Seckingtonfamil y edited and published by
Yüklə 3,29 Mb.
|
- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Bundanoon, N.S.W. 2578, Australia. email address: seckington@bigpond.com telephone
- C O N T E N T S Introduction
- CORRECTIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION
- The Village of Seckington
- WASHINGTON CONNECTION WITH SECKINGTON CHURCH
- SECKINGTON CASTLE Extract from the Victoria County History of Warwickshire
- Erosion of Seckington Castle Motte since 1200
- The Fabric of Seckington Castle
- SECKINGTON CASTLE as it may have been in 1100 THE DOMESDAY BOOK
- SECKINGTON IN THE DOMESDAY BOOK How the Name Seckington Originated
- The Seckington Lands in Seckington
THEH I S T O R Y OF THE S E C K I N G T O N F A M I L Y 
EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY Beryl Anne Seckington © 2002 Beryl A. Seckington Postal address: P.O.Box 187, Bundanoon, N.S.W. 2578, Australia. email address: seckington@bigpond.com telephone: (Australia) 0248 836 961 © 2002 Beryl A. Seckington Beryl A. Seckington asserts her moral right to be identified as the author of this book. This copy is for private circulation within the Seckington Family and should not be copied or used for any other purpose without written consent. Printed in Sydney, N.S.W., Australia. March, 2002.
The first edition of the Seckington Family Genealogy book was published in 1983 and two further editions were published in 1993 and 1996. These editions were compiled from the researches of Geoffrey Edmund Seckington and Derek Douglas Seckington, and from information supplied by the Seckington families in England, Australia, Canada and the United States of America.A collection of materials for the History of the Manor of Seckington and the Seckington Family was published in 1985 and was intended to form the basis of a History of the Seckington Family, to be written at a future date.The Seckington family history and genealogy books have been revised and the information has been combined in this latest edition.The materials in this book have been collected and contributed, over many years, by a large number of people and special mention should be made ofNancy Baker of Western Australia Pamela Carpenter of Greatworth Don Hawksworth of Western Australia Judith Kelly of New York Isabella Schrader of Alberta The late Arthur Seckington of Greatworth Colin Seckington of Arnhem, Netherlands Derek Seckington of New South Wales The late Geoffrey Seckington of Northwood The late Harold and Eve Seckington of Ontario The late Jean Seckington of California Jan Seckington of Queensland Jean Seckington of Shropshire Lawrence Seckington of Florida The late Marion Seckington of California Mary Seckington of Ontario Nancy Seckington of California Neville Seckington of Queensland Reva Seckington of Missouri Roy and Margaret Seckington of Hampshire HISTORICAL SOURCES The principal sources of information for the Seckington Family before 1600 are the various wills, Assise Rolls, Chancery Court records, and Deeds in the Public Records Office, London, and the Probate Record Offices of the Archdiocese of Canterbury and the Diocese of Lichfield, and the Visitation Report of the College of Arms. From 1600 to 1838 the major information sources are the Parish records of Brackley and Helmdon in Northamptonshire. For data later than 1838, the records of births, marriages and deaths at the General Register Office, London, and the Censuses of England, the United States, and various American States, have been consulted. CORRECTIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION Corrections and further information should be communicated to: Beryl Anne Seckington P.O. Box 187 Bundanoon, 2578 New South Wales, Australia Email: seckington@bigpond.com
The names of all Seckingtons appear in the Seckington Family Index, irrespective of whether the person is a member of the family by birth or marriage. The Associated Families Index contains the maiden names of all women who have married into the Seckington Family, and also the married names of all women who are Seckingtons by birth, together with their husband's and children's names where known. If the Christian or forename of a member of the Seckington Family is known, the Seckington Family Index will give the number of the chart which shows the family relationships of that person. If only the married name is known the relationship of that person to the Seckington Family can be traced by looking up the married name in the Associated Families Index. Each chart is linked, where possible, to a previous chart, by a caption "from chart xx” in the top left hand corner. Where there is no such caption the antecedents of the Seckington family shown in the chart are unknown. The London families have not so far been connected to the main family tree. The meanings of the various symbols are: b = born or baptised bc = born about d = died dc = died about fl= living w = wife or widow of h = husband of da = daughter of zzzz = first or surname unknown
Beryl Anne Seckington Editor Bundanoon, March 2002. The Village of Seckington T  he village of Seckington is situated in the English Midlands about 15 miles from the geographical centre of England and is located just off the Tamworth to Ashby road about four miles east of Tamworth, and nine miles west of Ashby.
It lies about a quarter of a mile south of the road. There is very little which can be seen from this road to indicate that Seckington is there at all, and the village may be passed without noticing it. This is the result of an 18th century road construction scheme which diverted the road from its ancient course through the centre of Seckington village. Between the main road and the village is a high hedge, and behind that a slight rise in the land. On closer investigation this higher land turns out to be the grass-covered earthworks of the old castle of Seckington. Beyond the castle only the steeple of the church can be seen. The modern village, which can be seen quite clearly from the top of the castle mound, is situated on a road running parallel with the main road, and leading to the church.
The chancel is probably of late 13th century origin, although its east and south windows date from about 1330, when it was remodelled and the nave, tower, and porch were rebuilt. 
 Plan of Seckington Church
The tower and spire were rebuilt in 1683 with the re use of much of the original material, and there were other very drastic restorations in the 19th century, when the east window is said to have been widened. Most of the tracery of the other windows is modern, and whether always of the original designs, is not certain. In the tracery of the eastern windows of the nave are some reset pieces of 14th century glass, mostly yellow and brown, including lion's masks, birds and foliage. The font is modern. A plain chest in the tower is of the late 17th century and this has three locks. In the north recess in the chancel is the 14th century gravestone of a priest. Also in the chancel is a mural monument to Robert Burdet of Bramcote who died in 1603. In the tower is a damaged 14th century effigy of a lady with a simple, veiled head dress, and plain dress with the remains of colouring, The church registers begin in 1612.
Close to the village of Seckington, and 150 yards north-west of the parish church, are some very perfect little earthworks of the moated mount and court type. The works occupy an excellent position on the highest part of the slight elevation upon which the village is located. The area covered by the mount and its courtyard is about 2 1/2 acres, The mount itself is a conical hill, truncated at the top; it in about 30 feet high and 140 to 150 feet in diameter at its base; its flat top measures about 50 feet across. Encircling this mount is a ditch, now about 30 feet wide and from 10 to 12 feet deep. To the south and southeast lies the courtyard, crescent-like in shape, and further protecting the mount for about half its circumference; it is likewise defended by a ditch, with a rampart on the inner side. Both rampart and ditch increase in size in a curious way in their course round from southwest by southeast to north, until the bank abutting upon the fosse belonging to the mount is fully two-thirds the height of the latter. All these earthworks have suffered considerably in course of ages by denudation. Dugdale a Warwickshire historian of the 17th century, records that the mount in his day was an much as 42 feet high, and measured only 23 feet across its flat summit. The ditch was then only 20 feet wide at the top with a depth of 12 feet. The present measurement, given above, show that the mount and banks have become considerably reduced in height and the tops of ditches have also become wider in the last 250 years. Dugdale noticed that this natural erosion was continually in progress, for he remarked that the dimensions he gave were evidently ‘much less than what they were at first, by reason that the earth is so shrunk down'. 
Erosion of Seckington Castle Motte since 1200 An entrance into the court yard at its southeast corner is possibly the original one; at any rate it existed in Dugdale’s time. There are also remains of a further and much larger enclosure at Seckington. The defences of this outer enclosure may have encircled, but did not join on to the inner works of moated mount and court. To the north northeast and east, traces of a long rampart and ditch are to be seen, the latter still containing water in parts. No signs of any masonry are apparent upon either the mount or the ramparts of this little fortress. These interesting earthworks have attracted the attention of many antiquarians even from the days of Queen Elizabeth 1 (1558-1603) when Camden makes mention of them. Some have ascribed their origin to the ancient Britons and some to the Romans. Camden makes them an imaginary military station which he calls Secanduaum, an unfortunate statement which has been frequently repeated by local writers down to the present day. Others have considered the mound to be a sepulchral tumulus, and apportioned it as a burial place for the slain in the great battle which was fought here 755 A.D. All these surmises are incorrect, and although history is apparently silent as to its actual maker, there is no doubt that these very perfect earthworks are the remains of a moated mount and court castle of some Saxon or Norman lord of Seckington. Dugdale records that the villagers in his day still called the work ‘the castle’. It is further evident that this castle must somewhat early in its existence have fallen into disuse, as no walls of stone were ever subsequently erected upon the earthworks to take the place of the original palisades of wood. The Fabric of Seckington Castle: According to one writer Seckington Castle was rebuilt of stone and was pulled down in the reign of Henry II (1154 – 1189) by Sir. W. Burdet to build the monastery of Alvecote. Apparently this Burdet had gone on one of the Crusades to Palestine and on his return was met by a trusted servant who told him that his wife had been unfaithful while he was away. In a fit of rage he killed her only to discover later that the story was a fabrication by the servant who had a grudge against the wife. In remorse, so the account goes, Burdet founded the Priory of Alvecote and to assist with the building he transported the stonework of the old Seckington Castle to Alvecote. The story is most improbable. The theme of killing by mistake and later remorse is common to many medieval folk tales. The true part of the story is that Alvecote Priory was founded by a member of the Burdet family. However there is no evidence that the Burdets possessed any land in Seckington until at least 100 years after the founding of the priory. In any case, there are quite extensive quarries quite close to Alvecote. There is no evidence that Seckington Castle was ever rebuilt of stone, although there was an abundant source of building stone nearby. The purpose to which the Norman overlords put Seckington Castle was that of preventing or defeating local insurrections. Fifty years after the Conquest, around 1110, local insurrections were no longer a possibility. The Castle of Seckington would have been virtually useless against a fully equipped besieging force and there would have been little point in rebuilding it. It there were any stone buildings or walls at Seckington Castle it is far more probable that these were utilized in the building of the church at Seckington which occupies a site immediately in front of the castle gate. This church would have been built about the time the Castle fell into disuse. 
SECKINGTON CASTLE as it may have been in 1100 THE DOMESDAY BOOK The Domesday Book is a statistical survey of England in 1086 A.D. It is a census of the population and productive resources of the country, and of who held them. The entries for Seckington village describe two classes of peasants, the villagers or villeins, and the smallholders or bordars. The distinction arose from the rights enjoyed by each class. Generally the villagers were the highest order of peasants with rights in the common fields of the manor. Bordars, however, had no more than a large garden, or smallholding. The essential element of the plough was its team of oxen, always reckoned in Domesday as eight in number. Horses were not used for ploughing at this time. Seckington was in Coleshill Hundred, later renamed Hemlingford Hundred, which is the most northerly Hundred in Warwickshire. The entries in the Warwickshire section of the Domesday Book referring to Seckington village are: 1. The Count of Meulan holds 2 1/2 hides in Seckington. Ingenulph and Arnulph hold them from him. Godric held the land before the Conquest. He was a free man. Land for 5 ploughs. In lordship 2 ploughs 6 villagers and 5 smallholders with 3 ploughs Value 40 shillings. 2. William son of Corbucion holds 2 1/2 hides in Seckington Judhael holds them from him. Land for 4 ploughs. In lordship 1 plough 6 villagers and 4 smallholders with 2 ploughs Meadow, 1 1/2 acres The value was and is 30 shillings. Ernwy held it before the Conquest.
The Seckington family took as their family name, the name of the Village. This name in now over 1200 years old. The Seckington Lands in Seckington The ancestors of the Seckingtons appear to have obtained an interest in Seckington around the year 1200 by marriage with an heiress. Through this maternal line the Seckingtons can trace their descent to people mentioned in the Domesday Survey. At this time the land at Seckington would have been just one of a fairly large number of manors held by the family. Henry le Scrope of Seckington held lands in Oxfordshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. These lands were divided amongst his children and grandchildren. Gerard Seckington in 1320 held land at Seckington and Coton-in-the-Elms in Derbyshire. His brother John Seckington held land at Amington in Warwickshire and property in London. The Seckingtons held in Seckington village, the quarter fee of Ingenulph plus another holding, part of the land that Arnulph held at Domesday. Their immediate overlords were the Whitacre family, who held Nether Whitacre. The Whitacre’s overlords were the Marmions of Tamworth Castle and the Marnion’s overlords were the Earls of Warwick. The Earls held their lands directly of the King. In later years the Seckingtons were joint Lords of the Manor of Seckington with the Burdets. The Burdets held some of the demesne lands which formerly belonged to Arnulph and the Seckingtons held the other half formerly belonging to Ingenulph. The Burdets sold to the Seckingtons, 1 1/2 virgates (45 acres) of land, the Burdet part of the demesne of Seckington, and the Seckingtons were thereafter the sole Lords of the manor of Seckington.  SECKINGTON in 1843 In 1843 the English Parliament passed an act to abolish tithes, on which the Church of England relied for the support of its parish clergy. In the place of tithes, land in each village was assigned to the church. Commissioners were appointed to survey the country and to assign to the church the appropriate land as compensation. They produced a map of Seckington, showing the field boundaries then in use, and noted the name of each field and its then tenant. The tenant of Seckington Hall, and possibly the land formerly held by the Seckington Family, was Arthur Dabbs. SECKINGTON IN 1871 In Domesday "Secintone" and "Sechintone" and later "Sekindon" and "Seggington", is a parish in the Northern Division of the County (of Warwick), Tamworth division of the hundred of Hemlingford, Tamworth union and county court district, rural deanery of Polesworth, archdeaconry of Coventry and diocese of Worcester. Distance from Polesworth station 3 miles north, 108 miles from London, 4 miles north-east from Tamworth, and 9 miles south-west from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, on the road from Tamworth to Ashby. The Church of All Saints is an ancient structure, consisting of chancel and nave, with square tower and lofty spire. It contains a monument, erected in the year 1603, to the Burdett family. The Register dates from the year 1612. The living is a rectory, yearly value £230, with residence, in the gift of Sir Francis Burdett, baronet, and held by the Rev. William Haughton Freer, M.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge. Sir Francis Burdett, baronet, who is lord of the manor, and the rector, are the principal landowners. The soil is chiefly clay, the subsoil is principally marl. The principal crops are wheat and barley. The area is 806 acres. The rateable value is £l 404. The population in 1871 was 98. The Parish Clerk is James Riley. Letters are received by foot post from Tamworth, which is the nearest money order office. The village school is supported by subscriptions and the payments of the scholars. Miss Fanny Cope is the schoolmistress.
Ralph Arnold, farmer John Cotton, farmer William Dester, farmer James Riley, farmer
Tenants of the Burdets 1843, 1875
Ralph Arnold Harry Arnold Tenant of the Burdetts Purchased the Old Hall from the Burdetts in 1919
A.N. Other Miss M. Arnold 
Ralph Arnold The owner in 1985 of Seckington Old Hall Yüklə 3,29 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
|
