STONY STRATFORD
Straford, Stoni Strafford, Stani Stratford, StonyStretteford (xiii cent.).
The market town and ancient borough of Stony
Stratford stands midway between Towcester and
Fenny Stratford on Watling Street, which divides it
into two portions corresponding to the ecclesiastical
parishes of St. Giles and St. Mary Magdalen respectively. The West side was formerly in the parish of
Calverton, and the common lands here, with the
exception of Horse Fair Green, were inclosed under
the Act dealing with Calverton in 1782. (fn. 1) The suburb
of Calverton End is still included in that parish. The
East side lay in Wolverton, which still contains
the suburb of Wolverton End, formed into the
ecclesiastical parish of Wolverton St. Mary in 1870. (fn. 2)
These two portions were made independent parishes
by Act of Parliament towards the end of the 18th
century, and by a Local Government Board Order of
25 March 1883 a detached portion of Calverton called
Stratford Bridge Meadows was amalgamated with
Stratford St. Giles.
The area of the West side is 84 acres, of which 15
acres are grass land and 1 acre arable land. (fn. 3) The
population in 1901 was 1,395. (fn. 4) The East side is
smaller, having an area of 69 acres, 20 of it being grass,
and a population of 958. The inhabitants were
formerly chiefly engaged in the manufacture of lace,
but that industry has now practically died out. Mr.
Edward Hayes's engineering works employ a number
of people.
Stony Stratford lies low, varying only from 220 ft.
to 240 ft. above the ordnance datum; it is almost
encircled by the River Ouse, which here forms the
county boundary.
The town is small, consisting mainly of one narrow
street, Watling Street, which here becomes the High
Street for about three-quarters of a mile, crossed
near the market-place by a road leading to Calverton
and Wolverton respectively. From its position on
Watling Street, Camden and many others suggested
Stony Stratford as the site of the Roman station
Lactodorum, (fn. 5) and numerous Roman remains have been
found in the neighbourhood, (fn. 6) but later research has
almost conclusively assigned the Roman station to
Towcester. (fn. 7) North of the junction of Watling Street
and Calverton Road lies the Market Square, near
which is the church of St. Giles. Almost opposite,
on the east side, are the remains of the church of
St. Mary Magdalen. Though spared in a fire which
swept the town in 1736, when fifty-three houses
were destroyed, the church, together with 113 houses,
was burnt six years later, when the damage was
estimated at £10,000. (fn. 8) The tower is the only part
now standing. Probably by reason of these fires few
ancient houses survive. The 'King's Head' in the
Market Square dates from the early part of the
17th century, and there are some other houses,
mostly built of rubble with tiled roofs, of this date in
the High Street. Two shops on the west side of
this street, now numbered 95 and 97, may perhaps
have been originally built in the 15th century, but
have been much altered subsequently. To the north
of the church is St. Paul's College, founded in 1863
as a middle class school, and used since 1900 as a
home for orphan boys. There is incidental reference
in the middle of the 14th century to a 'Scolhous'
in Stony Stratford which was to be used for the
chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr. (fn. 9) In this part of
Stony Stratford, called Bridge End in the 16th
century from its proximity to the bridge spanning
the Ouse, (fn. 10) stood the leper hospital of St. John the
Baptist without Stony Stratford. It was described
in the 14th century as situated near 'le Shrob' and
the causeway leading to the bridge. (fn. 11) It was in
existence probably before about 1240, in which year
William de Paveli bequeathed 12d. 'infirmis de
Straford,' (fn. 12) and certainly before 1257. (fn. 13) In 1329,
however, the master and brethren were found to be
'without the means of living unless others come to
their aid,' (fn. 14) and in 1352 their chapel was 'for the
most part in ruins.' (fn. 15)
The old bridge across the Ouse, which here separates
Stony Stratford from Old Stratford in Northamptonshire, was partly destroyed in the Civil War and
became very dilapidated, (fn. 16) so that in 1801 an Act
was passed for repairing it. (fn. 17) In 1835 a new bridge
was built under an Act of Parliament of 1834 (fn. 18) ;
it is on an enlarged plan, and consists of three stone
arches with a long raised causeway for carrying off
floods. On the bank of the Ouse, not far from the
Market Square, is a corn-mill, perhaps standing on
the site of the one which with the capital messuage
called Malletts, held of Henry Longville of Wolverton Manor, was bought by John Penn from
Thomas Pigott in 1581. On his death in 1587 he
bequeathed the mill to his son Thomas Penn, (fn. 19) who
died in 1618. (fn. 20) At Calverton End on the West side,
near the Stony Stratford Waterworks, is the cemetery
with two mortuary
chapels opened in
1856 at Galley Hill.
To the south of the
market square is a
Methodist chapel
built in 1844, and
near it, on Horsefair
Green, is the Baptist
chapel on the site of
the one founded in
1656. Some fittings
of the 17th-century
building remain, and
also a wooden window frame, preserved
in the vestry. There
is another chapel,
dating from 1823,
on the Wolverton
road.
Nonconfor mists
were active here in
the 17th century,
and in 1661 John
Crook, a Quaker
minister, was arrested
with seven others for attempting to hold an illegal
meeting in the neighbourhood. (fn. 21) In 1672 the house
of Edmund Carter was licensed for Presbyterian
worship. (fn. 22) On the other hand Thomas Smith of
Stony Stratford was apprehended in 1652 on suspicion
of being a Jesuit, (fn. 23) and in 1666 the house of John
Digby, son of Sir Kenelm Digby, a strong Papist,
was searched and 300 arms found. 'They were not
taken away, but he took it so ill that he went away
in his coach and six horses.' (fn. 24)
Stony Stratford was once a place of considerable
importance, owing to its position on Watling Street.
Letters Patent were dated from here by King John
in 1215 (fn. 25) and by Henry IV in 1409, (fn. 26) Letters Close
and writs in 1309 (fn. 27) and 1329. (fn. 28) It was one of the
resting-places of the body of Queen Eleanor, and
the Cross stood until the Civil War, when it was
destroyed. (fn. 29) From its proximity to the Northamptonshire Salcey Forest, Stocking Wood, near Stony
Stratford, being deemed part of that forest in the
13th century, (fn. 30) it was a good hunting centre, and
Edward IV hunted in Wychwood Forest in this neighbourhood in 1464. (fn. 31) Many references to the forester
of Stony Stratford occur. (fn. 32) Edward V slept here with
his half-brother Lord Richard Grey on his journey to
London in 1483, when the latter, along with Lord
Rivers and Sir Thomas Vaughan, was taken prisoner
by Richard Duke of Gloucester. (fn. 33) Shakespeare alludes
to this in Richard III,' (fn. 34) where the lines 'Last night
I heard they lay at Stony Stratford' occur. Margaret of Scotland dated from here a letter in 1516 to
Henry VIII, (fn. 35) who himself sent letters from Stony
Stratford on 8 and 20 September 1525. (fn. 36) Hungarian
ambassadors sent on an embassy to him were here in
1531, (fn. 37) and the king appears to have been at Stony
Stratford again in 1540, as one of the tapsters, who
vagrantly followed the court and enhanced the price
of victuals, was condemned to sit in the pillory at
Stony Stratford with a paper on his head. (fn. 38) The
plague was virulent in this part of the country in
1537; the unemployment and discontent arising
therefrom probably accounted for the affray which
took place at that time between the shoemakers and
organ player of the town, resulting in the appearance
of six shoemakers at the assizes at Little Brickhill. (fn. 39)
The 'King's Head,' Stony Stratford
The 16th and 17th centuries probably saw the
height of prosperity of the town; its situation on the
great road to Ireland by way of Chester was a cause
of much enrichment. (fn. 40) It was a noted rendezvous
for pack-horses and a baiting station for travellers, (fn. 41)
whose accommodation was provided for by several
good inns. The 'Cock,' the most celebrated, is
mentioned in 1500–15 (fn. 42) ; it was left in 1520 by
Thomas Pigott of Beachampton, serjeant-at-law, for
the maintenance and repair of the bridges. (fn. 43) The
'Rose and Crown,' another important inn, was left
by the will of Michael Hipwell in 1609 to found a
grammar school, (fn. 44) and though it was at first used
for that purpose the school later found another house,
and the old building was let by the proprietors, the
Church of England school managers, who devoted the
rent to the upkeep of the school. The 'White Horse,'
which belonged to the gild, was the subject of a dispute between the wardens and their lessees in the
reign of Henry VIII. (fn. 45) It afterwards came into the
possession of William Matthew, whose son and heir
inherited it in March 1608–9. (fn. 46) The 'Swan,' a
15th-century inn, (fn. 47) appears perhaps as the 'Swan with
Two Necks' in 1609, (fn. 48) the 'Three Swans' in 1667, (fn. 49)
again as the 'Swan with Two Necks' in 1691, (fn. 50) and
the 'Three Swans' the following year. (fn. 51) The 'Red
Lion' was the cause of a quarrel between William
Edy's heirs in 1529 (fn. 52) ; there is mention of the
'George' in 1609, (fn. 53) and of the 'White Hart' in
1625. (fn. 54) The innkeepers were not always above
suspicion, Greathead, one of them, being accounted
'a notable bad fellow' in 1596, both he and Thomas
Car, another innkeeper, being common receivers. (fn. 55)
Troops were frequently in the neighbourhood of
Stony Stratford in the Civil War, (fn. 56) and the Earl of
Cleveland maintained a station here for the king, who
himself passed through on his way to Woburn. (fn. 57) The
town, however, appears to have suffered in no way
and remained a 'populous and much frequented
market town.' (fn. 58) The descriptions given by 17th and
18th-century travellers are by no means flattering.
Baskerville, who was in Stony Stratford in May
1681, calls it 'a town of very ordinary building,' (fn. 59)
while another writer nearly a century later is no
kinder: 'a small straggling town, not remarkable in
any shape.' (fn. 60) Hassell in 1819 complained that it
was 'most vilely paved with stones of various dimensions,' (fn. 61) and that after an Act had been passed in
1801 for paving the streets. (fn. 62)
Theophilus Eaton, the first governor of New Haven,
was born at Stony Stratford about 1590. (fn. 63) Benjamin
Holloway, an 18th-century divine, was also born here
about 1691. (fn. 64)
The following place-names occur: Le Shrob (fn. 65)
(xiv cent.) and Bozardes (fn. 66) (xvii cent.).
Borough
There are no borough records extant
for Stony Stratford, and the incidental
references to the borough are few, but
to a large extent it presents the same features as Fenny
Stratford. Both towns occupy important positions on
Watling Street and were interested in the maintenance of their bridges in a state of good repair, that of
Stony Stratford spanning the important waterway of
the Ouse. The organization of the burgesses of Stony
Stratford appears to be in as elementary a state as that
of the burgesses of the sister town. The towns were
linked together by the traders passing along Watling
Street, and both were centres of commerce, focussing
the industrial and agricultural activities of thesurrounding country in their weekly markets and periodical fairs.
It was therefore essential that the bridge which afforded
access to the west and north of England should not be
allowed to fall in decay, and Hugh de Vere Earl of
Oxford paid half a mark for bridge vigil in 1254. (fn. 67)
The bridge of Stratford mentioned in 1276 (fn. 68) probably
refers to this one, for which pontage grants were made
in 1349, (fn. 69) 1352 (fn. 70) and 1380. (fn. 71) The first of these
grants was partly, and the second wholly, for repair
of the causeway adjacent to the bridge, and in 1391
a grant of pavage for four years to repair the highway
between the two Stratfords was made to John Lughton
and John Haywood, 'ermyte.' (fn. 72) The ancient tolls taken
at the bridge served as a model, among others, for those
to be levied on Bow Bridge in the 17th century. (fn. 73)
These grants of pontage were generally made to
individuals by name, but that of 1349 was to the
bailiff and good men of Stony Stratford. (fn. 74) The order
in September 1380 to lay in a store of provisions
against the coming of the king's lieges on their way
to the Parliament at Northampton was likewise addressed to the bailiff and true men of Stony Stratford. (fn. 75)
At a court held there in 1420 by the steward one of
the witnesses in a se about injury to horses was
Thomas Brasyer, bailiff and burgess of Stony Stratford. (fn. 76) The bailiff and the constable of the place
were together indicated in 1573 for stealing a horse
from Robert Jonson. (fn. 77) These officers were probably
appointed by the lord of the manor, and not elected
by the commonalty. The chief corporate action of
the burgesses appears to have been the regulation
of the gild of St. Mary and St. Thomas the Martyr,
a corporate body with a common seal with power
of pleading and being impleaded. Licence to found
this gild was given to John Edy and others in 1476.
It was to consist of two wardens elected yearly,
who could be removed and others appointed at
pleasure, and a number of brothers and sisters who
could dress themselves in one suit of gowns or hoods.
They had power to acquire land to the value of
20 marks a year, in order to find two chaplains to
celebrate divine service (in the chapel of St. Mary
Magdalen and St. Giles) and for other works of
piety. (fn. 78) In 1547 the gild was known as the fraternity
of our Lady and was valued at £13 4s. (fn. 79) There were
two priests, who had no other living and who
doubtless officiated in the chapels of St. Mary Magdalen and St. Giles (see below). There must have
been a flourishing business community in the 15th
century, when references occur to the trades of ironmonger, (fn. 80) chapman, (fn. 81) woolman (fn. 82) and brewer, (fn. 83) and in
the 16th century there were many shoemakers engaged
in business here. (fn. 84) The Flemish refugees of the 15th
century probably brought new industries to Stony
Stratford, (fn. 85) though the only one specified when the
oaths of fealty were taken was that of a wheelwright. (fn. 86)
An outlet for the goods produced by the townspeople was provided by the weekly market. No
grant has been found conferring this privilege, nor is
the day of the week on which it was held mentioned, but it was probably granted to Hugh de
Vere Earl of Oxford about the time he obtained the
fair, and was located on the west side of Stony
Stratford, towards Calverton. It was given in dower
to Anna wife of Aubrey de Vere, ratified to her in
1462, (fn. 87) and is mentioned regularly as an appurtenance of the manor of Calverton in the 16th and
17th centuries. (fn. 88) The town unsuccessfully petitioned
for a market on the east side of Stony Stratford in
1657, (fn. 89) and the weekly Friday market granted in
1662 by Charles II to Simon Bennett and his heirs (fn. 90)
was doubtless held as of old on the west side. By
1792 the market had ceased to be held, but had been
revived in 1888. (fn. 91) There is still a corn market on
Friday, and also a cattle market on the first Monday
in every month.
An annual fair on the vigil, the feast and the
morrow of St. Giles (1 September) was granted to
Hugh de Vere in 1257. (fn. 92) In 1290 he had a grant
of an additional fair on the vigil and feast of St. Mary
Magdalen (fn. 93) (22 July). John de Vere in 1334 sued
Simon Gobion and others for carrying away his
goods at Stony Stratford and Calverton and for
assaulting his servant John Dagenham while collecting toll and other profits belonging to his fair and
market at Stony Stratford, as well as merchants and
others offering their wares there, compelling them to
withdraw. (fn. 94) The fair was held with the market in
the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1662 Charles II
granted four annual fairs in the west part of Stony
Stratford, the first on Friday before the feast of
St. Michael the Archangel (29 September), the
second on the feast of All Saints (1 November), the
third on 9 April and the fourth on Wednesday before
the feast of Pentecost. (fn. 95)
In 1792 there were three annual fairs, 2 August,
Friday before 10 October and 12 November. In
1888 there was only one fair, on 2 August, (fn. 96) which
is still held on that day and the day following.
Manors
Neither of the manors in STONY
STRATFORD is recorded in the Domesday Survey. The west side was then
part of Calverton, with which it has always descended.
It first occurs as a separate
manor in 1257, (fn. 97) and was
subinfeudated by the Earls
of Oxford. It was held by
Robert Broughton, who died
seised of it in 1506. (fn. 98) His
son John in 1516 made a
settlement of the manor in
view of the proposed marriage
of his infant son John with
Dorothy, one of the daughters
of Thomas Earl of Norfolk,
one of the trustees named
being Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York. (fn. 99) John Broughton died in January
1517–18, and was succeeded by his son, (fn. 100) but the
manor evidently reverted to the Earls of Oxford
shortly afterwards.
Vere. Quarterly gules and or with a molet argent in the quarter.
A fishery in the Ouse occurs as an appurtenance of
this manor from the 16th century. (fn. 101)
The east side formed part of the manor of Wolverton, (fn. 102) with which it has always descended. It
appears to have ranked as a separate manor in the
16th century. (fn. 103)
Churches
The church of ST. GILES, consisting of a chancel, nave, north and
south aisles, vestries and west tower,
was built originally in the late 15th century as a
chantry chapel, but having become dilapidated (fn. 104) was,
with the exception of the tower, entirely rebuilt in
1776. It is constructed in the Gothic style, as understood at that period, and has a lofty nave with north
and south arcades and a groined plastered ceiling, the
clustered pillars of the arcades being composed of iron
encased in wood. The pointed tower arch in the
west wall of the nave dates from the late 15th century,
and is of two moulded orders with shafted responds.
The tower, which is built of squared stone, is of
four stages with clasping buttresses and surmounted by
an embattled parapet. In the west wall of the ground
stage is a four-centred doorway with a modern window
above, while the third stage has a square moulded
panel and a narrow light on the west. The bellchamber is lighted from each side by a traceried
window of two lights.
The font is modern. At the east end of the north
aisle is a marble monument in memory of Barbara
Ripington of Armington (d. 1775), and at the east
end of the south aisle is a monument commemorating
Leonard Sedgwick, vicar of the parish and Prebendary
of Lincoln (d. 1747). There is a 15th-century
traceried chest in the north aisle with a lid of later
date, and in the vestry is an early 17th-century desk
enriched with carved dragons and arabesque work.
Church of St. Giles, Stony Stratford, From The South-West
The tower contains a ring of six bells, all by
W. & J. Taylor of Oxford, 1837–8, and a small bell,
uninscribed, but evidently by the same makers.
The communion plate includes two pewter plates,
dated 1696, which originally belonged to the church
of St. Mary Magdalen.
The registers begin in 1738.
The church of ST. MARY MAGDALEN has never
been rebuilt since its destruction by fire in 1742, but
by the efforts of Browne Willis the west tower was
repaired and the arches of the ground stage built up
soon after the disaster 'in order to preserve it, to
have the Church rebuilt again to it.' (fn. 105) In the 19th
century an elder tree grew out of the walls at the top
of the tower and became a menace to that part of the
fabric, (fn. 106) but in 1893 the tree was removed and the
structure was again repaired. The tower is of three
stages with clasping buttresses to the two lower
stages and is surmounted by an embattled parapet
with small gables on the north and south. It is
built of limestone, and dates from about 1450. (fn. 107)
On the east and south sides of the ground stage
are pointed arches, now blocked, which opened to
the nave and south aisle respectively, the aisle
evidently having extended to the west wall of the
tower, and on the west is a blocked two-light
window. The second stage has on the west a
square moulded panel and a narrow light, and the
bell-chamber has on each side a transomed window
of two lights with tracery under a pointed head.
Boldly carved gargoyles occupy the angles of the
string-course below the parapet.
Advowson
There was apparently a church
at Stony Stratford before 1202
and 1203, in which years references are made to Richard the clerk, (fn. 108) Peter the
clerk, (fn. 109) Roger the clerk (fn. 110) and William the priest. (fn. 111)
There is no mention of either of the present
churches by name till 1476, (fn. 112) in which year a
chantry was founded 'in the chapel of St. Mary
Magdalen and St. Giles.' (fn. 113) They were chapels
of ease to the mother churches of Wolverton
and Calverton respectively. (fn. 114) In the early 16th
century there was trouble between the vicar
of Wolverton and the parishioners of St. Mary
Magdalen, who were supported by the Prior of
Bradwell, patron of Wolverton. It was settled by
an order of the Bishop of Lincoln that there was
to be one chaplain for the said chapel, the vicar of
Wolverton taking the mortuary fees, oblations and
tithes of milk, &c. (fn. 115) At the dissolution of the
chantries a few years later St. Mary Magdalen
was referred to as a free chapel, half a mile distant
from Wolverton Church, with two priests, to one of
whom was allotted a portion of the tithes of belonging
to Wolverton vicarage, while the other was maintained by the gild of Stony Stratford. (fn. 116) Shortly after
1641 the two chapels in Stony Stratford were united,
and services were held in them alternately. (fn. 117) This
arrangement proved inadequate for the needs of the
people: 'the inhabitants were forced to build a great
gallery in St. Giles, and many people were forced
to remain at home for want of accommodation.' (fn. 118)
Before 1648 two separate parishes were created,
each with its own chapel, (fn. 119) the parishioners of St.
Mary Magdalen complaining in 1651 that through
neglect they were prevented from enjoying a grant
of £50 a year from the rectory of Wolverton,
sequestered for the Earl of Northampton's delinquency. (fn. 120) St. Mary's Church being burnt down in
1742, St. Giles became the only church, and as it
was then 'too small and ancient and decayed building,'
briefs were issued for its repair and enlargement in
1774–5 and 1779–80. (fn. 121) In 1852 the advowson was
transferred from the Bishop of Lincoln to the Bishop
of Oxford. (fn. 122)
By his will in 1534 William Bystocke desired to
be buried on the south side of the Lady Chapel in
St. Giles, and gave a legacy to the making of
St. Catherine's vestry. (fn. 123)
In 1346 licence was granted to the good men of
Stony Stratford to found a chapel in honour of
St. Thomas the Martyr in a place called 'Scolhous' in
Stony Stratford, and to endow it and ordain a chantry
in it for a chaplain to celebrate divine service daily. (fn. 124)
There is no further mention of this chapel, but its
name suggests that it may have been connected with
the chief gild of the town, licence to found or refound
which, as the gild or fraternity of St. Mary and
St. Thomas, was granted in 1476. (fn. 125)
Charities
The Grammar School, founded by
Michael Hipwell.— The official trustees
hold a sum of £416 19s. under the
title of 'The Rose and Crown Charity,' representing
sales of certain lands belonging to the school, producing
£12 10s. yearly.
Sir Simon Bennett's Charity.— In 1911 the share
of this parish for the poor amounted to £19 13s.,
which was applied in the distribution of clothing and
coal, and the sum of £12 18s. was paid to the Stony
Stratford and Wolverton Rural District Council for
the repair of the highways. (See under parish of
Calverton.)
Charity of Simon Bennett, or the Bradwell Estate
Charity.— The share of this parish in 1911 amounted
to £17 10s., which was applied in the distribution of
clothing and coal among widows and aged persons.
(See under parish of Calverton.)
Whitnell's bread charity is endowed with 14 a. in
the hamlet of Denshanger in Passenham (Northants),
purchased in 1692 with a legacy of £50, by the
will of Silvester Whitnell, dated 2 February 1684–5, (fn. 126)
and a gift of £40 by Mrs. Elizabeth Collins. The
land is let at £14 a year, the net income of which is
distributed in bread.
The bell-rope charity, formerly consisting of an
acre of land in Calverton, is now represented by
£180 16s. 10d. consols in the individual names of
the church wardens, the annual dividends of which,
amounting to £4 10s. 4d., are carried to the churchwardens' accounts for providing bell-ropes, &c.
The charity of John Whalley, founded by will,
proved in the P.C.C. 15 February 1670–1, and comprised in an order of the High Court of Chancery,
1834, is endowed with a farm at Hartwell (co. Northampton), containing 179 a. 1 r. 29 p., let at £140 a
year, and 2 a. or. 39 p. of land and four cottages at
Cosgrove (co. Northampton), producing £22 11s. 8d.
yearly. The charity is regulated by schemes of the
Charity Commissioners of 1866, 1899 and 1904.
The income is subject to the payment of £4 a year
to the curate of Hartwell. In 1912 the sum of £25
was applied towards school expenses, £85 for apprenticing in Stony Stratford and Cosgrove generally, and
£20 was applied specifically for apprenticing duly
qualified boys at the railway carriage works at Wolverton in pursuance of the scheme of 1904. There
was a balance at the bank of £322.
The charity of Edmund Arnold, or the Furthoe
charity, founded in 1689.– In 1911 the sum of
£52 18s. 9d. was apportioned by the trustees of
Arnold's general charity for apprenticing and education in Stony Stratford, and the sum of £13 4s. 8d.
was apportioned out of the same charity for the
benefit of the poor, the recipients to be members of
the Church of England. The sum of £20 is also
paid annually to the vicar of Stony Stratford.
The bridge and street charities, originally founded
by John Pigott, serjeant-at-law, who died in February
1519–20, (fn. 127) by John White in 1674, by John Mashe
and other donors unknown, are endowed with a farm
at Loughton, known as the Manor Farm, containing
144. a., let at £200 a year, purchased under an Act
of 1801 (fn. 128) with the proceeds of sale of the original
property belonging to the charities, and 1 a. 2 r. in
Stony Stratford, known as the Town Close, let at
£4 10s. a year, and manorial rights in Market Square
and Horse Fair Green, the income therefrom being
variable. In 1911 the sum of £17 9s. 6d. was
received from tolls. The net income is applied in
lighting and paving and cleaning. By an order of
the Charity Commissioners of 8 July 1913 the trustees
were authorized to borrow a sum of £1,400 at 4¼ per
cent. for effecting improvements on the Manor Farm
and for paying off certain existing debts, the sum to
be repaid within thirty years.
John Oliver by his will, proved at London in
1862, bequeathed £500, now represented by £534 1s.
consols, the annual dividends of which, amounting to
£13 7s., are applicable in the payment of £3 3s. to
the Northampton Hospital, and the surplus to be
divided on Christmas Day amongst ten of the poorest
of the parish.
A sum of £2 a year was formerly paid out of a
cottage situate on the east side of the town and
applied for the benefit of the poor under a codicil to
the will of Thomas Oliver, proved at Westminster
7 April 1657.
William Parrott by deed dated 22 July 1881
declared the trusts of a sum of £297 14s. consols, the
dividends of £7 8s. 8d. a year to be applied in
January in the distribution of coats, cloaks and
bonnets to widows and spinsters under sixty years of
age. The two sums of stock above mentioned are
held by the official trustees, who also hold a further
sum of £151 10s. 4d. consols, producing £3 15s. 8d.
yearly, which is payable under the will of Thomas
Smith to the Baptist minister.
By an order of the Charity Commissioners of
10 September 1888 a residence for the Baptist
minister, situate upon the Green, was purchased
partly with the proceeds of the sale of the minister's
residence, formerly held by the trustees, and partly
from private sources.