PICKWELL VILLAGE
A brief history
Recorded in the Doomsday book in 1086, Pickwell was noted as being worth four pounds, owning four ploughs and having 57 inhabitants. Since these illustrious beginnings, it has blossomed to at least twice that quantity of villagers and probably a few more bits of farm machinery.
The middle ages saw Pickwell handed between many different landowners in an extremely complex branch of its history which has different stories, depending on how it is researched and a lot of which, quite frankly, would be confusing and tiresome to the casual reader. Suffice to say, after much argy-bargy, large tracts of Pickwell were sold in 1531 to a one Richard Cave of Stamford (noted as gentry) for the sum of £440. More on the Cave family later.
Come the late middle ages, once Henry VIII had flexed his muscles in Europe (and his waistband in the UK) certain lands (although records are sketchy on which ones exactly) around Pickwell found themselves belonging to one Lord Gregory Cromwell, a familiar surname for those who have a knowledge of their English Monarchical history. He was the son of Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex and staunch advocate & devisor of the English Reformation under Henry VIII, conspirator in the downfall of Anne Boleyn (Henry’s 2nd wife and mother of Elizabeth 1st) and organiser of Henry’s 4th marriage to Anne of Cleeves following the rather unfortunate death of his 3rd wife, Jane Seymour. Alas, the history books indicate that Thomas Cromwell really bit off more than he could chew in pushing the reformation against the will of others within courts of the King and was arrested, condemned to death and beheaded without trial for treason and heresy on extremely thin grounds in 1540.
His son Gregory, who is noted in the history books as being more intelligent and sharper witted than his father thanks to very selective education directed by his old man, managed to evade any dealings with the executioners block and held onto the family lands around Pickwell until his untimely death in 1551. Even then though the land still belonged to his wife Elizabeth Seymour (sister of Henry VIII’s 3rd wife, Jane) until 1564. All changed with the creation of the First Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley by Elizabeth I. As a result of a few good deeds done in the name of The Queen (and in the absence of betrothal as was rumoured in the courts) Pickwell and some of its lands were bequeathed unto him by the Monarch. Although history seems to indicate he would have happily settled for a snog.
In the meantime, not long after she had warmed the throne, Elizabeth I sold whatever remaining lands in Pickwell were not already earmarked by the Cave, Dudley or Cromwell families to a descendant of the aforementioned Richard Cave; another Richard, for the sum of £138 (These lands formerly belonged to the college in Manton, Rutland)
The Cave family were to dominate Pickwell for the next 50 years. In particular, John cave (1570-1657) who was born, raised, married and became resident vicar in Pickwell and an extremely well respected member, not only of the local community, but who had for 8 years been a chamber-fellow of Dr Sanderson (one for the historians there) at Lincoln College, Oxford and was known in the courts of Oxford College and Central London. The latter part of his life in Pickwell is dogged by tales of troubles that stemmed from the beginning of the English civil war. 6 musketeers on horseback were sent to the area around Melton Mowbray by the Parliamentarians to push the agenda of the roundheads using what can only be described as a sustained and bitter campaign of tyranny against the Cave family and their servants as well as others in the area. This included abuse of children and servants, false accusations of theft & heresy and at one point, even firing a pistol at the Rev Cave whilst he was in the pulpit. Eventually, the parliamentarians had garnered enough false testimony from people in surrounding villages to present to a court in London, John Cave was tried, convicted and dismissed from Pickwell, whereupon the roundheads summarily removed his parents, wife and six children from their home and instructed all neighbours not to take them in. The history book records that John Cave and his family briefly moved to Stamford before settling in London. Following their ejection from Pickwell, the records state that itinerant preachers were sent to the area to mock god and make thanks that they were delivered from such an ignorant, unlearned and unskilful teacher. Perspective, dear reader, is everything.
John Cave’s son William however, had a more auspicious career than his Father with considerably less aggravation and rose from the quiet surroundings of Pickwell via Oakham School to St John’s College, Cambridge gaining a BA, then an MA, an STP, was incorporated as a Doctor of Divinity into Oxford and eventually became personal chaplain to King Charles II.
In 1641, Elizabeth Hicks, the viscountess dowager Camden, who had purchased Pickwell Manor from William Cave (above) in 1637 passed away, leaving £100 lump sum to be distributed at £5 per year on the 23rd of December to the poor of Pickwell. This was set up as a charitable institution (Hicks’s charity) and anyone was able to make donation to the cause. The amount was increased in 1652 by her surviving son, the 3rd Viscount Camden and the sum of £6 was paid annually to the poor on 23rd December. This charity existed and gave this money in Pickwell every year from 1641 through every single landowner until at least 1936 when it was being used to buy fuel for the villagers.