In the year 1554 (Aug. 6th) Thomas Bewley, Clerk, was admitted to this benefice by Robert, Bishop of Carlisle, it being “vacant by deprivation.” This was the 2nd year of the reign of Queen Mary, of ill memory. Doubtless the offence of the ejected predecessor was that he was married, which was contrary to the papistic ideas, revived in that brief reign. Numbers of beneficed clergy were deprived at that time for this offence.
A few old records of some interest are preserved connected with Moorby, of which we give two or three samples here. First we have a family of the name of Moreby, of whom more than one mention is made. Roger Moreby, by will dated Saturday after the Feast of St. Botolph, 1394, commends his soul to St. Mary and all the saints; he requests that his body may be buried in Croyland parish church; he leaves 40s. to be given to the poor on the day of his burial, and money to provide torches and wax for the church, and the altars of St. Katharine, St. John the Baptist, and Holy Trinity; he bequeaths £10 of silver to his wife, and other items. Again, by will dated the Feast of St. Thomas the apostle, 1368, Gervase de Wylleford bequeaths 100s. to John Moreby his cousin.
The family of Ayscough, formerly so widely represented in the county, were connected with Moorby. By will, dated 16th Nov., 1601, Henry Ascoughe, Gent., desires to be buried in the parish church of “Morebie,” leaving to his sister “Elizabeth Aiscoughe (his) hereditaments in Morebie for life, then to go to his brother Matthew.” His sister is also to have lands which he had leased to Sir Henry Glenham, Knight. [201a] He further leaves to her, as executrix, “£10 to be good and to my poor sister Margarette.” To his brother Simon he bequeaths “the best apparrell of my bodie, with riding furniture, and my baie gelding, rapier, dagger, and pistol,” and further bequests. The testator was son of Christopher Ayscough, of Bliborough, and married, apparently without issue, Margaret, daughter of Symon Battell, of Denham, Suffolk.
Like the not very distant Wildmore Fen, in which it now has a modern allotment of 14 acres of glebe land. The name of Moorby tells of its condition at the time when it acquired that designation, which means the “by,” i.e. “byre,” or farmstead on the moor. [201b] The moorland has now entirely disappeared under the plough, and only young plantations represent its former wild, woodland character.
WOOD ENDERBY.
Wood Enderby lies about four miles south by east from Horncastle. Letters via Boston arrive at 10.30 a.m.
The church, dedicated to St. Benedict, consists of nave, north aisle, and chancel, a low tower, with graceful broach spire, containing one bell, and small vestry. It is built of a warm-tinted green sandstone, with free stone dressings; the style of its architecture is a combination of the early English and Decorated periods. It was almost entirely rebuilt in 1860, at a cost of about £1,000. The south door, which is in the tower, has an Early English arch of five mouldings. There is a plain trefoiled window above in the tower; the lower part of the spire having two lancet windows, with a circle above them, and a small single-light window on each side, half way up. In the west wall of the tower is a three-light window, with two trefoils and a quatrefoil above. This is filled with coloured glass, having the texts “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them,” and “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” There are similar windows, but without coloured glass, in all four faces of the tower. At the north-west angle of the tower is a staircase turret. Within the south door, against the west wall, is an old stone coffin, with broken lid, ornamented with an incised floriated cross; this was discovered at the time of the restoration.
The arcade of the north aisle is of three bays, being part of the old church, in Early English style, with plain arches, supported on one octagonal pier and one shafted pier, with dog-tooth ornament, the former having foliage on the capital. In the north wall of the nave are three square-headed windows of three lights, with trefoils above, the glass being plain, except a border of red, purple, and yellow. In the south wall are three two-light windows, with trefoil and circle above; the glass being modern, with various coloured scripture texts.
The sittings are of deal, with plain poppy-heads. The pulpit is of modern oak, of five panels, each panel being divided into two trefoiled arched partitions; the central panel having a trefoil above, and below it a square piece of carved old oak, representing Elijah blessing the cruse of oil for the widow of Zarephath. The vestry, at the east end of the north aisle, has one small trefoiled window. The tower and the spire were added at the restoration. The chancel has a decorated east window of three lights, with three quatrefoils above. It is filled with modern coloured glass, the subjects being, in the centre the Saviour risen from the tomb, on the left an angel seated at the tomb, and on the right the Magdalen. There is an inscription, “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God. John xx, 17.”
The north and south chancel walls have each one two-light trefoiled window, with quatrefoil above; plain glass, except the coloured band. In the south wall is a curious square projecting Norman piscina, with fluted basin, and fluted sides. In the north wall is an arched sepulchral recess. The chancel arch is plain Early English. The roof, like the sittings, is of pitch pine. The font has a plain octagonal large bowl of Barnack stone, its upper rim being modern, the shaft plain quadrilateral, with plain square columns at the angles; base and pediment octagonal.