328 WORMLEIGHTON. WARWICKSHIRE. [KELLY'S bridge. Earl P.C., G.C.V.O. is lord of the over it, a. gabled building on the west side, a'nd on tha manor and sole landowner. This lordship was held in the other a square tower of four storeys, with a plain Conqueror's time by the Earl of Mellent, and soon after parapet, low pyramidal roof and vane; it contains a belonged to Geoffrey de Clinton; it subsequently passed curious old contemporary clock, striking the hours, but through the families of Walsh, Pecke and Montford, to without any dial; over the archway, on the outer or William Cope, who sold it, 22 Henry VII. to Sir John eouth front, are the royal arms, and on either side, in Spencer; the latter built a magnificent mansion here panels, the rose and the thistle, and the date 1613 ; on in the reign of Henry VIII. of which considerable re- the inner front, the central position is occupied by mains still exist; he also rebuilt or considerably repaired the Spencer arms, with the motto, "Dieu defend le the church and rebuilt the village, a.nd dying, 14th Droit; " high up on the gate-house also remain the April, 1522, WM buried at Brington, Northamptonshire; dial stone and gnomon of an ancient sun-dial: the por­ ()f this family may also be noticed Sir , tion of the house still remaining stands north-east of grandson of the preceding, representative in Parliament the gate-house, and is an embattled structure of two for Northamptonshire 1553 and 1570, and sheriff of ' storeys, divided by buttresses, and originally lighted by that county in 5 Edward VI. (1551-2); he died 8th mullioned and trar1somed windows of four lights, most November, 1586; .Alice Spencer, daughter of the fore- of which are now blocked: the prindpal room on the going, who was wife of Ferdinandu, 5th Earl af Derby, ground floor is about 30 by 2o feet, and has a bay and afterwards of Lord Chancellor Ellesmere ; in z6o2, window at the end: the rooms above are also spacious: while residing at Harefield, Middlesex, she was visited the house is now in the occupation of Mr. Bolton, who,

by Queen Elizabeth, and died there 1636. Sir Robert 1 however, only uses a part of it. .Another historical :Spencer, first Lord Spencer of Wormleighton, and sheriff family, that of Washington, is also connected with the -of Northamptonshire in the 43rd Elizabeth, opposed with village. .A branch of the family of George Washington spirit and determination, in the reign of James I. the lived at Wormleighton, and the name appears in the .arbitrary principles of the Government, and supported I parish register as early as I595· The village includes ,popular privileges; he died 25th October, 1627: Henry ' a number of remarkably fine model cottages built by Spencer, third Lord Spencer and first Earl of Sunder- the 4th and sth Earls Spencer for their tenantry. The land, whose wife, Lady Dorothy Sydney, is celebrated soil is heavy; subsoil, clay. The chief crops are wheat by Wailer as "Saccharissa," was during the Civil war and beans, with a considerable portion of pasture. The a devoted adherent to the royal cause, and, serving as area is 2,425 acres of land and 26 of water; rateable a volunteer in the ranks of the King's horse, fell value, {,2,9II; the population in 1901 was 191 in the gloriously at the battle of Newbury, 1643: Robert, civil parish and 230 in the ecclesiastical, which extends second Earl of Sunderland K.G. the crafty and un- into Northamptonsh;_re. -scrupulous minister of Charles II. James II. and Parish Clerk James Wallis William Ill. became Lord Chamberlain in 1697, and ' · , died at A.lthorp, 28th September, 1702 : Charles, third Post Office.-Miss Sarah Thornton, sub-postmistress. Earl K.G. was al&o a distinguished statesman, a prin- Letters from Leamington arrive at 7·15 a.m. & 3·30 . .cipal secretary of state in the reigns of Queen Anne p.m. & dispatched at 1.30 & 7.20 p.m. No sunday _ and George I. and lord lieutenant of Ireland; he died delivery. Fenny Compton, 3 miles distant, is the 19th April, 1722. The Manor House, erected by Sir nearest money order & telegraph office _John Spencer, seems to have been a place of great size ' Pillar Letter Box, cleared I.40 & 7-20 p.m. sundays and importance, and is said .to have extended round a excepted quadrangle, but during the Civil War most of the Public Elementary School (mixed), for 6o children; •buildings were destroyed by fire; the portions still re- average attendance, 38; the school has an t>ndowment 1mainin~ consist of the gate-house and part of the south of £6oo Consols, producing annually £2o, & left by -side of the mansion: the gate-house is of stone, and :Mr~. Cathei-ine .A.rnold in 1839; Miss .A.gnes Firth consists of three blocks, a centre archway with a room Guyton, mistress .Alford Rev. George Percy M.A. Bolton John, farmer, Manor house jHulme Henry, farmer {vicar), Vicarage Burnett Frederick Walton, farmer i Knott William, farmer, New house

COMMERCIAL. Douglas Thomas Henry, farmer 1 Thornton James, carpenter A.llibone William, deputy estate Edmunds John, carpenter , Vickers Douglas V. K. farmer agent to Gilkes George & Richard, threshing \Yillison William Goodman, farmer, Bignill George, carpenter machine proprietors Church farm WBOXALL, .anciently "W.rocheshale," is a parieh on originally the church seems to have had no tower, or the road from Warwick to Birmingham, 3 miles north one detached: the present embattled western tower is of :from Hatton station on the Great W-esbTil railway, 6 brick, probably of the 16th or perhaps the 17th century, north-west from Warwick and 14 south from Birming- with a porch door on its north side, and contains 3 'ham, in the South-Western division of the county, bells, one with an invocation, to the Virgin, and another · Snitterfield dirision of :Barlichway hundred and War- da·ted 1664: the windows on the north side and others wick petty sessional division, union and county eourt retain some interesting remains of the 14th century district. The priory -of Wroxall was founded about 1141 stained glass, intermixed with modern work, and there by Hugh de Hatbon, for nuns of the order of St. Bene- are vari·ous mural monuments t:O the families of Bur- . diet, and dedicated in honour of St. Leonard: it was goyne and Wren, nota!bly one to Christopher Wren and subsequently enriched by the piety of many other bene- Mary his wife, dated 1773, and another to Diana Anna ~ facrors, and at the Dissolution was valued at £72 15s. 6d. Burgoyne, 1693: an organ chamber wa~ built and a new -Agnes Little, the last prioress, being allowed a yearly organ provided in 1897: there are zoo .sittings. The pension of £7 zos. od.: on the 8th December, 1554, the portions 'Of the priory still remaining are the church, site and buildings were granted by the Crown to Robert chapter house, l'efectory and connecting walls and Burgoyne and John Scudamere, and shortly afterwards offioos: the singularly constructed garden walls are a house was built here lby the Burgoynes, the southern attributed to Sir Christopher Wren. A. burial ground and eastern sides of the nunnery being adapted to do- for the parish, the gift of J. B. Dugdale esq. was opened mestic uses, and the west front rebuilt: the famous in 1897· The registers, un•bound and imperfect, begin architect, Sir Ohristopher Wren, purchased the estate at 1586; the entries between 1604 and 1641 are missing: in 1713 and occasionally resided here: his d-escendants there is also a book with the names of the churchwar­ sold it to the late James Dugdale esq. who built here a dens and parish officers from r6]o to 1730. The chap­ Tudor mansion: it is now occupied by James Broughton laincy has been held since 1910 by the Rev. John Duncan Dugdale esq. M.A., D.L., J.P. No parish church Day B.A. of Hertford College, Oxford, who resides at appears ever to have been founded at Wroxall, because, Warwick. The parish possesses ~harity lands with a the whole lordship being granted to the priory, the gross annual income of about [105, of which [40 has, tenants would naturally attend the st>rvices of the under the Education Act of 1902, been declared to be co.nventual church, which has, since the Reformation, held for educational purposes; the balance is applied supplied the absence of any such foundation, being at to various purposes for the benefit of the poor of the the same time 1:1he albsolut-e property of the holders of parish under a scheme of the Charity Con;missioners the estate. The present church of St. Leonard, which dated June 14th, 1878. The Working Men's Club was occupied the north side of the conventual enclosure, erected in z885 by J. B. Dugdale esq. The ancient and was Tebuilt a.bout IJI5, is an edifice of stone, con- stocks still remain close to the schools, and are in good aisting of chancel and nave under one continuous open pre::ervation. James Broughton Dugdale esq. is lord of timber roof, undivided by any chan-cel arch, and is the manor and sole landowner. The soil is various; lighted on the north side by fine Decorated windows, subsoil, clay. The chief crops are wheat and beam. by two windows on the south side. where it adjoins The area is 1,651 acres, including 4 of water; rateable ether buildings, and at the east end by a large window value, £z,gi8; the population. in 1901 w_as I59· B~ a of five lights in the florid style of the zsth century: Local Government Order, wh1ch came m to operatwn