Over the chancel arch are extensive remains of a well-painted Royal Arms, probably dating from 1796. The entire chancel was rebuilt in that year, and as a result, has a decided Georgian air at odds with the rest of the building.
"George III was the third Hanoverian king of Great Britain. During his reign, Britain lost its American colonies but emerged as a leading power in Europe. He suffered from recurrent fits of madness and after 1810, his son acted as regent.
George III was born on 4 June 1738 in London, son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. He became heir to the throne when his father died in 1751, succeeding his grandfather George II in 1760. He was the first Hanoverian monarch to use English as his first language. In 1761, George married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and they enjoyed a happy marriage, with 15 children.
George chose his mentor the Earl of Bute as his first chief minister. He was a poor choice, isolating George from senior politicians. Effective government became almost impossible, and George was increasingly vilified. The instability following Bute's resignation in 1763 did little to solve the crown's financial difficulties, made worse by the Seven Years' War. In 1770, George appointed Lord North as his first minister. Although an effective administrator, North's government was dominated by disagreements with the American colonists over British attempts to levy taxes on them. War began in 1775 and was prolonged in 1779, at the king's insistence, to prevent copycat protests elsewhere. The British defeat in 1781 prompted North to resign.
In 1783, North and the prominent Whig politician Fox formed a coalition government. Their plans to reform the East India Company gave George the chance to regain popularity. He forced the bill's defeat in Parliament, and the two resigned. In their place George appointed William Pitt the Younger. The combination of Pitt's skill and war with France in 1793 strengthened George's position, but disagreements over emancipation of the Catholics - Pitt was in favour and George vehemently opposed - led to Pitt's resignation in 1801.
The American war, its political aftermath and family quarrels put great strain on George. After serious bouts of illness in 1788 - 1789 and 1801, thought now to be caused by porphyria, he became permanently deranged in 1810. The Prince of Wales (later George IV) became regent.
George remained ill until his death at Windsor Castle on 29 January 1820. In 1801, under the Act of Union Great Britain and Ireland were united into a single nation - the United Kingdom. George was thus the first king of the new nation."
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"The small village of Manton lies just south of Rutland Water and is a pretty little village with some quaint ironstone cottages. The cycle route around the reservoir passes through the village and it is popular with walkers and cyclists.
Through the centuries the village was known as Manatona, Manetun, Maneton and Maynton. In 1086 the parish was one of the outlying ‘berewicks’ of Hambleton which belonged to the King. Henry I gave half the manor to Abbey of Cluny but this reverted back to the crown in 1414 when Henry V seized lands belonging to alien priories. The Kings esquire a William Porter was given custody of the manor in 1415 he then sold it on for a great sum to Ralph, Lord Cromwell. During the 16th century the manor was held by the Duke of Suffolk and then through descendants to the Sidney family, then the Dales and various other families.
The other half of the manor was granted to William Mauduit the King’s Chamberlain. The Earl of Warwick held an estate at Manton including a mill which became an endowment of a chantry or college at Manton founded by William Wade. In 1351 he obtained a licence for two chaplains to celebrate the soul of William and his ancestors thrice daily in the Lady Chapel at Manton Church. The first a requiem for the founder and all Christian souls; the second at the celebrant’s discretion was to be a mass of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Cross, the Blessed Mary or St. Thomas of Canterbury, and the third was to be of the season, such as Christmas and Easter.
Edward VI dissolved all chantries in the middle of the 16th century, and gained much from the act. The Earl of Leicester held the chantry in 1563 which was then leased to Edward Harington in 1581, and then passed to the Burneby family.
The church at Manton is very pretty with its double bellcote and honey coloured stone. It has a very pretty little churchyard flanked by some attractive cottages. It has a chancel, nave, north and south aisles, north and south trancepts and a south porch with a chamber over. In Pevsners guidebook it is described as a ‘homely lovable church which seems to have grown gradually and comfortably’. I have to agree the whole building is full of character and it is perhaps one of the most enjoyable churches I visited in 2011.
The earliest fabric dates to circa 1200 which are the aisle arcades with their circular piers and double-chamfered round arches. The west end dates from the 13th century with its heavy double bellcote and limestone buttresses. The pretty south porch with its two-storeyed porch is probably 14th-15th century and the trancepts date to the later 15th century. The font is Norman with blank arches on shafts. The chancel is rather plain with windows on the south side which let plenty of light into the area and although it dates to the 13th century it has had later restorations. There is a coat of arms to George II on the chancel arch which is very colourful."
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