BOUGHTON
Buchenho, Buchetone, Buchedone, Bochetone (xi
cent.); Boketon, Buketone, Buckton (xii–xv cent.).
Boughton is a parish covering an area of 2,060 acres.
The soil is marl and clay with a subsoil of stone, while
the chief crops are wheat, barley, and beans. The
parish, which is heart-shaped, is crossed from north to
south by the road running from Northampton to Market
Harborough, which skirts Boughton Park, the property
of Mr. Frank Panther. Baker, writing about 1820,
describes Boughton House (fn. 1) as 'nearly levelled with the
ground', (fn. 2) but gives a view made from a sketch of about
thirty years before, (fn. 3) which shows a gabled building
enclosing three sides of a quadrangle. (fn. 4) The park and
adjacent grounds were well wooded and interspersed
with temples, triumphal arches, and artificial ruins. (fn. 5)
No remains of the old house are left. The present
house, called Boughton Park, to distinguish it from the
Duke of Buccleuch's seat near Kettering, was built
about 1844 by Lt.-Gen. R. W. H. Howard-Vyse. The
village of Boughton lies to the east of the park and
contains a house, formerly the residence of Captain
Whyte-Melville, who wrote many of his novels here.
In the village are a number of 17th-century thatched
houses, on one of which, south-west of the church, is
a tablet inscribed 'Ano. Dom. 1639, t.h., a.h.' A
monument was erected in Boughton parish in 1764 in
memory of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, in the form of a masonry obelisk. The inscription
which it originally bore has been removed. (fn. 6) The old
ruined church of St. John the Baptist stands about a
mile east of the village on the green where the fair
was held since at least the middle of the 14th century.
This famous green is most picturesque in appearance,
with an undulating surface caused partly by extensive
quarrying, the remains of several old pits being found
in the neighbourhood. The sandy ground is riddled
with rabbit holes. The keeper of Moulton Park used
to claim free warren in Boughton fields, a right which
was stoutly resisted by the inhabitants. Thos. Aylmer,
the bailiff of Boughton in 1531, used to keep greyhounds and ferrets in his house and 'wold never rydde
between Northampton and Buckton but that he wold
have his cross-bowe hangyng at his sadle bowe with
hym, to the intent to kyll conyes by the waye'. Even
the chantry priest, Sir John Chene, in the reign of
Richard III was accused at his own chantry door of
hunting in the warren; and the rabbits invaded the
churchyard itself, making the place so dangerous that
the inhabitants were afraid to go to mass for fear of
breaking their necks. It was said that the bones dug up
by the conies would fill a scuttle and 'that a man can
go skantly in a corner of yt but he shall fynde it full of
dead mennes bones, a thing most pytyous to be seen'.
One of the parishioners stated that a 'great number of
conyes have so underminded the church yarde of
Bouckton that it wold abhorre any Crystiane manys
harte in the world to see it'. (fn. 7)
The parish is well watered with springs, one of
which, known as St. John the Baptist's Spring, rises
in the old churchyard on the green. A branch of the
River Nene flows on the north through Boughton
Park, while a larger branch of the river forms the
western boundary and is crossed several times in its
course through the parish by the L.M.S. railway. A
road connecting the village with Church and Chapel
Brampton descends from 343 ft. to 221 ft., where it
crosses the line at Boughton level crossing, the lowest
lying ground in the parish being situated here. The mill
stands almost a quarter of a mile farther upstream. The
highest ground is found to the north and north-east of
the parish where an altitude of 418 ft. is reached. There
is a Methodist chapel in the village.
The parish has been inclosed under an act passed in
1756. (fn. 8)
Manor
William the Conqueror bestowed most of
the land in BOUGHTON upon his niece,
the Countess Judith, and the overlordship
remained vested in the holders of the honor of Huntingdon of which the descent is traced under Yardley
Hastings (q.v.).
Green. Azure three bucks or.
One of the under-tenants of the countess in 1086
was the Norman abbey of St. Wandrille who held
3 hides less half a virgate, bestowed upon them by the
countess; (fn. 9) by the 12th century this estate had increased
to 3 hides and 3 small virgates, (fn. 10) probably by the addition of 3 virgates held of the countess at the Domesday
Survey by 4 socmen. (fn. 11) It was worth 110s. in 1207, and
was appropriated by John for the time being with the
lands of other Norman holders, (fn. 12) but was regained by
the abbey, whose abbot William de Nutricilla, in the
reign of Edward I, conveyed it to John de Boughton, (fn. 13)
who already owned land in Boughton by inheritance. (fn. 14)
From John it passed to his son, another John; (fn. 15) and to
the latter's son Thomas, (fn. 16) against whom and his mother
Juliana, William, Abbot of St. Wandrille, brought an
action in 1330 claiming that as the estate had belonged
to the abbey by virtue of the Prebend of Uphaven, in
the diocese of Salisbury, and that as the consent of the
dean and chapter had not been obtained, the alienation
of the manor by William de Nutricilla was not valid.
The abbot, however, failed to prosecute and judgement
was given for Thomas, (fn. 17) who in the same year successfully claimed view of frankpledge in his manor of Boughton, on prescription; he was sheriff (fn. 18) for Northants.
in 1331, 1334, and 1343. In 1337 the abbey of St.
Wandrille was absolved by the Pope from the penalty
it had incurred by selling the Boughton estate without
licence from the bishop, and the tenure of the Boughton
family was thus rendered more secure. (fn. 19) Three years
afterwards, however, Sir Thomas de Boughton and
Joan his wife sold the reversion of the manor to Henry
Green of Isham, junior, (fn. 20) in whose family it remained
for many years. (fn. 21) Henry Green was knighted in 1354
and in 1361 was appointed chief justice of the King's
Bench, from which he was removed in 1365; (fn. 22) he died
in 1369 and was succeeded in his
Boughton estates by Thomas, his
son by his first wife; Drayton,
which he had acquired from Sir
John Drayton, brother of his
second wife Catherine, being settled on Henry his son by her. (fn. 23)
Sir Thomas, who died in 1391, (fn. 24)
was succeeded by his son another
Sir Thomas, Sheriff of Northants.
in 1417, in which year he died. (fn. 25)
His widow Mary died in 1433, (fn. 26)
when their son, another Sir Thomas, came into possession of the whole manor. (fn. 27) The manor passed from him
to his son, grandson, and great-grandson, all of whom
were called Thomas, (fn. 28) but the sixth and last Thomas
died in 1506, without male heirs, when his property
passed to his two daughters Anne and Maud. (fn. 29) During
their minority the estate was claimed by the Bishop of
Winchester and others, (fn. 30) but this was probably only a
question of guardianship, as in 1512 a division of the
property was made between Nicholas Vaux and Anne his
wife and Thomas Parr and Maud his wife (fn. 31) by which
Anne appears to have acquired Boughton Manor. She
predeceased her husband, who died in 1523, (fn. 32) shortly
after his elevation to the peerage as Lord Vaux of Harrowden, (fn. 33) when their son Thomas inherited the manor. (fn. 34)
During his life it appears to have been leased out to
Richard Humphrey, after whose death it was the cause
of a dispute between his stepson Augustus Crispe and his
nephew Thomas Stafford, (fn. 35) but the manor shortly returned to the Vaux family, passing to Thomas's son
William, and to the latter's grandson Edward, (fn. 36) who married Elizabeth widow of William Knollys Earl of Banbury. (fn. 37) Edward Vaux died in 1661 without legitimate
issue, having settled the manor on his stepson Nicholas
Vaux or Knollys, sometimes called Earl of Banbury. (fn. 38)
By his first wife, Isabel, Nicholas had one daughter Anne
who married Sir John Briscoe and by his second wife,
Anne, on whom he settled Boughton on his marriage
with her in 1655, (fn. 39) a son Charles who succeeded his
father in 1674. (fn. 40) Charles apparently sold Boughton to
Sir John Briscoe, the husband of his half-sister Anne,
who mortgaged it to Lord Ashburnham, and the latter
in 1717 sold it with Pitsford to Thomas Wentworth,
Earl of Strafford. (fn. 41) Lord Strafford died in 1739 and
his son William died without issue in 1791, when this
property was inherited by his sisters and co-heirs or their
descendants, Anne wife of the Right Honourable
William Conolly, Lucy wife of
Sir George Howard, and Henrietta wife of Henry Vernon, as
tenants in common, (fn. 42) but as they
were anxious to hold their shares
in severalty they obtained an Act
of Parliament in 1795 by which
Boughton and Pitsford were
assigned to Richard William
Howard-Vyse, a minor, son of
Major-General Howard-Vyse
and Anne daughter and heir of
Lucy Wentworth and Sir George
Howard. (fn. 43) The manor has remained in the Howard-Vyse
family, (fn. 44) the present owner being
Major-Gen. Sir Richard Granville Howard-Vyse.
Howard-Vyse. Argent a hart's head cabossed sable with a cross sable between the attires, for Vyse, quartered with Howard.
The Boughton family, who obtained the Manor of
Boughton in the reign of Edward I, were already
holders of land there, and their estate may have
originated in the virgate held in 1086 of Countess
Judith by Robert. (fn. 45) The first of this family of whom
any record remains was William, who was succeeded
by a son Richard, whose son Alexander was a benefactor
both to St. Andrew's Priory, Northampton, and to the
Hospital of the Holy Trinity, Kingsthorpe. (fn. 46) He died
before 1211, leaving a widow Margaret (fn. 47) and two sons,
William who died without issue and Walter (fn. 48) who died
before 1284. (fn. 49) Walter was succeeded by his son John, (fn. 50)
who purchased Boughton manor from St. Wandrille
Abbey, when their holding became absorbed in the
manor; it is doubtful if it had acquired the legal status
of a manor, although Walter is sometimes styled lord
of Boughton.
Boughton Green was long associated with a fair,
held annually, at least since it was granted to Henry
Green in 1350, on the vigil, day, and morrow of
St. John the Baptist; (fn. 51) it used to be famed for brooms
and wooden-ware, and the last day was given up to
wrestling and other forms of sport, but during the last
years of its existence it consisted merely of a large horseand cattle-fair and lost its social character. It was abolished during the War (1914–18); the horses formerly
sold at Boughton are now sent to the cattle-market at
Northampton; and the green has since been enclosed.
It was always attached to the manor, and when sold with
it in 1717 was estimated at a yearly value of £50. (fn. 52)
In 1086 Gerard held of the Countess Judith half a
virgate of land in Boughton (fn. 53) which may have passed
to the Prestons, lords of Little Billing Manor, for in
1233 Gilbert de Preston was concerned in a dispute
over 2 virgates of land in Boughton. (fn. 54) This holding
followed a descent similar to that of Little Billing
Manor (q.v.), (fn. 55) but was retained by Laurence de
Preston when he alienated Billing, passing from him to
his son Laurence whose widow Agnes detained it as
dower in 1349 and afterwards to their son Thomas. (fn. 56)
As tenants under the Prestons were the Boughton
family, who held 1 virgate of land rendering 17s. 10d.
yearly and 2 virgates by foreign service. (fn. 57) In the division
of property in 1274 between Laurence de Preston and
Alice, the widow of Gilbert, the land in Boughton fell
to Alice, (fn. 58) but after this date there is no further mention
of the under-tenancy of the Boughtons.
Other lands held of the honor of Huntingdon were
those in the possession of the Daubeny family; William
Daubeny died seised of land in Boughton c. 1264, (fn. 59) and
in 1282 this holding was said to amount to 32 virgates. (fn. 60)
It may have been afterwards acquired by the lords of
the chief manor for there is no further trace of it.
Robert de Buci held 3 virgates of land less 1 bovate
of the king in chief in 1086, (fn. 61) and this estate may have
passed to the Bassets of Weldon, who owned land there
in 1240. (fn. 62) The under-tenant at the Survey was Robert,
and in 1242 Simon le Sauvage (fn. 63) and 'his partners' held
a quarter fee in Spratton, Boughton, and Creaton under
the Bassets. (fn. 64) In 1284 Ralph Danvers held 7 virgates
of Robert de Tateshall who held them of Ralph Basset, (fn. 65)
but after this date there is no record of the Basset
holding in Boughton.
Another holder in Boughton in 1086 was Godwin
the priest, who held 1½ virgates there of the king in
chief: (fn. 66) there is no further record of this estate.
A MILL in Boughton which Alexander de Boughton
held of the fee of William de Dive was granted by him
to the Hospital of the Holy Trinity at Kingsthorpe at
the beginning of the 13th century, (fn. 67) and the gift was
soon afterwards augmented by the addition of land
and the mill-pond (fn. 68) and confirmed in 1211 by Margaret,
Alexander's widow. (fn. 69) In 1398 it was leased by the
hospital, under the name of a fulling-mill, 'delapidated
and ruinous', to Robert Douceamour, parson of Scaldwell, and William Mackus of Kislingbury. (fn. 70) It was
apparently reconverted to a corn-mill, as at the view of
frankpledge held in 1509 it was stated that John
Hopkins, the miller, took excessive toll. (fn. 71) In 1535 the
yearly value of the mill was £4 15s. 8d., of which
2s. 8d. was paid to Thomas Vaux Lord Harrowden as
rent. (fn. 72) It was granted out by Philip and Mary in 1558
with all the possessions of the dissolved hospital to the
Master of the Hospital of the Savoy, (fn. 73) by whom it was
afterward leased with other tenements to the Vaux
family, lords of the manor, for a lease of 3 lives. (fn. 74) The
interest in the lease was conveyed by John Lord Ashburnham to Thomas Wentworth Earl of Strafford
with the manor in 1717, (fn. 75) but as by that date the Savoy
Hospital had already been dissolved for a few years, (fn. 76)
it is probable that Lord Strafford acquired full possession, as the mill has remained attached to the manor.
When it changed hands in 1717 it was described as a
paper-mill in the tenure of Mr. Allen, who paid for it,
the Holms, and the arable ground belonging, an annual
rent of £20, but shortly before 1820 it was converted
into a corn-mill. (fn. 77) It is situated on the branch of the
Nene which divides Boughton from Brampton and
which is crossed about a quarter of a mile lower down
by a bridge of some antiquity, known as Brampton
Bridge or the Long-bridge. At a manor court held in
1509 all the tenants were ordered to repair the bridge
called 'le Long Brigge'; (fn. 78) at the present day the burden of
keeping the bridge in a good condition falls upon the
two parishes alike.
The Hospital of the Holy Trinity and St. David
owned a good deal of land in Boughton chiefly by gift
from the de Boughton family; Alexander de Boughton
gave them, among other gifts, land adjoining a meadow
called Thadchesholdon, pasture for 12 score sheep and
a messuage held by Ailric the miller. (fn. 79) William his son
bestowed upon them rents and a capital messuage. (fn. 80)
Other members of this family who were also benefactors were Simon son of Peter, Walter son of Ralph,
Simon son of Oger, Reynold son of Niel, and William and Philip sons of Walter. (fn. 81) Richard de Bollessore,
the master, claimed common pasture in Boughton in
1367, (fn. 82) and in 1394 granted lands in Boughton, part of
which were called Bekemanwell, to Thomas Bollessore
and Alice his wife. (fn. 83) The possessions of the Hospital in
Boughton were granted to the Savoy Hospital in 1558 (fn. 84)
and were held by it until its own dissolution in 1702. (fn. 85)
The de Boughton family were also benefactors to
St. Andrew's Priory. Alexander gave them a messuage (fn. 86)
and Simon son of Oger, a member of the family, bestowed a virgate and house upon them, (fn. 87) a gift which
was confirmed by his son Philip. (fn. 88) Their possessions in
Boughton included 1 virgate, 2 houses, half an acre of
land in Stonedalesike and half an acre above Bernway
pits, (fn. 89) and in 1290 these were valued at 15s. (fn. 90) John a
descendant of Philip confirmed these lands, (fn. 91) and in
1319 Thomas son of Thomas of Boughton, his successor, held them on lease under the priory yearly. (fn. 92)
They were worth 119s. 6d. in 1443 (fn. 93) after which date
there is no trace of them.
Churches
The ruins of the old church of ST.
JOHN stand to the north-east of
Boughton Green on a site which falls
from west to east. The building consisted of chancel,
north chapel, nave, and west tower with spire and was
of 14th-century date, (fn. 94) but the remains have long been
neglected and are undergoing a gradual process of disintegration by the agency of weather and the unchecked
growth of ivy. The site is thickly overgrown and at the
west end is a confused mass of rubble, broken gravestones, brambles, and nettles. Where the walls stand
to any height their architectural features are generally
hidden by ivy. Bridges, early in the 18th century,
described the building as then 'in ruins, without a roof,
the walls in several parts levelled with the ground', (fn. 95) but
the tower and spire stood till about 1785. A drawing
of the church from the south-east made in 1761 and
engraved for Grose's 'Antiquities', (fn. 96) shows a tower of
three stages with diagonal angle buttresses, pointed
bell-chamber windows, each of two lights, and a spire
rising from behind battlemented parapets. The walls
of the nave were then standing to a considerable height
and the east wall of the chapel retained its gable, but
in other respects the state of the ruin seems to have
been almost as complete as at the present time. There
were three pointed two-light windows in the south wall.
The nave and chancel appear to have been continuous and the chancel had two large three-light east
windows with a buttress between, over which was a
single vesica-shaped opening. The walls of the chancel
still stand almost their full height and both the window
openings remain, but the arch of the northern window
and all the mullions and tracery are gone: between the
windows internally is a canopied niche. The building
is 28 ft. wide inside at the east end (fn. 97) and has a moulded
plinth and diagonal angle buttresses. The piscina remains in the usual position in the south wall of the
chancel, and farther west is a large low-side window, (fn. 98)
now blocked, with cinquefoiled square head, hoodmould, and wide segmental rear arch. The south
chancel wall stands a considerable height for a length
of about 33 ft. and for a further distance of 15 ft.
westward is about three or four courses high. All the
walling is of rubble.
The chapel opened from the north side of the
chancel by an arch about 10 ft. from the east end, and
had east and west windows. It measures internally
23 ft. by 16 ft. and has a diagonal north-east angle
buttress, but though much of its walling still stands it
is completely hidden by ivy. Its east window has a
flat wooden lintel.
The tower and west end of the building are level
with the ground. The churchyard is still used for
burials and is surrounded by a modern fence wall and
railing, with gateway on the west. Immediately outside the eastern wall of the chancel is a spring.
The chapel of ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, now
the parish church, stands in the village on the north
side of the main street, and consists of a rectangular
body, 68 ft. 6 in. by 27 ft. 6 in., small vestry, and west
tower, 8 ft. 10 in. square, these measurements being
internal. The tower dates from c. 1400, but is the only
part of the original building that remains, the body
having been rebuilt and enlarged (fn. 99) in 1806, and again
in 1846 when the vestry was added. An extensive
restoration in 1894 included the re-roofing and re-flooring of the church, the removal of a west gallery and the
opening out of the tower arch. The early-19th-century
enlargement consisted of a widening on the north side,
but the line of the old nave roof remains over the tower
arch. The south wall and tower face directly on to the
street. A school-house was built at right angles to the
tower on the north side in 1841. (fn. 100)
The body of the church is faced with coursed ironstone, and has plain parapets and low-pitched zinccovered roof. All the windows are square-headed, that
at the east end and one on the north side being of three
uncusped lights, the others of two lights. There is also
a two-light window high at the west end of the south
wall over the doorway, which formerly served the
gallery. The four-centred head of the doorway is old. (fn. 101)
Over the east window is the date 1846, and a panel
inscribed 'e.m., i.y., 1702' is inserted over the threelight window in the north wall.
The tower is of rubble, of four stages, with diagonal
angle buttresses and battlemented parapets. The
pointed west doorway has mouldings divided by a
casement, and the restored west window and the windows of the bell-chamber are of two cinquefoiled lights
with quatrefoil in the head. In the third stage facing
west is a panel inscribed 'This was repaired in the year
of our Lord 1653'. There is a vice in the south-west
angle. The two-centred segmental tower arch is of two
chamfered orders, with hood-mould, the outer order
continued down the jambs.
The font, pulpit, (fn. 102) and all the fittings are modern.
On the north wall is a tablet to Mary, wife of Col. E.
Mandeville Mortimore and eldest daughter of Sir John
Briscoe, who died 10 March 1706, (fn. 103) and in the choir
are brass plates in memory of (1) Lilly Anne, wife of the
Rev. G. S. Howard-Vyse (d. 1869) and Lieut. Harry
Granville Lindsay Howard-Vyse, killed in action in
Egypt, 1882, and (2) Major Granville William
Richard Howard-Vyse, who died in Kashmir, 1892.
Three bells then in the tower were recast in 1907
by James Barwell, of Birmingham, who added two new
ones, making the present ring of five. (fn. 104)
The plate consists of a silver cup, paten, and flagon,
Birmingham make, of 1854, a plated bread-holder, and
two brass alms dishes. (fn. 105)
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) baptisms 1549–1767, marriages 1559–1754, burials
1560–1767; (ii) baptisms and burials 1767–1812;
(iii) marriages 1754–1812. (fn. 106)
Advowson
The church of Boughton is not
mentioned until 1201, when the
advowson was in dispute between
Alexander de Boughton, Simon de Boughton, Simon
son of Oger and Hugh de Anvers. (fn. 107) In 1202 Alexander
de Boughton recovered the advowson against Simon de
Houghton on the ground that his grandfather William
had presented the last person to the church. (fn. 108) The right
of presentation belonged to the de Boughton family and
descended with the chief manor, Major-Gen. HowardVyse being patron at the present day. The tenure of
the de Boughton family and of Sir Henry Green later,
however, was contested by the Prestons, who claimed
the advowson as appurtenant to their fee in Boughton.
In 1273 it was included among the possessions of
Gilbert Preston (fn. 109) and it was recovered in 1276 by Alice
his widow against Laurence, his nephew and heir, (fn. 110) who
in 1294 was sued by John de Boughton, then lord of
the manor, for wrongfully exercising that right. (fn. 111) Notwithstanding this, Laurence settled the presentation on
himself and his son Laurence, after his death; (fn. 112) and Sir
Henry Green, who purchased the reversion of the manor
in 1340, (fn. 113) conceiving the advowson to be appendant,
brought an action against Sir Thomas de Preston in
1350, after the death of Sir Thomas and Joan de
Boughton. Judgement was given for Sir Henry Green
and damages were awarded him, being the value of the
church for the past two years, during which a nominee
of Sir Thomas had held the living. (fn. 114) After this date the
lords of the manor continued in undisturbed possession;
but Anne, the widow of Richard Humphrey, and
Augustus Crispe presented in 1551, 1554, and 1559
when they were holding the manor on lease. (fn. 115) In 1254, (fn. 116)
and in 1291 (fn. 117) the church was valued at £6 and in 1535
the rectory was worth £21 per annum. (fn. 118) In 1364 the
Pope granted an indulgence of 1 year and 40 days to
those who assisted the church of Boughton, in which
many miracles of healing were wrought. (fn. 119)
Even before the parish church became quite ruinous
in the 18th century its place was taken by a chapel in
the village, the present church, for in 1547 the chantry
commissioners noted that 'it is to be remembered that
there ys one chapell situated within the town of Boughton, wherein comonly the said ii prestes do celebrate
for the ease of the parishioners, for the parish churche is
distant iii pts. of a myle from ye towne or any house'. (fn. 120)
When, in 1257, Adam Russel and Alice his wife
quitclaimed land in Boughton to Peter son of Roger de
Boughton for the rent of supplying to the chaplain
ministering daily in the chapel of St. John ½d. towards
the support of the common light, (fn. 121) it is probable that the
reference is to the parish church, but the chapel seems
to be referred to in 1329 when licence was given for the
continuation for a year of the chapel of St. Thomas the
Martyr, built of old times. (fn. 122) This chapel probably
originated in a chantry of uncertain foundation. In
1535 Richard Taylor and William Russell were the
chantry priests there and the yearly value, which was
£10, was divided between them as salary (fn. 123) and when it
was dissolved and the priests pensioned in 1547–8,
there were no jewels or ornaments belonging to it. (fn. 124)
Part of the chantry's possessions, 10s., the rent of one
cottage in Northampton, was claimed by the Crown in
1558 against Richard Hanington. These premises were
devised to the two chantry priests in 1460 for a term of
years which had expired by 1558 and Richard Hanington claimed them as heir to Anne Hanington, widow. (fn. 125)
Charities
The Charity of Richard Humfrey,
or Humphrey, founded by will dated
30 November 1547 is regulated by a
Scheme of the Charity Commissioners dated 14 April
1924. The property originally consisted of 3 cottages
and about 50 acres of land in Pitsford. The cottages
and land have been sold and the proceeds invested.
The sum of £522 9s. 4d. is held to the account of the
Church Extraordinary Repair Fund. The remaining
stocks produce about £190 annually in dividends. The
trustees are the rector and churchwardens, 2 trustees
appointed by the parish meeting and 4 co-optative.
The Earl of Strafford's Charity consists of a yearly
sum of £5 paid by Major-Gen. Howard-Vyse out of
lands at Boughton and Pitsford which formerly belonged
to the Earls of Strafford. The charity is distributed in
fuel to poor householders.