242 Recent Wiltshire Books, Pam]}hlets, and Artieles. 



This is a useful well illustrated guide book, containing as much in- 

 formation as most visitors to Stourhead are likely to require. Leland's 

 and Brittton's accounts of the place are summarized, and there are 

 chapters on the Parish Church — The Hoare and Stourton families — The 

 Bristol Cross (the history of which is pretty fully given) — The Pleasure 

 Grounds — Alfred's Tower and the Obelisk — Stourhead Mansion — and the 

 Earthwork known as Jack's Castle. 



Eeviewed Salisbury Journal, Aug. 10th, 1901. 



The Manor and Church of Great Chalfield. By Eev. 



J. Silvester Davies. Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire 

 Archaeological Society, 1900, vol. xxiii., pp. 193 — 261. This is an im- 

 portant paper based on the Tropenell Cartulary, which ought by right to 

 have been printed in this Magazine, and not in the Gloucestershire 

 journal. After describing the Cartulary shortly, the descent of the manor 

 is traced from Ernulph de Hesding, who held it at Domesday — through 

 the Percy family to the Tropenells. This family of Percy were of no kin 

 to the Pershay or Percy family who were lords of the manor of Litile 

 Chalfield, and were also connected with the Tropenells — who only obtained 

 final possession of the manor after a prolonged period of litigation against 

 various other claimants, the course of which is detailed in this paper. 

 From the Tropenells it passed to the Eyres, Sir William Eyre selling the 

 Monks estate to the Danvers family, and a successor. Sir John Eyre, having 

 no issue, selling the Chalfield estate itself. Eichard Gurney, Sir William 

 Hanham, and his son, Sir John, appear as the next owners. The latter 

 sold the manor to John Hall, of Bradford-on-Avon, who died 1711, leaving 

 it to Rachel Baynton, of Little Chalfield, who married William Pierrepoint, 

 Lord Kingston. Later owners have been Robert Neale — the Rev. Sir 

 George Burrard — and George Pargiter Fuller. A great mass of 

 genealogical information is given as to all these Wiltshire folk, and 

 their various marriages and connections. 



The house is described in detail as it was before 1837 or 1838, when 

 the great alterations were made, and as it is now, and illustrated by views 

 (from the Gents' Mag.) in 1S34, and from a recent photograph — with 

 sketch plans of the site and of the house itself. There is also a plate 

 containing the arms of Percy, Tropenell, Roche, Rous, Ludlow, and 

 Pershay — which appear on the stone screen in the Church, now under the 

 chancel arch, but originally dividing the Tropenell Chapel from the Church. 

 The dedication of the Church is given as All Saints, on the authority of 

 the original parish register of 1545, and the Bishop's register of 1525, 

 though Browne Willis, Canon Jackson, and Miss Arnold Foster give it 

 as St. Catherine. Mr. Davies suggests that probably the Tropenell 

 Chapel attached to the Church may have been dedicated to St. Catherine, 

 though there is no evidence of any chantry having been founded there. 

 The Church of Little Chalfield was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. 



The fabric of the Church is described and a terrier of 1674 is printed. 



The builder of the Manor House, Thomas Tropenell, and his wife 

 Margaret, are buried within the chapel in Corsham Church, probably 



