A Bit of Church History

Unusual Saints

Our Church is dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, but we have pictures of two unusual saints in one of our stained glass windows: St. Frideswide of Oxford and St. Richard of Chichester. St. Frideswide, who died in about 735, is the Patron Saint of the town and university of Oxford. According to legend, she was a princess who went into hiding to avoid a forced marriage. She hid for three years until her suitor was struck blind and gave up his suit, whereupon she founded a nunnery. St. Richard was born in Droitwich in 1197. He became Chancellor of Oxford University and later Bishop of Chichester. He went into exile with Edmund, and later quarrelled with Richard III. He died in Dover in 1253. 

The Rolleston connection is through Robert Sherborne, who was born in the village and founded the Free Grammar School here in about 1520. Robert, who held important offices under both Henry VII and Henry VIII, was the fifty-ninth Bishop of Chichester (St. Richard) and Warden of New College, Oxford (St. Frideswide). His effigy and a replica of his seal are in the Chancel of St. Mary's Church. (Article by Arnold Burston - Nov 2002).

The Charity Boards in St. Mary’s Church

This is an annotated transcription of two of the large boards in the west of the Nave of St. Mary’s Church. They appear to date from the same time as the other boards, which are dated 1836. In 1899 the Moss Acre was offered for sale to Sir Oswald Mosley; three tenths of the purchase money was for Parochial Charities and the rest Ecclesiastical. Sir Oswald was to pay such a sum as invested in 2½ % Consols would produce the same income as the rents.

Poors Land and Money

The Mosse Acre in the Township of Anslow containing 2A 3R 30P¹ was purchased for the use of the Poor, with 60£ left by Humphrey Moore², 10£ by William Caldwell, 10£ by Thomas Keeling ³ and 10£ by a brother of William Caldwell ⁴, the interest of the last sum to be paid for the repair of the Church Clock and Bridges ⁵.

The Allotments ⁶ made for the same under the Inclosure Acts are ...

On the Outwoods 3R 10P )
On the Lount 14P )  
On the Forest 1R 19P ) Total 1A 1R 3P

The annual Rents of the above are regularly paid to the Poor of Rolleston on the 21st. of Decr. with the exception of 17s. 6d. ⁷ to the Schoolmaster and 7s. 6d. to the Clock and Bridge Account.

The Common Steenyard containing 1A 1R 28P belongs to the Church-wardens of Rolleston and Eggington in the County of Derby in equal shares, and the Allotments in right thereof are

On the Outwoods 25P )
On the Lount 7P ) 
On the Forest 26P ) Total 1R 18P

The annual rents arising from them amount to 3£. 9s. 6d. half of which sum is paid to Eggington and half to Rolleston Poor.

There are also several small sums paid annually by Custom which are applied to the repair of the Church, namely

From Lands called the Blackwells 1s. 6d.
For land in Allen’s Close 1s. 6d.
For land in Mr. Owen’s dam Close 1s. 0p.
Under the Award of the Rolleston Inclosure 2A 1R 2P of Waste land on the Newlands.
1A 0R 4P at Hopley Lakes in the Township of Anslow were allotted to the Overseers of the Highway for Gravel, which has ever since been appropriated to the use of the Poor as Garden Land.

The sum of 87£ secured by Bond of the Revd. I.P.Mosley to the Church-wardens of Rolleston consists of 40£, being the purchase money of 2£ left by Florens Caldwell’s Will to the Poor, 20£ by the Will of William Caldwell and the rest from other small Gifts and Accumulations, the Interest of all of which is given to the Poor.

¹ A = acre, R = rood, P = perch. There were 4 roods in a acre, and 40 perches in a rood.
² The £60 left by Humphrey Moore was to buy land, the rents from which were to be given as follows: “ten shillings (i.e. 50p.) per annum for the use of the Schoolmaster of Rolleston; and the remainder of the rent for the use of such poor people of the said town who shall be of the church of England”.
³ Thomas Keeling left this £10 in his will (1694) to buy land, the rent from which was to be distributed amongst the poor on St. Thomas’ Day.
⁴ This was probably Florens Caldwell. The bequests of the Caldwell (or Caldwall) brothers are recorded on the family tomb in the Sanctuary of St. Mary’s. It was their father who “gave a cow to ye Church & made a beginninge for others to follow” 
⁵ The Trustees of the Almshouses still contribute small sums for the clock and bridges.
⁶ Allotments here means “allocations”, nothing to do with the Rolleston Allotments Society! 
⁷ For younger readers: in pre-decimal money there were 20 shillings (s) in a pound and 12 pence (d) in a shilling. For example 17s. 6d. in modern money would be 87½p.

(transcribed by Arnold Burston, Churchwarden)

Below is an annotated transcription of the two boards on the south side of the west wall of the Nave of St. Mary’s Church. For notes on acres, roods, perches, and on pre-decimal currency see above.

The Free School

was founded by Robert Sherebourne ¹, Bishop of Chichester AD 1520, who left a Salary of 10£ a year to be paid for ever by the Dean and Chapter of Chichester to the School-master, through the hands of the Church-wardens. This sum is now paid every 22nd. day of Novr. at the Bank of Messrs. Glyn Halifax and Co., London. 

Florens Caldwell ² left by Will dated 1612 5£ a year for the use of the School-master, charged on premises in Ludgate Street London. This sum is now paid by Ayscough Boucherett Esqr. of North Willingham, Lincolnshire, at the bank of Messrs. Wright and Co. Covent Garden London, every 5th. day of April.

William Caldwell gave the Interest of 50£ for an increase in the School-master’s Salary, which sum is now in the hands of Joseph Rowland of Rolleston Victualler.

Lawrence Caldwell gave 5£ a year for the like purpose arising from premises in London destroyed by the great fire, of which only 2£, 3s, 4d a year has since been paid every 5th. of July by the Haberdasher’s Company.³ 

The sum of 20£ was given by Thomas Hinckley of Lichfield Esqr. as Trustee of the late Mr. Newton, towards the further increase of the Master’s Income, which sum is also in the hands of the above named Joseph Rowland.

The Sum of 15£ a year is allowed to the School master by the Trustees of Mr. Rolleston’s Charity, out of their Receipts, and the sum of 17s. and 6d. by the Church-wardens out of the Rent of Mosse Acre in Anslow, in pursuance of the Wills of William Rolleston Esqr. ⁴ and Mr. Humphrey Moore.

The land upon which the School stands being 101Yds. 7 Ft. 2 Ins. belongs to the Church-wardens subject to a right for the Lord of the Manor to hold his Courts there.

Under several Inclosure Acts the following allotments were made for the School, and the rents arising therefrom are received by the Master.

On the Forest 1R 30P )
On the Outwoods 1P { Total 1R. 36 P.
On the Lount 5P )

SAMUEL HIGGOTT  ) Church-wardens, 1836
WILLIAM TALBOT  )

¹ Robert Sherebourne, (Sherbourne, Sherborne, Sherburn etc.), was baptised in Rolleston in 1453 but his family moved to Hampshire when he was young. He was educated at Winchester School and Oxford University. He became wealthy through a number of well-paid appointments in churches and cathedrals and, in 1496, became Henry VII’s ambassador to the Roman court. He was Bishop of Chichester from 1508 to 1536, when he died at the age of 82. Originally the Churchwardens had to collect the Master’s salary from the common font in St. Paul’s, London, on 11th. November each year between 1 and 5 p.m. They had to take with them the silver seal a replica of which is displayed near Robert’s effigy in our Chancel.

² Florens Caldwell and his brothers William and Lawrence are mentioned on the family tomb in the Sanctuary. Their father, Thomas, “gave a cow to ye Church & made a beginninge for others to follow”.

³ The ground on which the house had stood was sold for road widening, and this sale produced the income.

⁴ This William Rolleston was the last of the family to have lived here. He not only left £10 a year for the Schoolmaster, but also 10 shillings a quarter to buy cakes for the scholars. His memorial on the wall over the squint says that he “held various commands in the armies of King Charles the First and Second, and served his country in England, Scotland, France and Ireland, being a downright Englishman”. Under his will of 1672, he left the money which eventually built the Almshouses.

(transcribed by Arnold Burston, Churchwarden)

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© Richard Bush

Last updated: 9 November 2007