COMPTON VERNEY
Acreage: 1,668.
Population: 1911, 42; 1921, 85; 1931, 56.
The north-western boundary of the parish is formed
by the Roman Fosse Way, which is crossed near the
southern edge of the parish by the road from Warwick
to Kineton. In the angle formed by these two roads lie
the extensive grounds surrounding Compton Verney
House and the church. The house is a fine stone
building in the Classic style erected by Robert Adam
about 1780. The main front faces north-east and is
divided into five bays by Corinthian pilasters; it is
flanked by long wings, making the plan half-H-shaped.
It occupies the site of an earlier house dating, in part,
from the middle of the 15th century. This, of which
Dugdale gives a view, seems to have been built round a
courtyard, with gate-house towers; its south-eastern
elevation had four projecting chimney-stacks and ten
gabled dormers. The house stands on rising ground
overlooking the mile-long stretch of water known as
Compton Pools, which occupies the bottom of the
coombe.
Manor
In 1086 COMPTON was held by the
Count of Meulan; it was rated at 7 hides
and had been held by Ulward and Cantuin
before the Conquest. (fn. 1) The overlordship descended
with the earldom of Warwick, of which (then vested
in the Crown) it was still held in 1507. (fn. 2)
Earl Roger (1119–53) granted the estate to Robert
Murdac, and Earl William (1153–84) confirmed it to
Robert's son Roger. (fn. 3) From this family it took its name
of COMPTON MURDAK. In 1217 Thomas Murdac succeeded his brother Robert (or Roger?), (fn. 4) to whose
widow Maud he assigned dower. (fn. 5) He was dead by
1242, when the fee was held by the heir of Thomas
Murdac, (fn. 6) this heir being William Murdac, who had a
grant of free warren here in 1254. (fn. 7) William died about
1261, leaving a son William, a minor, whose custody
was disputed between Geoffrey de Lewkenore as overlord of Edgcote (Northants.) and Margaret, (fn. 8) Countess
of Warwick, and John du Plessis (her husband) in right
of the manor of Compton Murdak. Geoffrey was successful, but the elder William before his death had sent
his son to Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, by
whom he was sent to the Countess of Lincoln; William's
widow Eve promised to do her
best to get him back. (fn. 9) The
younger William died seised of
the manor in 1298, leaving a son
John. (fn. 10) This John apparently
died without issue and was
succeeded by his brother Sir
Thomas, (fn. 11) who was the victim
of a peculiarly atrocious murder
in 1316. His wife Juliana de
Gayton, with the assistance of his
squire, two chaplains, and other
persons (and probably with the connivance of Sir John
de Vaus, though he was eventually acquitted), (fn. 12) killed
Sir Thomas at Stourton (Staffs.), cut up his body and
dumped the pieces in his manor of Edgcote (Northants.).
For this Juliana was eventually, in 1321, burnt. (fn. 13) Sir
Thomas died seised of the manor, his son and heir John
being then aged 18. (fn. 14) Sir John Murdak in 1323
settled the manor on himself and his wife Eleanor, (fn. 15)
but died without issue and was succeeded before 1342
by his brother (Sir) Thomas. (fn. 16) John's (second wife
and) widow Alice seems to have married, and outlived,
Simon de Northwood (fn. 17) and was still holding dower in
the manor in 1370, when Sir Thomas Murdak conveyed the manor to William de Greseley, clerk, (fn. 18) who
in 1373 conveyed it to John Bernes of London and
others. (fn. 19) They may have been acting for Alice Perrers,
the notorious mistress of Edward III, to whom Sir
Thomas had conveyed the manor in November 1370. (fn. 20)
In 1371 she sued John Straunge for poaching in her
free warren at Compton Murdak. (fn. 21) On the accession of
Richard II her estates were forfeited and this manor was
put in the custody of John Spenser; (fn. 22) in 1380, how
ever, it, with the reversion of the portion still held by
Alice widow of Sir John Murdak, was granted to Sir
William Windsor, husband of Alice Perrers. (fn. 23) They at
once made a settlement of this and other estates, (fn. 24) and
on the death of Sir William the manor passed to his
daughter Joan and her husband Robert Skerne, (fn. 25) who
obtained a quitclaim thereof in 1405 from Arnold
Murdak, brother and heir of Thomas (son of Sir
Thomas). (fn. 26)
Murdak. Or fretty sable.
About 1440 the manor came into the hands of
Richard Verney, (fn. 27) a strong supporter of the Lancastrian
line. (fn. 28) He died in 1490 seised
of the manor, valued at £20 and
held of the Earl of Warwick
as 1/20 knight's fee. (fn. 29) On the
death of his son Edmund exactly
five years later the manor is
called Compton Murdak alias
COMPTON VERNEY, is
valued at 20 marks, and is said
to be held of the Abbot of
Abingdon, (fn. 30) presumably in error.
His widow Elizabeth (Fielding)
held it until her death in 1507,
when it was held of the king as
of the castle of Warwick as ½ fee. (fn. 31) It then descended
in this family (fn. 32) to Sir Richard Verney (d. 1630), who
married Margaret sister of Sir Fulke Greville and heir
to the barony of Willoughby de Broke, which was
successfully claimed in 1696 by her grandson Richard
Verney, who died in 1711 at the age of 90. (fn. 33) His
great-grandson John, Lord Willoughby de Broke, under the will of his cousin Margaret Peyto of Chesterton in 1772 assumed the name Peyto before that of
Verney, and died in 1816. He left two sons, who
inherited the title and the manor successively but left
no issue, and a daughter Louisa, whose son Robert John
Barnard succeeded to the title in 1852 and changed his
family name to Verney. (fn. 34) The manor continued to be
held by the Lords Willoughby de Broke until 1921,
when the estate was sold to Joseph Watson, who was
created Baron Manton in 1922 and died the same year.
The second Lord Manton sold the property, (fn. 35) most of
which, including the manor, was acquired by Samuel
Lamb.
Verney. Argent three voided crosses moline gules and a chief vairy ermine and ermines.
Some 6 virgates in Compton and Walton were held
of Roger Murdac by John Durvassal, who died between
1217 (fn. 36) and 1221, when his son John was under age. (fn. 37)
The younger John died before 1262, and as he held of
William Murdac by knight service the marriage of his
son Robert came to William, who gave it to Robert de
Leycester, who granted it to one Amabel, who conveyed it to Geoffrey de Chaucumbe, who married
Robert to his daughter. (fn. 38) Similarly in 1342 Sir John
Murdak confirmed a grant by his brother Thomas to
Thomas de Farneburgh of the marriage of John son
and heir of John Durvassal of Compton Murdak. (fn. 39)
But no more is known of this freehold estate.
Church
West of Compton Verney House is the
chapel, built at the same time as the house,
in the Italian Classic style. (fn. 40) It is about
58 ft. long by 27½ ft. wide and has walls of ashlar
masonry. The windows are round-headed, and the
principal entrance is at the west end. The 16th-century
coloured glass, that was until recently in the windows,
having been brought from the former chapel that stood
near the lake, has been removed and sold. (fn. 41)
There are many memorials to members of the Verney
family. The oldest is a brass to Anne daughter of
Richard Verney and wife of Edward Odyngsele of
Long Itchington, died 1523; it has her figure, a shield
of arms, and a symbol of St. Mark; those of the other
three evangelists are missing.
The second is also a brass with the figures of a man
in 16th-century armour and his wife, nine sons and
five daughters: the marginal inscription is incomplete,
the name being missing and the date 15 . . . incomplete.
At the angles are the Evangelistic symbols (one missing).
There is a shield of arms charged quarterly with Verney
and Greene, and others missing.
The third is a brass to George Verney, who married
Jane Lucy of Charlecote and died 1574; it has his figure
in armour and a shield of Verney impaling Lucy.
There is a stone slab to John the infant son of Sir
Greville Verney 1620. An altar tomb of Richard
Verney 1630 and his wife Margaret 1631 has their
recumbent effigies of alabaster in the costume of the
period, he in armour and having a sword. Their heads
rest on cushions. The inscription is carved on the top
edge of the base, which is of light-coloured marbles and
has grey marble panels with other inscriptions. At the
east and west ends are achievements of arms of Verney
and Greville.
A brass inscription to Greville Verney, 1642, has
three shields of arms. A stone slab to Greville son of
Sir Greville Verney is carved with a skull and hourglass and two shields of arms.
A brass plate, formerly enamelled, is to George,
fourth son of Sir Greville, and Catherine his wife, and
there is a stone slab to Catherine Verney, 1657, with
two shields and a lozenge of arms; also another slab to
another Greville, 1660. A mural monument of marble
is to Sir Greville Verney, 1668; in it is his bust.
A floor slab is to William Verney, 1683, and another
to Richard son of Richard, Lord Willoughby de Broke,
1698.
There are also later, 18th and 19th century, monuments to the family.
There are no ancient registers, entries relating to this
parish being made in the registers of Lighthorne. (fn. 42)
Advowson
The church of Compton was given
by Henry de Newburgh, Earl of
Warwick, to St. Mary's Collegiate
Church at Warwick as a prebend for the support of
a canon. (fn. 43) In 1340 it was valued at 8 marks, (fn. 44) but
in 1535 the rectory was farmed for only 53s. 4d, (fn. 45)
under an 80-years lease made to Thomas Verney in
1533. (fn. 46) Although called a parish church in 1535, (fn. 47)
after the suppression of the college in 1544 it seems to
have become practically the private chapel of Compton
Verney Hall, was allowed to fall into decay towards
the end of the 18th century, and replaced by a new
building when the hall was rebuilt. This was consecrated for parochial use in 1852 and Compton Verney
was united with Combroke in 1858, the benefice being
in the gift of the lord of the manor.