H ISTORICA L NOTES

T ON HE PARISH OF PARTNEY .

H I S TOR I CA L N O Y E S

O N T H E PA R I S H OF

P A R T N E K

L COL I N NS H I RE .

G IL BE R T G E O R GE WA L K E R ,

A X M . O O D . F R ,

R C TO O F PA T Y W T D L E R R NE I H A BY,

O M T M V C A O F UTTO FT S E I E I R H .

I h o pe you make what enquirie s you can and write down what is to o u t t s c s s o m st c c ct ld y . The lit le hing whi h di tingui h d e i hara er are so on fo rgott en if yo u delay t o en q uire you wi l l have n o info rmat i o n

m o ou c t o t o . if y negle t wri e , inf r ati n will be in vain

’ lett r B t a e t P r ri [ n e to ennet [ an ton on he a fi o e e n e a ion o P artne . g , f g g f y

S P I L S BY

\V O TO F A K L O U G T T M . . K . R N , R N I N H SE , H I H S REE

1 8 8 9 .

A P REF CE .

WOUL D beg the intending reader of this little book to remember that it has been written by a country parson away

from reference libraries , and that his first object in writing has been to rouse some interest amongst his

parishioners for the past history of their parish . It is owing to the former of these facts that I have been

unable to verify all my quotations , and to the latter that I have drawn my illustrations from neighbouring

and familiar places , and have felt it necessary to put in some things about which the reader perhaps feels

himself already sufficiently well informed . As a basis for my Notes I took the chapter on Partney in

’ ’ ’ Oldfi e ld s H z slor o Wa z n eet 1 8 2 y f fi , published in 9 , and Bishop Trollope ’ s Paper read before the Lincoln

1 8 6 shire Arch aeological Society in 5 . As far as possible I have tested the value of the statements v z . P re ace f .

made , by reference to the authorities quoted , and

amplified what had been written . I have also made use of various scraps of information given in the

’ ’ L z ncol ns h z re N otes 87 ueries volumes of Q , and in numerous other books . I believe that in every case

I have made an acknowledgment in a footnote . Especially I have to thank personal friends for much — valuable help mv predecessor, the Rev . J . W .

Bayldon , M . A . , now Rector of Low Toynton near H orncastle , for permission to utilise the information he had gathered about the past history of the parish

’ during his 1 9 years residence here this he has in the main preserved on blank pages of the parish registers, and future generations of parishioners will never fail to appreciate his most judicious labours in this — direction the Rev . A . R . Maddison , M . A . ,

Priest Vicar of Lincoln Cathedral , who supplied me

with a list of the early Rectors , and gave me many extracts from Wills and much other valuable in — , W . H m . formation y brother , Mr T ollis alker,

Barrister at law , who has very kindly verified many references for me in the Library of the Inner Temple, without which help my work would have been much

an d more difficult, frequent j ourneys to London much — more necessary and , most important of all , the P reface .

M as in . s b e rd . . Rev . W . O g , M A , Rector of South

wh o Ormsby , gave me many most useful hints as to

sources of information , and communicated to me

s what I must regard as the most valuable of my fact .

To the Secretary of the Lord Bishop of Lincoln , and to the various Incumbents who allowed me to make m extracts from the registers under their charge , y

sincere thanks are due . From many parishioners and neighbours I have received hints or scraps of

information for which I have been most grateful .

To mako a . fuller acknowledgment would cause my

preface to be longer than my book . I shall be glad if what I have written below brings out in any way a truer knowledge of Partney in the past and a clearer understanding of its condition in the present .

G . G . W . D ED ICATION .

T O TH E P A O O F N E R I SH I NE RS P A RT Y .

M Y D E PA O A R R IS H I NE R S ,

I wish to dedicate to you these Notes on the

history of our parish . You will see , when you read

them , that they are nothing more than Notes .

Anything worthy of th e name of a History was

outside my aim and beyond my powers . Nor do

n I claim to give you anythi g very original or new . I have but put together such notices about Partney

r i m as I could glean f om var ous books and docu ents, while with them I have tried to mould into something like a continuous story the traditions still current

amongst us . A clergyman must act as an unconscious historian m every time he enters a baptis , a marriage , or a

one burial in the parochial registers . And so of ' D n l ed ica tio . x .

the first things I should always do on entering upon the charge of a parish would be to make myself acquainted with the contents of the Church chest and gladly welcome any information I could get about the life past and present of the place I had come to dwell in . As you seem to understand the character of a man the better if you have learnt something

about his parentage and bringing up , so to be not altogether uninformed about the past history of a

parish , makes it easier to understand what otherwise

were but unmeaning irregularity . To have written w out these Notes, therefore , is , I ould venture to

’ think , by no means a waste of your Rector s time , because in looking into the past and trying to explain to you something of what he sees therein h e has in the truest sense been also educating himself. This is

what I hope I may always be doing during the years, be they few or many , in which I may be allowed to subscribe myself

f Your riend and Rector, G LB T I ER G . WALKER .

N E E aster 1 8 8 . PA RT Y , , 9 T T CON EN S .

CHAPTER I .

Th e Nam e

CHAPTER II .

Th e C hu rch

" CHAPTER III .

Th e Re cto ry

CHAPTER I V .

O th e r Re ligi o u s Fo u ndati ons

CHAPTER V .

Land o wne rs and I n habi tants

CHAPTER V I .

Th e Mark et and Fair s

V II CHAPTER .

Tradi t i o ns of th e Plagu e

V CHAPTER III .

A Di sti ngui s h e d V i s ito r Content . x s l .

IX CHAPTER .

s Re ste rs oo s and e s Pari h gi , B k , Pap r

X CHAPTER .

S o m e Note s on Dalby

X F D M APPEND I O OCU ENTS .

B G ENEAL OGICAL TA L ES .

G nt W o O r s o sto w so n au , ill ughby , m by , Th ry , Ful , Maddi ,

L landen o ne . , B ur

L M ISCE L ANEOU S NO TES .

OOK O UL D B S AND PAPERS C NS TE .

D X IN E . LL U ST AT S I R ION .

” n V fr t b r E t e e o o o M s . . . . Par y illag , m a p h grap h y A B

Sa nd e r s .

t ne f t Par y Ch urch ro m a ph o ograp h . b E tne Re t fr t M r. o o o o . Par y c ry , m a ph grap h y

Nai nby .

D alb f t E N n v o o o r b . . . Park , r m a p h g ap h y Mr ai by

ld f an ld O o o oto . Dalby Ch urch , r m p h graph

and ti Th o mas Ma lda Chauc e r fr o m a b rass .

o n f St N s nse t o o . C cra i o . ich la

T S CORREC ION .

Hane n e n e For e . Pag 2 0 . r ad Hav

For Be ssett r e ad Bassett .

mm n lan d S mm n rland For So e e s r e ad u o e .

in n n is th e ld f f Lyi n g mi g . Mi g o o rm o w hich

n i f nt mi gl e s a re qu e ative .

’ n r n r o ns Th ese marriage lice ce s a e tak e fr o m M . G ibb

b oo k .

1 h For 1 sth r e ad 7t .

’ oo t s efe e nts so n e th e Re to r of Mr . B h pr rm al i clud d c y

an d th e e fW n le e t St B e ll e au V icarag o ai f . Mary .

” W a W nn Fo r h inney r e d hi e ry .

“ n n l A sore Sparr o w hawk m e a t a bird ofo e ye ar o d .

r rath e i th Fo r ad 3 .

For K itsby r e ad K e tsby .

T h e e ate e e e sso r f J n Pari s h Cl e rk s . imm di pr d c o o h

Smi th was Mo se s Bail ey . CHAPTE R I .

A M T H E N E .

HERE is always an interest attached to

the name of a place , and in a special " way is this the case with Partney . Amid a district thickly studded with “ bys and thorpes, bespeaking a Danish settle

- ment , it is one of the few that retains an Anglo Saxon form , and may thus claim for itself the distinction of having a longer continuous history than most of its th oth neighbours . It was during the s and centuries

of the Christian Era that Angles , Saxons , and Jutes came over from what we now call Schleswig Holstein * and settled in the land which hitherto

they had known as Britain . It would be incorrect to suppose that they conquered the country all at

once , rather they kept on fighting their battles

against the Welsh , as they called the natives , and gradually so drove them westward that little trace

of them was left behind . We still use a few words

' '

o . Pr f Free man s 01d E ng/z s/z H i story . B 2 H istor o P a rtne y f y .

k— of Welsh origin in our everyday tal cradle , kiln , — pool , darn , daub , mop , pillow , for instance but our place names are almost all of them of Anglo-Saxon or W . ash Danish origin We speak , indeed, of the f

H a and the Bain , and Marden ill , and in f ct it is the mountains and rivers which are always found w to preserve the relics of a race that has passed a ay . In this part of Lincolnshire our hills generally go by the name of the village to which they belong, and so , too , does our only river, though it is sometimes called the Limb (or Lymm) a name which may possibly have a Welsh origin . I cannot help thinking that if we want to find Welsh names we ought to look amongst the field names of our parishes , changed considerably as they must be from their original form , ffi and so making an explanation all the more di cult .

This would possibly be the key , could we but use it aright , which would open out to us the meaning of

uarrum s Cod um s I the Q , the g , the ups in Spilsby , the

Bellum s uib e r Blunke ts H , Q Kettles , and in undleby, and a great many more , quaint words which we use often enough on the farms without thinking of how they may be taking us back a thousand years or

more, and forcing us to speak in the tongue of men i l ong gone . 1 But for the orig n of village names we

’ Dr M l . o H l rri s is torica E ag es/z Gramm ar.

’ “ D r . c r l l I saa Tayl o r s Wo ds and P aces .

M r G m k r L ine /m oi r . C . . th e s o o f D om esda Boo o a e I S ith , tran lat r y f , find s Britis h Wel s h) na m es where o thers w o uld certainly l oo k for a

c s t t o m Dh albu S andinavian o rigin . Thu he ake s D alby ean ( y) a hill

z . e . D c o . altar dwelling , , a ruidi al ab de

H i tor P a r n 4 s y of t ey .

Firsby , Orby , Gunby , Candlesby , Claxby , Ulceby . ” We are in a district of bys and thorpes , of which

the former is by far the more common . These names have been left us by the Danes or Northmen who

8 th I ute s came over in the century , as the Angles , ,

and Saxons had done before them . They established

themselves over half England , and besides coming

here they founded kingdoms in France , Italy , Scotland

and Ireland, and penetrated even into Russia and to

Constantinople . By the aid of their place names we can still define with some degree of accuracy the area

they ravaged and the district they colonised . The “ most valuable test word in England is by , which

o in France becomes b euf. Originally denoting a

single farm , it came to mean a village . In parts of England it has almost ousted the Anglo - Saxon “ ” ham and ton , and in Lincolnshire alone occurs z oo times Other common Norse terminations are “ “ thorpe , toft, and thwaite . The two former “ ” are familiar to us all , but thwaite , though often

occurring in Cumberland , is generally said in books on the subject not to be met with at all in Lincoln

’ “ shire . r But it is found once . We have Thwaite H all in the middle of Welton Wood , and we see the appropriateness when we remember that the meaning

* W d W r w e o . or a D r. . o o s and P laces s s . s oe I Tayl r ( " ay Pr f , in ’ n A ccount o t/z e D a nes ana N orw e ia ns m E n land Scotland and A f g g ,

r la nd s th e m m o co c t a s 2 1 2 o u t o f o o f 6 0 I e , give nu ber re rre ly a t tal 4

o f E for th e wh o le ngland .

J o W a rS o bo th Tayl r and ors oe . Th e a m e N . 5

is a forest clearing . We shall look for the British

or Welsh name , then , as I believe , in the fields . We Shall Often find the English name in a hamlet or

v ice versa farmstead , or sometimes , , the English is

v still the name of the illage , and there are Norse H hamlets round it . Thus alton includes Northorpe

H . Welton includes anby , Boothby , and Thwaite H idden away in a corner of Scremby is Bassingham ,

Basin s The home of the g , in whose place the Norse

Skram r warrior, whom his men called , after the name of a monster giant , has given his name to the village . Another such as he had his home at Skrimth orp e

Bratoft nd H in so , too , Spilsby , undleby , and

S illr H undo lf Asgarby , speak of a p , a , and an Asgeir , who came from over the water and m ade for them selves new homes among the pleasant wolds of

‘ n But ' wh en Li colnshire . they came they found a

Partney , an island between two of the branches of the river which then , as now , flowed down the

e - valley . This y , or ea , is a well known English w termination for an island , and hile the oarsman on d the Thames may still row roun Sonning Eye , the

h is Londoner in lower waters finds Chertsey , Chelsea , and Battersea joined to the mainland by rich pastures , and the river, no longer a broad lagoon dotted with marshy islands , is confined within regular banks . We must think of Partney , then , as once an island .

What the first syllable means it is hard to conjecture ,

mre and t/z e D a n es s . . S tre at fe ild h is [ z ncotns The Rev W B . , in , give

m s a sligh t ly differen t explanati o n o fthe o rigin o fthe s e na e . 6 H is tory of P a rtney .

* and the various spellings we get do not help us .

This much is clear it is not a Norse word . In our

H we neighbour, Skendleby olm , see what the Norse

men called an island in a river . As the second

syllable of Partney is so English , no doubt the first

is . too . To reach us either from Spilsby , Langton ,

Dalby , or Scremby , the visitor must cross a stream .

Once , we know , these were much wider than at

present . The engineering skill which has been brought to bear upon the whole system of drainage in the country is quite sufficient to explain the topographical changes without much geological know

or ledge recourse to elaborate theory . Partney , then ,

we was once an island ; indeed , might say it is an

n o t ffi island still , and it is di cult to see that just as Westminster Abbey was built for securityon Thorney

was Island , so a similar position chosen for Partney

Abbey , and later for Partney Church . The acreage

of the parish is small . Even now it is regarded as

2 0 m anv containing but 9 acres , and of these , of

course , are meadow land , which have been secured in comparatively modern times from the wanderings

H ow of the streams . this particular island came to

be called Partney we have no means of knowing .

The word is obviously like Bardney , with which , no

doubt, it has sometimes been confounded . The

P eart an e u P artene D omesda Book t , Bede ; , y ; Par an ; Parthenay,

P rt i A D . 1 2 0 2 P artan P art n i a t a . P r e n e . S t e n e e e e e e e K ephen , ; y ,

[n u is ition e s N ona rn m a s n ow E . P art na g ; Partney , , dward II I ; y ;

' / l r a a P art n Wz l o S i r C V a P rt e n e e . P artn e . y , f y ; y ; y Th e a m e N . 7

termination , though comparatively rare , is not unique

in the district . We have Kelsey in Great Steeping , H and Stickney , Sibsey , Friskney , and elsey in ff Mumby are not far O . We may note other silent witnesses to the antiquity

and former importance of Partney . The official names of the adjoining parishes of Langton and “ Ashby have by - Partney added to them to dis tinguish them from other places of the same name in different parts of the county , though , of course , the modern postal address is Spilsby . Yet at an

1 Inquisition taken at Lincoln Castle in 4 9 9 , Spilsby

P art na itself is described as Spilsby by e y . f Then there are the roads . It is di ficult for us to realise that most of the roads we use daily were

1 00 w years ago only tracks across onen fields , herein ,

‘ w - in bad weather, wheels ere wont to stick fast . t And , indeed , there are people still living in Par ney wh o wh o have been told by those had seen it , that in winter time it took tw o horses to drag a load of half H w a ton up Blue ill , while bet een the Mill and the Sausthorpe corner, a part known appropriately as “ the watery lane , a flood in rainy seasons was of

* common occurrence . But if we speak of really old

o o ot c h as s om o sc s c o is The f ll wing n e , whi h eh w e aped de tru ti n , a goo d illu s trat i o n D E A R S I R —l s L , under tand the Watery ane at Partney

is o s w c s m s very danger u , hi h prevent y being at Spil by

t o - ou or o so n m day . If y y ur will be at the eeting , will

f r m — m t s c ou act o e . o s os y Y ur in erely,

S cr H R A K E N BUR Y . m 1 1 1 A S . C e o Feo st 8 0 . y , . , C B f os c E s . J eph Bra kenbury , q 8 H is tory of P a rtney . roads we must go back to a time when the com m unication between Spilsby and Partney was not v ia H Blue ill at all . Starting down the Ashby road this W k road went down the ashdy e Lane , and so over the river at a ford , near which a mill formerly stood , the place being still marked by a dilapidated cradle

’ bridge . Travellers came out eventually by Arden s

’ Lane (or is it Harding s ? ) and so to th e village “ green and that part still known as the town ,

s though there are very few hou es there now . A similar road went out from Spilsby by Toynton Park and East Keal Church to Boston . It is very easy to understand that the present road through E re sby and close to the old castle was no public path in the days when Lord Willoughby ruled there in person . But Partney was in more direct communication with the

th e outer world . One of oldest roads (now a mere footpath) went straight from the part known as the

’ k M onksth or e Mon s Close to p in Great Steeping . With Dalby and with Skendleby there was com m unication by ways, still plain to follow, to the left of the present roads, while , most important of all , due east and west through the village (and to the north of the Church) there passed a high wav in direct com m unication with the marshes , along which coal could be brought from the sea , and cattle fattened in those marshes be driven for sale to Partney at the

September and October fairs . In the place, too , H ” there was a ospital , and that , as will be explained in a later chapter, implies visitors and frequented Th e e N a m . 9

roads . And that such an institution was established here at a very early date points to a line of direct communication going past its doors . Further, in our consideration of the comparative value , in ancient and modern times , of some particular bit of road , we must always bear in mind that whereas now our principal w high ays run north and south , a relic of coaching routes to London , in earlier years they went east and west , connecting the sea with that Great North Road which had been left us by the Romans , to whom , as road makers , none attempted to succeed till com * ra l pa tiv e y modern times . Compared with the evidence ‘of geology or place names , all this testimony—and even that of the fairs them selves is but of yesterday , but it all helps to show very definitely that right up to the beginning of this century Partney kept a primacy among the villages round .

It illu strate s th e great er i m p ortan ce o f the se a as a m ean s o f l o cal comm c t o to o u r o s t o m m t s uni a i n f refather re e ber tha , even in thi c c m m o o m s o t o C m s s entury , a lergy an ving fr Tru th rpe a bridge hire ent h is furniture by se a . HA C PTE R II .

H C H T H E C U R .

H E antiquarian and architectural interest in an English village generally centres

th e round Parish Church . In the old Church there is a building which probably shows signs of having been constructed at different dates and in the varying developments of the

Gothic style , while , unless it has been most

n injudiciously restored , it is certai to contain some features of more than ordinary , if not unique, interest . To the Parish Church a stranger is naturally first

w- taken , as to the one sho place of the village , and the more the incumbent has been able or inclined to study the past history of the building of which he is guardian , the more he is sure to learn about it , making what may at first appear extraneous studies work round to the subject of explaining and illustrating the many points of interest a village Church is sure to yield . Those Churches , however, which (like East

Th e Ch u rch . 1 1

Kirkby) have not yet been restored will probably prove the more fruitful field for the investigator, while Partney , which was almost the first in the neighbourhood to be repaired , resembles rather the pict ure which reveals all it has to show at t h e first glance than the work of an old master from which only the study of a lifetime will learn all it has to teach .

D omes d a Book In the notice of Partney in y , m A D 1 08 6 . . . , there is no ention of any Church Although this -is by no means proof that no Church

a was here t that time , yet it is strange that if there was one there should be nothing said about it , since amongst our neighbours Churches are recorded in

2 Ashby , Dalby ( l), Fordington , Candlesby H H H undleby , alton olgate , East and West Keal ,

’ Raithby , Steeping Toynton All Saints and St .

’

y . Peter s , Langton , Skendleb and Scremby There m ust , however , have been a Church here before the

I . end of the reign of William , for it is mentioned in a grant of Gilbert de Gaunt to Bardney Abbey , and “ appears as The Church of St . Nicholas in a

- confirmation of this grant by his great grandson .

was St . Nicholas Bishop of Myra in Lycia and died 6 6 A . D . 2 Dec . , 3 , which day has ever since been kept

A . D 6 0 as his festival . As early as . 5 a Church was

dedicated to his honour at Constantinople , and he has always been one of the most popular Saints both in

- the East and West . Three hundred and seventy six

’ 11 / a z in e 1 r W D i t na r ; C rn/22 V/ a M a 8 . D . m . m s c z o o S ith y g , y, 9 5 2 1 H is tory of P a rtn ey .

Churches are dedicated to him in England, the largest

His number to any one Saint . acts , which may embody some historical elements , are filled with

His legends and miracles . parents occupied a good w position , and Nicholas , of whose infancy onderful things are recorded , has become a patron Saint of children , and under his Dutch name of Santa Klaus is still a popular friend in many a nursery . Among the stories told of him are that as soon as he was born he stood up and gave thanks for the gift of existence , and that even in infancy he always fasted on Fridays . As soon as he grew to man ’ s estate he adopted an ascetic life and went on a j ourney to Palestine . Then began a series of miracles which have made him a popular Saint amongst sailors and fishermen , and he has taken the place of Poseidon , the Greek

in Neptune , this respect , and a temple of this god has actually been converted into a Church of

1 08 St . Nicholas . In the year 4 his relics were removed from Myra to Bari in Italy, whence he is commonly known as Nicholas of Bari . The Venetians , however, also claim the possession of his body . In both towns the Church of St . Nicholas , which is supposed to have been erected over the relics , is close to the mouth of the harbour . Similarly, the dedications to the Saint in England are for the most part in the harbours and

fishing villages of the south coast . And though of the Lincolnshire Churches so named many are quite inland , it is easy to see the appropriateness of choosing Th e Ch u r ch . 1 3

’ fi sh erman s a Saint for the dedication of Addlethorpe , * East Kirkby , and Partney . The figure of Saint Nicholas is a prominent one in several of the great mediaeval pictures now in our

National Gallery , notably in the Blenheim Madonna ,

fe w purchased at great cost a years ago . This was

1 0 A n side i painted by Raffael , in 5 5 , for the family at

Pe au ia g , and represents the Virgin and Child seated ,

I . with St . ohn the Baptist on the right and St Nicholas t e on the lef . The latter is d picted in full episcopal canonicals , holding a book , as becomes the patron of studious youth, and at his feet the three golde n balls

L h is e mble m q which are , usual No doubt the figure over the south door at Partney is intended to represent him , and another statue probably once stood in the now unoccupied niche on the west front of the tower .

Another Saint connected with Partney is St . Marv H Magdalene, in whose honour a ospital existed here b from the time of Henry I . It has een suggested I that the chantry marked off by a screen in the north aisle is dedicated to her, but I think we get a more correct explanation of this from the will of William

1 Brasse, in 4 5 3 , who directed that he should be buried

’ in St . Nicholas churchyard , Partney, and made

A D H s so c . C o m t oo al eeping , Skirbe k , and axey pare , , Great

Yarmo uth and Aberdeen .

‘ so th e M o o t t 1 See al ad nna enthr ned with S . Peter and S . N i ch ola s by

- f Benevenut o de Siena (1 4 36 1 5 1 8 ) S t . Bernadine o Siena with Saint s

o m os F c s N c o s ss o M o o 1 Jer e , J eph , ran i , and i h la , by Ale andr rett ( 4 98 f N c s o s 1 o s c t o o . o 2 8 and C n e ra i n St i h la , by Paul V er ne e ( 5

’ Bish o P I p Tro ll o pe s ape r. 1 H istor o P a rtn e 4 y f y . bequests to the High Altar and to the Altars of the

* Blessed Virgin Mary and St . Thomas .

Our present building, however, cannot be that which Gilbert and Walter de Gaunt knew of. That , probably, was something after the fashion of Sutterby i — or old Dalby , as some can still remember t small

lo w and , and containing, as those Churches do or did , some remains of Norman work . At Sutterby we have been content with the insertion of a few later windows , otherwise the Church is not, perhaps , f f materially dif erent rom what it has always been . But just as in 1 8 6 2 Dalby was rebuilt from the foundations in quite a different style from the old

1 Church , so our ancestors in the 4th century dealt with

Partney . It is a tradition in the parish , the truth of which there is no reason to doubt , that the green sandstone required was obtained from a now disused pit on the Dalby road .

The proportions of the Church are good . Tower , nave , and aisles harmonise well in character, though the good impression which would otherwise be derived from the whole is spoilt by the present disfigurement of a mean chancel . If any Norman or early English work was utilised by the 1 4th century builders , subsequent repairs and alterations have swept it all away . The Church was begun when what is called the Decorated Style was in vogue , and

finished later in the Perpendicular . To this last belong the Tower with its fine arch and west window and the

’ M addison s L i ncolnshire Rev . A . R . Th e Ch u rch . 1 5

large east window of the chancel , which last can hardly be earlier than

* It is in accordan ce with the plan o f thi s bo o k tha t I sh o uld explain

s t he s e term .

N ame Characte ristz cs a nd E xa m les . p .

N orm an R o und -headed d oo rways and win o s z z o m ts d w , ig ag rna en (n orth

oo at t d rway Sut erby) .

E E s 1 1 0—1 2 0 N o - o t o s c s arly ngli h 5 5 arr w p in ed wind w , lu tered pillar s (we s t wind ow s at Hutt o ft

and H ogst h o rpe).

D co 1 2 0 —1 0 c o s c o o e rated 5 3 5 Tra ery in wind w , enri hed d r

at ways (wind ow s B o lingbroke). — c 1 1 0 1 0 t s o s c s Perpendi ular 3 5 5 5 Upri gh line in wind w , ar he and pillars with o u t capital s (t o wer arch

and we st windo w at Partney). C om pare al so the t owers o f

s H to o o Spil by , al n , B lingbr ke and

s T h e c o f We t Keal . exa t date the lat ter m ay be fixed by the arm s

os o f blaz o ned on it . They are th e

R o b rt t h L o E . e dward I I I , and , 4 rd

’ o d E re sb wh o Will ughby y, died

m m s c 1 39 6 . The s a e ar are arved

on a pew in Halt o n Church .

Tud o r Sq uare wind o w s as in n o rth ai s le at M m B o lingbro ke . ostly e pl oyed

for o s s H to H oo h u e , arring n all a g d m exa ple .

t ’ m . s C L o o s c 1 C . Af er thi a e 7th ent St Paul athedral , nd n , the

o f m o s m o s m o m a revival the t fa u exa ple . C pare

s m and L o c s s c S c C . Cla i al tyle . S re by an gt n hur he

m o C c s And we have 1 9th Cent . The dern hur he at Sau s now o c o 1 8 s 1 8 6 g ne ba k th rpe , 44 Fir by , 5

t o o f D 1 8 6 2 . a revival alby ,

Go c thi . 1 6 r H is to y of P a rtney .

* 1 8 2 8 The chancel was rebuilt in . It is meanly constructed of brick and quite out of keeping with the rest of the Church . It is divided from the nave by an oak screen , of which only the lower part now remains . As was common in Churches of this d istrict , " similar screens (called parcloses) probably marked off chantry chapels at the east end of the w aisles . All that is now left is the estern part in the n orth aisle . Both portions of screen have been repaired with newer work which has been on the whole well done and helps to keep the old together .

1 th The font belongs to the s century . It is octagonal and tracery is carved on the panels . One panel is plain both on the bowl and the shaft,though these are not now immediately over one another . This seems to imply that the font was originally fastened to a pillar which the plain panel exactly fits .

At East Keal the font is still so fixed, at Willoughby t it was until a few years ago , at Bratof there is one plain panel hollowed out in a curious way so as to fit

We m u st rem ember that the Re ct o r for the ti m e being rebuil t o ur chan cel en t irely at h is o wn expen s e and that the s e village C hurche s had

on th t o be repaired by a rate levied e pari shi oners . The syste m o f

o for C c st o t o t h e s of mo publi c s ubscripti n s hur h re ra i n , and rai ing ney

s z s co c s o r e s was n ot o t o f. for the purp o e by ba aar , n ert , f te , th ugh The

m m s o n s . At H t o fo r st c cost so eti e fell heavily the pari h ut ft , in an e , t here was a rate o f in th e g in 1 8 0 9 for th e re -hanging o f the

l c m co t o o f som 2 o C hurch b e l s whi h i plied a n ributi n e £ 73 , th ugh we are in clined n ow t o gru mble be caus e fo ur g ood bell s were m elted d o wn to m ake three m oderat e o ne s .

J are fo r o o m s to t o Th d ( C o mp g d exa ple , Bra ft , Addle h rpe , and e dle

t s t h o rpe All Sain .

1 8 H istor o P artne y f y .

the hours and quarters by a clock in the tower . This clock was the workmanship and gift of Sydney

. H 1 8 6 . Maddison , Esq , of Partney all , in 9 It superseded an old one which had gone for 1 3 0 years and required to be wound up daily . It is to this fact , no doubt, that the very much worn condition of the w lower steps in the to er is due . h T ere are no monuments of special interest . A small brass of the 1 7th century has been fixed on the

b e one north wall , and there are mural tablets to y g

Rectors . The inscriptions are as follows (1 ) Brass (1 5 inches by 8 inches) ” H l e th ere y the Body of M . Jane R ugely late wife of George R uge ly of Partney Gent who

rd Departed this life the 2 3 of March in the y e are of our Lord 1 6 70 being aged 5 6 y e are s

Cujus anima re quie scit in pace . (2 ) Marble tablet on south wall of chancel fixed 8 6 J 1 . in its present position une , 9 Near this place lies the body of Hannah wife d of the Rev . William Tuting, formerly Rector

1°h 2 of this Parish . She died in the 7 year of her age on the 2 0th of February in the year of

1 our Lord 790 . The parish register records the burial of this lady

in the Church .

' Wain ee t A D 1 8 2 it o f Oldfi eld s . . At th e dat e o writing fl . 9 , w uld appear t hat t hi s bra ss was fixed t o a s t o ne in the m iddle ai s le . Th e Ch ur h I c . 9

’ * (3 ) Small marble tablet on south wall of chancel .

In memory of James Flanner, M . A . , Rector th of Partney who died March 6 1 8 1 4 aged 5 8

years . (4 ) Tablet of slate and marble on north wall of

ch ance L

d In memory of the Rev . Field Flowers , late

of Boston , Rector of this Parish , who died th th 1 8 1 8 iii 6 4 of July the 4 year of his age .

Later his son Mr . Frederick Flowers , Police Court

at Magistrate Bow Street , London , erected a three light stained glass window in memory of

Fi l Fl r B A e d owe s . . , Rector of Partney who th 1 8 1 8 6 died 4 of July aged 4 years .

2 Mary his wife who died at Devonport Sept .

1 8 2 6 6 4 aged years . Fanny their daughter who died at Lyddington

6 1 6 2 8 . Sept . 3 aged 4 years (5 ) And underneath this there has since been placed a brass . In ever loving remembrance of Frederick Flo wers third son of The above Field and Mary Flowers H e was Recorder of Stamford and for 2 4 years A magistrate of the Bow Street Police Court

H 2 6 th 1 8 8 6 Died at ornsey January . “ T h e bl e ss ing o f him t ha t w as r e ady to p e ri s h ’ ca m e up o n hi m an d h e cau se d t h e wid o w s

h e art to s ing fo r j oy .

O s s o o o f c ldfield ay ver n rth d o r o chan el . 2 0 ne H istory of P a rt y .

Of more perishable things we have now but little to show, nor have we any means of knowing whether we ever possessed much . Unfortunately , Partney does not appear in the list of parishes in a document of 1 5 6 6 which mentions such articles of Church furniture as had been used in former years but were then considered by the authorities superstitious or un nece ssaryfile H When Mr . Gervase olles visited Lincolnshire Churches in 1 6 3 0 he found at Part ney a cross inscribed Orate pro anim abus Thom ae at Hanem e t ” ieb us r i i ur Marie Uxoris quorum a p op c et Deus Amen . (Pray ye for the souls of Thomas at Haven and Mary his wife, on whose souls may God be gracious , H Amen . ) olles also noticed their arms in one of the

windows . “ The old communion plate, viz . , a silver chalice ,

fla on battered very thin , and a pewter g and patten , having become unfi tte d by wear and age for its sacred

i purpose, new communion plate , consisting of silver

- fi a on patten and chalice and a silver plated g , was

obtained by the exertions of Mrs . Bayldon , and used

1 6 for the first time on Whitsunday , May th , — 1 8 . 75 . J W . B .

The pulpit , which in old directories is described as ” o f a being oak richly carved, has given place to

modern one of stone diapered work . The old one

stood near a pillar of the North Nave Arcade .

Ch urch Fu rniture o l inc lnsh ire t E c o oc . f , edi ed by dward Pea k Th e C u r h 2 1 h c .

2 th 1 8 1 0 th e 5 October, , 5 oth anniversary of the

c Accession of King George III . of Great Britain & .

Garfi t H Mr . Thomas of undleby gave to James

r Flanner, Recto of this Parish , a Book entitled the

c Common Prayer & . illustrated and explained which — J . Book he bequeaths to his successors . . F

The book is now lost . In the churchyard there is the base and broken shaft of a stone cross . The base is ornamented at the four corners with the lion , ox , man , and eagle (emblems of the four evangelists) in much the same f design as on the font at Huttoft . On the our sides are plain shields . Up to a few years ago these stones were buried two feet in the ground . The Rev . E .

Allanson had them raised to their present position . These crosses are common enough in churchyards of

' the district . It is only at Somersby we get one still left in perfection " At Mavis Enderby and Huttoft we can see most happy restorations . There is a very ancient oak in the churchyard which at one time extended its branches quite over the road on the south . It is supposed to be a

a v e ars t thous nd old, and , hough covered with ivy and all its heart decayed away , still puts out some leaves every spring . The younger tree near it was planted

1 8 2 in 4 .

1 6 06 In the condition of Rectory , Church , and

Churchyard was discreditable . Edward Salmon was presented at the Bishop ’ s Visitation “ for decay of

H . the Rectory ouse etc , and Edward Jackson and 2 2 H istory of P artney .

f Edmund Gaule , churchwardens, for suf ering a window in ye said Church to fall downe and not reedifying the same againe but daub eing yt almost wh oly with brick and clay and not maintaining ye churchyard fence but suffering swine to come in and roote it uppe . There were also other complaints “ Against William Burrill for killing and dressing butcher meat on the Sabbath Day ; against John “ Wood for keeping 5 or 6 swine continually in ye

e rav es churchyard there rooting up y _ g of ye deade also for using himself unreverently towards ye minister and for not coming to Church upon ye 5 November h av eing due notice thereof given unto him and for ringing his swine in ye time of praiers upon ye said day Indeed , it is only in com paratively recent years that a better state of things has been inaugurated for Partney churchyard . Up to thirty years ago it had been from time immemorial the playground and battlefield of the village , which circum stance is quite sufficient to account for the complete

absence of all ancient t ombstones . It extended up to

the cottages on the east side , which opened on to it ,

to and to the garden hedges the north , while it was traversed by footpaths in every direction . By giving up ground for footways on the east and north the

Rev . R . Giles got the churchyard enclosed on every

side and all the footpaths stopped except one . This ,

though necessary as an approach to the Church , his

* s t ct s om th e s t t o s tm s The e ex ra , fr V i i a i n pre en ent , were given in

san M a az ine 1 8 1 . th e L incoln D ioce g , 9 u r 2 Th e Ch ch . 3

t successor, with the consen of the parishioners , was

1 8 2 able to close in 7 . The Church was restored during the incumbency of

re - the Rev . R . Giles, and opened for Divine Service on

2 th 1 8 6 June 5 , 3 . The nave and aisles were entirely

re - built and a new porch erected, after designs by

P . C . Giles , Esq . , G . W . Maddison , Esq . , J . , of Partney H * all , defraying the cost of the latter . It remains for the present generation to repair the tower and

- re build the chancel . The former really requires the

re - building of the top story, though the whole was thoroughly pointed and the buttresses strengthened

8 8 re - 1 . 1 8 8 in 4 The chancel was seated in oak in 9 ,

‘ and the small vestry converted into an organ

Be sse tt- chamber after designs by Wm . Smith , Esq . ,

who has also prepared plans for a new chancel . A new vestry was formed by screening off a portion of the north aisle in 1 8 9 5 . It is in completing the work

1 8 6 of 3 , and providing those more perishable fittings

which reverence demands , that opportunity remains for us to preserve the dignity and increase the

usefulness of our Parish Church .

At the s ame ti m e the C hurch was en t irely re -seated with o pen

o s t o s no s ben che s . Previ u thi there were pew at all between the

c I t wa we stern mo st bay s o f the nave ar ade s and the t o wer . s all o pen

c t o f s c o s oo so s . i pa e , and the f nt t d in the va an part the uth ai le It s w orth reco rding here that there were fo rm erly two other d o ors t o the

c on e c c ot o s . o Chur h , in the han el and an her in the n rth ai le B th have

- re . s c w c been d one away with in building Their ab en e , hi h m igh t o f o s o s s om seem a pe culiarity riginal de ign , nly ari e fr a modern supp o sed i mpro ve ment . CHAPTER III .

E E C O TH R T RY .

HE Be ne fi ce of Partney is a discharged

rectory . That is to say , the incumbent is rector and receives the tithes on the

whole parish , and has been discharged “ from the pay ment of first fruits and tenths . These latter sums before the Reformation were paid to the H Pope . By enry VII I . they were appropriated to the Crown . Queen Anne restored them to the Church to form a fund for the augmentation of poor h livings . At the same time t ose livings which were already poor were discharged from further liability to contribute , and Partney came under this category . As we have no mention of the Church of Partney

D omesd a Book in y , so neither have we of any rector . But both must have been in existence here when I Gilbert de Gaunt, in the reign of William . , bestowed “ upon the Abbey of Bardney 4 carucates of land

2 6 H i t r P r ne s o y of a t y .

l namely , the services of Wa ter Monkman in Partney and all the lands which he held of the aforesaid

Gilbert in villenage , with all its appurtenances and

2 his cattle amounting to 4 shillings per annum . Also one toft and 3 parts of a bovate of land with all its appurten ances in the said village and else where which is called Somm ene sl and amounting to 2 0

1 6 shillings per annum , and shillings per annum rents to be received at the customary times from 5 tofts ,

rd one bovate , and 3 part of a bovate of land in the village of Partney which Robert de H ande b ok holds of the said Lord Gilbert by the service of the said Robert or his heirs and the said toft or lands in perpetuity . For this property Bardney Abbey gave m up the mill at Bradha in Skendleby, which passed, on the death of Gilbert de Gaunt , to his widow . A — H A D . 1 2 0 1 2 charter of ugh , Bishop of Lincoln ( . 9 3 recites that Bardney Abbey has “ in Partney the

Church of St . Nicholas with its appurtenances and the Chapel of St . Mary and tithes on the

b e ne fi ce It was usual , when the endowments of a were in this way handed over to a monastery , for the latter to keep them all as its own income , except a definite charge for the maintenance of a Vicar to take the services . But there was a constant tendency on the part of the monasteries to encroach on the portion assigned to the Vicar, and in the time of Bishop H ugh , alluded to above , matters had reached such a

Of cours e t hi s mill m u st have been on t h e older si te d own the \ Vash dyke L ane . Th e R e t r 2 c o y . 7 point that a reformation was imperatively necessary

The Bishop was an able administrator, and faced the question . One of his greatest works , says the late * “ Archdeacon Perry , was a general and formal rescue from monkish greed and selfishness of a portion of the tithes of the Churches , which , by one method or ” another, the religious had appropriated . Gilbert de

Gaunt had given Partney , Skendleby , and Steeping to Bardney Abbey, but for some reason , which I am quite unable to explain , Partney remained a rectory ,

v and the rights o er it were , at an early period , “ ” 1 6 5 8 d commuted for a pension of £ . . yearly .

Skendleby and Steeping became vicarages, and the

wliile t Abbey, content with a pension from Par ney , seems to have taken all the income of Skendleby until Bishop H ugh compelled an arrangement to be made for securing some portion of the endowment to a vicarage . " Similar arrangements were made for H H undleby , Alford, and uttoft , and many other parishes throughout the diocese . The rapacity of the monks brought , however, its own punishment , and was undoubtedly one of the causes which , in the

H u nis d W l c Liéer o e e l s o ct o c o . g , with intr du i n by Ar hdea n Perry “ l Th e m eth o d o f procedure is said to have been as fo ll o ws : An in qui sit i o n was m ade in the C hapter ofth e Rural D eans ofth e value o f th e c o co m t t o t o t o ss to c s re t ry and the pe en p r i n be a igned vi arage .

t was t m t o s o wh o was t o o co A re urn hen ade the Bi h p , appr ve and nfirm th e Acts o f the Chapter if he th o ught fit : t hen the all o tment was ’ m o s ss t en tered in th e Bi sh o p s Regi s ter . The a unt u ually a igned o the V i car was o ne third o fthe pro fit s o fthe ben e fi ce derived fro m the altar

c s t s as as o s so m . H e to lue and ithe , well a h u e and e glebe had bear ” t c b n fi c some part o f the burden s in ciden t t o e ccle sia s i al e e e s . Under 2 8 H istory of P a rtney .

H reign of enry VIII . , brought about their complete ruin and the confiscation of their property . But , though a large part of this had been obtained from the endowments originally intended for the parochial clergy , at the dissolution of the monasteries this income , instead of being restored to its original purpose , was, with the exception of a small portion

bish o ricks devoted to the foundation of new p , entirely r diverted f om religious uses . The Vicar of Skendleby did not get back the great tithes as they are called

r on co n , hay , and wood, and the Rector of Partney “ H e had to continue the payment of his pension .

still pays it, but since Abbots of Bardney have ceased * to be , he pays it to the Sovereign .

so m e s u c h procedure the Bi sh o p co nfirm ed an arrangement t o the “ c f c E cc s ue e st V i arage o Skendleby . V i aria in le ia de Skendleby q e oru n de m con sistit in o mnibu s o blacion ibu s altaris e t in t o ta terra d om ini ca ipsius e ccle s i ae e t in de ci ma t ot iu s lan ae e t o mni um agn oru m ad e an du m ecclesiam p rev en ie n ciu m D ebet autem V i cariu s om nia o nera e piscopalia illius e ccle sia e t co n sueta s u stine re prae t er h ospicium

ach idiacon i qu od dicti abba s e t conv e n t us procurabu nt . The

c of c o s t o s m o t is V i arage Skendleby , whi h bel ng the a e pe ple (tha , the

ot M o s o f wh o m o o s Abb and na tery Bardney, are enti ned in the previ u en try) co n s i st s ofall th e altar o fferings and all th e glebe and th e t ithe

' B t th e c o fall th e w oo l and lam b s pertaining t o t he s aid Church . u V i ar

i o t o sco c s c st om c t s b und pay all epi pal harge due and u ary , ex ep

os t for th e c co c s ot m o st h pi ality Ar hdea n , whi h the aid abb and na ery ” — o [ i6er H u on is de Wells . s hall pr vide . g Similarly th e end owm en t s ofH utt oft had got in to the p osse ssi o n of

o o fM . o t h as c s s m s the pri ry arkby The pr per y hanged hand everal ti e , b ut th e o wner is still re s p o n s ible for the repairs t o the chan cel and the

t th c 1 8 s o t was paymen t o f £9 per annu m o e V i ar . In 5 5 thi pr per y H bu t th e m s s m . o so ld for £9 re ain the a e wever, if the V ic ar o f H ut toft fel t so m et i me s in clined to grum ble that h is £9 had

c s to 0 c o m o t s t it s not in rea ed £9 , whi h w uld re adequa ely repre en Th e R e t r 2 c o y . 9

In or about the year 1 2 9 0 a valuation of all the

fi ce s be ne of England was drawn up . It is known “ as the Taxatio Ecclesiastica of Pope The following is the statement of the value of Partney D e canatus de C andle sh ow Ecclesia de P artene y praeter pensionem 1 0 o o P ensio Abbatis de Bardney in eadem £ 1 6 8

b e ne fi ce The total income of the , therefore was 8 d 1 1 6 s . .

1 In the 5 th year of the reign of Edward III . (1 3 4 2 ) a grant was made to the King of the 9th lamb , fleece, and sheaf, for the expenses of his wars in

e t Franc . Commissioners were appointed who held an “ inquiry . The parishioners found upon oath the th value of the 9 of the corn , wool , and lambs then the amount of the ancient tax of the Church was th stated, and afterwards the causes of the 9 , not amounting to the value of the tax or value of the th Church , were assigned , and when the 9 did not exceed the tax it was assigned for cause thereof that within the valuation or tax of the Church there were other articles included besides corn , wool , and lambs , such as glebe of the Church , tythe of hay , and other tythes . And if any abbey or priory or

pre sen t value com pared with what it had when the arrange m en t was o m n ow as cto o f ma t riginally ade , , Re r Partney , he y be thankful tha

f 6 8 d h a n t th e c o 1 5 . . s o c s t o 1 0 harge £ in rea ed £ .

'

Ta xatio E ccl esiastica P . N z c/z olai o s s , R ll Serie .

N onarum [n uz sz tz on es o s s . T g y R ll Serie 0 H is tor o P a rtne 3 y f y . other religious corporation had property within any th parish , the 9 arising from such property was found and returned . Ralph Taylor, Simon Borel , Alexander

Ake wra Chapman , Roger Dand , Richard Creed, Ralph ,

" and others , were jurors for Partney . They found that the Abbott of Bardney received 2 marks from

fi 1 6 8 the b ene ce £ 3 . d) and that the value of

fi 1 b e ne ce 1 1 6 8 8 d . the was 7 marks £ . , as “ returned in 1 2 90 ) maxima pars v aloris ecclesi ae

raedicatae consistit p in dote, feno; lacte , lino , canabo , oblationibus serv itiae e t aliis minutis de cimis (the greatest part of the value of the aforesaid Church consists in glebe, hay , milk, flax , hemp , oblations, and th other small tithes). As the 9 was only to be assessed on corn , wool , and lambs it was estimated in the present case at 7 shillings .

2 6 th 1 H In the year of his reign ( 5 3 5 ) enry VIII . appointed commissioners to enquire into and rep ort

b ene fi ce s on the value of all the in the country . The

th eir e n uirie s result of , q is embodied in a book called

’ R s the L iber egis (King Book). William Cole was found to be Rector of Partney and the total value of 8 1 8 d . the Rectory was £ 3 6 . But the Rector was liable for the annual pension to the Abbey of Bardney d 8 d . s . ro . 6 3 . of £ 1 , and also for 9 to the Archdeacon “ for procurations and Synodals , leaving therefore

2 d o n 1 s . 1 1 0 . which tenths were payable , these

o d . amounting to £ 1 3 5 . l

From a surve y of th e parish taken in 1 6 1 6 it Th e R ector 1 y . 3

a 6 appears that the glebe lands mounted to acres ,

1 0 . rood, 3 5 poles In the 5 th year of the reign of Queen Anne (1 704)

’ on the establishment of the Board of Qu een Anne s

Bounty , an Act of Parliament was passed for dis charging small livings from the first fruits and tenths * r hitherto payable to the Crown . As the su render o was to benefit the po rer livings , obviously the first thing was to release them from further contribution . Partney came into a list of those in the Diocese of Lincoln of which the clear improved yearly value

0 did not exceed £5 , and as such became entitled to

. “ c the relief 4 1 fa t the clear yearly value of Partney

1 c at that time was £44 5 s . 93 m It was still liable

s 1 to the payment for procurations and synodals 9 . od . 8 1 6 8 d . and the pension to Bardney of £ . The latter, as has been stated , is still paid to the Crown the former has ceased to be a charge . So far as it applies to Episcopal Procurations to the amount of

s . d . rd 1 8 4 9 , it has been formally remitted (April 3 , 79 ) by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners , who now manage the estates of the See of Lincoln . We get an accurate knowledge of the property of the b ene fi ce in the early part of the 1 8 th century from the following paper, undated , now in the Church ‘ches t Extracted from the Register of the Lord Bishop

of Lincoln .

’ o O to s l i e in the E n lish Church 1 6 6 0 -1 1 2 2 See Can n ver n f g , 7 4 , p . 9 .

’ l z a z s 1 Ba co n s Th esa u ru s E cc es st cu . 2 P rtne 3 H istory of a y .

Lincoln , Lindsey . 1 l Deanery Candle sh oe . Terrier of ye glebe lands belonging to ye

Rectory of Partney . p erches 1 onse tt . One house and o

2 1 2 . In the west field, Leas o

Gateroom 3 . The o

’ Cadin ton s 4 . One Lea in g Barrow s 5 . One Lea in ye Copartner 6 ’ . Two Leas in ye Parson s Infield 2 3 2

7. One Lea in ye Great With wongs belonging to Saus thorpe Manor O

8 . O . One Lea in Redlands Nook

H O 9 . One Lea in Skendleby olm

1 0 H . Two Leas in Dalby Walks

1 1 . Wool , lamb , and hay for this

e are past y , and all tithes in kind 3 8 0 Garth side F . rancis , Rector

Jo . Peach , Churchwardens . John Wayet ,

rth side 1 6 8 —1 2 Francis Ga was Rector 5 7 7. The parish registers have an entry of the burial of

1 1 6 John Peach in 7 . No income for many years past has been received

8 1 0 from the entries numbered 4 , 5 , 7, , 9 , . The most interesting point about this return is the

H istor o P a r ne 34 y f t y .

waste of time in getting about , the uselessness of clearing a strip which might pass next year to some one else , and the disputes about headlands and rights of way . It became meaningless and wasteful as the tenants came to occupy their lands in perpetual possession . But there was more likelihood of stereotyping the system , in what is after all only a later development of it , in the case of Church property , and so , as we look at some piece of “ glebe land lying in ming, it takes us back in thought to very very early days and very primitive * systems both of ownership and cultivation