By Don Maddox
The Pychards
Very few of the Letton owners, until recent times,
lived in the parish. An exception was the Pychards
(as in Ocle Pychard). In 1346 Thomas Pychard built
a private chapel, tacked onto the church as the present
south transept. (The tower was also built around this
time). It had/has its own entrance, altar and piscina.
The two recessed tombs could contain the remains of
the Pychards. These, though heavily damaged in Elizabethan
times as a result of Reformation policy, still have
remnants of their original colouring. This private
chapel also has two, bricked up, bell-cotes and a
sundial.
The Bruges,
the Baskervilles, the de la Beres & Smallman's
Basically Letton was passed around, through marriage,
between the Bruges (of Bruge/Bridge Sollers), the
Baskervilles of Eardisley, and the de la Beres & Smallman's
of Kinnersley. Eventually widow Lucy Smallman married
Col. John Booth, of Durham in 1643. He was an ardent
Royalist and had ridden into Herefordshire in charge
of a troop of cavalry. He and Lucy had one child,
Mary. On his death he was buried in Hereford Cathedral,
alongside Lucy. His inscription reads "John Booth,
late of Letton, Esq., an old Royalist and a zealous
lover of the Church of England."
Perhaps it was no coincidence that Lucy, heiress to
Letton, married an even more zealous lover of the Church
of England; John Dutton Colt. And there was trouble
ahead. Real trouble.
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JDC: FINE!
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The Dutton Colts
The Dutton Colts were Leominster based - and powerful.
Charles 11 thought highly of John until John started
slandering the King's brother, the Duke of York because
of the latter's Roman Catholic 'tendencies'. Not only
slandering but aiding and abetting civil disturbances
against the Duke down at Monmouth. To add to John's
difficulties he was thrown out of his position as MP
for Leominster on the grounds that his election campaign
was riddled with corruption and bribery. The constant
drip of slander and sedition against the Duke became
too much for Charles and he slapped a £100,000 fine
on John Dutton Colt.
Not only was the writing on the wall, it was in bold
type and heavily underlined. In next to no time all
Dutton Colt estates and property, including Letton,
were over-mortgaged.
Things were so desperate that John had to get a Private
Act through the House of Lords so that his wife and
children could be assured of a small income and a house
in preference to inevitable destitution.
For the first time since the Conquest Letton was not
passed over as part of a marriage settlement. It was
up for sale.
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© Don Maddox (2004)
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