There were other collateral branches of this family about 1244. such as Thomas Wake, who held lands in Stoke and Irthingbure under the abbot of Peterburgh. Wydo Wac held half a knight’s fee in Deping, Beresham and Stow, of the heirs of Hugh Wake the same year. Hugo Wac, Roger Wac, witnesses to a charter 1152. Rymer’s Fœdera, I. p. 12. From Sir Tho. Wake, that married the daughter of Sir John Pateshul, is descended his grace the present archbishop of Canterbury.
Not long since some British instruments of brass called celts, arrow-heads, and bits of bridles of the same metal, were found at Aye near the Cardike. The 19th of November, 1731, I saw four celts and a brass spear-head found at Ege, or Aye: the celts were of the female or recipient kind: they were bought by bishop Kennet, and are now in the gentlemen’s society at Peterborough. The Druids buried them there, when the Romans drove them northward: there has been some great work of the Druids there, as I take it. At Jernham was found an old brass seal, a man blowing a horn, the legend John de Sodeburi, now in the hands of Mr. Richards of Stanford. At Edenham was a stone cross now demolished: the inscription on it I have inserted in the TAB. XI.Plate of Crosses: I saw the stump of it remaining not long since: hard by has been an old castle at Bitham. Grimsthorp, the pleasant seat of the Duke of Ancaster: the park is very large and beautiful; in the middle of it stood Vaudy abbey in a vale, founded by Wil. de Albemarle 1147. some small ruins of it are left: the lawn there, whereon is an annual horse-race, is extremely delightful.[13] In Hakunby church upon a stone I read this inscription,
Iste fuit Rector Thomas de Brunn vocitatus.
Sempringham abbey founded by St. Gilbert lord of the place, and author of the Gilbertin order, where men and women lived together in holy community: now an old ruinous seat of the earls of Lincoln.
Trekingham, so called, as some will have it, from a fanciful story of three Danish kings there buried: round the font in the church is this inscription, + Ave maria gratia p. d. t. Upon a tombstone in the church-yard this,
HIC INTVMVLATVR JOHANNES
QVONDAM DNÌ…S DE TRIKINGHAM.
St. Saviour’s chapel at the end of Brig-end causeway is still left, turned into a mansion house, founded by George of Lincoln, endowed with lands to maintain the causeway: a legacy highly to be commended. At Ranceby near Sleford on a hill, many Roman antiquities found, of which an account in Leland’s Itinerar. Hale Parva, Hale Magna, so called from the hall or seat of the lord of the manor: in the former is Helpringham, which I suppose no more than Hale parva ingham, the termination being very common in towns hereabouts.
Holland imbanked by the Romans.