A history of Wing from an account dated 1925 - Page 4

Advowson

Bodin de Ver granted the reversion of Wing Church on the death of St. Nicholas of Goldric the priest to the abbey of Angers in addition to his land in Crafton. A vicarage was ordained in 1216. Henry a monk, proctor of the abbey, presented to it in 1230. This is the first reference indicative of a cell of monks at Wing afterwards known as Wing Priory whose prior was proctor of the abbey. In 1291 the church was valued at £26 13s. 4d. the vicarage at £4 6s. 8d., The descent of the advowson and rectory is the same as that of the manor of Wing with Crafton (q.v.) until 1530, when they were excepted from the grant of this manor to John Penn, and in 1531 given in free alms to St. Albans Abbey. St. Albans leased the rectory in 1537 for eighty years to Sir Robert Dormer, who in 1543 after the Dissolution applied for a grant of both advowson and rectory, which he obtained in 1544.Both have since descended with the principal manor of Wing (q.v.).

The great tithes of Crafton belonged to the vicar of Wing, and not to the impropriate rector, and both great and small tithes were commuted in 1797.

In 1527 there were five lights in the church : the Rood, St. Katherine, St. Margaret, St. Thomas, and St. Mary Magdalene. In 1548 land worth 4d. yearly maintained one light, and a tenement left to the parish by John Meriden provided bride-ale, child-ale, and ale on the occasion of marriages and dirges and lawful games. The churchwardens' accounts between 1527 and 1683 have entries for Hock-ale between 1527 and 1546," for May-ale

between 153! and 1600 and the Maypole in 1593 and 1595. There is an entry in 1554 for the making of the Easter sepulchre and for sepulchre ale. An organ, purchased from Woburn Abbey at its dissolution, was placed in the church in 1538.