IX.] OF SELBORNE. 185 



been divorced from Ameria, who afterwards married, and had 

 sons. By Agnes Sir Adam had a daughter Johanna, who was 

 his heiress, to whom Agnes in her lifetime surrendered part of 

 her jointure : he had also a bastard son. 



Sir Adam seems to have inhabited the house now called 

 Temple, lying about two miles east of the church, which had 

 been the property of Thomas Makerel. 



In the year 1262 he petitioned the prior of Selborne in his 

 own name, and that of his wife Constantia only, for leave to 

 build him an oratory in his manor house, "in curia sua." 

 Licenses of this sort were frequently obtained by men of fortune 

 and rank from the bishop of the diocese, the archbishop, and 

 sometimes, as I have seen instances, from the pope ; not only 

 for convenience" sake, and on account of distance, and the bad- 

 ness of the roads, but as a matter of state and distinction. 

 Why the owner should apply to the prior, in preference to the 

 bishop of the diocese, and how the former became competent 

 to such a grant, I cannot say ; but that the priors of Selborne 

 did take that privilege is plain, because some years afterward, 

 in 1280, Prior Eichard granted to Henry Waterford and his 

 wife Nichola a license to build an oratory in their courthouse. 

 " curia sua de Waterford," in which they might celebrate divine 

 service, saving the rights of the mother church of Basynges. 

 Yet all the while the prior of Selborne grants with such reserve 

 and caution, as if in doubt of his power, and leaves Gurdou and 

 his lady answerable in future to the bishop, or his ordinary, or to 

 the vicar for the time being, in case they should infringe the 

 rights of the mother church of Selborne. 



The manor house called Temple is at present a single build- 

 ing, running in length from south to north, and has been 

 occupied as a common farmhouse from time immemorial. The 

 south end is modern, and consists of a brewhouse, and then a 

 kitchen. The middle part is a hall twenty-seven feet in length, 

 and nineteen feet in breadth; and has been formerly open to 

 the top ; but there is now a floor above it, and also a chimney 

 in the western wall. The roofing consists of strong massive 

 rafter-work ornamented with carved roses. I have often looked 

 for the lamb and flag, the arms of the Knights Templars, without 

 VOL. II. B B 



