Chicksands
General History
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Select Illustrations,
Historical and Topographical of Bedfordshire
containing Bedford, Ampthill, Houghton, Luton and Chicksands
by the Rev. I.D. Parry
Longman and Co. MDCCCXXVII
THE Priory of Chicksands was founded in or about the year 1150, by Paganus, or Pain de Beauchamp, and the Countess Roisia, his wife, for nuns and canons, of the Order of St. Gilbert, of Sempringham. Simon de Beauchamp, their son, is said to have given to it the Church of Chicksand ; but a query may be raised on this head, as it is not set down as belonging to it in Pope Nicholas's Taxation. Three charters are on record: the first, of Pain de Beauchamp, confirming several lands of his own gift, and those of others; 2d, of William, his son, do. do. ; 3d, of King Ed ward II ., giving license to John Blondel, to give to the monastery, the Manor of Chicksands; and this at the request of Lady Adomar de Valence, Countess of Pembroke. The description of their early possessions is as follows:- At Hawnes, the grange and 400 acres, of the gift of Pain de Beauchamp and Roisia, some of which had belonged to Richard the monk, Avenel, and Warner of Hawnes, to whom they made a compensation. In Campton, three virgates of their own gift, and half the domain from the gift of Adeliz, wife of Walter de Marcis ; in Cayshou (Keysoe) and Scottou (Qy. ?) whatever they have from the gifts of Roger Landos, Robert Faucilun and sixteen others; at Williton (willington), a mill, with a mansion, and half a virgate of land; at Chicksands, the wood of Appeley (now called Chicksands), except one part, which belonged to Olave, priest of Hawnes, and half a virgate, with a mansion, which belonged, to Lefsten the keeper of the said wood; twenty acres in Cople ; the manor of Hargrave, in Northamptonshire ; the chapel and lands of Estwic (Astwick) ; lands in Houghton, Meppershal, Lenslade, Wolverton:, Chippenham (Wilts.), Norwich, &c. &c. &c. .
The Countess Roisia was so passionately attached to her new foundation, that when her son Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex (son of her first husband, who founded Walden Abbey) died, whom she had in vain tried to persuade to divert his benefactions from his father's foundation to her's, she took the very extraordinary and outrageous step of sending an armed body of men from Chicksands, to intercept his funeral, in the way from Chester to Walden, and to cause his remains to be forcibly interred at Chicksands, to which monastery she thus hoped that his relations would become benefactors. But the knights who attended the procession, being made acquainted with her intention, armed themselves, and reinforced their guard, and so conveyed it safely to Walden. Roisia, however, contrived to deprive the monastery of Walden of part of the usual perquisites, as they only obtained " his best horse and armour," but the " furniture of his chapel * " was given to Chicksands. The Countess Roisia died soon after, and was buried in the Chapter House at Chicksands………
We have not been able to collect any accounts or annals of Chicksands Priory. It is only once mentioned in the Chronicle of Dunstaple, as follows; viz. that in the year 1257, when there was a great and distressing scarcity of corn, fifty-two monks, and ten converts, were sent from Chicksands to other monasteries of their own Order……
The Priory was surrendered by the Sub-Prior, six Monks, and 18 Nuns in 1538. In 1539, it was granted to one Robert Snow, of whose family it was purchased, in 1576, by Peter Osborn, Esq., in whose family it continues to this day.
The situation of Chicksands, judging from the present appearance, was ever a highly pleasing and eligible one. It stands on a slight eminence, with gently rising hills ,at a short distance behind; along the valley in front, flows a brook, formed into a handsome stream, which, in one place, has now a fine artificial cascade; this brook forms one of the sources of the River Ivel. On the hills, at the back, is a very large and fine wood. The good Monks, it appears, well knew how to select for themselves, the finest spots and scenery, and to draw together all those objects, which were most calculated to relieve the monotony of their cloistered, and we may truly add, unnatural course of life……
Chicksands, is now the property of Sir John Osborn. The ancient Quadrangle preserves its form entire, but great part of it has been repaired and nearly rebuilt. Still the style has been very carefully preserved, and enough remains of the old building untouched, to constitute an interesting identity. There are very few instances of this kind in England, where the whole, or part of an ancient Monastery remains so entire, as to be used as a modern habitation. From these remains, this building appears never to have been of the first style of Monastic architecture, but rather neat and commodious, more in the style of a Priory, then an Abbey.
The south and east fronts were nearly rebuilt by Ware, about the year 1750. The other sides are in a more ancient state. On the west side, is a room, which has been used as a Chapel, which with another adjoining, used as a laundry , has the original plain groined roof, supported by low octagonal pillars. The area, in the interior of the square, is 64 feet by 51. The mullioned cloister arches, now used as windows, may be seen along great part of the lower story. The south and east sides, contain the principal rooms. These sides were also much improved by the late Sir Geo. Osborn. He erected the Porch, which is a very handsome one, with crenated, or indented battlements, and two grand pinnacles; and constructed the rooms and offices to the north of the Quadrangle, which are of brick, with stone mullions and facings, which have a neat spire turret of stone. In the interior, he made the hall or vestibule, by throwing into one, part of the old cloister, used as a passage, and some part that had been degraded to the purpose of a cellar; and he made the Library, 40 feet by 20, by throwing down the partitions between the groined arches. These are the original groins, and are very neat, with octagonal pillars; there are one or two very grotesque corbels. The principal ornament, however, of the house, is the Hall, which has a grand and imposing appearance; it is supported in part, by the inner cloister arches, and the roof has magnificent and' elaborate groining .
" About the roof a maze of mouldings slim,
Like veins that o'er the hand of lady wind,
Embraced in closing arms the Keystone trim,
With hieroglyphs and ciphers quaint combined,
The riddling art, that charm'd the Gothic mind. "-Fosbrooke.
The waIls are ornamented with fret-work niches; the staircase, and a gallery above, are in the same style. This is, we believe, modern work: the architect, employed by Sir G. Osborn, was Wyatt. The railing of the staircase is of brass. Three of the ancient windows above are filled with old stained glass, collected by Sir G. Osborn, the brightness of the colouring of which cannot easily be exceeded.
In the Drawing Room, is a very pretty little oriel, seen in the accompanying view, which has also stained glass. The Saloon is a neat room, supported by pillars, and containing several full-length portraits. In the upper part of the north side is a long apartment, called the Pigeon Gallery, having pigeons painted on the ceiling, the cause of which we do not exactly know. In this are several small pictures; amongst others, a portrait of Cardinal Pole. Here is, likewise, a portrait of Sir Charles Ventris, Knight, removed from a panel in the old manor house of Campon, which has on it the marks of several slugs, and this inscription : ..In the year 1645, Sir Charies Ventris, Knight Baronet, created by King Charles, for his bravery in the civil wars, was (in the night-time), by Oliver's party, shot at, as he was walking in this room ; but happily missed him ;" -a base attempt at assassination.
In this House is a full collection of Portraits of all the Osborn family, including the present Baronet and his family; and also those of Sir Thomas More, Wolsey, Edward VI., by Holbein, Charles I., Cromwell, a very fine one, by Sir Peter Lely, the Earl of Winchilsea, Admiral Byng, Sir Philip Warwick, &c. &c., and also a curious one of Queen Catherine Pari, from whom Dorothea, wife of Sir Peter Osborn, was descended.
There are, also, the following paintings of merit, amongst others, belonging to Sir John Osborn :-
The Finding of Moses, by Paul Veronese.
The Adoration of the Magi, a fine old painting on three panels, by Albert
Durer.
Luther, Calvin, and Socinius, in one painting.
Meleager and Atalanta, a copy from Rubens' picture in the Dresden Gallery.
Sir George Osborn constructed a room, in imitation of the Chapterhouse at Peterborough, used as a bed-room, and placed in it a state-bed, which belonged to James I., having the initials J. A., with a crown. The traditionary account of it is, that it is the bed on which the Pretender was born; and that, upon that occasion, it became a perquisite of the chamberlain, who presented it to the Osborn family.
For many particulars, relative to Chicksands, the author has to return his thanks to the present proprietor, Sir John Osborn.
The grounds of Chicksands are very pretty, and the situation altogether highly pleasing. The wood called Appeley, and now Chicksands, con- tains about 300 acres, and is one of the largest in the county. The number of acres belonging to Chicksands, extra-parochial, is about 2,000.
The Pedigree of the Osborn family is as follows,-with these brief notices:-
Peter Osborn, of Purleigh, Essex; ob. 1442.
Richard Osborn, o.b. 1471.
Richard Osborn, Tyld Hall, Essex; ob. 1544.
Peter Osborn, Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer of the Exchequer, and Privy Purse; Ed. VI. Imprisoned in Queen Mary's reign. In great esteem with Lord Burleigh, and a High Commissioner for Ecclesiastical Affairs, active and zealous in the Reformation; ob. 1592.
Sir John Osborn, Kt., Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer, married Dorothea, daughter of Sir John Danvers, and sister of Danvers, Earl of Danby ; ob.1623.
Sir Peter Osborn, Kt., Twenty-two years Governor of Guernsey and Jersey , a firm royalist; and suffered much in the royal cause; he advanced large sums to Charles I., and was obliged to compound for his estates for himself and his son, Sir Henry Osborn, at the sum of 3,737l. 3s ; ob.1657.
Francis Osborn, Esq., his son, author of a celebrated treatise, called "Advice to a Son," and other works; ob. 1657.
Sir Henry Osborn, his youngest son, of esteemed learning and disposition; Treasurer of sick and wounded seamen; ob. 1675.
Sir John Osborn, Bart., so created by Charles II.. as a small recompense for the sufferings of his family, during the Rebellion; ob. 1692.
Sir John Osborn, Bart. ; ob. 1720.
Admiral Henry Osborn, his son, Vice-Admiral of the Fleet; born 1697. John Osborn, Esq., died in. the life-time of his father, 1718.
Sir Danvers Osborn, Bart., Governor of New York ; ob. 1753.
Sir George Osborn, Bart., Groom of the Bedchamber to George III., K. B., installed as Proxy for Frederic Duke of York, 1772; a General in the army; ob. 1818
Sir John Osborn, a Lord of the Admiralty, and Colonel of the Bedfordshire Militia: the present Baronet.
Chicksands is generally considered in connexion with the parish of Campton, the church of which has, on the north side of the chancel. separated by a wooden screen, a Chapel, containing the burying place of the Osborn family. In it are two plain and handsome altar tombs, of marble, with tablets above. These were erected in 1635, and commemorate Peter Osborn, Sir John Osborn, and Dorothy his wife; Henry Osborn, who erected them, &c. &c. &c. There is also a tablet to the memory of John Osborn, Esq., son of Sir Danvers Osborn, LL.D. Oxon. and Cam. and F.R.S., who, after several diplomatic employments, was ambassador at the Court of Saxony, and died at Rudolstadt, in that kingdom, in l814. By his, will, he left 100 guineas each, to thirty-one hospitals. " Amoris inane monumentum fraterni-struxit amore-Georgius Osborn."
Page last updated: 23rd January 2014