HORNINGHOLD
Horninghold lies seven miles north-east of
Market Harborough and four miles south-west of
Uppingham. The parish, which is 1,217 a. in area,
extends over the Middle Lias clays which underlie
the hills on the borders of Rutland. The soil is chiefly
clay and largely devoted to pasture. The road from
Hallaton to Uppingham, on which the village
stands, crosses the parish from west to east; it is
joined at the east end of the village by a road from
Great Easton. There are two field tracks, one to
Blaston, and one which crosses the road from Hallaton to Allexton and continues to Keythorpe.
The houses in the village are built along the main
road and along a short road running north, which
later becomes the track to Keythorpe. At the junction
of these roads, immediately north of the church, is a
small triangular green inclosed by posts and chains.
Between the green and the church stands a restored
stone cottage, dating from the late 16th or early 17th
century, which was formerly used as a Rectory. All
the remaining houses in the village are the result of
complete or partial rebuilding by the Hardcastles
of Blaston Hall. (fn. 1) The post office and two other brick
cottages are the work of Thomas Hardcastle (d. 1902)
in 1882-3, but most of the rebuilding was carried
out by his son T. A. Hardcastle between 1905 and
1911. He set out to create a model 'garden' village,
planted with a great variety of trees and ornamental
shrubs. The cottages are built of local ironstone, are
planned on generous lines, and stand in large
gardens. Where original early-17th-century features
existed, Hardcastle was careful to retain them, and
all later work was altered to conform with this
style. An exception is Orchard House, now a racing
stable, (fn. 2) which is of red brick and has a symmetrical
'Queen Anne' frontage dated 1913. Tudor House is
of 17th-century origin, retaining four-centred stone
door-heads. It was largely rebuilt in 1905 as the
Horninghold Estate Office. A pair of stone cottages
at the north end of the village carries a tablet of
1911, stating that the Globe Inn formerly stood on
the site. The tradition of well-kept gardens, hedges,
and grass verges is still maintained in the village.
Manor Farm, formerly the manor-house, is a
stone building standing south of the church. It was
probably built by William Turpin c. 1600 and a
painted panel bearing his arms (fn. 3) is still in the house.
The building was extended and largely reconstructed
by T. A. Hardcastle in 1909 but two original stone
fire-places and a mullioned window survive. To the
west is a fine avenue of limes, probably dating from
the early 18th century.
Horninghold House, sometimes known as Horninghold Hall, stands in a large garden to the north
of the main road. It was converted from an old
farm-house by Thomas Hardcastle and the baywindowed stone front is in a 19th-century Tudor
style. The extensive red-brick stables are dated 1882
and their construction shows an early use of cavity
walling. Alexander Cross, tenant of the house until
he bought the estate in 1916, kept as many as 30
hunters here. (fn. 4) After the Second World War, during
the ownership of H. Bernstein, part of the outbuildings was occupied as a clothing factory. (fn. 5) Since
1956 the stables have been used for commercial
mushroom-growing by Mr. K. Grant. (fn. 6)
The population of Horninghold has never been
large. The recorded population in 1086 was 13. (fn. 7)
There were 25 taxpayers in 1381. (fn. 8) There were 20
households in 1563, (fn. 9) and 36 houses with hearths
in 1670. Of these, 21 paid hearth tax, including the
house of Sir John Heath with 13 hearths, two each
had 2 forges, and there was one empty house. (fn. 10) In
1603 there were 96 communicants, and in 1676, 102. (fn. 11)
There were 20-30 families in the early 18th century. (fn. 12)
The population was 76 in 1801, 126 in 1881, and
97 in 1891. After the Hardcastles' improvements
it rose to 124 in 1911, but in 1951 was only 86. (fn. 13)
MANOR.
Before the Conquest HORNINGHOLD
was one of a group of estates apparently held by
four thegns, Osulf, Osmund, Roulf, and Levrick. In
1086 the vill was said to be held by Robert de Todeni,
lord of Belvoir, (fn. 14) though it may have been given
before this date to Robert's priory of Belvoir, which
had been founded in 1076. (fn. 15) At the beginning of the
12th century it was farmed by William D'Aubigny. (fn. 16)
Horninghold formed part of the original endowment
of the priory and remained in its possession until the
Dissolution. (fn. 17) It was confirmed to the priory at
various times during the Middle Ages. (fn. 18)
At the Dissolution the manor passed to the Crown,
and in 1545 Henry VIII licensed Edward Elrington
and Humphrey Metcalf, to whom he had previously
sold it, to alienate the manor and the rest of the
former priory's property in the parish to John
Beaumont and Henry Alycock. (fn. 19) There was a lease
of the manor outstanding for 41 years from 1531
which had been made by Belvoir Priory to Anthony
Bewell, the priory's bailiff. (fn. 20) On Beaumont's forfeiture the manor once more passed to the Crown,
and in 1553 it was purchased for £566 by Edward
Griffin, the Attorney-General, whose family owned
the nearby manor of Gumley. (fn. 21) In 1590 William
Turpin of Knaptoft, whose father had owned land
in Horninghold, purchased the manor from Edward
Griffin's heir. (fn. 22) Turpin was knighted in 1603 and died
in 1617; his widow held the manor until her death
about the end of 1633, (fn. 23) and was succeeded by her
daughter Elizabeth, who married Sir John Pretyman
of Loddington. (fn. 24)
The estate was settled upon their eldest son
John and his wife Margaret on their marriage in
1649. (fn. 25) John Pretyman died in 1658 leaving his
widow as owner of the estate, which she brought to
her second husband Sir John Heath, the second son
of Sir Robert Heath of Brasted Place (Kent) and
M.P. for Clitheroe (Lancs.) from 1661 to 1679. (fn. 26)
She died in 1676 (fn. 27) and the available evidence
suggests that Horninghold manor did not descend
to her daughter and heir. It appears to have been
sold by Heath to Sir Edward Hungerford, who was
in possession by 1676 and presented to the living. (fn. 28)
Thereafter the manorial descent is lost. Sir Edward
Hungerford died in 1711, but it is by no means
certain that he could or would have retained the
manor of Horninghold for more than a few years, for
his extravagance was notorious and he is said to have
disposed of more than thirty manors during his
lifetime. (fn. 29)
In 1730 Thomas Dummer, later of Cranbury
(Hants), was lord of the manor of Horninghold. (fn. 30)
He died in 1765 and was succeeded by his son
Thomas upon whose death in 1781 the estate passed
to his widow Harriet with reversion to Thomas
Chamberlayne, a member of a family with which
the Dummers had been previously connected. (fn. 31)
Harriet Dummer married Thomas Chamberlayne,
and after his death, which presumably occurred very
shortly afterwards, she married Nathaniel Dance,
the artist, who afterwards took the name of Holland
and was created a baronet in 1800. (fn. 32) His widow
retained possession of the manor after his death in
1811 until her death in 1825 when it finally passed
to William Chamberlayne, (fn. 33) in whose family it
remained until about 1880. (fn. 34) It was then purchased
by Thomas Hardcastle (d. 1902) of Blaston Hall,
was inherited by his son T. A. Hardcastle (d. 1941),
and sold in 1916 to Alexander Cross who had
previously been the tenant of Horninghold Hall. (fn. 35)
Cross died c. 1921 and it was owned by his brother
Thomas until his death. The estate was sold, in and
after 1931, in several lots. (fn. 36) The hall and the advowson were acquired by W. R. Crabtree and a large
part of the land passed to George Brudenell of
Deene (Northants.). (fn. 37) The manorial rights seem to
have died out at the same time.
ECONOMIC HISTORY.
In 1086 there were 3
carucates of land in Horninghold, which had been
ploughed by 3 ploughs in Edward the Confessor's
reign. By 1086 Robert de Todeni had 2 ploughs in
his demesne, and 8 villeins, 3 socmen, and 2 bordars
had a further 3 ploughs. There were 12 a. of meadow
and woodland one furlong by two furlongs in extent. The value of the estate had been raised to 30s.
from 10s. before the Conquest. (fn. 38) There were still 3
carucates in 1279, one held in demesne by Belvoir
Priory, one held in villeinage, and the other held by
free tenants. (fn. 39) All the inhabitants assessed for tax in
1381 were described as tenants at will, but in 1408
the Prior of Belvoir asserted his right to hold court
for the free tenants and the villein tenants of the
manor. (fn. 40)
The woodland of Domesday Book probably
survives on the parish boundary with Stockerston
and in Stockerston itself. An undated charter of
John Sampson regulated the boundaries between
his woods and those of Belvoir Priory, and the names
of Muckelborough (Michelberwe) and Bolt Wood
(Boutewood) can be identified in it; the charter
probably dates from before the reign of Henry VI,
the date of the cartulary in which it survives. (fn. 41)
Pasture rights in the wood were clearly important
in the Middle Ages, and part of the wood was inclosed; an agreement of 1417 between Elizabeth
Boyvill and Belvoir Priory gave each party the
right to inclose a portion of woodland, subject to the
preservation of pasture rights. (fn. 42)
Inclosure appears to have been the occasion of a
dispute in the mid-16th century, when a number of
persons were charged with breaking into a close
belonging to Sir Edward Griffin, near Horninghold
Wood, and pasturing beasts there. (fn. 43) In 1607 Sir
William Turpin was stated to have converted 80 a.
of arable land at Horninghold from tillage to pasture
and to have destroyed one farm-house. (fn. 44) When he
died in 1617 he had 100 sheep grazing on his pastures at Horninghold, and it has been suggested
that his inclosures were in fact more extensive than
the returns of 1607 indicate. (fn. 45) In 1620 Sir William
was said to have held the manor of Horninghold
with 10 named closes as well as others, but no mention is made in the inquisition of open arable land. (fn. 46)
There was still open land about 1675, however,
when particulars of the manorial lands mention a
yardland of 30 a. in the common fields. The same
documents mention over 150 a. of closes, as well as
a considerable area whose acreage is not stated. (fn. 47)
According to the inclosure Act of 1730 there were
still 916 a. in the three open fields-Moor Field,
Hog Field, and Little Field-and an open Cow
Pasture at that date, (fn. 48) so that it seems probable
that about two-thirds of Horninghold remained
open until 1730.
PARISH ADMINISTRATION.
The accounts of
the churchwardens have survived for the period
1773-1855, and the surviving vestry book for 1830-6
contains the accounts of the overseers of the poor. (fn. 49)
There was no workhouse in 1802-3, when 4 adults
and 12 children received out-relief. (fn. 50) After 1836 the
parish belonged to the Uppingham Union. (fn. 51)
CHURCH.
Horninghold church seems, on the
architectural evidence, to have been built in the
early 12th century. In or shortly before 1151 it was
confirmed to Belvoir Priory by Archbishop Theobald, after an unsuccessful attempt by Geoffrey de
Normanville to disturb the monks' title. (fn. 52)
The church was appropriated before 1220, (fn. 53) and
Belvoir Priory remained the patron until the Dissolution. (fn. 54) Afterwards the rectory and advowson
descended with the manor. (fn. 55) In 1930 the living was
united with Blaston St. Giles and Blaston St.
Michael. (fn. 56) In 1957 the incumbent lived at Blaston
and the patron of the combined living was W. R.
Crabtree, (fn. 57) whose executors held the advowson in
1959. (fn. 58)
In 1254 the church was valued at 6 marks, corrected to 10, and at 7 marks in 1291. (fn. 59) Seven marks
was also the value of the rectory in 1535. (fn. 60) In 1626
the rectory was worth £50, (fn. 61) and about 1675 was
said to be worth £70, of which £55 came from
tithes. (fn. 62) About the same date the tithes were leased
for £56. (fn. 63) About 1666 a prospective tenant for the
rectory refused to pay more than £60. (fn. 64) The rectorial tithes were specifically excluded from the
Inclosure Act of 1730 and were commuted in 1849
for £10. (fn. 65) The vicarage was worth 5 marks about
1220. (fn. 66) In 1535 it was valued at £6 16s. 6d. (fn. 67) and in
1626 at £12. (fn. 68) Horninghold remained a poor living
although it was augmented by Queen Anne's Bounty
in 1777 and 1802 with £200 on each occasion. (fn. 69) In
1831 it was worth only £83. (fn. 70) Some of the vicarial
tithes were apparently commuted in 1730 for a rentcharge of 10d. an acre, and others were commuted
for £23 in 1849. (fn. 71)
The church of ST. PETER stands to the southwest of the village. It is built of ironstone and limestone and consists of chancel, nave, north and south
aisles, north porch, and spired west tower. Its most
striking feature is the early-12th-century south
doorway. (fn. 72)
The early church dated from the first half of the
12th century when it probably consisted of nave,
chancel, and tower. The base of the tower and portions of the nave walls survive. When aisles were
added the small south doorway was preserved and
reset in the new outer wall. The voussoirs of its
semi-circular arch have three tiers of chip-carved
ornament below a billet hoodmould. The chamfers
of the imposts are finely carved with honeysuckle and
other ornament and include symbolic beasts on the
two reveals.
The south aisle was added early in the 13th century. The arcade of three bays has round arches of
two chamfered orders, octagonal piers, and moulded
capitals. Near the east end the aisle contains a small
recess and a 13th-century piscina. The north aisle
is of the later 13th century, with some indication that
the most easterly bay was the first to be built. (fn. 73) The
pier to the west of it consists of a short length of
Norman walling, left in situ. The three arches of the
arcade are slightly pointed. At the north-east corner
of the aisle is a stone angle-bracket, probably for
the support of an image. The belfry stage of the
tower, which has windows with forked tracery, and
the small broach spire date from the end of the
13th century. The wide tower arch of four chamfered
orders without capitals is probably of the early 14th
century. It is evident that there has always been a
tendency to settlement at the south-west corner of
the church and angle buttresses were added to the
tower in the 14th century. There are signs that the
tower walls were already bulging when the south arcade was built 100 years earlier. (fn. 74) In the 15th century
the roofs of both nave and aisles were raised and
a low clerestory was inserted. The line of the earlier
nave roof is visible above the tower arch. The roofs
still retain some original moulded timbers and carved
bosses. The north porch and the windows in the
north aisle appear to be contemporary with the
clerestory, except for the large three-light east
window which is later in date. The chancel, which
has an unusually small square-headed east window,
appears to have been entirely rebuilt in post-Reformation times.
Archdeacons' reports in the 17th and 18th centuries recommend routine repairs and complain
only of defective roofs, damp floors, and defective
fittings. (fn. 75) By 1794 cracks were reported in the
walls of the tower, which needed underpinning. (fn. 76)
Repairs to the church were carried out in 1829 and
in 1836 the chancel roof was renewed. (fn. 77) New internal fittings were provided between 1833 and
1844. (fn. 78) In the early 19th century the tower arch
was blocked with brickwork.
A restoration took place in 1904-6, when the
porch was rebuilt and new three-light windows
were inserted in the side walls of the chancel. (fn. 79) In
1934 the church was in poor condition generally
and severe structural defects had developed. A
restoration, which included repairs to the roofs, was
completed in 1936. (fn. 80) In 1951 two buttresses were
added near the west end of the south aisle. The architect for both restorations was Albert Herbert of
Leicester. (fn. 81) During excavation for the buttresses
in 1951 a 13th-century coffin lid of Clipsham stone
was unearthed and placed inside the church. (fn. 82)
The plain octagonal font bowl stands on circular
supports and is probably of the 13th century. The
cover may be the one supplied in response to an
archdeacon's request in 1777. (fn. 83) There are early18th-century communion rails and turned balusters
of slightly earlier date form part of a modern vestry
screen in the north aisle. Several oak bench-ends
with carved finials, dating from the 15th or early 16th
century, have been incorporated in later pews. In
general the wooden fittings appear to date from the
refitting which took place just before the middle of
the 19th century. The only mural tablets are two
small brasses, one being a memorial of the First
World War and the other commemorating Walter R. Crabtree (d. 1957). Slate slabs to M. Mason
(d. 1746), vicar, and members of his family (1788-
1823) are mounted externally on the east wall of the
north aisle.
There are three bells: (i) and (iii) undated; (ii)
1628. (fn. 84) The plate consists of a silver cup and paten
of 1638 and a pewter cup and cover. (fn. 85) The registers
date from 1661 with a gap in the entries of baptisms from 1800 to 1811. There are earlier bishops'
transcripts. (fn. 86)
NONCONFORMITY.
In 1672 Matthew Clark,
an ejected minister, was licensed to preach at Horninghold. (fn. 87) Two houses were licensed as meetinghouses: in 1718 the house of Elizabeth Clarke, and in
1722 that of Richard Patrick. (fn. 88) Nothing further is
known of nonconformity in Horninghold.
SCHOOL.
A Sunday school was opened in 1829
and voluntary contributions paid for the education
of 5 boys and 9 girls. At the day school which was
opened in 1830 'a young woman' taught, in 1833,
6 boys and 10 girls, who were educated at their
parents' expense. (fn. 89) This school was closed after a
few years. Horninghold children in 1959 attended
school at Hallaton.
CHARITIES.
John Atkins, by will dated 1727,
left land in Horninghold for the provision of £5 a
year for such poor persons in the parish 'as should
endeavour to obtain a living without pilfering', with
preference for persons named Atkins. In 1837 the
income was regularly received by the churchwardens and overseers who distributed it in money and
fuel to poor persons resident in the parish. (fn. 90) In
1877 the rent received from the land was £10 10s. (fn. 91)
In 1737 Thomas Roberts gave 5 a. of land in the
parish to provide 12d. worth of bread each Sunday
for poor persons attending morning service. The
surplus was to be divided among poor parishioners
attending service upon St. Thomas's Day. In 1877
the land was let for £16 10s. a year. (fn. 92)
A piece of ground called the Washpit Piece was
said to have been allotted at inclosure in 1730 for the
benefit of the poor. In 1837 this land had been lost
to the parish and formed part of the estate of the
lord of the manor, (fn. 93) but by 1906 it had been recovered. A Charity Commission Scheme of that
year consolidated the three parish charities and
united the rents of three pieces of land, Washpit
Close, Atkins Close, and Roberts Close, into a
single fund, then worth £12 19s. a year. (fn. 94) In 1951-3
the annual income of £14 19s. was largely spent
in 12 gifts of coal. (fn. 95) In 1958 Washpit Close and
Roberts Close were sold to the Brudenell Estates for
£250 and the money invested. (fn. 96)