Parishes: Cliddesden

CLIDDESDEN

Cleresden (xi cent.); Cludesden, Cledisdon (xiii cent.); Clydesden (xiv cent.); Cluddysdean (xvi cent.); Cliddesdeane, Clisdon (xvii cent.); Cliddesdowne (xviii cent.).

The parish of Cliddesden covers an area ot 1,920 acres, of which no fewer than 1,804¼ acres are arable. (fn. 1) Moody in his History of Hampshire complained that Cliddesden was very bare from want of timber, forming a striking contrast to Farleigh Wallop, (fn. 2) and at the present day only 38½ acres of woods and plantations are comprised in Cliddesden. (fn. 3) The village is situated about 2 miles south from Basingstoke, and has a station near it on the Alton and Basingstoke branch of the London and South Western Railway. It lies mostly along the road from Basingstoke to Preston Candover at a height of about 400 ft. above the ordnance datum. The rectory-house with 10 acres of glebe is situated west of the main road, and a short distance to the north are the Manor Farm and 'The Jolly Farmer.' St. Leonard's Church is situated to the east. The Methodist chapel was brought from Basingstoke and re-erected here in 1906. Half of Hackwood House and a large part of Hackwood Park are included in this parish. Audley's Wood, the residence of Mr. Louis de Luze Simonds, is in the north-eastern corner of the parish, its grounds being separated from Hackwood Park by the road from Basingstoke to Alton. This name occurs as 'Oddele' in the 13th century and as 'Odlease' in 1578. (fn. 4)

Hatch, containing Hatch Warren Farm, is a detached portion of the parish lying to the west. It was a separate parish until the end of the 14th century, when it was united to Cliddesden, the cause being its poverty and depopulation. Thus in the reign of Edward III it was returned that 300 acres of land in Hatch were lying untilled and unsown, (fn. 5) and the petition to the king praying that the church of Hatch might henceforth be exonerated from the payment of tenths states that there was no one at the time living within the parish. (fn. 6)

The soil is light loam and chalk, and the subsoil chiefly chalk. The chief crops are wheat, barley, roots and grass. Among place-names mentioned in the 15th and 16th centuries are the following:—Flemmyngysgrove, Camburnecroftys and Swalowykeswood. (fn. 7)

Manors

In the reign of Edward the Confessor the manor of CLIDDESDEN was held by two brothers who could 'betake themselves whither they would.'They were succeeded by Durand de Glowecestre, of whom it was held in 1086 by a certain Ralf. (fn. 8) From him it must have descended to the Fitz Herbert family through Lucy daughter and co-heir of Miles de Gloucester Earl of Hereford. Thus Reginald Fitz Peter and his descendant Matthew Fitz Herbert were stated to be overlords in 1275 and 1339 respectively. (fn. 9) At a later date the overlordship belonged to the town of Basingstoke, the manor being held by the bailiffs by fealty and a yearly rent of 5s. for all services. (fn. 10) The first lords of the manor whose names have come down to us after the Domesday Survey were lords also of Matson (co. Glouc.) and they were consequently called de Mattresdone (or de Mattesdon) or de Cliddesden indifferently. Arnulf de Cliddesden, probably the lord of the manor, witnessed a charter of Adam de Port granting tithes of mills in Sherborne St. John to the church of Sherborne at the end of the 12th century. (fn. 11) In 1219 William son of Simon de Cliddesden granted half a hide of land in Cliddesden to Nicholas son of William de Salewike, (fn. 12) and he was succeeded by John, who as lord of Cliddesden granted land in Cliddesden to Henry Fleming circa 1240. (fn. 13) In 1252 John de Cliddesden as chief lord of the fee granted 1½ virgates in Cliddesden to Walter Bering to hold of him and his heirs, (fn. 14) and he was still alive in 1256, (fn. 15) but by 1275 he had been succeeded by his son Philip (fn. 16) generally called Philip de Mattresdone, who in that year was stated to be holding one knight's fee in Cliddesden of Reginald Fitz Peter. (fn. 17) Philip confirmed the warden and brethren of the Hospital of St. John at Basingstoke in possession of lands in Cliddesden which they had of the gift of Henry Fleming circa 1280, (fn. 18) and he was still alive in 1286, in which year he obtained a grant of £20 worth of land and rent for five years from the king for his good service in Wales. (fn. 19) By 1303, however, the manor had passed to Isabel the wife of William de Gardinis, probably his daughter and heir, (fn. 20) who in that year granted it to John de Berewyk. (fn. 21) Eight years afterwards Cliddesden was settled by Ralph de Bereford on John de Berewyk and John de Valoignes and the heirs of John de Valoignes. (fn. 22) The latter as true patron of the church presented a rector in 1315, (fn. 23) but before the end of the next year he had been succeeded by Nicholas de Valoignes. (fn. 24) Nicholas was in his turn followed by another John, at whose presentation a rector was instituted by John Stratford, Bishop of Winchester (1323–33). (fn. 25) This John was convicted before Bartholomew de Lisle and his fellows, justices of oyer and terminer in Hampshire, of having feloniously broken into the mill of the Prior of Southwick at 'Dagesole,' in the hundred of Barton Stacey, and of having stolen a grindstone and one and a half quarters of wheat found there, and died in the Bishop of Winchester's palace of Wolvesey, to which he had been committed as a convicted clerk. (fn. 26) The manor was taken into the hands of the king, who granted it in 1337 to his yeoman John Brocas to hold during his good pleasure without money payment. (fn. 27) It was, however, subsequently restored to John son of John de Valoignes, and in 1346 he was returned as holding half a fee in Cliddesden formerly belonging to John de Berewyk. (fn. 28) He presented to the church of Cliddesden in 1373, (fn. 29) and was succeeded by Nicholas de Valoignes, who presented a rector in 1396. (fn. 30) Nicholas left a daughter and heir Margaret, who married Thomas Wallop, (fn. 31) bringing the manor of Cliddesden into the ancient Hampshire family of Wallop. Her second husband William Vachell was holding half a fee in Cliddesden lately belonging to John de Valoignes, (fn. 32) and on his death it passed to John Wallop son and heir of Thomas and Margaret. (fn. 33) John Wallop at various times was guilty of trespassing on Winchester Field, Basingstoke Heath, The Down and Hyghhamysfield belonging to the men and tenants of Basingstoke, (fn. 34) and, in order to bring these outstanding disputes to a termination, the freeholders and tenants of the manor and hundred appointed certain arbitrators in 1465, binding themselves to abide by their decision. (fn. 35) The award has unfortunately been lost, but the disputes did not cease entirely, for in 1485 John Wallop was fined 3s. 4d. for appropriating a piece of land near The Down. (fn. 36) He died in 1486, and was followed by his son Richard, (fn. 37) who was fined 3s. 4d. in 1490 because he persisted in encroaching upon the king's soil on The Down. (fn. 38) He died without issue in 1503, and the manor then passed to his brother Robert, (fn. 39) who in 1509 was ordered not to allow his sheep to enter upon The Down nightly under penalty of 6s. 8d. (fn. 40) His heir was his nephew John Wallop, (fn. 41) who died in 1551, leaving as his heir his brother Oliver. (fn. 42) John Wallop sixth in descent from the latter was created Lord Wallop of Farley Wallop, Viscount Lymington in 1720 and Earl of Portsmouth in 1743. (fn. 43) The manor is still in possession of the Wallop family, the present owner being Newton Wallop sixth Earl of Portsmouth, great-greatgrandson of the first earl. (fn. 44)

The manor of HATCH (Heche, xi cent.; Heccha, xii cent.; Hacche, xiv cent.) was held by Alsi in the reign of Edward the Confessor and was then assessed at 1 hide. William I granted it to Geoffrey, chamberlain to his daughter Maud, in return for the services he had rendered her, notwithstanding the fact that Odo of Winchester had it in mortgage for £10 from Alsi. Odo continued to assert his claim, but in 1086 Geoffrey was still in possession of the estate, which was then assessed at 3 virgates. (fn. 45) In 1167 Hatch was in the possession of a certain Henry. (fn. 46) By 1311, however, it had become the property of the lords of Cliddesden, and in that year was settled with Cliddesden on John de Berewyk and John de Valoignes. (fn. 47) From that date Hatch has followed the same descent as Cliddesden, the present owner being Newton Wallop, sixth Earl of Portsmouth.

Church

The church of ST. LEONARD is a rectangular building 18 ft. 6 in. wide and 70 ft. 8 in. long, of which 23 ft. 5 in. is screened off for the chancel, a north organ chamber and vestry and a south porch.

The walling of the nave probably belongs to the 12th century, but the only old detail now left in the building is a plain blocked round-headed doorway in the north wall; the rest is modern, and the chancel appears to have been wholly rebuilt recently. It has an east window of three lights under a traceried head and two south windows, each of two lights with tracery; to the east of these is a plain square piscina. An archway opens from the chancel into the modern organ chamber and vestry, which is lighted by an east and a north window of two lights and has a west doorway. The nave has three south and two north windows, each of two cinquefoiled lights under pointed heads. The south doorway, coming between the second and third of the windows, has moulded jambs and pointed head; the west window is one of three lights with a traceried head. Over the west wall is a modern stone bell-cote in which hangs a modern bell. The roof is gabled and open timbered below, it is covered with tiles, the part over the chancel being quite new. All the furniture is modern.

The plate consists of a silver-gilt chalice of Nuremberg make, dating from the early 17th century, and a silver paten of 1702, given by Elizabeth Reignolds, widow, at that date.

The registers, which include those of Farleigh Wallop, begin in 1636, the first book containing baptisms to 1758, marriages 1754 and burials 1741; the second has burials 1679 to 1760. Special mention is made of eight members of the Wallop family being buried in linen in preference to woollen; for this they were fined £10 on each occasion. The third book has marriages 1754 to 1812 and the fourth baptisms and burials 1760 to 1812.

Advowsons

There was a church in Cliddesden at the time of the Domesday Survey. (fn. 48) It was assessed at £5 6s. 8d. in 1291 (fn. 49) and at £10 16s. 1d. in 1535. (fn. 50) The advowson has throughout followed the descent of the manor, (fn. 51) the patron at the present time being the Earl of Portsmouth.

There was also a church in Hatch at the time of the Domesday Survey. (fn. 52) Its value was returned as £4 6s. 8d. in 1291. (fn. 53) The advowson throughout the history of the church followed the descent of the manor, (fn. 54) the last recorded institution being during the episcopacy of William de Edendon (1346–66) at the presentation of John de Valoignes, the lord of the manor. At the beginning of the reign of Richard II (fn. 55) a petition was presented to the king praying that the church might be discharged from the payment of tenths on the ground that it was in ruins and that no one could be found to serve the cure because its value was so small. (fn. 56) On 4 July 1380 the church was exonerated from the payment of subsidies, (fn. 57) and after this the parish of Hatch became merged in Cliddesden.

The school was built in 1876 for 120 children.

Charities

In 1736 Thomas Fellowes by his will gave a sum of £30 to the rector for the use ot the poor for ever. This sum with other monies belonging to the poor was invested in Old South Sea annuities, which is now represented by £164 14s. 8d. consols with official trustees, producing £4 2s. 4d. a year, which is applied for the general benefit of the poor of Cliddesden and Farleigh Wallop in the proportions of ¾ and ¼ respectively in pursuance of a scheme of the Charity Commissioners of 25 April 1899.

The School Charity consists of a messuage at Cliddesden, formerly used as a schoolhouse, let at £12 a year and an annual rent-charge of £10 paid by the Earl of Portsmouth. This charity is also regulated by the scheme referred to above in the two parishes in the like proportions in apprenticing, prizes and exhibitions for scholars who are or have been in attendance at a public elementary school.