Records, Historical and Antiquarian, of Parishes Round Horncastle

by J. Conway Walter

John Carsey (also spelt Kersey) had the Revesby estate, Wilksby and Wood Enderby, and resided at Revesby. His son Francis probably resided at South Ormsby, and in 1575, the father and son jointly sold the estate to Thomas Cecil, Lord Treasurer Burleigh. The property then descended, through the 1st and 2nd Earls of Exeter, and Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Howard, Earl of Berkshire, to Henry Howard. He dying without male issue, was succeeded by his nephew, Craven Howard, in 1663. Craven Howard built a mansion here. But the entire property was sold in 1714 to the Banks family for £14,000, by his representatives the daughters of Henry Howard. [164] The last of the Banks family was Sir Joseph Banks, well known for his enclosure of the Fens and other works of public utility in the county, his patronage of science in every form, and his voyages of discovery. He died in 1820, and, by his will, most of the estates were bequeathed to Col. the Honble. James Hamilton Stanhope, who served in the Peninsular War, and at Waterloo, other portions being left to Sir Henry Hawley and his heirs, “with remainder to Sir Edward Knatchbull” (who managed the estates for his widow, Lady Banks). (Weir’s “Hist. Linc.” vol. i., p. 414, Ed., 1828; “Saunders’ Hist.” vol. ii., p. 113). He held them for a very short period, and was succeeded by J. Banks Stanhope, Esq., formerly M.P. for N. Lincolnshire (in 1823), who, some years ago, surrendered the estates to his cousin and adopted heir, the Right Honble. E. Stanhope, 2nd son of the 5th Earl Stanhope; and late M.P. for Horncastle Division.

Mr. Banks Stanhope greatly improved, and, indeed, may be said to have rebuilt the mansion of Revesby, from designs by the architect Burns, which now stands in beautiful grounds, and an extensive park, near the site of the former residence of the abbots. Vast sums have also been spent by him on the improvement of the estate; the rebuilding of farmhouses and cottages, so as to make the village a model one in every way. The Abbey, which is constructed throughout of Ancaster stone, and in the style of James I., is the repository of objects of art, of natural history, and of antiquarian interest, collected by Sir Joseph Banks, J. Banks Stanhope, Esq., and more recently by the Right Honble. E. Stanhope, sufficient to form a museum.

A subject of interest which has not yet been noticed is two tumuli, or barrows, in the parish, on the left hand, close to the road, and not many yards south of the Red Lion Inn. They were considered by the antiquarian Stukeley (“Itin Curios,” p. 23) to have been the burial place of two British kings, and probably also connected with the religious services of the Druids. They stand in an enclosure, the breadth of which, he says, “is 100 Celtic feet, and the length 300.”

In 1780 the northernmost of these barrows—there were formerly three—was explored by Sir Joseph Banks, but nothing was found of any interest beyond indications that it had been examined before, and since that time it has been levelled. He thought, however, that it had been the site of religious sacrifices. In August, 1892, explorations were carried out under the eye of the late Right Honble. E. Stanhope. Here again there were indications of former examination, not however to any great depth, and when the centre of the mound was reached a kind of sarcophagus, made of puddled clay, was found, from 5ft. to 6ft. in length, lying north and south, the sides 7in. or 8in. thick, and having an arch rising to a height of 2½ft.; the bottom, slightly concave, rested on the original soil, within this was black earth quite different in colour to the rest, which was believed to be human remains. No bones, however, were found. Broken pieces of pottery and two old nails, were found outside this receptacle, which were pronounced by Sir A. W. Franks, of the British Museum, to be mediæval, and to have probably been introduced by previous explorers. (Account by E.S., “Linc. N. & Q.,” vol. iii., pp. 145–7.)

We have little more to say of the past history of Revesby. When the Spanish Armada was expected to invade our shores in 1589, one of those Lincolnshire gentry who subscribed £25, a large sum in those days, towards the defence of the country, was Nicholas Saunderson of Rearsby, or Revesby; he also, at the muster at Horncastle in 1586, furnished “1 light horse”; John May of Mareham doing the same (“Architect. S. Journal,” 1894, p. 214.)

Among the old observances of Revesby was the annual fair, an occasion of much jovial festivity, and in the days of Sir Joseph Banks, that fine old English gentleman, the Sir Roger de Coverley of his day, encouraged such old time customs, providing ale most generously for all comers, and driving down to the village green, where the booths were arranged, with his party in two or three coaches. Morrice dancing and the mummers play always had his patronage. In these days of “autres temps, autres mœurs,” all these have gone out of vogue. Whether the modern, soi disant, more refined practices at village feasts are an improvement on the old is a question we leave others to decide.

Revesby church, dedicated to St. Lawrence, was formerly a small structure, rebuilt in 1735, partly with materials taken from the former Abbey, by Joseph Banks, Esq. (great grandfather of the Right Honble. Sir Joseph Banks), who purchased the property from the Honble. Henry Howard, 3rd son of the Earl of Berkshire, in 1714. The benefice then, as now, was a chaplaincy to the owners of the Revesby Abbey estate. [166] That church contained among its chief features a memorial tablet at the east end of the chancel to Nehemiah Rawson, Esq., who died in 1657, a name still common in the neighbourhood; another to the above-named Honble. Henry Howard, who died in 1663; and on the north side of the chancel was a large marble monument, surmounted by a bust, and an inscription in Latin to Joseph Banks, Esq., who died 1727. After renovation at various periods this old fabric was removed, and, on the same site, the present handsome church, a fine specimen of the 14th century, flamboyant style, was erected at the joint expense of J. Banks Stanhope, Esq., and the late Right Honourable Edward Stanhope, M.P., lord of the manor in 1890–2. The church consists of western tower, surmounted by a lofty spire; nave, with north aisle and south porch; and chancel, with organ chamber and vestry on the north side; the whole forming an elegant structure, reminding one, though on a smaller scale, of the famous marble church of Bodelwyddan in North Wales. It is built generally of Ancaster stone, the walls inside being lined with red Hollington sandstone. Mr. Hodgson Fowler was the architect, and in several details of the building he reproduced features borrowed from the original Abbey.

The following is a detailed description of the church:—In the south wall of the interior of the tower, in a recess, are various carved and other fragments of stone, and near them the capitals and bases of some small Norman columns; and on the north wall is a fragment of a canopied niche; all these being carefully preserved remnants of the original Abbey church.

In the centre is a small Norman font with plain bowl, supported on a shaft of 8 clustered columns, resting on a square base. In the tower above is a peal of 8 carillon bells of good tone, embracing the octave. The north aisle has 4 lofty bays. In the north wall are four two-light windows with trefoil and other tracery above. Against the west wall of this aisle is a massive marble monument surmounted by a bust, probably the old monument renewed, bearing in English the inscription, “In memory of Joseph Banks, M.P. for Grimsby and Totnes, born 1681, died 1727, married Mary Hancock, and had issue Joseph, and Mary, Lady Whichcote, died 1726”; to the left, “Joseph Banks II., born 1695, died 1741, married, 1st, Annie Hodgkinson, and had issue, &c.; Eleonora (the youngest) born 1723, died 1793, married the Honble. Henry Grenville, and was mother of Louisa, Countess Stanhope; married, 2ndly, Catherine widow of Newcomen Wallis.” Right inscription, “William Banks, born 1719, died 1761, married Sarah Bate, and left issue, (1) Joseph, afterwards Sir Joseph Banks, (2) Sarah Sophia, born 1744, died 1818.”

The south nave wall next to the porch eastward has two two-light windows similar to those in the north wall, and next to the chancel wall a large three-light window, flamboyant above, of coloured glass—the subjects being St. James, St. Peter, and St. John, bearing the inscription below, “Presented by the tenants of the Revesby estate as a token of esteem for James Banks Stanhope, Esquire, of Revesby Abbey, 1892.” The pulpit is of carved modern oak, being Flemish work, the subjects scriptural, resting on a stone base; the sittings throughout are of oak with carved panels at the ends. There is a good brass lectern, and oak fald-stool. The choir stalls in the chancel are of massive carved oak with good poppy heads. The panels of the sedilia are from the Abbot’s house; the encaustic tiles are copies of the originals, the remains of which are preserved in the bell chamber of the tower. The east window is of five lights with rich flamboyant tracery above. It is filled with coloured glass by Messrs. Heaton, Butler and Bayne, and erected by public subscription in memory of the late Right Honourable Edward Stanhope. The subjects are two rows of figures; in the lower row, in the two lights on the north side, are St. Edward and St. Matthew, then St. Boniface and St. Wilfred; in the central compartment, three figures, St. George, St. Martin, and St. Alban; then, to the south, St. Hugh and St. Jerome, in one light, St. Thomas and St. Lawrence in the other outside light. In the upper row, the central figure is the Saviour, crowned, His right hand uplifted in blessing, His left holding a sceptre; in the two compartments, on either side, are angels with harps, viols, &c. In the tracery above are heads of angels, and above all, the Angus Dei. The reredos is of plush velvet. A jewelled cross stands on the super-altar. The communion table is covered with a rich altar cloth of velvet and lace. To the north and south of the table, the walls are panelled with oak, to the height of the east window, with devices representing the ivy, olive, rose, gourd, pomegranate, vine, and fig; the fruit being inlaid mother of pearl, given by the Honble. Mrs. Stanhope. There is a brass tablet in the north wall, giving an account of the east window. In the south wall is a plain two-light trefoiled window, and a long stone seat below. The organ has handsome coloured pipes, and has in front a richly-carved oak screen. At the main entrance to the churchyard is a lich gate, “erected by friends and tenants, in loving memory of the Right Honourable Edward Stanhope.” In the churchyard, beneath the east window, is the Stanhope grave, framed in white marble, with a recumbent cross of the same material within it. Beneath that spotless emblem of our faith, lies all that was mortal of a noble being, a man “sans peur et sans reproche,” singularly gifted, of varied tastes, wide sympathies, generous instincts, of indefatigable industry as a statesman in the service of his Queen and country, and we may add without presumption, a sincere Christian, of strong convictions. Edward Stanhope, died, 22 December, 1893, admired by his opponents almost as much as he was beloved by his friends, and of him, we may truly say that his gain was our loss. Opposite the village green are alms-houses, for five poor men and five poor women, founded by Joseph Banks, Esq., in 1727, who endowed them with an annual rent charge of £50. Revesby is emphatically a model village, the residences of the tenants and their labourers, being alike maintained in the best order.