A history of – by Richard Parkinson 2012 ______Part 1 - Iron age to the Romans

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In an aerial photograph taken in 1947, there are signs of a pre-historic settlement here consisting of roundhouses and enclosures making up small scale farms probably of Iron Age origin. The closest is about 1OO metres to the west of the Hall and consisting of enclosures and ditch complexes with prehistoric pottery and small amounts of metal work debris found. A later Romano British settlement survives nearby and 1 km away there are signs of an extensive Roman pottery, Nene Valley and Samian ware, (a bright red pottery mostly manufactured in Gaul and Germany in the 1st to 4th century). There is a site of a Roman villa begun toward the end of the 1st Century and gradually extended until it ended up in the 4th century as an imposing courtyard villa with hypercast and bath, and with a formal approach from the south. It was partly excavated in 1859 and could well have functioned as an estate centre. Following the Roman retreat at the beginning of the fifth century we see small paddocks of unequal size and orientation, so people continued to live here during the so called dark ages with the Danes and Vikings slowly conquering the area. At this time the estate appears to have shrunk back to its pre- Roman size at this time. You have to imagine that most of the land around here was covered in forest and that the inhabitants could not and did not travel far. Wild animals, wolves, deer etc abounded. Toward the end of this period, just prior to the Norman Conquest this area was known to have been a hunting ground for Kings.

APETHORPE AND CHRISTIANITY

At this time we were part of the dominant kingdom of Mercia which was eventually ruled by Penda a warring pagan king, who had fought with all and sundry successfully, until he met his end at the battle of Winwaed, probably near Hull. His son, Peada was accepted in marriage by the daughter of the Northumbrian Christian king in 635, on condition that he embraced the Christian faith. Thus Christianity came to this area through the work of 4 priests that he brought with him from the monastery of Lindisfarme; Diuma, one of the original 4 monks, was eventually made the first Bishop of Mercia based at Litchfield. At this time Peada also founded a regular missionary settlement at Medehamstede () . A history of Apethorpe – by Richard Parkinson 2012

The venerable Bede wrote….“In his time they came together, Peada and Oswy, brother of King Oswald, and declared that they wished to establish a minster in praise of Christ and in honour of St Peter. And they did so, and gave it the name Medeshamstede, because there is a spring there called Medeswael. And then they began the foundations and built upon them, and then entrusted it to a monk who was called Seaxwulf. He was a great friend of God, and all people loved him, and he was very nobly born in the world and powerful”. This Christianity was the Celtic form of Christianity, very different from the Roman variety imported by St Augustine. However, in 677 Canterbury was recognized as the Ecclesiastical centre of at the conference of Whitby and the Roman faith became dominant in England. So this place was probably Christian from around 640 AD although Christianity may well have been practiced in Roman times.

Part 2 – Domesday Book Apethorpe is mentioned in the Domesday Book as PATORP;

Click the photo to open in larger window it was part of the royal or vill of Nassington and was valued at £13.7s.0p, a relatively high figure for a small holding of 12 ploughs and populated by 16 villains. (Serfs) Apethorpe was named Apetorp and Appetorp in the Pipe Rolls (tax records) of 1163 and 1167 and by then it included 2 mills on the river and 2 hides of land. It is thought that the name derives from the personal Danish name Api with the suffix thorpe meaning village or hamlet. Game and Gamekeepers It is also noted as being part of the Willibrook Hundred, today Willowbrook (a Hundred was a medieval geographic term for the division of a Shire for administrative, military and judicial purposes) .The Church here was linked to Nassington Prebendary (a type of Benefice) who sent priests out to the outlying villages. One could call it "a chapel in the green" as it was in the Kings Forest. Apethorpe was in Rockingham forest, the King's hunting ground. (thus the green) This was managed from the Kings House in Kings Cliffe and there were very strict laws regarding the forest, its game, and what you could take and where you could go. Verderers (from the French green) maintained the law and kept people out of the forest. Nothing has changed; you could say that David Moisey and Richard Clarke, our present gamekeepers, are our modem day verderers. Luckily they can't hang us any more for poaching, but they can still tell us to keep out, keep dogs on leads, etc. Church origins A history of Apethorpe – by Richard Parkinson 2012

There is some evidence of a Saxon Church but no proof. However there is some evidence of a twelfth century Church still to be seen. One of these are the original foundations which run along the line of the Pillars either side of the nave. There is also an 11th century wedge shaped arch stone with chevron ornament which can be seen near a window on the North Aisle. As regards the church at that time, we have to remember that this was a Roman Catholic Church and in those days the priest was the intercessor between the population and God, he took communion regularly but the congregation would only have done so at Easter and on our saint’s day. He forgave them their sins for a fee and prayed for their souls, for a fee. He would have stood with his back to the nave and mumbled the service in Latin, which he had probably learnt by rote. The Bible, if they had one, would also have been in Latin and he was more than likely unable understand what he read. There were no pews, people stood or kneeled. They used the church to store their valuable farming instruments, ploughs etc. They also used it as we would use a village hall, for celebrations, meetings, and at high days and holidays. It was the centre of the village.

Part 3 Fifteenth Century Apethorpe was always, up to the 15th century, owned by the Crown, who leased it out to a variety of subjects over the years, these included for example, Queen Eleanor, Edward 1st wife, from 1283 to 1290. In 1340 it was granted to Sir Robert Dalton and his family, (His tomb cover can be seen in the Mildmay Chapel). TheDaltons were here until 1442 and then crown handed it to the Ridels of Wittering who had apparently fought with William the conqueror at Hastings.

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The War of the Roses Apethorpe then passed to Sir Guy Wolston 1435-1504 who originated from Woolaston, near Wellingborough. The Estate included all our benefice villages of Apethorpe, Nassington, Woodnewton, , Glapthorne and more which, according to English Heritage, he eventually bought from the Ridel family of Whittering in 1480. Although it is thought that he probably rented the estate prior to purchase. He served the Dukes of York and in 1464 he was given the custody, constableship and lordship of Fotheringhay Castle, (Where Richard 3rd was born in 1 452) he subsequently became usher and squire to Edward IV. He was created Knight of the Bath in 1485 by Henry VII so he must have changed sides and fought against the Yorkist Richard III; He also fought for Henry at the Battle of Stoke Field on 16 June 1487 where the conspiracy to oust Henry VII led by the Yorkist Earl of Lincoln, (who A history of Apethorpe – by Richard Parkinson 2012 tried to place the pretender Lambert Simnel on the throne) was ended. This proved to be the last battle of the Wars of the Roses. Apethorpe Hall It was Sir Guy that we believe built the great Hall of Apethorpe around 1480. It is also thought that he rebuilt the old 12th century Church sometime around 1485 (we celebrated the Churches 500th anniversary in 1985), however English Heritage have recently carried out dendrological tests on some timbers in the church which point to an earlier date, maybe as early as 1422. Sir Guy died in 1504 and his daughter and son in law, Thomas Empson, inherited the estate but had to sell it in 1515 because of the attainment and beheading by Henry 8th of Thomas's Father, Richard, on a charge of treason. The Mildmay’s It was then occupied by the 5th Baron Mountjoy 1516-1544 and then sold back to the King who, in 1552, exchanged the estate with Sir , who had lands in Wiltshire and . He was the 4th son of Thomas Mildmay of who was a commissioner for receiving the surrender of the monasteries and who, as such, had become a very wealthy man. Sir Walter was Surveyor to the Court of Augmentations, which was responsible for valuing the monasteries and their holdings. By 1566 he had achieved the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer and Privy Councilor to Queen Elizabeth; both positions he held until his death. He was married to Mary, sister of Sir . She died 16 March 1576; in 1588 he founded Emmanuel College . He died in 1589 and is buried under an elaborate tomb in the church of St Bartholomew the Great in .

PART 4 – 1564 ONWARDS

Sir Walter Mildmay’s eldest son, Sir Anthony Mildmay, inherited the family estate. He was educated at Peterhouse where he delivered an oration with much success when the Queen Elisabeth visited the college 9 August 1564. He entered Gray's Inn in 1579. He was knighted in 1596. when he was appointed ambassador to Henry IV of France. The French King Henry complained of Mildmay's uncongenial manner and of the coldness with which he listened to the praises of the Earl of Essex. At an interview in March 1597 King Henry ordered him out of his chamber and threatened to strike him. He returned home later that year and declined an invitation to resume the post in 1598. His portrait is in Emmanuel College, Cambridge. gham. Francis also purchased Fulbeck Hall which is still held by the Fane family. His son Mildmay Fane became 2nd Earl in 1628, he was the first member of the family to attend Emmanuel College, he was Knight of the Bath at Charles 1st coronation and the king visited Apethorpe in 1631 for the first time, though he returned many times. He died on 11 September 1617, and was buried here and the elaborate monument (for which he left £ I ,000, about £2.7 million in today’s money) by Maximilian Colt was erected to his memory. The painted glass window in the chapel is quite exceptional and the like cannot be found outside Oxford & Cambridge. It was said to have been hidden in the Hall during Cromwell's time. A history of Apethorpe – by Richard Parkinson 2012

Sir Anthony left an only daughter, Mary, who married Francis Fane, later 1st Earl of Westmorland. He already owned large estates in Kent including the famous Castle at Mereworth. King James I It was during his time that James 1 visited Apethorpe, firstly on his journey from Scotland to take up the crown and subsequently on many occasions to hunt. It is here that he met George Villiers, his favourite, who later made Duke of Buckinghamshire. Mildmay rebuilt the tower of the church in 1633. He was a staunch Royalist, and was made Knight of the Bath at Charles 1 coronation. He was a member of the Sealed Knot and he served with the Prince of Wales Regiment of Horse. However, he managed to come through the civil war with the estate relatively unscathed even though he was arrested in 1643 and imprisoned in the Tower of London resulting in a fine of £2,000. He was a poet and a musician, publishing his best known collection in 1648. He built new stables over the period between 1653/4 and made other smaller embellishments to the house. He died on 12th February 1666. The Fane’s Charles Fane, his son and the 3rd Earl, was twice married firstly to Elizabeth Nodes and secondly to Dorothy Brudenell of Deene Park but he left no children. He was succeeded by his half brother Vere Fane, in 1691 who was also created Knight of the Bath, but at Charles 11’s coronation. The 5th Earl, also called Vere, died unexpectedly of fever at the age of 20 in 1693 having just been appointed Major in the 1st Horse Guards. He was succeeded by his brother Thomas Fane at the age of 15, the 2nd son of the 4th Earl. He held a number of positions at court including Lord of the Bedchamber for George 1st. His only government post was Deputy Lieutenant of the Cinque Ports. He made considerable alterations to the Hall and its gardens including planting the yew walk and making the walled kitchen garden and greenhouses. It was during his time that clock on the church tower is dated 1704, was installed. It was made by John Watts the famous Stamford clockmaker. Later the Earl ordered the remodeling of the interior of the church the pulpit and box pews were added in 1735; it seems from a drawing that there was a balcony at the west end of the church where the singers sat and the stairs to it rising up from where the font currently stands by the main door. The font was situated where the current vestry stands.

Part 5 – 1736 onwards Thomas Fane, the 6th Earl, died without issue on the 4th July 1736; he was succeeded by his younger brother John Fane who fought with Marlborough at Oudenarde and Malplaquet, rising to the rank of general in 1761. He had already inherited Burston Estate and Mereworth Castle on the death of his older brother Mildmay Fane in 1716 and had married Mary Cavendish, daughter of the second son of the Duke of Devonshire in the same year. Other than the army, his main hobby was architecture and he commissioned Colen Campbell to build a new house in the Palladian style at Mereworth, where he lived for most of his life. This is considered to be the most perfect Pallidian style house in the country. He was considering doing the same a Apethorpe, which he inherited in 1716, but only a small part of A history of Apethorpe – by Richard Parkinson 2012 this rebuilding ever happened, namely the courtyard facade on the south range. He also built the Dovecot employing a mason from Woodnewton for the work at the same time rebuilding Woodnewton Manor House. Like all three of his brothers, he died childless on 26th August 1762. Only the estates in and Yorkshire passed, with the Earldom, to his cousin Thomas Fane of Bristol.

Thomas, the 8th Earl was a lawyer and an MP. He was already a very wealthy man and his wealth enabled his offspring to continue to live in comfort in Apethorpe. He died aged 71 in 1771 and was succeeded by his eldest son John Fane who only lived another 3 years and was himself succeeded by the 9th Earl another John Fane who was only 15 years old. This 10th Earl enjoyed a very successful career in politics; he was Master of the Horse, Lord Privy Seal and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. After 67 years as owner of Apethorpe he died in Brighton on 15th December 1841 aged 82. The 11th Earl another John, was born in 1784 and pursued a distinguished military career finally serving a aid-de-camp to the future Duke of Wellington during the Peninsular war. He married Lady Priscilla Wellesley-Pole and then pursued a career as a diplomat in Florence, Berlin, Prussia and Vienna. He returned to Apethorpe in 1856 when he made considerable alterations and repairs to the house. The current pews were installed in the Church about this time. There is one particular monument that you should read and that is the one on the south wall of the church which tells the story of Wellington's Spanish campaign and the death of a fine soldier at the battle of Vitoria. The Earl died in 1859 and was succeeded by his son. The 12th Earl was born in 1825; he joined the army at the age of 17, served in India and was decorated at the battle of Gujrat. Later, he joined the Coldstream Guards and served a ADC to Lord Raglan during the Crimean war where he was promoted to Lt Colonel. In 1856 he was appointed ADC to the Duke of Cambridge. He succeeded to the Earldom in 1859, was a prominent member of the Jockey Club, a racehorse owner and a very unsuccessful gambler. He had to sell his horses and give up racing. It was in 1859 that workmen discovered the remains of a Roman Villa in the grounds of the hall and the vicar of Kings Cliffe conducted a detailed archaeological dig of the site unearthing extensive building with tessellated pavements and a bath house. He died in London in 1891. The 13th Earl was born in 1859 and followed a military career, retiring as an Honorary Major and was the last Fane to own the Apethorpe estate because the 12th Earl had left the estate so badly in debt and heavily mortgaged he was forced to put the estate on the market immediately after he inherited. Sale particulars were drawn up in 1892 but it was not until 1904 that the sale to Mr Henry Leonard Brassey, subsequently 1st Baron Brassey, was completed. A history of Apethorpe – by Richard Parkinson 2012

So ends 287 years of continuous ownership by the Fane family. And so there were 12 Earls living and buried here, many in the crypt under the monument in the South Chapel, the last in the graveyard.

Part 6 – The Brassey’s

Leonard Brassey was born in 1870 and was one of the sons of Thomas Brassey who had amassed a fortune of £3.2 million from the construction of railways all over the world, including in the Crimea. In 1894 he had married Lady Violet Mary Gordon-Lennox by whom he had 6 sons. After acquiring the estate. Leonard Brassey became High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, MP for and, later, Peterborough. He was created Baronet in 1922 and Baron Brassey of Apethorpe In 1938. When he purchased Apethorpe he immediately called in Sir Reginald Blomfield, one of the most prominent country house architects of the time. He proceeded to restore and modernize the Hall, a new water and drainage system was installed, electricity and water closets were introduced and the south façade was altered by the addition a triple gabled attic and steeply pitched slate roofs added to match the existing roofs. New entrance gates and a lodge were added to the main entrance by the manor House. Work continued on the gardens and the lake was dug and filled in 1909. All this restoration cost money and Leonard Brassey sold off large portions of the 6,500 acre estate, in 1904 he sold Tansor Farm and in 1910 -11 considerable portions of the estate in Nassington, Yarwell and Wansford. Meanwhile the village itself was completely remodeled. A new gate to the Hallwas built with a lodge. The pub was moved from what is now the Churchyard to its present position, the main street was rebuilt with a Village Hall, new estate offices and cottages. Laundry road was also completely rebuilt with a new laundry, a gamekeeper’s cottage and 3 other cottages. The farm yard was remodeled and the cottages on Bridge Street were built further back from the road. The cottage by the bridge is old, (it has an extremely large bread oven which makes one wonder whether it acted as a bakery at some time). The cottages in Kingscliffe Road are said to be mid 17th century as are Ivy Cottage and Michaelmas Cottage on the corner of Main Street and Kings Cliffe Road. Leonard Brassey lost two sons in the First World War and the memorial windows on the South wall of the Church were designed and produced by Christopher Whall, a leading Arts and Crafts stained glass artist commemorating their death. These are said to be some of the best examples of stained glass of that period. The quality of the colours has specially been mentioned. The figures represented include the two St Leonards both with chains, St George, St Martin and Joan of Arc and King Louis. The idea being to commemorate England and France’ joint efforts in the First World War. The war memorial was given to the village by Lady Violet at this time. Queen Mary and the second world war In 1938 Queen Mary visited the hall and then in 1939 the Hall was closed for the duration of the war. The church was also closed 1939 because the roof was unsafe and the services continued to A history of Apethorpe – by Richard Parkinson 2012 be held in the Hall Chapel until 1947 when the church was re-furbished the roof mended. Whilst it was being re-furbishes services were held in the Laundry Cottage. Lord Brassey told me some time ago that he remembers that the vicar used to disappear during the hymns and come back smelling of alcohol. In 1946 Leonard Brassey decided that he could no longer afford the upkeep of the Hall and it and 50 acres of land was eventually sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough in 1949, the contents having been sold at a six day sale conducted by John D Wood in 1947. Leonard moved to London whilst his son Thomas Brassey lived in the manor House, as does his son David Brassey today. The Hall was converted into an Approved School under the auspices of the Catholic Church and the Home Office. Various destructive alterations were made during this period until 1982 when it was sold to a Mr Wanis Burweila, a Libyan business man resident in Greece, who was eventually issued with repairs notices from the Secretary of State; it was then sold to ACEL, a property development company who were themselves issued with a CPO and English Heritage took over the Hall and 50 acres in 2006. Whilst the parish has from time to time, had its own Rector it has more often shared one either with Kingscliffe or Woodnewton, but here we are today, back where we started in the 1st century, in a Benefice with Nassington, Woodnewton and Yarwell. The Hall is again up for sale, but in better condition than for many years, the Church stands much as it did when built 530 years ago and Apethorpe, with its population of 145 people battles on through the vicissitudes of modern life.

RJP 20/3/2012