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HISTORY OF GRANDBOROUGH The parish forms a roughly rectangular block, 5 miles from south-west to north-east by about 1½ miles in depth. Rainsbrook forms the northern boundary. The River Leam crosses the parish, dividing the hamlet of Woolscott in the north from the village of Grandborough in the south. The road connecting the two at Grandborough Mill is carried over the Leam and a backwater by two bridges, of which the northern was called Chayne Bridge and the other Fines Bridge in 1627. The only road of importance, that from Coventry to Daventry, now known as the A45, crosses the parish parallel with its northern boundary. A trackway leads south-west from the village down the centre of the parish to Calcutt, where mounds and ditches mark the site of the depopulated hamlet. Mills. There was mill worth 16d at Grandborough in 1086, and in a deed of about 1280 two water mills called “Cuttole” and “Baggole” are mentioned. In 1531 there was a water mill attached to Thomas Catesby’s manor, and in 1668 there was also a windmill, apparently in Woolscott, where a miller is mentioned early in the 13th century. Woolscott and Walcote consist of a few farmhouses dating from the 17th century. Harrow House, formerly Harrow Inn, has the date 1680. Castle Farm has part of a late 16th century house embodied in a later house. The name Woolscott derives from one Wulf, an ancient inhabitant or possessor in Saxon time. Walcote now consists of very few houses. Domesday. Grandborough was one of the 24 villages bestowed by Earl Leofric upon his Priory of Coventry and in 1086 the Church of Coventry was holding 8 hides 1 virgate here: land for 17 ploughs. There were 27 villagers, 11 smallholders and 4 slaves with 14 ploughs. The value was £6 before 1066 and at the time of the Domesday survey £8. At the same time another 2 hides were in the hands of Richard the Forester, land for 4 ploughs. There were 6 villagers, 2 smallholders, 3 slaves with two ploughs on this land. Calcutt A deserted Medieval village, but only three farms are left, was divided into three portions. Ermenfried held land for 2 ploughs and Richard held land for 1 plough. Ordric owned land in Willoughby, Calcutt and Walcote. Manors. The linked Manors of Grandborough and Woolscott, connected to Coventry Priory by the gift of Leofric, is said to have been let in the 12th century by the Prior, Laurence, to Robert Noel, where it was passed through the Harcourt family line. It then was sold to the Braundeston family and a legal issue arose in the 14th century. From here it came into the Catesbys, the Knightleys and the Harvey Thursbys, all Northamptonshire families. The Manor of Grandborough, owned by Richard the Forester at Domesday, is separate and passed through the de Hastang family and then various owners until it was divided into 18 parts in the 18th century under the offspring of John Radbourne. It was united again in 1793 by John Clarke. A Manor in Calcutt is mentioned in 1552 when it was sold to the Marquess of Winchester. Various families held it until the Shuckboroughs, baronets, appear as lords of the manor from 1785 to 1843. Church of St Peter is on the north side of the village and stands in a small churchyard with an avenue of yew trees and an avenue of lime trees. The present church dates from the 14th century. The tower was restored in 1848. In 1863 the clerestory was added, in 1868 a gallery was removed, and in 1879 the nave roof was extensively repaired. The church is built with a mixture of red sandstone and limestone rubble with occasional squared blocks of red sandstone, and the tower in light-coloured sandstone ashlar. The altar is modern but the rails date from the 17th century. On the south wall of the chancel is a piscina. The north chapel serves as a vestry and organ chamber. The roof still retains the tie-beams with shaped brackets to the rafters. On the south wall of the nave there is a piscina. The font is a modern octagonal one of stone. The oak pulpit dates from the 17th century. There are three bells by Henry Bagley, one of 1639 and two of 1641, and two by Joseph Smith, 1706. The church was given to the Staffordshire Priory of Ronton, probably by its founder, Robert Noel. In 1291 it was valued at £20. The advowson was linked with the main Manor only from 1626. The benefice was united with that of Willoughby in 1930.
Charities.
Anthony, George and Maria Benn each donated sums of money at the end of the 19th
century to be invested to provide coal or blankets to deserving poor people of
the parish about Christmas time. William Smith, Mr Burke, John and Johanna
Goode and others also gave donators for the poor. The Charities still are able
to offer support and an annual report is given at the Annual Parish Council
meeting. |
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