OFFORD CLUNY
Upeford, Opeforde (xi cent.), Upford (xii cent.),
Offord Cluny (xiii cent.).
Offord Cluny lies to the east of the River Ouse
and south of Godmanchester. The parish is lowlying and near the river is liable to floods; it rises,
however, to 150 ft. on its eastern boundary. It has
an area of 1,046 acres of land and 16 acres of land
covered by water. The soil is clay and gravel and the
subsoil clay growing wheat, barley, turnips and beans.
The Offord and Buckden Station on the London and
North-Eastern Railway is in the parish and serves
the three parishes.
The village lies on the road from St. Neots to Godmanchester, a little to the north of the boundary
between the two Offords, where this line joins the
Ouse (the western boundary of the parish), just
below Offord Common and the weirs and boat house
south of Buckden Mills. It is here that the two
villages are situated adjacent to each other, each
with its ancient church and manor house grouped
near the river. A road branches westward from the
village to Buckden, passing over the river by a bridge
of three arches.
Offord Cluny church stands in the village, east of
the main road and south of the station. To the east
of it is the Manor House, an early 18th-century
building, and the Old Swan public house, with
various buildings of the same date in the vicinity.
Whitwell Farm, to the west of the road, further north.
was probably rebuilt in the early 18th century,
Bottom Farm, which lies to the north, is a picturesque
timber and plaster house of two stories and an attic,
now three cottages. It was built probably in 1632,
the date carved over the main doorway, the north
wing and porch being added in 1668, the date shown
on the porch gable. About 80 yards south of the
church, where New Road branches east from the
Huntingdon road, is Manor Farm, where a late
16th-century projecting wing with overhanging
upper story survives in a building otherwise partly
rebuilt in the 18th century. Here, again, are interesting old houses and cottages.
A broken pillar of granite was erected as a memorial
to the men who fell in the Great War.
MANOR
The manor of OFFORD CLUNY
was held in the time of Edward the
Confessor by Bului, but after the Conquest it had passed to Arnulf de Hesding, who,
before 1086, had granted it to the monks of Cluny. (fn. 1)
At this date the manor was
assessed at 10 hides, and
there were then a church, a
priest and two mills. (fn. 2) It was
confirmed to the monks of
Cluny by Henry I, Henry II
and Richard I. Before 1276
it had been subinfeudated
and was held of the monks
by Imbert de Montferraud, (fn. 3)
who was succeeded before
1286 by John de Crokeslee,
tenant for life under the
abbey of Cluny. A claim was
set up by the crown that
the manor was ancient demesne of the crown, but
this was not upheld. Richard I granted the monks
view of frankpledge, freedom from shire and hundred
and other liberties. (fn. 4) The abbey had acquired, in
addition, before 2 February 1305, two mills and the
site of a mill in Offord Cluny, from John de Offord
and his wife Isabel. (fn. 5)
Cluny Abbey. Gules the keys of St. Peter crossed saltirewise in front of the sword of St. Paul.
Walter de Langton, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, obtained from the abbey of Cluny a grant for
life of the manor, vill and advowson of Offord, which
were confirmed to him by Edward I with the manors
of Tiksover and Manton in 1307, (fn. 6) free warren being
granted to the bishop in his demesnes there and in
Offord Darcy and Everton. (fn. 7) The vill was returned
in 1316 as held by the bishop, (fn. 8) after whose death the
advowson was returned as in the king's gift by reason
of his custody of the bishop's heir. (fn. 9) In 1327 the
manor was committed to the keeping of John de
Waldeshef, (fn. 10) who in 1328 was ordered to deliver the
issues to Abbot Peter, the latter having rendered
fealty for the manor and other lands in England taken
into the king's hands by reason of the death of the
last abbot. (fn. 11) Before 1337 the manor was in the
keeping of John de Offord, King's clerk, who was
proctor of the abbot and fermor of the manors of
Offord Cluny, Tiksore and Maxton. (fn. 12) In 1342 the
lands of the abbey of Cluny were in the king's hands
by reason of the war with France. (fn. 13) For the same
reason the manor was in the king's hands when John
de Offord died in 1349, and was granted on 20 June to
the king's yeoman, Roland Daneys, to hold on the same
terms as the late chancellor and archbishop elect. (fn. 14)
In 1355 the abbot of Cluny received restitution of
the manor, (fn. 15) and a grant of it made by the abbey to
Nicholas de Tamworth and his wife Joan, for life,
was confirmed by Henry, Duke of Lancaster, in 1361. (fn. 16)
After the death of Nicholas, Joan married Sir Gilbert
Talbot, kt., with whom she was holding the manor
for life in 1389, (fn. 17) and who after her death received a
grant in 1392 to hold for life during the war with
France. (fn. 18) In 1397 he received licence to purchase
it with the advowson from the abbey for his life
and a year beyond. (fn. 19) Sir Gilbert died in 1399, (fn. 20)
leaving by his wife Margaret an infant son Richard.
A grant of the manor was made in the same year to
Sir Simon Felbrigg, kt., and inspected and confirmed
in 1399, 1400, and 1401. (fn. 21) Sir Simon was apparently
dead in 1412, when the King's Esquire, William Porter,
received licence to cross the seas with 4 persons and
5 horses to bargain with the abbey of Cluny for
purchase of this and other manors. (fn. 22) Licence to hold
these manors was granted to him and his wife Agnes
at a rose rent in 1413, 1415 and 1425. (fn. 23) Agnes Porter
was holding the manor alone in 1441–2. (fn. 24)
Westminster Abbey. Gules the crossed keys of St. Peter or.
Dean and Chapter of Westminster. The arms of Edward the Confessor with a chief or and therein a pale of France and England between two Tudor roses.
After the property of alien priories in England had
come finally into the hands of the crown, the manor
and advowson were by the will of Henry V bequeathed
to the abbey of Westminster, (fn. 25) and by Henry VI, on
9 July 1445, conveyed to the abbey in execution of his
father's will, (fn. 26) to hold as fully as William Porter had
done, all the conditions laid down by both kings being
confirmed by Edward IV, with additional instructions
for masses for Richard Duke of York (the King's
father), his mother, and others. Grants of the manor
were made to the dean and chapter by Henry VIII
and Elizabeth. (fn. 27)
A lease of the manor made by the dean and chapter
in 1641 to Henry Iles, his wife Sara, and their son
William shows that it was charged with several
yearly rents under the Act for the continuance and
maintenance of the school and almshouses of Westminster. (fn. 28) These tenants appear to have succeeded
as lessees Sir James Evington and his wife Jane, whose
predecessor had been one Cropley. (fn. 29) The manor
was sold by the Trustees for the Sale of the Lands of
Deans and Chapters in 1650 to William Wright,
with view of frankpledge, courts leet and baron, etc.
A detailed account of the property conveyed by this
sale shows that the site covered about an acre, and
gives clear indications of the positions of mills, closes,
the pound, ford, etc. (fn. 30) Courts baron for this manor
were recorded as having been kept for William Wright
in 1652, 1654, 1656, and 1658. (fn. 31) After the Restoration
the manor was returned to the Dean of Westminster,
who held courts there in 1665. (fn. 32) At the inclosure of
the parish in 1800 the lessee of the dean and chapter
of Westminster, the lords of the manor, was Thomas
Sismey. (fn. 33) The dean and chapter are still lords of
the manor.
The property which later became known as
PAPWORTH FEE was possibly represented in 1301
by a holding of William de Papworth in Graffham,
Offord and elsewhere. (fn. 34) William de Papworth was
returned in 1314 as having held at his death, when he
was succeeded by his son John, a messuage and 40
acres of land held of the abbot of Cluny in Offord
Cluny by service of 30s. yearly, and a messuage and
20 acres of arable land held of Walter de Langton by
service of 1 lb. of pepper in Offord Darcy. (fn. 35) At the
death of Walter de Langton 6s. 8d. was returned as
payable out of the manor of Offord Daneys to the
heirs of William de Papworth in 1321. (fn. 36) Papworth
Fee in Offord Cluny was in 1523 conveyed by Edmund
Haselwood to Thomas Wolfe of London, subject to
an annuity of 10 marks to Edmund, son of William
Wolfe, who with Edmund Haselwood was to make
surrender according to the custom of the manor. (fn. 37)
From this it would appear that Papworth Fee was
only a customary holding, and we lose sight of it
from this date. Thomas Wolfe and his wife Dorothy
were dealing with 3 messuages, 40 acres of land,
12 acres of meadow, 6 acres of pasture and 47s.
rent in Offord Cluny and Darcy and Great Paxton
in 1532. (fn. 38)
The Bishop of Lincoln was returned in 1279 as
having wrongfully occupied a free fishery belonging to
the manor of Offord Cluny. (fn. 39)
CHURCH
The Church of ALL SAINTS consists of a chancel (22½ ft. by 14 ft.),
nave (38½ ft. by 14½ ft.), north aisle
(44 ft. by 8½ ft.), south aisle (38½ ft. by 8½ ft.),
west tower (10¾ ft. by 10¾ ft.), and modern
south porch. The walls are of pebble and stone
rubble, with stone dressings, except the chancel, which
is of brick. The roofs are covered with tiles and lead.
The church is mentioned in the Domesday Survey
(1086), but the earliest parts now standing are the
nave arcades, that on the south c. 1260 and on the
north c. 1280; and the aisle walls built at the same
time probably remain, although much altered.
Early in the 15th century the tower was built, and
new windows and doorway formed in the north aisle;
about 1500 the south aisle was similarly modified, and
slightly later the arcade was rebuilt and the clearstory added. The staircase turret of the tower was
repaired in 1687, and the chancel is dated 1726.
The porch was built in 1851, in which year several
repairs were done, and other restorations took place
in 1853 and 1860.
The chancel, built in 1726, (fn. 40) is of brick and has a
two-light window in the east wall and a similar
window in each of the side walls. In the east gable is
a stone inscribed 'L. B. 1726.' (fn. 41) The late 13thcentury chancel arch is of two hollow chamfered
orders, resting on chamfered responds with semioctagonal shafts having moulded capitals and
bases.
The 13th-century nave has an arcade of three bays
on each side, that on the north, c. 1280, has two centred
arches of two hollow-chamfered orders resting on
circular columns with moulded capitals and bases and
similar responds; that on the south, originally of
c. 1260, has two centred arches of one chamfered
order, the inner order having been lost, resting on
octagonal columns with moulded capitals (their abaci
lost), and simple bases and similar responds—but the
whole has been clumsily rebuilt, probably early in the
16th century. The early 16th-century clearstory has
three three-light windows on each side. The contemporary roof is of low pitch and has moulded tiebeams with jack-leg and curved braces, and carved
figures at the feet of the intermediate beams. The
south wall plate is carved with running foliage, and
the north plate is inscribed 'A C · W S · 1683 ·
I B · R G'
The weathering of the former steep-pitched roof
can be seen on the east wall of the tower.
The 13th-century north aisle has a 15th-century
two-light east window, flanked by two early 16thcentury rectangular brackets; in the north wall are
two similar windows and a doorway of the same date.
The west wall has no window. The early 16thcentury roof is of simple form.
The 13th-century south aisle has a three-light
window of c. 1500 in the east wall; two similar
windows, a plain doorway, and a 14th-century piscina
in the south wall, and another similar window in the
west wall. The early 16th-century roof has moulded
beams and curved braces, and the date '1776' has
been cut on one of the wall plates. The early 15thcentury tower has a two-centred tower-arch of three
orders, the lowest resting on attached shafts with
moulded capitals and bases. The west doorway has
moulded jambs, a two-centred arch under a square
head with tracery panels in the spandrels; above it is
a three-light window with four-centred head. The
second stage has a quatrefoiled light in the north,
south and west walls. The belfry windows are of
two lights. The tower has clasping buttresses at the
angles, becoming diagonal at the second stage, and is
finished with an embattled parapet; formerly there
was a timber spire covered with lead, removed in
1851. (fn. 42) The stair turret at the south-west corner is
inscribed 'John Barns William Silke, Churchwardens,
1687,' probably the date when some repairs, largely
of brick, were done.
The octagonal font is modern (1853), but in the
churchyard is a much-broken ancient octagonal bowl.
There are four bells, inscribed (1) I.K. Jevs be our
sped 1630; (2) I.K. Praise the Lord 1630; (3) I.K.
✠ God save our King 1630; (4) Thomas Mears
Founder London 1842. (fn. 43) The first three by James
Keene, of Woodstock.
The early 17th-century communion table has
heavy turned legs.
The hexagonal oak pulpit is made up of 17thcentury panelling, probably from a former pulpit,
but is largely modern; and the reading desk is also
made up of panelling of similar date.
There are the following monuments: In the
chancel, to the Rev. Edward Edwards, rector, d. 1834,
and Sarah his wife, d. 1832; floor slab to George
Walker, d. 1694–5, and George his son; and glass
windows to the Rev. George Price, rector, d. 1850;
and Emily Frances Turner, d. 1863, and Amelia
Isabel Turner, d. 1864. In the south aisle, to
Thomas Sismey, d. 1820; John Sismey, d. 1831;
Elizabeth, widow of Thomas Sismey, d. 1880; and
South African War Memorial.
The registers are as follows: (i) Baptisms, 14 Nov.
1578 to 13 Oct. 1772; marriages, 8 Feb. 1666–7 to 6
Feb. 1721; burials, 2 Oct. 1574 to 2 Feb. 1722–3; (ii)
baptisms, marriages and burials, 29 March 1723 to 30
Dec. 1812; marriages end 4 Aug. 1755; (iii) the
official marriage book, 4 Aug. 1755 to 20 May 1806;
(iv) the same, 28 June 1808 to 27 Dec. 1811.
The church plate consists of a silver cup inscribed
'John Newcome D.D. Rector of Offord Cluny.
1757,' hall-marked for 1756–7; a modern paten, perfectly plain (? silver); a plated paten, inscribed 'Offord
Cluny Parish Church. Presented by the Rev. E. B.
Turner, Rector, Easter 1868.'
ADVOWSON
The church was granted to the
Abbey of Cluny with the manor, and
the presentation was made by its
proctor or lessee, or by the king when the temporalities of alien abbeys were in his hands, until the manor
and church were granted to the Abbey of Westminster. At the Dissolution it was granted to the
Bishop of Westminster by Henry VIII in 1541, (fn. 44)
and to the Bishop of London by Edward VI in 1551. (fn. 45)
It remained with the Bishops of London until the
latter part of the 19th century, when it passed to the
Bishop of Peterborough, and from him in 1874 by
exchange to the Lord Chancellor. (fn. 46)
The incumbent seems to have been endowed with
a rectory manor from an early date. He was holding
courts from 1651 to 1741, (fn. 47) and was returned as lord of
the rectory manor in 1800. (fn. 48) The rectory was annexed
to that of Offord Darcy by Order in Council in 1923,
taking effect in 1927, when the rectory house of Offord
Cluny was sold. The rector resides at Offord Darcy.
CHARITIES
The Poor's Estate, founded before
the year 1830, is now regulated by a
scheme of the Charity Commissioners dated 1 October 1915. The endowment of
the charity consists of about 5 a. 2 r. of land in
Offord Cluny, £58 14s. 10d. 2½ per cent. Consols and
£238 2s. 5d. 5 per cent. War Stock with the Official
Trustees, the whole producing about £26 per
annum, which, after deducting a sum of £3 7s. 6d. and
expenses, is distributed to about 150 recipients in
money.
Under the provisions of the above-mentioned scheme
the charity is administered by a body of trustees
consisting of two co-optative trustees and three representative trustees appointed from time to time by
the Parish Council of Offord Cluny.
The sum of £3 7s. 6d. referred to above constitutes
the endowment of the Church Estate, and is paid to
the churchwardens and applied towards church
expenses.