Parishes: Hannington

HANNINGTON

Hanitune (xi cent.); Hanyngton (xiv cent.).

The parish of Hannington covers an area of 2,04.5 acres, of which 1,312 acres are arable land, 290½ acres permanent grass and 174¾ acres woodland (fn. 1) : the main part of the parish lies to the south of Kingsclere, but there are several detached portions. Hannington village is in the south-west part of the parish. At its western end stands the church of All Saints, between Hannington Farm and the Manor Farm, where, it is said, the courts used to be held, 'but not within the memory of the oldest living inhabitants.' (fn. 2) Dicker's Farm, which still bears the name of its 17th-century tenants, (fn. 3) is a little further north. The rectory, which is almost a quarter of a mile away from the church, stands close to the Primitive Methodist chapel in the north of the parish. William Page, the celebrated Laudian divine, was rector here in 1642, but the living was sequestered in August 1646 on account of his delinquency. (fn. 4)

Dean's Wood and Gaston Copse lie to the east of Hannington village, and together stretch almost across the parish; for the great oak tree which marks the north-east corner is not far from the borders of Dean's Wood. To the south of Gaston Copse runs Ibworth Lane, which, with Folly Lane, connects the main part of the parish with the largest of the detached parts. This part of the parish lies to the south of Ewhurst Park, and contains the hamlet of Ibworth, of which the principal buildings are Ibworth Farm and Bailey Hall Farm. Here too is an old timbered cottage called Warhams, where, according to local tradition, Archbishop Warham was born: Malshanger, however, is also claimed as his birthplace, though the Warhams certainly had property in Hannington at least as early as 1463. (fn. 5) The cottage belongs to Sir William Portal, bart., the former owner of Malshanger.

About a quarter of a mile north-west of Shear Down Farm, and close to the Kingsclere road, is a tumulus.

The Roman road from Silchester to Salisbury runs through another detached part of Hannington, which lies to the north-east. On Cottington Hill, in Kingsclere parish, about half a mile north of the Roman road, is a barrow, from near which a fine view of the surrounding country may be obtained.

The soil is clay, the subsoil chalk; the chief crops are wheat, barley and oats.

Among place-names mentioned in local records the following occur:—Ibbeworthe, Shirdoune, Roghedowne, Splotlonde, Foxcote (fn. 6) (xiv cent.), Haselholt (fn. 7) (xvii cent.).

Manor

The manor of HANNINGTON was held at the time of the Domesday Survey by the Bishop of Winchester, and had belonged from very early times to the cathedral monastery. (fn. 8) In 1284 John of Pontoise, Bishop of Winchester, quitclaimed to the Prior and convent of St. Swithun all his right in the estate, (fn. 9) which subsequently followed the descent of the manor of Manydown in Wootton St. Lawrence (q.v.) and was granted by Henry VIII to the Dean and Chapter of Winchester. (fn. 10) The Ecclesiastical Commissioners are the lords of the manor at the present day.

The farm of Hannington was in the hands of Thomas Drewett in 1575, (fn. 11) and eighteen years later it was leased to Roland Drewett 'for and dureing the natural lives of Sibyl, Thomas and Richard Druett, and the longest liver of them.' (fn. 12) In 1625 William Drewett was among those appointed ' to see what timber trees, and what wood and underwood have been felled, grubbed, and carried away by any tenaunt of this manor, and to certifie at the next audit the truth what has been done in this matter, and in the meantime... to appoint their tymes for herroeing of the waste upon peine of £5 evry one makeing default to meet at the times appointed.' (fn. 13) Thomas the son of Roland Drewett was the tenant of Hannington in 1649. (fn. 14)

Church

The church of ALL SAINTS consists of a chancel 20 ft. 4 in. by 15 ft. 10 in., nave 41 ft. 2 in. by 16 ft. 9 in., south aisle 6 ft. 8 in. wide and north porch.

The north-east angle and doubtless much of the north and east walls of the nave are of pre-Conquest date, belonging to a building which had a nave about 28 ft. long by the present width (16 ft. 9 in.), and a small chancel probably some 12 to 14 ft. square. To this nave a narrow south aisle was added with an arcade of two bays about 1180–90, and the chancel arch was perhaps rebuilt at this time. In the 14th century the arches of the south arcade and the chancel arch were renewed and windows inserted in the south aisle. The chancel appears to date from the 15 th century, but may not be the immediate successor of the early chancel.

A squint from nave to chancel was cut in the south jamb of the chancel arch after the chancel was widened. In modern times the church has been lengthened by some 13 ft. or more, an additional bay being built on to the arcade, and the bell-turret erected above the roof. The pressure of the roofs has forced the chancel walls outward, and the east wall has been rebuilt and a new roof put on, with several smaller repairs; the north porch is also modern.

The east window of the chancel is a modern one of three lights under a traceried head; south of it in the east wall is a plain ogee-headed recess with ledges for a shelf. There are no sedilia or piscina. In each side wall are two wide single windows of 15 thcentuiy date with cinquefoiled lights and small cusped piercings over under square heads, with moulded labels. Between the southern pair is a blocked pointed doorway, the outer stonework of which has been renewed and set upright to buttress the great outward lean of the wall. The chancel arch has old square jambs which have been much mutilated and are now mostly of modern stone, with plain hollow-chamfered abaci; these may be of late 12th-century date, while the arch is a pointed one of two chamfered orders; it is thinner than the jambs, being probably of 14th-century rebuilding. In its south jamb is a squint with a round head.

The north-east angle of the nave has well-marked long and short quoins of pre-Conquest date, set out to stop the original external plastering, which has now been taken off. Both north windows of the nave are modern, that at the north-east being of three cinquefoiled lights under a square head of 14th-century style, while the other, west of the north door, is a modern lancet.

The north doorway has a pointed arch of a single chamfered order, with hollow-chamfered abaci and a chamfered label; the stone has been retooled and altered, but may be of late 12th-century date.

The south arcade has three bays with round pillars and half-round responds; they have base moulds with a small hollow between two rolls—on a square subbase; the capitals are square with fluted scallops of very late type, and the abaci are hollow-chamfered below. The arches are pointed and have small edge chamfers, the outer half order on the north side being cut back above the capitals, which are not wide enough to take it. The eastern respond and the first pillar are 12th-century work, the second pillar and the western respond are modern; the first two arches are also old, probably 14th-century work, while the third arch is modern. In the west wall of the nave are two modern lancet windows.

The east window of the south aisle is of three lights with plain pointed heads and intersecting tracery; it is probably of early 14th-century date; the three south windows are all single lights, the first has moulded jambs and a trefoiled pointed arch in a square head and is of 15th-century date; then comes a blocked 15th-century doorway; the second window is of the 14th century and has a trefoiled ogee head, and the third is a modern copy of the second; in the west wall is a modern lancet. The wall leans outward and has been strengthened by three buttresses and a massive south-eastern angle buttress. The modern north porch is lighted by a window on either side, and has an outer doorway of 14th-century style. The walling is of flint and stone rubble; the old part of the south aisle and the south wall of the chancel are cement faced outside.

The eastern half of the nave roof is old and quite plain and of uncertain date, all its timbers being left rough. It has tie-beams with a king post and two struts, all tenoned into a collar, and there are two purlins with wind braces below the upper ones. The rest of the nave roof is modern, and over it is a bellturret with square slated sides, above which is a lead roof, and arising from this is a shingled octagonal oak spire.

The altar, font, &c, are all of modern date, but the pulpit is a good piece of early 17th-century work, hexagonal, with two tiers of carved panels

There are three bells; the first is inscribed ' Prayse ye the Lord 1624,' the second is by Henry Knight, 1619, and the third by the second Henry Knight, 1680.

The plate consists of a silver chalice, a paten cover of 1680 inscribed with the names of the rector, Thomas Webb, and the churchwardens, a silver paten of 1714 inscribed with the name of the rector, Abraham Ogden, and the churchwardens of that year, and a silver alms plate of 1844.

The first book of the registers contains baptisms, marriages and burials from 1771 to 1812, the second has marriages from 1768 to 181 2 and some later.

Advowson

At the time of the Domesday Survey there was a church in Hannington, which was included in the holding of the Bishop of Winchester. (fn. 15) The right of presentation remained in the possession of the bishop until 1852, (fn. 16) when it passed to the Bishop of Lichfield (fn. 17) : he transferred it in 1873 to the Lord Chancellor, (fn. 18) who is the patron at the present day. (fn. 19)

There is a Primitive Methodist chapel.