FLITTON CUM SILSOE
Flichtam (xi cent.); Flitte, Flute (xii–xiv cents.);
Sewilessou, Siwilessou (xi cent.); Sivelesho, Syvylyshoo
(xii–xvi cents.).
Silsoe, which is now a separate parish, was included
as a hamlet in the parish of Flitton before 1831. Its
area at the present day is 2, 157½ acres, of which
12 are covered by water, 691 are arable land, 1, 266¾
permanent grass, and 140½ woods and plantations. (fn. 1)
The soil is of clay and sand, with a subsoil of strong
clay and loamy sand. There are many old clay, gravel,
and sand-pits in the parish, most of which are now
destroyed. The ground is irregular, the highest elevation, 259 ft., being found in the north-west of the
parish near Newbury Farm Moat. The lowest point,
173 ft., lies in the park which surrounds Wrest House,
the property of Lord Lucas and Dingwall, and now
occupied by the Hon. Whitelaw Reid, the American
ambassador. The park, which is studded with fine
trees, occupies about 500 acres of ground, over which
large herds of deer roam. The house was built
between 1834 and 1839 by the first Earl de Grey
and Baron Lucas, after his own designs, the former
house being then destroyed: it stood at some distance
to the north, on lower ground. The present house
is of two stories and an attic, with projecting bays at the
centre and angles of the south front, which looks on
to the terrace and gardens, having the offices and
stables, &c., to the east. A large sheet of artificial
water lies to the south, having at its south end a
classic pavilion designed by Thomas Archer in 1709,
and the grounds, which were laid out by Lancelot
Brown in the eighteenth century, abound with fine
trees, the principal avenue leading to the house being
of elms flanked by Spanish chestnuts. The wilderness,
the bowling green, and other parts of the old gardens
are preserved, and the great yew hedge surrounding
the bath grounds is a notable specimen of its kind.
The house contains a good series of portraits by Vandyck, Kneller, Reynolds, and Gainsborough. Together
the house and park occupy about a quarter of the area
of the parish. The village lies on the Bedford and
Luton main road, which skirts the park on the west.
Some of the houses are old and quaintly gabled, a
group being known as West End, near which lies an
old quarry; a footpath leads from here to Windmill
Hill, at a short distance away, and is continued until
it reaches Thrift Wood.
The parish of Flitton has a smaller area of about
1,061 acres, of which 413¼ are arable land, and 460¾
permanent grass. (fn. 2) The soil is sandy with a subsoil of
sandstone, and the crops are wheat, barley, potatoes,
and beans. There are several sand-pits situated in the
parish, which consists mostly of low-lying meadow
land, with some scattered timber: to the west and
north lie Flitton and Flitwick Moors. The highest
ground in the south of the parish reaches an altitude
of 296 ft., while in the north, where Flitton Moor
stretches, it falls to 205 ft. The village, situated in the
north-east, derives its name from the stream which flows
close by it, and is distant about one and a half miles
from the Bedford and Luton main road. The church
stands on a slight mound on the west side of the
village, the vicarage being on the opposite side of the
road. Parts of the house are, perhaps, mediaeval, with
a small central hall and two wings, but the whole has
been much altered and added to, and beyond some
seventeenth-century panelling in the hall, there is
very little old detail. Some pieces of mediaeval
glass, probably from the church, are glazed into
the windows of the porch. The parish, which is
broad in the north, narrows suddenly in the
middle before widening out again in the south;
in this narrow isthmus, connecting the two portions, is situated the hamlet of Greenfield, which,
however, is partly included in Pulloxhill parish,
a small detached part of the latter being inclosed
in Flitton.
Among the place-names in Flitton and Silsoe
occurs that of a close called Inneland in Worthing in Flitton, which Thomas Worthing inclosed
in 1428; (fn. 3) and among the lands granted in 1551
to Edward Warner with the chantry of Silsoe
were Kynelfurlong, Waterslade, Coshill, and Hiltonmede, together with a close called the Chanterie. (fn. 4)
A gold coin of Cunobelin was turned up by a
labourer in Silsoe in 1855, and was afterwards in the
possession of Mr. Wyatt. (fn. 5)
In Flitton there is a piece of ground in the tenure
of Mr. Elmore, which is called the Quakers' Burying
Ground Corner; in digging, several human skeletons
have been found, and a coffin handle; but it must
have been disused for more than 150 years. The
Pound still exists, and is inclosed by a stone wall
covered with moss, but the Lock-up, a round tower
with a stone roof, is no longer used for its original
purpose. At Flitton Richard Milward, the editor of
Selden's Table Talk, was born in 1609, and was
possessed of lands in Flitton and Higham Gobion at
his death, which took place in 1680. (fn. 6)
An Inclosure Act for Flitton and Silsoe with Pulloxhill was passed in 1809. (fn. 7)
Manors
The manor of WREST in Silsoe, which
has been in the possession of the De
Greys, earls of Kent, and their descendants for over six hundred years, was held at the
time of the Great Survey by Hugh, of Walter, brother
of Saher, and was then assessed at 4 hides; it had
been held in the time of King Edward by Leofnoth,
a thegn. Half a hide, which three sokemen formerly
held, was in the possession of Hugh, who claimed to
hold it of the king at the date of the Survey. (fn. 8)
It is very probable that Walter, brother of Saher,
was related to Walter le Fleming, the ancestor of the
barons of Wahull. He was possibly the brother of
Walter le Fleming's father, for a Saher is alluded
to under Southill, as the predecessor of Walter le
Fleming in the reign of William the Conqueror, and
both these barons had the same English predecessor,
the thegn Leofnoth. (fn. 8a) This relationship would account for the fact that by 1284 the manor of Wrest
was held of the barony of Wahull. (fn. 9) It continued to
be so held until 1623, (fn. 9a) after which there is no further
record of the overlordship.
Mr. Round considers that the Greys were connected with Bedfordshire, and probably with Flitton,
a good deal earlier than 1284–6, when Reginald de
Grey is found holding one fee in Flitton and Silsoe of
John de Wahull. (fn. 10) He points out that c. 1240 John
de Grey was already holding fees of the Wahull
barony in Podington, Lee (in Podington), Sharnbrook, Turvey and Henlow, (fn. 10a) and that an important
plea of 1234 shows Andrew de la Legha as mesne
tenant at Lee between Hugh Fitz Richard and John
de Grey with Agnes his wife, from whom Andrew
held. (fn. 11) In his opinion this plea gives a clue to the
means by which the Greys obtained their Bedfordshire estates, that is, by a marriage with an heiress
which gave them a local position sufficient for John
to be sheriff of the county in the reign of Henry III.
Tracing back their fees to 1086, we find that in
Domesday, a certain Hugh held of the Wahull fief at
Podington, Lee (in Podington), Turvey and Henlow.
Mr. Round therefore suggests that these lands descended as a whole, and that their Domesday tenant
was one and the same man. But we also find a Hugh
holding of the Wahull fief of Canons Ashby
(Northamptonshire) in 1086, and as a plea of 1227
proves that the church of Lee, with some land in
Podington, was given to Canons Ashby Priory by
Hugh de 'Legha' two generations earlier, (fn. 11a) we must
infer that the Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire
'Hugh' of 1086 were identical also. Mr. Round considers that the Hugh de 'Lega' who held no less than
ten fees of the Wahull barony in 1166 (fn. 12) was his representative, and that this conclusion gives us the descent of
an important group of manors through Hugh and Bartholomew his son. (fn. 12a) He further suggests that the
above Hugh was identical with the Hugh who held the
Silsoe manor of Walter, Saher's brother, in 1086, and
that this would account for that manor also descending through an heiress or co-heiress to the Greys.
The Reginald de Grey who was holding in 1284 was
summoned to Parliament in 1295 as Lord Grey [de
Wilton], and died in 1307–8 seised of the manor, which
was then worth £4. (fn. 13)
His son John, who succeeded him, took an active
part in the disturbances which marked the reign of
Edward II, at first on the side of Lancaster. He was
appointed in 1310 one of the Lords Ordainers, but in
1322 he espoused the royal cause and sat in the Parliament at York. (fn. 14) Henry his son by his first wife
inherited the title of Lord Grey de Wilton, but the
estate in Bedfordshire passed to Roger his son by his
second wife. A settlement of Wrest Manor was made
on the latter in 1311, (fn. 15) and at his father's death in
1323, the remaining property in Bedfordshire descended
to him. (fn. 16) In 1324 Roger was summoned to Parliament as Lord Grey de Ruthyn, in 1327 he accompanied Edmund, earl of Kent, on the Scottish campaign, and between 1340 and 1345 served in Scotland
and France. He died in 1352–3, when his son
Reginald inherited the manor; (fn. 17) and at the latter's
death in 1388 it was worth £13 a year. (fn. 18) Reginald's
son Reginald was summoned to Parliament in 1389,
and in 1398 he acted for a short time as governor in
Ireland, after the death of Roger, earl of March.
He was engaged in suppressing the disturbances in
the Welsh Marches during 1400 and 1401, but early
in 1402 was taken prisoner, remaining a captive
throughout the whole year. (fn. 19) He died in 1440–1
and was succeeded by his grandson Edmund, his son
John having predeceased him in 1439. (fn. 20)
Edmund took part in the Wars of the Roses, first
siding with the king, but in 1460 at the battle of
Northampton he went over to Warwick, and was
rewarded by Edward IV with the manor of Ampthill. In 1463 he was made Lord High Treasurer of
England and was created earl of Kent in 1465. (fn. 21)
At his death in 1489 he was succeeded by his
second son George, the elder Anthony having died in
1483 (fn. 22) George was sent to France in 1491 to assist
the Emperor Maximilian, and died in 1503, leaving
as his heir his eldest son Richard by his first wife.
Richard died without issue in 1524, when the title
and manor passed to his half-brother Henry, the son
of George, earl of Kent, by his second wife. (fn. 23) Henry,
however, declined to assume the titles on account of
his poverty, and died in 1562, leaving as his heir his
grandson Reginald, eldest son of his son Henry, who
had died in 1545. (fn. 24) Reginald died in 1573 without
issue and the estates passed to his brother Henry, (fn. 25)
who built the mausoleum at Flitton and died without issue in 1614–15. (fn. 26) The third brother Charles,
who succeeded, died in 1623, (fn. 27) and left a son Henry
who died without issue in 1631. The manor and
title of earl of Kent then passed to the last earl's
cousin Anthony, son of George, son of Anthony,
brother of Sir Henry Grey, de jure fourth earl.
Anthony died in 1643 leaving a son Henry, ninth
earl of Kent, as his successor. He led an active
political life, and held the office of chief commissioner
after the death of Charles I until the abolition of the
House of Lords 6 February, 1649. He died in 1651,
and was succeeded by his son Anthony, who married
the daughter and heiress of Lord Lucas. His widow,
known as the 'Good Countess,' did much for the
estate, which she found in an impoverished condition.
Anthony died in 1702, leaving a son Henry, eleventh
earl of Kent, and Baron Lucas in the right of his
mother. In 1706 he was created Viscount Goderich
of Halford, earl of Harold, and marquess of Kent,
and in 1710 was created duke of Kent. He was
successively Lord Chamberlain, Lord Steward, and
Lord Privy Seal, and in 1740 was created Marquess de Grey, with special remainder to his granddaughter Jemima Campbell and her heirs male. He
was married twice and had several sons, all of whom
died before him, so that on his death in 1740 the
manor of Wrest, together with the marquessate de
Grey and the barony of Lucas of Crudwell devolved
on his granddaughter Jemima, daughter of his
daughter Amabel. (fn. 28) Jemima married Philip Yorke, earl
of Hardwicke, and died in 1797, (fn. 29) when the eldest of
her two daughters Amabella, who had married
Viscount Polwarth, inherited the manor of Wrest and
the barony of Lucas, the marquessate de Grey becoming extinct. (fn. 30) In 1816 she was created Countess
de Grey of Wrest, and on her death in 1833 without
issue her titles and the manor passed to her nephew
Thomas Philip Weddel, the son of her sister and Lord
Grantham. This earl was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland,
and died in 1859 without male issue. His elder
daughter Anne, Lady Lucas, to whom the manor
descended, married Earl Cowper, and was succeeded
in 1880 by her son Francis Thomas de Grey, who
succeeded in obtaining the reversal of the attainder of
the barony of Dingwall. He died in 1905 without
issue, and the manor passed to his nephew, the son of
his sister Florence wife of Mr. Auberon Herbert, the
present Lord Lucas and Dingwall, who is now lord of
the manor. (fn. 31)
Figure 1:
De Grey. Barry argent and azure with three roundels gules in the chief.
Figure 2:
Lucas. Argent a fesse between six rings gules.
The manor of FLITTON, held in the reign of
King Edward by Alwin Horim, was granted by
William the Conqueror to Robert Fafiton, and was
the only manor which the latter owned in Bedfordshire; it was then assessed at 5 hides. (fn. 32) Nothing
further is heard of Robert Fafiton, and the overlordship passed in some way, of which no record has
been found, to the Mortimers, earls of March, of
whom the manor was held as of their honour of Wigmore, from 1284 until 1424, when the last male
representative of the Mortimers, Edmund earl of March,
died without issue. (fn. 33) There
is no further record of the
overlordship until 1615, when
the manor was held of Richard
Chetwode as of his barony of
Wahull, (fn. 34) and after 1623 it is
not mentioned. (fn. 35) Holding
directly under the Mortimers
was the family of Zouche of
Ashby (co. Leic.); Roger, who
was holding as early as 1232, (fn. 36)
died in 1285, and was succeeded by his son Alan; (fn. 37) on
the latter's death, 1314, without a male heir, (fn. 38) an arrangement was arrived at
between the two daughters, Ellen, wife of Nicholas
de St. Maur, and Maud, wife of Robert de Holand,
by which the latter retained her father's estate in
Flitton, (fn. 39) and the heirs of Alan la Zouche continued
to hold under the Mortimers until 1424. (fn. 40)
Figure 3:
Cowper. Argent three martlets gules and a chief engrailed gules with three rings or thereon.
Figure 4:
Herbert. Party azure and gules three lions argent.
Figure 5:
Mortimer. Barry or and azure a chief or with two pales azure between two gyrons azure and a scutcheon argent over all.
The first tenant of Flitton under the Zouches was
Philip de Flitton, who in 1232 disputed with the
prior of Dunstable about services from a tenement
which the former held. (fn. 41) In 1284–1302 Peter de
Flitton's holding amounted to one fee, (fn. 42) but between
the latter year and 1314 it passed to Robert de
Kendale, and had been reduced to the third of a
fee. (fn. 43) It again rapidly changed hands, for by 1316
John Grey, Lord Grey de Wilton, was lord of
Flitton and Silsoe, (fn. 44) and on his death in 1323 an
inventory of the manor was taken. (fn. 45)
The manor has continued in the possession of the
de Grey family and their descendants from the early
part of the fourteenth century until the present day,
following the same descent as that of the manor of
Wrest, in Silsoe, in this parish (q.v.), the present lord
of the manor being Lord Lucas and Dingwall.
In 1388 the manor was worth £10, (fn. 46) and by 1445
its value had decreased to £7 13s. 4d.; (fn. 47) in 1615 it
included three messuages, 144 acres of land, 6 acres
of meadow and 16 acres of pasture, as part of the
demesne lands. (fn. 48)
There was another estate in Silsoe which became
known in the fourteenth century as the manor of
NORWOOD, and in the reign of Henry VIII as
Norwood alias Silsoe, at first held of John peyvre; (fn. 49)
the overlordship passed before 1388 to the barony of
Wahull, (fn. 50) and remained vested in the barony until
towards the end of the reign of Henry VII it was
transferred to the crown. (fn. 51) After 1524 there is no
further mention of it. (fn. 52)
This manor probably originated in the land held
by Henry de Northwood, who in 1203 acquired 4
acres of land, 27 roods of meadow in Silsoe from
Robert de Bray, (fn. 53) and in 1206 he leased half a virgate to William, son of Henry de Ryde, at an annual
rent of 2d. (fn. 54) In 1315 Thomas de Northwood,
evidently a member of the same family, held half a
fee in Flitton and Silsoe of
John Peyvre, (fn. 55) and in 1360
Richard, probably his son, and
his wife Alice, alienated the
manor of Norwood to Reginald
de Grey of Ruthyn, and
Eleanor his wife. (fn. 56) The de
Greys, earls of Kent, and their
descendants have continued to
hold the manor, which has
followed the same descent as
the manor of Wrest until the
present day, Lord Lucas and
Dingwall now being the lord of the manor. There
appears to have been a division of the manor
between 1445 and 1456, when one third was in
the possession of Thomas Boughton. Thomas was
succeeded by his son Richard, who died seised of
this manor in 1485, (fn. 57) leaving as his heir his son
William; the third was then worth 100s. (fn. 58) William
probably alienated the property to Richard Decon's
father, for in 1521 Richard Decon died seised of it,
the manor having descended to him as son and heir. (fn. 59)
It again rapidly changed hands, for Thomas Warren,
who died in 1544, (fn. 60) and Elizabeth his wife were
seised of it before their death. (fn. 61) Their son Humphrey in 1539 mortgaged his reversion of the
property to Edmund Conquest for £73 6s. 8d., (fn. 62) and
again in 1544, after the death of his father, further
mortgaged the estate, and the reversion of the
property which his mother held as her dower, to
Thomas Palmer for £120. (fn. 63) Humphrey was evidently
unable to redeem the mortgage for Edmund Conquest
at his death left his wife Joan as his executrix, and
she sold the estate to Sir Henry Grey, de jure fourth
earl of Kent, for £200. (fn. 64) In this way, the third part
of the manor returned to the de Greys, and was
absorbed in the manor proper of Norwood.
Figure 6:
Northwood. Ermine a cross engrailed gules.
At the time of the Great Survey there was a manor
in Silsoe which afterwards became known as the
manor of NEWBURY (Newberry). It was then
held by a concubine of Nigel de Albini, and had
been held formerly by Alvric the Little, a thegn of
King Edward. (fn. 65) The overlordship continued vested
in the Albinis and their descendants, and the manor
was held of them as of their barony of Cainhoe, the
descent of which is traced under the parish of Clophill (q.v.).
By 1284 the manor had passed into the possession
of the family of Fitz Richard, (fn. 66) who owned land in
Silsoe before that date, for in
1201 Ralph Fitz Richard
leased 1 perch of land and
1½ acres of meadow to William Wiscard for 6d. yearly. (fn. 67)
The manor remained in the
possession of this family, passing
to Ralph's son, who was holding it in 1318, (fn. 68) and in 1396,
when a settlement of the manor
was made; (fn. 69) but the Fitz
Richards alienated part of their
estate in Silsoe amounting to
one-quarter of a fee, which
was held in 1302 by Ralph de Limbury and by the
tenants of the lands which had belonged to Henry
son of William and to William Wiscard. (fn. 70) By 1346
it was in the possession of John Morice and Margaret
his wife, in right of the latter, (fn. 71) and had passed by
1428 to John Wayte. (fn. 72) The manor of Newbury
and this quarter of a fee then became merged, for in
1525, at the expiration of the term of a lease of the
manors of Newbury and Silsoe granted to Henry
Wayte, probably a relation of John Wayte, and to
Joan his wife, by Edward Daniell and others, (fn. 73) the
manor of Newbury passed into the possession of the
Daniell family, who held it from 1525 until 1667; (fn. 74)
Edward Daniell, who was holding in 1551, was
apparently succeeded by his grandson Stephen, who
was lord of the manor in 1573 and in 1603. (fn. 75)
Stephen died in 1631, aged eighty-four, and the
manor went to his son Richard, who died shortly
afterwards, apparently without male issue, (fn. 76) as the
lordship was inherited by his brother Thomas, (fn. 77)
according to the terms of his great-grandfather
Edward's will. (fn. 78) Thomas, who owned the manorial
rights in 1658, (fn. 79) died in 1664, and there was a disturbance on the occasion of his burial, William
Wheeler and John Webb of Silsoe and others refusing to allow the parson to bury him, and casting
him out of the church by force. (fn. 80) As Thomas died
without male issue the manor was inherited by his
brother William, who, with Elizabeth his wife, was
in possession in 1666. (fn. 81) The history of the manor
during the eighteenth century is obscure, but at some
time during this period it must have been sold to the
de Greys, earls of Kent, who already owned so much
land in Silsoe and Flitton, as in 1833 it was in the
possession of Thomas Philip, Lord Grantham, (fn. 82) whose
descendant, Lord Lucas and Dingwall, owns the
estate at the present day. At the beginning of the
nineteenth century, Newbury Manor House was
surrounded by a moat, but since then two sides have
been filled in.
Figure 7:
Fitz Richard. Ermine a chief bendy azure and or.
There was another estate in Silsoe, which, in the
sixteenth century, acquired the name of the manor of
BLUNDELLS. It was held of the de Greys as of
their manor of Wrest by knight service. (fn. 83)
In 1302 Reginald de Grey and his tenants held
one-twelfth of a knight's fee in Silsoe, (fn. 84) and this was
held in 1346 by Roger de Grey: (fn. 85) the family of
Blundell evidently held under the de Greys, for
Roger Blundell in 1310 acquired 4 messuages,
80 acres of land, 10 acres of meadow, and 5 acres
of wood in Silsoe and Flitton from John Blundell. (fn. 86)
There is no further record of the holding until the
middle of the sixteenth century, but there is little
doubt that this estate afterwards became known as the
manor of Blundells, which was acquired by Richard
Fermour early in the sixteenth century, and held for
life by Hugh Swynerton. Simon Fitz of Aspley
Guise purchased the reversion from Richard Fermour,
and by his will, made March, 1543, he left it to his
younger son Simon. (fn. 87) Simon the father died shortly
afterwards leaving a widow Alice and two sons, William
his heir, and Simon, who soon became possessed of the
manor of Blundells, for in 1545 he alienated it to his
brother-in-law William Richardson, husband of his
sister Alice, and to Thomas Fitz Hugh of Wavendon
(Buckinghamshire). (fn. 88) In the course of the next year
Simon died unmarried, leaving his four sisters: Susan,
wife of Thomas Sterne; Elizabeth, wife of Richard
Rokes; Joan, wife of William Baker; and Alice,
wife of William Richardson, as his co-heirs. The
three former and their husbands immediately brought
an action in Chancery against Alice and William
Richardson and Thomas Fitz Hugh, alleging that the
alienation of the manor was illegal. In May, 1547,
an arrangement was arrived at by which the plaintiffs
each secured one-sixth of the manor, one-third being
assigned to William and Alice Richardson and the
remaining sixth allotted to Thomas Fitz Hugh. (fn. 89)
During the next few years the greater part of the
manor came into the possession of Francis Morgan;
in 1550 Richard and Elizabeth Rokes combined
with William and Joan Baker to sell their part, or
one-third, to Thomas Forster and Elizabeth his wife, (fn. 90)
and the latter in 1554 sold it to Francis Morgan. (fn. 91)
The half of the manor which had been divided
between William and Alice Richardson and Thomas
Fitz Hugh, in the proportions of one-third and onesixth, was alienated by them to Francis Morgan in
1552; (fn. 92) the latter, who thus acquired five-sixths of
the manor, died seised of them in 1558, leaving them
to his wife Anne for life, and after her death to his
second son Anthony, his son and heir Thomas inheriting other property. (fn. 93) Anthony evidently died
shortly afterwards without issue, and this part of the
manor passed to his brother Thomas. In the early
years of the reign of Elizabeth, Thomas Sterne and
Susan his wife, who owned the remaining sixth,
brought an action against Thomas Morgan for the
rent of their sixth part which they had leased to
Thomas Forster, who had conveyed the remainder of
his term to Francis Morgan, from whom it had
descended to Thomas, the defendant. (fn. 94) Thomas
Morgan had sold his interest to several persons, and
it was decided that these should pay the rent; they,
however, failed to do so, and three years later Thomas
Sterne brought another action against the tenants of
the manor of Blundells, Richard Grey, Peter Richardson, Elizabeth Hill, Thomas Swayne, Roger Hill, and
John Weston, who held the manor at a rent of £10,
the sixth part of which and four years' arrears
amounted to £6 18s. 4d. (fn. 95) A settlement was evidently arrived at, for no further proceedings were
instituted, and nothing further is heard of the tenants.
The last mention of the manor occurs in 1623, when
Charles, earl of Kent, died seised of it; (fn. 96) after this
date it probably became absorbed into the manor of
Wrest.
Another estate in this parish was owned by the
prior of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, who
obtained a charter in 1280, granting him view of
frankpledge in Flitton and Silsoe, and on this
ground he claimed the view from four tenants in
Flitton and eight in Silsoe in 1285. (fn. 97) In 1330, it
was stated that the view was held twice a year in the
priory's manor of Silsoe. (fn. 98) The priory continued to
hold this estate until the Dissolution, when all its
possessions were taken into the king's hand, and the
greater part granted to Sir Richard Long in 1540
under the title of the Preceptory of Shyngay, in
which was included lands in Flitton and Silsoe. (fn. 99)
The property under the name of the manor passed to
Elizabeth, the daughter and heir of Henry, son of Sir
Richard Long, (fn. 100) who brought it by marriage to the
Russells, earls of Bedford, (fn. 101) who were holding it as
late as 1689. (fn. 102) By them it was apparently alienated
to the Sandys, barons of Ombersley, who were in
possession in 1768. (fn. 103) Lysons in 1805 mentions that
the marchioness of Downshire,
a descendant of the Barons
Sandys, owned a manor in
Silsoe at that date; (fn. 104) there is
no further trace of the manor,
but it may probably have been
sold by the marchioness to
the Drapers' Company, as the
latter is one of the principal
landowners in Flitton at the
present day.
Figure 8:
Sandys. Or a fesse dancetty between three crosslers fitchy gules.
The Butler family, who
owned Higham Gobion
manor, also held land in Silsoe,
which they acquired in 1311 from Thomas Paynel,
and 5 acres of meadow in Wrestmead, which were
held of the de Greys for the service of 2s. a year. (fn. 105)
This estate was in their possession from 1311 to 1413,
but after the latter date there is no further trace
of it. (fn. 106)
Another family who held land in Silsoe in the
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries was that of Bray;
in 1199 Roger de Bray held of Hugh de Bray
3 acres of land in Silsoe, (fn. 107) and in 1253 Thomas de
Bray added 7 acres to his holding, which he held
from Robert de Parys and Amicia his wife, for an
annual rent of one root of ginger; (fn. 108) in 1259 Thomas
brought an action against John de Grey, for having
unjustly disseised him of his common pasture, which
belonged to his free tenement in Silsoe; (fn. 109) the next
year Thomas acquired more land from Anselm de
Bray, (fn. 110) and in 1275 he founded a chantry in the
chapel of Silsoe, (fn. 111) increasing the endowment in
1290. (fn. 112) The de Brays held land in Silsoe as late as
1361, (fn. 113) but there is no later trace of their estate.
Silsoe, which has now become a village of small
importance, used formerly to possess a market; the first
market, held weekly on Tuesday, was granted to
Ralph Fitz Richard in 1318, in his manor of Newbury, and at the same time he was granted an annual
fair on 30 April and 1 May, together with free
warren; (fn. 114) in 1330 he successfully defended these
rights by producing the charter. (fn. 115) These privileges
apparently lapsed, for in 1715 Henry, duke of Kent,
was granted an annual fair on 10 September, and a
weekly market on Wednesday. (fn. 116) The market has
since been disused, but the fair is still held on
13 May.
When the Great Survey was taken the manor of
Wrest in Silsoe comprised a mill which was worth
2s. 2d., (fn. 117) but it apparently soon fell into decay, as in
all surveys of the manor taken in the fourteenth
century no mention of a mill occurs. In 1344
Roger de Grey claimed free warren in the demesne
lands of his manor of Wrest, and also made good his
claim to have a park there. (fn. 118) This is the first
mention of the park which surrounds the manor at
the present day.
Church
The church of ST. JOHN THE
BAPTIST has a chancel 27 ft. by 17 ft.,
nave 39 ft. by 16 ft. with aisles 8 ft. 6 in.
wide and south porch, and west tower 12 ft. by
12 ft. 10 in., all measurements being internal. In spite
of the slight excess in width of the chancel over the nave,
the whole appears to be of one build, dating from
the fifteenth century. If, as it seems, the south porch is
contemporary with the rest of
the church, the date of completion, as given by the heraldry
on the porch, will fall between
1440 and 1489. The only later
addition to the plan is a large
cruciform mortuary chapel of
the de Greys, the nave of which
is set against the north side of
the chancel of the church, its
south transept overlapping the
east end. It is an extremely
unattractive building, coated
with Roman cement, and quite
out of scale with the rest of the
structure. The east window of
the chancel has modern tracery,
and bieng overlapped by the
transept of the chapel, is filled
with plain glass, through which
one of the modern de Grey
monuments can be seen. In the
north wall is the entrance to the
chapel, a round-headed opening
with moulded jambs of late
Gothic section, filled with a good wrought-iron grate
of eighteenth-century date. West of it is a modern
recess for the organ. The chancel is lighted on the
south by two windows of fifteenth-century style, with
three cinquefoiled lights. The nave has arcades of
three bays and a clearstory over with three two-light
windows on each side, the rood stair being at the
south-east angle, carried up to form an embattled
turret above the nave roof. The north aisle has two
three-light windows on the north and a two-light
west window, all of the fifteenth century, and there is
a blocked north doorway near the west end. The
south aisle has a three-light east window with
tracery in the head, and two windows of three cinquefoiled lights with straight-sided heads in the south
wall, which appear to be later insertions, probably
c. 1500. The south doorway has a two-centred arch
with continuous mouldings, and retains a panelled
oak door with moulded styles which may be contemporary with it. The embattled south porch has
an outer archway with a two-centred arch under a
square label, the spandrels being traceried and
containing shields, the one barry, which is the whole
coat of Grey, the other barry with three roundels in
the chief quartered with a sleeve quartering barry with
an orle of martlets. These are the arms borne by
Edmund Grey, grandson of Reginald, third Lord Grey
de Ruthyn, who succeeded as fourth Lord Grey de
Ruthyn in 1440, and was created earl of Kent 30 May,
1465. To the west of the archway a shield is inserted in the masonry, bearing ermine a chief bendy
for Fitz Richard. In Fisher's Collections for Bedfordshire (1817) is an engraving of this archway showing
a shield above the arch bearing a ragged bend.
The west tower is of three stages, with an embattled parapet and two-light belfry windows, and a
projecting stair turret at the south-east angle. Externally all parts of the church are embattled, with
flat roofs, the walling being of the dark brown local
stone. The roofs of the nave and aisles are plain and
a good deal of the old open seating remains. The
church is rich in monuments of various kinds.
In the chancel is the brass of Thomas Hill, 'receiver-general to three worthy earls of Kent,' who
died in 1628, aged 101, and in the nave are indents of two brasses, one showing a man and his wife
with six sons and three daughters, and another with a
single figure of a civilian. On the walls of the north
aisle are three fragmentary brasses, the oldest being
that of Eleanor Conquest, 1434; the second, dated
1544, having a female figure with a mutilated inscription (it is that of Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Waren),
and the third is an inscription, dated 1594, in
memory of Alice, wife of Reginald Hill, and her
infant son William.
Figure 9:
Flitton Church, from South-east
At the north-west of the nave is another slab with
indents of a figure between four shields, one of which,
bearing a lion, is preserved in the vestry at the west end
of the north aisle. A rubbing in the collection of the
Society of Antiquaries shows the lion shield apparently
in position on the slab of Eleanor Conquest.
Part of the inscription of the Waren brass is a
palimpsest, having part of a fifteenth-century inscription on the back.
The de Grey chapel contains a long series of monuments, the oldest being those in the western wing,
which is also the oldest part of the chapel, c. 1614,
the eastern parts having been added in 1705. The
earliest monument is that of Henry Grey, fifth earl of
Kent, 1614, and Mary (Cotton) his countess; their
alabaster effigies lie on a panelled altar tomb, and
above is a cornice with heraldry, and two marble panels
with inscriptions. Next to their tomb on the east is
that of Henry, ninth earl, 1651, and his countess
Arabella, 1658, of white marble. Other monuments
here are those of Lady Elizabeth Talbot, 1651; Lady
Jane Hart, 1673; and slabs to Charles Grey, 1623,
and his son Henry, 1639. In the north transept of
the chapel are the tombs of Henrietta de Grey, 1703,
and Henry de Grey, 1717, and at the crossing those
of Amabel de Grey, 1727, and Anne, 1770. In the
south transept lie Thomas Philip, Earl de Grey,
1859, and Henrietta de Grey, 1805. In the east
wing are the monuments of Henry, duke of Kent and
Marquess de Grey, 1740, Jemima de Grey, 1728;
Sophia, 1748; Ann Sophia, 1780; Philip, earl of
Hardwicke, 1790; and his wife Jemima, Marchioness
de Grey in her own right, 1797; Amabel, their
daughter, Countess de Grey, 1833, and her sister, Mary,
Baroness Grantham, 1830. There is also a brass,
removed from the church, to Harry Gray, son of
George, earl of Kent, 1545, with a large quartered
shield above an armed figure.
There are five bells, the treble by Bowell of Ipswich,
1904; the second, and third by the same founder,
1902; and the remaining three by Richard Chandler
of Drayton Parslow, 1687.
The plate consists of a cup and standing paten of
1838, given by Earl de Grey in 1846, a plated
flagon given in 1831, and two pewter almsdishes.
The first book of the registers begins in 1591 and
goes to 1665; the second runs from 1653 to 1685,
and the third begins in 1678 and contains burials to
1718, baptisms 1637 to 1719, and marriages 1689 to
1720. The fourth book has baptisms and burials
1762 to 1783, and the fifth the same to 1813. The
sixth is the printed marriage register 1754–69, and
the sixth its continuation to 1813. There are several
fragments of churchwardens' accounts, the earliest
being of 1632, and several lists of parish rates from
1598. There is also an early printed brief of 1580
for the repair of the haven of 'Colliton' in Devon.
Advowson
Until the Dissolution in 1536 the
church of Flitton belonged to the
abbey of Elstow, (fn. 119) but the date of
the gift and the name of the benefactor are not known.
In the time of Pope Alexander III, 1159-81, the
right of presentation already belonged to the abbey,
and the bishop of Ely, by the mandate of the pope,
settled a dispute over the churches of Pulloxhill
and Flitton which arose between Dunstable Priory
and Elstow Abbey. (fn. 120) Flitton vicarage is said to be
one of the earliest to be ordained in Bedfordshire. (fn. 121)
In 1291 the church was worth £8, (fn. 122) and in 1535 the
value of the church and chapel had increased to
£13 6s. 8d., out of which the abbey had to pay a
pension of 40s. to the vicar of Flitton. (fn. 123) The church
became crown property after the Dissolution, the king
presenting in 1541, but in 1546 it was bestowed upon
the dean and chapter of Christ Church College, Oxford, who own the right of presentation at the present
time. (fn. 124) Since the beginning of the nineteenth century,
however, the advowson has been held on lease from
the college by the de Greys of Wrest, Lord Lucas and
Dingwall being the present lessee. (fn. 125)
The Committee for Plundered Ministers increased
the value of the living in 1646 out of the rectorial
tithes of Luton, sequestered from Sir Robert Napier, a
delinquent; it was then ordered that £50 annually
should be paid for the maintenance of the minister of
Flitton and Silsoe, as his stipend was only £35 and
there were two churches with 340 communicants. (fn. 126)
The vicar at this time was one William Ramsey,
instituted in 1628, who on 17 January, 1645, was summoned to appear the following April before the
Committee of Plundered Ministers at Westminster, to
answer a charge of drunkenness; he failed to appear, and,
on 11 May, 1647, was proved to be a common drunkard. (fn. 127) In 1655 the vicar was ejected for refusing to
conform to the standards of Presbyterianism, but nevertheless he maintained an obstinate resistance, and for
a long time remained in the parsonage. (fn. 128)
There was a free chapel of St. Leonard in Silsoe
appendant to the mother church at Flitton; the
earliest mention of it occurs in the Liber Antiquus
(1209–35) of Bishop Hugh Wells, in which it is
stated that it belonged to the abbey of Elstow, but
the exact date of the foundation is unknown. (fn. 129) In
the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries two chantries
were founded in the chapel by Thomas de Bray and
Ralph Fitz Richard, who owned Newbury manor.
The former of these was founded in 1275 (fn. 130) and in 1290
Thomas de Bray increased the endowment by granting one messuage of land and rent in Silsoe to the chaplain there. (fn. 131) The chantry of Ralph Fitz Richard was
endowed in 1327 with one messuage and rent in
Silsoe, (fn. 132) and John de Grey was also a benefactor, for
in 1311 he bestowed one messuage and 5 marks rent
in Flitton, Silsoe, and Wrest upon the chantry. (fn. 133)
Between 1486 and 1493 the chapel was the occasion
of a dispute between Richard Hyneman, priest, and
Thomas Eymewe. The former had agreed to resign
the chapel to John Eymewe in return for an annuity
of 100s. to be paid by Thomas Eymewe. The plaintiff
having fulfilled his part of the contract, the defendant
refused to carry through his, and also brought an action
of trespass against Richard Hyneman in the name of one
Symgwyn, then master of the free chapel. (fn. 134) In 1535
Hugh Maney, the rector of Maulden, was also minister of this chapel, and stated its value to be £3 10s. (fn. 135)
while Edward Philips, the vicar of Flitton, affirmed
that £3 9s. 3d. was paid out of his vicarage to the
chapel as the salary of the minister. (fn. 136) In 1539
Humphrey Warren, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth
Warren, sold the reversion of the advowson of the
chapel to Edmund Conquest, together with the chapel
of Norwood manor, which at that time was held by
his parents. (fn. 137) This chapel was dissolved under the
Act of Edward VI. At the date of its dissolution
Sir Henry Grey and Edward Daniell were the patrons,
and presented the chantry priest, at that time Hugh
Maney, who had not visited Silsoe for thirty years,
but lived in Cheshire. The service was conducted by
another priest, found by the vicar of Flitton, and
paid out of the possessions of Elstow Abbey. It
was stated that the chantry was of no use, although a
mile distant from the church of Flitton, and that no
goods or ornaments belonged to it. (fn. 138) The dissolved
chantry in 1551 was bestowed upon Edward Warner
and John Goswood, to be held in free socage as of the
king's manor of Eye, (fn. 139) but by 1573 it was in the
possession of the de Grey family, and was held by
them as late as 1623. (fn. 140) The place of the chapel was
taken by a chapel of ease built for the use of Wrest
House and the tenants: this latter had to be pulled
down in 1831 as unsafe, when an addition was being
made to the steeple, and the present church of
St. James was erected on the site. (fn. 141) The vicarage is
in the gift of Lord Lucas and Dingwall.
There is a Wesleyan chapel at Greenfield.
Charities
The following charities are administered under an order of the Charity
Commissioners of 1898, namely:—
Charity of William Daniel, £122 15s. 11d. consols,
income to be laid out in bread in the proportion of
2/5ths to poor of Flitton, and 3/5ths to poor of Silsoe.
Mr. Cox's gift of £20 upon similar trusts, represented by £24 8s. 11d. consols.
Earl of Kent's gift of £170 for education of poor
children of Flitton and Silsoe in the proportion of
2/5ths and 3/5ths respectively. The trust fund now
consists of £208 15s. 3d. consols.
Henry Sharp's Legacy of £100 consols for repair
of monument, surplus income for poor of Flitton in
bread in January. A sum of 2s. 6d. is retained
annually for repair of monument.
The Rev. John Robinson, vicar of Flitton, who
died in 1817, by his will devised certain real estate
for poor of Flitton. The demise being void in
mortmain, the testator's heiress, Mrs. Godwin, set
aside £100 consols in furtherance of his charitable
design, for poor of Flitton and hamlet of Greenfield,
the dividends to be distributed in bread in the parish
church yearly on the second Sunday in January.
The several sums of stock are held by the official
trustees, and the dividends are applied in accordance
with the trusts of the charities respectively.
The Town Lands consist of land and two cottages
and gardens allotted on the inclosure in lieu of certain
pieces of open-field land, held immemorially for the repair of the church. The income amounts to about
£23, which is applied in aid of the church expenses.
The Turf Lands, 13 acres, were set apart on the
inclosure for digging turf for firing for the poor, and
by the Inclosure Act of 49 Geo. III, it was directed
that the rent or herbage thereof should be laid out
in the purchase of more fuel for the poor. The
land is let to labourers in shares, and produces about
£10 a year, which is distributed in coal equally between Flitton and Silsoe, under the title of Moor Coal.
Silsoe Church Estate consists of cottages and 15
acres or thereabouts, awarded on the inclosure in lieu
of open-field lands held immemorially for the repair
of the chapel at Silsoe. The net income is about
£30 a year, which is applied in defraying the expenses
in connexion with the church.