1154/55: Following the death of Abbot Martin de Bec, 'all the congregation met to choose a man among them who should be their father and shepherd, and guardian lest by reason of their delay some stranger should make his way in by payment of bribes'. They chose William de Waterville. All formalities and procedures were followed and on this first Sunday of Lent, 'with a great procession he was welcomed into his own home of Burch (the name of Peterborough at that time)'. (Mellows, W.T.,The Peterborough Chronicle of Hugh Candidus, Peterborough Museum Society, 1980)
Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press,2014.
Peterborough was, for many years, controlled by the abbey. However, the creation of municipal control started in 1572 when three local men, Robert Mallory, Thomas Robinson and Jeremy Green bought some of the church lands and offered them to the city. Income from the lands was used to help the poor and keep the roads, church and other buildings in good repair with the advice of the church wardens. 14 Feoffees were chosen to oversee these activities, working as councillors do in the 21st century.
The feoffees consisted of between 4 and 14 respectable, wealthy men. They worked together to keep the city in good order and to help those in dire straits. The account and minute books of the feoffees detail monies given to the poor. Money was provided for food or clothing and sheets to wrap up bodies if they died. Well-known feoffees included Humphrey Orme, Thomas Deacon and William Hake.
Evidence of the work of the Feoffees can be seen in the first almshouses, founded in 1722 in Cumbergate. They were also the driving force for the Guildhall or Buttercross in the marketplace, which was where they held their meetings. They originally met in the Moot Hall or Guildhall, which was on the corner of Cumbergate.
The Guildhall, also known as the Buttercross or Chamber Over the Cross, was built to commemorate the restoration of the monarchy and was paid for by public subscription. It was built by local builder John Lovin, who was partly paid by the minting of an octagonal Peterborough halfpenny.
Many local influential families subscribed to the building of the Guildhall and several coats of arms can be seen on the side of the building. Peterborough Museum houses a turtle shell decorated with the arms of Sir Humphrey Orme, MP and owner of Neville Place (the site of the present museum). It is said that Sir Humphrey supplied the turtle for soup eaten to celebrate its completion.
In 1536 a Tudor house called Neville Place was built by Humphrey Orme, who was a courtier of Henry VIII. The house was built on the land where the current museum is. The Ormes were important in Peterborough for over 250 years. They were Members of Parliament, Magistrates and also Feoffees. They were royalist during the English Civil War and were involved in the building of the Guildhall after the Restoration.
Note: the building of Neville Place in 1536 is currently disputed because Humphrey Orme rented the manor of West Deeping in that year. Written evidence of the Ormes living in Priestgate does not appear until the early 17th Century when they were living in a cottage next to Neville's Orchard.
The Orme family were very influential in the 1600s in Peterborough. They lived for sometime at the Bishop's manor of Boroughbury and in Priestgate too. They were also engaged in the work of the feoffees, helping to manage civic matters and support the poor and needy. As with any family, they weren't all well-respected individuals.
Humphrey Orme was born in 1620 in the city and rose to become the first MP in his family in 1654. His appointment was not a popular one in the city, which was no doubt due to his royalist persuasions at a time when England was ruled as a Commonwealth. The petition of William Collins, Edward Bud, William Packer, John Cawthorne, James Taylor, John Howson, and Robert Andrew claimed that he should not be the city's MP because he was 'not a person of known integritie (sic) nor of good conversation.' They laid eight points against him including that he kept 'common company' and was 'a profane swearer', 'hard drinker' and when drunk 'twice quarrelled with one Lawrence Robinson, both of them stabbing each other neare (sic) unto death last time.' He was re-elected in 1660 and died in 1671 being buried in the cathedral. His behaviour makes modern MP misdemeanours look very mild in comparison!
References:
Saunders, W. H. Bernard, Fenland Notes and Queries, ed. Sweeting W. D., (1891, G. C. Caster) pp. 99-100 <archive.org> [accessed 8 Feb 2021].
Helms, M. W. and Edwards, E. R., Orme, Humphrey [1620-1671] , of Peterborough, Northants, History of Parliament Online, <historyofparliamentonline.org> [accessed 8 Feb 2021].
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Peterborough was, for many years, controlled by the abbey. However, the…
In 1536 a Tudor house called Neville Place was built by Humphrey Orme, w…
The Orme family were very influential in the 1600s in Peterborough. They…