Monument record 2416/62/2 - Possible Guildhall, St. Mary's Gild

{1} It was not until the later 15th century that a guild or fraternity to the honour of the Blessed Virgin, St.John and St.George was founded in Oundle, in 1485 by Joan, widow of Robert Wyatt a wealthy London merchant, who had also rebuilt the south porch of the church. The Guild was endowed with revenue for the maintenance of two priests, for whom Leland says ‘at the west end of the chirche yarde they [Robert and Joan Wyatt] made lodgings for too cantuarie prestes, foundid there by them.’
The Guild was re-founded in 1499. In 1506-7 there was acquisition of lands in Oundle by the aldermen and bretheren of the Guild of the Virgin Mary in Oundle, comprising 32 messuages, 16a, 10a mead all worth £10. The Guildhall was described by Leland as ‘a praty almose house of squarid stone. And a goodly large haule over it for the bretherhodde of the chyrch.....The scripture brasse on the almose house doore berith the date of the yere owr Lord 1485. as I remembre.’At the dissolution of the chantries the property is described as ‘one house called the Guilde house, worth to be let for 22/- under which there is inhabiting seven poor widowes rent free. The upper part of the house is very mete for a school.’ The property of the guild within the town was however described as ‘very ruinous housing’.
When the college of Fotheringhay was dissolved the chantry commissioners said that a free school had been kept there which was now dissolved and that a school should be newly erected in the town of Oundle. However a school had existed in Oundle before 1427 although the exact date of its foundation is unknown. In replacement of the Guildhall, following its dissolution, the executors of William Laxton were to establish a foundation for the relief of 7 poor souls to be rented freely. The Guild had served both a school and an almshouse, for in 1548-9 the school was the responsibility of a teacher who had been there for 40 years.

<1> Foard G.; Ballinger J.;, 2002, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Oundle, Section3.3.2 Guildhall (Report). SNN102637.

Record last edited

Sep 6 2012 3:56PM