MOULTON PARK
Moulton Park, which was formerly extra-parochial,
was constituted a parish between 1851 and 1861,
although for ecclesiastical purposes it is annexed to
Moulton. It covers an area of nearly 853 acres, and
consists almost entirely of the estate owned by the
Governors of St. Andrew's Mental Hospital, Northampton, who have a branch establishment here. The land
lies fairly high, Moulton Park House standing at
418 ft., while in no part of the parish is there a level
lower than 344 ft. On the north west the property is inclosed by a stone wall, but few traces of the ancient park
remain. Leland, writing before the middle of the 16th
century, says: 'From Northampton to Kingesthorpe a
mile and a little farther by Multon Parke, enclosed with
stone, where is neately plentie of wood; it longgid a late
to the Lord Vaux, now to the Kinge. In it is no building
but a mene Lodge.' (fn. 1) By 1560 there were few or no oaks
left in the park and the wood was mostly thorn, (fn. 2) and at the
present day the old trees have disappeared and the plantations scattered over the estate are of modern growth.
In 1086 there were two small estates in Moulton,
half a hide and one virgate respectively, held of the
Countess Judith by Biscop and Hugh. (fn. 3) These small
holdings probably escheated to the overlord, and were
turned by him into a park, attached to the Castle of
Northampton, and therefore at first known as
Northampton or Moulton Park. (fn. 4) The sheriff was
ordered in 1223 to cause the park to be inclosed by
those who ought to contribute to such an undertaking, (fn. 5)
and in 1229 he was told to turn out all the beasts
except those belonging to the king, keeping enough
pasture to fatten the oxen and beasts for the royal
household in winter. (fn. 6) In 1235 an order was given to
stock the park with 20 bucks and 68 does, (fn. 7) and in 1251
the sheriff was directed to inclose or fence Moulton
Park and to certify the cost. (fn. 8) During the same year
Robert Basset, then sheriff, was appointed keeper in
the place of Robert de Mares, (fn. 9) the office in 1261 being
conferred on Alan la Zouche. (fn. 10) The expenses of repairing the walls were partly defrayed by several townships
in the county, and in 1276 the men of Roger de
Furneus in Raunds, of Henry le Scot and Ralph
de Normanvill in Cotes, of Oliver By dun and Simon de
Cotes in Little Cotes and of Richard Trayley and
Robert Punteney in Ringstead were arraigned before
the Hundred Court for neglecting for the last 16 years
to repair their share, (fn. 11) but at the same court the former
sheriff, Roger de Seyton was reprimanded for levying
22s. from the vill of Chalcombe which was not contributory, (fn. 12) and the exemption of the men of that vill
from this toll was especially recorded in 1285 in the
inquisition taken after the death of Nicholas de
Segrave. (fn. 13) The Butlers of Grimsbury, however, held
their land there of the king by the service of repairing
part of the wall whenever it was necessary, and the
portion for which they were responsible was said in
1362 to be 16 feet. (fn. 14) Sir Nicholas Lilling was appointed
keeper in 1390 (fn. 15) and during his term of office, in 1393,
the walls were thoroughly overhauled and extensive
repairs made. Two carts were employed for carrying
stones to the faulty places, and at 10d. a day cost 30s.
for 36 days, and 4 masons with 3 assistants were
employed for 45 days. (fn. 16) The office of keeper was conferred by the sovereign upon his retainers as a reward
of faithful services, (fn. 17) and in 1439 was obtained by
Robert Roos, (fn. 18) and by Sir William Hastings and Ralph
Hastings in 1462. (fn. 19) During the reign of Henry VIII,
while Sir William Parr was keeper of the park, disputes
arose with the inhabitants of the neighbouring parishes
of Kingsthorpe, Boughton, and Moulton as to the
limits of the warren of the park. (fn. 20) In 1560 the state of
the park appears to have been lamentable. The two
lodges were in such decay that one could not be repaired under £20 and the other under £10, while the
park was inclosed with a wall so low 'that neither deer
nor other beasts can be kept there', and in many parts
the wall 'lyeth wyde open, the dere thereof daylye and
nightlye go oute and fede of the corne and grasse growinge in the feildes nexte abowte adioyninge'. The wall
would cost £66 13s. 4d. to repair while 30 oaks would
not be sufficient to mend the rails and gates. At that
time there were in the park 100 deer of all sorts,
whereof 20 were antlered. (fn. 21) In 1574 it was stated that
there was a 'frebourd' round about the park, 7 ft. from
the walls and that the keepers were accustomed to cut
down the bushes growing upon it in order to stop up
the gaps in the walls and keep in the deer. (fn. 22) In 1576
Sir Christopher Hatton, afterwards Lord Chancellor,
obtained a grant in fee of the custody of the park with
the herbage and pannage (fn. 23) and at his death in 1591 it
passed, according to a settlement, to his cousin Sir
Christopher Hatton (fn. 24) who died in 1619 and was succeeded by his son, another Christopher, (fn. 25) afterwards
Lord Hatton of Kirby, who in 1634 obtained a grant
of the Park, to him and his heirs, to hold in chief of the
king for one knight's fee at a fee-farm rent of £5. (fn. 26)
During his lifetime, or that of his son Christopher, (fn. 27) the
park was sold and passed into the possession of Sir
Andrew Hackett of Moxhull, Warwickshire, who held
it in 1690, (fn. 28) and at his death in 1705 it was inherited by
his son, Lisle Hackett, (fn. 29) by whom it was sold in 1720
to William Thursby of Abington. (fn. 30) The Thursbys sold
it some time after 1767 to Thomas Powys, afterwards
Lord Lilford, of whom it was purchased about 1785
by Colonel Thomas Keating, who raised a regiment in
Northamptonshire during the American War. (fn. 31) It
apparently changed hands many times during the
19th century, and in 1871 was bought by Messrs. P. &
R. Phipps, the brewers at Northampton, who pulled
down the old house and built a plain brick house and
farm premises near its site. (fn. 32) It was afterwards acquired
by Sir John Blencowe Robinson, bart., of Kingsthorpe,
who died there in 1877, (fn. 33) and has since become the
property of the Governors of St. Andrew's Hospital.