List of Toddington Rectors

The parish vexillum June 2015

Advowson

The advowson of Toddington was granted to The Benedictine abbey of la Couture in le Mans some time between 1100 and 1122 and confirmed to abbey by Henry I (1100-1135), with later confirmations by Payn de Chaworth in 1167, Henry II (1154-1189) in 1180 and 1186 and by Geoffrey, Comte de Perche in 1192 and 1202. William de Cava was appointed by the abbey in 1222 but by 1274 seems to have lost the advowson as Peter de Cirginoto was appointed by Beatrice, Countess of Richmond.

In 1300 John Peyvre, Lord of the Manor of Toddington, appointed Richard Wolny and from this date for the next five hundred years the patronage of the living lay with the lords of the manor.

In 1806 Louisa Conolly sold the advowson to James Lewis and by 1846 the Cooper family had it, meaning that, once more, it was in the hands of the lords of the manor. By 1862 the advowson had been sold to John Clegg of Lancashire and by the early 20th century it was in the hands of Mrs Hicks. At the time of writing [2016] the patronage is held jointly by the Bishop of Saint Albans and the Diocesan Board of Patronage.

In 1931 the parishes of Chalgrave and Toddington were united [P114/2/1/1] a state of affairs which continued until 1977. Today [2016] the two parishes once again share an incumbent but each parish retains its own parochial church council and parish officers. 

Rectors

• M.Hugo - 1197 [parson; died 1220];
• William de Cava - 1222 [clerk; patron Abbot & Convent of La Couture, Le Mans [France], William Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke who claimed the advowsan renouncing his right];
• M.Peter de Peiure - 1233 [subdeacon];
• D.Hugh de Penna;
• Peter de Curginoto - 22 Sep 1274 [subdeacon; on death of D.Hugh de Penna; patron Lady Beatrice, Countess of Richmond];
• Nicholas Tyme - 1293; - Richard Wolny - 7 Jul 1300 [of Aylesbury [Buckinghamshire; acolite; on resignation of D.Nicholas de Okham; patron Sir John Peyre];
• M.Peter Passelawe - 27 Feb 1303 [capellanus; on resignation of Richard Wolny];
• Nicholas de Peyure - 9 Feb 1315 [acolite; on death of M.Peter Passelewe; patron Lady Mary de Sancto Amando];
• William Abel - 19 Sep 1316 [capellanus; on death of Nicholas Peyvere];
• John de Snodeland - 5 Feb 1321 [Rector of Snodland [Kent], by exchange with William Abel];
• Thomas de Knaresburgh - 1 Jul 1337 [priest; on death of John de Snodeland; patron Edward III in right of wardship of land and heir of Paulinus Peyvre];
• John atte Lane - 9 Jul 1349 [of Mulno; priest; on death of D.Thomas; patron Sir Nicholas Peyvre];
• John;
• D.Roland - 1377; John Beluerge - 12 Feb 1397 [priest; on resignation of D.Roland, exchanged to Rectory of Stevenage [Hertfordshire]; patrons William Hankeford, John Hervy, Ralph FitzRichard, John Broughton, Richard Freman and Roger Keston];
• John Rowland - c.1420;
• D.Robert Bouyll;
• Thomas Whykilwood - 8 Aug 1440 [priest; on death of D.Robert Bouyll; patron John Broughton];
• John Gyrton - 20 Dec 1470 [clerk; on death of D.Thomas Wykelwoode];
• D.Richard West - 17 May 1491 [priest; on resignation of M.John Gyrton; patron Sir Robert Broughton; pension of 20 marks];
• M.Robert Clerke alias Fabian MA - 15 Aug 1506 [on death of R.Richard West];
• Richard Gyll - 1534 [noted as Rector in this year];
• Robert Dawson - 23 Sep 1546 [portioner];
• Roger Ireland - 11 Nov 1551 [to John Dennet's portion]; Richard Johnson - 23 Jun 1553 [to Nicholas Hayes' portion];
• Thomas Kent - 20 Oct 1554 [to John Fisher's portion and Nicholas Hayes' portion; patron Thomas Cheyny];
• John Atwoode - 27 Mar 1561 [to Nicholas Hayes' portion];
• Richard Johnson - 28 Apr 1561 [to Nicholas Hayes' portion];
• Thomas Withers - 1567 [clerk; on death of Richard Gill; patron Sir Henry Cheney & Lady Jane, his wife];
• Abraham Hartwell - 27 Jan 1570 [clerk; on death of Thomas Withers; born at Dorney [Buckinghamshire]; elected from Eton College to King's College, Cambridge];
• William Sage - 28 Apr 1573 [minister; buried 7 Aug 1598];
• Richard Neile DD - 8 Sep 1598 [patrons Lady Cheyney and incumbent of Cheshunt [Hertfordshire]];
• Thomas Neile DD [presented by Lady Cheyne; afterwards Dean of Westminster];
• Richard Butler DD - 5 Dec 1608 [one of the chaplains to James I; by promotion of Thomas Neale to Bishopric of Rochester];
• Francis Rollinson BD - 14 Feb 1612 [minister; buried 18 Aug 1630; will dated 3 Jun, proved 28 Sep 1630; buried in chancel];
• Thomas Claver - 1630 [buried 9 Sep 1654; sequestered; 5th son of Arthur Claver of Oving [Buckinghamshire]; maried Mary Pennington];
• Thomas Aspin - 1653;
• Richard Kearsley AM - 31 Jan 1660 [clerk; patron Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Cleveland; buried 23 Jul 1668; will proved 14 Aug 1668; inducted 2 Dec 1652 to Rectory of Hardmead [Buckinghamshire]];
• Isaac Bringhurst MA - 2 Sep 1668 [ordained priest by Thomas Fulwar, Bishop of Ardfert; on death of Richard Kearsley; patron Henrietta Maria, Lady Wentworth and Philadelphia, Lady Wentworth, her mother; DD at Jesus College, Cambridge; buried 12 Oct 1697; will dated 30 Aug, proved 20 Oct 1697; Vicar of Kensworth [Hertfordshire]];
• Thomas Gregory AM - 20 Dec 1697 [on death of Isaac Bringhurst STP; patrons Nicholas Corsellis, esquire, William barlow MA; licensed curate 18 Oct 1697; value 29/2/10; married Helena, daughter of Sir John Thompson, 1st Baron Haversham; Rector of Haversham [Buckinghamshire] to which instituted 8 Sep 1706; died suddenly at Bedford; buried at Haversham 10 Oct 1713];
• John Lord AB - 27 Dec 1713 [on death of Thomas Gregory; patron Sir Henry Johnson; value 29/2/11; instituted 28 Jul 1740 to Rectory of Drayton Parslow [Buckinghamshire], on his own presentation];
• George Jubb BD - 26 Nov 1751 [on death of John Lord; patron William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford; died 12 Dec 1787];
• John Dixon MA - 17 Apr 1788 [on death of George Jubb; Rector of Boughton [Northamptonshire] for 40 years; buried 11 Mar 1816];
• Edmund Burke Lewis MA - 4 Apr 1816 [of Christ Church College, Oxford; on death of John Dixon; patron James Lewis of Porris Place [Middlesex], esquire, architect; died 1 Nov 1845];
• James Lindsay Cooper Cooper BA - 10 Mar 1846 [of Trinity College, Cambridge; on death of Edmund Burke Lewis; patron William Dodge Cooper Cooper of Toddington manor, esquire; resigned 19 May 1862];
• John Clegg MA - 9 Jun 1862 [on resignation of James Lindsay Cooper Cooper; patron John Clegg of Butt Hill, Prestwick [Lancashire], esquire; resigned Feb 1876];
• Charles Edward Haslam MA - 1876 [of St.John's College, Cambridge];
• William Brickwood BA - Dec 1887;
• James Clement Collier Pipon - Aug 1901;
• Nathaniel Gerard Railton - Mar 1916;
• Frederick Cyril Nugent Hicks - Mar 1921 [bishop of Lincoln 1933-42];
• Henry Aylmer Skelton - Jul 1924 [resigned 1927; Bishop of Bedford 1939-1942; Bishop of Lincoln 1942-46];
• Francis Whittaker Hunt - 1927 [curate of Toddington 1921-24; died 1951, living sequestrated];
• Stephen Fell - 30 Aug 1952
• John Elmer Gravelle - 1958;
• William Albert Bevis - 1964;
• Thomas Anthony Knox - 1979
• William T.A.Matthews - 1997

NOTE: D = "Dominus" meaning Lord (a courtesy title given to priests in the Middle Ages); M = "Magister" meaning Master (the title was given to a priest who had obtained a Master's degree at university)