Noseley

A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 5, Gartree Hundred. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1964.

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Citation:

J M Lee, R A McKinley, 'Noseley', in A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 5, Gartree Hundred( London, 1964), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/leics/vol5/pp264-270 [accessed 12 December 2024].

J M Lee, R A McKinley, 'Noseley', in A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 5, Gartree Hundred( London, 1964), British History Online, accessed December 12, 2024, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/leics/vol5/pp264-270.

J M Lee, R A McKinley. "Noseley". A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 5, Gartree Hundred. (London, 1964), , British History Online. Web. 12 December 2024. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/leics/vol5/pp264-270.

In this section

NOSELEY

The civil parish of Noseley is situated ten miles south-east of Leicester. That it was previously regarded as extra-parochial (fn. 1) is probably explained by the replacement of the parish church by the chapel at Noseley Hall in the 14th century. (fn. 2) The area of the civil parish is about 1,304 a.

The parish is situated in the valley of a tributary of the Welland, the river forming the parish boundary on the east and south-east. The boundary follows a stream on the south-west, a road on the west, and another stream and field boundaries on the north. A third small stream lies within the parish. The ground rises from below 400 ft. in the valley to over 600 ft. on a hill in the north-west of the parish-one of the highest points in the district. The soil is heavy loam over a clay subsoil, and there are several small disused gravel pits near the streams.

The road from Melton Mowbray to Market Harborough runs along the western parish boundary and is crossed by the chief road within Noseley-that from Goadby in the east to Illston on the Hill and eventually Leicester on the west. Two minor roads cross the angles between these two main ones. The south-eastern part of the parish is crossed only by a footpath leading to Glooston; its course marks a westward diversion from a bridle way which in 1743 crossed the park and passed close by Noseley Hall. (fn. 3)

The village of Noseley was depopulated in the 16th century (fn. 4) and the parish is now dominated by the hall and its park. Prominent earthworks marking the village site were to be seen in 1960 in the fields, north-west of the park, called Gunpowder Close, and Big and Little Churchyard. By the 20th century the park covered about 75 a., together with over 100 a. of woodland, (fn. 5) and included two ornamental ponds. A string of ponds lies in the fields to the south of the park; the field name 'Woolpits' in this area suggests that these may have been connected with the extension of sheep farming by the Hazleriggs after the inclosure in the 16th century. (fn. 6) Most of the buildings in the parish, apart from the hall, were built in the mid-19th century; they include Cotton's Field Farm, the Home Farm, and the Garden House, and the park lodges and gates are also of this period. A cottage at the north-east corner of the park is dated 1937.

There was a recorded population of 28 at Noseley in 1086, (fn. 7) and 44 people paid the poll tax in 1381. (fn. 8) The village was partially depopulated by the inclosure of the early 16th century, (fn. 9) but there were still 8 households in 1563. In 1603 there were 41 communicants in Noseley and part of Illston. Only Noseley Hall was assessed for the hearth tax in 1670, and 20 communicants were recorded in 1676. The population was only 4 in 1801 and 2 in 1811. It then rose slowly to a peak of 70 in 1881 but had fallen to 51 by 1951. (fn. 10)

Noseley Hall is a large two-storied brick building with attics and hipped slate roofs. Most of the elevations are now cement rendered. The hall was rebuilt early in the 18th century and dated rainwater heads of 1723 suggest that the rebuilding was undertaken by Sir Robert Hazlerigg (d. 1721) and completed after his death by his widow Dorothy (d. 1748). There are no visible structural remains of an earlier house. The principal front, which faces south, is eleven bays wide, the central three set forward to form a feature which was originally surmounted by a large triangular pediment topped with urns. (fn. 11) There were once similar urns to the parapets along the front and side walls, while the large angle pilasters appear to have had Corinthian capitals. Most of the original windows still retain their raised keyblocks but only a few, confined to the rear elevation where the early brickwork is exposed, preserve their glazing bars. The erasure of many of the 18th-century decorative features was the result of a general modernization which probably occurred late in the 19th century. Work then put in hand included the removal of the central pediment and consequently the re-arrangement of the garrets; the replacement of the solid parapet by balusters; the rebuilding or re-facing of the west wing; the provision of threesided bay windows on the principal front; and a new entrance on the west side of the house. At the rear a three-story service stair was added together with a lean-to corridor between the east and west wings, while the courtyard formed by the U-shaped plan of the house was completed by a stable range on its north side. The present east wing, with the exception of side additions, is the original kitchen wing of 1723.

The plan of the house, including the east wing, has changed little since the early 18th century. The west wing, illustrated by Nichols in 1792 as part of a general view of the hall and chapel from the southwest, was a lower structure roofed separately from the main block. (fn. 12) It may have served as a coachhouse and stable range. The 1743 plan includes a gatehouse, placed on the east-west axis of the chapel and joined to the west wing at its north end by a narrow building or covered way. This same gatehouse is shown in 1792 with a first floor slightly jettied out above the entrance (fn. 13) and its position suggests that it may have been a remnant of the pre18th-century lay-out. Brick garden walls, in which were set gate and angle piers topped by urns, formerly enclosed ground to the west of the hall and date from the early 18th century. One wall aligned with the south front of the house returned at a right angle to join the west end of the chapel. There were other garden piers, apparently free-standing, further south. (fn. 14) It is probable that the ground to the south of the house was levelled for the construction of formal gardens at this period.

The great hall occupies the central three bays of the south front and is entered from that side by a stone-framed doorway with a pedimented head; the tympanum contains the Hazlerigg arms. The hall rises through two stories to a painted ceiling and the three windows above the central entrance serve as clerestory lights. This is the original arrangement. The decoration of the hall consists of heavy Corinthian pilasters supporting a large cornice above which shorter pilasters, each finished with a shell motif as a capital, extend to the ceiling. Two carved marble fire-places in the north wall of the hall form part of the same scheme. The shell motif occurs again in the plaster ceiling above the central staircase. The broad stair is a typical example of the early 18th century and has a moulded handrail, string, and turned balusters. In the west wing a drawing room and a servants' hall were altered to form a new entrance hall c. 1890-5. (fn. 15)

An inventory of the paintings and furniture contained in the hall was made in 1797 by a Mr. Tailby (probably from Welham) and Nichols. (fn. 16) At this date part of the hall was let to a farmer. (fn. 17) Many of the listed items survived in 1960; two large paintings of Ringtail, a favourite mare of Sir Arthur Hazlerigg (d. 1763), one at each end of the great hall, are noteworthy. Of the several rooms mentioned in the inventory, the dining room may be identified by the subject matter of its painted canvas panels as 'the room at the east end of the hall block that adjoins the east wing'. The paintings and panelling are in situ. The 'best' and 'brown parlours' also mentioned are probably those rooms to the east and west of the great hall; panelling in both rooms is still mainly of 18th-century date but modern work is present in the bay window additions. A 'laced room' or 'third bedroom' was described as containing 'curious needle work' by Frances, wife of Sir Thomas Hazlerigg (d. 1629). (fn. 18)

MANOR.

In 1086 12 carucates of land in Noseley were held in chief by Hugh de Grentemesnil, (fn. 19) and descended from him to the earls of Leicester and Lancaster and finally to the Duchy of Lancaster. (fn. 20)

The early mesne tenants of the manor are unknown, but by the early 13th century the Martival family were the lords of the manor. About 1220 William Martival was given permission to have a chapel in his manor of NOSELEY, (fn. 21) and in that year an action for novel disseisin was brought against him. Richard Martival had held land in the neighbouring parish of Goadby in 1166-7. (fn. 22) It seems probable that the Martivals, who were closely connected with the earls of Leicester, (fn. 23) had held Noseley for a considerable time before 1220. In 1130 William Martival appears as the tenant of the earls of Leicester in Humberstone, a manor which the family continued to hold for many years. (fn. 24) William Martival, who held Noseley about 1220, was succeeded by his son Anketil, who in 1274 made the first endowment to the chapel of Noseley and died some weeks later. His son Roger died in 1329; he was a clerk, and became Chancellor of Oxford University in 1293 and Bishop of Salisbury in 1315. He is chiefly important in Noseley for his foundation of the collegiate chapel in its final form. His estates passed to Joyce, usually said to be his sister but possibly his niece, after being held for a short time by his nephew Anketil. Joyce's husband was Robert de Saddington, who was made Chancellor of England in 1343. They were succeeded by their daughter Isabel and her husband Ralph Hastings, whose property passed to their only child Margaret. She married twice, first Sir Roger Heron and secondly Sir John Blaket, and her heir was her eldest daughter Isabel Heron.

About 1435, after the death of Sir John Blaket, who held the manor for life after his wife's death, Thomas Hazlerigg of Fawdon (Northumb.), the son of Isabel, succeeded to the manor of Noseley. (fn. 25) From that time the manor has been held in unbroken succession by the Hazlerigg family. In 1622 Thomas Hazlerigg was created a baronet, (fn. 26) and in 1630 he was succeeded by his son Sir Arthur, the parliamentarian. (fn. 27) The manor was temporarily granted to Henry Guildford and John Horton in 1663 after being forfeited to the Crown by Sir Arthur. (fn. 28) In 1945 Sir Arthur Grey Hazlerigg, 13th Bt., was created a baron, and in 1949 was succeeded by his son, the 2nd Baron Hazlerigg of Noseley.

ECONOMIC HISTORY.

Hugh de Grentemesnil's 12 carucates supported 8 ploughs in 1086. He had 2 ploughs in demesne with 2 serfs, and 16 villeins, the priest, and 8 bordars had 6 ploughs. There were 20 a. of brushwood. The estate was then worth 60s., having been valued at only 30s. before the Conquest. (fn. 29)

Very little is known about the economic condition of Noseley in the Middle Ages. The Martival family continued to hold some part of the estate in demesne, and in 1251 Anketil Martival received a grant of free warren in his demesne. (fn. 30) The arrangements made for the holding of services in the church and the chapel in 1306 give a picture, perhaps idealized, of the servants of the manorial household. (fn. 31) In 1291 the estate was reckoned at 6 carucates: Roger Martival had 4 in demesne, his villeins held 2, and the Abbot of Leicester held half a carucate; Roger also had an anciently-inclosed park. (fn. 32) The arable land may have been cultivated by a rotation based upon three fields, for in 1341-2 the lord of the manor claimed common over the open fields after harvest for two years and throughout the year in each third year. (fn. 33)

There were no free tenants in Noseley in 1381, when 44 persons contributed to the poll tax; there were 13 villeins, 6 cottagers, and 6 servants. (fn. 34) The unfree nature of the community no doubt facilitated the inclosure of the parish in the early 16th century. In 1517 and 1518 Thomas Hazlerigg was presented for inclosure. (fn. 35) It was alleged in 1517 that in 1504 he had destroyed 5 messuages, turned 6 others into cottages, and converted 440 a. of arable land to pasture. Twelve ploughs were put down, 52 persons evicted, and only one farm and the chantry house continued to maintain husbandry in the village. A second inclosure of 7 messuages and 500 a. was said in 1518 to have taken place in 1508-9. The capital messuage was the only farm remaining; all others had been either destroyed or turned into cottages for Hazlerigg's own husbandmen and labourers, and it was said that all cultivation had ceased since 1509. Hazlerigg maintained that the two alleged inclosures were one and the same, but the ecclesiastical visitation of 1518 reported that there were no churchwardens as the whole parish was inclosed. In 1530 Hazlerigg received a royal pardon for his inclosing activities.

The names of the former open fields are suggested in an inquisition of 1584 which stated that there were then three fields called Cotton's, Mill, and Nether Fields, all described as closes formerly under tillage. Cotton's Field was of over 300 a. and was then grazed by 700 sheep and 100 cattle. (fn. 36) A late-17thcentury survey mentions two closes called the 'further part' and the 'hither part' of the South Field. (fn. 37) The names Cotton's, Mill, South, Nether, and Upper (or Over) Fields all survived in 1743 and 1924. (fn. 38)

The depopulation of the village was not immediately complete. There had been 19 households of villeins and cottagers in 1381. (fn. 39) In 1517 it was said that 52 people (perhaps a dozen households) were evicted in 1504. In 1563 there were still 8 households, and in 1584, 5 houses besides the hall and parsonage; of those 5 houses, one was empty, one occupied by a labourer, and 2 by widows. The parsonage was then partially ruined and no husbandry was practised. (fn. 40) Despite the conversion to pasture, the windmill was still standing in 1545. (fn. 41) Some of the pasture closes were then leased out by Hazlerigg. By 1601 some of them had been restored to tillage. (fn. 42) The hall appears to have been the only house in Noseley in 1670. (fn. 43)

The estate remained mostly under pasture in the 18th century but some cultivation is suggested by the name Wheat Close, which was recorded in 1743. The closes in Noseley then totalled 1,284 a., with 24 a. of woodland. Many of the closes lying near the streams forming the southern and eastern parish boundaries were meadowland. Deer were kept in the park, which covered a slightly smaller area than it was to do in the 20th century. (fn. 44) During the late 18th and early 19th centuries the Hazleriggs let most of the parish; (fn. 45) for a long period they did not live at the hall which was in part occupied by a farmer. (fn. 46)

Topographical changes which had taken place by 1924 (fn. 47) were for the most part confined to the area around the hall; elsewhere, however, most of the larger closes of 1743 had been sub-divided. The park had been increased in size and ponds and formal gardens modified. Noseley Wood, south-west of the hall, remained, but large new plantations had been made, especially to the north and east of the park. The names New Park and Old Park occur in 1924, both within the park area of 1743; they suggest that the park may have been extended after the inclosure of the parish, and Old Park may indicate the park that already existed in the late 13th century. By 1924 there was, in addition to the home farm, one outlying farm-house-Cotton's Field Farm in the south-west of the parish. The land remained mostly under pasture in the 20th century but there were about 80 a. of arable in 1928, (fn. 48) and about 300 a. in 1956. (fn. 49)

A windmill was in existence in 1545 (fn. 50) but there is no later reference to it. It probably stood in Mill Field and its site was marked by a small circle of trees in 1743; (fn. 51) the trees were standing on a slight mound in 1960.

CHURCH.

Before 1081 Hugh de Grentemesnil granted the church of Noseley, with its tithes and 2 yardlands, to the abbey of St. Evroul (Orne). His grant was confirmed in 1081 by William I, (fn. 52) and by Robert FitzParnell, Earl of Leicester, at the end of the 12th century. (fn. 53) About 1220 the rector of the parish church, the dedication of which is not known, granted to William Martival permission to have a chaplain in his manor. In 1304 St. Evroul Abbey, as patron of the parish church, agreed that Roger Martival should have a free chapel, provided that the rights of the parish church were maintained. (fn. 54) The subsequent history of the chapel, which was collegiate in character, is dealt with elsewhere. (fn. 55) In 1306 Roger gave a messuage and a virgate of land to the church, (fn. 56) and a complicated agreement was made between the rector and the patron of the chapel, and ratified by St. Evroul, as to the services to be performed in church and chapel. (fn. 57) The agreement laid down that the lord of the manor, his household, and any itinerant servants or craftsmen should attend the chapel, except for funerals which were the prerogative of the church; outdoor servants, and other parishioners of Noseley who were not directly servants of the lord, were to attend the church. The chaplain was to take an oath to the rector to uphold the agreement, and the rector gave up all claim to the advowson of the chapel. In 1335 St. Evroul confirmed the advowson of Noseley church to the collegiate chapel; it had probably been purchased from the abbey by Robert de Saddington, who in 1336 petitioned for the appropriation of the church to the chapel. (fn. 58) It was then stated that the church was in decay, that it was inconveniently placed outside the village, and that the congregation was too small and too poor to contemplate its repair. The petition added that if it were to be granted to the chapel the revenues would be of equal benefit to the parish. In 1338 the bishop ordered that on the resignation or death of the then rector, who had been presented in 1337 (fn. 59) by the warden of the college, the chapel should take upon itself the cure of all souls in the parish. (fn. 60)

For the rest of the Middle Ages the warden of the chapel was also the rector of the parish. (fn. 61) On the dissolution of the college in 1547 the cure of souls remained, and the living became a donative, held at the pleasure of the patrons of the former chapel, the Hazlerigg family. (fn. 62) According to an inquisition taken in 1584, Denis Morison, the last warden of the college, was appointed as rector by Bertin Hazlerigg, and held services in the chapel for some years after 1547. His successor was appointed in 1555. (fn. 63) The right of presentation to the cure at Noseley-and it clearly was not understood in the 16th century whether it should be a vicarage or a rectory-should have passed to the Crown at the dissolution of the chapel, but it was claimed and exercised by the Hazlerigg family, which made two presentations in 1555, and presented again in 1557, 1572, and 1577.

The presentee in 1577 refused to take the oath and his institution was cancelled. As a result of this incident, which brought the anomalous position of the chapel to light, the queen granted it to John Farnham of Quorndon in 1578. He transferred it in 1583 to John Annable of London, but Thomas Hazlerigg had already challenged the right of Farnham and Annable, who must have had an interest in the chapel before it was formally conveyed to him. An action at law was begun, and in 1581 a judgement was given against Hazlerigg, who appealed against it. Once more he failed, even with the support of such of the parishioners as remained, and at the end of 1584 Annable conveyed the chapel to William Raven of London. At his death in 1600 Thomas Hazlerigg was said to be in debt to the queen for £3,601 3s. for the profits of the college concealed by his family between 1547 and 1584. (fn. 64) In 1591, however, William Raven's mortgagee, Robert Taylor, conveyed the chapel to the lessees of the manor of Noseley, Thomas Andrew of Winwick (Northumb.) and Edward Hazlerigg of Arthingworth (Northants.), respectively father-in-law and brother of Thomas Hazlerigg. The free chapel thus passed back into the hands of the Hazlerigg family who thenceforth, as lay rectors, appointed to the donative. In 1633 the chapel was said to be appropriated to Sir Arthur Hazlerigg, who kept the tithes but provided no curate and kept a Puritan chaplain in his own house. (fn. 65) Services were still held in the chapel in 1956.

The fabric of the parish church, stated to have been in decay in 1336, seems to have remained until the middle of the 16th century. It is probable that throughout the late Middle Ages the church was used solely for mortuary purposes. The church was still apparently standing in 1547, (fn. 66) but it was said to be in ruins in 1517 and the ecclesiastical visitation of 1518 makes it clear that all organized church life had come to an end. In 1510 the churchwarden had stated that all was well and gave no hint of the damage caused by the inclosure. (fn. 67) In 1584 Thomas Hazlerigg claimed that the fabric had been demolished about 1549 by John Beaumont, then acting as a commissioner under the Chantry Act, but John Annable maintained that Bertin Hazlerigg had demolished the church, converting the materials to his own use, and his very definite assertion seems likely to be correct. (fn. 68) The site of the church was still known in 1960 by the field name, Churchyard. (fn. 69)

The chapelry of Illston on the Hill was connected with the parish of Noseley from before 1220 until the early 18th century. In 1220 the chapel was served three days a week from Noseley church in alternate years, (fn. 70) and the obligation presumably passed to the college in 1338. The other parish responsible for Illston was Carlton Curlieu, and the two parishes were still acting jointly in the early 18th century. By 1763 the chapelry had become the sole responsibility of Carlton Curlieu.

Noseley chapel (fn. 71) was built in the late 13th century; it was probably begun in the lifetime of Anketil Martival (d. 1274) and completed by his son Roger (d. 1329). In the later 15th century the side walls were raised and a crenellated parapet added; a new roof of flatter pitch replaced that of the original chapel and both east and west windows were rebuilt in the Perpendicular style. Some of the interior fittings date from this period. The chapel was restored and partly refitted by Sir Arthur Hazlerigg, Bt. (d. 1763), who redecorated the tombs. (fn. 72) In 1797 a tower which adjoined the north side of the chapel was in poor condition and in the 19th century it was demolished together with the rooms between it and the chapel. (fn. 73) The chapel was restored under the supervision of Charles Kirk of Sleaford (Lincs.) in 1894, (fn. 74) and some further alterations were made in the present century by the 1st Baron Hazlerigg.

In plan the chapel reflects its original collegiate character. It is a long and spacious building of nine bays, marked on the outside by buttresses, but without any structural division between chancel and nave. There are two-light pointed windows, of very simple design with forking tracery, in each bay except the westernmost, which is blank in both north and south walls, and the second and third bays from the east, against which, on the north side, the tower originally stood. There are three doorways in the westernmost bay: the north doorway, now blocked, has a two-centred arch and the corresponding entrance in the south wall was rebuilt with a round arch in the late 16th century. A pointed hoodmould remains above this. A sculptured relief of the Martival arms is set above the door, which is heavily studded and has rectangular battening. The west doorway, an original feature, has inner doors consisting of two portions of a wooden screen. A blocked doorway in the second bay from the east led to the tower through a small two-storied annexe, and high above it in the same bay is a circular window, also blocked. An opposite door in the south wall with a segmental rear arch was probably blocked as early as the 17th century. The east and west windows, each of five cinquefoiled lights with four-centred heads, retain internally roll-moulded jambs of the early-14th-century openings. Similarly moulded stones have been re-used in the window heads-the result of depressing the arches to accommodate the flat-pitched roof in the 15th century. The east window is distinguished by an embattled transom and a number of reset stained-glass fragments of 14thand 15th-century date. More stained glass was apparently in existence in the 18th century. (fn. 75) The west end retains two pointed niches with cusped heads, one on each side of the large central window. They are of early-14th-century date and may originally have contained statues. Coursed stonework, consisting mainly of squared rubble, under the window sills of the four westerly bays on the north wall, may represent the completion at a slightly later date of the chapel begun by Anketil Martival (d. 1274). The considerable ashlar patching externally is of various periods ranging from the late 15th to the 19th centuries, and most of the buttresses have been restored.

The former tower, as shown by Nichols in 1792, (fn. 76) had a belfry stage of stone ashlar, having two-light openings with square hoodmoulds and being surmounted by an embattled parapet and angle pinnacles. It housed a single bell, given by Thomas Hazlerigg in 1596. The statement that this upper stage was 'modern' may indicate that the belfry was built in 1596. Alternatively it may have been an 18thcentury restoration. That the tower was originally lower is borne out by the fact that its angle buttresses terminated at the first stage. Both the doorway and the circular window between the chapel and the twostoried tower annexe were already blocked when Nichols was writing.

The chapel was divided in the Middle Ages by a screen and the fifth bay was occupied by two altars placed to the west of the screen. Their piscinae remain in the walls beneath the windows, whose sills are not lowered like those of the other windows. The wooden credence shelves of the piscinae were still in existence in 1863. (fn. 77) A large blocked rectangular light is visible both externally and internally in the south wall. This is set beneath the window immediately to the east of the screen site and retains a chamfered sill. In 1797 the nave and chancel were separated by a screen, but this had been erected by Sir Arthur Hazlerigg (d. 1763) and was probably further east. (fn. 78) In the south wall of the chancel is a double piscina and three sedilia. They form one distinct piece of work, the arches of the piscina trefoiled and those of the sedilia plain. The shafts of the latter openings are reeded with narrow fillets; all the capitals and bases have typical 13th-century mouldings, one capital to the piscina having cable and nail-head ornamentation.

The octagonal font which stands at the west end of the chapel has a wooden base of 18th-century date. The font itself is rather later than the main part of the building and it has been suggested that it may have been Roger Martival's gift to the completed chapel. (fn. 79) Each face is carved with elaborate and deeply-recessed tracery and crocketted canopies, and the font is by far the most intricate of the original fittings which are otherwise of a noticeable simplicity. The flat wooden font-cover was installed by the 1st Baron Hazlerigg in 1929. (fn. 80)

In the chancel are four 15th-century oak desks and stalls. The stalls have been restored but much original work remains in the desks. Each desk-end has an elaborate poppy-head, and a carved wooden cock stands on each of the ledges formed by the inward curve of the sides. The two western desk-ends have carved panels, one representing a burial, the other a group of three birds round a pot of lilies. The other desk-ends are carved with tracery. The cocks may represent the crest of the Staunton family, which would date the stalls, and possibly the rest of the 15th-century alterations, to the lifetime of Elizabeth Staunton, who married William Hazlerigg about 1458 and who lived on into the 16th century. (fn. 81)

When the chapel was refitted in the 18th century, a new pulpit and sounding-board were provided and the chancel was panelled, concealing the sedilia and piscina. The reredos of the same date was painted to represent marble and incorporated Commandment boards. (fn. 82) These boards and a large painted figure of Moses, one of two such figures which formerly hung above the altar, are still preserved in the chapel. (fn. 83) During the 1894 restoration most of these fittings were removed, while the 18th-century pews, which had been painted white, (fn. 84) were stripped and reset. The medieval stalls were moved further east. At this time also the walls were stripped of plaster and new corbels were inserted to support the roof. The present Jacobean altar table and panelling are 20thcentury insertions by the 1st Baron Hazlerigg. (fn. 85) The stone slab of a medieval altar bearing three consecration crosses has been set in the floor of the chapel.

The roof, which is of the late 15th century, has a flattened pitch; each truss has a slightly cambered tie beam on which stands a short king post supporting a ridge piece. The tie beam, which is embattled, is secured to side wall posts by shallow curved arch braces and the spandrils have vertical cusped infilling. The angels, now fixed to the wall posts above modern corbels, carry shields bearing the emblems of the Passion and the Martival arms.

The chapel has lost some of its memorial slabs and not all of those mentioned by Nichols can now be seen. (fn. 86) The altar tomb of Sir Thomas Hazlerigg (d. 1629) bears recumbent effigies of himself and his wife Frances Gorges, with their fourteen children kneeling on both sides of the inscription above the figures. Frances did not die until 1668, but the monument was probably executed in her husband's lifetime or shortly after his death. Her inscription records that 'she adorned her family with fine cloth of her own spinning'. The classical monument of Sir Arthur Hazlerigg (d. 1660), son of Sir Thomas, has alabaster effigies of himself and his two wives lying on a table of black marble. His children by both wives kneel at the base, and Arthur, the eldest son by the second marriage (d. 1649, aged 12), has a special inscription. The main inscription is on a cartouche flanked by Ionic columns and topped by a broken pediment. This work and the propped-up figure of Dame Dorothea Hazlerigg (d. 1650) are contemporary additions to the earlier table tomb.

Wall tablets include those to Sir Arthur Hazlerigg (d. 1763), who was responsible for redecorating the chapel in his lifetime, and to Sir Robert Hazlerigg (d. 1721) and his wife Dorothy (d. 1748). On the opposite wall an ornate monument to Sir Thomas Hazlerigg, Bt. (d. 1680), and his wife Elizabeth (d. 1673) is placed across a blocked doorway. The cartouche, in which only the wife's inscription has survived, is flanked by angels drawing back curtains and is surmounted by a broken pediment.

The incised slabs on the floor of the chancel include those of Margaret Heron (d. 1406), Thomas (d. 1647) and Elizabeth Hazlerigg, Bertin Hazlerigg (d. 1565), and Thomas Hazlerigg (d. 1600). The last two slabs are probably the work of the same mason. There are numerous wall monuments to other members of the family in the nave. The family vault extends beneath the sanctuary. Stained-glass windows on the south side of the chapel are to Isabel Hazlerigg (d. 1870) and Arthur Corey Hazlerigg (d. 1880). On the north side a window over the pulpit is to Sir Arthur Grey Hazlerigg (d. 1890) and the west window is a memorial to his wife Henrietta (d. 1883).

One bell, dated 1596, remains in the chancel. Of the four bells said to have existed before 1797, three were sold before Nichols's survey (fn. 87) and the fourth served as a striking bell for the clock. The plate includes a silver cup, paten, and dish, all dated 1835, given by Sir Arthur Grey Hazlerigg. (fn. 88)

NONCONFORMITY.

None known.

SCHOOLS.

None known.

CHARITIES.

None known.

Footnotes

  • 1. In the Census Reports, see V.C.H. Leics. iii. 195.
  • 2. See pp. 267-8.
  • 3. Map of 1743 at Noseley Hall, 1960.
  • 4. See p. 266.
  • 5. Map of 1924 at Noseley Hall, 1960.
  • 6. See p. 267. The Woolpit Close existed in 1545: T.L.A.S. xii. 231.
  • 7. V.C.H. Leics. i. 157.
  • 8. T.L.A.S. xii. 227.
  • 9. See p. 266.
  • 10. V.C.H. Leics. iii. 166, 168, 170, 173, 195.
  • 11. Nichols, Leics. ii, plate cxxii, dated 1793; Throsby, Leics. Views, i, plate facing p. 299, dated 1791; see plate facing p. 245.
  • 12. Nichols, Leics. ii, plate cxxii.
  • 13. Ibid. plate cxxiii, dated 1792.
  • 14. Ibid. plate cxxii.
  • 15. Ex inf. the Hon. Edith Hazlerigg. See also plans in L.R.O. dated 1890.
  • 16. Nichols, Leics. 749 sqq.
  • 17. Ibid.
  • 18. See p. 269.
  • 19. V.C.H. Leics. i. 315.
  • 20. See p. 293.
  • 21. See p. 267. This account of the manor largely follows that by G. F. Farnham in T.L.A.S. xii. 216 sqq.
  • 22. Pipe R. 1167 (P.R.S. xi), 162.
  • 23. T.L.A.S. xii. 214.
  • 24. Slade, Leics. Survey, 16; V.C.H. Leics. iv. 439.
  • 25. The date of Sir John's death is not known. He was alive in 1430, but dead by early 1437 when the Hastings heir, Lawrence, had succeeded to the lands which Margaret had held as dower and in which Sir John had also a life interest: T.L.A.S. xii. 228; H.M.C. Hastings, I, 295. Thomas Hazlerigg did homage for the manor of Noseley in 1434: L.R.O. DE.303/3.
  • 26. Cal. S.P. Dom. 1619-23, 426.
  • 27. D.N.B.
  • 28. Cal. S.P. Dom. 1663-4, 127.
  • 29. V.C.H. Leics. i. 315.
  • 30. Cal. Chart. R. 1226-57, 351.
  • 31. Assoc. Archit. Soc. Rep. & Papers, xxvi. 282-5.
  • 32. Bodl. MS. Rawl. B. 350, m. 22.
  • 33. Year Bk. 1341 (Rolls Ser.), 257n.
  • 34. T.L.A.S. xii. 227.
  • 35. An acct. of the inclosure is given in Parker, 'Inclosure', 51-54; see also ibid. 203-4, and Domesday of Inclosures, 1517-18, ed. I. S. Leadam, i. 226-7.
  • 36. Parker, 'Inclosure', 53.
  • 37. Leic. City Mun. Room, 35'29/398.
  • 38. Maps at Noseley Hall, 1960.
  • 39. T.L.A.S. xii. 227.
  • 40. Parker, 'Inclosure', 53-54.
  • 41. T.L.A.S. xii. 231.
  • 42. Leic. City Mun. Room, Farnham's MS. notes.
  • 43. E 179/240/279.
  • 44. Map of 1743 at Noseley Hall, 1960.
  • 45. L.R.O. Land Tax Assessments, Noseley.
  • 46. Nichols, Leics. ii. 749.
  • 47. Printed map of the estate, at Noseley Hall, 1960.
  • 48. Kelly's Dir. Leics. (1928), 703.
  • 49. Ex inf. Lord Hazlerigg.
  • 50. T.L.A.S. xii. 231.
  • 51. Map of 1743 at Noseley Hall, 1960.
  • 52. Ordericus Vitalis, Eccl. Hist. Eng. and Normandy, ed. T. Forester, ii. 256.
  • 53. Cal. Doc. France, ed. Round, 230.
  • 54. Assoc. Archit. Soc. Rep. & Papers, xxv. 433-4, 453.
  • 55. V.C.H. Leics. ii. 46-48; T.L.A.S. xii. 233 sqq.
  • 56. Assoc. Archit. Soc. Rep. & Papers, xxvi. 276-7.
  • 57. Ibid. 280-5.
  • 58. Cal. Pat. 1334-8, 122; T.L.A.S. xii. 249.
  • 59. T.L.A.S. xiii. 79.
  • 60. Assoc. Archit. Soc. Rep. & Papers, xxvi. 304-7.
  • 61. But note the anomalous position reflected in 1465: T.L.A.S. xii. 245-6.
  • 62. This is discussed at length in ibid. 257-63.
  • 63. For appointments by the Hazleriggs after 1547, see T.L.A.S. xiii. 77-78.
  • 64. Leic. City Mun. Room, Farnham's MS. notes.
  • 65. V.C.H. Leics. i. 379.
  • 66. Assoc. Archit. Soc. Rep. & Papers, xxx. 510; T.L.A.S. xii. 255-6.
  • 67. Assoc. Archit. Soc. Rep. & Papers, xxi. 326.
  • 68. T.L.A.S. xii. 260-2.
  • 69. See ibid. 256, confirmed in 1956 by Lord Hazlerigg.
  • 70. Rot. Hugonis de Welles, ed. W. P. W. Phillimore, i. 263; and see p. 165.
  • 71. There are good accts. of the building in T.L.A.S. xii. 265 sqq. and Arch. Jnl. cxii. 185-7.
  • 72. Nichols, Leics. ii. 753n.
  • 73. Ibid. 752. The date of demolition is not known. The tower may still have been standing in 1863: T.L.A.S. ii. 250.
  • 74. T.L.A.S. viii. 131.
  • 75. Nichols, Leics. ii. 752.
  • 76. Ibid. and plate cxxiii.
  • 77. T.L.A.S. ii. 251.
  • 78. Nichols, Leics. ii. 752.
  • 79. Arch. Jnl. cxii. 185.
  • 80. See drawing hanging at west end.
  • 81. T.L.A.S. xii. 230, 268-9, and pedigree facing p. 232. See plate facing p. 245.
  • 82. Nichols, Leics. ii. 752.
  • 83. Ibid. A photograph of the interior of the chapel as it appeared before 1894 hangs at the west end. The figure of Aaron had apparently been removed before it was taken.
  • 84. Nichols, Leics. ii. 752.
  • 85. Drawing hanging at west end.
  • 86. Nichols, Leics. ii. 753-5; see also Burton, Description of Leics. 193.
  • 87. Nichols, Leics. ii. 752.
  • 88. Trollope, Ch. Plate Leics. i. 217.