When A Vicar Was Executed For Forgery (9 March 1978)

Today the village of Wing seems a nice, quiet, orderly sort of place – as far as the constant passage of heavy traffic between Leighton Buzzard and Aylesbury allows.  Yet it has had its moments.

Going far back in time, it is averred that a secondary Roman road passed that way.  Coming from the south, the road is said to have gone straight through what is now Mentmore Park, even under the mansion itself, and thence to Wing.  From there it continued directly to Stewkley, with the site of the present parish church on its left, and eventually came out near enough on to the present road from Stewkley to Mursley.

Having arrived at the outskirts of Mursley, however it did not turn sharply left like the present road.  Instead, it went straight across country and eventually came out on to that other reputed Roman thoroughfare, Buckingham Road, near the Great Horwood crossroads.  All this was vouched for by the late Mr. C.W. Green of Wolverton, who was a noted Romanologist.  Certainly, all along the route one high point would have been clearly visible from those on either .

Next came the people who made and named nearly all the villages hereabouts – the Anglo Saxons.  But in what order gives food for infinite speculation.

It is commonly held that the earliest permanent Saxon settlements were made in the area of Dorchester on Thames, near Oxford.  The problem is how they came there, for it is by no means certain that they came via the river.  According to the English Place Names Society, really early Saxon place names generally end in “ing” being followed later by the “inghams” and ingtons.”  There are only two places in Bucks which qualify – Wing and the nearby Oving.

Their existence has lent support to a theory that the approach to the Oxford area was not made via the river at all, but overland from the East Coast.

The country hereabouts was later fought over a good deal by the rival small kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia, but that is not likely to have involved a change of place names.

In the 18^th century there occurred a sensational event for which there is ample documentation.  This was no less than the hanging of the erstwhile Vicar of Wing for forgery.

Dr. William Dodd was the son of the Vicar of Bourne in Lincolnshire.  Born in 1729, he became a promising scholar and gained a special place at Clare College, Cambridge.  After leaving college with a doctorate, he went to London, where he lived the life of a young man about town.  He became a social success.  His love of dress and dancing and his sprightly wit especially endeared him to the ladies.

He was also successful in writing and it was said he hoped to make a name in literature.  His book, “The Beauties of Shakespeare” and his “Commentary on the Bible” are evidence of his literary skill.

He was ordained in 1751, became a curate of West Ham, was a popular preacher at the Magdalen Institution and in 1763 was made chaplain to Kings George 111.

He married a lady who had charm and beauty, but not much money.  He had not the income to support her and gradually got into debt.  It seemed that his financial fortunes might have taken a turn for the better when he won a lottery prize, but he invested unwisely and lost.

In 1722 he was made Vicar of Chalgrave and Rector of Hockliffe.  These were his first livings.  While he was in charge of these two parishes he made his first acquaintance with the criminal courts.  One day he and his wife were travelling from Hockliffe to London when their coach was stopped by a highwayman.  The highwayman fired a bullet at them, but it only broke the glass and the highwayman went to the gallows.

In due course, Dr. Dobb obtained another appoint – as Chaplain to Lord Chesterfield who eventually presented him to the vicarage of Wing.

At about this time he appears to have kept company unbecoming to a clergyman.  He also got so far into debt that he forged Lord Chesterfield’s signature to a bond for £4,200.  When the forgery was revealed, he repaid £3,000, promised £500 more and offered security for the remainder.

But he was sorry when it was too late. The Lord Mayor insisted that he should stand trial like any other man.  His reputation was now gone. He was lampooned in the newspapers, made fun of in the theatres, relieved of his post as chaplain to the king, and ruined.  In due course, he was convicted at the Old Bailey and sentenced to death.  Dr. Samuel Johnson and other friends made great efforts to obtain a reprieve, but all to no avail and Dr Dodd died on the gallows on June 27 1777.

His parents did not live to see their clever son’s disgrace.  His broken-heated wife died in an asylum.