|
Grounds and Building The ground on which the church stands had been granted to the Benedictine Abbey of La Coutre Le Mans on a life lease by Roger Peyvre between 1100 -1122, so it is certain that there was a building here in Saxon times. The Church was early endowed with lands in the Parish to which certain manorial rights were attached in the 14th Century. The present building is the only enduring memorial to the family of Sir Paulinus Peyvre. He built not only the church but also a mansion at Wadlowes. This stood on the road to Harlington, opposite to which now stands Red Hill Farm. Their great parks exist only as names on a map, Old Park and Epps Spinney. Thomas, the last Peyvre, Lord of the Manor, died in 1429 and the estate passed through his daughter Mary to the Broughtons who lived in Buckinghamshire. They held the Manor of Toddington for about a century and left their mark by founding, or refounding, the Hospital of Almshouses, dedicated to St John the Baptist, the remains of which were discovered in the Griffin farmyard in the 1970's. One hundred years later Sir Thomas Cheney KG gained control of the estate through marriage to Ann, a sister of the last Broughton. Their son, Henry Cheney was another mighty builder and fragments of the Manor House he built remain standing today. He entertained Elizabeth 1 in Toddington and she created him Baron Cheney of Toddington. The estate changed hands for the fourth time when Jane, Lady Cheney, left them to her great nephew, Thomas, fourth Lord Wentworth, who was later created Earl of Cleveland by James 1. Wentworth's son, also named Thomas, was the founder and first Colonel of the Grenadier Guards. The Manor and Estate subsequently changed hands in 1816 to William Dodge Cooper Cooper. His wife was Elizabeth and their daughter, Caroline. The family remained at Toddington into the early 1920's. The Cooper Coopers were the last Lords of the Manor. |