OLD alias WOLD
Walda, Walde (xi cent.); Waud, Waude, Wauld
(xiii cent.); Wolde, Welde (xiv cent.); Olde, Woold,
Owlde, Wold or Old (xvi cent.).
The parish of Wold (fn. 1) contains 2,076 acres and is
situated between 300 and 400 ft. above the ordnance
datum. The subsoil is stone, and the soil on the north
side is a cold black clay, on the south, red clay and
gravel. The chief crops are wheat and barley, and some
of the land is devoted to pasture. There are several
natural springs in the parish. The population in 1931
was 291.
Manors
At the time of the Domesday Survey 2 hides and
3½ virgates of land in Wold and Walgrave belonged to
Faxton manor. It seems probable that the 25/8 hides
held by Aubrey de Vere of the Bishop of Coutances,
given in Domesday Book under Wadenhoe, were
actually in Wold, for at the time of the
Northamptonshire Survey (12th cent.)
Aubrey de Vere held there 4 hides and 4
virgates of the fee of Oxford. (fn. 2) The next mention of
WOLD occurs on the Pipe Roll of 1191, when Osbert
de Glanvill owed to Aaron the Jew of Lincoln £40 for
his land there. (fn. 3)
Osbert's son Ranulf, who was a minor in 1199 (fn. 4) but
apparently came of age before 1201 (fn. 5) and died shortly
afterwards, seems to have left three daughters: Isabel,
mother of William St. Leger (fn. 6) and (? subsequently) wife
of William Mauduit; (fn. 7) Christiane (fn. 8) wife of William of
All Saints; and Margery, who died without issue. (fn. 9) In
1235 two fees in Wold were held of the Earl of
Oxford by Walter St. Leger, William of All Saints,
Robert de Hastings, and Jordan le Breton; (fn. 10) and seven
years later each of these held half a fee, except that
William of All Saints was replaced by Robert Rote and
Christiane his wife, (fn. 11) obviously the widow of William.
Walter's lands were seized by the Crown in 1244
among other 'lands of Normans' and he himself died
about the same time. Before this he had leased his land
in Wold to William Gaugy of Northampton, who then
obtained a confirmation of his
lease from the king (fn. 12) but in
1245 was induced to surrender
his lease to William St. Leger
for 27 marks, to be paid in
yearly instalments. (fn. 13) In 1247
William held 12 virgates, formerly Walter's, worth £7, (fn. 14)
and at some date before May
1251 he transferred his estate
in Wold to William son of
Geoffrey St. Leger, lord of
Fairlight in Sussex, (fn. 15) to whom
the king granted right of free
warren here in 1254. (fn. 16) Two
years later the king states that
he had promised that if he could
recover the land of William (fn. 17)
St. Leger, a Norman, in Wold,
he would give it to (this) William, and that he has recovered
in his court against Philip son
of Robert one rood of land,
which he orders shall be
handed over to William St.
Leger. (fn. 18) Alice, widow of
Robert de Beauchamp, and probably daughter of
William, succeeded to the St. Leger fee of Fairlight, (fn. 19)
and the heirs of Alice de Beauchamp are similarly found
holding in Wold in 1284; (fn. 20) and in both counties the
next tenant is James de Audely, who held at Fairlight
in 1300 (fn. 21) and at Wold in 1316. (fn. 22) William 'Daudele',
who held the half fee in 1360, (fn. 23) died in November
1365, leaving the manor to his wife Joan for life with
remainder to his brother Thomas. (fn. 24) Joan died in 1383
and, Thomas having predeceased her, the lands were
inherited by his daughter Elizabeth, then aged 14. (fn. 25)
The manor seems to have passed by marriage into the
family of St. Clere of Little Preston, (fn. 26) and was held by
Thomas St. Clere at the time of his death in October
1416. (fn. 27) His heir Philip died without issue and was
succeeded by his cousin Thomas, who levied a fine of
the reversion of the manor, then held for life by John
Nelond and Margaret his wife, in 1429. (fn. 28) As one of
the daughters and co-heirs of Thomas married Sir John
Gage (fn. 29) it seems possible that this was the 'Gawgis
manor' (fn. 30) in Wold which was in the hands of William
Catesby when he was attainted in 1485 and was granted
four years later to Sir David Owen. (fn. 31) John Owen, his
second son, who had married a daughter of Sir Richard
Catesby, (fn. 32) had the manor by 1558, when he sold it to
Gregory Isham of Braunston. (fn. 33) Gregory died in September of that year, leaving a son Euseby, and this
manor has remained in the Isham family, Sir Vere
Isham, bart., being the present owner.
Old: The Village
The half fee held by William of All Saints in 1235
had passed by 1245 into the hands of William Gaugy,
who in that year granted it to his son John, retaining
a life interest in it. (fn. 34) Possibly Walter St. Leger had
acquired this fee and it was this, and not the St. Leger
half fee, which he leased to William Gaugy, as already
mentioned. Roger of All Saints, son of William and
Christiane, was claiming a half fee here in 1260 against
William St. Leger, (fn. 35) and his grandson (fn. 36) Ralph still held
land in the parish in 1330. (fn. 37) From John Gaugy, who was
holding in 1284, (fn. 38) the half fee apparently descended to
Philip Gaugy, in 1332. (fn. 39) This may be the half fee held
of the Earl of Oxford by the heirs of Thomas Carnell
in 1360, (fn. 40) and by the heirs of William Carnels in
1371 (fn. 41) and of William de la Kervell (sic) in 1428. (fn. 42)
William de la Carnail, died in 1349 seised of 40s.
worth of land and rent in Wold held of the Earl of
Oxford. (fn. 43) His daughter and heir Maud was then
aged 1 year. Eventually she married Robert Holdenby
of Holdenby, who held the 'manor' in 1375. (fn. 44) On his
death in June 1411 he was succeeded by his son John,
from whom the manor passed to his second son John.
He was succeeded by his son William, (fn. 45) whose son
William died seised of a sixth of a knight's fee in Wold
held of the Earl of Oxford in July 1498. His son and
heir John was then about 10 years old. (fn. 46) He died
without surviving male issue, and on the death of his
wife Joyce in 1511 the manor passed to Elizabeth
Giles, the sister of William Holdenby. (fn. 47) Elizabeth
married as her first husband Henry Hatton, and was
succeeded by her son George Hatton. By 1532 he had
been succeeded by his son William, (fn. 48) who died in 1546
when the manor passed to his sons Francis, who died
without male issue, and Sir Christopher Hatton successively. On the death of Sir Christopher in 1591
his property was left to Sir William Newport alias
Hatton, the son of his sister Dorothy by John Newport,
with remainder to John Hatton, his cousin-german.
Sir William died without male issue in March 1597
and was succeeded by Sir Christopher, son of John
Hatton, (fn. 49) but the manor is not mentioned among his
lands at his death in 1619. (fn. 50)
John Malory of Welton held a manor of Wold in
1427, (fn. 51) to which his daughter Eleanor, wife of Sir John
Bernard of Isleham (co. Cambs.), had succeeded by
1437. (fn. 52) Her daughter Margaret married Thomas
Peyton and their son Thomas about 1484 sold the
manor of Welton, and probably that of Wold, to
William Catesby. (fn. 53) After his attainder 'Peyton's
manor' in Welton and 'Gawgis manor' in Wold, as
already mentioned, were given to Sir David Owen.
The half fee of Jordan le Breton was held in 1284
by Hugh le Breton (fn. 54) and in 1332 by John. (fn. 55) It had
passed by 1371 to the heirs of Robert 'Bret', (fn. 56) and by
1428 the estate had become split up into a number of
small tenancies. (fn. 57)
Henry son of Robert de Hastings in 1285 gave the
advowson of the church of Wold to Theobald son of
Sir Philip son of Sir Robert de Pitsford, (fn. 58) and he at
once transferred it with 100s. of rent in Wold to his
brother William de Landwathe. (fn. 59) Bridges, (fn. 60) quoting
Knightley deeds, says that Aubrey de Vere, Earl of
Oxford, had given Langwath in Wold to Sir Robert de
Pitsford as one knight's fee and that his son Philip was
father of William de Landwathe, who married Isabel
daughter of Sir Nicholas de Withmale. There is no
further trace of this knight's fee, but in 1284 William
de Landwathe replaces Robert de Hastings as the
fourth tenant of the two fees. (fn. 61) His son John (fn. 62) held in
1316 (fn. 63) and 1332 (fn. 64) and Andrew Landwath held half
a fee there in 1360, (fn. 65) but at his death, lacking male
issue, it descended to his daughter Isabel, the wife of
William Harrowden of Harrowden. (fn. 66) She was succeeded by her son William who was holding part of
the half fee in 1428 (fn. 67) and died in 1423, (fn. 68) his heir being
his son William by his wife Margaret daughter and
heir of Sir Giles de St. John of Plumpton. (fn. 69) William
Harrowden died in 1447, (fn. 70) and the manor remained
in the possession of his wife Margaret during her lifetime, but on her death in 1486 passed to her daughter
Margery, (fn. 71) who was twice married, first to Henry
Skennard and secondly to William Garnon. Her
successor was Joan, the child of her first marriage
and wife of Sir Richard Knightley of Fawsley. (fn. 72) On
her death in 1539 her third and eldest surviving son,
Sir Edmund Knightley, inherited KNIGHTLET'S
MANOR in Wold. In April 1542 he gave all his land
in Wold to the king in exchange for other property. (fn. 73)
From the king Knightley's Manor passed to Thomas
Reeve of London and Giles Isham, who sold it to
Thomas Dallison. (fn. 74) He died in April 1562 and was
succeeded by his son Edward. (fn. 75) In 1608 Thomas
Dexter died seised of the manor, leaving it to his wife
Elizabeth during her lifetime, with remainder to their
son Stephen and his son Gregory. Stephen was at that
time 50 years old. (fn. 76)
In March 1497 John Smith died seised of a manor
in Wold, which he held of the Earl of Oxford in socage.
From the descent of the advowson it appears probable
that he had acquired this manor by marriage with a
Harrowden. He was succeeded by his cousin Margaret,
the wife of Thomas Spencer, (fn. 77) who at her husband's
death married Edmund Belcher. On her death in
March 1501 (fn. 78) the manor passed to her son William
Spencer. He married Agnes, daughter and heir of
Thomas Heritage, and their son Thomas succeeded
to the manor in 1531. (fn. 79) Thomas Spencer married
Dorothy, daughter of Sir William Spencer of Althorp,
and on his death in 1576 the manor passed to his third
and eldest surviving son William, who conveyed it to
John Cotton, Anthony Roper, and three others early
in 1577. (fn. 80)
Land in Wold was also held of the honor of
Huntingdon as part of a quarter fee in Wold and
Holcot (q.v.).
Church
The church of ST. ANDREW stands
on the south side of the village, and consists of chancel 28 ft. 4 in. by 17 ft. 9 in.,
clerestoried nave of four bays 52 ft. 6 in. by 24 ft. 3 in.,
south aisle 13 ft. 6 in. wide, north porch, and west
tower 13 ft. by 12 ft. 2 in., all these measurements
being internal.
The building was extensively restored in 1874–5,
when the chancel was almost entirely modernized and
a vestry and organ-chamber added, one on either side.
The restoration also included the removal of a west
gallery and the stripping of the plaster from the walls
inside, new roofs to chancel and aisle, and the renovation of the fine 15th-century roof of the nave.
No part of the existing building is older than the
latter part of the 13th century, to which period the
south doorway and a piscina and aumbry at the east
end of the aisle belong: three windows with forked
mullions in the aisle are little if any later in date, but
whether any of these features is in its original position
is uncertain. If the 13th-century church had an aisle
it would be narrower than at present, but the east end
may represent a chantry chapel, to the depth of which
the aisle was afterwards widened. The tower is of the
latter part of the 14th century and the chancel may have
been rebuilt in its present form at the same time, but no
ancient features remain. The chancel arch, however, is
of 15th-century date, and in that period, perhaps about
1480, the nave assumed its present aspect, the arcade
being rebuilt, the clerestory and porch added, and the
aisle probably widened. The tower is embattled but
the parapets elsewhere are plain; the roofs of the nave
and chancel are covered with modern slates.
The church is built throughout of rubble and the
chancel has an east window of four lights with modern
Decorated tracery and a modern window of two lights
on the south side. The piscina and double sedilia are
also modern. In the north wall is a flat four-centred
arched recess containing a tablet to Alexander lbs,
rector (d. 1606). The chancel arch is of two moulded
orders, on responds with capitals and bases similar to
those of the nave arcades, which have chamfered
arches of two orders. The piers are composed of four
rounded shafts with hollows between and the responds
are half-octagonal. On the north wall of the nave are
two 15th-century four-centred windows each of three
cinquefoiled lights, and a four-centred doorway to the
porch with carved spandrels: the original oak nailstudded door remains. The roof is of five bays, of
flat pitch, with wall-pieces below the principals resting
on stone corbels carved with angels bearing shields
with emblems of the Passion. There are five two-light
clerestory windows on the south side, but only four
on the north, the easternmost bay being blank.
The aisle is now open at its east end to the organchamber by a modern arch, but the piscina and aumbry
remain in the south wall, the former with a trefoliated
arch ornamented with dog tooth, and jamb-shafts with
moulded capitals and bases; the aumbry trefoil-headed
and rebated all round. The easternmost window has
been restored and has early tracery in the head, but
the others are of two lights, c. 1280–90. The doorway
is of two orders, the inner square and the outer hollowchamfered on angle shafts with moulded capitals and
bases. It is no longer used, but the door remains. Near
to the doorway is a square-headed window of two
lights and segmental rear arch, the sill of which is
only about 2 ft. 10 in. above the floor. It appears to
be of 14th-century date, and its west light seems to
have been used as a low-side window. (fn. 81)
The tower is of four stages, with diagonal buttresses
and a vice in the south-west angle. The west doorway
has continuous moulded head and jambs and above is
a four-centred window of three cinquefoiled lights.
The bell-chamber windows are of three trefoiled lights
with quatrefoil in the head and transom at half height,
the lower lights being cusped. Below the parapet is
a band of quatrefoils. The tower arch is of three
chamfered orders.
The font is ancient, and has an octagonal panelled
bowl with quatrefoils in circles and shields in the
hollow member beneath, four blank and four with a
fret, possibly for Audley.
The oak pulpit dates from the time of the restoration
of the church, but the lower panels are made up from
old bench-ends formerly in the gallery.
The old glass described by Bridges as in the east
window is now in the square-headed window of the
aisle: it has the figure of a man in a blue gown carrying
the devil on his back and over his head a label inscribed
in black-letter characters 'All claterers I the kyrght . . .
schall hae yow for yowr waight'. (fn. 82) It is probably of
early-16th-century date.
Below the tower are mural tablets to Tresham
Chapman (d. 1794), John Chapman (d. 1795), and
others of later date.
There are five bells in the tower, the treble by T.
Mears of London, 1825, the second dated 1723, the
third 1631, the fourth a medieval bell inscribed 'Missi
de Celis habeo nomen Gabrielis', from the Leicester
foundry, and the tenor by Hugh Watts of Leicester,
1639. (fn. 83)
The plate consists of a silver paten without marks
inscribed 'Old, 1683', and a cup and cover paten of
1758 by John Payn, of Cheapside. (fn. 84)
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) baptisms and marriages 1560–1653, burials 1559–1653;
(ii) baptisms 1653 (fn. 85) –4, 1662–92, marriages 1664–94,
burials 1663–78; (iii) burials 1678–1790; (iv) baptisms 1692–1790, marriages 1695–1754; (v) marriages
1754–1812; (vi) baptisms and burials 1790–1812.
The churchwardens' accounts begin in 1686. There
are copies of the Book of Homilies 1676, Jewel's
Apology 1611, and a Paraphrase of Erasmus containing
Romans to Revelation.
Advowson
About 1235 Robert de Hastings
successfully brought an action against
Jordan le Breton, William of All
Saints and Christiane his wife, Walter St. Leger, William
Maudit, and Walter de Eringwurth, who claimed the
patronage of the church. (fn. 86) By 1275 the advowson was
in the hands of Thomas de Slypston and Letya his wife
who had recovered it against Alice de Beauchamp,
John de Gaugy, and Hugh le Breton. (fn. 87) Henry de
Hastings granted the advowson in 1285 to Theobald
brother of William de Landwathe, (fn. 88) and it descended
with the Landwathe manor until 1466, when Margery
Harrowden presented. (fn. 89) It seems then to have become
divided into moieties, as John Smith presented in 1489
and William Lane, by grant of Smith's representative
William Spencer, in 1511, while James Charell in right
of his wife Helen, widow of Thomas Harrowden,
presented in 1510 and 1529. (fn. 90) Sir Edmund Knightley
surrendered his patronage with the manor to Henry VIII,
and in 1557 or 1558 it was granted to Gregory and
John Isham. (fn. 91) John Smith's moiety passed from his
heirs Margaret Belcher and William Spencer to
William Lane who held it in 1516. (fn. 92) His son Ralph
who died in 1540 held half the advowson, which was
sold with the land for £40 by his son Robert Lane to
John Isham in 1569. (fn. 93) Euseby Isham, the son of
Gregory, granted his moiety to John Isham, who sold
both shares to Giles Barnwell in 1575, from whom it
was purchased for £240 by Sir Christopher Hatton
the next year. (fn. 94) Remaining in the possession of his
family until 1676, the advowson was then sold by
Christopher, Lord Hatton, to Brasenose College,
Oxford, (fn. 95) the present patrons.
Charities
The Rev. John Townson, D.D., (fn. 96) by
deed dated 12 May 1668 conveyed a
messuage and land in the parish of
Duston to trustees for the benefit of the poor of Wold.
On an inclosure of the parish of Duston an allotment
of 33 acres was set out in lieu of the lands devised.
The land is let for about £107 yearly.
John Ward by deed dated 25 August 1707 conveyed
to trustees a cottage in Wold for the poor. The premises were sold at the time of the inclosure for £20,
which sum was applied towards the inclosure expenses
of Townson's land.
On an inclosure of the parish 1768 an allotment of
24 acres was awarded to the rector, churchwardens,
and overseers. The charity is regulated by a scheme
of the Charity Commissioners dated 3 January 1908
under which one-third of the net income forms the
Poor's Allotment educational foundation and the residue is applicable for the general benefit of the poor and
is distributed in bread. The land is let for £15 yearly.
Avice Lucas gave £40 for industrious poor widows
or fatherless children. This sum together with £28
arising from the rents of Townson's Charity was laid
out in the purchase of 1 a. 1 r. of land which was
conveyed to trustees by indenture dated 13 April 1752.
The land, which is usually called The Smaller Poor's
Close, is let for £9 10s. yearly which is distributed by
the trustees of Townson's Charity to poor widows.
The Church Cottages and Church or Town Land,
as to which no deeds or writings are to be found, consist of several small properties, producing about £45.
There is a charge of £5 a year on the Church Allotments in respect of Parr's Benefaction. The Cottages
and School Garden were determined in 1906 as being
applicable to educational purposes together with £3,
part of the interest of James Parr's Benefaction. The
remainder of the rents is applied by the rector and
churchwardens to church expenses.
James Parr in 1774 gave £100 upon trust that £2
a year be distributed among the poor at the discretion
of the minister, churchwardens, and overseers and the
residue of the interest, about £3, paid to the schoolmaster for the instruction of six children.
A rent-charge of 15s. originating under the will of
Francis Baxter is paid by Mr. H. E. Beers out of an
orchard in Wold. The money is distributed in bread
by the trustees of Parr's Charity.