THORPE ACHURCH
Asechurch (xi cent.), Torpe and Achirche (xii cent.),
Thorp, Asechirche (xiii cent.), Thorp Watervill,
Acherche (xiv cent.).
The parish of Thorpe Achurch lies about 5 miles
south of Oundle and covers 1,608½ acres, most of which
are laid down in grass. The land rises gradually
from the River Nene which forms the western boundary of the parish and is for the most part about
100 ft. above the ordnance datum, although it reaches
157 ft. near the church of Achurch. Along the valley
of the river the soil is alluvium and the subsoil is
formed of the great colite series, red marl and Oxford
clay.
The village of Achurch is in the northern part of
the parish and lies a little to the west of the main
road from Wellingborough and Thrapston to Oundle.
It consists of a farm and 16 cottages, the church of
St. John and the rectory, which is a picturesque
gabled stone house built about 1633, with mullioned
windows and two-storied porch. Most of the
inhabitants, however, live at Thorpe Waterville,
about a mile to the south of the church and on the
west side of the main road. Near the river here are
the remains of Thorpe Waterville Castle, built by
Walter de Langton, Bishop of Lichfield, (fn. 1) who held the
manor from 1300 to 1307 and had licence to crenellate
his house there in 1301. (fn. 2)
The castle is mentioned in 1307, after the forfeiture
of his lands, when the gate of the castle and chapel
are referred to. (fn. 3) In the next century, the castle is
regularly mentioned with the manors (q.v.) and in
1461 it was held for the Lancastrians against Edward
IV, who ordered Sir John Wenlock to besiege it with
three cannon. (fn. 4) Presumably it was more or less
destroyed at this time. A constable was appointed
certainly as late as 1485, (fn. 5) and in 1537, 'le Parke' in
the castle is mentioned. (fn. 6) About the same time
John Leland refers to the ruins of the outer wall of
the castle as he passed through the village. (fn. 7) The
castle was apparently of the type of fortified manor
house which was being built early in the 14th century.
Only a portion of this house survives, which for a long
time has been used as a barn. It is built of stone
and measures externally 70 ft. in length from north to
south, by 25 ft. 10 in. in width. This structure,
which has a plinth all round and a gable at each end,
was originally of two stories, but the upper floor has
long been removed, and wide openings (fn. 8) have been
made in the middle of the side walls. There is
evidence of a partition having run across the building
at its centre and a two-story gabled porch is said to
have stood on the east side until about a century ago. (fn. 9)
At the north end, corbelled out from the first floor,
is a chimney, the upper part of which, above the
gable, is octagonal and battlemented, and on either
side of the chimney is a circular moulded opening,
nearly 2 ft. in diameter. There is said to have been
a similarly constructed chimney at the south end. (fn. 10)
There are loop windows in the longer sides, and the
roof principals have moulded collars and kingposts.
The walls are 3 ft. thick and the roof is covered with
thatch. All the remaining architectural features are of
14th century date. Thorpe station, near the village,
is on the Northampton and Peterborough branch of
the London Midland and Scottish Railway. The
parish was inclosed by Act of Parliament in 1772. (fn. 11)
Robert Browne (1550–1630 ?), who formed the
first Independent congregations in England, was
rector of Thorpe Achurch from 1591 for 40 years.
He had, however, finished his active career as an
itinerant preacher, before Lord Burghley presented
him to the benefice. (fn. 12)
Manors
The two manors of THORPE
WATERVILLE and ACHURCH were
held together throughout their history.
In Domesday Book, both parts of the parish were
entered under the heading of 'Asechurch,' which was
then held of the Abbey of Peterborough. (fn. 13) They were
held by knight service and 8s. was due for guard of the
Castle of Rockingham. As each knight of the Abbey
of Peterborough was quit of service in the time of
peace for a payment of 4s. a year, it is probable that
the two manors were held as two knights' fees. (fn. 14) The
overlordship of Peterborough (fn. 15) is last mentioned in a
law-suit between Abbot Kirketon and Lady Margaret
Beaufort, the tenant for life, as to the rent due to
the Abbey. (fn. 16) After the Dissolution, the manors
were held in chief of the Crown. (fn. 17)
Waterville. Argent crusilly and a fesse dancetty gules.
In 1086, Ascelin and two Englishmen held 6½ hides
of land of the Abbey in Achurch, (fn. 18) but in the Northamptonshire Survey of the following century, the
Englishmen disappear and Ascelin de Waterville was
the tenant of the land in Thorpe and Achurch. (fn. 19) An
Ascelin de Waterville appears
amongst the knights of Peterborough in 1125–1128. (fn. 20) Possibly there were two Ascelins,
father and son, who succeeded
each other. After 1126, but
before 1155, Hugh de Waterville, the son of Ascelin, inherited the manors. (fn. 21) His
heir was another Ascelin, (fn. 22) but
before 1189 his son or grandson Hugh, who claimed the
office of hereditary high
steward of Peterborough, was
holding Thorpe Waterville. (fn. 23) Between 1197 and 1211,
Richard, son of the second Hugh, had succeeded. (fn. 24) He
was living in 1240 (fn. 25) and, together with his son John, his
name appears in the list of the anniversaries observed
at Peterborough Abbey. (fn. 26) John must have predeceased
his father, whose heirs were his sister Maud and
Alice. Thorpe and Achurch apparently formed part
of Maud's moiety and passed in 1241, to Reginald de
Waterville, said to be her son. (fn. 27) He joined Simon
de Montfort and his manors were forfeited on his being
taken prisoner at Northampton in 1264. He was
pardoned two years later and held his lands till his
death in 1287. (fn. 28) His heirs were the heirs of his daughters, Robert de Vere, son of Joan, Robert de Wykham,
son of Maud or Elizabeth, and his third daughter,
Margaret, the wife of Henry de Titchmarsh. (fn. 29)
Reginald appears, however, to have sold Thorpe and
Achurch to Simon de Eylesworth (Ailsworth), rector
of Thrapston, (fn. 30) who did homage and fealty to the
abbot of Peterborough for the manor of Thorpe
Waterville in 1291. (fn. 31) Simon conveyed the manors
to William de Louth, bishop of Ely (1290–8), and
he to William Tuchet, his kinsman. Tuchet conveyed
the manors to Walter de Langton, bishop of Coventry,
in exchange for lands in Leicestershire on condition
that if Tuchet were impleaded concerning the Leicestershire lands he might re-enter upon these manors. (fn. 32)
Walter de Langton seems to have obtained a confirmation of title in 1300 from Robert de Vere and
Robert de Wykham. (fn. 33) He did homage to the Abbot
in 1303. (fn. 34) After his fall in 1307, Edward II seized
his lands and granted them before 1313 to Aymer de
Valence, Earl of Pembroke, for life, but the terms of the
condition as to the Leicestershire land having come
into operation, his possession was disputed by William
Tuchet, who forced an entry by means of ladders and
seized the castle of Thorpe Waterville. (fn. 35) John de
Hotot also made claim to the manors. (fn. 36) In 1314,
the Earl, at the request of the King, granted them to
Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, receiving other lands in
exchange. (fn. 37) In 1316, the Earl of Lancaster obtained
quit-claims of their rights to the manors from the
Bishop, William Tuchet and John de Hotot. (fn. 38) In
1319 the Earl granted them to his secretary, Robert
de Holand. (fn. 39) After Lancaster's rebellion and defeat
in 1322, Holand surrendered his manors to the King,
who granted them in fee tail to Aymer de Valence
Earl of Pembroke and Mary his wife. (fn. 40) The latter,
after her husband's death in 1324, granted Thorpe
Waterville and Achurch in 1329 to Maud, widow of
Robert de Holand. (fn. 41) Her son and heir, Robert de
Holand, renewed a settlement
made by his father in 1322, by
which various remainders were
created in tail male, but the
final remainder was to the
right heirs of Robert de
Holand. (fn. 42) Robert de Holand
died in 1373 leaving a granddaughter, Maud, the wife of
John Lord Lovel, daughter of
his son Robert. (fn. 43) The manors
of Achurch and Thorpe Waterville, being settled on the heir
male of Robert the father,
passed to his nephew John Holand Duke of Exeter,
who was beheaded in 1400. The Duke's lands were
restored in 1417 to John his son, who was created
Duke of Exeter in 1444. He died in 1446, leaving a
son Henry, Duke of Exeter, who was attainted and
beheaded in 1461. (fn. 44) Edward IV granted the manors
of Achurch and Thorpe Waterville in the same year to
his sister Anne, the wife of the last Duke, first for
life, and then with remainder to the heirs of her body. (fn. 45)
The manors were held in trust on her behalf (fn. 46) and in
1477 the trustees granted them to Thomas, Marquis
of Dorset, the King's stepson, and he granted them
to his brother Richard Grey. (fn. 47) The latter died
without heirs of his body and on the accession of
Richard III, they seem to have reverted to the Crown.
Francis, Viscount Lovel, however, claimed them under
the Holand settlements of 1322 and 1331, as the right
heir of the second Robert de Holand, whose daughter
and heir married John Lovel. (fn. 48) In 1485, Lovel's
lands were forfeited and Henry VII granted Thorpe
Waterville and Achurch to his mother, Lady Margaret
Beaufort, for life. (fn. 49) On her death, they remained in
the King's hands until 1525, when Henry VIII granted
them to his illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy, Duke
of Richmond and Somerset. (fn. 50) The Duke died in
1536 (fn. 51) and the next year Thorpe Waterville and
Achurch manors were granted to Sir William FitzWilliam and his heirs male. (fn. 52) This grant must for
some reason have been revoked, since in 1544, they
were granted to Queen Katherine for life. (fn. 53) After
her death, Edward VI granted them to Sir William
Cecil, later Lord Burghley, (fn. 54) and they remained in
the possession of his descendants the Earls of Exeter,
till 1773, (fn. 55) when they were sold to Thomas Powys of
Lilford. (fn. 56) His descendant, Lord Lilford, is the lord
of the manor at the present day.
Holand. Azure powdered with fleurs de lis and a lion argent.
Cecil, Earl of Exeter. Barry of ten pieces argent and azure six scutcheons sable with a lion argent in each.
Powys, Lord Lilford. Or a lion's paw razed and bendwise between two crosslets fitchy gules.
Richard de Waterville had a grant of free warren
in his demesne lands in Thorpe in 1235. (fn. 57) The same
right was granted to William Tuchet in 1300 and to
the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield a few months
later, (fn. 58) and it was claimed by the Countess of Pembroke and her feoffee Maud de Holand. (fn. 59)
A water-mill is mentioned in 1330, and was held
with Thorpe Waterville manor. It had then been
recently reconstructed. (fn. 60) It was leased in 1519 with
other demesne lands to Miles Brykehead and his wife
Joan for 21 years (fn. 61) and is mentioned again in the grant
of the manors to Sir William Fitzwilliam. (fn. 62)
Plan of Thorpe Achurch Church.
Church
The church of ST. JOHN-THE-BAPTIST consists of chancel 32 ft. 3 in. by
16 ft. 6 in., nave 54 ft. 9 in by 19 ft.,
north and south transepts, north aisle, south porch,
and west tower surmounted by a broach spire. The
tower is 10 ft. 3 in. square and the width across the
transepts 45 ft., all these measurements being internal.
The aisle and porch are additions made in 1862, when
the church was extensively restored, and in 1912 an
organ chamber was built on the north of the chancel
against the transept; with these exceptions the building is all of one date, having been erected c. 1280–90
on a regular cruciform plan, with transeptal chapels
opening from the east end of the nave. The roofs
are all modern and covered with grey slates; the
walling is of coursed rubble with buttresses and
dressings of ashlar and having corbel tables to chancel
and nave. The aisle has a plain parapet.
The chancel is of two bays with gabled buttresses
of two stages, and east window of three trefoiled
lights, the geometrical tracery of which is a modern
copy of the original. The other windows in the
chancel are of two trefoiled lights with simple geometrical tracery, one on the north side and three on the
south, differing in detail and in part restored. At
the west end of the south wall are the remains of a
rectangular low-side window, now blocked, and
without architectural features. The walls are plastered internally and no piscina is visible, but the sill
of the easternmost window is lowered to form a
seat.
The transepts are identical in size, being 12 ft. 6 in.
in width by 10 ft. 6 in. deep, (fn. 63) and are separated from
the nave by pointed arches. The end windows are
of two lights with geometrical tracery similar to that
in the westernmost window of the chancel, but the
one on the north is wholly restored. At the east
end of the north wall of the north transept is a trefoilheaded recess, probably a piscina, but the sill is
covered. The end of the south transept is wholly
covered by the monument to Sir Thomas Powys. (fn. 64)
The windows of the nave are similar to those in the
transepts, but the tracery is modern.
The tower is of three stages, with moulded plinth
and projecting vice at the north-west angle weathering
back at the level of the bell-chamber. The spire is
carried on a trefoiled corbel table and has plain angles
and two sets of lights on each of the cardinal faces
The west doorway has a segmental head of two
moulded orders and shafted jambs; there is a single
light window over and in the stage above a tall
round-headed window. On the north and south
the lower stage is blank, but the middle is pierced by
a quatrefoil opening within a circle. The bell-chamber
windows are of two plain lancets with trefoiled circle
in the head within an enclosing arch, the hoodmould of which is continued round the tower as a
string. The tower arch is of three chamfered orders,
the inner resting on moulded corbels, the outer
dying out.
The font, which stands in the south transept, is
ancient, and consists of a plain octagonal bowl and
stem.
The church was reseated in 1862, but the pulpit,
choir stalls, and tower screen date from 1912. In the
chancel are four 18th century brass candelabra, and
in the nave is an old oak chest with three locks.
The elaborate monument to Sir Thomas Powys in
the south transept was brought here from Lilford
church after its demolition in 1778. Sir Thomas,
who died in 1719, is represented in a reclining position
in his judge's robes, below a canopy supported by
Corinthian columns; the inscription is by Matthew
Prior. There is also a blue stone floor-slab marking
the place of burial of Sir Thomas, and others in
memory of his son Thomas (d. 1719), his grandson of
the same name (d. 1767), and Ambrose Powys (d. 1753);
on the wall is a tablet to the Hon. Charles Powys,
R.N. (d. 1804) and his brother Henry killed at Badajoz
in 1812, and also a brass plate to the third Baron
Lilford (d. 1861). (fn. 65)
There are four bells, the first by Taylor and Co.,
of Loughborough, 1861, the second and third recastings by Taylor in 1898 of two bells dated
respectively 1675 and 1711 (the latter by Henry
Penn, of Peterborough), and the tenor by Thomas
Eayre of Kettering, 1735. (fn. 66) There were four bells
in 1552.
The plate consists of a silver cup, paten, and flagon
of 1669, given by Thomas Elmes to the church of
Lilford, and a silver alms dish of 1713, the gift of Sir
Thomas Powys. (fn. 67)
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (1)
baptisms, marriages, and burials, 1591–1669, with
gap from 1635 to 1644; (ii) baptisms 1670–1807,
marriages 1670–1755, burials 1671–72; (iii) burials
1678–1812; (iv) baptisms 1808–12; (v) marriages
1755–1812. The first volume contains a note by
Robert Browne, founder of the "Brownists," who
was rector for thirty years. The churchwardens'
accounts begin in 1784.
The churchyard is entered from the east through
a lych-gate erected in memory of the fourth Lord
Lilford (d. 1896).
Advowson
The advowson of the rectory of
Achurch has been held by the
tenants in demesne of the manor
since the early 13th century. Richard de Waterville presented before 1219 (fn. 68) and the advowson
accompanied all subsequent grants of the manor. (fn. 69)
In 1439, three feoffees of John, Duke of Exeter, made
the presentation and (fn. 70) in 1633 Thomas Ashton presented for one occasion. (fn. 71) Lord Lilford is the
present patron.
Charities
The church land. On the inclosure
of the commonfields in the parish an
allotment was awarded to the churchwardens in lieu of their rights in the open fields. The
allotment consists of about 18 acres of grass land and
is in the occupation of Lord Lilford at a yearly rent
of £18 which is applied to church expenses.
Richard Ragsdale by will 30 Jan. 1711, gave 20s.
yearly to the poor. This is paid out of land belonging
to Lord Lilford and applied by the Rector in aid of
the Village Coal Club.