Norwell St Laurence

List of Incumbents

The list of Vicars, as it
appears in the church

Norwell had a priest at the time of Domesday (1086), but the first known incumbent was Master Vacarius (c1166-1200). He was a canon of Southwell, holding the prebend of Norwell Overhall. He is known to have resided personally in Norwell and acted as parson. Following an agreement in 1284, and down to the early eighteenth century, Norwell normally had two priests or vicars appointed respectively by the prebendaries of Norwell Overhall and Norwell Tertia Pars to perform pastoral duties in the parish, each holding a share (mediety) of the vicarage. The third prebendary attached to Norwell church, Palishall, although richer than Tertia Pars, did not appoint a vicar. The first vicar appointed to hold the two medieties of Norwell jointly was John Townsend (1718-45), though his predecessor Samuel Lloyd (1695-1717) had held both simultaneously. In the late twentieth century the vicar of Norwell has normally also simultaneously held other livings as a joint-benefice. In 2008 Norwell benefice includes Caunton, Cromwell and Ossington, and is held by a Priest-in-Charge, who also holds the benefice of Sutton on Trent with Carlton on Trent, Normanton on Trent and Marnham.

Appointed by the Prebend of Overhall Appointment uncertain Appointed by the Prebend of Tertia Pars
Active Name Active Name Active Name
c.1166-c.1200 Master Vacarius, prebendary of Overhall and parson     1191-1194 Reginald, nephew of Master Vacarius
    c1210-30 Richard, chaplain    
    d.c1236 Henry Legat    
1284 Agreement for division of living        
    1284 Henry and Robert, chaplains    
1301-10 Henry de Hedingly     1300-d. by 1311 Geoffrey of Hockerton
    1315 John de Langton, Jordan 16.9.1311- Richard de Wygeton
    1323 Robert le Happer    
    1345/6 Thomas Franceys    
    1345/6 Richard FitzJordan    
    -1359 Walter Wynkeburn    
    1359-63 Henry Daniel    
1363-74 Thomas son of Henry, alias Thomas de Bulcot     1371-2 Adam Matson
-1398 Robert Beswyk        
1398- Robert de Gaynesburgh Before 1406 Nicholas de Dalton    
1433-53 John Hans        
1453-56 Robert Ireland        
1474-96 John Slater     1478 John Pether
        1478 Richard Grym
1496-1534 John/Richard Green     -1516 Christopher Johnson
1499 J. Grene (presented)     1516-26 R. Smythe
?1516-26 Richard Awbye     1526-35 Richard Marten
1534-68 Richard Alvey     1535-60 Richard/Thomas Cowerhyde
        1560-68 Adam Fenwick
1568-96 Richard Hanson     1568-76 William Hall
        1576-78 Nicholas Hardie
        1578-80 William Massey
        1580-89 George Yates
1596-1633 Richard Jackson     1589- Henry Banester
1633-61 Thomas Rokeby MA     1635-59 Nicholas Sykes BA
        1659-61 William Gibson
1661-95 Robert Wasse     1661-66 Joshua Lambert MA
        1667-86 George Sheffield
        1686-1689 William Bayes
        1690-1691 William Gibson
1695-1714 Samuel Lloyd     1691-1714 Samuel Lloyd
1717-45 John Townsend BA Oxon     1718-45 John Townsend

Medieties combined

Active Vicar
1745-83 John Gregory
1783-97 Edward Walker
1797-1833 Edward Chaplin
1833-46 Edmund Herring
1846-50 James Garvey MA
1851-54 Richard Chapman
1854-73 James Morris Maxfield
1874-94 William Hutton BA
1895-1919 William Russell
1920-34 Basil Simpson Ainley BA, FRHist S
1935-43 Gilbert Roderick Edwards Harries BA
1943-48 Percy Livingstone Dickson
1949-54 Henry Rymer Heritage BSc
1954-65 Leonard Conway Warner BA
1965-69 Geoffrey Elmer Walton BA
1970-74 Harold Arthur Kirton MA
1974-89 Billie James BA
1990-95 Robert Whittaker (Rector) BA, MA
1996-2004 Anthony Ian Tucker (Rector)
2005- Sheila Dixon (Priest in Charge), BA

Prebendaries of Norwell

Norwell is unique among the churches which supported prebendaries serving the Minster at Southwell since it eventually had three prebends, two apparently established by the mid 11th century (Norwell Overhall and Norwell Palishall) to which Norwell Tertia Pars was added c1200. The old prebendal system at Southwell was not abolished until 1841, the last prebendaries being allowed to hold their titles for life so that the system only finally ceased in 1873. In 1884 honorific prebends for the new diocese of Southwell were created, using the old titles, but those appointed now had few, if any, links with the parish from which they took these. The list below summarises briefly what is currently known about succession to each prebend, including the modern honorific prebends. The abbreviations O, P and TP indicate the respective prebends.

Active Name Prebend
1166-c1200 Vacarius, Master O
-1214 Ripun, Alan de ?P
1214-50 Lexington, Robert de P
1233 Ferentino, Stephen di O
1233 Johannes [Clericus] O
1244 Tanay, William de P
1255-95 Clarell, John O
1257-80 Vavasour, Henry le P
1266-after 1271 Fécamp, William de TP
1280-3 Bek, Anthony de P
1284-8 Casaviti/Dentayicty, Paul de P
c1288-c1302 Bamfield, Richard de TP
1293-1327/9 Couton, Elias de O
1298-c1304 Lambertus Nigri, Johannes TP
1304-9 Drokensford/Droxford, John de P
1304-1315/9 Vaan, John TP
1309-17 Melton, William de P
1317-43 Wodehouse, Robert de (alias Elyot of (Norwell) Woodhouse) P
1327/9-1333 Thoresby, John O
1333 Denton, John de O
1333-40 Norwell, William I de O
1340-53 Norwell, John I de O
1344 Turre, William de P
c1343/4-d.1351 Pelegrini, Elias P
c1346-50 Sandale, Robert de P
1349-52 Ulseby, Henry de P
1350 Willeforde, Gervase de TP
1352 Fastolf, Thomas P
1352 Aragon, William P
1352-4 Brembre, Thomas de TP
1353-63 Norwell, William II de O
1353-68 Northwell, John II de TP
c1357-70 Mount, Thomas, of Wickham O
1370 Oxgrave, Thomas O
1370-1405 Chesterfield, Richard de O
1371-c1395 Bryde, John TP
1381-1400 Gunthorpe, William de P
1400-14 Conyngston, Richard de DCL P
1402 Burstall, Thomas TP
1405-32 Wolvedon, Robert de O
1414-15 Brounsgrove, John P
1415-20 Clifford, Richard de P
1420-42 Bowet, Henry P
1426 Newport, William TP
1426 Bridde, John TP
1432-50 Duffield, William O
1439-57 King, Thomas TP
1442-50 Latham, John P
1450 Grave, William O
1451 Sutton, John BCL P
1451-3 Duffield, William O
1451-79 Porter, John P
1453-99 Worsley, William O
1457-62 Bridde, Ralph TP
1462-71 Averell, John TP
1472-5 Fletcher, Richard, Dom TP
1475-6 Clayton, William BA TP
1476 Chatterton, Edmund TP
1476-1501 Watson, William TP
1479-91 Clifton, William P
1491-3 Trotter, Hugh MA, DD, STP P
1493-1505 Carter, Edmund MA P
1499-1507 Cranebull, Henry O
1501-9 Atkinson, William STP TP
1505-9 Colyns, Martyn DDec P
1507-22 Wyat, Richard MA, DD, STP O
1509-17 Blounte, William MA TP
1509-22 Urswyck, Christopher DCL P
1517-23 Pygott, Richard TP
1522 Wynter, Master Thomas P
1522-9 Wynter, Master Thomas O
1522-8 Nigropont, Richard, b. of P
1523-30 Watson, John MA, DD TP
1528-32 Donyngston, Thomas BDec P
1529-41, 1543-52 Oliver, alias Smythe, John BCL, BCnL, DCL O
1530-7 Tomyew, Richard TP
1532-5 Byrton, Thomas P
1535-59 Downes, Geoffrey MA, DD, STP P
1537-9 Horsley, Thomas BCnL TP
Chapter suspended 1541-3
1545/6-47 Hewett, Thomas TP
1558-9 Johnson, Robert BCnL O
1559 Cressy, Robert LLB TP
1559 Wilson, Thomas BD O
1561 Laken, Thomas MA, DD P
1562-80 Barwicke, Thomas O
1575-1605 Palmer, William MA, DD P
1580-1614 Gerrard, Richard O
1581-7 Gilpin, Luke MA, BD TP
1587-1612 Grace, Richard TP
1605-52 Binge, Andrew DD P
1612-23 Brown, John TP
1614-d. by 1658 Barlowe, William MA O
1622-44 Benson, Thomas DD TP
Chapter suspended 1649-1660
1660-4 Brunsell, Henry DCL, LLD TP
1660-9 Dix, Edward O
1660-d. by 1670 Vivian, Daniel DCL P
1664-88 Brunsell, Samuel DD TP
1669-78 Garthwait, Edward MA O
1670-87 Leek, Samuel MA P
1678-1704 Brearey, Samuel MB O
1687-1720 Johnson, Joseph MA, BD P
1689 Gibson, Richard TP
1690-1702 Palmer, Charles DD TP
1702-4 Lancashire, Thomas MA TP
1704-18 Hawkins, Thomas MA O
1706-21 Cartwright, Hugh MA TP
1718-58 Sharpe, Thomas DD O
1720-48 Marsden, Robert MA BD STB P
1721-33 Bralesford, Humphrey MA TP
1733-59 Gregory, Edward MA TP
1748-91 Wanley, Francis DD P
1758-77 Gilbert, Richard DD O
1759-1797 Dealtry, John MA TP
1777-86 Cooper, William DD O
1785-1834 Dealtry, William MA TP
1786-7 Jackson, Cyril DD O
1787-1802 Markham, George MA O
1791-1823 Smelt, William P
1791-5 Heathcote, Ralph DD TP
1802-30 Eyre, John MA O
1823-37 Chaplin, Robert LLB P
1830-70 Vernon-Harcourt, Charles MA O
1834-7 Denison, Edward MA, DD TP

Honorific prebendaries

Active Name Prebend
1885-88 Francis Morse MA O
1885-1900 Samuel Andrew MA P
1885-1915 Henry Tebbut MA TP
1888 Nathaniel Keymer MA O
1900 Hubert Arnold P
1915 Alfred Brenchley Baker TP
1923-37 W. H. Williams O
1929-41 Ernest Arthur Coghill TP
1931 John Percy Hales P
1936 John Rushby Smith P
1937-8 W. Aldworth Ferguson O
1938-41 D. I. R. Glassford O
1941 F. d’Arblay Burney O
1941-61 A. D. Wilkinson TP
1952-4 George William Clarkson P
1954-5 Edward Frederick Holwell Duncliff O
1954 William Edward Augustus Pugh P
1955-80 Angus Inglis O
1955 ? Woodham P
1960 Brian Watson Woodland P
1961-85 Cecil Charles Barrett Watson TP
1966-75 Eric John Kingsmith P
1975-7 H. Arthur Kirton P
1977-84 Gerald Nettleton Pearce P
1980-7 Robert Spencer Carrington Bailey O
1984-92 John Thorley Finney P
1985-99 Leslie James Morley TP
1987-90 Geoffrey Charles France O
1990-2 Dithwyn Davies O
1992-3 John Lewis Daniel Hardy O
1993-9 John Leonard Ottway O
1993-9 Ian David Bunting P
1999 Geoffrey Maltby O
1999-2004 J. Howard Bateson P
1999-2004 Frederick George Green TP
2004- Christopher Gale O
2004- Terry Joyce TP
2004- Graham Piggott P