THORNTON
Ternitone (xi cent.); Torentona, Turinton (xii
cent.); Torintuna, Thorington, Thorenton, Tornton
(xiii cent.).
This small parish comprises an area of 1,347 acres,
of which 7 are covered by water. There are 129
acres of arable land, 1,033 laid down in permanent
grass, and 61 of woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The soil is
stiff clay with a subsoil of clay, gravel and limestone
rock, and wheat, oats, barley and beans are grown.
The greatest height, 385 ft. above the ordnance datum,
is reached in the south-east, from where the land falls
away to 236 ft. in the north-west, where the River
Ouse forms the parish and also the county boundary
for some distance. It widens out into a small lake
where it flows past the lawn of Thornton House, the
seat of Mr. H. W. Harris, which stands in a park of
181 acres and is approached from the Beachampton
road by an avenue of elm trees. The present house,
which was built in 1850 by the Hon. Richard
Cavendish (fn. 2) from the designs of John Tarring, (fn. 3) incloses
part of the old building described by Browne Willis,
c. 1735, as a quadrangular building of great antiquity
with a gallery 125 ft. long. (fn. 4) It was afterwards
modernized by Dr. Cotton, (fn. 5) whose alterations made
it the 'spacious and respectable mansion' alluded to
by Lipscomb, c. 1847. (fn. 6)
The church of St. Michael stands in the grounds
to the east of the house at the end of an avenue of
pines. There is now no house for the incumbent, as
the rector resides at Nash, a chapelry to Thornton
since 1854. The former parsonage-house, according
to a terrier of 1674, consisted of three and a half
bays, and there was a barn of two bays, an orchard,
1 acre of land and half an acre of meadow. (fn. 7)
There is no village proper, but a few buildings,
among them the Home Farm, lie on the eastern outskirts of the park with one or two houses further
south. Blacksfields Farm lies on the eastern boundary
of the parish and Tyrrelcote Farm, a 17th-century
house of brick and stone, about the centre. The
country is very open and chiefly given up to pasture
for grazing; the only woods of any size are Great
Wood on the west boundary and Cowpen Wood in
the south-east of the parish. The open common
was the cause of a dispute in the 16th century
between Humfrey Tyrell, the lord of the manor,
and the tenants, who accused him of having destroyed
on 20 October 1532, and many times since, all the
furze on the common. The commissioners heard the
case at Northampton on 31 March 1535, when the
tenants declared that they had always felled furze and
blackthorn by licence of the lord, but were fined for
felling whitethorn. The green, as parcel of the
manor, had been formerly inclosed with a stone wall
by George Ingleton, but it had lain common for
forty years or more; houses had been built on it and
stones from the wall taken to repair the manor-house.
Nevertheless, Tyrell had encroached upon the tenants'
rights by inclosing with a hedge in the autumn of
1529 2 acres of land used as common for beasts.
They admitted, however, that the stone wall at the
mill had been injured by the wives washing there and
by the course of the common kine, and had also heard
that one of Tyrell's servants had been thrown into the
water by Robert Wilson's wife and her maid. (fn. 8)
Manors
Eight hides in THORNTON which
had been held as a manor before the
Conquest by Azor son of Toti were
included in 1086 among the lands of Roger de Ivri. (fn. 9)
After the death without issue of Geoffrey, his last
surviving son, (fn. 10) the barony of Ivri, whose 'caput'
was at Mixbury, Oxfordshire, was bestowed by the king
on Guy de St. Walery or on his son Reynold, (fn. 11) from
which family it became known as the honour of
St. Walery. (fn. 12) Reynold's name occurs as owing knight's
service for land in Oxfordshire in 1160–1 (fn. 13) and in
Berkshire and Hampshire in 1166, (fn. 14) the year of his
death. (fn. 15) His son Bernard, (fn. 16) who was responsible for
this service in 1171–2, (fn. 17) was killed at the siege of
Acon in 1190, (fn. 18) when the honour passed to his surviving son Thomas, (fn. 19) who gave 170 marks for relief
of his lands in 1193. (fn. 20) Three years later they were
seized by the king, (fn. 21) but Thomas de St. Walery
regained his property, (fn. 22) and he is returned as a landowner in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire about
1212. (fn. 23) Shortly afterwards he appears again to have
incurred the royal displeasure, as he was restored to
favour in 1214, when he had seisin of lands in Hamp
shire late of his brother Henry. (fn. 24) On 13 August
1216 a mandate was issued to the Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire to give Ralf Hareng the
custody of all the lands of Thomas de St. Walery to
hold during pleasure for the use of the said Thomas, (fn. 25)
and about six months later Hareng obtained royal
letters 'de conductu' for his lands and those of
St. Walery. (fn. 26) The first mention of the connexion of
the St. Walerys with Thornton occurs in the Testa de
Nevill and must be presumed to date in or before
1218, since the death of Thomas de St. Walery, whose
name is given as lord, (fn. 27) took place in that year. (fn. 28) In
1219 livery of his lands was given to his daughter and
heir, Annora, and her husband, Robert Count of
Dreux. (fn. 29) The latter forfeited the property, which
on 8 March 1224–5 was committed to the custody of
Ralf Hareng, (fn. 30) but a month later Hareng was ordered
to restore the fees to the count. (fn. 31) Two years later
the count lost his lands for good, and their custody
was again bestowed upon Ralf Hareng (fn. 32) preparatory
to a grant to the king's brother Richard Earl of
Cornwall, to whom on 21 August 1227 Ralf was
ordered to surrender all the lands. (fn. 33) The following
year the knights and free men formerly of the Count
of Dreux were called upon to give competent aid to
the Earl of Cornwall to maintain him in the king's
service. (fn. 34) Ralf Hareng's intermittent possession of
Thornton was doubtless instrumental in procuring for
him the ownership in fee, (fn. 35) the overlordship rights
being exercised by the Earls of Cornwall and their
heirs in virtue of their tenure of the St. Walery honour,
to which Thornton remained attached until the
abolition of feudal tenure in the 17th century. (fn. 36)
Two shillings or a besant was due from the manor to
the honour, (fn. 37) and it was said to be held in soccage in
the early 13th century (fn. 38) and later for three parts of a
fee. (fn. 39) In the later inquisitions the rent service alone
was mentioned. (fn. 40)
Ralf Hareng was dead by 1230, when he was
succeeded by a son and heir Ralf, (fn. 41) who is mentioned in 1243. (fn. 42) Either the father or son made
over some of the property to James Savage, called
nephew and heir of Ralf Hareng, who in 1249
acknowledged the right of Gilbert Thornton to 2 virgates subinfeudated by Ralf Hareng for 2s. a year
and suit of court to James at Thornton, in a like
manner as all the other free tenants of the said James. (fn. 43)
Ralf Hareng is returned as lord of Thornton in
1254, (fn. 44) but died probably four years later, as, though
he was appointed Sheriff of Hampshire in 1258, he
did not send in any account of the office, James
Savage, who had been made sheriff in 1256, continuing in his stead. (fn. 45) James Savage may have died in 1275,
when Richard Chastillon claimed to be his heir, (fn. 46)
and made a settlement of Thornton Manor on himself, his wife Rose and their issue. (fn. 47) At Richard's
death, four years after, Hugh Chastillon, his son and
heir, was of full age, (fn. 48) but did not inherit Thornton,
which passed according to the settlement of 1275 to his
step-mother Rose. Immediately after her husband's
death she became the wife of John Tingewick, (fn. 49) but it
was as the widow of Richard Chastillon that her right
to Thornton Manor was acknowledged by Hugh Chastillon in 1280. (fn. 50) The Thornton property thus passed
away from the elder branch of the Chastillon family,
and John Tingewick, Rose's husband, held the lordship rights here in 1284–6. (fn. 51) He died in 1304, (fn. 52) and
the property passed after the death of Rose, still alive
in 1315, (fn. 53) to Malcolm Chastillon, (fn. 54) her son by her
first husband, (fn. 55) whose name had been given in 1300 (fn. 56)
and 1308 (fn. 57) as responsible for this fee. His feud with
the Leaumes of Leckhampstead (q.v.) resulted in his
being sued by a member of that family in 1327 for
the detention of a horse, (fn. 58) and in a complaint lodged
by him in 1333 against the Leaumes and others for
carrying away his goods at Thornton. (fn. 59) He was
knight of the shire in five Parliaments from 1327 to
1332, (fn. 60) as was his son John, who succeeded him in
1337, (fn. 61) in the Parliaments of 1341, 1343 and 1355, (fn. 62)
as well as Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire
in 1350. (fn. 63) Little is known of the Chastillons in
Thornton for the next fifty years; their property is
referred to as late of John Chastillon both in 1377 (fn. 64)
and 1399. (fn. 65) In 1409 Sir John Chastillon of Thornton was fined 20 marks for not appearing when impanelled on an inquisition, (fn. 66) and in 1418 he and
his wife Margaret severed the connexion of the family
with this parish by transferring the manor to John
Barton, jun. (fn. 67) He is called of Thornton in 1427 (fn. 68)
and again in 1433, when he was one of the mainpernors of Joan Beauchamp, Dowager Baroness Bergavenny. (fn. 69) He died in January 1433–4, (fn. 70) leaving
part of his estate to endow anew the chantry,
but his executors were sued four years later for
Thornton Manor by William Launcelyn of Cople in
Bedfordshire, who claimed by inheritance as greatgrandson of Margaret, the sister of the last John
Chastillon, who died without issue, and granddaughter
of Malcolm Chastillon. (fn. 71) Further litigation ensued
shortly afterwards, when the executors with Isabel,
widow of John Barton, jun., were defendants in
an action brought by William Fowler to force them
to keep an agreement made in 1438 concerning the
lands and will of John Barton, sen., Recorder of
London. (fn. 72) In 1440 the Chastillon family renewed
their claim, this time in the person of John Loughton,
great-grandson of Elizabeth daughter of Malcolm
Chastillon. (fn. 73)
William Launcelyn also seized the opportunity this
year to plead his rights, but was disposed of by Isabel
Barton's assertion that his great-grandmother Margaret
was illegitimate, (fn. 74) whereupon Launcelyn made a
complete renunciation of title to trustees. (fn. 75) In 1443
his example was followed by John Loughton, (fn. 76) who
three years later joined his wife Margaret in quitclaiming any right she might have in half the
manor. (fn. 77) Isabel Barton had married as her second
husband Sir Robert Shottesbrook, (fn. 78) who presented to
the church in her right in 1453. (fn. 79) She died in
1457, (fn. 80) and Thornton Manor was sold by the trustees
to Sir John Prysot, Thomas Shotbolt, and others to
the use of Prysot. (fn. 81) He died shortly afterwards, and
his widow Margaret about 1460 brought an action
against Shotbolt, who refused to make an estate to
her and was therefore committed to Newgate. (fn. 82) In
1462, however, he released all his right in Thornton
to Margaret and her trustees. (fn. 83) They were sued two
years later by William Gernon, who claimed the manor
as a descendant of Richard Chastillon and Rose, but
as the pedigree submitted by him gave Hugh as
son of Rose instead of stepson
the action was easily quashed. (fn. 84)
In 1467 Gernon renounced
any right he might have to
Robert Ingleton, (fn. 85) to whom the
manor had been transferred
by the trustees presumably
about 1463. (fn. 86) Robert Ingleton, who was chancellor of
the Exchequer to Edward IV, (fn. 87)
received a general pardon
in 1471 for all offences and
unlicensed acquisitions and
alienations of land. (fn. 88) He is
described as of Thornton, late
of London and J. P. for Buckinghamshire. (fn. 89) A brass in the church commemorates
his death on 15 October 1472, (fn. 90) though the inquisition gives the date as 17 October 1473. (fn. 91) His son
George, (fn. 92) Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire in 1485, (fn. 93) died in the early days of 1493–4, leaving
a young son Robert, (fn. 94) during whose minority Thornton
was granted in custody to Sir Richard Empson,
minister of Henry VII. (fn. 95) He gave his daughter Ann
in marriage to his ward, who died in 1503, still under
age and leaving an only daughter Jane, nine months
old. (fn. 96) A few years later the widow Ann, with her
second husband John Hugford, sued Robert's trustees
in Chancery for failing to pay her jointure from
Oakley and other manors. (fn. 97) The dispute was settled
in 1515, when John and Ann gave up all claim to
dower in Oakley, Thornton, and elsewhere for 1,000
marks. (fn. 98) Ann was evidently not considered a competent person to have the custody of Jane Ingleton,
for the wardship was granted by the king to Dame
Joan Bradbury, widow, (fn. 99) who held courts at Thornton
as guardian of the child. (fn. 100) By 1517 Jane Ingleton
was the wife of Humfrey son and heir of Sir
William Tyrell of Ockendon (fn. 101)
(Wokendon), Essex, with
whom she made a settlement
of Thornton in 1526. (fn. 102) Humfrey Tyrell died in 1549 (fn. 103) ;
his wife surviving him married
Alexander St. John, upon
whom a rent was settled in
1552 by George son and heir
of Humfrey and Jane Tyrell. (fn. 104)
The first payment was to be
made after the death of Jane,
which took place in 1557,
when Thornton Manor,
which had been settled on
her in 1550, descended to
George Tyrell. (fn. 105) He made a settlement of the manor
in 1571 (fn. 106) and died in that year. (fn. 107) His son Edward, who
succeeded, (fn. 108) was sheriff of the county in 1595–6 (fn. 109) and
member for Buckingham borough in 1604. (fn. 110) He
died in January 1605–6, leaving by will the Thornton
property, including the mansion-house, to his son
and heir Edward, his widow Margaret receiving an
estate in Nast End, Great Leckhampstead, and Oakley
Manor (fn. 111) (q.v.). Edward was Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1612–13 (fn. 112) and joined with his wife Elizabeth
and younger brothers Timothy and Thomas in making
a settlement of Thornton in 1626. (fn. 113) He had been
knighted at Windsor in 1607, and was created a
baronet on 31 October 1627. (fn. 114) His eldest son
Robert joined his father in suffering a recovery of the
manor in 1632, (fn. 115) but did not take part in a further
recovery six years later, (fn. 116) as he was disinherited by
his father, who on 19 February 1638–9 obtained a
new baronetcy, with the former precedency and with
special remainder to his two younger sons Toby and
Francis. (fn. 117) Sir Edward Tyrell, bart., remained in
possession of Thornton until his death in 1656, (fn. 118) his
son Toby, who succeeded to the title and estates,
dying in 1671, when Thornton passed to his son
Thomas, (fn. 119) upon whom a settlement had been made
in 1665. (fn. 120) He held until 1705, (fn. 121) his son Harry,
whose right to Thornton had been acknowledged in
1692, (fn. 122) inheriting the estate. He died three years
after his father, (fn. 123) leaving three sons, one of them
posthumous, (fn. 124) of whom the eldest, Thomas, made a
settlement of the manor in 1717 (fn. 125) and died a bachelor
the following year. (fn. 126) The second son Harry also
died unmarried two years later, (fn. 127) when Thornton
passed to the third son Charles, who held until 1749. (fn. 128)
He left a daughter and heir Hester Maria under the
guardianship of his mother, Hester Lady Tyrell, (fn. 129) the
title passing to Thomas Tyrell, his cousin and
male heir. (fn. 130) He is called of Thornton at his death
on 11 February 1755 and was buried at Thornton, (fn. 131)
though his will, dated 28 July 1749, expresses his
desire not to be buried in the family vault. (fn. 132) He
mentions his sisters 'Mrs.' Frances Tyrell and the
Hon. Elizabeth Forrester, widow, who proved the
will on 13 February 1755. (fn. 133) This last Sir Thomas
Tyrell was son of Charles, younger brother of Sir
Harry who died in 1708. The entry in the parish
register relating to the death on 3 May 1752 of Hester,
widow of Sir Harry Tyrell, bart., speaks of her as the
mother of Sir Thomas, Sir Henry, and Sir Charles,
successive baronets and all dead. (fn. 134) Her granddaughter,
Hester Maria, to whom Sir Charles Tyrell left
property at Thornton and Leckhampstead, became
the wife of the Rev. William Cotton. (fn. 135) She
died in 1778 (fn. 136) ; her husband, who survived her until
1782, (fn. 137) does not appear to
have held Thornton after her
death, as in 1779 their daughter and heir Elizabeth with her
husband Thomas Sheppard
made a settlement of the
manor. (fn. 138) In 1809 he was
made a baronet as Sheppard
of Thornton Hall. (fn. 139) His elder
son William Thomas (who had assumed the name of
Sheppard-Cotton by royal
licence in 1799 (fn. 140) in compliance with the will of his
grandfather William Cotton) (fn. 141)
having died without issue in
1803, (fn. 142) Thomas was succeeded
at his death in 1821 by his second son Thomas. (fn. 143)
He had taken the name of Cotton before Sheppard
by sign-manual in 1806 on attaining his majority, (fn. 144)
and had been sheriff of the county in 1813. (fn. 145) At his
death without issue in 1848 the baronetcy expired, (fn. 146)
and the property passed to his sister Elizabeth, whose
husband Thomas Hart of Uttoxeter also died in that
year. (fn. 147) Their daughter and heir Elizabeth Maria
Margaret, who succeeded her mother in 1854, (fn. 148) had
married in 1841 Richard Cavendish, (fn. 149) second son of
the second Lord Waterpark, (fn. 150) who was sheriff for the
county in 1851. (fn. 151) She died four years after her
mother, (fn. 152) and her husband held Thornton until his
death in 1876, (fn. 153) their son William Thomas Cavendish, who succeeded, dying two years later. (fn. 154) His
son Mr. Henry Sheppard Hart Cavendish, the African
traveller and explorer, sold the manor about 1905 to
Mr. Whitworth, from whom it was acquired two
years later by Mr. Henry W. Harris, the present owner.
Ingleton of Thornton. Argent a cheveron between three barrels of pitch sable with fire issuing from them.
Tyrell of Thornton, baronet. Argent two cheverons azure in a border engrailed gules.
Sheppard of Thornton, baronet. Azure a cheveron or between three fleurs de lis argent with three molets of six points sable on the cheveron.
On the manor of Thornton in 1086 was a mill
worth 10 ores, (fn. 155) described in 1278–9 as a water-mill. (fn. 156)
By 1606 two water-mills are recorded, (fn. 157) and throughout the 18th century there were three, called cornmills, standing on the manor. (fn. 158)
A free or several fishery in the Ouse was among
the appurtenances of the manor from the 16th century
and probably earlier, as was free warren. (fn. 159) Reference
to the view of frankpledge does not occur until the
17th century. (fn. 160) Court Rolls for Thornton are extant
dating from 1422 to 1546, (fn. 161) and courts leet and
baron are included among the manorial privileges in
the 18th century. (fn. 162)
Under the land of Roger de Ivri in the Domesday Book is included a manor of 1 hide in HASLEY
(Haseiei, Haseleya, Hasle, Haselegh), which had been
held before the Conquest by Thori, a man of King
Edward, who could sell. (fn. 163) The name appears to
have been lost after the 14th century, but the place
was probably adjacent to, if not actually comprised
within, Thornton, which immediately precedes it in
the Domesday Book, both places, moreover, being
within the hundred of Rovelai. Like the rest of Roger
de Ivri's holdings, it formed part of the honour of
St. Walery and as such was held of the Earls of
Cornwall for a third of a fee in the 13th century. (fn. 164)
The manorial descent of this property, however,
approximates more closely to Radclive, another of
Roger de Ivri's manors, than to Thornton, though
Radclive is separated from Thornton by Buckingham
and lay within a different hundred, that of Mursley,
in 1086. Both Radclive and Hasley had the same
Domesday tenant Fulk, (fn. 165) who had been succeeded in
both places by the Hareng family in the 13th century.
Of the intermediate holders nothing is known in
Radclive, though Humfrey is returned as tenant in
Hasley in 1167. (fn. 166) Ralf Hareng, who was in possession
c. 1235, had subinfeudated Richard Hareng in
Hasley. (fn. 167) His gift of lands in 1243 to St. Michael's
Chapel, Radclive, included an estate in Hasley. (fn. 168) In
1251 Hasley Manor was alienated to Simon de
St. Lys by John Hareng, who retained a life interest
in it. (fn. 169) Simon de St. Lys also acquired Radclive
doubtless at this date and certainly before 1254–5,
and in 1273 he brought an action against Richard,
parson of Buckingham Church, for disseising him of
common pasture attached to his free tenement in
Radclive and Hasley. (fn. 170) He was successful as regards
the former place, but failed in Hasley. After 1301,
when Hasley was held by Andrew de St. Lys, lord
of Radclive, (fn. 171) there is no mention of this manor.
Snelshall Priory had a small property in the parish
assessed with lands in Beachampton at £2 2s. 5d. in
1291. (fn. 172) In 1535 the priory paid 9s. for the rent of
a tenement and 4s. for lands in Thornton to Humfrey
Tyrell. (fn. 173) By 1557 a cottage formerly belonging to
Snelshall had come into the possession of Thomas
Thomson. (fn. 174)
Part of the priory's estate, comprising 1 virgate,
1 acre and a meadow adjoining called Deneaker, was
given, with the consent of the priory, to the hospital
of St. John without the east gate of Oxford by
Henry de Lewknor, parson of Thornton in 1219
(cf. advowson). His patron, Ralf Hareng, likewise
bestowed on the hospital 12 acres of land and
meadow, and Ellis son of Edmund the miller gave
a messuage and 4 acres of land, all these gifts being
confirmed to the hospital by Henry III in 1246. (fn. 175)
Furzenfield, an outlying farm in the south-east of
the parish, was part of the dower of Margery widow
of George Tyrell, (fn. 176) who by 1577 had married
Richard Leigh, (fn. 177) and still held the property in 1606,
when she was again a widow. (fn. 178) The reversion was
left by Edward Tyrell at his death in that year to
his eldest son Edward, (fn. 179) and it descended in the
family with the rest of the Thornton property.
Church
The church of ST. MICHAEL AND
ALL ANGELS consists of a nave measuring internally 39 ft. by 12 ft., north
and south aisles each 8 ft. wide, and west tower 10 ft.
square. It is built of rubble and the roofs are covered with lead.
Reference to this church occurs as early as 1219, (fn. 180)
but the structure of that period was entirely rebuilt
in the 14th century, probably by John Chastillon, lord
of the manor, who founded a chantry here in 1344.
The building then consisted of a chancel, with the
adjoining chapel of the Annunciation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary for Chastillon's chantry, a nave, north
and south aisles and tower. About 1468 the chapel
of the Annunciation was rebuilt by Robert Ingleton
in accordance with the will of John Barton, who died
in 1434. (fn. 181) Between 1770 and 1800 the successive
patrons, Dr. William Cotton and Thomas Sheppard,
carried out drastic restorations. The chancel and
chapel were then apparently destroyed and a wall
built on the east side of the chancel arch, the roofs
were altered, obscuring the clearstory windows, and
the present pews inserted. The north aisle was rebuilt in 1850, when the fabric was generally repaired.
At the east end of the nave is the original 14thcentury chancel arch, which is now blocked, and a
modern three-light window with 14th-century jambs
and head, probably taken from the east window of
the chancel, has been inserted in the blocking. The
north and south arcades, also of the 14th century, are
each of four pointed arches, supported by octagonal
pillars and responds with moulded capitals of varying
detail. At the west end of the nave is an original
pointed arch to the tower. A 14th-century clearstory
and the nave roof, which retains two 15th-century
arched trusses, are hidden by a modern flat ceiling,
but the blocked circular windows of the clearstory can
be seen from the outside. The three traceried windows
in the south wall of the south aisle have been considerably renewed, while the corresponding windows
of the north aisle are principally modern, but some
old stonework has been re-used in them.
The 14th-century tower is of three stages surmounted by an embattled parapet. The moulded
west doorway is original, but the window above only
retains the original jambs. The second stage of the
tower is pierced by small trefoiled lights, and the
bell-chamber by pointed windows of two trefoiled
lights, all of which, except the head of the east
window of the bell-chamber, are original. The
string-course below the parapet is supported at wide
intervals by carved heads.
On the south side of the altar is a slab with the
brass figures of Robert Ingleton, in plate armour, and
his three wives, Margaret, Clemens and Isabel, in
horned head-dresses, and groups of six sons and
ten daughters. Above are the shields of Ingleton,
Dymoke, Cauntelow, and a lion between six crescents
for Fiscells (?), and below is the inscription, 'Armiger
ecce pius jacet hic tellure Robt[us] Ingylton domin[us] de
Thorneton jur' patron'. In quintodecimo moriens
octobr' ab orbe ad celos transit Mil C quat' hec 72
simul adde. Sit sibi ppicia Celi Regina Maria salvet
eum xp[ist]i Matris amore deus.' On the north side of
the altar is a brass figure of Jane daughter of Robert,
grandson of the above-mentioned Robert Ingleton,
and Ann, and wife first of Humfrey Tyrell and
secondly of Alexander St. John. She died in 1557,
and is represented in long gown, puffed and slashed
sleeves, and the 'Paris head.' There are four shields,
the quartered coat of Tyrell, the quartered coat of
Ingleton, Tyrell quartering Ingleton, and Tyrell
impaling Ingleton; a marginal inscription, and at
the feet of the figure 'Et predicta Jana habuit
exit[us] Georgiū Terrell filū suu apparent' et predict'
Georgius fuit viginti et septem annos natus die quo
predict' Jana obiit.' In the tower are two fine
alabaster effigies which now lie one on either side of
the west doorway; they are ascribed by Browne
Willis to John Barton, jun., who died in 1434,
and Isabel his wife, (fn. 182) and were in his time below the
chancel arch, where they formed part of 'a most
elegant monument.' The man, whose feet rest
upon the figure of a dog, is in plate armour, and the
lady is in a sleeveless gown and long cloak. Some
other effigies and brasses described by Browne Willis
have since disappeared. There is an old iron chest
in the tower.
The tower contains a ring of three bells: the
treble, inscribed 'Sint Pro Elya Michael Deus Atque
Maria,' is a 14th-century bell, and 'Elya' probably
refers to Ellis de Tingewick, who was presented to
the rectory in 1315; the second, dated 1635, is
probably by Richard Chandler of Drayton Parslow;
and the tenor, inscribed 'Sum Rosa Pulsata Mundi
Maria Vocata,' is by Richard Hille, and dates from
the early 15th century.
The plate includes a cup and cover paten which
have no hall-marks, but probably date from the 17th century.
The registers begin in 1562.
Advowson
The advowson of Thornton
Church, assessed at £5 6s. 8d. in
1291 (fn. 183) and at £12 6s. 8d. in 1535, (fn. 184)
has always been appendant to Thornton Manor (fn. 185)
and is now vested in Col. H. W. Harris. The
first institution of which there is record dates before
1219, when Ralf Hareng presented Henry de Lewknor
(Leukenora). (fn. 186) A saving clause was inserted with
regard to the vicarage of Robert the chaplain, which
consisted in all altar offerings (except the tithes of the
parson's cattle), in 2 virgates with their tithes,
and in that messuage which Gilbert formerly held with
the adjacent croft containing 11 selions and 5 buttes
and a certain meadow called Crowelle. (fn. 187) Robert was
presented to the vicarage by the said Henry de
Lewknor and was to take possession of the same, but
no further reference to a vicar occurs.
Two parts of the tithes issuing out of the demesnes
of Thornton Manor were claimed by Oseney Abbey
in virtue of a charter of Robert Doyley (erroneously
called lord of Thornton), confirmed by King Henry
and inspected in 1267, giving to the canons of
St. George's Church, founded by Robert in the castle
of Oxford, certain rights in Thornton, Westbury and
Lenborough. (fn. 188) This interest in Thornton was
described in 1291 as a pension of 10s. in the
church, (fn. 189) but the abbot's title was evidently a little
insecure, for a commission was addressed to the Bishop
of Lincoln by Edward 11 in 1309 to examine his
claim to what was called one-fourth of Thornton
Church. (fn. 190) In despite of this, proceedings against
Walter, the parson of Thornton, were taken by the
Abbot of Oseney in 1312, (fn. 191) and were not concluded
by 1314. (fn. 192) On 15 June 1319 the court of Canterbury promulgated its sentence as regards the claim of
Oseney Abbey. (fn. 193) The decision was probably adverse
to the abbot, for no further payment out of the
Thornton demesnes is recorded. The tithes were
commuted in the first half of the 19th century for
£224 12s. 4d. (fn. 194)
The chapelry of All Saints, Nash, a hamlet of
Whaddon, Cottesloe Hundred, was annexed to Thornton for ecclesiastical purposes on 15 April 1854. (fn. 195) It
is endowed with £30 a year, payable out of the
Whaddon estate of New College, Oxford, but the
tithes were commuted in 1831 and conveyed to the
vicar of Whaddon. (fn. 196)
The chantry founded in Thornton Church by John
Chastillon, lord of the manor, is said to date from
1344, (fn. 197) but it was not until four years later that John
Chastillon received licence to alienate in mortmain
two messuages and 100 acres of land in Thornton to a
chaplain to celebrate daily service in Thornton Church
according to an ordinance to be made by him
(Chastillon). (fn. 198) The chantry, founded in honour of
the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and for
the good estate of the souls of John Chastillon and
his family, was ordained by licence of the bishop in
1356, (fn. 199) and Sir Thomas, chaplain of the perpetual
chantry of Thornton, was witness to a charter of
1361. (fn. 200) The chantry chapel evidently fell into
decay, for John Barton, jun., a later lord of the
manor, by his will dated 1433, left a legacy for
building it anew and instructions for his burial
there. (fn. 201) The royal licence was obtained in 1468
by Robert Ingleton (to whom the manor had passed),
at the request of the feoffees of Barton's widow.
Lands worth £20 yearly were to be alienated to the
chaplain of the chantry, now called St. Mary the
Virgin, for his maintenance and that of six poor feeble
persons of either sex, and a yearly gown was to be
bestowed on six poor boys. (fn. 202) Further alienations in
mortmain were made without licence, for which a
general pardon was obtained in 1473 by the chaplain,
Thomas Blaklawe. (fn. 203) The presentation to Ingleton's
chantry was vested in the lords of the manor, and a
grant of it was made in 1530 by Humfrey Tyrell. (fn. 204)
A distinction, however, was maintained between the
two foundations, that of Barton and that of Ingleton;
both were called Barton's chantry, but Ingleton's was
also known as Our Lady's. (fn. 205) It was, moreover, by far
the more important, and was returned as worth
£23 yearly in 1535, of which £8 17s. 4d. was
distributed among poor people, while Barton's proper
was worth only £6, paid, after deduction of 12s. to
the king, to the priest, Reginald Shipley. (fn. 206) To prevent confusion the older foundation will henceforward
be called Barton's and the later referred to as Our
Lady's chantry. William Abbott the priest, serving
Our Lady's chantry in 1535, (fn. 207) brought an action about
this date against his patron, Humfrey Tyrell, who
on 21 December 1530 ejected Abbott from a house
nigh adjoining the parish church which had belonged
to the chantry from its first foundation, and so
hampered the chaplain from fulfilling his duty to six
poor men and women and six children. Tyrell, who
stigmatized the action as a lying and malicious one,
had suffered the tenement to 'fall and be in extreme
rewen and dekaye,' and had carried away the doors
and windows. (fn. 208) The chantry return of 1546 corro
borates Abbott's assertions by stating that Tyrell
was at that date in possession of a mansion-house
belonging to the chantry, and had deprived the
incumbent of the profits for the last fourteen or
fifteen years. (fn. 209) The ornaments of the chantry were
returned in 1546 as worth 33s. 4d., and there was a
chalice silver-gilt weighing 18 oz. The priest had an
old vestment worth 12d. (fn. 210) This chantry of Our Lady
was spared at the Dissolution, since there was attached
to it a free grammar school, but this seems to have
failed to maintain itself for want of funds, and was
transferred to Buckingham after 1597. (fn. 211)
The priest of Barton's chantry was appointed and
paid by All Souls College, Oxford, (fn. 212) but his stipend
had not been paid for some time previous to 1546,
nor were any goods attached to the chantry at that
date. (fn. 213) This chantry, called Barton's or St. Mary's
chantry, with lands in Thornborough and a messuage
there called the chantry house, was bestowed by
Edward VI in 1550 on Edward Chamberlain, of
Fulwell, Oxfordshire, and his heirs. (fn. 214) He likewise
obtained Bartons manor in Thornborough (q.v.),
part of the former possessions of the chantry, with
which it descended to Richard Sargeant, who in
1561 leased this property for ninety-six years to
William Lee of Thornborough. (fn. 215) Together with
Bartons it was purchased by John Temple of Stowe
in 1601. (fn. 216) It figures among the Temples' possessions
in 1637, (fn. 217) and probably merged later into their
Thornborough manor.
There do not appear to be any endowed charities
subsisting in this parish.