LITTLE PAXTON is not mentioned by name in Domesday, but was included under the heading of Paxton, to which were attached three beriwicks. (fn. 4) They had all been in the possession of Edward the Confessor, and Little Paxton in 1086 had come, with Great Paxton and Toseland, into the possession of the Countess Judith. (fn. 5) It afterwards formed part of the Honour of Huntingdon. (fn. 6) On the division of the lands of the Honour in 1237 the greater part of Little Paxton was assigned to Isabella, the wife of Robert de Brus, and the remainder to Devorgilla, the wife of John Balliol. (fn. 7) The overlordship of the latter portion, after the forfeiture of the Balliol lands, seems to have been granted by Edward I, about 1303, to John of Brittany, (fn. 8) who granted it to Mary, Countess of Pembroke. (fn. 9)
The history of the manors in Little Paxton is difficult to trace, owing to the subdivision of already small manors, the break-up of the Honour of Huntingdon, and its escheat into the hands of the king. There seem to have been many free tenants, apparently owing no suit to a manor, but only to the court of the Honour of Huntingdon or similar courts. (fn. 10)
The manor of LITTLE PAXTON can only be definitely traced back to the early 15th century, but it seems possible that it may be identified with the holding of Richard Bassingham, a military tenant of the Earl of Huntingdon, in 1230. (fn. 11) In 1279, it seems to have been held of Robert de Brus as a quarter of a knight's fee, by William de Stanton. (fn. 12) In 1309, Alexander de Crokedaik died seised of 100s. rents of assize in Paxton and Keyston, which he held of Stanton as a quarter of a fee, but these rents do not appear amongst the possessions of his heir. (fn. 13) The mention of Keyston suggests the identification of this fee with the manor held by Sir Robert Ferrers of Chartley at his death in 1413, (fn. 14) since he also held the manor of Keyston. His manor of Little Paxton followed the descent of the manor of Eynesbury Ferrers (fn. 15) (q.v.) until 1646, when Sir Ludovic Dyer sold it to Henry Pickering, who was created a baronet in 1661. (fn. 16) In 1703 his son, Sir Henry Pickering, sold it to John Bacon, a London merchant. (fn. 17) Thomas Bacon and his wife Elizabeth were the owners between 1707 and 1719. (fn. 18) The manor seems to have passed with that of Southoe (q.v.) from the Bacons to John Standley, who, with his wife and Peter Standley, was dealing with Southoe in 1739, and died in 1761. (fn. 19) Henry Pointer Standley is mentioned in 1784, and died in 1812. (fn. 20) He was apparently succeeded by another Henry Pointer Standley, who died in 1844. (fn. 21) The executors of H. P. Standley sold the manor, about 1845, to Lord Overstone, or possibly to his father Lewis Loyd, the banker. In 1885 Sir Robert Loyd-Lindsay (d. 1901), afterwards Lord Wantage, who married Lord Overstone's daughter and heir, was lord of the manor. (fn. 22) Lady Wantage died in 1920, after whose death Paxton Park was sold to Mr. Harold Boardman, who has there a boys' school. The manorial rights are apparently fallen into desuetude.
Pickering of Paxton.
Ermine a lion azure with a golden crown.
Another manor of Little Paxton belonged to the pourparty which passed to Devorgilla Balliol. (fn. 75) The first tenant of this part of Little Paxton who can be traced was Robert de la Mare, holding in 1230 (fn. 76) and 1242. (fn. 77) He was succeeded by his son Hugh and grandson Richard. (fn. 78) The latter held a considerable portion of Devorgilla's pourparty in 1279, but only as a mesne tenant between Gilbert de Neville and various free tenants holding in demesne. (fn. 79) He is mentioned again in 1309, as overlord of onefortieth part of a knight's fee held by Alexander de Crokedaik. (fn. 80) The manor, however, may be identified, not with this holding, but with that of William Lengleys, kt., who married Alexander's widow. (fn. 81) Her dower reverted to John de Crokedaik's heirs, (fn. 82) but Lengleys died seised in 1344 of, inter alia, one messuage and 40 acres of land in Little Paxton and 40 acres in Great Paxton, all held of the Countess of Pembroke. (fn. 83) His son William died seised in 1369, (fn. 84) but his holding followed a settlement made in 1343 (fn. 85) and passed to William, son of Ralph Restwold and Juliana, daughter of William Lengleys, senior. In the latter part of the 15th century the manor was held by Robert Restwold, whose nephew and heir Richard sold it to John Hutton in 1501. (fn. 86) John Hutton died in that year and left the manor to his brother Thomas Hutton, clk., who had advanced the purchase money. (fn. 87) On the death of Thomas in 1506, it passed to his nephew Thomas, (fn. 88) to whom John Selyard and William Lambkyn (fn. 89) paid £140 for the manor and appurtenances in 1531, presumably in completion of a sale made previously to St. John's College, Cambridge. (fn. 90) The College at the end of the 19th century sold the Manor Farm to Mr. C. Heading, from whom it was purchased by Mr. William Bowles, the present owner. The manorial rights are now apparently lost.
In 1286, Devorgilla Balliol claimed to hold a view of frankpledge, gallows and tumbrel in right of her pourparty of Little Paxton. (fn. 91)
Sir Edmund Ferrers of Chartley, kt., and his successors in the manor of Little Paxton (q.v.) held a view of frankpledge, which is mentioned as late as 1697. (fn. 92)
A free fishery was appurtenant to the same manor in 1617, (fn. 93) and is mentioned in 1719. (fn. 94) Another free fishery is mentioned in 1544 as appurtenant to the moiety of Moynes manor bought by Sir Walter Luke. (fn. 95) King Malcolm of Scotland gave three mills and a croft of land in frankalmoin to the Abbey of Sawtry and two mills to hold by the same service to the Priory of St. Neots. (fn. 96)
Victoria County History - Huntingdonshire Published 1932
