BROUGHTON
Brotone (xi cent.); Bruchton, Bruhtone, Bruttone,
Burwton (xiii cent.).
Broughton lies on the edge of the county, bordering Bedfordshire, and covers 936 acres, of which about
three-quarters is grass land. (fn. 1) The south and west
boundaries are formed by tributaries of the River Ouse.
The land is about 200 ft. above the ordnance datum,
and is liable to floods along the banks of the streams.
The soil is mixed, the subsoil being gravel and clay.
The chief crops grown are wheat, barley, oats and
roots.
The road from Newport Pagnell to Woburn runs
through the parish from north-west to south-east, and
crosses two tributaries of the Ouse by Kingston
Bridge and Broughton Bridge. The village lies at
the northern end of this road, 3 miles south-east
from Newport Pagnell terminal station on a branch
from Wolverton of the London and North Western
railway and 3½ miles north-west of Woburn Sands
station on the London and North Western railway.
At the northern end of the village are the church,
the rectory, and Broughton House, the residence of
Lieut.-Col. Arthur William Hervey Good, the lord of
the manor. The present house is modern, nothing
now remaining of the former manor-house. (fn. 2) South of
Broughton House is the school, built in 1864, and
closed by the Education Department, the children
now attending school at Milton Keynes. A messuage
or farm-house called the 'Red Lion Inn' was mentioned
in the will of Thomas Duncombe dated 13 October
1672. (fn. 3) In the north of the parish is Broughton
Barn Farm, and in the east Broughton Field Barn Farm.
Other farms are Brook Farm, south of the church,
King's Head Farm, a little further south, and
Broughton Lodge Farm in the extreme north-east.
The parish was inclosed by Act of Parliament in
1748. (fn. 4)
Among place-names have been found: the Layes,
Wood Hall Holme, Little Fin Meadow, Little, Wat
Grove, Long Lawrence, Barnard's Fen, Little Horcroft, Amedon's Close, heretofore the Bowling
Green, (fn. 5) the Taplash, Hither Forge Furlong (fn. 6) (xviii
cent.).
Manors
In the time of Edward the Confessor
4 hides at BROUGHTON were held as
a manor by Oswi, a man of Alric son of
Goding, and in 1086 this land was included in the
possessions of Walter Giffard. (fn. 7) This manor, as that
of Great Missenden (fn. 8) (q.v.), was appendant to that part
of the honour of Giffard which descended in the earldoms of Gloucester, Stafford and Buckingham, (fn. 9) a
counterclaim being made by Aymer de Valence, Earl
of Pembroke, and by the Talbots in the 14th and
15th centuries respectively. At the attainder of the
Duke of Buckingham in 1521 (fn. 10) the manor escheated
to the Crown, which, however, had claimed it in
1508. (fn. 11) In 1623 the overlordship was unknown. (fn. 12)
Hugh de Bolebec, the Domesday tenant, (fn. 13) was
succeeded here as in Whitchurch by the Earls of
Oxford, but the manor was subinfeudated probably
soon after the Survey, (fn. 14) and the mesne lordship thus
created was vested in the earls as late as 1460. (fn. 15)
The ownership in fee was obtained by a family
which took its name from the place, and a Robert de
Broughton and William his son are mentioned as
lords of Broughton in a confirmatory charter of
1151–4. (fn. 16) Reference to a later William, probably
son of the last-named William, occurs in 1211. (fn. 17)
He had been succeeded by 1245 by his son Robert, (fn. 18)
whose son Matthew (fn. 19) was in possession in 1276. (fn. 20)
By 1284 the property had passed to his son Ralf, (fn. 21) who
was still alive in 1302. (fn. 22) In 1306 Ralf de Broughton
the younger, probably his son, (fn. 23) and Joan his wife
demised to Robert son of the late Ralf de Mangehoo
of Marston Moretaine (Bedfordshire), (fn. 24) for 20 marks
sterling and 2 marks yearly, a good and suitable chamber for him to live in in their court in the vill of
Broughton, maintenance in food and drink, and the
maintenance of a horse in hay and grass. (fn. 25) Ralf de
Broughton died before 1316, when his widow Joan
held alone in Broughton. (fn. 26) His son Robert levied a
fine of lands in the neighbouring parish of Milton
Keynes (fn. 27) and with his wife Paulina dealt with lands
in Crawley in 1327. (fn. 28) He is mentioned in connexion
with Broughton in 1331. (fn. 29) Three years later he conveyed the reversion of this property, now called
BROUGHTON MANOR, after the death of Joan, at
that time wife of William Passelewe of Wavendon, to
Philip Aylesbury for life, and then to his son Thomas
in tail-male. (fn. 30) In 1338 Philip Aylesbury acquired
Joan Passelewe's life interest in return for a yearly rent
of 10 silver marks. (fn. 31) He is therefore returned as the
lord of Broughton in 1346, (fn. 32) and his grandson, Sir
John Aylesbury, (fn. 33) died seised of the manor in 1409. (fn. 34)
He was also lord of Drayton Beauchamp Manor (q.v.),
with which Broughton descended until the death of
Hugh Aylesbury in 1423, when, like Milton Keynes
(q.v.), it must have been assigned to Eleanor wife of
Sir Humphrey Stafford of Grafton (Northamptonshire),
and sister and co-heir of Hugh's father John, (fn. 35) since
Humphrey Stafford, lord of Milton Keynes, was also
seised of Broughton at his death in 1545. (fn. 36) His grandson Humphrey sold Broughton in 1573 to Thomas
Duncombe, (fn. 37) second son of William Duncombe of
Great Brickhill. (fn. 38) Thomas Duncombe settled the
manor on his second son Francis in 1590, (fn. 39) and confirmed the settlement by his will, dated 21 November
1595. (fn. 40) He died at Great Brickhill on 4 February
1595–6, (fn. 41) and was succeeded at Broughton by Francis,
who was dealing with the manor in 1599. (fn. 42) On
23 November 1619 Francis settled it on his son and
heir Thomas on his marriage with Sarah daughter of
Thomas Draper, and died on 9 November 1622. (fn. 43)
Thomas Duncombe, who had joined his father in a
settlement of the manor in 1621, (fn. 44) settled it on his
wife Sarah in 1623, (fn. 45) and by his will of 8 May 1632,
dying four days later. (fn. 46) He was succeeded by his
son Thomas, who was dealing with the manor in
1657 (fn. 47) and died in 1672, (fn. 48) leaving his manor-house
to his wife Margaret for one year and the reversion
to Francis, his son and heir by his first wife. (fn. 49) Francis
suffered a recovery of the manor in 1675 (fn. 50) and died
in 1720. (fn. 51) His only son Francis died unmarried on
14 March 1746–7. (fn. 52) His sister Anne had married
John Robinson of Cransley, Northamptonshire, (fn. 53)
by whom she had a son John, to whom his uncle
left all his real and personal estate in trust to pay
debts and legacies. (fn. 54) In 1748 John Robinson and
his two sisters, Frances wife of Thomas Willis of
Walton, and Susan wife of Philip Barton, rector of
Sherington, legatees named under the will, with
their husbands, conveyed the manor, the manor-house
commonly known by the name of Broughton, and
all other property of the late Francis Duncombe in
Broughton, for £21,200 to Barnaby Backwell, banker,
of London and of Tyringham. (fn. 55) From Barnaby
Backwell the manor passed in 1754 to his only son
Tyringham, (fn. 56) who in 1775 barred the entail on the
manor (fn. 57) and died childless. Broughton then passed
to his sister Elizabeth, who
in 1778 married William
Mackworth Praed of Trevethoe in Lelant, Cornwall. (fn. 58)
The manor was inherited by
her son James Backwell
Praed, (fn. 59) who died on 13
January 1837, (fn. 60) and was succeeded by his son William
Backwell Praed, J. P. and D. L.
for Buckinghamshire and
Cornwall, Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1860. On 6
August 1859 he assumed by
royal licence the surname and arms of Tyringham in
lieu of his patronymic. (fn. 61) He built the school in
Broughton in 1864, and died on 29 November 1870. (fn. 62)
His son Roger William Giffard Tyringham, born in
the year of his father's death, sold the manor in 1909
to Lieut.-Col. A. W. H. Good, the present owner. (fn. 63)
Praed. Azure six molets argent.
When Robert de Broughton alienated Broughton
Manor to Philip Aylesbury in 1334 he appears to
have retained certain lands there which united with
the fee held of the honour of Huntingdon (see
below) to form BROUGHTON MANOR, so called
in the early 15th century. References, however, to
members of the family in Broughton during the next
150 years are scanty, and chiefly occur in connexion
with the advowson, which they retained. John, son
of the above Robert, had succeeded his father by
1351, (fn. 64) and in 1393 put forward a claim to a messuage
in Broughton settled by his great-grandfather Ralf on
Simon de Mersheton (fn. 65) (? Water Eaton). He was
buried in Broughton Church in 1403, his wife Agnes
having predeceased him in 1399. (fn. 66) His son and heir
John married Mary daughter and heir of Thomas
Pever of Toddington (Bedfordshire), (fn. 67) and after his
death, c. 1408, she became the wife of Richard Lord
St. Maur, who held this manor in her right at his
death early in the following year. (fn. 68) John Broughton,
the son and heir of Mary Pever by her first husband,
in 1410 brought an action to recover lands in the
neighbouring parish of Crawley, but the suit was
adjourned until 1427–8 on account of his minority. (fn. 69)
He was twenty-two when he succeeded his maternal
grandfather Thomas Pever in 1429, (fn. 70) and died in
1489, leaving Robert the son of his deceased son
John as his heir. (fn. 71) Robert died in 1506, leaving a
widow Katherine and a young son John, (fn. 72) who did
not survive his father many years, and left Broughton
at his death in January 1517–18 to his son John, then
aged five. (fn. 73) The latter died in 1530, (fn. 74) and was
succeeded by his sisters, Katherine wife of William
Lord Howard of Effingham, (fn. 75) and Anne, afterwards
wife of Sir Thomas Cheney of the Isle of Sheppey. (fn. 76)
William Lord Howard of Effingham was holding
half the manor, evidently in right of his wife, at
his attainder in 1542, half the site being leased the
next year for twenty-one years to Thomas Garrett at
26s. 8d. rent and 12d. increase. (fn. 77) The Howards'
daughter Agnes or Ann married William Paulet, Lord
St. John, (fn. 78) and acquired the Cheneys' interest before
1573, in which year the Paulets conveyed the whole
of the manor to Thomas Duncombe. (fn. 79) He acquired
at the same date the Staffords' manor of Broughton,
and the two manors henceforward descend as one.
A hide in Broughton, held as a manor, was
included in the Countess Judith's land at the date of
the Domesday Survey. (fn. 80) Her lands afterwards formed
the honour of Huntingdon, to which this hide in
Broughton was attached, (fn. 81) and which descended in
the families of Hastings, (fn. 82) Latimer, (fn. 83) and Nevill of
Raby and Westmorland. (fn. 84) The last reference to the
honour of Huntingdon in Broughton occurs in 1302, (fn. 85)
but the connexion of the Nevills, Lords Latimer,
continues until 1430. (fn. 86)
This manor was held in the time of Edward the
Confessor by one Morcar, who could sell, and who
was holding it under the Countess Judith at the date
of the Domesday Survey. (fn. 87) In the 13th century it
was held by Ralph Pincerna or Butler, (fn. 88) whose heirs
were in possession in 1284–6 (fn. 89) and 1302–3. (fn. 90) It is
probably they who are referred to under the names
of Thomas de Eye, John Campion, and Thomas
Quarel, holding in 1346. (fn. 91) Shortly after this date
this holding appears to have been acquired by the
Broughton family, and was joined to the lands retained by Robert de Broughton in 1334 to form the
second Broughton Manor, as on the death of Richard
Lord St. Maur in 1409 the overlordship of half that
manor was ascribed to Lord Latimer. (fn. 92)
A mill was held with the principal manor at the
date of the Domesday Survey, (fn. 93) and there was a watermill in 1623, (fn. 94) when a free fishery was also included
in the appurtenances. (fn. 95)
Church
The church of ST. LAWRENCE
consists of a chancel measuring internally
25 ft. 6 in. by 14 ft., nave 50 ft. 6 in. by
18 ft. 6 in., west tower 10 ft. 6 in. square, and a south
porch.
No detail now remains of an earlier date than the
first quarter of the 14th century, when the chancel
and nave appear to have been remodelled. (fn. 96) Towards
the end of the same century new windows were
inserted in the nave, and in the early part of the
15th century the west tower was rebuilt, a turret containing a rood-stair being added about the same time
at the north-east of the nave. In 1880–1 the church
was drastically restored, the tracery of several of the
windows being renewed. The walling is of limestone
rubble with wrought dressings, and the nave and
chancel are crowned by plain parapets.
The east window of the chancel is entirely modern,
but the external label and mask-stops and the stringcourse below the still appear to be of original early
14th-century date. At the north-east is a recess with
original jambs and a modern trefoiled head. At the
west end of the north wall is a window with modern
tracery in a 14th-century opening with an original
rear-arch and an external label with mask-stops. To
the east of the window is a modern doorway, the
external label of which may be original. At the west
end of the south wall is an original 14th-century
opening with a labelled rear-arch; the tracery, which
was probably of two lights, has been removed and a
modern trefoiled head inserted. The early 14thcentury chancel arch is two-centred and of two chamfered orders, the outer order continuous and the inner
order carried by moulded corbels supported by carved
heads. A change in the character of the masonry to
the east of the buttress in the centre of the south wall
suggests that the present chancel is an extension of its
predecessor.
At the east end of the north wall of the nave are
the upper and lower doorways to the rood-turret,
each of which has a two-centred head rebated continuously with the jambs. Of the three windows in
this wall, the two eastern have late 14th-century twocentred heads and jambs with external casement
moulds, but the three-light tracery is modern. The
remaining window, which is placed at the west end
of the wall, is of original early 14th-century date and
is of three trefoiled ogee lights with reticulated tracery
in a two-centred head. Between this and the second
window is a blocked doorway of about the same date
with a two-centred external head and label, and a
segmental two-centred rear-arch. In the south wall
are three similar windows, the two eastern of the late
14th century with modern tracery and external stonework and the westernmost of the early 14th century.
The south doorway is like the blocked north doorway
and occupies a corresponding position.
The tower is of three stages with an embattled
parapet and diagonal buttresses of three offsets at the
western angles, the junction with the nave being
masked by buttresses of two offsets with gabled heads.
The tower arch is two-centred and of two chamfered
orders continuously moulded with the jambs towards
the nave, while on the west face the outer order dies
into the side walls of the tower. The west window
of the ground stage is of two lights and has original
early 15th-century jambs and a two-centred head,
but the tracery is modern. At the north-west is a
small doorway to the vice, which is only traceable
externally by the small loops which light it. The
intermediate stage has plain narrow loops on the
north and south, and the bell-chamber is lighted from
all four sides by restored windows of two lights with
traceried two-centred heads. The only ancient detail
of the south porch is an original 14th-century window
of two trefoiled lights with tracery in a two-centred
head in the west wall; there is a similar light, apparently modern, in the east wall. The low-pitched
roof of the chancel is of the late 15th century, but
that of the nave is modern.
The chief interest of the church lies in the remarkable series of paintings upon the walls of the nave.
The earliest of these is the late 14th-century painting
between the two eastern windows in the north wall
which represents the dismemberment of the body of
Christ. Perhaps the subject is intended to typify the
dismemberment of the church by heretics and schismatics, with a possible reference to the Lollard propaganda of the time. The picture has a rectangular
engrailed border of a reddish-brown colour, and the
figures are drawn with brown outlines upon a plain
ground. In the centre is the seated figure of the
Virgin, with the mutilated body of our Lord upon
her knees. Surrounding her are seven standing figures
in the civil costume of the period; five carry dismembered portions of our Lord's body, while of the remaining figures one is apparently in the act of tearing
out His eyes, and the other carries the Host. In the
middle foreground are the figures of two men seated
on either side of an object which it is difficult to
identify. One holds a sword and appears to be
threatening the other, who is about to hurl his dagger
at him. Over the north doorway, filling the wall
surface between the two adjacent windows, is a fine
late 15th-century 'doom.' On the dexter side of the
picture is represented God the Father seated in
majesty, with two orb-crowned towers at His feet.
The back of the throne is shown as an embattled wall
with flanking turrets, and above the parapet is seen the
Son. By the feet of the Father stands the Virgin
extending her robe to shelter the saved, while with her
left hand she gives a favouring touch to the beam of
the balance in which a soul is being weighed. Round
the beam is entwined string of beads, and immediately above the balance, which is held by an angel,
a figure rising from an open tomb anxiously watches
the result. In the centre of the composition is the
Angel Gabriel blowing a trumpet, round which is
entwined an inscribed scroll no longer decipherable.
On the sinister side, represented in the usual manner,
is hell mouth, and in the upper portion of this side of
the picture is drawn the armed figure of St. Michael.
Below the whole is a pattern of white flowers on a
bluish ground. The paintings on the south wall of
the nave are probably of the middle of the 15th
century. Between the two eastern windows is a
rectangular compartment with a repainted border,
containing figures of St. Helena, and of a bishop,
perhaps St. Eloy. St. Helena is represented in a
green robe bordered with ermine and holds a tau
cross with her right hand and a book in her left.
Below this panel are painted a variety of smiths' implements and productions, such as hammers, pincers,
horse-shoes, stirrups, keys and padlocks; these surround a representation of a man on horseback, which
is almost entirely hidden by a modern memorial
tablet. Over the south doorway is a magnificent
painting of St. George and the Dragon, now unfortunately much damaged, the head and shoulders of
the saint being quite obliterated. He is mounted on
a boldly-drawn white horse and wears plate armour;
in the bottom dexter corner is the dragon receiving
the blow of his lance, while in the background is a
female figure, the head of which is no longer visible.
The ground is painted a dark green with light green
lines upon it to represent grass. A border of red
with a white scroll design upon it still remains on the
east and west sides and over the head of the doorway.
On both north and south walls traces remain of a
dado pattern of broad red stripes with a cresting of
red squares placed over the spaces between the stripes.
On the west wall on either side of the tower arch,
and at the west end of the north wall, are painted
texts in black letter with circular strapwork borders,
probably work of the late 16th century.
The pulpit is of the 18th century. The doors in
the north and south doorways are of the 15th century,
and both retain their original ironwork, the latter
having ornamental strap-hinges and a closing ring
with a circular scutcheon. In the chancel is a carved
17th-century chest, and in the tower is a bier bearing
the date 1683. Copies of Bishop Jewell's Apology
(1567) and Erasmus's Paraphrase (1632) are chained
to desks on either side of the chancel arch. Some
fragments of 14th-century glass are preserved in the
north-west and south-west windows of the nave.
At the east end of the south wall of the chancel is
fixed a brass to John de Broughton, inscribed, 'Hic
jacet Joh[an]es de Broughtõn fili' Roðti de Broughtõn qui obiit xx°j°die me[n]sis decembris A°dñi M°cccc°iij°
cui' a[n]i[ma]e p[ro]piciet' d[omi]ni amen.' Above it is placed a brass
to his wife Agnes, inscribed, 'hie iacet Agnes qunondam
ux' Joh[an]es de Broughton filii Roðti de Broughton que
obiit xi die Mensis octobris A°dñi M°ccclxxxx°ix°
cui' a[n]i[ma]e propiciet' deus Amen.' The figures of both
have disappeared. On the north wall of the chancel
is a monument commemorating Thomas Duncombe,
who died in 1672. The inscription states that the he
married first, Mary, eldest daughter of Charles
Edmonds of Preston Deanery (Northamptonshire),
by whom he had one son, Francis, and three
daughters, and secondly, Margaret, only daughter
of William Norton of Sherington, and relict of
Thomas Wiseman of Mayland Hall, Essex, by
whom he also had three daughters. His first wife
Mary, who died in 1655, is commemorated by a
brass at the east end of the chancel. There are also
floor-slabs to Sarah, widow of Thomas Duncombe,
who died in 1653, and to Mary, the wife of Francis
Duncombe, who died in 1686.
There is a ring of four bells: the treble by Anthony
Chandler, 1655; the second is inscribed in black
letter, 'Sancte Cristine Ora Pro Nobis,' by Henry
Jordan, c. 1460–70; the third by James Keene,
1622; and the fourth inscribed 'In Multis Annis
Resonet Campana Johannis,' is by the same founder
as the second. There is also a sanctus bell, probably
by James Keene, bearing the date 1635, the last figure
being reversed. (fn. 97)
The plate consists of a silver cup of 1720, and a
paten and almsdish of the same year, all the gift of
Mrs. Ann Bacon, and a flagon of 1721 inscribed
'F. D. to Broughton Church.'
The registers begin in 1720.
Advowson
The church of Broughton, which
is a rectory, was originally bestowed
on Tickford Priory by Robert de
Broughton and William his son, and the gift confirmed by Robert, Bishop of Lincoln 1151–4. (fn. 98) For
some reason unknown the Broughtons regained possession of the advowson, which was given to Caldwell Priory by William de Broughton, confirmation
being made by his son Robert in 1245. (fn. 99) In 1318
it was conveyed by the priory to the Dean and
Chapter of Lincoln, (fn. 100) against whom John de Broughton
brought an action in 1380. The dean called the
Prior of Caldwell to substantiate his claim to the
advowson, and judgement was given against the
plaintiff. (fn. 101) Some arrangement was evidently arrived
at between the two parties, for eight years later the
presentation was made by John Broughton. (fn. 102) From
that date the advowson descended with the secondary
manor until 1573, and afterwards with the amalgamated manor, (fn. 103) the present patron being Lieut.-Colonel
A. W. H. Good.
Charities
The charity of Thomas Duncombe
and Francis Duncombe, founded by
wills dated respectively 1672 and
1716, is regulated by a scheme of the Charity Commissioners of 14 January 1870. The property consists of the public-house in Loughton called 'The
Fountain,' and land containing 16 a. 3 r. 5 p., let at
£46 15s. yearly. The official trustees also hold a
sum of £27 4s. 3d. consols, producing 13s. 4d. yearly,
representing residue of proceeds of sale of 2 roods of
land, for the purpose of redeeming the land tax on
all the property. By an order of the Charity Commissioners, dated 4 September 1903, it was determined that one-third of the income, after payment
of £2 12s. to the parish clerk, was applicable to
educational purposes. This third is paid to the
school; another one-third of the income is applied
for the benefit of the poor, chiefly in the distribution
of coals, and the remaining one-third for the repair
of the church. In 1912 each branch received the
sum of £10 3s.