Extract from Victoria County History of Oxfordshire.
TOOT BALDON
After the dissolution
of Dorchester Abbey, Dennis Toppes, the king's servant, had a grant (described
as the rectory of Baldon) of the tithes and glebe land which had once belonged
to Dorchester.37 These included a part of the great tithes of Marsh
Baldon as well as Toot Baldon's tithes.38 In 1565 or 1566 the queen
bestowed the reversion of the rectory on Robert Hall and his heirs,39
and in the same year Hall granted his rights to Anthony Pollard of Little
Baldon.40 Before his death in 1577, Pollard settled the rectory on
his wife Philippa and his heirs male with remainder to a number of Pollard
relations and their heirs male.41 In fact, it descended to John
Pollard Esq. and Lewis Pollard, who were granted licence to alienate in 1608 to
Richard Goddard and William Staunton.42 In 1626 Lewis Pollard
sold the rectory to James Jennens, a relative.43 His rights descended
to his son Richard Jennens and his grandson William Jennens of Long Wittenham (Berks.).
In 1693 William mortgaged the 'rectory and tithes of Marsh Baldon'44
with 3 acres of arable, glebe lands, a messuage close, and 4 acres of lammas
ground for £1,000.45 In 1699 he sold the reversion of the rectory to
Hugh Kent of East Hagborne (Berks.) and others.46 Kent sold in 1701
to Robert Sawyer of South Moreton (Berks.).47 The latter owing to
financial embarrassments borrowed from Francis Yateman of Harwell (Berks.) on
the security of the rectory which he declared to be worth £200 a year.48
In 1703 it was finally confirmed in Yateman's possession by Chancery decree.49
Francis Yateman died in 171:2 and the rectory passed to his son William, a
minor. William Yateman of Abingdon died in 1752 and his son Francis Yateman, the
plaintiff in the Baldon tithe case of 1770, succeeded.50
37
L. & P. Hen. VIII, xiii, p. 574.
38
See above, p. 44.
39
C 66/1027.
40
John Rayner, Cases . . . Concerning Tithes (1783), ii. 575-618.
41
C 142/182/40; Wards 7/19/166.
42
Rayner, Tithe Cases, ii. 575-618.
43
Ibid.
44
O.R.O. Marsh Baldon Deeds (uncat.).
45
C 5/258/23.
46
Ibid.
47
Ibid.
48
C 5/315/63.
49
Rayner, Tithe Cases, ii. 575-618.
50
C 5/315/63; see above, p. 44.