WILSHAMSTEAD
Winessamestede (xi cent.); Wilsamsted (xiii cent.).
The area of this parish is 3,151 acres, of which
1,615 are arable land, 815¼ permanent grass and
198¼ woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The woods known as
Wilshamstead Wood, St. Macute's Wood (commonly
called 'Snakes') and Rough Hill Spinney lie in the
south of the parish, where the ground reaches 288 ft.
From here it gradually falls away to the north to
less than 100 ft. above ordnance datum.
The soil, which is loam with a subsoil of clay, is
better in the east, where turnips are grown, than in
the west, where wheat, peas, beans and barley are
the chief crops.
The village, built on level ground 126 ft. above
ordnance datum, presents a curious aspect, as it
stretches across nearly the whole width of the parish.
The main portion is in the west on the road from
Bedford to Luton. Here in a shady churchyard
stands the church of All Saints, whose tower fell on
Sunday 11 April 1742, being probably shaken by
the ringing of bells.
Most of the cottages are quite modern, though
there are a few examples of thatch. At the west
end of the village to the north of the road is an early
17th-century uninhabited brick farm-house, while on
the opposite side of the road is a modern saw-mill.
Beyond this is the part called Duck End, north of
which, on the Bedford and Luton road, is a brick
kiln.
The rest of the village extends along the road
connecting the high road from Bedford to Luton
with that from Bedford to Shefford. It consists of
the hamlets of Chapel End, where are the Manor
Farm, the Infants' School and Wesleyan chapel,
Littleworth on the borders of the parish, where
St. Paul's Mission Church was opened in 1906, and
continues to Herring's Green in the parish of Eastcotts. South of Littleworth and reached by a lane
which loses itself in the fields is Wilshamstead Cotton
End Manor Farm.
William Samuel Richardson, Master of Emmanuel
College, Cambridge, in 1736, son of a vicar of
Wilshamstead, was born here. He is principally
known as the editor and reviser of Godwin's work
De Praesulibus Angliae Commentarii. He was a strong
Tory and a stern disciplinarian. (fn. 2)
There was born here also in 1829 another celebrated person, who is famous for the leading part he
took in Colonial politics. William Morgan, who
was the son of a farmer, started life as a grocer's
assistant in Wilshamstead. He made a large fortune
at the Bendigo diggings in 1851, and by this means
was enabled to turn his business into one of the
wealthiest mercantile houses in the colony. His
chief fame, however, is derived from his five years'
Premiership of South Australia (1877–81), at the
end of which time he returned to England and in
1883 was created K.C.M.G., but died the same year,
before he could return to the colony, and is buried
in his native place. (fn. 3)
MANORS
There were two manors in this parish
at the time of the Domesday Survey.
WILSHAMSTEAD MANOR, slightly
the larger, was held by the Abbess of Elstow of the
Countess Judith, (fn. 4) the soke belonging to Kempston;
tradition says that the latter had founded and
endowed the convent as an act of reparation for
the betrayal of her husband. (fn. 5) It was assessed at
3 hides and was worth £7 6s. (fn. 6) The manor, like
the remainder of the Countess Judith's lands, was
held as of the honour of Huntingdon. (fn. 7) After the
Dissolution the manor was created part of the honour
of Ampthill, (fn. 8) and the overlordship remained in the
hands of the Crown. The Abbess of Elstow continued to hold till the Dissolution, (fn. 9) a view of frank
pledge, free warren and the vill (fn. 10) being confirmed to
her in 1287. In 1539 the last abbess leased the
manor to Mr. Holcrofte, (fn. 11) but in the same year the
abbey lands were surrendered to the Crown. (fn. 12) At
that time it was worth £19 0s. 5d. in temporalities. (fn. 13)
By 1562 the manor had been granted by the
Crown to Robert Newdigate, who conveyed it
possibly in trust to his brother John. (fn. 14) In 1563
Robert sold the property to John Warner and Thomas
Norwood. (fn. 15) John Warner died in 1565 childless, (fn. 16)
and the manor reverted to Thomas Norwood, his
nephew and son of the joint feoffee of the manor. (fn. 17)
Thomas Norwood still held the manor in 1584, (fn. 18) and
four years later it was settled on his son John for
life, with remainder to John's second son Edmund, (fn. 19)
who held in 1605. (fn. 20)
In 1608 Edmund Norwood made a settlement of
the manor on Edmund Bagshaw and Francis Clerke. (fn. 21)
Its history is here somewhat obscure. The next
mention that has been found occurs in 1628, when
Edward Ditchfield as trustee for the Corporation of
London received a grant of the manor of Wilshamstead,
said to be then in the tenure of Lady Elizabeth Radcliffe,
and late belonging to Elstow. (fn. 22) From him it passed
to Henry Lord Mordaunt, whose daughters Elizabeth,
Margaret and Anne compounded for their estates in
1649. (fn. 23) John Manley of Wilshamstead was then
declared to have purchased two-thirds of the estate,
of which quiet possession was confirmed to him at
this date. (fn. 24) By 1669–70 a further alienation of
this manor had taken place, it being then owned by
Thomas Beech, who with his son made a settlement
of it by fine on William Bedell. (fn. 25)
In 1764 it was the property of Robert third Earl
Granville, (fn. 26) who died without issue in 1776. (fn. 27) His
nephew Henry Frederick Thynne (afterwards
Carteret) succeeded under the will of his uncle to the
Carteret estates. (fn. 28) Thus he held this manor still in
1795, (fn. 29) and it remained in his family till 1849, (fn. 30)
when John third Lord Carteret died childless;
the barony became extinct, (fn. 31) but the manor remained
in the possession of the family and is at present held
by Mr. A. C. Thynne.
The second manor which is mentioned in the
Domesday Survey is that of WESTCOTES or
COTYS. At that date it was assessed at 3 hides all
but 1 virgate, and was held by Nigel de Albini. (fn. 32) It
followed the same descent through the Albinis, St.
Amands, Braybrookes and Beauchamps as Millbrook
(q.v.) until the 15th century. (fn. 33) The history diverges
circa 1428, when Elizabeth Beauchamp transferred
Millbrook to Sir John Cornwall, retaining Westcotes.
It was, however, forfeited to the Crown by her second
husband Sir Roger Tocotes, and was granted by
Richard III in 1483–4 to John Grey, (fn. 34) from whose
family it had passed by 1609 to Henry Lord
Mordaunt, who died seised of the manor at this
date. (fn. 35) It appears to have remained in this family
till 1649–51, (fn. 36) following here the same descent as
the principal manor in this parish. In 1741 it had
become the property of James Baker, who with John
Eldridge made a settlement of 'West Cotton' Manor
at this date. (fn. 37) Thomas Baker, a representative of
this family, held the manor in 1800, (fn. 38) and sold it
about this time to Samuel Whitbread, (fn. 39) whose
representative Mr. Samuel Whitbread is now lord of
the manor.
Domesday also records that a virgate in Westcote
was held both in 1066 and 1087 by one Ordwig, a
king's man. (fn. 40)
CHURCH
The church of ALL SAINTS consists
of a chancel 29 ft. 6 in. by 16 ft. with
a north vestry, a nave 48 ft. by 19 ft. 3 in.,
a north aisle 7 ft. 3 in. wide, south aisle 9 ft. 9 in.
wide and a west tower 13 ft. 6 in. square, all measurements being internal.
Wilshamstead Church from the South-east
The south arcade of the nave, of clumsily wrought
14th-century detail, is the oldest part of the building,
and the walls of the south aisle are probably contemporary, the head of the south door belonging to
c. 1340. The north arcade, with capitals of unusual
character, is probably early 15th-century work, and
the chancel, south porch and tower are modern. There
is an entry in the registers that the old tower fell down
on 11 April 1742, and in order to provide money
towards its re-erection, at a cost of £474 12s., three
of the bells were sold. The walling is of ironstone
rubble, and the ashlar work of oolite and chalk.
The north arcade of the nave is built of clunch in
three bays of two hollow-chamfered orders, in large
stones, with quatrefoiled shafts and moulded capitals,
of which the lower halves are bell-shaped and the
upper irregularly octagonal. The south arcade, of
oolite, is in four bays of two chamfered orders on
quatrefoiled shafts with rolls in the angles and simple
moulded bell capitals, and with corbels in the responds,
under which are coarsely-carved heads. The western
half of the west arch has been rebuilt. The clearstory
windows, four on each side, are each of two trefoiled
lights under a four-centred head.
The walls of the north aisle appear to have been
rebuilt; they have an embattled parapet and a chamfered plinth, and there are two windows of two lights
and one of three lights, all cinquefoiled, under fourcentered heads. The north doorway is modern and
has a four-centred head. In this aisle is a 15th-century piscina recess with a four-centred head and a
wooden shelf showing traces of colour.
The south aisle has a 14th-century piscina with a
trefoiled head, and beneath it is part of a 13th-century
coffin-lid. In the east wall is a modern two-light
window; in the south wall are a 15th-century window
of three cinquefoiled lights under a depressed arch
and two 15th-century windows of two cinquefoiled
lights, only the western of the two having old tracery;
a similar window at the west end is modern. The
doorway is in part of 14th-century work, with a
pointed arch of two orders, the outer hollow-chamfered, the inner wave-moulded, and with a moulded
label, but the greater part of it is modern.
The tower is entirely modern, in two stages with
an embattled parapet and chamfered plinth, and is
built of ironstone rubble. In 1742 the ancient tower
fell and was replaced by a temporary one, built
mainly of wood. The present tower was built in
1852.
The nave has a good low-pitched 15th-century roof,
with figures, probably of apostles, on the jack legs; all
hold scrolls, but their symbols are lost On the intermediates are figures of angels, and there are carved
bosses at the intersections of the purlins. The south
aisle roof is also of the 15th century. At the east
end of the north aisle is a brass half-figure of a priest
in mass vestments, c. 1450, and an inscription, 'Orate
pro [anima] d[omini] Will[elm]i Carbrok Capellani cui' aĩe [prop]iciet'
deus et pro a[nimabus] parentum patrum soror' omniu'
benefactor' suor' et omniũ fideliũ defunctor'.' At the
south-east of the nave is a wall tablet of alabaster and
Purbeck marble to William Tompson, 1596.
There is one large bell by Emerton of Wootton,
1783, and a small priest's bell dated 1826.
The plate consists of a cup and paten cover, date
mark 1626, a paten with date mark 1723, and a
modern flagon.
The registers previous to 1812 are in four books:
(1) all entries 1594 to 1659; (2) the same, 1664
to 1703; (3) the same, 1707 to 1812, the marriages
ceasing in 1753; and (4) marriages 1754 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
The church of Wilshamstead was
the property of Elstow Abbey from
the 13th century till its dissolution
in 1539, (fn. 41) at which time it was worth £25 13s. 9¾d. (fn. 42)
In 1541 a grant of the rectory was made to Edmund
Harvey, (fn. 43) whose daughter married Sir Humphrey
Radcliffe, (fn. 44) the latter receiving a confirmatory grant
of the rectory, church and advowson of Wilshamstead
in 1553. (fn. 45) Sir Edward Radcliffe presented in 1605. (fn. 46)
In 1649 James Risley of High Holborn presented
the advowson of this church to Sidney-Sussex College,
Cambridge, (fn. 47) who exercised the right of patronage as
late as 1782, (fn. 48) between which date and 1793 it passed
to Lord Carteret, (fn. 49) who owned Wilshamstead Manor
(q.v.), with which it henceforward descended, the
present owner being Mr. A. C. Thynne.
Wilshamstead rectory follows the same descent as
the advowson till c. 1630, when it had passed from
the Radcliffes to William Thompson, who with his
wife Elizabeth alienated it to Eustace Needham and
Francis Taverner at this date. (fn. 50) George Needham,
Maurice Needham and Jeremiah Needham made a
settlement of Wilshamstead Rectory in 1679, (fn. 51) and
Jeremiah Godfrey a further settlement in 1757. (fn. 52)
By 1796 it had passed to Lord Carteret, who
already owned the advowson. (fn. 53)
At the dissolution of the chantries a bead roll and
an obit were endowed with 13 acres of land, valued
in all at 7s. (fn. 54)
CHARITIES
The school, church and Poor's
Estate is regulated by a scheme of
the Charity Commissioners of 13 September 1895, and comprises the following charities,
namely:—
1. Richard Wells, will, 3 November 1686, trust
property, 11 a. 1 r. 12 p., acquired in 1810 on the
inclosure;
2. William Edwards, will, 1724, consisting of a
rent-charge issuing out of an estate in Wilshamstead;
3. William Thompson, will, 20 September 1596,
being rent-charges of £4 out of land called Cross
Meadow and £1 out of a messuage and 2 acres;
and
4. Mary Beech, will, 28 July 1716, trust fund,
£18 12s. 10d. consols, with the official trustees, who
also hold (1910) a sum of £106 3s. 7d. consols
belonging to the Church Branch, representing accumulations of income.
In pursuance of the scheme the sum of £7 17s.
was applied in 1909 in money prizes to children in
elementary school, £13 1s. 11d. for church purposes,
and £7 10s. 5d. distributed in coals to fifteen poor
persons.
The school. (fn. 55)
The official trustees also hold a sum of £120
consols in trust for Dr. James Johnson's charity,
founded by will, 19 May 1703, representing a legacy
of £100 to Sidney-Sussex College, Cambridge, which
is regulated by a scheme of the Charity Commissioners, 1 August 1905, the dividends of £3 a
year being laid out in the purchase of Bibles and
religious books and literature for children.
The Wesleyan Methodist chapel, comprised in an
indenture of 1814, is regulated by scheme of Charity
Commissioners, 1871.