CLIPSHAM
Kilpesham, Kylpesham (xiii, xiv, xv cent.);
Clyppesham, Clipsham (xv cent.).
The parish of Clipsham contains 1,669 acres of
land, and lies on the borders of Lincolnshire. Geographically it lies in the hundred of Alstoe, but it was
included first in the hundred of Martinsley and afterwards in the soke of Oakham (q.v.), which was formed
of the townships and manors held of the castle and
manor of Oakham. (fn. 1) The land is fairly level, being
generally about 300 ft. above Ordnance datum,
and is mostly pasture and woodland, Clipsham Park,
Clipsham Park Wood and Allah Wood occupying
a large part of the parish.
The straggling village lies along the road from
the Great North Road at Stretton to Little Bytham.
It is 3½ miles west of Little Bytham Station, on the
London and North Eastern Railway, and 2 miles
south of Castle Bytham Station, on the London
Midland and Scottish Railway.
On the western side of the village there are some
picturesque farmhouses built and roofed with local
stone, having for a background Clipsham Park, with
its trees and good grass land. The old manor-house,
in the middle of the village, is an interesting twostory gabled stone building of simple design, erected
in the first half of the 17th century, with low mullioned windows and good wind-break chimneys.
It is H-shaped in plan, with attics in the end wings,
and the roof is covered with stone slates. Near to it,
on the west, is another 17th-century house of the
same type, but different in plan and in less perfect
state, with a two-story bay window towards the road,
and gabled north wing. The cottages in the eastern
part of the village are of stone and roofed with slates
or tiles; the Park Wood beyond them gives a pleasant
view. It is probable that, as in many parts of Rutland,
the village was built round a rough square, formed here
on the north side of the Stretton Road. The road
halfway between the church and the Stretton Road,
and parallel to it, was constructed some time in the
last century by the then squire, and is still known as
the New Road. There was a windmill in the parish
in 1686. (fn. 2)
Clipsham Hall, the residence of Mr. John Davenport-Handley-Humphreys, J.P., which lies to the
north-east of the church, was rebuilt of the local stone
in the 18th century, and is a plain but well-designed
house of two stories, with slightly projecting pedimented middle portion, cornice and stone-slated
hipped roof. A semicircular pillared porch on the
east or principal front is a later addition, and at the
north end are considerable remains of the older house,
including two mullioned windows and a panel with the
arms of Harington, dated 1582. (fn. 3)
Quarries of excellent freestone, near Pickworth
Wood, are still worked, and the stone from them is
being used for the restoration at present being carried
out on the Houses of Parliament. In 1556 a mason
named Roger Warde, writing to Sir William Cecil
about the building materials he should use, remarks
that 'the best stone for stairs is to be had at Clypsham.' (fn. 4) There were 80 houseling people in the
parish in 1548. (fn. 5)
Manor
The manor of CLIPSHAM is not
mentioned in Domesday Book (1086),
but it was presumably in the king's
hands until granted away with the manor and castle
of Oakham by Henry I in the 12th century. From
this time it was held of the Castle of Oakham by the
service of one knight's fee, (fn. 6) and formed part of Oakham
Soke. The first recorded tenant of the manor seems
to have been William de Freney (de Fraisneto),
against whom the Templars brought a plea of warranty
for 4 bovates of land in Clipsham in 1203. (fn. 7) From this
date the manor followed the descent of that of
Belton (q.v.). The lands of Reginald de Freney
which had been forfeited as lands of a Norman
would have escheated to the overlord, Henry de
Ferrers, lord of Oakham. (fn. 8) In 1205 John de Freney
(du Frenai) farmed the lands of Henry de Ferrers, (fn. 9)
who as a Norman had also forfeited his lands in
England. John de Freney appears as lord of the manor
of Clipsham in 1209 and 1218, (fn. 10) and between 1219
and 1226 his heir was in the wardship of Roger de
Cantilupe. (fn. 11) In 1232 Henry de Freney received
seisin of the lands in Belton forfeited by Reginald
his father as a Norman. (fn. 12) The lands at Clipsham
probably passed at the same time, as Henry son of
Reginald de Freney sold 100s. worth of land in
Belton to Hugh de Mortimer. (fn. 13) At the death
of Hugh in 1227 these lands passed to his mother
Isabel, sister of Hugh de Ferrers, (fn. 14) who was holding
them in 1244. (fn. 15) Probably the manor of Clipsham
was not sold with Belton, as Peter de Freney,
possibly the son of John de Freney, conveyed the
manor in 1244 to William de Cantilupe. (fn. 16) In 1245
Cantilupe obtained a grant of free warren, (fn. 17) and died
in 1254. He was succeeded by his son George de
Cantilupe, (fn. 18) whose heirs were his nephew, John de
Hastings, and his sister, Millicent, who divided his
possessions on his death in 1273. (fn. 19) Clipsham was
assigned to Millicent, the wife of Eudo la Zouche.
In 1296, as Millicent de Monte Alto, she made provision for her son, William la Zouche, and his wife
Maud. (fn. 20) She died in 1298, and William la Zouche
succeeded her, (fn. 21) and was recorded as holding one fee
in Clipsham in 1300 and later. (fn. 22) In 1317 he granted
the manor for their lives to his younger sons William,
John and Roger, who were to pay £20 a year to him
for his life, and then a rose yearly to his heirs. (fn. 23)
The manor had reverted to him before 1351, when
he settled it on his grandson William la Zouche, (fn. 24)
who succeeded him in 1352. (fn. 25)
His descendants held the
manor of Clipsham until
1485, (fn. 26) when John, Lord
Zouche, having fought for
Richard III at Bosworth, (fn. 27)
was attainted, and Henry VII
granted it to his esquire, David
Philip. (fn. 28) Zouche recovered his
honours in 1495, (fn. 29) and some
of his lands, including Clipsham, which his son and heir
John sold in 1539 to Sir John
Harington. (fn. 30) The latter died
seised of it in 1553, and was succeeded by his son
James (fn. 31) and grandson John, (fn. 32) who was created
Baron Harington of Exton in 1603. (fn. 33) Lord Harington
died at Worms, when accompanying Princess Elizabeth
on her marriage journey in 1613. (fn. 34) His son and heir
John died a few months later, and Clipsham passed
to his eldest sister and co-heir Lucy, Countess of
Bedford. (fn. 35) Edward, Earl of Bedford, sold the manor
in 1614 to his wife's cousin, Francis Stacy, (fn. 36) who in
turn sold it in 1618 to Robert Johnson, Archdeacon of
Leicester. (fn. 37) In 1623 the Archdeacon settled it on his
grandson Isaac, on his marriage with Lady Arabella
Fiennes. (fn. 38) He died in 1625 (fn. 39) and Isaac, who emigrated
to America, in 1630, (fn. 40) leaving no children. The manor
passed under the settlement to his half-brothers
Samuel, who died in 1658, (fn. 41) and Ezekiel, who owned
it in 1686. (fn. 42) Rents from Clipsham and other manors
were payable to Thomas Johnson of Olney (co.
Buck.) and Anne his wife, (fn. 43) and to Thomas Marsh
and Margaret his wife, Anne and Margaret being
daughters of Ezekiel. (fn. 44) By his will proved in 1688 (fn. 45)
Ezekiel left his grandson, William Johnson, his heir,
and legacies to his granddaughters Anne Johnson
and Elizabeth and Martha Marsh. Ezekiel, however,
had sold the manor in 1686 to Richard Snow of Staple
Inn, (fn. 46) who in 1699 also bought other property in
Clipsham from Elizabeth Fawkener, widow and devisee
of Anthony Fawkener, clk. (fn. 47) Snow died in 1739,
and was succeeded by his son Matthew (d. 1757),
grandson, the Rev. Paul George Snow, the rector of
Clipsham, and great-grandson, the Rev. Matthew
Snow. (fn. 48) The last was lord of the manor in 1802, (fn. 49)
but died in 1809, when his sisters became his heirs.
The eldest, Jane, married in 1784 John Paget of
Cranmore Hall, Somerset, and left a son John Moore
Paget, (fn. 50) who sold Clipsham in 1865, a year before he
died, to John Handley, sometime M.P. for Newark.
His daughter married William Davenport Davenport
of Bramhall, Cheshire (d. 1869), and her son, who took
the additional names of Handley (1881) and Humphreys (1910), became lord of the manor. He died in
1914, and his son Mr. John Davenport-HandleyHumphreys, of Clipsham Hall, is now lord of the
manor. (fn. 51)
Zouche of Harringworth. Gules bezanty with a quarter ermine.
Johnson of North Luffenham. Argent a cheveron sable between three lions' heads gules cut off at the neck and crowned or.
Johnson of Olney. Argent a pile azure with three ounces' heads razed argent thereon.
Handley. Argent three voided lozenges set fessewise between two bars gules and three goats passant sable.
Davenport. Argent a cheveron between three crosslets fitchy sable with a quarter azure.
A view of frankpledge is mentioned in the sale of
the manor to Archdeacon Robert Johnson in 1618. (fn. 52)
Church
The church of ST. MARY consists of
chancel 27 ft. 3 in. by 13 ft. 6 in., with
north aisle 8 ft. wide, clearstoried nave
36 ft. 4 in. by 13 ft. 6 in., north and south aisles each
13 ft. wide, south porch and engaged west tower
9 ft. 9 in. square, all these measurements being internal. The tower is surmounted by a spire. The
width across nave and aisles is 43 ft. 9 in.
The chancel has a modern high-pitched slated,
eaved roof and the porch is covered with stone slates,
but elsewhere the roofs are leaded and behind plain
parapets. The building was extensively restored in
1858, when the north wall of the north aisle was
rebuilt throughout its length, and the chancel aisle,
which had long been destroyed, was re-erected. Internally all the walls are plastered.
The original 12th-century church seems to have
been an aisleless building with short square-ended
chancel, and probably a west tower. To the nave of
this structure a north aisle was added c. 1190, the wall
being pierced for the erection
of the existing north arcade of
three bays, the semicircular
arches of which are of two
orders, with a heavy half-round
moulding on the soffit. Towards
the aisle both orders are square,
but on the nave side they have
edge-rolls and in the westernmost arch one outer order of
cheveron moulding enriched
with leaves and pellets. The
arches spring from cylindrical
piers and half-round responds
with square scalloped capitals
and moulded bases on square
chamfered plinths; the arches
are without hood-moulds.
Early in the 13th century a
south aisle was added to the
nave and the chancel was apparently extended to its present
length, the north-east buttress (fn. 53)
and the lower part of the east
wall being of this period. The south arcade, which
was pierced through the old wall, (fn. 54) consists of three
semicircular arches of two chamfered orders on cylindrical piers (fn. 55) and half-round responds, all with moulded
capitals and high circular moulded bases. The shallow
outer order has a series of ornamental stops, except
over the east respond, in which the dog-tooth occurs
twice, and the capitals of the piers are octagonal in
shape, with nail-head ornament. There are no hoodmoulds. The respond capitals are circular, and that
at the east end alone has nail-head enrichment. The
bases stand on circular plinths.
Later in the same century the north aisle seems to
have been extended to cover the chancel and the
tower rebuilt. Shortly afterwards, probably early in
the 14th century, the building underwent an extensive
remodelling, by which it assumed the plan (fn. 56) and
external appearance that it has since retained. The
chancel was rebuilt in its present form (beginning with
the upper part of the east wall and proceeding westward from the south-east angle), the nave aisles
rebuilt and widened and extended westward to engage
the tower, to which a spire was added, and the porch
and clearstory were erected.
The chancel is of two bays and has a pointed east
window of three trefoiled lights with reticulated
tracery and hood-mould with head-stops; the 14thcentury sill string is taken round the south-east
buttress, but the chamfered plinth at the east end
belongs to the older lower part of the wall. But
from the south-east angle of the chancel, westward
as far as the tower, there is a moulded plinth, which
is repeated along the north aisle in modern form.
Of the two windows, each of two trefoiled lights, on
the south side of the chancel, the westernmost is
square-headed; the other, which is pointed and has
geometrical tracery, is either modern or is very much
restored. The narrow priest's doorway is also much
restored. (fn. 57) On the north side the chancel is open
to the aisle by an arcade of two wide pointed arches (fn. 58)
of two chamfered orders with hood-mould on both
sides, springing from a pier consisting of four
clustered shafts with moulded capital and base and
from similar shafted responds. The hood-moulds
have notch-stops at the ends and a head above the
pier. The arch between the aisles of chancel and nave,
though much restored, is apparently contemporary;
it is of two chamfered orders on moulded corbels
supported by heads. The chancel and nave are of the
same width and the arch between them is modern. (fn. 59)
No ancient ritual arrangements remain. (fn. 60)
Plan of Clipsham Church
At the east end of the south aisle is a large pointed
window of three trefoiled lights with curvilinear
tracery, the outer hollow moulding of which is enriched all round with ball-flower and the hood-mould
has head-stops representing a king and queen. The
windows in the south wall, two east of the porch and
one west of it, are square-headed and of three trefoiled
lights with quatrefoil tracery: the west window is of
two lights with a cusped triangle in the head. The
south doorway has a continuous wave-moulding and
hood with head-stops. In the usual position at the
east end of the aisle is a pointed piscina with deeply
recessed trefoil tracery, projecting fluted bowl and
wooden shelf, and on either side of the east window
an image bracket supported by a head. Externally
there is a moulded sill string round the aisle and the
buttresses are of two stages with triangular heads. The
hollow moulding below the parapet is enriched with
ball-flower (fn. 61) along the south wall, but not at the
raking ends. The north aisle reproduces in modern
form many of the same features, but the windows are
of two lights and of different design. (fn. 62) The hollow
moulding under the eaves of the porch has also ballflower enrichment. The much-restored porch has an
outer pointed doorway of three continuous hollow
chamfered orders and a trefoiled niche in the gable.
The clearstory windows, three on each side, are squareheaded, and of two trefoiled lights without tracery.
The tower is of three stages, with moulded plinth,
and a single-light trefoiled west window in the bottom
stage. The vice is in the south-west angle, which is
thickened at the second stage, where the western
buttresses stop and the wall sets back, in the form
of a slightly projecting clasping buttress. (fn. 63) The
pointed bell-chamber windows are of two trefoiled
lights, with soffit cusping, and quatrefoil in the head
on the north and south sides; on the west the spandrel
is solid. The openings have modern stone quatrefoil
filling. The spire, which is of somewhat unusual
design, rises from a cornice of notch-heads, immediately above which there is a short slope and
shorter piece of upright walling crowned with coarsely
constructed battlements, or diminutive turrets,
behind which begins the spire proper, which is of
the 'stone-timber' type, twice banded, with two
tiers of gabled lights in the cardinal faces, each of two
openings and surmounted by a cross. The angles are
plain. Internally the tower opens into the nave by a
pointed arch of three chamfered orders, the inner
order on clustered responds with moulded capitals
and bases, and into the aisles by similar but less lofty
arches. (fn. 64)
The font has a 12th-century circular bowl with a
band of hatched ornament round the rim, standing on
a circular stem and moulded base. (fn. 65)
The oak pulpit and fittings are modern, and there
are modern screens in the chancel arcade. The
reredos has modern carvings of the Last Supper (after
Leonardo da Vinci), Transfiguration and Ascension.
In the east window (fn. 66) of the chancel aisle are some
pieces of old glass which are said to have been
brought from the old church at Pickworth. They
include shields with the arms of Thomas Neville of
Pykale, the royal arms (France modern and England
quarterly), the town of Stamford, and the royal arms
of the Stewart sovereigns; there is also a Lancastrian
rose.
The west end of the north aisle is used as a vestry,
and the organ is at the east end of the chancel aisle.
A carved panel with the arms of the Stewart sovereigns
is in the vestry. There are no monuments earlier
than 1738–9. (fn. 67)
There are three bells in the tower: the first dated
1671, the second by Tobie Norris (II) of Stamford
1675, and the tenor by Thomas Norris 1657. (fn. 68) On
the timber framework supporting the clock is inscribed 'I.W. 1688.'
The plate consists of a cup and cover paten of
1691–2, with the maker's mark 'M.K.' On the cup is
engraved a representation of Our Lord as the Good
Shepherd with the lamb on His shoulder. (fn. 69) There is
also a plated paten.
The early registers have been lost. Those before
1812 which remain are as follows: (i) baptisms and
burials 1726–90, marriages 1726–54; (ii) baptisms and
burials 1790–1812; (iii) marriages 1754–1812. (fn. 70)
Advowson
The advowson of the church of
Clipsham belonged to the lords of
the manor (fn. 71) at least since the time
of John de Freney, who presented between 1209 and
1219. (fn. 72) At that time, however, a vicarage was in
existence and the vicar paid a pension of 100s. to the
rector and undertook all the duties of the church. (fn. 73)
In 1679 Everard Fawkener presented to the rectory,
presumably pro hac vice. (fn. 74) After the death of the
Rev. Paul George Snow, in 1796, his widow Mary
Snow presented in 1809 and 1816. (fn. 75)
At the present day Mr. John Davenport-HandleyHumphreys owns the advowson of the rectory. The
benefices of Clipsham and Stretton are to be united
at the first voidance of either rectory.
In 1337 William la Zouche, a king's clerk and Dean
of York, together with Roger la Zouche, founded a
chantry in the chapel of St. Nicholas in the church of
Clipsham. (fn. 76) At the dissolution of the chantries it
was endowed with lands and tenements in Rutland
and Lincolnshire of the yearly value of 106s. 8d., from
which a rent of 4d. a year was paid to the lord of
Clipsham Manor. (fn. 77) The priest, named Richard
Taylor, was described as' impotent, but of very honest
report and conversation amongst his neighbours.' (fn. 78)
The advowson of the chantry belonged to the lords of
the manor, (fn. 79) and is mentioned in the sale of the
manor (q.v.) in 1539 to James Harington. (fn. 80)
The lands of the chantry were, however, sold by
Edward VI in 1553 to Thomas Reve and George
Cotton to hold in fee. There was then a Chantry
House, opposite the south side of the church yard, with
some 7 acres of arable land and a close in Clipsham. (fn. 81)
The chantry of St. Maur is mentioned in the
registers of Bishop Russell (1480–1494). (fn. 82)
A hermitage at Norewode, apparently in Clipsham
parish, existed c. 1227, when a chaplain was presented
to it by Roger de Cantilupe, (fn. 83) presumably as guardian
of the heir of John de Freney. (fn. 84) The rector of Clipsham gave his consent and the rights of his and the
neighbouring churches were reserved. (fn. 85)
There are no charities for this parish.