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Date not known - Spratton Independent Chapel

Next door to The Chequers in Manor Road is another house named Manor House. It was at some time called Kites Hall until it was occupied in the 1890s or in 1900 by the Rev. Humphrey G Roberts, the curate of Spratton and later the vicar. It appears from Northampton Mercury of 17 August 1900, that he bought it at that time, possibly from Thomas Gulliver , believed to have bought it in 1892 (but if Gulliver did, he had died by May 1894 as his estate was being advertised by his executors). (Roberts may have occupied as tenant of the executors?). Roberts changed the name from Kites Hall to the Manor House. The vicar seems to have been fond of changing names as he changed his own name to Humphrey G Roberts Hay-Boyd when he married Mary Hay-Boyd. He remained in Spratton for 11 years donating a stained glass window to the church in 1906.

In the 19^th century the house was owned by the Lantsbery family, people of considerable substance locally owning farms in Ravensthorpe and Creaton as well as property in Spratton. William Lantsbery, 1751 - 1821, and his wife Alice, 1761 - 1831, were members of the Creaton Independent Chapel and their first four children were baptised there between 1799 and 1805.

The building on High Street, which is in the grounds of Manor House, was built in 1806 as a chapel for the freedom of worship for Protestant dissenters. William Lantsbery, then owner of this Manor House, gave the land and some stone to supplement the money raised by the Creaton Chapel members.

Alice (nee Bunting), William's wife, recorded the opening of the chapel in a bible, probably given to the chapel by her father:

"Began to build this meeting in our orchard June 27^th 1806 and it was built by subscription and collected by Mr. Whitehead. My dear Mr William Lantsbery gave the ground and stone to build the East side and boarded the men whilst in building it. Opened it the day I was 30 years old September 27^th 1806"

On 4^th October 1806, Rev. Joseph Whitehead, William Lantsbery and Thomas Knight recorded the following deed:

"We the undersigned being Protestant Dissenters from the Church of England do hereby certify that a certain building, newly erected in a piece of ground belonging to Mr Wm Lantsbery, situate in the Parish of Spratton, and County of Northampton, is intended for a place of Worship, for Protestant Dissenters to meet in, according to the Statute of King William and Queen Mary, commonly called the Toleration Act - Witness our Hands this 4^th day of October 1806".

William and Alice's son, William 1802 - 1884, a prosperous farmer lived at the family home and married three times. He took a lively part in village politics and showed great concern for the plight of the poor. As a dying man he was admitted to membership of the Independent Church on 2^nd January 1884. He died on 18^th January. Two William Lantsberys had lived in this house for many years and the road adjoining the property to the rear became known, rather disrespectfully for the times, as Billy Lantsbery's backside.

In 1840 there was a schism, resulting in the formation of a Baptist Church (see 1843 Baptist Chapel deed), and the services, instead of being held weekly, (as they were a quarter of a century ago) to be held fortnightly, and then monthly. The building, after being rented by the Salvation Army for some years had fallen into disuse and it was sold in 1893 for £40 to Mr. Thomas Gulliver, the new owner of the Manor House (who had moved from the farm at Holdenby Lodge when he retired from farming and passed the house and farm over by one of his sons George, and had bought this in 1892). Presumably extensive alterations had been carried out prior to this, the 1888 window reference (image 1786) show these works. Daughter, Ellen Gulliver, was married In Spratton Church in 1893 to Mr. C. Barrett of Mixbury Lodge. Canon Roberts officiated and the curate, Rev J. Chubb

Image Reference: 0680

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