TYRINGHAM with FILGRAVE
Telingham, Tedlingham (xi cent.); Tyrenghamcum-Philegrave, Tyringham-cum-Filegrave (xiii
cent.).
Tyringham with Filgrave is a parish covering
nearly 1,792 acres, including 652 acres of arable,
1,004 acres of permanent grass and 73 acres of woods
and plantations. (fn. 1) It is encircled on all sides except
the east by the River Ouse and is liable to floods in the
north and south. The level of the land varies between
164 ft. above the ordnance datum in the north of
the parish and 292 ft. in the west on the road
leading from Filgrave to the neighbouring parish of
Emberton. The soil is mixed, the subsoil oolite
and clay. The chief crops are wheat, barley, beans
and oats. The cultivation of woad for dyeing was
introduced into this parish among other places in
the early 18th century by a company of Manchester
manufacturers and Yorkshire clothiers with a view
to breaking the heavy monopoly in this article. (fn. 2)
The industry was still carried on here in the middle
of the last century. (fn. 3) A large brick and tile works
was also established about 1859, (fn. 4) but is no longer in
existence.
Tyringham House, the old manor-house of the
Tyringhams, was described by Pennant in 1782 as
'neglected . . . but not wholly unfurnished.' (fn. 5) The
present house, the seat of Mr. F. A. Köing, was built
by William Praed (fn. 6) after plans by Sir John Soane dated
1793, which are preserved in the Soane Museum,
Lincoln's Inn Fields. It is a fine stonebuildings standing
in the south-west of the parish in a well-wooded park
of 100 acres sloping down to the River Ouse. The
public road through the park leads over a one-arched
stone bridge and joins the main road from Newport
Pagnell to Northampton a little below the river. The
small church of St. Peter stands on rising ground in the
park about a quarter of a mile south-east of Tyringham
House. Most of the few parishioners live at Filgrave,
more than 1½ miles north-east of the church by the
road. In a disused graveyard south of some allotments in the north-east of Filgrave is the site of the
former parish church of St. Mary of Filgrave. (fn. 7) Near
it to the south-east the Rectory House, formerly that
of Filgrave only, (fn. 8) stands on high ground commanding
beautiful views.
Some small inclosures made by Thomas Tyringham
in this parish in 1509 had been removed by 1520. (fn. 9)
About this date he was sued by the Abbot of Lavendon
for not keeping his agreement in an interchange of an
acre of land in Filgrave which he had required for his
inclosure there. (fn. 10) Thomas son of the above-mentioned Thomas Tyringham was pardoned in 1578 for
inclosing 480 acres in Tyringham and Filgrave. (fn. 11)
The following place-names occur: Mortons (fn. 12) (xvi
cent.); Broadgreen, Colewort or Calliworth, Hobb's
Beanfield and Portway (fn. 13) (xvii cent.).
Manors
In 1086 TYRINGHAM MANOR
was held by William Fitz Ansculf, and
assessed at 7 hides 1¼ virgates. (fn. 14) The
overlordship afterwards passed to the barony of
Dudley, (fn. 15) and descending with the honour and
manor of Newport Pagnell (fn. 16) (q.v.) is last mentioned
in 1638. (fn. 17)
Acard was sub-tenant of Tyringham Manor in
1086. (fn. 18) Richard de Tyringham held here between
1209 and 1220, and was
succeeded by Giffard (fn. 19) (of
Tyringham). John Giffard
of Tyringham or John de
Tyringham died seised about
1274, during the minority of
his son and heir Roger, (fn. 20) and
the custody of his lands was
granted to Roger de Thurkelby. (fn. 21) Roger de Tyringham,
who was holding in 1279, (fn. 22)
is called Giffard in 1284, (fn. 23)
but the latter surname did
not survive in his family. He
was succeeded by his son Roger, whose son, another
Roger, (fn. 24) in 1342 settled the reversion of Tyringham
Manor on his son John, his wife Isabel and John's
heirs. (fn. 25) John son of John de Tyringham was in the
king's wardship in 1373, (fn. 26) and he is apparently the Sir
John de Tyringham whose widow Alice claimed dower
in this manor in 1405. (fn. 27) At the death in January
1415–16 of the next heir John de Tyringham, John
Reynes and other feoffees were seised both of the reversion of Alice's portion and of the remaining twothirds of the manor (fn. 28) for the payment of John de
Tyringham's debts. They leased this manor to Roger
Tyringham, (fn. 29) who received a grant of the marriage of
the heir (fn. 30) John, son of the above John Tyringham and
his wife Eleanor. (fn. 31) He attained his majority in 1432, (fn. 32)
was exempted from attendance on juries in 1459, (fn. 33) and
died in March 1464–5. (fn. 34) His son and successor,
another John, (fn. 35) died in 1484. (fn. 36) His lands were granted
to his widow Elizabeth during the minority of their
son John. (fn. 37) The latter was holding Tyringham in
1492, (fn. 38) and was succeeded on his death in 1501 (fn. 39)
by his brother Thomas. (fn. 40) He died in 1526, and his
son Robert (fn. 41) died under age in 1532. (fn. 42) The wardship of the next heir, Robert's brother Thomas, (fn. 43)
was granted to Sir Francis Brian. (fn. 44) Thomas Tyringham, who was sheriff of the counties of Bedford and
Buckingham in 1560, (fn. 45) died seised of Tyringham
Manor in 1595. (fn. 46) His son and successor Anthony, (fn. 47)
afterwards Sir Anthony Tyringham, (fn. 48) was sheriff of
the county in 1596 (fn. 49) and died in 1614. (fn. 50) His son
and heir Thomas, (fn. 51) also knighted, (fn. 52) made settlements of
this manor in 1621 (fn. 53) and 1628, (fn. 54) and died at Tyringham in January 1636–7. (fn. 55) His son John, afterwards
Sir John Tyringham, (fn. 56) succeeded, (fn. 57) and was buried at
St. Mary's, Oxford, in 1645. (fn. 58) His estates passed to
his brother William, (fn. 59) who, after much delay, obtained
a discharge in 1652 from liability for delinquency. (fn. 60)
He took legal steps to secure his title to Tyringham
Manor in 1653, (fn. 61) but continued to be treated as a
suspect during the Commonwealth. (fn. 62) He was made
a Knight of the Bath at the coronation of Charles II (fn. 63)
and in 1670 conveyed this manor to John Morris and
Richard Mounteney, jun. (fn. 64) They were presumably
agents for Edward Backwell, the London goldsmith
and banker, who acquired Tyringham about this
time and in 1675 made a presentation to the church. (fn. 65)
On his death in 1683 (fn. 66) Tyringham Manor passed to
his son John Backwell, (fn. 67) who in 1678 had married
Elizabeth daughter and heir of Sir William Tyringham. (fn. 68) She was buried at Tyringham in 1688. (fn. 69)
Their son Tyringham Backwell (fn. 70) made settlements
of the manor in the early 18th century, (fn. 71) in the
lifetime of his father, (fn. 72) who was buried at Tyringham
in 1708. (fn. 73) Tyringham Backwell died in 1754, a
few months before his son Barnaby. (fn. 74) The next heir,
Barnaby's son Tyringham
Backwell, an infant at his
father's death, (fn. 75) entered into
possession of Tyringham
Manor in 1775 (fn. 76) and died
unmarried in 1777. (fn. 77) The
manor passed in marriage with
his sister Elizabeth in 1778 (fn. 78)
to William Mackworth
Praed, (fn. 79) who was member of
Parliament for St. Ives from
1781 to 1806 (fn. 80) and died in
1833. (fn. 81) His son and successor
James Backwell Praed (fn. 82) had
been Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1807 (fn. 83) and represented the county in Parliament from 1835 until
his death in 1837. (fn. 84) He was succeeded by his son
William Backwell Praed, who, by royal licence in
1859, substituted for Praed the surname and arms of
Tyringham. (fn. 85) His son Mr. Roger William Giffard
Tyringham succeeding in 1870, owned Tyringham
Manor in 1906, (fn. 86) but it has since been acquired by
Mr. F. A. König, the present owner.
Tyringham. Azure a saltire engrailed argent.
Praed. Azure six molets argent.
A second estate called TYRINGHAM MANOR
in 1086 was then assessed at 2½ hides and threequarters of a virgate, and formed part of the lands of
the Bishop of Coutances. (fn. 87) By the early 13th century
it was included with the main manor in the Tyringham fee held of the barony of Dudley. Part of it
afterwards became one of the manors in Astwood parish
(q.v.), and the remainder constituted FILGRAVE
MANOR.
Anschitil was sub-tenant of the bishop's manor of
Tyringham in 1086. (fn. 88) By the early 13th century
the whole of Tyringham had passed to the Giffards. (fn. 89)
John Giffard's manor (fn. 90) evidently included Filgrave, (fn. 91)
since his estate a few years later appears as Tyringham
with Filgrave. (fn. 92) The descent of Filgrave Manor has
been identical with that of Tyringham, (fn. 93) and
Mr. König's estate of Tyringham with Filgrave includes the whole parish.
View of frankpledge in Tyringham and Filgrave
was held by Roger de Tyringham, (fn. 94) who claimed the
right by inheritance, but was deprived of it in 1286. (fn. 95)
The right of warren appropriated by John de Tyringham shortly before his death (fn. 96) is not mentioned after
1279. (fn. 97) References to the manorial right of free
fishery in the Ouse occur from 1274. (fn. 98)
In the later 13th century there were three watermills on the Tyringham with Filgrave estate, one of
which was a fulling-mill. (fn. 99) Mills here are mentioned
from time to time into the 17th century, (fn. 100) but only
one in 1700. (fn. 101) The mill-house in Tyringham was
the only house there in 1730 in addition to the
manor-house. (fn. 102)
The overlordship of half a fee in Filgrave is attributed in the middle 13th century to the honour of
Chaworth, (fn. 103) and the Wakes had an interest in half of
this as in the case of Weston Underwood. Their
rights in this quarter fee in Filgrave held under
the heirs of the Biduns ('de Bydoneys') in 1279 (fn. 104)
are traceable until 1442, (fn. 105) and descended with similar
rights in the second manor of Lathbury (q.v.).
William de Sherington held the half fee in Filgrave of the honour of Chaworth c. 1235. (fn. 106) Part of
this holding appears to have been comprised in the
endowment of Filgrave Church confirmed by William
son of Alexander de Sherington. (fn. 107) One virgate certainly
passed in marriage with William de Sherington's
daughter Hawise to Robert Curtfaluz. (fn. 108) It descended
with the Curtfaluz manor in Weston Underwood
(q.v.) to John Pever, who was sued for the same in
1261–2 by Hawise. (fn. 109)
Part of the half fee came to William son of Roland,
who in 1222 subinfeudated a small estate in Filgrave
to Simon Curtfaluz, father of the Robert aforesaid, (fn. 110)
in return for a pair of gauntlets at Easter. (fn. 111) Before
1227 this was granted by Gervase de—with
William's consent to Lavendon Abbey, (fn. 112) of which it
was held by John son of John the clerk in the later
13th century as a half virgate. (fn. 113) Lavendon Abbey
also obtained the remainder of the half fee, amounting
in all to the quarter fee held under the Wakes, and its
estate in Filgrave, assessed at 2 hides in 1279, (fn. 114)
appertained to its property in Lathbury, with which
it formed one vill in the 14th century. (fn. 115)
Some land in Filgrave was included by the later 13th
century among the possessions of Tickford Priory, (fn. 116)
and was comprised in the grants of the site of
the priory (Newport Pagnell, q.v.) following upon the
Dissolution. (fn. 117)
Church
The church of ST. PETER consists
of a chancel, north chapel, nave, south
transept, north porch and west tower. It
is built of rubble and the roofs are covered with tiles.
A church existed here from the 12th century, but
the only part of the old structure now remaining is
the tower, the lower stages of which date from the
end of the 12th century and the bell-chamber from
about 1500. All the other parts were entirely rebuilt
in the Gothic manner in 1871.
The chancel terminates in an apse and is lighted
by lancet windows, while the nave has pointed
windows of two lights with plate tracery. At the
west end of the nave is the original tower arch,
which dates from about 1200; it is semicircular
and of two plain orders springing from hollowchamfered imposts, and above the arch are traces of
a blocked window of the same period.
The tower is of four stages with diagonal buttresses and is surmounted by an embattled parapet.
The ground stage has a blocked light on the north
and a 17th-century window of two plain lights under
a square head on the west. The third stage has a
lancet window on the south and a blocked roundheaded window on the west, while the bell-chamber is
lighted from all sides by transomed windows of two
plain lights, that on the west having label stops carved
with the shields of Tyringham and Howard. Below
the string-course immediately under this window is
another shield bearing Tyringham impaling Howard.
Affixed to the east wall of the transept are several
brasses which have become detached from their
original slabs. A man in armour and an inscription
commemorating John Tyringham, Elizabeth (Catesby)
and Elizabeth (Brudenell) his wives, probably belong
to one memorial, the other figures having been lost.
The man wears a helmet and a tabard bearing the
arms of Tyringham, and is represented in the attitude
of prayer, slightly inclined to the right and his feet
resting on a dog. The figure of a woman in gabled
head-dress, an inscription commemorating Mary (Tyringham) wife of Anthony Catesby (d. 1508) and two
shields, one of Tyringham and the other of Catesby,
doubtless formed another complete brass. Besides
these there also remain an inscription, partly cut
away, commemorating Thomas Tyringham (d. 1595)
and Parnell (Goodwin) his wife (d. 1594), and a label
of about 1500 inscribed 'domine accipe spiritum
meum.'
The tower contains a ring of five bells: the treble,
inscribed 'Ecce Quam Bonum Et Quam Jucundum
1629,' is by James Keene (fn. 118) ; the second and the tenor
are by Richard Chandler, 1720 and 1708 respectively; the third, inscribed 'Sicut Ros Hermon In
Monte Sion 1629,' is also by James Keene; and the
fourth is by Thomas Russell of Wootton, 1735.
The communion plate includes a chalice of 1570
and a paten dated 1707.
The registers begin in 1629.
Advowson
A presentation to Tyringham
Church was made by Richard de
Tyringham between 1209 and
1220. (fn. 119) The advowson of the rectory, valued at
£13 6s. 8d. yearly in 1291 (fn. 120) and at £13 17s. 4d. in
1535, (fn. 121) has always been appurtenant to Tyringham
Manor. (fn. 122) The advowson of the rectory of Filgrave
coming under the same ownership before 1614, (fn. 123) the
union of the rectories was recognized in 1639. (fn. 124)
The present owner of the advowson of Tyringham
with Filgrave is Mr. F. A. König.
Filgrave Church with 2½ virgates 2 acres of land
and four dwelling-houses was given by Hugh, clerk of
Filgrave, to Delapré Abbey, Northamptonshire, and
confirmed to that house by William son of Alexander
de Sherington. (fn. 125) William de Sherington surrendered
his claim to the advowson in 1230. (fn. 126) A vicarage was
ordained at Filgrave before the inquiry by Bishop Hugh
of Wells. (fn. 127) The advowson was retained by the abbey
until the Dissolution, (fn. 128) when its value had increased
from £4. 13s. 4d. yearly in 1291 (fn. 129) to £7. (fn. 130) It was
granted in 1551 to Sir Nicholas Throckmorton
with the site of Luffield Priory (q.v.) and nominally
descended with it until 1701. (fn. 131) Filgrave Church,
although still in use in 1585, (fn. 132) was allowed to fall into
decay, and the advowson, as already stated, had, in
fact, passed under the same ownership as that of
Tyringham before 1615. A Commission (fn. 133) having
reported that the churches had been so long under one
incumbent that the glebe lands could not be exactly
determined, a settlement of the glebe as suggested by
John Tyringham (fn. 134) was made in 1639. (fn. 135)
In 1637 Filgrave Church was without a roof and
trees were growing on its walls. (fn. 136) According to
Browne Willis the ruined walls of the church were
still standing in 1730, the tower being in a good
state of preservation. (fn. 137) Cole says in 1760 that
Mrs. Backwell gave orders in 1758 that the tower
should be pulled down and the stones used for the
repair of a mill. (fn. 138) He also states, on the authority of
the then rector, that the latter had soon afterwards
used the foundations of the church for the repair of
his parsonage. (fn. 139)
In 1548 12d. yearly from a rood of meadow land
in Ludney was used for the maintenance of a light in
Tyringham Church. (fn. 140)
There do not appear to be any endowed charities
subsisting in this parish.