PAVENHAM
Pabenham (xiii–xvii cent.); Patenham, Patnam
(xvi–xvii cent.).
The parish of Pavenham is situated 6 miles northwest of Bedford, and is bounded on the east and south
by the River Ouse. It has an area of 1,370 acres, of
which 615½ acres are arable land, 561¾ permanent
grass and 93¾ woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The slope of
the ground is from north to south, the highest point
above the ordnance datum being 270 ft. The soil is
clay, the principal crops are wheat and barley.
The parish is crossed by a main road passing from
Milton Ernest in the east to Carlton in the west.
The small village, composed mainly of plastered cottages with thatched or tiled roofs, is situated towards
the centre of the parish on either side of this road.
Pavenham Bury, belonging to Mr. Joseph Tucker
Burton Alexander, is in the north of the parish—a
modern building with a good deal of old panelling
and a fine 18th-century oak staircase. Behind it on
rising ground is the parish church of St. Peter.
Stafford Bridge crosses the Ouse and connects
Pavenham and Oakley. It was originally of four
stone arches. There are only two remaining,
and these are reinforced with large wooden beams.
They have chamfered stone ribs on the soffit
of the arch, and are probably mediaeval. The
remainder of the river (on the Pavenham side)
is spanned by steel girders. There is also a small
brick arch at the end of the bridge on the Pavenham
side. The river here is about 50 ft. wide. It is
said to derive its name from the Staffords, lords of
the honour of Gloucester, to which Pavenham was
attached. (fn. 2) The situation of Pavenham at a point on
the Ouse where its tortuous course lends itself to the
cultivation of osiers has led to the development of a
considerable industry in rush matting and wicker
baskets. The former manufacture is said to date
from the 17th century. (fn. 3)
There are gravel pits and an old quarry in the
east of Pavenham, and prehistoric remains have been
found in Miller's Bog. (fn. 4)
The parish was inclosed by Act of Parliament in
1769. (fn. 5)
There is a Wesleyan chapel, built in 1859.
MANORS
Three manors are mentioned in Pavenham in the Survey of 1086, of which one,
PAVENHAM MANOR, was held by
Turstin, the Chamberlain of the king, in chief. It
was assessed at 2½ hides, and had been previously
held by Alsi, a man of Alli. (fn. 6) This manor, in common
with Turstin's other properties in Campton and
Hinwick (q.v.), later became part of the barony of
Bedford, and is first mentioned as so held about 1240. (fn. 7)
On the subdivision of this barony in 1265 amongst
the co-heirs of John, the last feudal baron, the overlordship of Pavenham Manor passed, as in the case
of Astwick (q.v.), to Maud de Beauchamp wife of
Roger Moubray, and so to the Latimers and Nevills. (fn. 8)
The latest reference that has been found to the overlordship occurs in 1614, when Pavenham Manor is
described as held of Lord Latimer. (fn. 9)
Turstin Chamberlain was followed in the lordship
of Pavenham, or Pabenham as it was then alternatively
called, by a family who assumed the name of Pabenham.
John Pabenham held a knight's fee in Bedfordshire
in 1201–12, (fn. 10) and John Pabenham, a descendant,
died seised in 1269 of this manor, then consisting of
one messuage, 7 virgates, 21 acres of meadow, a fishery,
12s. 11½d. rent and common of pasture, held for half
a knight's fee. (fn. 11) He left a son John, of full age at the
time of his father's death, who held this manor till
his own death in 1322, when his son John succeeded. (fn. 12)
Pavenham Manor is mentioned as part of the possessions of John Pabenham on his decease in 1330, (fn. 13) and
in 1340 his son John alienated it to his uncle Thomas
Pabenham, (fn. 14) whose death took place in 1345, (fn. 15) in
which year William Croyser (who held another
manor in Pavenham) received the guardianship of this
estate. (fn. 16) An inquisition taken the following year on
the possessions of his mother Elizabeth Pabenham sets
out in detail the alienation by John Pabenham to
Thomas, and expressly states that, after the surrender
to Thomas, Elizabeth had no further interest in the
manor. (fn. 17) Thomas left a son Laurence, who was
under age, as a guardian was appointed, and who
survived his father until 1399. (fn. 18) Laurence made a
settlement during his lifetime of the manor on his son
Laurence and his wife Joan; the former died before
his father without heirs, but his widow Joan, afterwards wife of John Waleys, held the manor till her
death in 1414. (fn. 19) Laurence Pabenham, senior, left as
heir a son John, who died without issue some time
previous to Joan Waleys, so that at her death Pavenham
Manor reverted to Eleanor wife of John Tyringham
and Katherine wife of Thomas Aylesbury as daughters
and co-heirs of Laurence. (fn. 20)
They both appear to have taken a moiety of Pavenham Manor, but that of Eleanor Tyringham was the
more important and continues to be called Pavenham
Manor, whilst Katherine's share will be found treated
of later as Cheneys Manor. From Eleanor and John
Tyringham the manor passed to their son John, who
died seised of it in 1465, (fn. 21) and for seven generations
Pavenham continued in the Tyringham family with
an unbroken descent from father to son.
The names of the successive owners with the dates
of their deaths are as follows: John Tyringham,
1484 (fn. 22) ; Thomas Tyringham, 1504 (fn. 23) ; Robert
Tyringham, 1531–2 (fn. 24) ; Thomas Tyringham, 1595 (fn. 25) ;
Anthony Tyringham, 1614 (fn. 26) ; Thomas Tyringham,
1637–8. (fn. 27) John Tyringham, son of the last-named
Thomas, almost immediately on the death of his
father sold Pavenham Manor to William Alston,
who died seised of it in 1638. (fn. 28) It thus became
merged into the larger estate of the Alstons in Odell,
under which parish its descent will be found traced
until the year 1814, when Thomas and Justinian
Alston suffered a recovery of the manor. Mr. Rowland Crewe Alston is the present lord of the manor. (fn. 29)
Pabenham. Barry argent and azure a bend gules with three molets or thereon.
Tyringham. Azure a saltire engrailed argent.
The descent of that moiety of Pavenham Manor
which passed to Katherine Pabenham, and later
became known as CHENEYS MANOR, now remains
to be traced. Katherine married Thomas de Aylesbury,
and on his death William
Cheyne, by whom she had a
son Laurence Cheyne. (fn. 30) His
grandson Sir Thomas Cheyne
some time previous to his
death in 1513–14 arranged a
marriage between his daughter
and sole heir Elizabeth (aged
at the time of the inquisition
nine and more) and Thomas
son and heir of Sir Nicholas
Vaux, who can have been little
more than four years of age. (fn. 31) This marriage was
eventually consummated, and Pavenham or Cheneys
Manor, as it is called to distinguish it from the various
other manors in the parish, became the property of
the Vauxes of Harrowden, whose history has been
traced under Carlton (fn. 32) (q.v.) until in 1649 Edward
Vaux Lord Harrowden alienated it to John Alston,
whose family had previously acquired Pavenham
Manor (q.v.), with which its descent is henceforward
identical. The last mention that has been found of
it individually occurs in 1687, (fn. 33) but it has since
become completely re-absorbed.
Cheyne. Checky or and azure a fesse gules fretty ermine.
A second manor in this parish in 1086 was
PAVENHAM MANOR belonging to Rannulf son
of Ilger. It consisted of 5 hides, and was held in
the time of the Confessor by a thegn called Godwin. (fn. 34)
The overlordship subsequently passed to the Clares
and became part of the honour of Gloucester (fn. 35) ;
its history is identical with that of Biddenham (q.v.).
The last mention which is found of it occurs in
1461, when Humphrey Duke of Buckingham held
a view of frankpledge in Pavenham as of this
honour. (fn. 36)
Robert son of Nigel held Pabenham Manor of
Rannulf in 1086, (fn. 37) and from him it passed at some
time before the 13th century
to the d'Abernon family, who
came from Surrey, where their
name is perpetuated in Stoke
d'Abernon. The first mention
found of them in connexion
with Pavenham is in the Testa
de Nevill, when the Templars
held a knight's fee here in
custody for the heirs of Gilbert d'Abernon, who died in
1236. (fn. 38) John d'Abernon son
of Gilbert received a charter
of free warren in his demesne
lands of Pavenham in 1253, 'provided the lands
were not within the king's forest.' (fn. 39) By 1278–9
John had been succeeded by a son John d'Abernon,
who at that date held the manor, consisting of a
carucate of land in demesne, a free fishery in the
Ouse and rents of free tenants. (fn. 40) He died in
1327, and his son John d'Abernon in 1331 claimed
certain manorial privileges as having been granted to
his grandfather by Henry III. (fn. 41) In 1334–5 John
d'Abernon transferred Pavenham Manor by fine to
trustees, (fn. 42) and in 1346 Adam de Swinburn held the
quarter fee which represented this manor, apparently
as trustee. (fn. 43) William d'Abernon, son of John, had
one daughter Elizabeth, who married William Croyser,
and in 1353–4 her father made a settlement of
Pavenham Manor on her and her husband. (fn. 44) William
Croyser died some time before 1368–9, (fn. 45) and his
widow, subsequently married to John Grey, held
Pavenham during her lifetime. (fn. 46) It then passed to
William Croyser her son by her first marriage, whose
daughter Anne wife of Richard Tyrrell brought a
successful claim against John Grey as to her right to
the manor. (fn. 47) John Tyrrell, probably a son of Anne,
held one-fourth of a fee in Pavenham in 1428, (fn. 48) and
this property remained in the same family for upwards
of 200 years. In 1630–1 George Tuke and other
trustees conveyed Pavenham Manor by fine to William
Tyrrell and Dorothy his wife, (fn. 49)
who in 1635–6 alienated it to
William Alston. (fn. 50) It thus
became united to Pavenham
Manor (q.v.), with which its
descent is henceforward identical.
D'Abernon. Azure a cheveron or.
Tyrrell. Argent two cheverons azure and a border engrailed gules.
A manor known as PAVENHAM or BRAYS MANOR is
found in Pavenham in the
16th century, and appears to
be an offshoot of Pavenham
Manor last described. The
first mention that has been
found of it is in 1501–2, when Sir John Norbury
and Joan his wife alienated the manor of Pavenham
to Sir Reginald Bray. (fn. 51) Sir John Norbury was the
son of Ann Croyser, who on the death of Richard
Tyrrell had married again Sir Henry Norbury, (fn. 52) and
it seems likely that this property was a detached
portion of the manor. Sir Reginald Bray already
owned a manor in Bromham (q.v.), and Pavenham
followed the same descent as that manor until the
late 16th century. (fn. 53) Some time previous to 1594
it was sold by the representative of the Brays to
George Vaux, who died seised of it in 1594. (fn. 54) Like
Cheneys Manor (q.v.) it remained with the Vaux
family until 1649, when it was alienated to John
Alston, (fn. 55) and henceforward follows the same descent
as the other manors in Pavenham.
A third Domesday holder in Pavenham was Count
Eustace of Boulogne, of whom Ernulf de Ardres held
PAVENHAM MANOR extended at 2½ hides and including a mill worth 20s. This manor had formerly
belonged to a thegn named Alevold. (fn. 56) It followed
the same descent as Ernulf de Ardres' manor in
Stevington (q.v.), in which it became more or less
absorbed, reappearing however as a separate manor
in the 16th century. Several extents of Stevington
Manor from the 13th to the 15th century prove the
continued existence of this manor. In 1278–9
Baldwin Wake, in right of his wife Hadwisa de
Quincy, held 7 virgates of land in villeinage here as
of his manor of Stevington. (fn. 57) In 1349 an extent of
Stevington Manor includes one water-mill at Pabenham, worth when in use 70s., and nothing at the time
of the inquisition on account of the Black Death;
and in Stevington and Pavenham together there was
£29 16s. 0½d. rent of free tenants. (fn. 58) In 1598, on
the occasion of the conveyance of his estates by
William Earl of Derby into the hands of trustees,
Pavenham Manor is differentiated by name from
Stevington, (fn. 59) and continues to be mentioned as a
separate manor though following the same descent.
John d'Abernon and John Pabenham both owned
a free fishery in their respective manors of Pavenham
in the 13th century. (fn. 60) They also received charters
of free warren, the former in 1253, (fn. 61) the latter in
1312. (fn. 62)
CHURCH
The church of ST. PETER consists
of a chancel 24 ft. 6 in. by 15 ft., nave
of equal width and 45 ft. long, north
chapel and aisle 10 ft. 6 in. wide, of the full length
of the chancel and nave, south transept 13 ft. 10 in.
by 14 ft. 6 in., south porch, west tower 10 ft. 2 in.
by 9 ft. 10 in., and a modern vestry at the west end
of the aisle 10 ft. 11 in. by 10 ft. 10 in. A south
aisle formerly existed. The site has a considerable
fall from east to west, and the floor of the church
follows the natural ground line with a very picturesque
effect. The building is interesting from several points
of view, but its most striking feature is the extraordinary wealth of 17th-century woodwork with
which it has been fitted. This takes the form of
panelling on the walls, seats, &c., and has been
collected and put up in modern times, none of it
being an old fitting.
The church in the 13th century consisted of a
nave and chancel, to which in the 14th century were
added the western tower and a chapel to the north
of the chancel, and in the next century a north aisle
and south transept were built.
The only 13th-century work remaining is the
external doorway of the south porch, which abuts on
the south transept; this doorway, which has certainly
been removed from elsewhere, is in three deeply
undercut orders on moulded jambs, containing two
detached shafts restored with moulded caps and bases.
The chancel has been considerably rebuilt, with a
steep modern roof; the east window is a modern
window of three trefoiled lights with flowing tracery.
In the north wall of the chancel there are two arches
in two chamfered orders, springing from a small
14th-century octagonal capital and shaft; to the east
is an aumbry with a carved oak door. In the south
wall of the chancel are a modern square-headed
window of three trefoiled lights, a modern doorway
with a pointed head and a label with old head stops, and
a small restored square-headed window of two trefoiled
lights, the head only being old. The chancel arch is
in two chamfered orders, with 14th-century capitals
and semi-octagonal responds.
The north chapel has a considerable amount of old
walling, but the roof, which is steeply pitched, is
modern; there is a modern window in the east
end of 15th-century style, consisting of three cinquefoiled lights, under a depressed two-centred arch.
There is a modern external buttress about the middle
of the north wall of the chapel, and there is an old
buttress to take the thrust of the west arch of the
chapel. In the north wall of the chapel are two
14th-century sedilia with crocketed ogee canopies,
labels stopped on heads and terminating in finials,
and richly moulded jambs, capitals and bases. The
west arch is in two chamfered orders, the inner of
which is stopped on the north side by a grotesque
head.
The north arcade of the nave is of three bays
in two chamfered orders on 15th-century octagonal
piers with moulded capitals and bases; in the south
wall of the nave above the south door there is a
blocked doorway with plain jambs and a pointed
head, opening to a room over the porch which is
lighted by a plain two-light square-headed window
on the north. This wall of the nave has been lately
rebuilt with two square-headed windows of two trefoiled lights on the level of the clearstory opposite,
and a window of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in the head on a level with and similar to a
14th-century window in the north aisle opposite.
The clearstory consists of four single-light windows
of recent date with square heads. The roof, which
is low pitched in four bays, is old. There is a south
transept which has been recently entirely rebuilt,
with an arch in two chamfered orders, and two 15th-century niches with trefoiled heads in the east wall.
They have gabled canopies, and stand on foliated
corbels flanked by grotesque heads and pierced by
square holes where the figures were fixed. In the south
wall are a large three-light 15th-century window
and a 14th-century piscina with trefoiled head resting
on shafts with moulded capitals and bases. On the
apex of the transept gable there is a sundial. The
roof is modern. Adjoining this transept is the south
porch with a room over, with the 13th-century
doorway described above; the inner doorway is
of the 14th-century in one richly moulded order
on semi-octagonal jambs with moulded capitals
and bases.
The north aisle has been largely rebuilt; there are
a 14th-century square-headed window consisting of
three trefoiled lights, the mullions, however, being
modern, a blocked 14th-century doorway, the sill
being now below the ground level, and a 14th-century window of two trefoiled lights in two chamfered orders, with a quatrefoil in the head. There
are two square buttresses at the north-west angle
of the aisle, and adjoining it a low modern vestry,
built on to the north side of the tower. The
14th-century tower is in five stages and has been
partly restored. In the ground stage on the west
side is a pointed doorway with mouldings like those
of the blocked doorway of the north aisle, and
in the stage above is a two-light window of two
chamfered orders with modern cinquefoiled heads
and flowing tracery; in the fourth stage there is a
similar window, blocked, with a grotesque figure
at the apex of the label. In each face of the
belfry stage there is a window like that in the
second stage above the west door, but having old
jambs and tracery, the mullions being modern.
On the south side in the fourth stage there is a very
small trefoiled light with a square label. The tower
buttresses project very considerably; there are two
at each of the west angles and one at the south-east,
the latter being in four stages, the other on the south
side and that on the north in five, and the two on
the west in six. The tower is surmounted by a
14th-century octagonal broach spire, having two sets
of spire lights.
The interior of the church, except the east wall of the
transept, is panelled to a height of between 6 and 7 ft.
in 17th-century carved oak, which has been collected
from various sources in recent times; there is also a
carved front of the same type to a gallery at the west end
right across nave and aisle, supported on a post with
a rude Ionic capital, and screens separating the nave
from the tower and the aisle from the vestry. The
clergy and quire pew and the pulpit are similar, and
there are four richly carved oak settees of the same date
in the aisle and two arm-chairs in the sanctuary. One
quatrefoil in the three-light window of the aisle is
filled with old stained glass representing a star.
There are two coats of arms on the north wall of
the chapel, one of Alston impaling Temple, and the
other of Alston impaling Brooke, and a mural monument to John Franklyn, who died 1748, surmounted
by the arms Azure a bend between two dolphins
or. In the south wall of the chapel there is also a
marble slab to Lucretia Newill, daughter of Joseph
Franklyn, who died 1779. There are no other
monuments. The font is modern and is under the
nave arcade on the east side of the middle bay.
There are five bells: (1) 'Robt. Taylor St. Neots
founder 1796, Danl. Hipwell and William Dix C
wardens.' (2) 'God save the Queene, 1602' (in
black letter). (3) 'John Hodson made mee 1663
Richard Gilbert Robert Tole Churchwardens W. H.'
(4) 'Newcome made mee A° 1614.' (5) 'I.K.
God save our King 1623.'
The plate consists of a silver-gilt communion cup
with lid, surrounded by a foliated band, and with
I.H.S. in a rayed circle, the latter also on lid, date
mark 1629, a modern silver-gilt foot-paten and a
silver-gilt plate.
The registers previous to 1813 are as follows:—
(i) has all entries 1561 to 1641; (ii) (which is at
Felmersham Church, not Pavenham) the same,
1640 to 1799; (iii) baptisms and burials 1800 to
1812; (iv) marriages 1757 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
Pavenham appears as a chapelry
attached to Felmersham in 1205,
when the grant of the advowson to
Lenton Priory was confirmed by the Pope, (fn. 63) and has
followed the same descent as Felmersham Church
(q.v.) until 1859, when it was separated and endowed
by the late Joseph Tucker. It is now in the gift of
Mr. Joseph Tucker Burton Alexander.
At the Dissolution the chapel was worth £5 6s. 8d., (fn. 64)
and in 1769 at the time of the inclosure of Pavenham
parish allotments of land in lieu of tithes were assigned
to the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge, impropriators at that time, and to the vicar of
Felmersham. (fn. 65)
At the dissolution of the chantries in the reign of
Edward VI 2 acres of land were held in Pavenham,
value 1s., towards an obit in the parish church. (fn. 66)
There are no endowed charities in this parish.