GREAT HOUGHTON
Major, Magna (xiii cent. onwards); Michel (xiv
cent.); Moche (xvi cent.). See Little Houghton for
variants of 'Houghton'.
The parish of Great Houghton lies west of Little
Houghton and like it is bounded on the north by the
River Nene, where there is a mill and a lock. Its area
is 1,702 acres of land and water, and the soil, subsoil,
and crops are the same as those for Little Houghton.
A detached part of the parish was transferred to that of
Horton in 1884. (fn. 1) The height rises abruptly from about
190 ft. by the river to 3 58 ft. in the south. The village
is in the northern part and pleasantly situated on an
eminence 260 ft. above the ordnance datum, with its
church to the north-west. There were about 40 families in the village in 1720. (fn. 2) The population of the
parish in 1931 was 250. Within the last eighty years
about 40 old thatched cottages have been pulled down
and some 20 new ones built. (fn. 3) Great Houghton Hall,
a large three-story square stuccoed building of brick
and stone, stands near the entrance immediately north
of the church: there is no record of its erection, but it
is apparently of early-19th-century date. (fn. 4)
The parish was inclosed under agreement in 1612; (fn. 5)
but this was apparently the inclosure for which Thomas,
Lord Brudenell, was fined £1,000 and ordered to
restore 8 farms by Archbishop Laud (i.e. in 1633 or
later), being accused by the archbishop of 'devouring
the people with a shepherd and a dog'. Brudenell
asserted that it was a 'most benign and charitable inclosure' such as England could not produce a second,
and that he had not 'decayed' a single house. (fn. 6) Daniel
Ward of Little Houghton (q.v.), who bought Mordaunt's manor here, received in 1618 licence to inclose
132 acres in the two places.
The wake was the Sunday before Michaelmas. (fn. 7)
Manors
The lands of Great Houghton belonged
in 1086 to two fees, the fee of Peverel and
the honor of Huntingdon. Osmund was
the pre-Conquest tenant of 1 hide, ½ virgate, and 2
carucates, held in 1086 by William Peverel who had
enfeoffed Robert (de Pavely). (fn. 8) As PAVELY'S and
later TRESHAM'S MANOR these lands were held as
one knight's fee of the honor of Peverel, an overlordship mentioned until 1547. (fn. 9)
Tresham. Party saltirewise sable and or with six trefoils or.
Robert de Pavely, the Domesday tenant, gave to Lenton Priory at its foundation two-thirds of the tithes of
his demesnes here. (fn. 10) A later Robert died in 1194, leaving a son and daughters under age. (fn. 11) This son was presumably Geoffrey, who succeeded in 1198 (fn. 12) and was
tenant of this knight's fee in 1212. (fn. 13) The manor then
descended with the Pavely manor of Paulerspury (q.v.)
until 1428, (fn. 14) when Sir Oliver St. John and Thomas
Mortimer held the Pavely lands in Paulerspury and
Great Houghton, Mortimer presumably having Great
Houghton, as St. John had Paulerspury. Moreover, in
1413 Drew Barantyn, citizen and goldsmith of London,
and Margaret his wife made a fine of the manor with
Hugh Mortimer. (fn. 15) In 1436 Robert Andrews made a
fine of a manor of Great Houghton. (fn. 16) In 1448
Henry VI granted to his esquire
William Tresham the services of
certain tenants here. (fn. 17) On the
attainder of Sir Thomas Tresham
as a Lancastrian in 1460, this
manor was forfeit and granted
in 1462 with Rushton to John
Downe, (fn. 18) and in 1465 he was also
given the reversion of the site of
the manor, 5 virgates of land, and
20 acres of meadow, on the death
of Isabel wife of Sir William
Pecche, who held it in dower. (fn. 19)
When Isabel Pecche died, however, it was granted in
1480 to her then husband Edward Brampton. (fn. 20) John
son of Thomas Tresham recovered it shortly after the
accession of Henry VII, (fn. 21) and alienated it with lands
in the towns of Northampton and Abington, parcel of
the manor, to the yeoman family of Robins. William
Robins died seised leaving a son John, (fn. 22) who died seised
in 1541 of this manor, out of which he paid a rent to
Sir Thomas Tresham. (fn. 23) The king granted the custody
of his son and heir George and the manor to Alexander
Belcher, in 1544. (fn. 24) George Robins was sued by Thomas
Tresham of Rushton, who pleaded an entail that made
the grant to the Robins void. (fn. 25) In 1572 George Robins
conveyed the manor to William Belcher; (fn. 26) but in
1584 Sir Thomas Tresham made a settlement. (fn. 27) In
1601 his son Francis (soon afterwards implicated in the
Gunpowder Plot) advised him to raise money from
the manor towards a heavy debt, (fn. 28) and he seems to
have done so in 1605. (fn. 29) James Smith, yeoman, died
seised of Tresham's Manor in 1635, leaving a son and
heir James. (fn. 30) Edward brother of Alexander Smith of
Great Houghton obtained the removal of a sequestration order on his royalist brother's estate in 1645. (fn. 31)
William Ward of Little Houghton held Tresham's
Manor in 1696 (fn. 32) and in about 1720. (fn. 33) William and
Thomas Ward conveyed it to Robert Meese in 1728. (fn. 34)
In 1788 John Blake and Elborough Woodcock conveyed one of the Great Houghton manors, not specified, to the Hon. Edward Bouverie and Edward
Bouverie jun. (fn. 35) of Delapré Abbey from whom it has
descended (fn. 36) to Miss Mary Helen Bouverie, the present
owner.
Robert de Pavely had amends of the assize of bread
and ale and view of frankpledge in 1276. (fn. 37) On the site
in 1346 there were 2 dovecotes, a water-mill (called
Clak), a windmill (called Twygrist), a mill in Abington,
and a fishery in the Nene, (fn. 38) and a court. (fn. 39) Abington
mill still belonged to the manor in 1526. (fn. 40) Robert de
Pavely granted the tithe of Twygrist to St. James,
Northampton. (fn. 41)
In the Northamptonshire Survey Simon is entered
as holding 1 hide 1 virgate in Great Houghton. (fn. 42) This
cannot be identified in the Domesday entries, but was
probably part of the Countess Judith's estates, as the
overlordship of the manor, which was later divided
into Green's and Houghton's manor, descended with
the honor of Huntingdon. (fn. 43)
Henry de Audley was mesne lord in 1241, (fn. 44) and
James de Audley six years later. (fn. 45) This mesne tenancy
is no more mentioned, though the occurrence of
Nicholas de Audley, parson of the church in 1265, (fn. 46)
suggests a continuance of the family interest.
William son of Simon, who was impleaded in 1200
by Elias son of Oger [de Lisurs] for ½ virgate in Houghton, (fn. 47) was probably son of the 12th-century tenant and
identical with William de Houghton, who married
Isabel the elder daughter of Robert Daubeney; (fn. 48) he presented to the church in 1230 and 1234, (fn. 49) dying shortly
afterwards. (fn. 50) His son William claimed the advowson
of the church and 2 carucates of land here in 1247. (fn. 51)
He took the name Daubeney and did homage in 1263,
after his mother's death, for all the lands she held in
chief. (fn. 52) Two years later Henry de Hastings held the
manor as guardian of William's son and heir (fn. 53) Simon.
Simon Daubeney died in 1272 when his heirs were
Isabel or Elizabeth, Christine, and Joan, his sisters, (fn. 54)
or daughters. (fn. 55) Isabel married Hugh de St. Croix,
tenant of this ½ knight's fee in 1284. (fn. 56) Joan, wife of
Hugh de Lacy in 1272, had married Roger Dakeney
by 1286, when Christine, then wife of Peter de la Stane,
Hugh de St. Croix and Isabel granted him ½ virgate
here, one-third of the advowson and one-third of the
tenements that Robert de Noers had held. (fn. 57) His grandson Roger apparently enfeoffed Richard de Houghton
of his share, (fn. 58) which descended as Houghton's Manor. (fn. 59)
GREEN'S alias VAUX and MORDAUNT'S
MANOR. Christine had children by Peter de la
Stane; but in 1312 she had the manor (these thirds
appear later as maneretta) settled on herself and her
then husband John de Gaddesden (fn. 60) for life with remainder to Edith their daughter. (fn. 61) John de Gaddesden,
returned as lord of the whole in 1316 (fn. 62) and 1325, (fn. 63)
died seised in 1338–9. Edith had died childless and
Christine had been dead 20 years. Her lawful children
(by Peter de la Stane) were Elizabeth, Margery, and
Christine, and the heirs in 1338–9 were Sir Thomas de
Norton, son of Elizabeth, Brian Saffrey or Savory, son
of Margery, and John Biddick (fn. 64) son of Christine, who
had married Anthony Biddick and died in 1326. (fn. 65)
Brian Saffrey did homage for his pourparty in 1339, (fn. 66)
i.e. ⅓ of ⅓ of this ½ knight's fee or ⅓ of the manerettum,
of little value, owing to floods and the Black Death,
when he died in 1349 leaving a daughter Alice aged
2. (fn. 67) Alice died next year, her uncle and heir Thomas (fn. 68)
in 1361, and his sister and heir Joan Saffrey then had
livery of £4 rent here and the ninth turn to present to
the church. (fn. 69) This may be the share conveyed by John
son of Richard to Henry Green (of Drayton) two years
later. (fn. 70)
Green, of Drayton. Argent a cross engrailed gules.
John Biddick leased his 'third' (i.e. 9th) to Thomas
de Stretton, and in 1344–5 conveyed the reversion to Henry
Green, reserving 1/5 of the advowson. (fn. 71) Shortly afterwards John
Bifle died seised of tenements; (fn. 72)
and Thomas Bifle died seised of
1¾ virgates as 1/20 of a knight's fee in
1360, when John de Stretton was
his kinsman and heir. (fn. 73) Whether
this property had any connexion
with Henry Green's share is not
clear. Sir Thomas de Norton died
seised of 1/5 of the manor in 1347
leaving a son and heir Ralph aged 11, (fn. 74) and the king presented to the church in 1349 as his guardian. (fn. 75) Ralph
entailed his 'third' in 1359, (fn. 76) but leased it for life to
Peter Neubolde, clerk, and in 1367 alienated the reversion of it (1 carucate, 2 virgates of land, two parts of the
advowson, and other tenements) to Sir Henry Green (fn. 77) of
Drayton, who died in 1369. He settled his ninth of the
manor on his younger son Henry; (fn. 78) but it reverted to the
elder son Thomas, whose son and heir Thomas had livery
in 1391 of ⅓ and 1/9 of the manor and the advowson. (fn. 79)
This estate now descended as a 'manor' or 'third' or
tenements, together with part of the advowson, with the
Greens' manor of Lowick (q.v.) until the 16th century,
when it was again divided among many heirs. Like
Lowick it came to the Huddlestons, Mordaunts, and
Browns, (fn. 80) and like Irtlingborough (q.v.) the Huddleston share descended to the Vaux family. Thomas, (fn. 81)
1st Lord Vaux of Harrowden, made a settlement of
both manor and advowson in 1530. (fn. 82) The Vaux family
continued in possession of this part until 1612, (fn. 83) when
for assurance of title Edward Vaux, Lord Harrowden,
obtained a Crown grant; (fn. 84) but by 1614 the manor of
Vaux had become absorbed into Tresham's Manor. (fn. 85)
In the preceding century George Browne settled
various estates on his wife Elizabeth including one third
of this manor, and about 1558 she, as widow of Sir
Henry Hublethorne, with her son-in-law William Price,
brought a suit against her stepson Wistan Browne. (fn. 86)
The Prices and their kinsfolk, the Flamesteds and
Lawes, (fn. 87) were subsequently concerned with both manor
and advowson; (fn. 88) and in 1590 John Flamstede conveyed
two thirds of the manor to Lord Mordaunt, (fn. 89) with
various remainders. In 1601 Sir Thomas Tresham
and his sons conveyed this to Daniel Ward (fn. 90) of Little
Houghton, who joined in a settlement of the manors
of Mordaunt and Parke in 1612, (fn. 91) but in 1623 conveyed Mordaunt's Manor to Henry, Lord Danvers
of Dauntsey. (fn. 92)
The Irish family of Scudamore seem to have been
connected with this county through the marriage of
James Scudamore (ob. 1619) with Anne Throckmorton, (fn. 93) and in 1656 a James Scudamore conveyed '1/5 of the
manor of Houghton Magna, alias Mordaunt's manor',
to John Thornicroft and John Cartwright, (fn. 94) to whom
Katharine Gargrave widow (daughter of John Danvers,
created a baronet 1661 (fn. 95) ) made the same grant in 1660. (fn. 96)
Her daughter and co-heir Elizabeth with her husband
Sir Thomas Derham, bart., Sir Edward Baynton, John
Osborne and Eleanor his wife, both of them Danvers
descendants, (fn. 97) Richard Walmesley, and Thomas Colt
made a settlement of the manor in 1664, (fn. 98) as did Richard
Derham and Charles Danvers in 1676; (fn. 99) and two years
later Sir John Osborn, bart., and Sir Edward Baynton
conveyed the manor to Sir William Temple, bart., and
John Temple, kt. (fn. 100) Henry Temple of Sheen, Surrey,
was lord in 1714, (fn. 101) which is the last mention found.
HOUGHTON'S alias PARKE'S alias ATTERBURY'S MANOR. Roger Dakeney, as already mentioned, granted his share of the Daubeney inheritance
to Richard de Houghton. (fn. 102) The manor passed later to
the Parkes, apparently through an heiress. William
Parke received some tenements here in 1407 by a
Crown grant for life, (fn. 103) renewed to his son John in 1440, (fn. 104)
and in 1428 was one of the joint tenants of the Daubeney
manor. (fn. 105) His grandson Lewis, in a plea concerning land
here, mentioned William's wife Margaret as though she
was an heiress. (fn. 106) The Crown had resumed by 1592
the tenements granted by Henry VI to John Parke, (fn. 107)
but Houghton's Manor descended to Isabel daughter
and heir of Lewis. She married Lewis son of John
Atterbury, (fn. 108) and Lewis Atterbury, presumably their
son, made a settlement of Parke's Manor in 1612, (fn. 109) and
died seised in the capital messuage in 1631. His son
and heir Stephen (fn. 110) in 1637 or 1638 sued his stepmother for the manor, capital messuage, dovecote, closes
of about 133 acres called upper, middle, and nether, or
little burrough, ground on the west of the town and
closes called Saftridge, Hawney, and Hardney, of
which she had taken unlawful possession. (fn. 111) His wife
Frances is mentioned, and it is probably their son Francis Atterbury, clerk, who, with his son and heir Lewis,
made a settlement of 'two parts of the manor of Great
Houghton alias Parke's manor' in 1655. (fn. 112) Lewis Atterbury, clerk, was concerned with Abraham Bowcher
and Barbara his wife with a ninth part in 1657, (fn. 113) and
in 1658 and 1660 with Gifford, Samuell, Tompkins,
Battison, Plowman, Chalcombe, Day, and Roberts, (fn. 114)
whereby all the nine parts were reunited in his possession. Lewis Atterbury, M.D., who made a settlement
in 1695 (fn. 115) would be the Dr. Lewis Atterbury of Highgate who was lord when Bridges made his visit. (fn. 116) In
1738 Osborn Atterbury conveyed it to William Lock. (fn. 117)
It has been no further traced.
Winemar held of the Countess Judith in 1086 1 virgate in Houghton of the soc of Yardley. (fn. 118) This may
be represented by the 4 small virgates held in the 12th
century by King David, though these are said to have
been held by one Osebert. (fn. 119) Three virgates here, which
Oger de Lisurs recovered in 1199 against Ilbert de
Pavely, (fn. 120) were held in 1274 by Adam de Lisurs of
Gilbert de Preston, (fn. 121) the representative of Winemar.
As late as 1350 certain tenements and rent in Great
Houghton were held by the Pavelys of 'the fee of
Lysours' of the heirs of John Halewyk. (fn. 122) The lands of
the Prestons in this parish were attached to their manor
of Preston Deanery (q.v.) and descended with it, being
granted by Wynmer de Preston in 1429 to John
Hartwell. (fn. 123)
Church
The church of THE ASSUMPTION,
which was described by Bridges as consisting of chancel, body, and two aisles,
with an embattled tower 'in the midst', (fn. 124) was found to
be 'greatly decayed' in 1753, (fn. 125) and in the following
year was taken down and rebuilt in 'a plain, decent,
and commodius manner, without unnecessary ornament'. The new church consisted of a nave measuring
internally 45 ft. 6 in. by 25 ft. 6 in., with a recess 6 ft.
deep and 12 ft. 6 in. wide for the communion table
at the east end, and a west tower 9 ft. 6 in. square
surmounted by a spire, and was in a very plain classic
style, with a three-light east window of 'Venetian'
type, and two round-headed windows and a doorway
on each side of the nave. It has since been altered and
its character in some measure changed, but the present
fabric is in the main that of 1754. No part of the old
church has survived, unless it be the vice, or newel
staircase leading to the first floor of the tower. In 1875
a porch was added on the south side, the windows and
south doorway refashioned, and a new window substituted for the north doorway. All this new work is
in the 'Romanesque' style, the windows being of two
round-headed lights under a semicircular arch with
shafted jambs. A north-west gallery was taken down
and the church reseated. There were further internal
alterations in 1910–11, when the sanctuary was
carried westward, its floor paved with marble, an oak
altar erected, the walls panelled to a height of 7 ft.,
and the side lights of the east window blocked.
The nave is faced with ironstone ashlar, and has a
square plinth, flat strings at sill level and at the spring
of the window arches, and boldly dentilled cornice.
There is a pediment at the east end and on the north
and south aisles of the nave over the original doorways,
where the wall is slightly advanced. The roof is slated.
The eastern recess, which projects externally 7 ft. 6 in.,
is separately roofed. Internally the walls are plastered,
and there is a flat plaster ceiling with cornice, and plain
round arch to the sanctuary recess.
The square lower stage of the tower is ironstone, and
of the same character as the nave, with plinth, strings,
and cornice, but it retains its original tall round-headed
west window. The second stage is also square but of
limestone, with a circular opening on three sides, (fn. 126) sunk
panels at the angles, and cornice. Above this is a lighter
octagonal stage surmounted by Tuscan columns sup-
porting a cornice, from which incurved buttresses rise
to the base of the spire. The appearance of the spire
has been spoilt by the removal of the vases from the top
of the buttresses, (fn. 127) but the steeple as a whole is of pleasing design, the plainly treated square lower stages contrasting well with the lighter construction above. On
each side of the octagon is a round-headed opening,
and the spire has a good iron vane.
The font and pulpit are modern and in the Gothic
style.
There are wall tablets in the nave to Francis Brownsmith (d. 1778), Theophilus Goodfellow, rector (d.
1782), and others of later date.
There are six bells, four new small ones by Taylor
& Co., of Loughborough, having been added in 1935
to the two bells then in the tower. Of these the second
is by Robt. Taylor & Son, St. Neot's, 1817. (fn. 128)
The plate consists of a silver-gilt cup of 1553, a cover
paten of 1606, and a paten of 1740 made by Robert
Abercromby. There is also a plated flagon of modern
medieval design given in 1871. (fn. 129)
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) all
entries 1558–1678; (ii) August 1678–December 1706;
(iii) baptisms and burials January 1706/7–93, marriages
to 1753; (iv) baptisms 1794–1812; (v) marriages
1754–1812; (vi) burials 1794–1812.
Facing the church on the other side of the road is
a memorial cross to fourteen men of the parish who fell
in the war of 1914–18.
Advowson
From the time when William de
Houghton presented, as husband of
Isabel Daubeney, the advowson descended with the Huntingdon manor and was shared
by the three co-heirs of Simon Daubeney in 1272.
Elizabeth the eldest presented William de Houghton,
in the time of Edward II. On his death (by 1309),
Christine presented Brian de Pampworth. (fn. 130) From Joan
the right descended to her son Robert Dakeney and
from Robert to his son Roger, who in 1330 granted his
right to John Kynebelle of Filgrave. (fn. 131) In 1363–4 John
son of Richard (? Houghton) granted the next presentation (on the death of Peter Newbold, clerk, who
presented 1363 (fn. 132) ) to Henry Green. (fn. 133) Richard Houghton, however, presented in 1367, (fn. 134) and he or a namesake
recovered the next presentation against Thomas Green
in 1399 on a claim that he had been enfeoffed by Roger
Dakeney. (fn. 135) Sir Thomas Green conveyed land and the
advowson in 1435 to John Throckmorton; (fn. 136) although
it was settled on Sir Nicholas Vaux on his marriage
with Ann daughter of Sir Thomas Green, (fn. 137) the advowson apparently descended in the Throckmorton family
until 1562. (fn. 138) Sir Robert Throckmorton sold the advowson in 1562 to Thomas Nichols. (fn. 139) It was settled for life on
William his father, who was still living when Thomas
died ten years later. Sir Thomas Tresham was concerned with the advowson in 1576, (fn. 140) and it was attached to the manor of Tresham and Vaux in 1614,
as in 1629, when William Baude conveyed it to Sir
William Wilmer. (fn. 141) John Ward and George Daunce
presented in 1631. (fn. 142) William Wilmer and Francis
Wickes conveyed it to Dabridgecourt Ward in 1654; (fn. 143)
but Sir William Wilmer, bart., presented in 1680, (fn. 144) and
Francis Arundel in 1706. (fn. 145) The last named was patron
about 1720. (fn. 146) During the next sixty years members of
the families of Warner, Goodfellow, and Rogers presented, (fn. 147) as did Thomas Wilkinson, clerk, in 1804 and
1805, (fn. 148) which seems to be the year in which itwas transferred to Magdalen College, Oxford, (fn. 149) the present
patrons.
Charity
Margaret Goodfellow by will dated
18 October 1785 bequeathed sufficient
stock to produce an annual income of £5,
to be applied by the minister and churchwardens for
the benefit of the poor. The endowment now consists
of £115 2½% Consols held by the Official Trustees,
producing £2 17s. 4d. annually in dividends which
are distributed by the rector and 2 trustees appointed
by the parish council.