A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



Thomas Manydon, aged 16, who had been 

 three weeks in the monastery, and Fulk 

 Hampton, 18, who had been there for a like 

 period ; neither of them had as yet received 

 the first tonsure. The evidence was wholly 

 in favour of the order and administration of 

 the house. The statutory number of the 

 monks was at that time reduced to forty, and 

 there were then only thirty-five, but the 

 treasurer reminded the visitor that there had 

 been five recent deaths. At the close of the 

 evidence Dr. Hede's only injunction was as to 

 the speedy filling up of the full number of the 

 monks. The visitor called upon the prior to 

 take an oath of canonical obedience to the 

 prior and convent of Canterbury during the 

 vacancy of the see, and to the Archbishop of 

 Canterbury when the see was filled. Prior 

 Silkestede however declined, unless the prior 

 of Canterbury took an oath to observe the 

 rights of the cathedral church in the same 

 way as the Bishop of Winchester did at the 

 time of his consecration. The question was 

 adjourned till the following day, when Silke- 

 stede submitted. 1 



The story of the end of St. Swithun's as a 

 monastery, and the desolation effected in the 

 church in September, 1538, has already been 

 told in the Ecclesiastical History. 



At the time of the dissolution the monas- 

 tery held the manors of Nursling, Mill- 

 brook Morecourt, Hursley, ' Oxenbridge,' 

 Avington, Exton, ' Hadington,' Bransbury, 

 Upsomborne, ' Henton, Wymanston,' the city 

 of Winchester and the soke, and lands and 

 rents in Dean and Lovington in Hampshire ; 

 and the manors of ' Hynxton,' Overton with 

 the rectory, Alton with the rectory, Stocke- 

 ton, Patney, Westwood ' Langfischedide ' next 

 Endford, and Shipton Bellinger in Wiltshire ; 

 and the manor of Bleadon in Somersetshire, 

 as well as pensions from divers churches. 2 



The steps by which the ancient Benedictine 

 house of St. Swithun was turned into a dean 

 and chapter in 1539-42 have been already 

 mentioned in the Ecclesiastical History. A 

 whole series of documents touching this 

 change, eleven in number, are extant at 

 Winchester, and have been printed and edited 

 by Dean Kitchin. 3 The first letters patent 

 formally establishing the new body are dated 

 28 March, 1542. 



On i May, 1542, the newly-formed dean 

 and chapter were endowed with the following 



1 Sede Vacante Register, Christ Church, Canter- 

 bury. 



2 Dugdale, Monasticon, i. z 1 7. 



3 Documents relating to the Foundation of the 

 Chaffer of Winchester (Hants Record Soc. 1889). 



manors and lands, most of which had pre- 

 viously belonged to the prior and convent, 

 viz. Avington, Berthon Priors, Bransbury, 

 Chilbolton, Crondall, Exton, Haddington, 

 Hanton, 'Littleton,' Manydown, Millbrook, 

 Moorecourt, Nursling, Silkstead, Button, 

 Upsomborne, West Meon, Whitchurch and 

 'Wonsington' in Hampshire ; and Alton, Ham, 

 Hinton ' Langefysshehre ' near Endford, Over- 

 ton, Patney, Shipton Bellinger, Stockton, 

 Westwood, ' Winnaston' and Wroughton in 

 Wiltshire, and Bleadon in Somerset. 4 



The possessions of the dean and chapter 

 in 1682 consisted of the Hampshire manors 

 of Barton and Newhouse, Sparsholt and 

 Wyke, Compton, Sparkford and ' Fulfludd,' 

 Chilcombe and Morstead, ' Wynall,' Ovington 

 and ' Brixden,' Crondall, Sutton, Manydown, 

 ' Boghurst,' Hannington, Whitchurch, Free- 

 folk, Charlcott, 'Wonsington,' Bransbury, 

 Chilbolton, Littleton, Upsomborne, 'Thur- 

 munds," Silkstead, Exton, Hinton Ampner, 

 Shipton, Morecourt and Oxenbridge, Loving- 

 ton, the city of Winchester, office of woodward 

 and the liberty of the fair of St. Mary Mag- 

 dalene ; in the county of Wilts the manor 

 of Hinton, Ham, ' Bechinstoke,' Botwell and 

 Longstreet, Wroughton, Little Alton, West- 

 wood, ' Elmestubb ' and Eversley, and a large 

 number of churches in both counties. 6 



The manors of inheritance, which be- 

 longed to the dean and chapter and were 

 handed over to the ecclesiastical commis- 

 sioners in 1 86 1, were Crondall with Sutton, 

 Warblington, and Hinton Ampner. 6 



PRIORS OF ST. SWITHUN OF WINCHESTER 



Brithnoth, about 970, made abbot of Ely 

 Brithwold, about 1006, became Bishop 



of Winchester 

 Elfric Puttoc, 1023, made Archbishop 



of York 



Wulfsig, died 1065 

 Simon or Simeon, 1065-82, brother to 



Bishop Walkelyn, made abbot of 



Ely 7 

 Godfrey, 8 1082-1107. A volume of 



his epigrams is among the Cott. 



MSS. Vit. A. xii. 



Geoffrey, 9 1 107-1 1. He was deposed 

 Geoffrey II., 10 1111-4, ma( ^ e abbot of 



Burton, Staffordshire 



4 Dugdale, Monasticon, i. 70. 



5 Documents relating to the Church of Winchester 

 (Hants Record Society), ii. 182. 



6 Information supplied by Mr. Hugh de B. 

 Porter, Deputy Steward. 



7 dnnales Monastici (Rolls Series), ii. 33. 



8 Ibid. 43. " Ibid. 10 Ibid. 



114 



