138-161.
Faustina I., his wife, brass.
Lucius Verus, brass. A.D. 161-169.
Marcus Aurelius, brass. A D. 161-180.
Faustina II., his wife, brass.
Caracalla, denarius, silver. A.D. 211-217.
Julia Saemias, mother of Emperor Heliogabalus, denarius, silver. A.D.
218-222.
Gordian III., denarius, silver. A.D. 238-244.
Philip I., brass. A.D. 244-249.
Hostilian, denarius, silver. A.D. 249-251.
Gallienus, brass. A.D. 253-268.
Salomia, his wife, brass.
Victorinus, brass (Emperor in West). A.D. 253-260. (10 varieties).
Marius, brass (Emperor in West). A.D. 267.
Claudius II. (or Gothicus), brass. A.D. 268-270.
Tetricus I., brass (Emperor in Gaul). A.D. 270-273.
Tetricus II., brass (Emperor in Gaul). A.D. 270-274.
Probus, brass. A.D. 276-282.
Diocletian, copper, a new kind of coin named a "follis." A.D. 284-305.
Maximian, copper, a "follis." A.D. 286-305.
Alectus, brass (Emperor in Britain). A.D. 293-296.
Constantius Chlorus, brass. A.D. 305-306.
Maxentius, copper, a "follis." A.D. 306-312.
Constantine the Great, brass. A.D. 306-337.
Crispus, brass. A.D. 326.
Magnentius, brass (Emperor in Gaul and Britain). A.D. 350-353.
Constantine II., brass (struck in London). A.D. 337-340.
Constans, brass. A.D. 337-350.
Constantius II., brass. A.D. 337-361.
Valens, brass. A.D. 364-378.
Gratian, brass. A.D. 375-383.
Theodosius I., brass. A.D. 379-395.
Arcadius, brass (Emperor in East). A.D. 395-408.
Honorius, brass (Emperor in West). A.D. 395-423.
Byzantine coin, bronze, date not known exactly but later than Honorius,
so showing that the Romans held Horncastle against Saxon invaders.
[Picture: Mammoth Tooth from gravel of River Bain, south of Horncastle.
Weight 2-lbs 6-oz., length 5.25-in., breadth 6.5-in., thickness 2-in.]
A Roman milestone was discovered in the Bail, at Lincoln, in 1891, {5a}
inscribed with the name of Marcus Piavonius Victorinus, who commanded in
Gaul and Britain, and which must have been set up during his period of
office, about A D. 267. The site of this was the point of intersection
of the two main streets, which would be the centre of the Roman Forum at
Lindum, one of these streets leading to Horncastle; from Horncastle also
there branched off, as will be hereafter noted, several main Roman roads.
As Horncastle stands on the banks of the river Bain it has been taken by
Stukeley, the antiquarian, and by others following him, {5b} to have been
the Roman Banovallum or "Fort on the Bain," mentioned by the Roman
geographer of Ravenna; {5c} although, however, most probably correct,
this is a mere conjecture. On the road between Horncastle and Lincoln we
have the village of Baumber, also called Bamburgh, and this latter form
of the name might well mean a "burgh," or fort, on the Bain, the river
running just below the village. The two names, however, might well exist
at different periods. It may be here mentioned that this form, Bamburg,
is found in _Harleian Charter_ 56, c. i, B.M., dated at Wodehalle,
December, 1328.
Tacitus, the Roman historian, {5e} tells us that the Romans "wore out the
bodies and hands of the Britons in opening out the forests, and paving or
fortifying the roads," and we can well imagine that those skilled
generals would see the advantageous position for a stronghold in the
angle formed by the junction of the two rivers, and would employ the
subjugated Britons of the locality in constructing, it may be, at first
only a rude fort, protected on two sides by the streams and in the rear
by a "vallum," or embankment, and that on the site thus secured and
already a native stronghold, they would, at a later period, erect the
"castrum," of which massive fragments still remain, testifying to its
great strength.
These remains, indeed, in almost their whole course can be traced through
present-day gardens and back premises, shewing the four sides of an
irregular parallelogram. Their dimensions, roughly speaking, are on the
north and south sides about 600-ft., by about 350-ft. at the eastern, and
300-ft. at the western end, their thickness being about 16-ft. The
material employed was the Spilsby sandstone, obtainable within five
miles, cemented by course grouting poured into the interstices between
the massive blocks. These walls inclose a portion of the High Street as
far eastward as the site of the present Corn Exchange, westward they
include the present manor house and form the boundary of the churchyard
in that direction. On the north they run at the back of the houses on
that side of the Market Place, and on the south they extend from St.
Mary's Square, past the Grammar School, and through sundry yards,
parallel with the branch of the canal, which is the old Waring river.
The masonry of these walls, as now seen, is very rude. It is supposed
that, originally as built by the Romans, they had an external coating of
neat structure, but this has entirely disappeared, it is still, however,
to be seen in the wells, which are next to be described.
In a cellar, south of the High Street, at a baker's shop, and close to
the eastern wall of the castle, is a Roman well; there is another close
to the north-east angle of the castle walls, in what is called Dog-kennel
Yard, and a third just within the western wall, near the present National
Schools. Thus, although the two rivers were without the castle walls,
the Roman garrison was well supplied with water.
The Roman roads branching from the town were (1st) the "Ramper," {6a} as
it is still called, running north-west, and connecting it with the Roman
station Lindum; from this, at Baumber, {6b} distant about 4 miles, a
branch running northwards led to the Roman Castrum, now Caistor; (2nd)
north-eastwards _via_ West Ashby, being the highway to Louth, the Roman
Luda; (3rd) eastwards, by High Toynton, Greetham, &c, to Waynflete, the
Roman Vain-ona; (4th) southward, by Dalderby, Haltham, &c., to Leeds
Gate, Chapel Hill, and there crossing the river Witham to Sleaford and
Ancaster, the Roman Causennae, situated on the great Roman Ermin Street.
This also was continued to another Roman Castrum, now Castor, near
Peterborough; (5th) south-west, by Thornton, &c., to Tattershall, locally
supposed to have been the Roman Durobrivae, and where traces of a Roman
camp still remain.
Besides these Roman _viae_ and Roman coins, quite an abundance of Roman
pottery has from time to time been unearthed, and fragments are
continually being found in gardens in the town. A collection of these,
probably cinerary urns, was preserved until quite recently in the library
of the Mechanics' Institute, where the writer has frequently seen them,
{7a} they varied in height from 8 inches to 18 inches. Unfortunately,
for lack of funds, that institution was broken up about 1890, the books
were stowed away in a room at the workhouse, a valuable collection, and
the urns were sold by the late Mr. Joseph Willson, who acted as sole
trustee. Other Roman relics have been fragments of mortars of white
clay, found on the site of the present union, one bearing the word
"fecit," though the maker's name was lost. Portions also of Samian ware
have been found, one stamped with a leopard and stag, another bearing
part of the potter's name, ILIANI; with fragments of hand-mills, fibulae,
&c. {7b} The present writer has two jars, or bottles, of buff coloured
ware, of which about a dozen were dug up when the foundations of the
workhouse were being laid in 1838, they are probably Samian, a friend
having exactly similar vessels which she brought from Cyprus. The writer
has in his possession the head of a porphyritic mallet which was found in
a garden in the south of the town a few years ago, it is probably Roman;
the handle, which would be of wood, had entirely disappeared; it is much
"pitted" through damp and age, is 6.5 inches long and weighs 3-lb. 9-oz.
[Picture: Hammer Head, found near the Wong, length 6.625-in., width
3.875-in. weight 3.5-lb.; of porphyry from the Cheviot region, Neolithic
period. The stone was probably part of a large boulder]
A discovery of further interesting Roman relics of another kind was made
in 1896. The owner of a garden near Queen Street, in the south-eastern
part of the town, was digging up an apple tree when he came across a fine
bed of gravel. Continuing the digging, in order to find the thickness of
this deposit, his spade struck against a hard substance, which proved to
be a lead coffin. After this had been examined by others invited to
inspect it, without any satisfactory result, the present writer was
requested to conduct further investigation. The coffin was found to be
5-ft. 2-in. in length, containing the skeleton, rather shorter, of a
female. A few days later a second coffin was found, lying parallel to
the first, 5-ft. 7-in. in length, the bones of the skeleton within being
larger and evidently those of a male. Subsequently fragments of decayed
wood and long iron nails and clamps were found, showing that the leaden
coffins had originally been enclosed in wooden cases. Both these coffins
lay east and west. A description was sent to a well-known antiquarian,
the late Mr. John Bellows of Gloucester, and he stated that if the lead
had an admixture of tin they were Roman, if no tin, post-Roman. The lead
was afterwards analysed by Professor Church, of Kew, and by the
analytical chemist of Messrs. Kynoch & Co., of Birmingham, with the
result that there was found to be a percentage of 1.65 of tin to 97.08 of
lead and 1.3 of oxygen, "the metal slightly oxidised." It was thus
proved that the coffins were those of Romans, their "orientation"
implying that they were Christian. It should be added that three similar
coffins were found in the year 1872, when the foundations were being laid
of the New Jerusalem Chapel in Croft Street, within some 100 yards of the
two already described; and further, as confirmatory of their being Roman,
a lead coffin was also found in the churchyard of Baumber, on the
restoration of the church there in 1892, this being close to the Roman
road (already mentioned) between the old Roman stations Banovallum and
Lindum. Lead coffins have also been found in the Roman cemeteries at
Colchester, York, and at other places. {8}
As another interesting case of Roman relics found in Horncastle, I give
the following:--In 1894 I exhibited, at a meeting of our Archaeological
Society, some small clay pipes which had recently been dug up along with
a copper coin of the Emperor Constantine, just within the western wall of
the old castle, near the present Manor House. They were evidently very
old and of peculiar make, being short in stem with small bowl set at an
obtuse angle. They were said at the time to be Roman, but since tobacco
was not introduced till the reign of Elizabeth that idea was rejected.
In the year 1904, however, a large quantity of fragments of similar clay
pipes were found in the ruins of the Roman fort of Aliso, near Halteren
on the river Lippe, in Western Germany, some of rude structure, some
decorated with figures and Roman characters. They were lying at a depth
of 9 feet below the surface, and had evidently lain undisturbed since the
time of the Roman occupation. From the marks upon them it was manifest
that they had been used, and it is now known from the statements of the
Roman historian Pliny, and the Greek Herodotus, that the use of narcotic
fumes was not unknown to the Romans, as well as to other ancient nations;
the material used was hemp seed and cypress grass. In the Berlin
Ethnological Museum, also, vessels of clay are preserved, which are
supposed to have been used for a like purpose. This discovery, then, at
Horncastle is very interesting as adding to our Roman remains, and we may
picture to ourselves the Roman sentinel taking his beat on the old castle
walls and solacing himself, after the manner of his countrymen, with his
pipe. (An account of this later discovery is given in a German
scientific review for August, 1904, quoted _Standard_, August 12, 1904).
Of what may be called the close of this early historic period in
connection with Horncastle there is little more to be said. The Roman
forces withdrew from Britain about A.D. 408. The Britons harried by
their northern neighbours, the Picts and Scots, applied for assistance to
the Saxons, who, coming at first as friends, but led to stay by the
attractions of the country, gradually over-ran the land and themselves in
turn over-mastered the Britons, driving them into Wales and Cornwall.
The only matter of interest in connection with Horncastle, in this
struggle between Saxon and Briton, is that about the end of the 5th
century the Saxon King Horsa, with his brother Hengist, who had greatly
improved the fort at Horncastle, were defeated in a fight at Tetford by
the Britons under their leader Raengeires, and the British King caused
the walls to be nearly demolished and the place rendered defenceless.
(Leland's _Collectanea_, vol i, pt. ii, p. 509).
[Picture: North-east corner of the Castle Wall, in Dog-kennel Yard]
The Saxons in their turn, towards the close of the 8th century, were
harassed by marauding incursions of the Danes, {9} which continued,
though temporarily checked by Kings Egbert and Alfred, through many
years, both nations eventually settling side by side, until both alike in
the 11th century became subject to their Norman conquerors. The traces
of these peoples are still apparent in Horncastle and its soke, since of
its 13 parish names, three, High Toynton, Low Toynton and Roughton have
the Saxon suffix "ton"; three, Mareham-on-the-Hill, Mareham-le-Fen and
Haltham terminate in the Saxon "ham," and six, Thimbleby, West Ashby,
Wood Enderby, Moorby, Wilksby and Coningsby have the Danish suffix "by."
The name of the town itself is Saxon, Horn-castle, or more anciently
Hyrne-ceastre, _i.e._ the castle in the corner, {10} or angle, formed by
the junction of the two rivers; that junction was, within comparatively
modern times, not where it is now, but some 200 yards eastward, on the
other side of the field called "The Holms," where there is still a muddy
ditch.
So far our account of the town has been based mainly upon etymological
evidence, derived from river and place names, with a few scanty and
scattered records. As we arrive at the Norman period we shall have to
deal with more direct documentary testimony, which may well form another
chapter.
CHAPTER II.
RECORDS OF THE MANOR, &c., FROM THE NORMAN CONQUEST.
A recent historian {11a} has said "In the 13th century the northern
counties of England were so unsettled that there was little security
north of the Humber, and in 1250 the powerful Bishop of Carlisle found it
necessary to buy the manor of Horncastle (his own residence in the north,
Rose Castle, having been destroyed by marauders), and the Pope granted
him the Parish Church (of Horncastle) for his use;" {11b} but we can
carry our history back to a considerably earlier period than this. As a
former Roman station, doubtless, and of even earlier origin than that,
Horncastle had become a place of some importance, and so, even before the
Norman conquest the manor was royal property, since _Domesday Book_
states that King Edward the Confessor bestowed it upon his Queen, Editha.
Edward died January 5, 1066, and his possessions naturally passed to his
successor, the Conqueror. Its subsequent history for a few years we do
not know, but in the reign of Stephen the manor was held by Adelias, or
Adelidis, (Alice or Adelaide) de Cundi, daughter of William de Cheney
{11c} (a name still known in the county), who was Lord of Glentham and
Caenby, two parishes near Brigg. She had a castle in this town, the site
of which is not now known, but it was probably a restoration in whole, or
in part, of the old fortress. She took part against the King in his
quarrel with the Empress Maud, and her estates were confiscated by
Stephen, they were, however, subsequently restored to her on condition
that she should demolish her castle.
On her death the manor reverted to the crown and was granted by Henry II.
to a Fleming noble, Gerbald de Escald, who held it for one knight's fee.
{12a} He was succeeded by his grandson and heir, Gerard de Rhodes, {12b}
whose son, Ralph de Rhodes, sold it to Walter Mauclerk, {12c} Bishop of
Carlisle, and Treasurer of the Exchequer under Henry III. In the reign
of Richard II. Roger la Scrope and Margaret his wife, with Robert Tibetot
and son, his wife, as descendants of Gerbald de Escald, {12d} put in a
claim for the manor and obtained letters patent, by which the episcopal
possessor was bound to do them homage, but this was only for a brief
period, and they then disappear from the scene.
The manor remained a possession of the bishops of Carlisle until the
reign of Edward VI., when, by licence of the King, it was sold by Bishop
Aldrich in 1547 to Edward, Lord Clinton. {12e} In the reign of Mary he
was compelled to re-convey it to the see of Carlisle. {12f} Queen
Elizabeth took a lease of it under the then possessing bishop, in which
she was succeeded by James I. He assigned it to Sir Edward Clinton,
knt., but through neglect of enrolment this became void. {12g} In the
reign of Charles II. the former charters were renewed, {12h} and the
bishops of Carlisle remained lords of the manor until 1856, when it was
transferred, with the patronage of some of the benefices within the soke,
to the Bishop of Lincoln. Thus from the reign of Edward the Confessor to
that of Charles II., a period of about 600 years, broken by brief
intervals of alienation, Horncastle was connected with royalty.
The lease of the manor was held, under the bishops of Carlisle by Sir
Joseph Banks and his ancestors for nearly a century, the lease of Sir
Joseph himself being dated 21 March, 1803, and renewed 1 June, 1811. He
died in 1820 and was succeeded by his relative the Honble. James Hamilton
Stanhope and, three years later, by James Banks Stanhope, Esq., then a
minor, who, at a later period (in 1885) transferred all his rights to his
cousin, the late Right Honble. Edward Stanhope, whose widow became lady
of the manor and at whose death, in 1907, the lordship reverted to the
Honble. Richard Stanhope, son of the present Earl Stanhope. Mr. Banks
Stanhope died January 18th, 1904, aged 82, having been a generous
benefactor to Horncastle and the neighbourhood.
We have here given a very condensed account of the ownership of this
manor from the reign of Edward the Confessor to the present time, a
period of nearly 840 years. Having had access to the episcopal archives
of Carlisle, so long connected with Horncastle, we are able to confirm
several of the above details from documents still existing, which we now
proceed to do.
It has been stated that the manor of Horncastle was conferred upon Queen
Editha by her husband, Edward the Confessor. In confirmation of this we
find the following: In the reign of Charles I. the Vicar of Horncastle,
Thomas Gibson, presented a petition claiming tithe for certain mills
called "Hall Mills," with a close adjoining called "Mill Holmes," as
belonging to the glebe. The tenant, William Davidson, resisted, arguing
that he had paid no tithes to the previous vicar, Robert Holingshed, that
the mills were erected before the conquest and were part of the jointure
of Queen Editha, as stated in _Domesday Book_, and were therefore part of
the manor, not of the vicar's glebe. The result is not recorded, but
doubtless the tenant was right. {13a} The passage here quoted from
_Domesday Book_ is the following: "In Horncastre Queen Editha had 3
carucates of land, free of gelt. This land is now 4 carucates. The King
has there 2 carucates in demesne (_i.e._ as his manor), with 29 villeins
and 12 bordars, who have (among them) 3 carucates. There are 2 mills
worth 26s. yearly, and 100 acres of meadow. In King Edward's time the
annual value was 20 pounds, now it is 44 pounds." {13b} These two mills
and the meadow were doubtless those in dispute between the vicar and
tenant in the reign of Charles I., the date of _Domesday_ being about
1085, or 540 years earlier. They were plainly part of the royal manor
and not at all connected with the glebe.
All this, however, proves that the manor of Horncastle belonged to King
Edward the Confessor before the conquest, and 360 acres of it were
assigned to his consort, Queen Editha. The expansion of the 3 carucates
into 4, mentioned in _Domesday Book_, was probably (as in many other
recorded cases) due to the reclamation of land hitherto waste in flood or
forest.
On the death of King Edward in 1066 the royal demesnes naturally passed
to his successor and kinsman, William the Conqueror, and in due course to
the successive Norman kings of his line.
The connection of Horncastle with the sovereign is shown in various ways.
Documents relating to the earlier kings are naturally rare, since for
many years law courts were hardly yet established, the royal power being
rather that of "might" than of "right." {13c} Even the sale, or
devising, of property could only be legally effected by the king's
licence. Among the Carlisle papers connected with Horncastle is one
which shows that a matter which in modern times would be settled by the
parish overseers, or more recently by the Urban Council, was to be
formerly carried out only by the royal sanction. There is a Patent Roll
of the 13th year of King Richard II. (pt. 1, m. 3) entitled "Concerning
the paving of Horncastre," and running as follows:--"The King to the
Bailiff and proved men of the vill of Horncastre, greeting. Know, that
in aid of paving your said vill, of our special grace we have granted to
you, that from the day of the making of these presents to the end of 3
years, you may take, for things coming to the said vill for sale, the
customs underwritten." Then follows a long list of articles for sale, of
which we can only specify a few here, viz.: "For every horse load of
corn, 0.25d., for every dole of wine, 2d.; for every pipe of ditto, 1s.;
for every hide, fresh, salt, or tanned, 0.25d.; for 100 skins of roebucks
(it seems that there were wild deer in those days), hares, rabbits,
foxes, or squirrels, 0.5d.; for every horse load of cloth, 0.5d.; for
every cloth of worstede, called 'coverlyt,' value 40s., 1d.; for every
100 of linen web of Aylesham, 1d.; for every chief of strong cendal
(silk) 1d.; for 100 mullets, salt or dry, 1d.; for every cart of fish,
1d.; for every horse load of sea fish, 0.25d.; for every salmon, 0.25d.;
for every last of herrings (12 barrels), 6d.; for every horse load of
honey, 1d.; for every wey of tallow (256 lbs.), 1d.; for every milstone,
0.5d.; for 1,000 turfs, 0.25d. For every other kind of merchandise not
here specified, of value 5s. and over, 0.25d.; and the term of 3 years
being ended, the said customs shall cease. Witness the King, at
Westminster, 9 Nov., 1389."
Truly the kingly government was a paternal one to take cognizance of such
petty local matters. The "coggle" pavement of Horncastle is often
complained of, but at least it had the royal sanction.
A Roll of the 18th year of Edward III. (m 8), dated Westminster, 28 June,
1344, is directed "to his very dear and faithful John de Kirketon, Fitz
Hugh de Cressy," (and others) assigning them "to choose and array 100 men
at arms in the County of Lincoln," and (among others) "6 hoblers in the
vill of Horncastre, to be at Portsmouth, to set out with the King against
Philip VI., de Valesco (Valois)." This was the beginning of the campaign
of Edward and his son the Black Prince, which terminated with the
glorious battle of Cressy and the capture of Calais. "Hoblers" were a
sort of yeomanry who, by the terms of their tenure of land were bound to
keep a light "nag" for military service.
A Domestic State Paper of Queen Elizabeth (Vol. 51, No. 12, III) contains
the "Certificate of the town and soke of Horncastle to the artycles of
the Queen's Majesty's most Honorable Pryvye Councell," dated 27 June,
1569, shewing what "soldiers were furnished and went forth under Captaine
Carsey." These were formerly the well-known local troops called
"trainbands." The paper contains, further, accounts of payments for
"towne common armour, jerkyns, swords, daggers, corslettes, 1 caline
(piece of ordnance), conduct money (_i.e._ hire money), pioneers,
victuals," &c. Accounts rendered by Thomas Hamerton, Arthur Patchytt,
Thomas Raythbeake (all formerly well known names in the town), and
others.
The head of the Carsey family was the owner of the Revesby Abbey Estate,
and as such was lesse of the manor of Horncastle under the Bishop of
Carlisle. They sold their property, in 1575, to Thomas Cecil, son of
Lord Treasurer Burleigh.
There is another Carlisle document in connection with these trained bands
among the same Domestic State Papers of Queen Elizabeth (Vol. 199, No.
7), in which the Earl of Rutland writes to Anthony Thorold, sheriff, that
he has instructions "from the Lords of the Counsaile to put in strength
the power of the realme for the maritime counties," and he asks him to
"choose captaines for the yet untrained companies, and to supply the
place of Mr. John Savile for Horncastle." N.B.--The Saviles owned
Poolham Hall in Edlington. On this (State Papers, Eliz., Vol. 199, No.
72) the Earl writes to Mr. Valentine Brown that he thinks him "meete to
supply the place for Horncastle," dated London, 29 March, 1586-7. Sir
Valentine Brown was of Croft and East Kirkby, and Treasurer of Ireland;
he married the daughter of Sir John Monson, ancestor of the present Lord
Oxenbridge.
Among the Domestic State Papers of Charles I. (Vol. 376, No. 123), is a
petition from the inhabitants of Horncastle to Sir Anthony Irbie, Knt.,
sheriff of the county, complaining that the town was over-rated for the
payment of "ship-money," and praying for a reduction of the same. The
county was charged 8,000 pounds. This rate, levied to maintain the navy,
created widespread dissatisfaction and eventually led to the revolution.
It was included among the grievances against which public protests were
made in 1641. The five judges who pronounced in its favour were
imprisoned, and Hampden received a wound in a skirmish with Prince
Rupert, from which he died, June 24, 1643. Petitions were also presented
to Sir Edward Hussey, sheriff, 1636-7, as given in Domestic State Papers,
Charles I., Vol. 345, No. 42.
[Picture: Horncastle map]
It has been already stated that in the reign of Stephen this manor was
held by Adelias, or Adelidis, de Cundi. How this came about is not quite
clear, whether it was inherited from her father, William de Cheney, who
was probably among the Normans invited to immigrate by Edward the
Confessor, since it would seem that at the time of the conquest he was
already a large owner in the county, or from her husband, Robert de
Cundi, a Fleming, probably named from the town and fortress of Conde on
the frontier of France, situated on the Scheldt, in the department du
Nord. There is, however, evidence to show that she had other possessions
of considerable value apparently in her own right in Nottinghamshire and
Kent, as well as Lincolnshire. {16a} She is described by the old
chronicler, Geoffrey Gairmar, {16b} as a great patroness of learning and
literature.
The Cheneys, or Chesneys, were apparently of foreign extraction, as
implied by their appellation "de Casineto." They had considerable
influence at various periods, one of them being knighted, another made a
baron by Queen Elizabeth. {16c} One, Robert de Cheney, was a powerful
Bishop of Lincoln (A.D. 1147-67) and built one of the finest castles in
England, the ruins of which still remain in the Palace grounds at
Lincoln. {16d} The Cheney pedigree is given in _The Genealogist_ of
July, 1901. They seem to have settled in Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire,
as well as in Lincolnshire. Sir Thomas Cheney, K.G., was Lord Warden of
the Cinque Ports in the latter part of the 16th century. The Cheneys
fell into decay towards the end of the 17th century, and at the beginning
of the 18th century we find them in trade at Boston. About 1750 William
Garfit of Boston married Mary, daughter of Thomas Cheney, and the name,
as a Christian name, still survives in that family. The Cheneys, we may
add, were among the ancestors of the Willoughbys, {16e} and the parish of
Cheneys, in Bucks., doubtless named after them, is now the property of
the Duke of Bedford.
The granddaughter of Adelias de Cundi, Agnes, {16f} married Walter, son
of Walter de Clifford of Clifford Castle, Hereford. Walter Clifford is
named in the first great charter of Henry III. (A.D. 1216), along with
the great nobles Walter de Lacy, William de Ferrars, Earl of Derby,
William, Earl of Albemarle, and others.
William de Cheney, already mentioned as father of Adelias de Cundi, was
"Lord of Caenby and Glentham," and Walter de Clifford also is mentioned
in the charters of Barlings Abbey as giving to that monastery lands in
Caenby and Glentham, along with the above Walter de Lacy. The great
feature of the reign of Stephen was the large number of castles erected
by lords who were almost more powerful than their sovereign, and Adelias
built her castle at Horncastle, where she resided in great state until,
on her favouring the cause of the Empress Maud, daughter of the previous
king, Henry I. (whereas Stephen was only his nephew), her lands were
confiscated, and, as we have already seen, only restored on condition
that her castle was demolished. {17a} This restoration was, however,
only for life and on her demise the manor reverted to the crown.
The manor was next granted by Henry II. to Gerbald de Escald, a Flemish
noble. {17b} This is shewn by a record still preserved at Carlisle,
dated 1274-5. In the reign of Edward I. an inquisition was made at
Lincoln, before 12 jurors of the soke of Horncastle, among the
Commissioners being John de Haltham, Anselm de Rugthon (Roughton), Thomas
de Camera (_i.e._ Chambers) of Horncastre, the King's Justices and
others, when it was declared that "the Lord Henry III., the father of
King Edward who now is, once had the manor of Horncastre, and he
enfeoffed Gerbald de Escald, a knight of Flanders, thereof, for his
service, viz., by doing one knight's fee for the Lord the King."
Gerbald was succeeded by his grandson and heir, Gerard de Rhodes. This
is shewn by a Carlisle document. {17c} A dispute arose between Hugh, son
of Ralph (surname not given) and Gerard de Rhodes, concerning the manor
and soke of Horncastle, the advowson of the church, &c., which were
claimed by the said Hugh; but a compromise was effected, 400 marks being
paid to Hugh, and Gerard de Rhodes left in undisputed possession.
It has been thought probable that this Ralph, father of Hugh, was
Ranulph, Earl of Chester, who was lord of the manors of Revesby and
Hareby, and had other possessions in the neighbourhood. He, it is
supposed, held the manor of Horncastle, as trustee, during the minority
of Gerard. Gerard was, in due course, succeeded by his son and heir,
Ralph de Rhodes, in the reign of Henry III. This again is proved by a
Feet of Fines, {17d} which records an "agreement made in the court of the
Lord King at Westminster (3 Feb., A.D. 1224-5), between Henry del Ortiay
and Sabina his wife on the one part, and the said Ralph de Rhodes on the
other part," whereby the former acknowledge certain lands and
appurtenances in Horncastle and its soke to be the property of the said
Ralph, and he grants to them, as his tenants, certain lands; they, in
acknowledgement, "rendering him therefor, by the year, one pair of gilt
spurs at Easter for all service and exactions."
We have now reached another stage in the tenure of this manor and find
ourselves once more at the point where the present chapter opened.
Hitherto the manor had been held "in capite" (or "in chief") of the king
by lay lords, or, in the two cases of Queen Editha and Adelias de Condi,
by a lady; but in this reign Walter Mauclerk, the third Bishop of
Carlisle, purchased the manor from Ralph de Rhodes. He was himself a
powerful Norman and held the office of Treasurer of the Exchequer (a
common combination of civil and ecclesiastical duties in those days), but
now he and his successors were bound "to do suit and service to Ralph and
his heirs." This purchase is proved by a Lincoln document called a "Plea
Quo Warranto," which records a case argued before the Justices Itinerant,
in the reign of Edward I., when it was stated that Ralph de Rhodes
"enfeoffed Walter Mauclerk to hold the church, manor and appurtenances in
Horncastre, to him and his heirs, of the gift of the said Ralph." {18a}
That the Bishop, although an ecclesiastic, was bound to do service to the
heirs of Ralph is shown by another document, {18b} in which John, son of
Gerard de Rhodes, a descendant of Ralph, makes a grant to certain parties
of "the homage and whole service of the Bishop of Carlisle, and his
successors, for the manor (&c.) of Horncastre, which Gerard, son of
Gerard my brother, granted to me." This is dated the 13th year of Edward
I., 1285, whereas the actual sale of the manor took place in the reign of
Henry III., A.D. 1230, and was confirmed by the king in the same year.
{18c}
We have called this another stage in the tenure of this manor and for
this reason, an ecclesiastic of high rank, with the authority of the Pope
of Rome at his back, was a more powerful subject than any lay baron, and
this influence soon shewed itself, for while the lay lords of the manor
had been content with doing their service to the king, and exacting
service from those holding under them, the Bishop of Carlisle, in the
first year of his tenure, obtained from the king three charters,
conferring on the town of Horncastle immunities and privileges, which had
the effect of raising the town from the status of little more than a
village to that of the general mart of the surrounding country. The
first of these charters gave the bishop, as lord of the manor, the right
of free warren throughout the soke {18d}; the second gave him licence to
hold an annual fair two days before the feast of St. Barnabas (June 11),
to continue eight days; the third empowered him to hang felons. An
additional charter was granted in the following year empowering the
bishop to hold a weekly market on Wednesday (die Mercurii), which was
afterwards changed to Saturday, on which day it is still held; also to
hold another fair on the eve of the Feast of St. Laurence (Aug. 10th), to
continue seven days. {18e}
We here quote a few words of the original Carlisle charter, as shewing
the style of such documents in those days: "Henry to all Bishops,
Bailiffs, Provosts, servants, &c., health. Know that we, by the guidance
of God, and for the health of our soul, and of the souls of our ancestors
and descendants, have granted, and confirmed by this present charter, to
God, and the church of the blessed Mary of Carlisle, and to the Venerable
Father, Walter, Bishop of Carlisle," &c. It then goes on to specify,
among other privileges, that the bishop shall have "all chattells of
felons and fugitives, all amerciaments and fines from all men and tenants
of the manor and soke; that the bishop and his successors shall be quit
for ever to the king of all mercies, fines (&c.), that no constable of
the king shall have power of entry, but that the whole shall pertain to
the said bishop, except attachments touching pleas of the crown, and that
all chattells, &c., either in the king's court, or any other, shall be
the bishop's." Then follow cases in which chattells of Robert Mawe, a
fugitive, were demanded by the bishop, and 24 pounds exacted from the
township of Horncastle in lieu thereof; also 40s. from William, son of
Drogo de Horncastre, for trespass, and other fines from Ralph Ascer,
bailiff. Robert de Kirkby, &c., &c. The same document states that the
bishop has a gallows (furcae) at Horncastle for hanging offenders within
the soke; and, in connection with this we may observe that in the south
of the town is still a point called "Hangman's Corner."
These extensive powers, however, would hardly seem (to use the words of
the charter) to have been "for the good of the souls" of the bishop or
his successors, since they rather had the effect of leading him to the
abuse of his rights. Accordingly, in the reign of Edward III., a plea
was entered at Westminster, before the King's Justices, {19a} by which
John, Bishop of Carlisle, was charged with resisting the authority of the
king in the matter of the patronage of the benefice of Horncastle. That
benefice was usually in the gift of the bishop, but the rector, Simon de
Islip, had been appointed by the king Archbishop of Canterbury and, in
such circumstances, the crown by custom presents to the vacancy. The
bishop resisted and proceeded to appoint his own nominee, but the
judgment of the court was against him.
A somewhat similar case occurred a few years later. {19b} Thomas de
Appleby, the Bishop of Carlisle, and John de Rouseby, clerk, were
"summoned to answer to the Lord the King, that they permit him to appoint
to the church of Horncastre, vacant, and belonging to the king's gift, by
reason of the bishopric of Carlisle being recently vacant." It was
argued that John de Kirkby, Bishop of Carlisle, had presented Simon de
Islip to that benefice, afterwards created Archbishop of Canterbury, and
that the temporalities (patronage, &c.) of the Bishopric of Carlisle
therefore (for that turn) came to the king by the death of John de
Kirkby, bishop. The said bishop, Thomas de Appleby, and John de Rouseby
brought the case before the court, but they admitted the justice of the
king's plea and judgment was given for the king.
We have said that although Walter Mauclerk, as Bishop of Carlisle, bought
this manor from Ralph de Rhodes, he and his successors were still bound
to "do suit and service" to Ralph and his heirs, and in the brief summary
with which this chapter opened we named Roger le Scrope and Margaret his
wife, with Robert Tibetot and Eva his wife, among those descendants of
Ralph de Rhodes. We have fuller mention of them in documents which we
here quote. In a Roll of the reign of Edward I., {19c} John, son of
Gerard de Rhodes, says "Know all, present and future, that I, John, son
of Gerard, have granted, and by this charter confirmed, to the Lord
Robert Tibetot and Eva his wife (among other things) the homage and whole
service of the Bishop of Carlisle, and his successors, for the manor of
Horncastre, with appurtenances, &c., which Gerard, son of Gerard my
brother, granted to me, &c., to have and to hold of the Lord the King . .
. rendering for them annually to me and my heirs 80 pounds sterling."
While in another Roll {20a} of the reign of Richard II., the king states
that having inspected the above he confirms the grants, not only to the
said "Robert Tybetot and his wife Eve," but also "to our very dear and
faithful Roger le Scrope and Margaret his wife," recognizing them, it
would seem, as descendants of the earlier grantee, Gerbald de Escald,
from whom they all inherited.
Of these personages we may here say that both Tibetots and Le Scrope were
of high position and influence. The name of Thebetot, or Tibetot, is
found in the Battle Abbey Roll, as given by the historians Stow and
Holinshed; {20b} with a slight variation of name, as Tibtofts, they were
Lords of Langer, Co. Notts., and afterwards Earls of Worcester. {20c}
According to the historian, Camden, John Tibtoft was Lord-Lieutenant of
Ireland under Henry VI., created by him Earl of Worcester, but executed
for treason. {20d} His successor, John, was Lord Deputy under Edward IV.
{20e} The last of the Tibetots, Robert, died without male issue; his
three daughters were under the guardianship of Richard le Scrope, who
married the eldest daughter, Margaret, to his son Roger. This is the one
named above in connection with Horncastle. The Tibetot property of
Langer, Notts., thus passed to the Le Scropes, and continued in that
family down to Emanuel, created Earl of Sunderland by Charles I., AD.
1628. {20f} Castle Combe in Wiltshire was one of their residences, {20g}
but their chief seat was Bolton in Richmondshire. {20h} William le
Scrope was created Earl of Wiltshire by Richard II., but beheaded when
that king was dethroned and murdered, in 1399. {20i} Richard le Scrope
was Archbishop of York, but condemned by Henry IV. for treason. {20j}
The name Le Scrope also appears in the Battle Abbey Roll of the
Conqueror. Thus in both Tibetots and Scropes Horncastle was connected
with families who played a considerable part in public life.
In the reign of Edward VI. there was a temporary change in the ownership
of this manor. Among the Carlisle Papers is one {20k} by which that king
grants permission to Robert Aldrich, Bishop of Carlisle, to sell "to our
very dear and faithful councellor, Edward Fynes, K.G., Lord Clinton and
Saye, High Admiral of England, the lordship and soke of Horncastre, with
all rights, appurtenances, &c., to hold to himself, his heirs and assigns
for ever," and that he, the said Edward, "can give and grant to the said
Robert, bishop, an annual rent of 28 pounds 6s. 8d." We have, however,
in this case an illustration of the instability even of royal decrees, in
that on the demise of that worthy prince, to whom the realm and Church of
England owe so much, his successor, Queen Mary, in the very next year,
A.D. 1553, cancelled this sale, and a document exists at Carlisle {21a}
showing that she "granted a licence," probably in effect compulsory, to
the same Lord Clinton and Saye, "to alienate his lordship and soke of
Horncastle and to re-convey it to Robert Aldrich, Bishop of Carlisle."
His Lordship would, however, appear to have continued to hold the manor
on lease under the bishop, and to have acted in a somewhat high-handed
manner to his spiritual superior, probably under the influence of the
change in religious sentiment between the reigns of "the bloody Mary,"
and her sister Elizabeth of glorious memory. For again we find a
document {21b} of the reign of the latter, in which the Bishop of
Carlisle complains to Sir Francis Walsingham, the Queen's Commissioner,
of a "book of Horncastle," which the Earl of Lincoln (the new title of
Lord Clinton and Saye) had sent to him "to be sealed," because (he says)
the earl, by the words of the grant, had taken from him "lands and tithes
of the yearly value of 28 pounds 6s. 8d.," the exact sum, be it observed,
above specified as the rent to be paid by Lord Clinton and Saye to the
bishop, Robert Aldrich. Of this, he asserts, "the see of Carlisle is
seized and the earl is not in legal possession by his lease now 'in
esse.'" {21c} He wages his suit "the more boldly, because of the
extraordinary charges he has been at, from the lamentable scarcity in the
country, the great multitude of poor people, and other charges before he
came had made him a poor man, and yet he must go on with it . . . the
number of them which want food to keep their lives in their bodies is so
pitiful. If the Lord Warden and he did not charge themselves a great
number would die of hunger, and some have done so," dated Rose Castle, 26
May, 1578.
His lordship, however, did one good turn to the town of Horncastle in
founding the Grammar School, in the 13th year of the reign of Elizabeth,
A.D. 1571, although (as we shall show in our chapter on the school) this
was really not strictly a foundation but a re-establishment; as a grammar
school is known to have existed in the town more than two centuries
earlier.
We have one more record of Lord Clinton's connection with the town, from
which it would appear that the Priory of Bullington, near Wragby, and
Kirkstead Abbey also had property in Horncastle. A Carlisle document
{21d} shows that in the reign of Edward VI. Lord Clinton and Saye
received a grant of "lands, tenements and hereditaments in Horncastle,
late in the tenure of Alexander Rose and his assigns, and formerly of the
dissolved monastery of Bollington; also two tenements, one house, two
'lez bark houses' (Horncastle tanners would seem even then to have
flourished), one house called 'le kylne howse,' one 'le garthing,' 14
terrages of land in the fields of Thornton, with appurtenances lying in
Horncastle, &c., and once belonging to the monastery of Kyrkestead."
As in other places the Clinton family seem to have been succeeded by the
Thymelbys, of these we have several records. An Escheator's Inquisition
of the reign of Henry VIII., {22a} taken by Roger Hilton, at Horncastle,
Oct. 5, 1512, shewed that "Richard Thymylby, Esquire, was seized of the
manor of Parish-fee, in Horncastre, held of the Bishop of Carlisle, as of
his soke of Horncastre, by fealty, and a rent of 7 pounds by the year."
He was also "seized of one messuage, with appurtenances, in Horncastre,
called Fool-thyng, parcel of the said manor of Parish-fee." {22b} The
said Richard died 3 March, 3 Henry VIII. (A.D. 1512). This was, however,
by no means the first of this family connected with Horncastle. Deriving
their name from the parish of Thimbleby, in the soke of Horncastle, we
find the first mention of a Thymelby in that parish in a post mortem
Inquisition of the reign of Edward III., {22c} which shews that Nicholas
de Thymelby then held land in Thimbleby under the Bishop of Carlisle,
A.D. 1333; but nearly a century before that date a Lincoln document {22d}
mentions one Ivo, son of Odo de Thymelby, as holding under the Bishop in
Horncastle, in the reign of Henry III., A.D. 1248.
Further, in the reign of Edward I., as is shewn by a Harleian MS., in the
British Museum, {22e} Richard de Thymelby was Dean of Horncastle; Thomas,
son of the above Nicholas de Thymelby, presented to the benefice of
Ruckland in 1381, John de Thymelby presented to Tetford in 1388, and John
again to Somersby in 1394, {22f} and other members of the family
presented at later periods. The family continued to advance in wealth
and position until in the reign of Edward VI. it was found by an
Inquisition {22g} that Matthew Thymelby, of Poolham (their chief
residence in this neighbourhood), owned the manor of Thymbleby, that of
Parish-fee in Horncastle and five others, with lands in eight other
parishes, and the advowsons of Ruckland, Farforth, Somersby and Tetford.
He married Anne, daughter of Sir Robert Hussey. Other influential
marriages were those of John Thymelby, "Lord of Polum" (Poolham), to
Isabel, {22h} daughter of Sir John Fflete, Knt. (circa 1409); William
(probably) to Joan, daughter of Sir Walter Tailboys (circa 1432), {22i} a
connection of the Earl of Angus; Matthew's widow marrying Sir Robert
Savile, Knt. {22j}
[Picture: Plan of Horncastle, 1908--from the Ordnance Survey]
In connection with the marriage of William to Joan Tailboys we may
mention that the base, all that now remains, of the churchyard cross at
Tetford bears on its west side the Thimbleby arms "differenced" with
those of Tailboys, the north side having the Thimbleby arms pure and
simple. {24a}
Another important marriage was that of Richard Thimbleby (A.D. 1510) to
Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of Godfrey Hilton of Irnham Manor near
Grantham, through which alliance that property passed to the Thimblebys.
It had been granted to Ralph Paganel by the Conqueror, afterwards passed
to Sir Andrew Luterel, Knt., and later to Sir Geoffrey Hilton, Knt.
Richard Thimbleby built Irnham Hall; he was succeeded by his son and
heir, Sir John Thimbleby, who thus became the head of the family, which
has in later times become almost extinct. This fine mansion, in the
Tudor style of architecture, standing in a deer park of more than 250
acres, was destroyed by fire, Nov. 12, 1887, being then owned by W.
Hervey Woodhouse, Esq., who bought it of Lord Clifford's son. {24b}
Turning again to the Carlisle documents we find one of the reign of
Edward III., {24c} giving an agreement made in the King's Court at
Westminster (20 Jan., 1353-4), "between Thomas, son of Nicholas de
Thymelby, plaintiff, and Henry Colvile, knt., and Margaret his wife,
deforciants," whereby, among other property, the latter acknowledge that
certain "messuages, one mill, ten acres of land (_i.e._ arable), two
pastures, and 7 pounds of rent, with appurtenances, in Horncastre,
Thimilby, and Bokeland (_i.e._ Woodhall), are of the right of the said
Thomas; and for this the said Thomas gives to the said Henry and Margaret
200 marks of silver."
Another document of the same reign, {24d} of date 1360-1, states that
Gilbert de Wilton, Bishop of Carlisle, "gives 60s. for the King's licence
to remit to Thomas son of Nicholas de Thymelby, and John his younger
brother, the service of being Reeve (_i.e._ Bailiff) of the Bishop, and
other services, which are due from him to the said Bishop for lands and
tenements held of the said Bishop in Horncastre," and elsewhere. Another
document, {24e} dated a few years later, shews an agreement made at
Westminster, between Thomas Thymelby and his brother John, on the one
part, and Frederick de Semerton and Amice his wife, deforciants,
concerning four tofts, certain land, and 7 pounds of rent, with
appurtenances, in Horncastre and contiguous parts, by which "the said
Frederick and Amice acknowledge these (properties) to be of the right of
the said Thomas and his brother," and for this Thomas pays them 100 marks
of silver. Two other Carlisle documents of considerably later date refer
to members of this same family of Thymelby, but are chiefly of value as
introducing to us a new name among Horncastle owners of land.
A Chancery Inquisition {24f} taken at Horncastle, 24 Sept., 1612, shews
that "John Kent, of Langton, was seized in his manor of Horncastell, with
the appurtenances, called Parish-fee, and certain messuages, cottages,
land and meadows in Horncastell (and elsewhere), lately purchased of
Robert Savile and Richard Thymelby," and "held under the Bishop of
Carlisle by fealty," . . . that "the said John Kent died 19 Sept., 1611,
and that William Kent, his son, is next heir."
We have already seen that, about 60 years before, the widow of Matthew
Thymelby had married Sir Robert Savile; he belonged to an old and
influential family now represented by Lord Savile of Rufford Abbey,
Notts., and the Earl of Mexborough, Methley Park, Yorkshire. By the
aforesaid marriage the bulk of the Thymelby property passed to the
Saviles, and like the Thymelbys they had their chief residence, in this
neighbourhood, at Poolham Hall, owning among many other possessions the
aforesaid sub-manor of Parish-fee in Horncastle, which, as we have seen,
was sold by their joint action to John Kent of Langton. We have already
had mention of a John Savile who was apparently captain of the "trained
band" connected with Horncastle in the reign of Elizabeth, A.D. 1586 (see
p. 14); Gervase Holles mentions this John Savile as joint lord of
Somersby with Andrew Gedney, and lord of Tetford in the same reign.
(_Collectanea_, vol. iii, p. 770).
From another document {25a} it would seem that, some 10 or 11 years
later, Richard Thymelby and Robert Savile were involved in a more than
questionable transaction with regard to the property thus transferred.
Among the Carlisle papers is a Petition in Chancery, of which we here
give the text, slightly abridged, as it is remarkable, and fittingly
brings to a close our notices of the Thymelbys in connection with
Horncastle.
To the Right Honble. Sir Francis Bacon, Knt., Lord Chancellor of England.
Complainant sheweth, on the oath of your petitioner, Evan Reignolds, of
St. Catherine's, Co. Middlesex, gent., and Joan his wife, that, whereas
Richard Thymelby, some time of Poleham, Co. Lincoln, Esq., deceased, was
seized of the manors of Poleham, Thimbleby, Horsington, Stixwold,
Buckland, Horncastle, Edlington (&c.), and tenements in Langton,
Blankney, Baumber, and in one pasture inclosed for 1000 sheep, called
Heirick (High-Rig, in Woodhall, near Poolham) pasture, &c., whereof
Robert Savile was seized for life, conveyed the same to his father-in-law
Robert Savile . . . the said Richard Thymelby, going up to London,
negotiated to sell the property to one Richard Gardiner, and for 2,300
pounds engaged, at his desire, to convey all to John Wooton, the 2,300
pounds was paid to Richard Thymelby and bargain settled July 15, 6
Elizabeth (A.D. 1564). {25b} A dispute arose in the following year
between Richard Thymelby and Robert Savile, which was submitted to
arbitrators (Feb. 15, 7 Elizabeth), who ordered Richard Thymelby to pay
Robert Savile 1,500 pounds, and Robert Savile should then convey all to
Richard Thymelby. The 1,500 pounds was paid and afterwards the two
"confederated to defraud the said Richard Gardiner and conveyed the said
manors to John Kent." The judgment of the court is not given, but
neither of the defendants, surely, cut a very creditable figure, and
Richard Thymelby, suitably, we must admit, passes from the scene.
Of the Saviles we may here give a few more particulars. Gervase Holles,
the antiquary, mentions in his _Collectanea_ (vol. iii, p. 770) John
Savile, Esq., as Lord of the Manor of Tetford, in this neighbourhood, in
the reign of Elizabeth, and as joint Lord of Somersby with Andrew Gedney,
Esq. (of the latter and his wife there is a very fine sepulchral monument
in the church of the adjoining parish of Bag Enderby). The most
distinguished literary member of the family was Sir Henry Savile, a
learned mathematician, Fellow and Warden of Merton College, Oxford, and
Provost of Eton; a munificent patron of learning, founding Professorships
of Astronomy and Geography at his University; he wrote a _Treatise on
Roman Warfare_, but his great work was a translation of the writings of
St. Chrysostom, a monument of industry and learning; he was knighted by
James I., and his bust is carved in stone in the quadrangle of the
Bodleian Library at Oxford, among those of other benefactors. Charles I.
conferred the Earldom of Sussex on Thomas, Lord Savile of Pontefract.
Several members of the family were Seneschals, or Stewards, of Wakefield.
George was created Marquis of Halifax, another was Baron of the
Exchequer. The name is given in the Conqueror's Roll of Battle Abbey
(A.D. 1066), Hollinshed's version, as Sent Ville, in Stow's version as
Sant Vile, while a Chancery Inquisition (of 18 Henry VII., No. 46,
_Architectural Society's Journal_, 1895, p. 17) gives it as Say-vile, and
on the analogy of Nevill, formerly de Nova-villa, we may perhaps assume
that the original form was de Sancta-villa (or "of the Holy City"); which
may well have been adopted by one who had made a pilgrimage to
Canterbury, Rome, or Jerusalem itself.
I should, however, add that a member of the family, Miss Elizabeth J.
Savile, who has herself dug to the roots of the genealogical tree, gives
a different version of their origin. According to her they are descended
from the Dukes de Savelli, who again trace their lineage from the still
more ancient Sabella in Italy. When John Savile, 2nd son of Sir John
Savile, travelled in Italy in the time of James I., the then Duke de
Savelli received him as a kinsman. Of this family were the Popes
Honorius III. and Honorius IV. A MS. Visitation in the British Museum
says "It is conceived, that this family came into England with Geoffrey
Plantagenet, rather than with the Conqueror, because there are two towns
of this name on the frontiers of Anjou, both of which were annexed to the
crown of England when the said Geoffrey married Maud, sole daughter and
heir of Henry I." This is said to have been taken from the Savile
pedigree in the keeping of Henry Savile of Bowlings, Esq., living in
1665. The Saviles of Methley trace their descent, in the male line, from
this Sir John Savile of Savile Hall. One branch, the Saviles of
Thornhill, are now represented in the female line by the Duke of
Devonshire, and the Savile Foljambes, one of whom is the present Lord
Hawkesbury. The Saviles of Copley, now extinct, are represented by the
Duke of Norfolk, and a younger branch by the Earls of Mexborough. The
opinion that they came from Anjou is generally accepted, the authorities
being _Yorkshire Pedigrees_, _British Museum Visitations_, Gregorovius,
uno frio, Panvinio, and other chroniclers.
We now proceed to notice the other persons, of more or less repute, who
were at various periods owners in Horncastle. In the 3rd year of King
John we find Gerard de Camville paying fees for land in Horncastle by his
deputy, Hugo Fitz Richard, to the amount of 836 pounds, which was a large
sum in those days. {26a} He was sheriff of the county, A.D. 1190, along
with Hugo. {26b} The name, however, is more known for the celebrated
defence of Lincoln Castle by Nicholaia de Camville against the besieging
forces of King Stephen in 1191, and again in her old age against Henry
III., assisted by Louis, Dauphin of France. An ancestor of William de
Camville is named in the Battle Abbey Roll, among those Normans who came
over with the Conqueror.
William de Lizures and Eudo de Bavent are also named as paying similar
fees, though to smaller amounts. The de Lizures were a powerful
Yorkshire family, who inter-married with the De Lacys of Pontefract
Castle and inherited some of their large estates. {27a} Among these, one
was the neighbouring manor of Kirkby-on-Bain, which would seem to have
passed to the Lady Albreda Lizures; {27b} they probably derived their
name from the town of Lisieux, near Harfleur in Normandy. We soon lose
sight of this family in England, and they seem to have migrated northward
and to have acquired lands in Scotland. The name De Lizures is common in
Scottish Cartularies, for instance in the Cartulary of Kelso, p. 257
(_Notes & Queries_, series 2, vol. xii, p. 435). In 1317 William and
Gregory de Lizures were Lords of Gorton, and held lands near Roslyn
Castle, Edinburgh (_Genealogie of the Saint Claires of Roslyn_, by Father
Augustin Hay, re-published Edinburgh, 1835), [_Notes & Queries_, 3rd
series, vol. i, p. 173].
The De Bavents were also a distinguished family, their connection with
Horncastle survives in the name of a field in the south of the parish, on
the Rye farm, which is called "Bavent's Close." A few particulars of
this family may not be without interest. The earliest named are Richard
de Bavent in 1160, {27c} and Eudo de Bavent in 1161, {27d} as holding the
manor of Mareham-le-Fen, in the extreme south of the Horncastle soke,
under Henry II., "by service of falconry." {27e} Eudo (about 1200) gave
"to God, the Cathedral, and Chapter of Lincoln," his lands in the north
fen of Bilsby. {27f} The family seem to have gradually increased their
possessions in this neighbourhood. In 1290, under Edward I., we find
Jollan de Bavent holding lands in Billesby and Winceby, as well as
Mareham. {27g} In 1319, under Edward II., Robert de Bavent holds his
land in Billesby of the King by the service of supplying "3 falcons for
the royal use," {27h} and, under Edward III., certain trustees of Peter
de Bavent, by his will, transfer the manor of Mareham to the convent of
Revesby, to provide a monk who shall daily throughout the year say masses
"for the souls of the said Peter and Catherine, his wife, for ever."
{27i} Truly "L' homme propose, et Dieu dispose," for from this time
forward we hear little of the Bavents. They may "call their lands after
their own names," "Bavent's Close" survives, but of the whilom owner we
can only say, in the words of Coleridge:
The knight's bones are dust,
And his good sword rust,
His soul is with
The saints, we trust.
Another family of distinction connected with Horncastle was that of the
Angevines. Among the Carlisle documents is one {27j} shewing that a
trial was held at Horncastle (A.D. 1489-90), in which Sir Robert Dymoke,
Knt., and William Angevin, Esq., recovered possession of 400 acres of
land, with tofts and appurtenances, in Horncastle and its soke, from John
Hodgisson and his wife, John Cracroft, Gervase Clifton (of Clifton) and
others. This family probably acquired their name thus: William the
Conqueror brought to England from Normandy a body of troops called the
"Angevine auxiliaries" (from the province of Anjou), and their
descendants were granted lands in various parts of the kingdom. One
family especially seems to have adopted this name, which was variously
spelt as Angevine, Aungelyne, Aungeby, &c.; they settled in various parts
of this county at an early period, and Horncastle being a royal manor
they naturally were located in this neighbourhood. We find traces of
them at Whaplode in the south, Saltfleetby in the north, and
Theddlethorpe midway, in the 12th and 14th centuries. {28a} Among
Lincoln records is the will of Robert Angevin, Gent., {28b} of Langton by
Horncastle, dated 25 April, 1545, in which he requests to be buried in
the Church of St. Margaret (then a much larger edifice than the present);
he leaves to his son land in Hameringham, and to his widow, for life, and
his four daughters, lands in Burnsall, Hebden, Conyseat and Norton, in
the County of York. His brother, John Angevin, resided at West Ashby,
then a hamlet of Horncastle. William Angevin, Gent., of Theddlethorpe
{28c} is named in the official list of Lincolnshire freeholders made in
1561, and the name also appears in the Visitation of 1562, but all traces
of the family disappear before the time of the commonwealth.
The same Carlisle document {28d} mentions Thomas Fitz-William as
concerned in the said dispute, as being a Horncastle proprietor; while,
further, another Carlisle document of the time of Henry VIII., shows that
Thomas Fitz-William, Esq., was seized of one capital messuage, 6 other
messuages, 4 tofts and 100 acres of land in Horncastle, held of the Prior
of Carlisle, and John Fitz-William was his heir. {28e} The Fitz-Williams
again were a very ancient and distinguished family, the name is found in
the Battle Abbey Roll of William the Conqueror. The family claim descent
from Sir William Fitz-Goderic, cousin of King Edward the Confessor. His
son, Sir William Fitz-William, has been said (as the name might imply) to
have been really a natural son of William the Conqueror himself, {28f}
but the more generally accepted version is that Fitz-Goderic was his
father. Sir William Fitz-William accompanied the Duke of Normandy to
England as Marshal of his army, and for his bravery at the battle of
Hastings the Conqueror gave him a scarf from his own arm. A descendant,
in the reign of Elizabeth, was thrice Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; he was
also Governor of Fotheringhay Castle when the unfortunate Queen Mary of
Scotland was imprisoned there, and before she was beheaded she gave him a
portrait of herself, which is still preserved at Milton House, near
Peterborough, one of the seats of the Earls Fitz-William, who now
represent the family, Baron of Milton being their second title. A Patent
of Edward IV. (A.D. 1461) {28g} shows that Richard Fitz-William had the
privilege granted to him by that King of "free warren" at Ulceby, near
Alford.
An Inquisition in the reign of Henry VII. {29a} (A.D. 1502) shows that
Thomas Fitz-William held the manors of Mavis Enderby, Maidenwell and
Mablethorpe. The list of magistrates for the county in the reign of
Henry VIII. {29b} contains the name of George Fitz-William along with
Lionel Dymoke, Lord Willoughby, and others; while an Inquisition held
five years later {29c} shews that Thomas Fitz-William held the
aforementioned manor of Ulceby, by the "service of 1 falcon annually to
the King." Sir William Fitz-William in the same reign {29d} was Lord
High Admiral. John Fitz-William is named in the Herald's list of county
gentry in the 16th century as residing at Skidbrook, a hamlet of
Saltfleet Haven, {29e} and William Fitz-William, Esq., supplied "one
lance and two light horse" when the Spanish Armada was expected to invade
England, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. {29f} William Fitz-William of
Mablethorpe {29g} married, in 1536, Elizabeth daughter of Sir Robert
Tyrwhitt, of Kettlethorpe, a member of a very old Lincolnshire family,
still owning property in this neighbourhood; and in 1644 Sir William
Wentworth, {29h} a scion of a younger branch, married Elizabeth, daughter
and co-heir of Thomas Savile, of Wakefield, whose family we have already
mentioned as connected with Horncastle.
In 1620 the head of the Fitz-William family was created an Irish Peer; in
1742 the 3rd Baron was made Baron Milton in the peerage of Great Britain;
and, 4 years later, Earl Fitz-William. In 1782, on the death of his
uncle, the last Marquis of Rockingham, the Earl of that day succeeded to
the Yorkshire and Northamptonshire estates of the Wentworths, and in 1807
they took the name of Wentworth as an affix. In the early part of the
19th century the name became again connected with Horncastle, when Earl
Fitz-William, grandfather of the present Earl, hunted the local pack of
foxhounds, which were kept in Horncastle, in what is still called
Dog-kennel Yard, at the back of St. Lawrence Street. An old friend,
formerly practicing as a Doctor in Horncastle, but lately deceased, has
told the writer that he remembered seeing the Earl's hounds breaking
cover from Whitehall Wood, in the parish of Martin.
There is one more Carlisle document deserving of quotation as it is of a
peculiar nature. A Patent Roll of the reign of Elizabeth, {29i} A.D.
1577, records that a "pardon" was granted to "Sir Thomas Cecil, Knt., for
acquiring the manor of Langton (by Horncastle) with appurtenances, and 30
messuages, 20 cottages, 40 tofts, 4 dove-cotes, 40 gardens, 30 orchards,
1,400 acres of (cultivated) land, 100 acres of wood, 100 acres of furze
and heath, 200 acres of marsh, 40s. of rent, and common pasture, with
appurtenances, in Horncastle, Thimbleby, Martin, Thornton and Woodhall,
from Philip Tylney, Esq., by fine levied without licence." This was a
somewhat extensive acquisition. We have already recorded a more than
questionable transaction in the transfer of land by Richard Thymelby and
Robert Savile, A.D. 1564, and this transaction of Sir Thomas Cecil, 13
years later, seems also to have been in some way irregular, since it
needed the royal "pardon."
There is nothing to show who this Philip Tylney was, who acted on this
occasion as vendor, but Sir Thomas Cecil was the son of the great Lord
Treasurer Burghley, who was Secretary of State under Edward VI., and for
40 years guided the Councils of Queen Elizabeth. Sir Thomas himself was
a high official under Elizabeth and King James I.; he was knighted in
1575, received the Order of the Garter in 1601; under James I. he was
made Privy Councillor, and having succeeded his father as Baron Burghley,
was created by James Earl of Exeter. His brother Sir Robert also held
high office and was made in 1603 Baron Cecil, in 1604 Viscount
Cranbourne, in 1605 Earl of Salisbury. Thomas Cecil died Feb. 7, 1622,
aged 80, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. He married 1st Dorothy,
daughter of John Nevil, Lord Latimer, and 2nd, Frances, daughter of Lord
Chandos. He was, doubtless, a man of large ideas and great ambition, his
royal mistress was herself Lady of the manor of Horncastle, and
Horncastle having thus been brought under his notice, he may have been
too grasping in compassing his purposes. The Revesby Charters {30a} show
that he purchased that estate in 1575.
We may add that the Cecils were descended from an ancient family located
in Wales soon after the Norman Conquest, and acquired large possessions
in the reign of King Rufus; the 14th in descent was David Cecil of
Stamford, Sergeant at Arms to King Henry VIII., he was grandfather to the
1st Lord Burghley. {30b} The present representatives of this old family
are the Marquis of Exeter of Burghley House, Stamford, and the Marquis of
Salisbury of Hatfield House, Herts.
We have now reached the end of a somewhat lengthy series of owners
formerly connected with Horncastle, its manor, and its soke, bringing us
down to the early part of the 17th century, and we think that few towns,
of its size, could show such a record of distinguished names. The
information available as to more recent periods is more meagre. The
Bishops of Carlisle continued to hold the manor down to the year 1856,
and various parties held leases of it under them, they themselves
residing here from time to time, {30c} until the episcopal palace was
demolished in 1770, when the present Manor House was erected on its site.
We have already stated that Queen Elizabeth leased the manor from the
Bishop of Carlisle of that date, she was succeeded in the lease by King
James I., who transferred it to Sir Henry Clinton, but owing to a legal
error in that transaction, it proved void. One of the said Bishops in
the next reign was Dr. Robert Snowden, whose family were located in this
neighbourhood, his son being Vicar of Horncastle. Abigail Snowden
married Edward, son of Sir Edward Dymoke, Knt., in 1654, and Jane Snowden
married Charles Dymoke, Esq., of Scrivelsby Court; the former belonged to
the, so called, Tetford branch of the Dymokes, who have of late years
also succeeded to the Scrivelsby property. Bishop Robert Snowden granted
a lease of the Horncastle manor to his kinsman, Rutland Snowden, and his
assignees for three lives; but this would appear to have been afterwards
cancelled, owing to the "delinquency" of the first grantee. {31a} The
name of this Rutland Snowden appears in the list of Lincolnshire Gentry
who were entitled to bear arms, at the Herald's Visitation of 1634. {31b}
A break in the continuity of the sub-tenure of the manor here occurs, but
not of long duration. The family of Banks are next found holding the
lease, under the said bishops; the most distinguished of them being Sir
Joseph Banks, the eminent naturalist, and patron of science in almost
every form; who visited Newfoundland in pursuit of his favourite study;
accompanied Captain Cook in his voyage to the South Seas; visited Iceland
with Dr. Solander, the pupil of Linnaeus; made large natural history and
antiquarian collections; {31c} became President of the Royal Society; and
was largely instrumental in forming the schemes for the drainage and
inclosure of the fens; and other works of public utility. His family
acquired the Revesby Abbey estates in 1714, and were closely connected
with Horncastle for more than a century, as he died in 1820.
One of his ancestors, also Joseph, was M.P. for Grimsby and Totnes;
another, also Joseph, had a daughter, Eleonora, who married the Honble.
Henry Grenville, and was mother of the Countess Stanhope. Through this
last connection, on the demise of Sir Joseph, the leased manor passed, as
the nearest male relative, to Col. the Honble. James Hamilton Stanhope,
who served in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo. He died three years
later, in 1823, and was succeeded by the late James Banks Stanhope, Esq.,
then a minor, and afterwards M.P. for North Lincolnshire; who, some years
ago, transferred all his manorial rights to the Right Honble. Edward
Stanhope, 2nd son of the 5th Earl Stanhope, and M.P. for the Horncastle
Division. He died 22 December, 1898, and his widow, the Honble. Mrs.
Stanhope of Revesby Abbey, became Lady of the Manor; this, on her decease
in 1907 reverting to the family of the Earl Stanhope, of Chevening Park,
Sevenoaks, Kent, in the person of his son, the Honble. Richard Stanhope,
now residing at Revesby Abbey.
In 1856 the manoral rights of the Bishops of Carlisle were transferred to
the See of Lincoln, and the Bishop of Lincoln is now _ex officio_ Patron
of the Benefice. The head of the Stanhope family is still the chief
owner of property in Horncastle; other owners being the Vicar with 92
acres, the representatives of the late Sigismund Trafford Southwell with
67 acres, representatives of the late W. B. Walter (now Majer Traves)
with 58 acres; while Coningtons, Clitherows, Rev. Richard Ward, and about
100 other proprietors hold smaller portions. We have mentioned the
influence of Sir Joseph Banks in the drainage and enclosure of the fens,
and on the completion of that important work in Wildmore Fen, in 1813,
some 600 acres were added to the soke of Horncastle, about 80 acres being
assigned to the manor, while the glebe of the Vicar was increased so that
it now comprises 370 acres.
We conclude this chapter with another record of the past, which should
not be omitted. It is somewhat remarkable that although Horncastle has
been connected with so many personages of distinction as proprietors, and
for about 600 years (as already shewn) with royalty itself, as an
appanage of the crown, it has only once been visited by royalty in
person. History tells {32a} that "on Sep. 12, 1406, Henry IV. made a
royal procession" from this town (probably coming hither from Bolingbroke
Castle, his birthplace), "with a great and honourable company, to the
Abbey of Bardney, where the Abbot and monks came out, in ecclesiastical
state, to meet him," and he was royally entertained by them. We may
perhaps assume that as his father, John of Gaunt, had a palace at
Lincoln, {32b} he was on his way thither, where also his half brother,
Henry Beaufort, had been Bishop, but was promoted two years before this
to the See of Winchester.
The nearest approach to another royal visit was that of the Protector,
Oliver Cromwell, which however was of a private character. Although
historians do not generally relate it, it is locally understood that,
after the Battle of Winceby, on Oct. 11, 1643, Cromwell personally came
to Horncastle to see that proper honours were paid, by the churchwarden,
Mr. Hamerton, to the body of Sir Ingram Hopton, slain on that eventful
day in single combat with Cromwell himself, who pronounced him to be "a
brave gentleman," he having, indeed, first unhorsed Cromwell. This visit
would seem to be further proved by the fact that a man, named John
Barber, died in Horncastle, aged 95, A.D. 1855 (or 1856), whose
grandfather remembered Cromwell, on that occasion, sleeping in the house
now called Cromwell House, in West Street (or rather an older house on
the same site); while in the parish register of West Barkwith there is an
entry of the burial of Nicholas Vickers, in 1719, with the additional
note that he "guided Cromwell over Market Rasen Moor," in his journey
northward after the battle. He may well, therefore, have taken
Horncastle on his way.