BURTON OVERY
Burton Overy is seven miles south-east of
Leicester. The village stands on rising ground which
forms the eastern slope of the Sence valley, and in the
north-east the land rises to over 500 ft. The parish is
wedge-shaped, the north-eastern boundary running
along the Gartree road for about two miles. The
south-eastern boundary, about three miles long, is
formed by a small tributary of the Sence, and another
small brook runs through the parish to join the
River Sence at Great Glen. The soil consists largely
of boulder clay, overlying Lower Lias clay and
limestone, but the village itself is situated mainly
on a patch of gravelly soil. In 1954 the parish
was predominantly pasture, but there was a considerable amount of arable. The area of the parish is
1,889 a.
The road from Market Harborough to Leicester
crosses the south-west of the parish, about a mile
from the village. This road became a turnpike in
1726. (fn. 1) The village of Burton Overy is linked with
this highway by a secondary road; this, like the
lesser roads that link Burton with the villages of
Great Glen, Carlton Curlieu, and Illston, was laid
out anew by the inclosure commissioners in 1766 (fn. 2)
but they may well have followed the general lines
of roads already existing. The north-eastern boundary of the parish is formed by the Gartree road,
here now an unmetalled track. The British Railways
(Midland Region) line between Leicester and Market Harborough, opened as part of the Midland
Railway in 1857, (fn. 3) and the Grand Union Canal,
built in this area about 1797, (fn. 4) run through the southwest of Burton Overy for a short distance.
The recorded population was 34 in 1086 and 72
in 1377. In 1563 32 households were returned for the
village, and in 1670 62. Returns of the number of
communicants give 217 in 1603 and 122 in 1676.
In 1801 the population was 399. It rose to 484 in
1851 and fell to 292 in 1901; the sharpest decline
occurred between 1881 and 1891 when the total
fell from 424 to 348. The population in 1951 was
259. (fn. 5)
The main street of the village runs approximately
north and south, ending to the north in a cul-de-sac
at the group of buildings known as Scotland. From
here a footpath leads north to join the Gartree road
where it fords the tributary of the River Sence.
Most of the houses lie near the junction of the main
street with the roads leading east and west to Carlton
Curlieu and Great Glen respectively. Slightly
further north a group of houses surrounds the parish
church and the school. A row of small houses and
bungalows, built in 1956–7, now fills the gap between this group and Scotland. There are 9 farmhouses in the village itself and a single isolated farm,
Burton Grange, in the fields to the south-west.
The buildings are mostly of red brick but there
are at least 8 houses which are wholly or in part
timber-framed. In general these are rectangular
three-bay buildings of post and truss construction
without cross-wings, having steeply-pitched roofs
which were originally thatched. None appears to
date from before the 17th century. Scotland Farm is
a two-bay house with a former stable at its west end
and a later brick barn to the east. It retains its
thatched roof but the wall timbers have been covered
with brickwork. In the main street, Ridgefield and
the house now used as a butcher's shop are three-bay
timber structures, the latter carrying the date 1651
on a former fire-place lintel. Opposite, The Old
House incorporates a similar building, but a tall
front wing was added in the early 19th century. The
roof of this wing has trusses with curved principals
and old tie-beams, probably indicating the re-use of
earlier timbers. In the angle between Bell Lane and
the main street are ranges of timber-framed houses
with brick panels which may date from as late as
1700. Further south a similar house adjoins the
post office. At the south-east corner of the village,
South View is a timber-framed cottage retaining
some original mud walling but with a brick gableend dated 1739. The most substantial of the early
houses is Manor House Farm in Back Lane. This is
a three-bay building of which the lower story is of
ironstone, retaining stone mullioned windows and
an original doorway. The upper story, now faced
with brickwork, is timber-framed and there are
original attics. Between the central hall and the
south bay is a stone chimney, having a four-centred
fire-place in the south room. A moulded beam in
this room is inscribed: F.R.A. 1650 W.M. (fn. 6) A staircase
wing and a service wing at the rear, both of brick
appear to be 18th-century additions.
In addition to the Rectory, which is the most
imposing house in the village, there are several
houses with good Georgian brick fronts. These
include Manor Farm, a mid-18th-century building
east of the church, The Elms, a late-18th-century
private residence now a farm-house, White House
Farm, and Burton House. At The Banks Farm there
is a fine five-bay barn of ironstone and Georgian
brick. The farm-house appears to consist of a stable
range enlarged in the 19th century. Both this and
the barn were doubtless originally attached to the
Rectory. The former coachman's cottage, north of
the Rectory, is used as part of the village hall, the
hall itself being a wooden extension at the rear.
Among the early-19th-century cottages in the village is a row near the post office having a thatched
roof and pointed Gothic windows. The Bell Inn in
the main street dates from the 20th century, the
former inn being an early-19th-century cottage in
Bell Lane. Two Swedish timber Council houses
were erected near the cross-roads soon after 1945
and two pairs of brick houses to the west of the
village in 1953.
Between 1945 and 1958 about a dozen new houses
were built at Burton Overy for people working in
Leicester, and existing houses were increasingly
occupied by people working in the city.
A little to the west of the present village, on either
side of the stream which traverses the parish, are
some earthworks, now known as the Banks. On the
east side of the stream the earthworks consist of a
bank and ditch forming a large enclosure in the shape
of a rough square, with sides about 300 ft. long.
On the west of the stream the surviving remains
consist only of banks and mounds in which no
definite plan can be traced. Nothing certain is known
of the origin of the earthworks, but as they are on
gravelly soil, and near the stream, they may be
traces of the medieval village. (fn. 7) The site may have
been partly occupied by the medieval hall of the
Noveray manor, (fn. 8) probably moated, and the water
mill mentioned in 1440. (fn. 9) The evidence provided
by the earliest buildings in the present village is
consistent with a move towards the higher ground
in the 17th century.
MANORS.
In 1086 Burton Overy was held by
Hugh de Grentemesnil. (fn. 10) After Hugh's death it
seems to have come, like much else of his land, (fn. 11)
to Robert, Count of Meulan, for in 1124–9 it was
being held by the count's son Robert, Earl of
Leicester. (fn. 12) Burton Overy remained in the hands of
the earls of Leicester (fn. 13) until after the death in 1204
of Earl Robert FitzParnell without male heirs when
his lands were divided between his two sisters. Burton
evidently fell to the share of the younger sister
Margaret, wife of Saer de Quency, later Earl of
Winchester, for her son Roger (d. 1264), 2nd Earl
of Winchester, was in possession of it. (fn. 14) That part
of Robert FitzParnell's lands which fell to the earls
of Winchester became known as the honor of Winchester, and of that honor Burton for the future
formed part.
It is not clear how Burton Overy was held under
Hugh de Grentemesnil and the earls of Leicester and
Winchester. William de Warda, who appears as
claiming a knight's fee in Burton in or before 1177, (fn. 15)
may have been an under-tenant holding land at
Burton Overy under the Earl of Leicester, for the de
la Warde family were certainly under-tenants there
in the 13th century. (fn. 16) It is not until after the death
of Earl Roger de Quency in 1264 and the division
of his lands amongst his three daughters that more
complete information about the under-tenants can
be obtained. At the partition of Earl Roger's holdings, not completed until 1277, all three of his
daughters obtained property in Burton Overy.
Margaret, wife of William (de Ferrers), Earl of
Derby, obtained 2½ virgates held by Osbert de
Bereford, (fn. 17) and some more important property held
by Robert de la Warde. (fn. 18) Ellen la Zouche obtained
2 virgates in Burton Overy held by William de la
Hay, (fn. 19) and Elizabeth, wife of Alexander Comyn,
Earl of Buchan, obtained lands in Burton held by
Robert de Noveray. (fn. 20) It is evident that by 1277 the
Earl of Winchester's lands at Burton had been subinfeudated in a rather complicated fashion. From
this point onwards the various holdings must be
dealt with separately.
The descent of the FERRERS manor will be
described first. Robert de la Warde, who appears as
a vassal of Margaret de Ferrers at Burton in 1277, (fn. 21)
was already holding lands there from the honor of
Winchester in 1271. (fn. 22) In 1279 his lands in Burton
Overy were said to be one knight's fee. (fn. 23) Margaret
de Ferrers transmitted the overlordship of the
holding to her second son William de Ferrers; (fn. 24)
Robert de la Warde was said in 1307 to have held a
manor in Burton from William's son as two-thirds
of a knight's fee. (fn. 25) The overlordship of this holding
was possessed by the Ferrers family, and then by the
family of Grey of Groby, which succeeded to the
Ferrers lands, (fn. 26) until after the death of Edward
(Grey), Lord Ferrers of Groby, in 1457. (fn. 27) There
is no later reference to the Greys as overlords of the
manor, but it is probable that they retained their
rights until Henry (Grey), Duke of Suffolk, was
attainted in 1554, when his property was forfeited
to the Crown, for in 1607 it was said that certain lands
at Burton were held directly of the king by reason
of the duke's attainder. (fn. 28) Despite the attainder,
however, the earls of Stamford, who were the duke's
descendants, in the 18th and 19th centuries claimed
certain rights in Burton Overy as lords of the
honor of Winchester, or as lords of a manor which
formed part of the honor. (fn. 29) When the parish was
inclosed in 1765 a small allotment of land was made
to the Earl of Stamford in compensation for his
rights. (fn. 30) In the late 19th century the earls of Stamford were sometimes said to be the lords of a manor
at Burton, but the nature of the Greys' position
there does not ever seem to have been clarified. (fn. 31)
The 7th Earl of Stamford, at his death in 1883
without issue, devised his rights at Burton Overy,
with the rest of his Leicestershire property, to his
widow the Countess of Stamford and Warrington. (fn. 32)
The countess retained the rights until her death in
1905, and subsequently they remained in the hands
of her trustees. (fn. 33)
So far as the under-tenants are concerned, when
Robert de la Warde died in or before 1307, his heirs
were his two daughters Joan, wife of Hugh de
Meynill, and Margaret. (fn. 34) Both obtained portions of
their father's holding at Burton Overy. (fn. 35) Margaret,
daughter of Robert de la Warde, may be identified
with the Margaret Nevill, kinswoman and heir of
Robert, who was holding land at Burton from the
Ferrers family in 1371. (fn. 36) A fee in Burton Overy held
by Margaret Nevill from the Ferrers overlords
is mentioned in 1445 and in 1457. (fn. 37) As by those
dates Margaret must have been dead for many years,
it is difficult to ascertain the descent of the lands
that she once held; they may have become united
with the other fiefs held by the Ferrers family at
Burton Overy, while still continuing to be listed
separately in the inquisitions post mortem. The
lands inherited from Robert de la Warde by his
daughter Joan continued to be held by her descendants, the Meynill family, until the death in 1376 of
Richard Meynill. (fn. 38) Richard's widow Joan held his
manor at Burton until her death in 1398. (fn. 39) Richard
Meynill left no male heirs, and his lands were
divided amongst his four daughters. According to
Nichols (fn. 40) Richard's lands at Burton Overy fell to
his eldest daughter Joan, who married first John
Staunton of Staunton Harold, and secondly Thomas
Clinton. Ralph Shirley, who appears in 1428 as
holding one knight's fee in Burton Overy formerly
held by the Meynills, (fn. 41) was Joan's son-in-law, (fn. 42) and
presumably owed his holding to this connexion,
though as Joan was still living long after 1428 it
is not clear what Shirley's position was. Joan, by
her will dated 1453, (fn. 43) left her property to be divided
between her grandsons Thomas Francis and John
Shirley. John Shirley certainly acquired some of his
grandmother's lands at Burton Overy, but does not
seem to have been the lord of a manor there, (fn. 44) and
in 1557 the Shirley property at Burton was sold
to John Bale of Carlton Curlieu, (fn. 45) who amassed
considerable property in Burton and the adjacent
parishes. (fn. 46) The Francis family also seem to have
acquired some property at Burton, perhaps including the manor. (fn. 47) The fate of the Ferrers manor after
1453 is obscure, (fn. 48) and, divided between various
owners, it seems to have ceased to exist, the only surviving trace of it being the vague rights at Burton
Overy held by the Grey family.
At the partition of the honor of Winchester in
1277 the NOVERAY manor at Burton was allotted
to Elizabeth, wife of the Earl of Buchan. (fn. 49) Between
1264 and 1277 the de Noveray lands at Burton had
for a time been held from Margaret de Ferrers,
Elizabeth's sister and co-heir. (fn. 50) In 1279 John de
Noveray, son of the Robert de Noveray who was
mentioned in the partition of 1277, (fn. 51) was holding
5 carucates and 2½ virgates in serjeanty at Burton
Overy. (fn. 52) The de Noveray family were associated with
the village well before 1277, and in 1260 it was already
known as Burton Noveray. (fn. 53) The overlordship of
the Noveray manor was held by the earls of Buchan
until the death in 1308 of John Comyn, Earl of
Buchan, whose lands descended to his niece, the
wife of Henry de Beaumont. (fn. 54) The Beaumonts remained overlords of the manor until at least 1432,
when John, Lord Beaumont, was seised of it. (fn. 55)
Under the Beaumonts the manor was held by the
de Noveray family, who were probably the tenants
in demesne. (fn. 56) After 1432 there is no further record
of any connexion between it and the Beaumonts.
The de Noveray family seem to have lost control of it
by 1409, when it was alleged that Isabel, relict of
John Walssh, and others had disseised Robert
Abbot, Agnes his wife, and John Overy (fn. 57) of a manor
at Burton, (fn. 58) which Isabel was holding in dower. (fn. 59)
In 1440 Thomas Walssh of Wanlip, brother of
Isabel's husband John, was holding a manor at
Burton, (fn. 60) and it seems probable from the case of
1409 that it was the manor formerly held by the de
Noveray family. The Walssh family retained the
manor until the death of Thomas Walssh, nephew
of the Thomas Walssh previously mentioned,
when his possessions were divided between his two
granddaughters. An agreement of 1526 about the
manor seems to have left it in the hands of Sir
Thomas Pulteney of Misterton, husband of one of the
granddaughters, (fn. 61) for in the 18th century it was
known as PULTENEY'S manor. (fn. 62) It is not known
when the manor passed out of the hands of Pulteney
or his heirs, but in 1605 it was held by Francis
Hodges, (fn. 63) who in 1618 sold it to John Nedham. (fn. 64)
The Nedham family were still in possession of the
manor in 1673, (fn. 65) but by 1724 it had passed to Sir
Geoffrey Palmer. (fn. 66) In 1877 one of the Palmer family
was still lord of a manor at Burton Overy, (fn. 67) but
after that date the Noveray manor seems to have
been allowed to disappear.
LESSER ESTATES.
In 1317 it was stated that the
lands of Theobald de Verdon, then deceased, included ½ knight's fee in Burton Overy, held by the
heirs of Robert de Normanville. (fn. 68) The earlier
history of the holding is unknown. The overlordship continued to be held by the Verdons until
1360, when it descended to William de Ferrers,
son of Henry de Ferrers and Isabel, daughter of
the last Verdon lord. (fn. 69) From 1360 onwards the
overlordship descended in the same way as that
of the other Ferrers holdings at Burton Overy. (fn. 70)
Under the Verdons the tenement, or part of it, was
at one time held by Thomas de Basingges, who was
dead by 1360, (fn. 71) and subsequently it was held by
John Basingges. (fn. 72) Half a knight's fee in Burton
Overy held by the heir of John Basingges is mentioned in 1457–8, (fn. 73) but the holding is not subsequently referred to.
In 1277 Ellen, wife of Alan la Zouche, obtained
as her share of the Winchester inheritance at Burton
Overy only 2 virgates held by William de la Hay. (fn. 74)
In 1301 Simon of Wigston was granted a licence to
alienate in mortmain to a chantry at Wigston Magna
property which included 40s. rent from 2 virgates
in Burton Overy held from Alan la Zouche. (fn. 75) There
is no later reference to land held by the Zouche
family at Burton.
ECONOMIC HISTORY.
In 1086 Hugh de
Grentemesnil was holding 12 carucates at Burton
Overy; he had 8 serfs in demesne, with 3 ploughs;
there were also 6 socmen, 15 villeins, and 5 bordars,
with 6 ploughs in all among them. There were 14 a.
of meadow. (fn. 76) In 1124–9 there were again 12 carucates. (fn. 77) In 1279 the two manors in Burton Overy,
held by Robert de la Warde and John de Noveray,
both contained land held in demesne, with free and
villein tenants; de la Warde's holding consisted of
one carucate held in demesne, 2 carucates and 3
virgates held by 4 free tenants, and 2 carucates
and one virgate held in villeinage; the de Noveray
manor consisted of 1½ carucate in demesne, with 3
carucates and ½ virgate held by free tenants, and
2 virgates held in villeinage. (fn. 78) A document of 1307
gives some details of the demesne farm of the de la
Warde manor: 2 barns, 2 cowsheds, and a stable are
mentioned, together with gardens, and pasture held
in severalty; the labour services of tenants are also
mentioned, though not described in detail. (fn. 79) A
plot of hay meadow held by Robert de la Warde,
apparently in severalty, is mentioned elsewhere. (fn. 80)
In 1304 John de Noveray claimed that one of his
tenants was holding a messuage and 2 bovates by
the service of making 3 ploughshares yearly; the
tenant claimed that he was only bound to make 2
ploughshares a year. (fn. 81) Forty-five acres of meadow
at Burton were acquired by John de Noveray in
1315, but it is not clear whether they were held in
severalty. (fn. 82) Information is given in a document of
1440 about the manor-house held by Thomas Walssh
at Burton; it included a hall, 2 chambers, a kitchen,
2 barns, and a stable. (fn. 83) The existence of such a house
suggests that the Walssh family, while lords of a
manor at Burton, may have at times lived in the
village, though they had another manor-house at
Wanlip. (fn. 84) The Nedham family, when they possessed
the Pulteney manor, seem to have lived at Burton,
for their pew in the parish church is mentioned in
1639. (fn. 85) It does not appear that either the Palmer
family, who had a seat at Carlton Curlien nearby, (fn. 86)
or the earls of Stamford ever lived in the parish.
It is evident that by the end of the Middle Ages
part of Burton Overy was already inclosed to form
pasture and meadow held in severalty. Fines of the
16th and early 17th centuries mention considerable
areas of meadow and pasture held by individuals, (fn. 87)
besides common of pasture. A very detailed agreement about tithes, concluded in 1622 between the
rector and the parishioners, shows that there were
at that date many closes for producing hay, but it is
not clear whether they were individually owned. (fn. 88)
The will of George Smith, made in 1624, shows
that he owned 6 closes, apart from the one adjacent
to his homestead. (fn. 89) In the late 17th century there
was some encroachment on the common land of the
village; in 1673 10 persons were said to be living
on the common and waste, (fn. 90) and in 1691 3 of the
inhabitants were fined in the court of Pulteney's
manor for encroaching on the common land. (fn. 91)
The greater part of the parish remained uninclosed
until 1765. In the 17th and 18th centuries the village
arable was divided into three fields. (fn. 92) In 1622 hemp
and flax were being cultivated. (fn. 93)
In 1765 a petition in favour of inclosing the
common fields of Burton Overy was made to the
House of Commons by a number of persons, in
cluding John Lee, the patron and rector. (fn. 94) When
the bill was brought in, 6 persons, owning in all
7/8 virgate, refused to support it, though they did
not appear in opposition before the committee of
the House which considered the bill. (fn. 95) Only 3 of
these persons are mentioned in the inclosure award;
all 3 received allotments of less than 10 a. (fn. 96) The
bill was passed in 1765 (fn. 97) and the award (fn. 98) was made
in 1766. It provided that the rector, as tithe owner,
should receive 1/7 and 2/15 of all the land remaining
after the allotment to him for the glebe had first
been made, in lieu of tithes from the whole parish,
including houses and gardens, but not including
the two windmills, which were to be tithed as hitherto. The rector obtained 245 a. in commutation of
tithe and 45 a. for glebe, making him the largest
landowner in the parish. It was provided that for
the future he was not to be obliged to keep a boar for
the parish, as rectors had previously been. Sir John
Palmer, as lord of a manor in Burton, received 14 a.
and the Earl of Stamford, as lord of the honor of
Winchester, obtained 3 a. Neither received any
other allotment. Apart from the rector, there were
2 landowners each of whom was allotted over 200 a.;
one of these was Henry Coleman. Below these were
a group of 7 owners, whose allotments varied from
60 to just over 100 a. No one else obtained more than
35 a. There were 19 allotments of between 10 and
35 a., 14 of between 1 and 10 a., and 8 of less than
an acre. (fn. 99) A plot of land was set aside for sheepwashing, and it was provided that the herbage from
the verges of fenced roads was to belong to the parish
surveyors of roads. The total area inclosed was 1,779
a. and the cost of the Act and award, with the related
expenses, was £1,330.
The award shows that in 1765 the ownership of
land in the parish was divided among a considerable
number of people, none of whom could be said
to occupy a dominant position. Such a situation
probably existed as early as the mid-16th century,
for conveyances of property in the 16th and 17th
centuries show that there were then several fairly
substantial landowners in the parish. (fn. 1) The land tax
assessments show that up to 1832 at least this situation remained substantially unchanged. (fn. 2) After
inclosure much land in the parish seems to have been
used as pasture, for a description of Burton Overy
as it was in 1790 mentions the opulent graziers
living there. (fn. 3)
In the early 19th century industry was for a time
important at Burton Overy. In 1801 214 persons
in the parish were chiefly engaged in trade and
manufactures, compared with only 55 employed
chiefly in agriculture. (fn. 4) Thirty years later there were
still nearly as many families engaged in trade and
manufacture as in agriculture, though the latter was
the most important occupation. (fn. 5) Those engaged in
trade and industry were probably employed chiefly
in framework-knitting, for in 1844 there were 20
stocking frames in the village. (fn. 6) Hosiery manufacture
at Burton does not seem ever to have developed into
a factory industry, and the village has been without
industry of any kind during the 20th century.
MILLS.
Two mills at Burton Overy were mentioned in 1314 and 1315, when they belonged to
John de Noveray. (fn. 7) In 1440 a watermill at Burton
was owned by Thomas Walssh, (fn. 8) who had probably
succeeded to the Noveray property at Burton. (fn. 9) This
is the only known reference to a watermill at Burton
Overy; presumably it stood on the stream, to the
west of the church. (fn. 10) In 1646 there was a windmill
at Burton. (fn. 11) One of the open fields of the village
was known as Mill Field in 1626 and later. (fn. 12) At the
inclosure there were two windmills in the parish,
one of which was situated in the open fields. (fn. 13) By
1835 both mills had apparently ceased to exist. (fn. 14)
PARISH ADMINISTRATION.
The account of
the overseers of the poor for 1724 shows that £49
was raised by a rate and £45 spent on the poor. (fn. 15)
Although the early accounts do not appear to tally
with detailed disbursement books which have survived, (fn. 16) it is clear that for 30 years after 1724 the
amount expended did not greatly vary. Notable
increases in expenditure took place after 1763 and
after 1796. The rate raised £54 in 1761, but £124 in
1769; similarly the rate raised an annual average of
£192 in 1783–5, but £372 in 1796. (fn. 17) In 1802–3 £564
was spent on the poor from a total of £714 raised. (fn. 18)
During the 19th century, in spite of nonconformist opposition, the parish raised several church
rates for repairs to the church fabric, usually of 2d.
in the pound. (fn. 19) In 1851 and 1852 rates of 6d. and
7½d. in the pound raised £77 and £96 respectively. (fn. 20)
Before the parish was included in the Billesdon
Union in 1836 it maintained its own workhouse.
In the earliest surviving disbursement book of the
overseers, for 1761, there are regular payments of
4s. a month for the workhouse. In the late 18th
century the workhouse was run by a master working
under contract with the overseers for a lump sum
and regular weekly payments. Seven contracts
between 1774 and 1806 have survived. For instance,
in 1806 Esau Pearce, a woollen manufacturer from
Kibworth, agreed to run the workhouse in return
for £430 a year by weekly instalments. (fn. 21) In 1802–3
12 persons were permanently relieved in the workhouse while 69 adults and 88 children received
out-door relief. (fn. 22) In 1846 the vestry agreed that the
Billesdon Union should sell some houses and gardens
(13 tenants named) belonging to the parish for the
use of the poor. (fn. 23)
The parish chest contains a number of settlement
certificates, removal orders, apprenticeship indentures, and similar documents. (fn. 24) The apprenticeship
indenture book, 1804–31, contains 19 entries including 8 framework-knitters, 4 framesmiths, and
3 blacksmiths; all the boys except one were apprenticed in Leicester.
In 1894 a parish council was established with a
membership of 5 councillors; (fn. 25) it had the same
composition in 1958. (fn. 26)
CHURCH.
In 1204 the church of Burton Overy
belonged to the Norman monastery of St. Evroul
(Orne), which may originally have obtained it from
Hugh de Grentemesnil, one of the monastery's
founders. (fn. 27)
St. Evroul retained the advowson during the 13th
and 14th centuries, presentations to the benefice
being usually made by the Prior of Ware, a cell of St.
Evroul in England. (fn. 28) A pension was paid by the
rector to St. Evroul or to Ware Priory. (fn. 29) In the
14th and early 15th centuries the advowson, like
other English possessions of French religious
houses, was for long periods in the king's hands,
and from 1339 onwards the king repeatedly presented to the living. (fn. 30) In 1415 Henry V granted all
the possessions of Ware Priory to the new Carthusian monastery at Sheen (Surr.), (fn. 31) which retained the advowson until the Dissolution. (fn. 32) In
1552 the advowson was granted to Lord Clinton and
Saye. (fn. 33) In 1576 a presentation to the rectory was
made by William Warde, yeoman, (fn. 34) and after
Warde's death the advowson descended to his daughter Anne, (fn. 35) wife of Francis Hodges. From Anne and
Francis Hodges the advowson passed in 1599 to
William Burditt. (fn. 36) It was still in the hands of the
Burditts in 1660, (fn. 37) though during the Interregnum
their possession of it seems to have been disturbed. (fn. 38)
Subsequently the advowson changed hands repeatedly in a short period; Thomas Grey, for one
turn only, presented in 1667, and three persons—
Abbot, Sherard, and Yates—in 1710. (fn. 39) In 1753 the
rector, Paul Southworth (d. 1768), acquired the
advowson for himself, and in 1758 settled it on his
daughter on her marriage with John Lee who was
immediately presented to the living. (fn. 40) The advowson remained in the hands of the rector's family.
Frances, daughter of W. S. Lee, rector 1786–1801,
married Thomas Thorp, rector 1811–46, (fn. 41) and the
advowson passed to their eldest son, Capt. William
Thorp, R.N. (d. 1890), who presented his younger
brothers, Robert (d. 1851) and Frederic (d. 1916). (fn. 42)
The advowson was subsequently acquired by Barwell Ewins Bennett (d. 1895) of Marston Trussell
(Northants.). He was succeeded by his grandson
Henry Bennett Dain, who assumed the name Henry
Bennett Ewins Barwell Ewins. (fn. 43) Ewins died in 1920
and was succeeded by his brother Charles (d. 1951),
whose daughter Catherine Barwell Ewins of Cracknells, Yarmouth (I.O.W.), was patron in 1958. (fn. 44)
The gross annual value of the rectory in 1254
and 1291 was 16 marks. (fn. 45) In 1535 the value was
given as £21 10s. gross or £18 5s. 7¼d. net. (fn. 46) At the
inclosure of the open fields (1765–6) the rector was
allotted 245 a. in lieu of tithes and 45 a. in lieu of
glebe, but in the late 19th century the area of glebe
was only 272 a. (fn. 47) In 1875 the estimated annual value
of the living was £497; (fn. 48) in 1948 it was £434 gross
or £365 net with the Rectory. (fn. 49)
The Rectory, which stands immediately west of
the churchyard, is a fine early-18th-century brick
house of two stories and attics. Both east and west
fronts have recessed central bays which contain
the doorways and which are flanked by slightly projecting wings with hipped roofs and dormers. The
east front has been altered by additions of the early
19th century and later. (fn. 50) Internally there is a good
contemporary oak staircase.
The church of ST. ANDREW consists of chancel, nave, north aisle, a large chapel to the north of
the chancel, west tower of three stages, and south
porch. The building is of ironstone with limestone
dressings, and there has been a considerable amount
of re-facing in limestone ashlar, particularly to the
porch and to the upper part of the tower. The tower
dates from the late 13th and early 14th centuries
and is without buttresses. At some period the walls
have been tied in with iron bands. The narrow
tower arch has moulded capitals and bases. The
rest of the church also appears to have been rebuilt
from c. 1300 onwards, (fn. 51) although some mixed rubble
masonry near the west end of the north aisle may be
part of an earlier building. The aisle has a 14thcentury north doorway and a west window with
forking tracery. Two buttresses, probably of similar
date, have been removed from the outer wall, which
has been raised in height. The arcade of three bays
has circular piers with moulded capitals and pointed
arches of two chamfered orders. At the eastern
respond the arch rests on a grotesque corbel-head. A
low clerestory was added above the arcade in the
15th century and the south porch is of similar date.
The chancel contains a 14th-century piscina and
three sedilia with ogee heads, but the whole of the
east end of the church was remodelled and raised
in height when the north chapel was added in the late
15th or early 16th century. The chapel forms a
continuation of the north aisle, the east wall of the
latter having been entirely removed. The chancel
and the chapel are two tall spacious structures
divided by a two-bay arcade of fully-developed
Perpendicular work, having four-centred arches
and a composite central pier. East of the arcade a
square-headed doorway, surmounted by quatrefoil
ornament, connects the sanctuary with the chapel
and near it there is a small piscina in the south wall
of the chapel. Both chancel and chapel have large
east windows with similar Perpendicular tracery.
Externally the east end of the church consists of
two identical gables with a boldly projecting gargoyle between them. There are tall Perpendicular
windows in the north and south walls, three being in
the chancel and two in the chapel. The carved oak
chancel screen is probably contemporary. It consists of eight bays, filled with tracery, the two central
bays forming the doorway opening. The cresting is
modern. Perpendicular work of the quality found
at the east end of the church is comparatively rare
in this district.
Most of the windows in the body of the church
were inserted or replaced at the end of the medieval
period or later. The roof of the north aisle may have
been entirely renewed in 1636, a date which appears
on one of the beams. The west gable of the chapel
roof, which is higher than that of the aisle, rests on
the easternmost tie beam and has been built up in
brickwork, probably at the same period. The south
porch was repaired early in the 17th century. In
1619 the paving of the church was reported to be
incomplete and the west window in the tower was
partly blocked with brickwork. (fn. 52) In 1639 the visiting
archdeacon ordered the sanctuary floor to be raised
and alterations to be made to the excessively large
pews of several leading parishioners, including that
of the Nedham family. (fn. 53) The tower was reported
to be in bad condition in 1718 (fn. 54) and was later restored. In the last quarter of the 18th century general
repairs to the fabric were carried out, including the
re-plastering of the tower. The roofs of both
chancel and chapel were renewed between 1830
and 1832, (fn. 55) and the church was re-pewed in
1839. (fn. 56)
A thorough restoration was put in hand between
1864 and 1868, reflecting the changing taste of the
period. It was reported that 'the war against stucco
has broken out' at Burton Overy. (fn. 57) A gallery was
removed, the chancel was re-roofed, the west end
of the aisle was restored, the west window of the
tower was replaced, new fittings were installed, and
stucco was stripped from the walls, both inside and
out. (fn. 58) The roof was restored in 1907 (fn. 59) and the north
chapel in 1932. (fn. 60) The oak screen which forms a
vestry at the west end of the aisle was inserted in
1939. (fn. 61) In 1952 the lead roofs of the chancel, chapel,
and tower were replaced by copper. (fn. 62)
The tapered circular font probably dates from the
13th century. The church contains an iron-bound
oak chest over 8 ft. in length. Above the tower arch
is a finely carved and coloured royal arms of the
18th century. The pulpit and pews date from the
restoration of 1864–8 and the desk from 1957. (fn. 63) In
the chancel is the union flag carried by H.M. Gunboat Thursk in 1890–1 and presented by Admiral
C. F. Thorp. (fn. 64)
The chancel contains floor slabs to former rectors
and members of their families, including the wife of
Theophilus Burdet (d. 1681), Henry Burdet (d.
1709), Chapman Dolby (d. 1742), Thomas Thorp
(d. 1846), and Robert Thorp (d. 1851). In the chapel
are slabs to the Woodward family (c. 1800) and
others. Among an unusually large number of mural
tablets of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the
most impressive is one in coloured marbles by
Firmadge of Leicester (fn. 65) to Henry Coleman (d. 1779).
Members of his family (1761–1843) were also buried
in the family vault below the nave and commemorated by mural tablets. Other memorials include
those to Frances (d. 1792), wife of the Revd. W.
Southworth Lee (also by Firmadge), John Nichols
(d. 1815), John Woodruffe (d. 1820), Christian Ann
Fawcett and her infant son (d. 1823), the Revd.
W. S. Lee (d. 1828), and John Moore (d. 1844).
The registers begin in 1575 but there are gaps in
baptisms from 1645 to 1653, in burials from 1787
to 1790, and in marriages from 1753 to 1755 and
1759 to 1761. In 1777 John Weston gave a chalice,
paten, and almsdish, the cost of the almsdish being
met partly by the sale of the existing communion
plate. The plate also includes a silver dish of 1852
and a 19th-century flagon, both given by a number
of parishioners. (fn. 66) There are three bells: (i) 1632;
(ii) 1616; (iii) 1616. (fn. 67) The second was recast and
all three were re-hung in 1956. (fn. 68)
NONCONFORMITY.
In 1718 there were reported
to be 6 Presbyterians and 8 Independents at Burton
Overy. (fn. 69) A house at Burton belonging to one of the
Coleman family, who were then prominent in the
village, was licensed in 1716 for the worship of
Protestant dissenters, whose denomination is not
recorded. (fn. 70) In 1726 Daniel Woodruffe's house in
the parish was similarly licensed. (fn. 71) A Congregational
chapel was built in 1855, (fn. 72) a red-brick building
with stone dressings, having a central porch flanked
by Gothic windows with interlacing tracery. It
stands in a small graveyard.
SCHOOL.
In the early 18th century there was an
endowment for the maintenance of a school for
poor children at Burton Overy, but it is not certain
that the school existed and there was no mention
of the endowment in the 1837 Charity Commission
report. (fn. 73) In 1833 the village contained a day school
attended by 34 boys educated at their parents'
expense, and a Sunday school belonging to the
parish church, the master of which received £4 a
year from the charity of Mrs. Catherine Palmer. (fn. 74)
The income from this charity, reduced to £3 6s. 8d.
a year, was still being paid to the Sunday school in
1958. (fn. 75) The capital sum bequeathed by Mrs. Palmer
was £100. The date of the bequest is unknown, but
in 1818 it was declared that her executors held the
money in trust. (fn. 76)
A school was erected and opened in 1857, and
was affiliated with the National Society. The building which was then considered capable of accommodating over 80 children cost £230, (fn. 77) and was in
use in 1958. Burton Overy National School received its first state grant in 1870 when the average
number of children attending was 51. (fn. 78) The average
attendance in 1878 was 63, and in 1910 54. (fn. 79) In
August 1911 the school was considered to be overcrowded because of the attendance of children from
Illston, and the County Council sent the latter back
to Illston school. (fn. 80) In 1931 Burton Overy (C. of E.)
School was confined to children of junior age, the
seniors being sent to Oadby. (fn. 81) The average attendance of juniors in 1933 was 29. (fn. 82) In 1953 the
school accepted 'aided' status under the local
authority, and in 1957 the attendance of junior and
infants was 20. (fn. 83)
CHARITIES.
The sum of £64, originating partly
from a number of minor donations, and partly from
other charitable funds, was used at an unknown
date to buy land at Burton. At the inclosure of 1765
the churchwardens of the parish were allotted
slightly more than 3 a. of land in respect of the charity. In 1837 the land was being rented for £10 10s.
yearly, which was used to provide doles of bread
at Easter and of meat at Christmas. (fn. 84) By 1932 the
income had fallen to £7 5s. yearly. (fn. 85) It was £13 in
1956. (fn. 86) In 1829 William Woodward bequeathed
£200 for the purchase of stock, the interest on
which was to be used to provide a dole of bread at
Burton Overy at Christmas. The income from this
gift was £5 in 1956. (fn. 87) At some time between 1786
and 1837 Ann Woodruffe bequeathed £19 19s., the
interest from which was to be given to 6 poor
widows of the parish at Midsummer. (fn. 88) In 1956 the
trustees received 13s. 6d. in respect of this gift. (fn. 89)
By will proved in 1838 B. F. Coleman left an
endowment to provide 8s. annually for 8 poor
widows or householders of Burton Overy. From
1874 this gift was represented by £13 6s. 8d. stock,
which yielded 6s. 8d. in 1956. (fn. 90) Between 1581 and
1623 William Warde devised a rent-charge of £1
yearly from land called the Town Close at Burton
Overy. (fn. 91) In 1837 the rent-charge was received by
the rector who used it to provide bibles for Sundayschool children, (fn. 92) though it was recorded as a gift
for the benefit of the poor. Payments were discontinued some years before 1862, and the charity was
considered lost in 1892. (fn. 93) All the surviving charities
were united by a Scheme of 1921, and in 1956 they
received a total income of £19 0s. 2d. (fn. 94)