ALTON HUNDRED 



ALTON 



Hill on the south side of Alton High Street. It is 

 just on the Eastbrook side of the river, and con- 

 sists of the old manor house to which a new front 

 was added by Mr. Henry Hall when he pur- 

 chased it in 1852. The grounds include a large 

 garden with deer park, and extend over the West- 

 brook side of the river. In 1339 William Tren- 

 chaunt had licence from the Bishop of Winchester 

 to have divine service celebrated in an oratory in 

 his house. 91 



The reputed manor of THEDDEN, now called 

 THEDDEN GRANGE (Thuddene xiii. cent., 

 Titden and Thydden xv. cent.) lies about a mile 

 and a half to the west of Alton. 



In 1203 Henry Walens' and William de Insula 

 were parties to a fine as to Thedden. 92 In 1399 

 Richard Esteney and Nicholas Wyard paid rent 

 for land there to the lord of Alton. 93 In 1485 

 John Pakenham died seized of the manor of Thed- 

 den leaving a son and heir Edmund, aged six. 94 

 In 1550 it was in the possession of Sir Edmund 

 Mervyn and Elizabeth his wife. 98 In 1561 Henry 

 Mervyn conveyed it to Thomas Twyne, 98 who, 

 two years later, died seized of it, leaving a son and 

 heir Thomas, then of age. 97 In 1619 John Hunt 

 died seized of it. 98 Robert Hunt, John's son and 

 heir, died seized of it in 1623, 

 leaving a son and heir John, 

 eleven years of age. 99 John 

 Gold was rated for ' Thidden 

 farm ' in 1 74O. 100 The pro- 

 perty came eventually into 

 the hands of Sir Laurence 

 Halstead, who built a man- 

 sion here. He sold it, about 

 1840, to John Wood, who 

 in 1854 built Thedden WOOD. Gules three -wild 



Chapel near to it. """ W .'" u f" * eir V', 



ru jTTwrs r W/T p arms " lver """" ' acb 

 C H A U N 7"S / JV G K i witt a f onltrtd cross gu i cs 



(Canteshangra xiv. cent.) lay and in their right bands 

 on the northern side of the cluh resting upon the 

 town of Alton. Sir Roger MMs > fitf of &ld i- 



,, - - . ,? vetted ivttb a star between 



Cyfrewast of Clewer (Cly- ^j,^, dt ly , O f axure . 

 ware), kt., died in 1361 



seized of rent there, held of the lord of Basing. 101 

 This descended to his son and heir John, who died 

 seized of it in 1394 leaving a son and heir John, 

 aged twenty-two. 102 The place is called a manor 

 in 1533, when William Thorpe acquired it of 

 Lord Mountjoy. 103 About the year 1557 Sir John 



Leigh purchased it of Sir Richard Lyster. 10 * Leigh 

 died seized of it in 1576, leaving a son and heir 

 John, 106 who died seized of it in 1613 leaving a 

 son and heir Thomas, aged six. 108 This Thomas 

 and Marian his wife sold the ' manor or farm ' of 

 Cansangers in 1634 to John Butler of Alton. 107 



It appears as ' Canchongers ' in a map of Alton 

 dated in i665, 108 ' Cantsinger's house and land' 

 is mentioned in 1740, and there is a field at the 

 back of the houses on the east side of Church 

 Street still known as ' Chauntsinger's field.' 



The manor of WILLHALL (Wildehel) was held 

 by Ocsen in the time of Edward the Confessor as 

 an alod of the king, but by 1086 it had passed to 

 Walter son of Other, at which time there was a 

 church there. 109 Walter son of Other was the 

 ancestor of the Windsor family, 110 which we find 

 held this manor as overlords. 111 In 1 208 John 

 de Vautort, or Valletort, dealt with this manor by 

 fine, 113 and later in the thirteenth century a John 

 de Vautort held a knight's fee there of the old 

 feoffment of William de Windsor, who held of 

 Hugh de Audley (Hauldeleye) who held of the 

 king. 113 This manor was still in the possession of 

 the Vautort family in 1312-3, when John Vautort 

 held it. 114 In 1428 it was held by Thomas 

 Bromflete of Richard Windsor as of his manor of 

 Stanwell in Middlesex 116 by a rent of 6s. 8<, 

 called Wardsilver, payable every twenty-four 

 weeks, 116 and in 1451 the heirs of Thomas 

 Bromflete held it in like manner of Miles 

 Windsor. 117 This is the latest reference which 

 has been found of the manor, but the manor 

 house is probably represented by Willhall farm. 



Material for the history of THE 

 ALTON TOWN OF ALTON seems to be ex- 

 TOWN tremely scanty. The bailiffs were 

 directed in 1215 to pay to the Crown 

 the farm or rent by which they held it. 118 Four 

 years later ' the men ' of Alton had to answer their 

 rent to William De Preaux who had been granted 

 the manor of Alton by King John. 119 In 1269 

 the bailiffi were directed to pay the farm of the 

 town towards the works at Winchester. 120 



The town returned two members to the Par- 

 liament of I295, 121 but no subsequent return is 

 extant, though the bailiffs were on several occa- 

 sions in Edward II. 's reign directed to make one. 

 The town was granted by the king in 1 3 30 to Hugh 

 de Turpyton for life. 122 After this we find it in 



91 Egerton MS. 2031-4. 



Feet of F. Hants, John, No. 36. 



3 B. M. Add. R. 27,820. 



94 Inq. p.m. ner. 2, vol. 2, No. 74. 



96 Feet of F. Div. Co. Hil. 3 & 4 

 Edw. VI. See under Bramshott. 



9 Feet of F .Hants, Trin. 3 & Mich. 

 3 & 4 Eliz. 



97 Inq. p.m. ii. Exch. File 1002, No. 9. 

 08 Ibid. (V.O.) ser. 2, 1 7 Jas. I. No. 58. 

 99 Inq. p.m. Wards & Liveries, 21. 



Jas. I. ser. 2, vol. 38, No. 61. 



1 Par. Rec. quoted in Curtis' His- 

 tory of Alton, p. 87. 



11 Inq. p.m. 135 Edw. III. 1st nos. 

 2nd pt. No. 56. 



10 Ibid. 17 Ric. II. No. ill. 



103 Feet of F. Hants, Mich. 24 Hen. 

 VIII. 



10* Ibid. Hil. 3 & 4 Ph. & Mary. 

 See also Feet of F. Hants, East. 38 

 Eliz. and Hil. 43 Eliz. 



105 Inq. P.M. ser. 2, clxxv. 82. 



108 Ibid. Wards & Liveries, bdle. 14, 

 No. 97. 



1 7 Recov. R. Deeds Enrolled, Mich. 

 10 Chas. I. m. 8. 



1 8 In the possession of M. G. 

 Knight, Esq. ; a copy is in the Alton 

 museum. The map is reproduced in 

 Curtis' History of Alton, p. 114. 



l V.C.H. Hants, i. 497. 



"0 Ibid. 425. 



HI We have evidence that the family 

 of Windsor held the overlordship of this 

 manor down to 1451; see Inq. p.m. 13 

 Ric. II. No. 32 ; 9 Hen. V. No. 45 ; 

 6 Hen. VI. No. 46 ; 17 Hen. VI. No. 



479 



36; 30 Hen. VI. No. n. For the 

 descent of the family see the manor of 

 Millcourt in Binsted. 



112 Feet of F. Hants, John, No. 71. 



113 Testa de Ncvill (Rec. Com.) 



11* Inq. a.q.d. 6 Edw. II. No. 93. 



115 Inq. p.m. 6 Hen. VI. No. 46. 



ll Ibid. 9 Hen. V. No. 45 and 17 

 Hen. VI. No. 36. 



1" Ibid. 30 Hen. VI. No. n. 



118 Close, 17 John, pt. I, m. 6, 7 

 &2 4 . 



" 9 Ibid. 3 Henry III. pt. 2, m. 9 ; 

 Charter R. 17 John, m. 2. 



120 Anc. Corresp. ii. 27. 



121 Return of Members of Parl. I, 5. 



122 Pat. 4 Edw. III. pt. I, m. 25. 



