This two-storey stone building dates from around 1495. It is
in the village of Easton on the Hill, which is in the top north-east corner of
Northamptonshire.
The rector of Easton at that time was Thomas Stokes, who
came from a very wealthy family. In his will he left money to pay for the
services of a chantry priest, the idea being that the priest would have the
sole duty of saying masses and praying for the soul of the departed so that he
would not have to spend too much time in Purgatory before being admitted to
Heaven.
The Priest’s House was the home of the chantry priest, who
was appointed when Thomas Stokes died in 1495. After the custom was abandoned
in 1545 at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, the house was used
by village priests until a new rectory was built in 1698.
Later uses of the building included a school and a farm
building for the housing of livestock. In 1868 alterations were made so that
hay could be stored in the upper room and passed through a trapdoor to the
animals below.
The Priest’s House is now in the care of the National Trust
and is open to visitors free of charge – as long as you can find the man with
the key!
The two rooms, upstairs and downstairs, are a local museum
devoted to local affairs, particularly the ironstone and slate industries that
were once the mainstay of the local economy. The area played an important role
during World War Two as the location of airstrips that were used by the Royal
Air Force for missions against Nazi Germany. This activity is also featured in
the displays to be seen here.
A question that must strike many visitors is how the
exhibits on the upper floor got where they are, given that the two rooms are
only connected via a narrow spiral staircase. Presumably the 19th
century trapdoor was brought into play for this purpose!
© John Welford
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