TAPLOW
Thapelau (xi cent.).
The parish of Taplow covers an area of 1,762
acres, of which 473 acres are arable land, 616 acres
are laid down in permanent grass, and 322 acres
consist of woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The soil is loam,
with a subsoil of chalk and gravel, which has been
worked in pits near the station. Taplow quarry is
mentioned in the 16th century. (fn. 2) The chief crops are
wheat and oats. In the south and west, where the
Thames forms the parish boundary, the land lies low,
about 72 ft. above the ordnance datum, but it rises
gradually northwards to a height of 296 ft. in the
grounds of Cliveden House. It was stated in 1332
that a tax of 10 marks had been remitted to Taplow
parish, as much corn had been destroyed by the
Thames' winter flood. (fn. 3) The main line of the Great
Western railway, which crosses the south portion of
the parish, has a station at Taplow, three-quarters of
a mile north-west of which is the village. Some
remains of the old church close to Taplow Court
existed in 1853, and a laburnum tree marked the
position of the chancel window. (fn. 4) The foundations
were discovered to have passed over a ditch with a
rampart, which showed that the position had been
fortified. (fn. 5) The adjacent land in front of Taplow
Court is known as the Bury or Berry Fields. Quantities of pottery fragments dating from British, Roman
and Saxon times were picked up on or near the surface
of the old churchyard. At the west end of the churchyard is an artificial mound, upon which stood a fine
old yew tree, which was blown down in a gale before
the tumulus was excavated in 1883. It proved to be
an Anglo-Saxon grave containing weapons, drinking
horns, a bowl and jewellery of various kinds, all of
which are now in the British Museum. (fn. 6) Bapsey
Pond in this locality is connected by tradition
with St. Birinus, afterwards first Bishop of Dorchester, who is said to have baptized his Saxon converts
here.
North of the site of the old church is Taplow
Court, the seat of Lord Desborough and the residence
of the Hampsons in the 17th century. It was partly
rebuilt and enlarged by the Earl of Orkney in the
18th century, but the old portion was restored by
Mr. Grenfell in the middle of the last century. (fn. 7) It
is now an imposing mansion of red brick with stone
dressings in the Tudor style, and a tower at one
angle, in grounds of about 200 acres, whose wooded
slopes extend to the river banks. There is a large
avenue of Lebanon cedars in the park. Along the
road leading south to the railway line are several
houses standing in their own grounds: The Elms,
Springfield and Taplow House. The latter was
purchased and enlarged by Mr. Pascoe Grenfell
about 1794, but sold in 1839 to the Marquess of
Thomond, from whom it passed to Mr. Neville
Ward. (fn. 8) It is now the property and residence of
Mr. W. Baring Du Pré, M.P. Further south is Berry
Hill.
South of the hill is Amerden Grove with Barge
Farm, and to the east of this is Amerden House, the
residence of Mrs. Whitlaw. In the meadows nearer
the river is Amerden Bank, standing back from the
towing path near Bray Lock.
The village consists mostly of modern houses, among
which are Elibank, the residence of Mr. Seymour
Grenfell, and 'Taplow Hill,' that of Mr. O.P.Serocold.
There are a few buildings to the north of the
church which date from the 17th century, but which
were much restored and altered in the 19th century.
The wooded heights in the north of the parish are
covered by the grounds of Cliveden House, the seat
of Mr. Waldorf Astor, which stands on a high
eminence overlooking the Thames and Windsor
Forest. The park, which consists of about 300 acres,
contains many beautiful avenues and offers varied
scenery. There are many lodges, temples and
pavilions in the grounds, erected for the most part in
the 18th century. From the Octagon Temple,
built in 1735, a yew walk leads to the river. The
original house, a magnificent palace, was built by
George Duke of Buckingham, (fn. 9) and was visited by
John Evelyn on 23 July 1679. He describes it as
'that stupendous natural rock,
wood, and prospect … buildings of extraordinary expense
… the cloisters, descents,
gardens, and avenue through
the wood, august and stately;
but the land all about wretchedly barren, and producing nothing but fern.' His
chief praise was bestowed on
'a circular view to the utmost
edge of the horizon, which,
with the serpenting of the
Thames, is admirable.' (fn. 10) The
house was finished by the
Earl of Orkney (fn. 11) and occupied for some time by
Frederick, Prince of Wales,
father of George III. It
was here that Thomson about
1740 presented his 'Alfred,'
a masque of Liberty, for
which Dr. Arne composed the
air of 'Rule Britannia.' (fn. 12)
The house was destroyed by
fire in 1795 (fn. 13) and rebuilt in
1830 from the design of John
Shaw. (fn. 14) In 1849 it was again burnt down, and the
present house was erected in 1851. (fn. 15) It is a building
of three stories, with a balustraded terrace on the
south front in the Palladian style, from designs by
Sir Charles Barry. Above the ground story, which
on the south is lighted by a row of arched windows,
the elevations are treated with a large Ionic pilaster
order supporting a crowning entablature surmounted
by a balustrade. The design is a good example of
the better type of Victorian architecture.
Taplow or Cliveden Heath, in the north of the
parish, was the scene in 1689 of the race for Lord
Lovelace's plate. (fn. 16) It was formerly called Taplow Wood
and Green Common, and was the subject of many
disputes in the 16th and 17th centuries between the
lords of the manor and their tenants. (fn. 17) In 1717 the
lord of the manor was presented at the court leet and
court baron for ploughing up a great part of the
common and fined £10. (fn. 18) In 1729 it was stated
that the tenants only of certain farms had the right
to pasture sheep on the common. (fn. 19) Part of the
common was inclosed in 1787, and the award is with
the clerk of the peace. (fn. 20)
Among place-names in Taplow occur Clystone,
Tullesdene, Whaylts, (fn. 21) Short and Long Wythies,
Dononedown Lane, Flexhill Furlong, Upper and
Lower Ferney (fn. 22) (xvi cent.); Gurdons, Glasons,
Tothills (fn. 23) (xvi–xviii cent.).
MANORS
TAPLOW MANOR, which had been
held by Asgot, a man of Earl Harold,
was assessed at 8 hides 1 virgate in 1086
among the lands of the Bishop of Bayeux, (fn. 24) with
which it passed as in Weston Turville (fn. 25) to the honour
of Leicester (fn. 26) and duchy of Lancaster. (fn. 27) The claim
of the officers of the duchy for 13s. 4d. from the
tenant of the manor was, however, resisted in 1500,
on the ground that Taplow was held neither of the
king in chief nor as of his duchy of Lancaster. (fn. 28)
After the Dissolution the manor was attached to
the honour of Windsor, (fn. 29) the connexion being last
mentioned in 1630. (fn. 30)
Taplow Court
Holding under the bishop in 1086 was Roger, (fn. 31)
who was succeeded here as in Weston Turville by the
Bolbecs and Turvilles. In 1197 William de Turville
and his wife Isabel subinfeudated Taplow to the
Prior of Merton, (fn. 32) and their interest as intermediary
lords (fn. 33) was represented in 1361 by Walter de Turpleton and Ella le Botiller. (fn. 34)
In 1252 Merton Priory obtained a grant of
free warren in Taplow, (fn. 35) and its estate here was
assessed at £6 10s. in 1291. (fn. 36)
In 1303 additional land was
acquired, (fn. 37) and the successive
priors retained the property
until the Dissolution, successfully resisting the attempt of
the intermediary lords in
1286 to regain the ownership
in fee. (fn. 38) In 1533 a twentyone years' lease of the manor (fn. 39)
was made to Thomas Manfield at a rent of £13 6s. 8d., (fn. 40)
and after the suppression of
the monastery various leases
which appear to have included the site were made to the stewards and
others. William Ferror alias Turner obtained a
lease in 1549, (fn. 41) Thomas Jones in 1557, (fn. 42) John Lely
in 1570, (fn. 43) Richard Pickman in 1587, (fn. 44) and Richard
Morgan in 1602. (fn. 45) Thomas Jones died in 1584 (fn. 46)
before the expiration of his lease, and a quarrel
arose between his brother and heir Matthew Jones
and his nephew and residuary legatee William Price. (fn. 47)
All the lessees and stewards, however, gave up their
interest before 1604 to Sir Henry Guilford, (fn. 48) who
in that year obtained a life grant of the stewardship
of Taplow. (fn. 49) In 1610 and 1614 he was granted a
lease of the site of the manor (fn. 50) ; it is probably the
house referred to in 1616 as burnt to the ground. (fn. 51)
In 1630 Taplow Manor was bestowed on Charles
Harbert, (fn. 52) by whom it was sold in 1635 to Thomas
Hampson, (fn. 53) Sir Henry Guilford renouncing his rights
in the site and fisheries about the same date. (fn. 54)
Thomas Hampson, created a baronet in 1642, suffered
in the Civil War at the hands of both parties. (fn. 55) At
his death in 1655 he was succeeded by his son
Thomas, (fn. 56) who died in 1670, leaving a son Dennis, (fn. 57)
who was sheriff for the county in 1680 and 1683 (fn. 58)
and M.P. for Wycombe in 1685. (fn. 59) Dennis Hampson
held Taplow until some time about 1700, (fn. 60) when he
sold it to George Earl of Orkney. (fn. 61) His daughter
and heir Anne Countess of
Orkney married her first cousin
William O'Brien, fourth Earl
of Inchiquin, and succeeded
to her father's estate in 1737. (fn. 62)
Her daughter and heir Mary (fn. 63)
Countess of Orkney succeeded
her mother in 1756, and like
her married her first cousin
Murrough O'Brien, fifth Earl
of Inchiquin, created Marquess
of Thomond in 1800, (fn. 64) with
whom she held Taplow till
her death in 1791. (fn. 65) The
Marquess of Thomond survived until 1808, when the family estates descended
to their daughter and heir Mary Countess of Orkney,
widow of the Hon. Thomas Fitz Maurice. (fn. 66) Their
son John Fitz Maurice died
in his mother's lifetime, and
she was succeeded on her
death in 1831 by her grandson Thomas John Hamilton,
fifth Earl of Orkney. (fn. 67) Taplow Manor was alienated by
him in 1852 to Charles Pascoe
Grenfell, whose father Pascoe
Grenfell, member for Great
Marlow 1802–20, (fn. 68) had acquired Taplow House in
1794 (fn. 69) and died there in
1838. (fn. 70) Charles Pascoe Grenfell was succeeded in 1867 by
his grandson William Henry,
a minor, (fn. 71) created Lord Desborough in 1905, the
present lord of the manor.
Merton Priory. Or fretty azure with eagles argent at the crossings of the fret.
Hamilton, Earl of Orkney. Gules three cinqfoils ermine.
Grenfell, Lord Desborough. Gules a fesse between three rests or with a mural crown gules upon the fesse.
The origin of AMERDEN MANOR, held in the
16th century of the Crown as of Taplow Manor, (fn. 72)
is to be found in 3 virgates 2 acres and an assart with
fishing in the Thames subinfeudated in the 12th
century by William Turville to William Piscator. (fn. 73)
His son Stephen was called Stephen de Taplow or
Stephen de Cliveden, and in 1213 did homage for
his lands in Taplow to the Prior of Merton at the
instance of William Turville. (fn. 74) Stephen had two
sons, Geoffrey and William, between whom his estates
appear to have been divided, the former obtaining
the portion afterwards known as Cliveden Manor
(q.v.) and the latter retaining the Amerden part. (fn. 75)
William de Cliveden is mentioned in 1304 (fn. 76) and again
in 1308 with his wife Alice de Mikleham. (fn. 77) He
was succeeded by a son Richard living in 1347, (fn. 78) who
apparently died without issue, as the property passed
to another son Nicholas, whose name occurs in 1351. (fn. 79)
His daughter carried it in marriage to John Goldby, (fn. 80)
and their son John Goldby alienated it in 1408 to
John Newenham, and after several intermediate conveyances it was obtained in 1433 by Robert Manfield. (fn. 81)
This Robert Manfield apparently died in the early
part of the reign of Henry VI. (fn. 82) He was succeeded
by another Robert, who was master of the Mint in
the reign of Henry VI, (fn. 83) obtained a grant of free
warren in Taplow in 1440, (fn. 84) and was knight of the
shire in 1441 and 1453. (fn. 85) He was succeeded in
1459 (fn. 86) by his son Robert, (fn. 87) called 'of Amerden,' (fn. 88)
who held this estate until his death in 1500. (fn. 89) His
son and heir Thomas obtained in 1513 a confirmation of the grant of free warren, (fn. 90) and his property
here was assessed at £21 in 1523. (fn. 91) His name occurs
several times in connexion with Taplow before 1540, (fn. 92)
when he died seised of this estate, then first called
Amerden Manor. (fn. 93) His son and heir Henry lived at
Amerden Place, (fn. 94) which passed at his death in 1568 (fn. 95)
to his son and heir another Henry. (fn. 96) He was summoned in 1581 before the Privy Council for nonconformity, (fn. 97) and his goods were seized on the same
pretext in 1587. (fn. 98) In 1608 again he is described as
a recusant, and his fine was bestowed on the queen's
usher. (fn. 99) His son and heir Edward, afterwards
Sir Edward Manfield, who inherited Amerden in
1636, (fn. 100) also suffered as a Roman Catholic, but
received in that year a twelve months' travel permit
within the kingdom, (fn. 101) the licence being renewed the
next year. (fn. 102) In 1647, his lands, being those of a
Papist, were valued at £150. (fn. 103) Sir Edward had two
daughters and heirs, Mary and Dorothy, (fn. 104) who were
the wives respectively of Gilbert Wells and Robert
Sherborne in 1640, (fn. 105) but Amerden did not pass to
them, but to another Edward Manfield holding in
1671, (fn. 106) who may have been a son of Sir Edward by
a second wife. He mortgaged Amerden Manor to
William Rawstone, by whose widow and son it was
conveyed to trustees in 1703 to the use of Budd
Wase. (fn. 107) By 1720 it had come into the possession of
Sir William Scawen, who alienated it in that year
to George Hamilton Earl of Orkney, (fn. 108) lord of
Taplow Manor, with which it descended for over
100 years. (fn. 109) Amerden appears to have been sold by
the Earl of Orkney some time about the middle of
the 19th century, when he disposed of Taplow.
Amerden House is now the property and residence
of Mrs. Whitlaw.
CLIVEDEN, though never apparently a manor,
doubtless acquired its separate entity on the division
of Stephen de Cliveden's lands in the early 13th
century. His son Geoffrey is mentioned in 1237 (fn. 110)
and again in 1253, (fn. 111) but it appears probable that he
died without issue and that Cliveden reverted to the
owners of Amerden, as it reappears as Cliveden Park
alias Manfield's in the possession of the Manfields in
the 16th century. It was settled by Thomas Manfield, who died in 1540, on his wife Katherine. (fn. 112) In
1561 it paid a rental of £6 13s. 4d. to the Crown, (fn. 113)
and was said in 1569 to contain 50 acres of wood
and a house called the Lodge. (fn. 114) By 1573 there were
two lodges, the old and the new, and the pasture,
arable land and wood composing the park amounted
to 160 acres. (fn. 115) Common of pasture in Taplow Wood
Common and Green Common was claimed in 1610
in right of the park. (fn. 116)
Cliveden Park was sold by Edward Manfield about
1680 to George Villiers Duke of Buckingham, (fn. 117) but
it was exempted from the Act of Settlement of 1689
enabling the trustees to sell the duke's estate in order
to pay his creditors, and Edward Manfield resumed
possession. (fn. 118) It passed with Amerden (q.v.) to Budd
Wase in 1703, and was sold by his trustees in 1706
to William Vanhull, (fn. 119) probably agent for the Earl of
Orkney, as the latter is said to have purchased it in
that year. (fn. 120) It descended with Taplow (q.v.) until
about 1830, when Sir George Warrender, bart., purchased it, (fn. 121) but sold it about 1848 to the Duke of
Sutherland. (fn. 122) It was the property of his widow in
1862, (fn. 123) but was afterwards acquired by the Duke of
Westminster, from whom it was bought about 1890
by Mr. William W. Astor, father of Mr. Waldorf
Astor, M.P., the present owner.
Many references occur to water-mills in Taplow,
and two were on William Turville's estate in 1194. (fn. 124)
They passed to Merton Priory, which in 1213 granted
Stephen de Taplow, the tenant, wood to repair them. (fn. 125)
Geoffrey son of Stephen unsuccessfully claimed this
right in 1237. (fn. 126) In 1304 William de Cliveden
received licence to alienate in mortmain to the priory
three mills in Taplow, (fn. 127) and in 1315 the priory
leased to John the Dyer a fulling-mill in Taplow
with two islands for 40s. a year, as his father had
had before him. (fn. 128) The fulling-mill was demised to
John Holderness in 1523 for twenty years at a rent
of £8 10s., (fn. 129) and in 1544 to John Rye for twentyone years at £11 with the barges and islands called
'Teynterett, Assheyte, Gladmansett and Normansett.' (fn. 130)
The grant was probably ineffectual, as late in that
year Jane Holderness, widow, and her son Roger
received a twenty-one years' lease of the same at a
rent of £8 10s. and 50s. increase for the repair of
Windsor Castle. (fn. 131) In 1580 Roger Holderness renewed
the lease for forty-one years, (fn. 132) but gave up his interest
before 1605 to Sir Henry Guilford, steward of
Taplow Manor. (fn. 133) A lease of the mill and islands
was granted in 1609 to Francis Philipps and
Edward Ferrers. (fn. 134) In 1613, when Henry Manfield
of Amerden attempted to set up an overshot mill,
the damage to the fulling-mill was estimated at £10
per annum. (fn. 135) In 1621 and again in 1622 Widow
Phipp was summoned to repair the mill gate and
fence bordering the mill lane. (fn. 136) During the 17th
century the mill is constantly mentioned, (fn. 137) and from
the end of this century to the 19th century three
mills in Taplow are given. (fn. 138) A corn-mill was leased
in 1698 to Joseph Darvell for £60 a year and the
site of the mill and orchard for £20. (fn. 139) In 1709
Mr. Norris of Taplow obtained a fifty years' lease of
a mill at £40 rent. (fn. 140) Towards the end of the
century the corn-mills were held by two tenants, one
of whom paid £8 6s. 6d. in rates for his share. (fn. 141)
A twenty-one years' lease of the Mill Place and
the old mill at Taplow, the cotton manufactory, was
made in 1803 to Joseph Wise, cotton manufacturer,
at £77 yearly. (fn. 142) There is a paper-mill in Taplow at
the present day.
There is a solitary mention in the 16th century of
land belonging to the Manfields, late Mr. Whitten's,
called the 'maner of Rayes,' (fn. 143) and there is afterwards
attached to Amerden Manor Ray Mill, said to be
a water-mill in 1671 (fn. 144) but a windmill in 1720. (fn. 145)
The right of free fishing in the Thames was an
important adjunct to the Taplow manors. In 1086
1,000 eels from the fisheries are mentioned under
Taplow Manor. (fn. 146) In 1297 Edward I ordered all
the kiddles to be removed from the Thames, (fn. 147) and in
1340 several inhabitants of Taplow were summoned
for removing weirs, stakes, nets and other engines of
the queen's fishermen and taking fish to the value of
£10. (fn. 148) In 1387 ten 'pykes' and one 'troute' priced
at 11s. 7d. were illegally caught in 'Reylake.' (fn. 149) In
the 17th century lengthy disputes were carried on
between the queen's farmer of Cookham and Sir
Henry Guilford, queen's farmer of Taplow, as to
fishing rights claimed by the latter in right of Taplow
Mill. (fn. 150) The right of free fishing and to a ferry across
the Thames occurs among the liberties of Taplow
Manor during the 18th and 19th centuries. (fn. 151) Half
the fishing in the Thames between Maidenhead
Bridge and Amerden Ash was claimed by the Manfields
in the 16th century as pertaining to their manor of
Amerden from time immemorial, (fn. 152) and in 1562 John
Fisher and John Norris were ordered to pull up the
stakes, piles and 'chalke' with which they had
encroached upon this fishery. (fn. 153) The Manfields kept
in repair a lock and weir on the river. (fn. 154) In 1674
they leased the fishing for a yearly rent of £8 and a
salmon, (fn. 155) and the rights in it were afterwards obtained
in 1720 by the Earl of Orkney. (fn. 156)
In 1573 Henry Manfield owned a wharf in
Cliveden Park called Pages Wharf, (fn. 157) which descended
with the manor, with which it was alienated in 1703
to Budd Wase. (fn. 158) Right of drawing ships and boats
from Amerden Bank to Ray Mill was also among the
perquisites of Amerden Manor. (fn. 159)
The right of free warren granted to the Prior of
Merton and Robert Manfield respectively in 1252 (fn. 160)
and 1440 (fn. 161) occurs among the liberties of the manor
from the 17th to the 19th century, as does the right
to hold courts leet and courts baron. (fn. 162)
CHURCH
The church of ST. NICHOLAS
formerly stood at the west end of the
village near Taplow Court. It was
pulled down in 1828, when a new church was built
on the present site. The new church was a plain
brick building in the Gothic style of the day, to
which a chancel was added in 1865. In 1912, however, it was rebuilt in stone in the style of the 14th
century.
The font stands upon a base of Purbeck marble of
the 12th century, while in the north transept is some
17th-century panelling from the former church.
Several interesting brasses have also been preserved
and are now placed at the east end of the nave.
The finest of these is that to Nichole de Aumberdene,
which probably dates from the middle of the 14th
century. The design consists of a cross with a foiled
and floreated open head and a plain tall stem with a
moulded base standing upon a dolphin. In the open
head is a bearded figure in civil costume, and beneath
the cross is inscribed, 'Nichole de Aumberdene jadis
pessoner de Londres gist icy: dieu de salme eit
mercy amen.' (fn. 163)
Of the brasses to the Manfield family, Robert
Manfield, who obtained the estate of Amerden in
1433, (fn. 164) is probably commemorated by a palimpsest
inscription in Roman characters, evidently composed
or reinscribed in the late 16th century. This is in
Latin hexameters and runs as follows:—
'Conditur hic Miles Robertus nomine Manfelde
Aulicus effulgens Henrici tempore quinti
Qui varios subiit sum[m]o pro rege labores
Dum Gallos et Normannos per bella domabat
Armiger ac quartus H. pro tutamine sexti
Extitit electus dum mors in funera traxit.'
On the back, as appears from a rubbing now in possession of the Society of Antiquaries, is part of a
male figure in the civil costume of the 15th century.
His son Robert Manfield is probably the subject of
the following inscription on marginal plates, now set
in six lines on the same slab:—
'Roberti Manfyld corpus tegit iste lapillus
Spiritus in celum querit adire deum
Rex cristus capiat hunc post s'vicia regū
H (?) quinti sexti scandere regna poli
Aprilis quarto nonas 1 et m sociatis
C quater et nono tollitur e medio.'
This tortuously expressed date is apparently intended
to mean 1459. On the same slab are also set an
inscription in Roman letters commemorating Robert
Manfield, the son of the preceding Robert, who
died in 1500, and Jane daughter of Peter Fettiplace,
his wife, who died in 1512, and six shields with
arms of the Manfield family. A brass with three
figures commemorates three children, probably of
the Robert Manfield who died in 1459, Richard
'sone and Eyre,' who died in 1455 at the age of
nineteen, his sister Isobelle, and 'yong John his
brother be the seconde wyfe.' From the mouths
of the figures issue scrolls inscribed with prayers in
English, while above are two shields and below one
shield and four indents. The remaining brasses to
members of the Manfield family are to Thomas
Manfield, who died in 1540, and his first wife
Agnes, to Henry Manfield his son, who died in
1568, to his wife Jane daughter of John Lovelace,
who died in 1584, and to Hester Manfield, wife of
Henry son of the preceding Henry Manfield, who
died in 1617. The inscription of the first-named
brass, which rubbings now in the possession of
the Society of Antiquaries show to be palimpsest, is
in black letter and states that Agnes was one of the
daughters and heirs of John Trewonwall of Molash
in the county of Kent, and asks prayers for the
prosperity of Katherine, 'now lefte wedow of ye sayde
Tho[ma]s manfelde.' Above the inscription is the
figure of Thomas Manfield wearing armour of the
period, with those of his two wives on either side,
and there are also three shields of arms with the
indents of two shields now gone. The brass of
Hester Manfield bears an inscription, partly in black
letter and partly in Roman characters, stating that
she 'died in the Catholique Romane faith in wch
shee lyved,' and concludes with an anagram upon
her name. Besides these there are also brasses to
Thomas Jones, who died in 1584, and to Ursula his
wife, the date of whose death is not given, on which
it is recorded that she had been imprisoned for her
faith. This last brass is also palimpsest.
There was formerly a ring of three bells, all by
Thomas Mears, but in 1913 these were recast into
one tenor bell. There is also an undated sanctus
bell, said to have been previously a clock bell at
Cliveden.
The plate consists of a chalice, two patens and a
flagon given by Lord Orkney about 1725.
The registers begin in 1710.
ADVOWSON
Taplow Church was bestowed
upon Merton Priory at the same
time as the manor, (fn. 165) but a claim to
the advowson was made in 1271 by the Prior of
Chalcombe and the intermediary lords. (fn. 166) A few
years later there was trouble with Missenden Abbey,
which as the result of a suit with the rector of Taplow
was allotted a pension in Taplow Church to which
it had no right. (fn. 167) The church was assessed at
£6 13s. 4d. in 1291 (fn. 168) and united to that of Hitcham
in 1517. (fn. 169) It was retained by the priory until the
Dissolution, (fn. 170) when it was assessed at £12 9s. 4d. (fn. 171) It
then escheated to the Crown, by whom the patronage
was exercised until late in the 19th century, (fn. 172) when
it passed to the Bishop of Oxford, the present patron.
CHARITIES
In 1784 Ann Morris by will left
a sum of £50 stock, now a like
amount of consols, the dividends to
be applied in educating two poor children. The
income (£1 5s. yearly) is applied in school prizes.
In 1797 Francis Sharp by deed gave £100 5 per
cent. annuities, now represented by £105 consols,
producing £2 12s. 4d. a year, for the distribution of
bread on 2 November and 4 January yearly.
In 1867 John Ashford, by will proved at London
10 April, bequeathed a legacy, now represented by
£618 9s. 4d. consols, the dividends, amounting to
£15 9s., being applicable in the distribution among
old men and women of fuel, clothes, meat or bread
under the title of the Ashford and Moore charity.
The poor's allotment consists of 3 acres situate on
the south-east part of Taplow Great Common,
acquired under an inclosure award of 8 February
1787, upon which six cottages have been erected of
the annual letting value of £36 4s., of which £20 a
year is contributed to the Taplow coal and clothes
clubs and £4 to the Dropmore coal club, the remainder being expended in rates and upkeep of the
cottages, &c.
Church houses consist of six houses, the rents of
which, amounting to £30 a year or thereabouts, are
applied towards the church expenses.
The several sums of stock are held by the official
trustees.