WRESTLINGWORTH
Wrastlingewurde (xii cent.); Wrestlingforth (xvii
and xviii cents.).
Wrestlingworth is a small rural parish with an area
of 1,700 acres lying on the borders of Cambridgeshire.
Its contour is somewhat broad in the north, tapering
towards a point in the south-east. Of the acreage
1,294½ acres are arable land, 225¼ permanent grass,
and 3 woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The land slopes
slightly from north to south, the highest and lowest
points being respectively 185 and 100 ft. above the
ordnance datum. The soil is strong clay, the subsoil
clay. The western and southern parts of the parish
are chiefly agricultural, the chief crops being wheat,
barley, beans and peas. The village of Wrestlingworth
lies in the north of the parish, which is traversed by
two roads, one crossing the Cambridgeshire border on
the south-east running north-west across the parish,
the other intersecting it at right angles. At the south
end of the village are a few houses forming the hamlet
of Waterend, where a small tributary of the River Ivel
runs west through the parish. The church with the
vicarage adjoining stands to the east on rising ground,
approached by a short side street. In the main street
to the west of the church stands a picturesque house,
H-shaped, of seventeenth-century date, known as the
Manor House, and now occupied as cottages. One of
the ground-floor rooms contains some plaster panelling,
but otherwise not much of the old fittings is left. The
street follows the line of the brook, and the houses are
set picturesquely on the high bank above it, many being old timber and plaster cottages in rather dilapidated
condition. At the north end of the street is a timberframed gabled farm-house, a very good specimen of its
kind, with a moulded brick panel over the door, dated
1676. No railway passes through the parish; the
nearest station is Potton, 3 miles to the south-east,
on a branch of the London and North Western Railway. Biggleswade, on the Great Northern, is 5 miles
off. The parish was inclosed by Act of Parliament
in 1801. (fn. 2)
The following place-names have been found in
Wrestlingworth: Richmondsland, Palmers, Bukleyes,
Browntenslond, Downeshousley, Denhousland, Bassett, Carlestrelond, Burges, Madde, in the sixteenth
century (fn. 3) ; Burgis, Bluets, Bullis, Brickwell, Rogers in
the seventeenth. (fn. 4)
Manors
There is no mention of Wrestlingworth in Domesday, but by the early
thirteenth century two manors are distinguishable. The first reference to the manor
known later as KENDALS MANOR, which was
held of the king in chief, and formed part of the
honour of Huntingdon, (fn. 5) is in a charter by which Simon
earl of Northants and of Huntingdon (1138–84)
granted the manor of Wrestlingworth to Reginald de
Dammartin, count of Boulogne. (fn. 6) It seems to have
been subject to temporary alienation, for in 1212
King John restored the same manor to Reginald de
Dammartin (fn. 7) ; and again in 1228 Henry III granted
the manor to Jolland le Doe until it should be restored to the heirs of the count of Boulogne. (fn. 8)
By 1251 it had come into the possession of Stephen
de Salinis, who in that year received a grant of free
warren in Wrestlingworth manor. (fn. 9) Between 1251
and 1270 the manor had passed to William de
Huntercombe, who died seised of it in the latter
year. (fn. 10) He left as heir a son Walter, who at his
death in 1313 left the manor to his wife Ellen for
life, and at her death to his nephew Nicholas son of
Gunnora wife of Richard de Newebond. (fn. 11) In 1320
Nicholas granted the reversion of the manor to
Robert de Kendale and Margaret his wife, (fn. 12) whence
the origin of the name Kendals, often applied to the
manor in later documents to distinguish it from the
other manor in Wrestlingworth.
After Robert de Kendale's death, which occurred
some time before 1337, (fn. 13) his wife Margaret held the
manor till her death in 1347. (fn. 14) Their son Edward
held the manor till 1373, when he was followed
by a son, also Edward de Kendale, (fn. 15) who died
before 1376, and under a settlement made during
his lifetime the manor passed after the death of
his wife Elizabeth, to Sir William Croyser on
whom the manor was settled. (fn. 16) William Croyser
appears to have held the manor from that time
onwards, since in 1379 there is a grant of free
warren to him in Wrestlingworth manor. (fn. 17) He
died some time before 1391, (fn. 18) but Elizabeth de
Kendale, who had married a second husband Thomas
Barre, survived until 1421, and in the inquisition
taken at her death full particulars are given of a
settlement of the manor, which in default of other
issue was to pass to the king
and his heirs of the duchy of
Lancaster. (fn. 19)
Huntercombe. Ermine two gimel bars gules.
Kendal. Argent a bend vert and a label gules.
Her heir was her grandson
John Barre, but in pursuance
of this settlement before 1485
it had fallen into the king's
hands, for in that year Henry
VII granted it by Act of
Parliament to his mother the
countess of Richmond and
Derby. (fn. 20)
Margaret, Countess of Richmond and Derby. France quartered with England in a border gobony argent and azure.
On her death in 1510 the
manor again became crown
property, her heir being her
grandson Henry VIII. (fn. 21) The
crown occasionally leased out this manor during the
sixteenth century. In 1591 it was granted to
Thomas Lake, having previously been rented by Ralph
Sadler, (fn. 22) and on the expiration of his lease a permanent grant of Wrestlingworth manor was made to
George Salter and John Williams. (fn. 23) The history of
this manor during the next century is very obscure.
In 1722 it was the subject of alienation by
Herbert Bristow to Mary Feery, (fn. 24) and shortly after
that date came into the possession of Sir George
Downing who died in 1749. (fn. 25) By the death of Sir
Jacob Garrard Downing, who was cousin and heirat-law of Sir George Downing, in 1764 this estate
passed to his widow Margaret in fee simple, and she
at her death devised it to her nephew Jacob John
Whittington. (fn. 26) He conveyed the estate to Sir Montague Roger Burgoyne in 1807, who on his death in
1817 left the estate to trustees,
and they in 1856 conveyed it
to John William Ryder and
Edward Smyth in equal shares.
John Ryder died in 1875, and
left his moiety of the manor to
his widow Mary, who in the
same year together with Edward Smyth conveyed the
whole manor and estate to
James Smyth of Norton Hall.
He died in 1895, and three
years later his son, Mr. George
Edward Smyth, of Northfield
House, Henlow, purchased
the estate from his father's trustees, and is at the
present day lord of Kendals manor. (fn. 27)
Smyth. Azure three horseshoes or set fesseways between three horses' heads razed argent.
The old manor-house still stands on the property,
although now converted into several dwellings; in the
meadow behind the house traces of the moat are
visible.
A second manor in Wrestlingworth is that known
also as HEREFORD'S MANOR, whose lords held it
partly of the manor of Cockayne Hatley and partly
of the manor of Sutton. The first mention that
occurs of the Cockayne Hatley overlordship, the
earlier of the two, is in 1310 when Alexander de
Crokedayke held a messuage, land and rent in Wrestlingworth of the lord of Hatley. (fn. 28) After 1341 when
the Latimer overlordship appears, the portion of land
held of Cockayne Hatley began to be differentiated
by the name Shellelond, (fn. 29) and in 1499 when the last
mention occurs it is called Shelley manor. (fn. 30) The
first trace of the Latimer overlordship is to be found
in 1328 when Maud de Botetourt (of whose previous
holding in Wrestlingworth nothing has been found
recorded), gave to William le Latimer and Elizabeth
his wife part of a knight's fee in this parish. (fn. 31) The
lords of Wrestlingworth are subsequently found holdmanent grant of Wrestlingworth manor was made to
ing as of William le Latimer's manor of Sutton, (fn. 32)
the last mention occurring in 1499 when Hereford's
manor was held as of the duchy of Lancaster, into
which Sutton manor (q.v.) had fallen. (fn. 33)
Elias Taillebois, who presented the advowson of
Wrestlingworth to Newnham Priory in the beginning
of the thirteenth century, appears as the earliest holder
of the manor. (fn. 34) On his death before 1231 it passed
to his daughter Cicely, wife of
Imbert de Hereford, from
whom the manor derived its
distinctive name. (fn. 35)
The Herefords continued to
hold in Wrestlingworth for
upwards of a hundred years,
for in 1316 Robert de Hereford was rendering feudal service in Wrestlingworth. (fn. 36) His
son John acquired further
property in Wrestlingworth
through his uncle Alexander
de Crokedayke (whose sister
Juliana had married Robert de Hereford), who in 1310
died seised of land here which went first to his nephew
John de Crokedayke, and at his death in 1322 to
John 'son of Robert, son of Roger de Hereford'
called also John de Toweslonde. (fn. 37)
Hireford. Or a chief indented azure with three rings argent therein.
He died in 1341, and the inquisition taken at his
death gives, in addition to the land hitherto held as of
Cockayne Hatley, a messuage and 60 acres of land
held of William Latimer. (fn. 38) He left a son Reginald—who died without issue—and a daughter Eleanor.
She married twice, first John de Raghton, by whom
she had a son Oliver, and secondly John Brown, and
died in 1407, her heir being her grandson John de
Raghton. (fn. 39) He, on his death in 1417, was succeeded
by his aunt Katherine Asplion, granddaughter of
Eleanor Brown. (fn. 40) She died in 1437 and the manor
passed to her daughter Katherine, wife of Sir Thomas
Manningham. (fn. 41) Sir John Manningham their son was
attainted in 1474, and his estates were temporarily
granted to Anthony Gray, kinsman of Edward IV, (fn. 42)
but the attainder was reversed in the following year,
and John Manningham allowed free entry into all his
possessions, (fn. 43) and he accordingly is found in possession
of this manor at his death in 1499. (fn. 44)
He left a son William then aged forty to succeed
him, (fn. 45) and a gap here occurs in the descent of this
manor which next appears in 1583 as the property of
Lord St. John of Bletsoe, (fn. 46) who in 1593 alienated
Wrestlingworth manor to Thomas Hewett, (fn. 47) who in
1600 transferred it to John Harris and Mary his
wife, (fn. 48) and they and their descendants continued to
hold until towards the end of the century. (fn. 49) John
Harris, who died before 1670, had three daughters,
each of whom took one third of the manor as her
portion. Of these daughters Rebecca became the
wife of Richard Gilman, Elizabeth of John Catlin,
and Sarah of John Hill. (fn. 50) The thirds of the manor
thus divided were re-united and became the possession
of Sir George Downing who acquired two parts by
fine from Richard Gilman and John Hill and their
wives in 1678, (fn. 51) and the remaining third in 1717
from William Wightman, (fn. 52) who had become possessed
of John Catlin's share in 1707. (fn. 53) From Sir George
Downing, who died in 1749, this property passed to
his cousin and heir at law Sir Jacob Downing, who
on his death in 1764 left part
of his estate in Wrestlingworth
towards the endowment of
Downing College, Cambridge. (fn. 54)
Two thirds of this manor
appear to have been devoted
to this purpose. The other
third followed the same descent
as Kendals (q.v.) and passed to
Jacob John Whittington.
Downing. Barry of eight pieces argent and vert a griffon or.
In 1838 Thomas Ryder
conveyed it to Mr. Washington and Mr. Humphreys, and
in 1885 it was transferred to
Mr. H. F. Cust of Cockayne Hatley, and was sold with
that estate to Mr. Lomax in 1903. (fn. 55)
Two mills are found mentioned in Wrestlingworth.
One, a windmill of which the ancient site is still to
be identified, was appurtenant to Kendals manor, and
references to it are found in extents of the manor
given in 1270, 1373, and 1375. (fn. 56)
The second, a watermill, belonged to Herefords or
Wrestlingworth manor in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (fn. 57)
To Kendals manor belonged a charter of free
warren granted in 1251 and confirmed in 1379. (fn. 58)
The lords of Kendals manor also had a right to
view of frankpledge within the manor, (fn. 59) but no
manorial courts have been held for many years.
Church
The church of ST. PETER consists
of chancel 25 ft. by 14 ft. 6 in., nave
36 ft. 6 in. by 19 ft. with north and
south aisles, south porch and west tower 10 ft. by
10 ft. 6 in.
The earliest building of which any portion remains
had an aisleless nave 21 ft. 6 in. wide over all by
42 ft. 6 in. long, and a chancel of the same width as
at present, but probably slightly shorter from east to
west. This church was enlarged in the early part of
the thirteenth century by the addition of a south aisle
to the nave, and later in the century a north aisle was
added. The chancel was re-modelled and probably
lengthened eastward about 1330, a new chancel arch
being inserted at that time, and the western tower is
an addition of the middle of the fifteenth century.
A clearstory was added to the nave c. 1500, and the
only other addition to the fabric is a modern south
porch. A good many worked pieces of stone from
the twelfth-century church may be seen in the walls
of the aisles.
The east window of the chancel is of three lights
with modern tracery, the gable over it being of brick.
In the north wall is a single blocked twelfth-century
light, and in the south wall a square-headed window
of two trefoiled lights c. 1330. To the west of it
is a south doorway with a plain pointed arch, the
stonework being apparently modern. There are low
side windows at the north-west and south-west angles
of the chancel with trefoiled ogee heads to the lights
and transoms across the lower part of the openings,
both are of early fourteenth-century date, but the
tracery in the south window has been renewed. At
the south-east is a trefoiled piscina recess of fourteenth-century date, and a modern credence immediately to the west of it.
The chancel arch, c. 1330, has jambs of three
engaged shafts with smaller members between them
and half-round moulded capitals and bases. The arch
is of two orders with wave moulds on the western side
and plain chamfers on the east. There is a rebate in
the lower edge of the inner chamfer to take the
boarding behind the rood-loft with which the arch
was formerly filled.
The chancel roof is of low pitch, the tie-beam
being ancient, but is otherwise of modern stained deal.
The nave has arcades of three bays, that on the
north, of late thirteenth-century date, having octagonal
columns with moulded bases and capitals, and pointed
arches of two chamfered orders. The south arcade is
of earlier type, the capitals being more simply treated
and having a square-edged abacus, circular in plan, on
the octagonal bell. The capital of the west respond in
this arcade has some plain leaf ornament which seems
to have been touched up at some recent date. The
arches are like those in the north arcade, but in the
spandrel over the first column is a small sunk trefoil,
and in that over the next a six-petalled flower in relief
in a sunk panel.
The clearstory has three two-light windows a side,
with four-centred heads and trefoiled lights, and the
roof is of low pitch with moulded tie-beams which
appear to be ancient.
The north aisle has an east window of two trefoiled
lights with quatrefoils over under a square head, and
the two northern windows are of the same type. The
north, doorway is of two hollow chamfered orders and
probably of late thirteenth-century date. The
windows of the south aisle are similar to those in the
north, except that the south-east window has three
lights instead of two. The south doorway has thirteenth-century jambs, formerly with shafts of which
the capitals only remain; they have been carved with
foliage beneath as well as on the bell to repair the
damage caused by the loss of the shafts. The arch
itself is fifteenth-century work simply moulded, and
the porch into which it opens is entirely modern.
The tower is of three stages, embattled, with a projecting staircase turret at the south-west. It has twolight belfry windows with quatrefoils in the heads and a
similar west window on the ground stage. In its east
wall is a plain pointed doorway probably of the same
date as the tower. On the east face of the tower is
the mark of a steep pitched roof removed when the
clearstory was added.
The font at the west end of the nave has an
octagonal bowl on a stem, and appears to be of
fifteenth-century date, but the upper part of it has
been repaired.
In the nave is a large slab, 8 ft. by 3 ft. 4 in.,
with the matrix of a brass consisting of a figure under
a crocketed canopy with flanking pinnacles; above
the canopy are five shields.
There is a single bell in the tower, dated 1820,
and pits for two more.
The plate comprises a cup of 1633, inscribed
'Wrestlingworth Communion Cup, Bedfordshire;'
a paten of 1869, and a flagon of Sheffield plate.
The first book of the registers runs from 1578 to
1729, being the parchment copy begun in 1598; the
second book contains baptisms and burials, 1729 to
1800, and marriages to 1753. The third is the
printed marriage register 1754 to 1812, and the
fourth contains the baptisms and burials from 1801
to 1812.
There is also a register of briefs and affidavits
for burials in woollen from 1681 to 1730, and the
first book of churchwardens' accounts runs from 1725
to 1832.
In the east window of the north aisle is a shield of
fifteenth-century glass bearing on a gold ground three
uncertain charges gules.
Advowson
The church of Wrestlingworth
was granted early in the thirteenth
century to Newnham Priory by
Elias Taillebois, (fn. 60) which grant was confirmed by his
daughter Cicely and Imbert de Hereford in 1230. (fn. 61)
In 1314 the right of Newnham to present to the
living was definitely recognized by the bishop of
Lincoln. (fn. 62) At the dissolution of Newnham Priory
the living, which is a rectory, and was then worth
£7 6s. 6d., (fn. 63) became the property of the crown, and
the right of presentation is now exercised by the Lord
Chancellor. (fn. 64)
There is a Congregational chapel at Wrestlingworth
built in 1887.
The chantry of Tempsford owned a certain close
and lands in Wrestlingworth worth 5s., together with
stock worth £6 5s. for the sustentation of an obit. (fn. 65)
Charities
In or about the year 1709 Daniel
Dennis by his will devised a messuage
in this parish, now used as a general
shop and post office, and let at £22 10s. a year, and
3 acres of land on the north side of the village, now
let at £9 a year, for charitable purposes.
By an order of the Charity Commissioners of 30
June, 1899, made under the Local Government Act,
1894, one-fourth part of the yearly income was
apportioned as an ecclesiastical charity and the
remainder as an eleemosynary charity.
This parish is also possessed under the title of
'Church and Poor's Land' of a block of four cottages
in the village fronting the main road, let to four
tenants and producing £22 a year, and 17 acres 2
roods of allotment land, let to various tenants, producing yearly about £25. By the above-mentioned
order one-half of the income was apportioned as an
ecclesiastical charity to be called the Church Land,
and the remainder as an eleemosynary charity to be
called the Poor's Land. The rector and churchwardens and one co-optative trustee were constituted
to be the trustees of the ecclesiastical charities, and
the rector and three representative trustees, appointed
by the parish council, to be the trustees of the nonecclesiastical charities, the property of the original
charities to be managed by the two bodies acting jointly.
After payment of £20 15s. 4d. a year towards
the liquidation of a loan of £231 expended on the
cottages, about £15 a year are applied for the benefit
of the church and poor in respect of the ecclesiastical
charity, and about £26 a year for the poor in respect
of the eleemosynary charity.
In 1840 Mrs. Sarah Bullen, widow of the Rev.
Henry St. John Bullen, formerly rector of the parish,
left £50 to be invested in consols and dividends, to
be applied by the rector and churchwardens in the
purchase of blankets and clothing for distribution
among the poor. The legacy is represented by
£55 8s. 2d. consols with the official trustees, the
dividends being applied in the distribution of warm
clothing.
In 1895 Miss Ann Barber by will gave to the
incumbent and churchwardens £200, to be expended
by them for the benefit of the poor upon such institutions or objects and in such proportions as they
should think fit. The legacy was invested in the
purchase of £187 10s. 3d. India £3 per cent. stock,
with the official trustees.
The dividends, amounting to £5 12s. 6d. annually,
are applied chiefly in supplying grocery to the poor
and sick.