The Greys, holding the title of Earls of Stamford, were patrons of the church and when Bradgate was the family residence, the earl's domestic chaplain usually served as village priest. A note in the parish register for 1686 by Arthur Squibb, "chaplain to the Rt. Honbb. ye Earl of Stamford", precedes his list of those "Christned and buried at Newtown in Leicestershire".