Parishes: Bullington

BULLINGTON

Bulandun, Bolende (xi cent.); Bolendon, Bolyndene (xiii cent.).

The parish of Bullington is bounded on the north by Tufton, on the east and south by Wonston and on the west by Barton Stacey, part of the boundary on this side being formed by a narrow strip of woodland called Barton Stacey Belt. The average height above sea level is 300 ft. in the north and south, sinking to 200 ft. in the valley of the tributary of the Test that runs through the village, and for some distance divides this parish from Wonston.

The soil is loam and the subsoil chalk. The chief crops are wheat, barley and oats. The total area is 1,635 acres, comprising 1,184¼ acres of arable land, 256¾ acres of permanent grass and 39 acres of woods and plantations. (fn. 1)

The Didcot, Newbury and Southampton branch of the Great Western Railway runs through the parish, but there is no station.

A road from Barton Stacey passes through the village, and on Bullington Common meets the road from Whitchurch to Winchester, here called Bullington Lane. Another road runs from east to west half a mile north of the village. Bullington House is the residence of Mr. Henry Nicoll, J.P., who is lord of the manor.

There is a camp known as Tidbury Ring about a mile and a quarter north of the village, where Roman remains have been found. (fn. 2)

Manor

By an addition dated six years after his confirmation charter of 1002 Ethelred gave to Wherwell Abbey 10 mansae in the place 'qui solito Bulendun nomine solet appellari.' (fn. 3) At Domesday the abbey was said always to have held the manor as 10 hides; but it had never paid geld. (fn. 4) In 1291 it is included in the list of the abbey's possessions, being then valued at £18 12s. 8½d. (fn. 5) With the rest of the Wherwell property Bullington passed from the abbey to Thomas West Lord De La Warr, from whose heirs it was in due course bought by Edmond Boulter in 1695. (fn. 6) Three years later Boulter and his trustees sold the manor with that of Little Ann to Cornelius Cornwallis of Earlstone (co. Hants). (fn. 7) The tenure of this new purchaser would not seem to have been a long one, for in 1724 Richard Widmore was selling Bullington to Peter Hawker, (fn. 8) to whose heirs it deicended. In 1903 the trustees of the late Mr. Peter James Duff Hawker, of Longparish House, were still lords of the manor, which has since been acquired by Mr. Henry Nicoll.

About 1219 Geoffrey of Bullington conveyed to Robert of Bullington 2 virgates of land in Bullington to be held of Eufemia, Abbess of Wherwell by the service of 10s. and ten hens at Michaelmas. These 2 virgates were part of 2 hides for the residue of which Robert quitclaimed Geoffrey. (fn. 9)

In 1241 Alexander of Bullington granted the Abbess Eufemia and her successors common rights with himself in the fishery from the top of his garden to the top of 'Chynepol' towards the east, with the exception of the water extending from Alexander's mill to the top of his garden, wherein the abbesses were not to fish. For this grant the abbess gave Alexander a sparrow hawk. (fn. 10)

In 1263 Thomas of Bullington and his wife Annora quitclaimed a messuage and a virgate of land in Bullington to the Abbess Mabel and her convent. The abbess agreed to provide for Thomas the allowance of one chaplain in her house, that is to say, seven convent loaves and eleven gallons of beer, half to be of convent beer and half of such beer as the servants had; of kitchen dishes as much as pertained to one chaplain, and for raiment 6s. 8d. yearly at Michaelmas. For Annora she undertook to provide a nun's portion, which seems to have been the same as a chaplain's with half the allowance of beer. (fn. 11)

In 1086 there was a mill in Bullington worth 15s., (fn. 12) probably representing the water-mill which the college of St. Elizabeth, Winchester, rented from the Abbess and convent of Wherwell during the 14th century. (fn. 13) Alexander of Bullington also owned a mill in the parish in 1241. (fn. 14) At the present day there is one water-mill there worked by the Test.

Church

The church of ST. MICHAEL is a plain rectangular structure built of flint rubble with ashlar quoins 44 ft. 7 in. by 14 ft. 10 in., with a north vestry and organ chamber 13 ft. 1 in. wide and 5 ft. 10 in. deep, south porch, and west tower 9 ft. 2 in. by 7 ft. 3 in.

The nave—about 34 ft. of the length—dates from the latter part of the 12th century, two small windows near the west end and the north doorway being of that date; the chancel was rebuilt about 1220 and its width made equal to that of the nave. The two doublelight windows south of the nave, although now modernized outside, were insertions of the end of the 14th century; the tower, north vestry, &c., and the south porch are all modern additions and a good deal of modern repair has been done.

In the east wall of the chancel is a triplet of lancets with trefoiled rear arches, all of modern stonework, and the quoins at the eastern angles are likewise modern.

To the south of the chancel is a modern priest's doorway, and to the west of this a 13th-century lancet with a modern sill. There was a similar lancet on the opposite side, but this was removed when the modern arch into the organ-chamber, &c., was made and is now in the west wall of the chamber; in its east wall is a modern copy of the window. The north doorway of the nave is now blocked, its jambs outside are chamfered, with scalloped stops below the chamfered abaci; the semicircular arch is of square section with a chamfered label; its internal east jamb is chamfered and stopped like those outside but the west jamb is square, and the rear arch is segmental, of square section. Near the west end is a small contemporary round-headed window with splayed inner jambs. The first two windows in the south wall are each of two trefoiled ogee-headed lights under a square head; the outer stonework is all modernized, but the inner quoins are old; the third window is of 12th-century date like that opposite. The south doorway has modern stonework outside but old inner quoins and segmental rear arch; the outer arch is round-headed with small engaged angle shafts with plain capitals and bases.

A round-headed plastered archway opens into the tower, which is built of flint and brick. The west window appears to be a 15th-century one re-used, and was probably in the former west wall; it has two trefoiled round-headed lights with a quatrefoil above. Over this is a modern trefoiled light to the chamber above. The bell-chamber windows are each of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil above. The roof is hipped, east and west, with brick eaves and cornice.

The roofs are open timbered and covered with tiles; over the chancel the braces to the rafters are arched. The porch is an open one of wood, on a low stone base; a few of its timbers seem to be old.

The font, which stands in the tower, has an old round bowl probably of 13th-century date on a modern stem and base. The other furniture is modern.

There are three bells: the first inscribed, 'Joseph Carter made mee 1599'; the second, 'Henry Knight made mee 1680'; and the tenor, 'Sancta Ana ora pro nobis.'

The plate consists of a silver chalice and paten of 1859 and a plated flagon.

The first book of registers contains baptisms 1725 to 1782, with seven entries of marriages at Tufton; the second, burials 1725 to 1782. The third book has marriages 1755 to 1813; before this date marriages were celebrated at the mother church of Wherwell. The fourth book contains baptisms and burials 1783 to 1814. on the printed Salisbury form.

Advowson

The church of St. Michael of Bullington is mentioned in a list of Wherwell Abbey possessions in 1228. (fn. 15) It was formerly a chapel annexed to Wherwell and was declared a perpetual curacy in 1857 and a vicarage in 1865. (fn. 16) It is in the gift of Mr. William Henry Iremonger of Wherwell Priory, and has the chapelry of Tufton annexed.

In 1300 Thomas of Cambridge, rector of Wherwell, granted to the abbess and convent all fruits of the chapels of Tufton and Bullington, and all their lands, except the tithes customarily belonging to the chaplain, for three years for £40 a year. (fn. 17)

There are apparently no endowed charities in this parish.