Houghton

HOUGHTON, HOCTONE.

There was a manor in Hoctune which became the fee (fn. 1) of Roger Pictavensis, and before the Conquest was Baldric's, who for it paid the geld as twelve bovats.— The land then being four car. but was waste when the survey was taken in the time of king William the first. There was sixteen acres of meadow, pasture wood one qu. long, eight perches broad. In the time of king Edward the confessor the value of this was 60s. in the conquerours 20s. it had soc in Walesby.

This came to be of the fee of Lancaster, as the rest of Roger Pictavensis his lands in this county did.

The family of Maresey (or Mattersey) held it, as in Gameleston is already shown. Yet the chapel was accounted to belong to Tikhill, as in many places may be noted.

(fn. 2) Henry earl of Lancaster and Leicester, 3 E. 3, claimed to have in the towns of Bothumsell, Gameleston, Hoghton, Crophull, and Holme, with all their members which are of the fee of Lancaster, return of all writs, pleas of Withernam, view of Frankepledge, with all things which to view belong, Waif and Stray, &c. and all freedoms and priviledges, &c.

(fn. 3) The jury, 35 E. 3, found that John de Lungvillers had in Houghton two mess. and half a car. of land, ten acres of meadow, and two water-mills, which he held of Nicolas Monboucher by the service of a rose, and Thomas de Lungvillers was heir of the said John, as in Tuxford is also shown.

Upon the river Idle lies Houghton in common appellation called Houghton Lungvillers. It came to Mallovell lord of Rampton by the marriage of the heir of Lungvillers, and afterwards to Stanhope, in which family it continued till John Babington, and Saunchia his wife, daughter and heir of Richard Stanhope, sold it to sir William Hollis, or his father, great grandfather to the earl of Clare, the seat of which family it still continueth.

Anthony Stapleton, and John Stanley, gent. 29 H. 8, claimed against John Babington, esq. and Saunchia his wife, the manors of Hoghton, Laxton, and Egmanton, with the appurtenances, and forty-five mess. &c. in Hoghton, Laxton, Egmanton, Little Markham, Milneton, South Marneham, Walesby, Ellesley, South Leverton, Cottum, and East Retford.

Sir William Hollys, and the lady Elizabeth his wife, sister of Thomas Scopeham, mentioned by Mr. Dugdale in his book of Warwickshire at Coventry Cross, I take to be the parents of this William Hollys the younger, who became the good sir William, and married Anne, the daughter and heir of John Densill of Cornewall, serjeant at law, by which lady (for he after her death had also to wife Jane, daughter of — Grosvenor) he had Denzill Hollis, and Gervas, who married Frances, daughter and heir of Peter Frechevile of Stavely in Darbysh. and Elizabeth his wife, only daughter of gentle sir Gervas Clifton, and Mary his wife, daughter of sir John Nevill, by whom the said Gervas had Frechevile Hollis, who married Elizabeth, daughter and heir of John Kingston of Grimsby in Lincolneshire, which Frechevile Hollis was fa ther of Gervas Hollis, one of his majesties masters of requests, a great lover of antiquities, whose son sir Frechevile Hollis lost an arm in the Dutch war at sea, and since that his life. Densill Hollys, son of good sir William married Elianor, daughter of Edmund lord Sheffeild of Butterwick, and by her had sir John Hollys, created by king James baron of Houghton, July 9, in the fourteenth year of his reign, and in the twenty-second year earl of Clare, 2 November. Anne the daughter of sir Thomas Stanhope was his wife, and bore him John earl of Clare, and Denfill Hollis, who married Dorothy, sole daughter and heir of sir Francis Ashley, knight, of Dorchester, serjeant at law, by whom he hath issue William, &c. He was by this king, in the thirteenth year of his reign, created lord Hollis of Iseild in Sussex. His brother the said John earl of Clare married Elizabeth, eldest daughter and co-heir of sir Horatio Vere, lord Vere of Tilbury, and by her had Gilbert the present earl, whose countess is — the daughter of the honourable William Pierrepont.

[Throsby] Haughton.

The duke of Newcastle proprietor, enclosed. This domain was once the abode of the Stanhopes, and afterwards that of the Holles', but now the dwelling is in total decay. Haughton, now, as a place of residence, is known by a house or two, and a paper-mill. Of what it has been, we learn by an article inserted in Gervase Holles's MSS. collections for the county of Lincoln, now in the British museum:—

"Haughton neare Tuxford, Nottinghamshire,

"This mannour gives the title of baron to the present erles of Clare. It is seated on the verge of the forest of Shirewood, and therefore more triumphes in pleasantnesse, then richnesse of soyl, and yet the best part of it is not unfertile. It is very well watered, the river Idle running quite through it (as a lesser brooke doeth in another part) encompassing the house rounde about in its passage. The house it self is an old building with little uniformity in it, as being built att severall tymes. The oldest part of it is the tower at the entrance; (as it should appeare by some escocheons cut in stone on the north sides of it and south,) built by some of the family of Langvillers, or of Stanhope (for that family for a time bore Langvillers armes for their owne paternal coate.) The escocheons on the south are these underneath.

Sa. a bend betw. 6 crosses botany arg.—Longvillers.

Sa. a bend between 6 cross croslets arg. (which is the Longvillers coate put for Stanhope) impaling Longvillers. There are also 3 other coats of Longvillers.— These 3 on the north side. Two of the Longviller's arms, (one of which is reversed) and another coat—argt. a cross moline sab.

It appears that the hall was built by the last sir William Holles, as appears by this ensueing, which is carved in stone on either side the entrance doore, and expresses the yeare of the lord, his name and rebus.

On the right hande, is a mans hand holding a vine branch loaded with fruit, upon which is a shield inscribed thus W. H. A^o Di. 1545. (fn. 4)

On the left is a similar one transversed."

The following is from a tour, in 1787, from London to the western highlands:—

" All the great estate of the duke of Newcastle in the parts, (speaking of Clumber) came by his wife, the daughter of Henry Pelham, from the Holles's, earls of Clare: but this was not their seat, at least not the principal; if any thing, probably a lodge. Haughton. in this neighbourhood, was their mansion, which was bought of the Stanhope's by sir William Holles, a great merchant, and lord mayor of London, in the reign of Henry the 8th, who left an estate to his eldest son, which was worth 10,000l. per annum, in the above reign. What an enormous estate for that time! Sir William, the son, lived at Haughton, in great splendor and hospitality. "He began his christmas, at All-hollow-tide, and continued it until candlemas, during which any man was permitted to stay three days, without being asked whence he came or what he was." His son dying before his father, never came to the family estate, but lived at Irby, in Lincolnshire, "where he was seen many times to confront Henry Clinton, earl of Lincoln, who was a great tyrant amongst the gentry of that country, and carry business against him, as it were, in despite of his teeth." How little he thought, that his estates and his blood would centre in the heir of this tyrannical earl, which the duke of Newcastle is! The 4th and last earl of Clare married the coheiress of H. Cavendish, duke of Newcastle, and was himself, after the death of his father-in-law, in 1691, created duke by that title; his own estate, and the Cavendish together, amounting to 40,000l. per annum. Haughton, upon the acquisition of these estates, was probably neglected, if not already in ruins, and the duke resided at Welbeck Abbey. Afterwards, when the Holles and the Cavendish estates came to separate again, and the latter went through the Harleys, to the Bentnicks, a mansion probably was wanted for the former, and Clumber Park, which might be a lodge before, was by degrees extended to its present size and importance." (fn. 5)

Near the park-gate of Haughton was erected, in 1692, a free school, for the benefit of those of this place, Bothamsall, Elksey, Gamston, West Drayton, Milton, and Bevercotes.

This school was endowed with 27l. per annum, by Mr. Henry Walters, steward to Gilbert and John earls of Clare. He also gave 20l. per annum for the maintenance of four minister's widows, 5l. each.

Haughton Chapel,

I found a little pleasing ruin, surrounded by a young plantation of trees; a sketch of which, in its present state, is subjoined, figure 2. This chapel seems originally built in an old stile of church building, many parts, it is visible, has been altered or repaired since its original erection. It had, by what is visible at present, only a nave and north cemetery, or burial place; the presinæ at the east end is discoverable. In the chapel is an old floor-stone with a cross, see figure 1, same plate, "Jesu mercy. Lady Helpe," under the arms "Orate pro aia Johanne Stanhope uxor Henrici Stanhope Arm. &c."

The male arms on this stone are those of Longvider, borne, at that time, by the family of Stanhope. Henry Stanhope; younger son of John Stanhope, Com. Nott. in the reigns of Henry 6th and Edward 4th, married Joan, daughter of Henry Rochford, of Stoke Rochford, Com. Lincoln. whose monumental stone, probably this is. Impaled —sab. a bend betw. 6 cross crosslets arg. The female, are much injured.

In Hollie's MSS. above recited we have the following respecting this chapel —

"North by the side of this gravestone (Stanhopes) lyes buryed the body of sir Wm. Hollys, knight, qui obiit, 18° die Jan. Anno Dom. 1590. And Anne his first wife, daughter and coheire of John Densell of Densel in the county of Cornewall, serjeant at law; and Jane his seconde wife, daughter of sir Richard Grosvenour, knight, which Jane dyed without issue.

"On the outside of the chapell close by the north wall lies the portravture of a lady elegantly carved in freestone, hir head supported by an angell, at her feete— ------ No inscriptions.

"In the porch two other portraytures without inscriptions; they doe seem by their habitts to have been chaplaynes.

"In Fenestris Capellæ.—Empaled. Quarterly, ermine 2 piles in point sa.— Holles. Argent, on a chevron between 3 cross crosslets sa. 5 crescents of the first.— Scopham. Quarterly. Sa. a cresent surmounted of a mullet arg.—Densel. Arg. a chevron g. between 3 moores heads proper.—Wenlocke.

"Quarterly. Ermine 2 piles in point Sa.—Holles. Arg. on a chevron betw. 3 cross crosslets sa. as many crescents of the first.—Scopham. Quarterly or and g. on a bend sa. 3 crosses formy arg.—Hanham. Sa. a crescent surmounted of a mullet in pale argent.—Densel.

"In senestris mansions hujus manerii hæc quæ sequuntur, quam sæpissime.

"Quarterly. Ermine, 2 piles in point sa.—Holles. Arg. on a chevron between 3 crosse crosslets sa. 5 crescents of the first.—Scopham. With a crescent in the sess point.

"Empaled. Quarterly, ermine, 2 piles in point sa.—Hollies. Argent on a chevron between 3 crosse crosslets sa. 5 crescents of the first.—Scopham. Quarterly. Sa. a crescent surmounted of a mullet argt.—Densel. Arg. a chevron. G. between 3 moores heads, proper.—Wenlocke.

Quarterly. Ermine, 2 piles in point sa.—Holles. Arg. a lyon rampant g.—Estley. Arg. on a chevron between 3 crosse crosslets sa. 5 crescents of the first.—Scopham. Quarterly or & g. on a bend sa. 3 crosses for my argent.—Hanham.—"

On the outside of this chapel, amid some rubbish and nettles, lies the figure of a lady, much mutilated. This lump of stone, which once was sheltered within this little sanctuary and for ages, perhaps, carefully preserved, lies now busseted by the weather, in a comfortless and solitary abode. It had a cherub on either side its head: See fig. 3. Probably that mentioned above by Hollis.