A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



the possession of the lord of the manor of Alton 

 Westbroolc, and reference is made, temp. Richard 

 II. and Henry IV., to the bailiffs of the person or 

 persons holding the manor." 3 The head bailiff 

 of the town is mentioned in l62O. 184 



The evidence points to a prescriptive incorpora- 

 tion of some kind, and this corporation evidently 

 held the town of the grantee of the manor and 

 hundred of Alton, the lord no doubt appointing 

 the bailiffs. Unfortunately no evidence has been 

 found as to when this corporation ceased to exist. 



The hall, called the ' Gildhall ' is mentioned 

 in 1434, worth nothing beyond reprises. A court 

 called ' Le Turne,' was then held four times a 

 year, twice in Easter term and twice in Michael- 

 mas term. 125 



There is little evidence as to the ancient in- 

 dustries of the town, but the number of Alton 

 tradesmen's tokens of the seventeenth century 

 point to much commercial activity. 128 In 1738 

 five hundred persons were engaged in making 

 barracan, a coarse sort of camlet. 1 * 7 Fulling, paper- 

 making, tanning and brewing were also carried 

 on extensively in the eighteenth century. Within 

 recent years an iron-implement manufactory and 

 photo-engraving works have been established. 



The RECTORT of Alton was granted to the 

 abbey of Hyde, Winchester, in 1070, by William 

 the Conqueror at the same time that he gave to 

 that abbey the manor of Alton Eastbrook ; 128 it 

 was one of the nine benefices of which William 

 GiffarJ, Bishop of Winchester, temporarily seized 

 the revenues in order to help in providing the 

 cost of completing the great Norman cathedral 

 church at Winchester which Walkelin his prede- 

 cessor had begun. 



In 1309 the abbot of Hyde had licence, for 

 which he paid 100 marks, subsequently remitted, 

 to appropriate the church of Alton with the 

 chapels appertaining. 129 These chapels were Holy- 

 bourne, and Binsted and Kingsley, which remained 

 part of the parish of Alton until the nineteenth 

 century. 



On the dissolution of Hyde Abbey, the rectory 

 of Alton with Binstead and Kingsley was in lease 

 at a yearly rent of 2 5 I os. ; the lessee was to re- 

 pair the rectory buildings, the roof with straw. 130 

 The rectory was granted, I May, 1541, to the 

 dean and chapter of Winchester. 131 



On 1 8 July, 1580, Dr. John Watson, dean of 

 Winchester and rector of Alton, leased to the 

 Crown the rectory and right of presentation 

 from 9 May, 1600, for the term of eight-four 

 years. 132 The queen in the following year assigned 

 this lease to Sir Francis Walsingham. 133 He assigned 

 it to Launcelot Andrewes, afterwards Bishop of 

 Winchester, towards his support at the university. 



In 1649 there belonged to the rectory, seized 

 by the Parliament as the property of the dean and 

 chapter of Winchester, ' the tythes of all sorts of 

 corne and hay within the parish of Alton, except 

 the villages of Kingsley and Binstead, two barns 

 and other necessary outhousing containing half an 

 acre.' 1M 



The church of St. Lawrence is for 

 CHURCH the most part of the fifteenth century, 

 and consists of a chancel and nave of 

 seven bays without any structural division, with a 

 south aisle of the same length, but divided mid- 

 way by a tower of much earlier date, with shingled 

 broach spire, to the east of which projects a 

 small vestry ; there is also a south porch, and 

 opposite to the vestry an organ chamber formed 

 out of an old chapel. 



The church consisted originally of a chancel, 

 central tower, transepts, and a nave, to which were 

 added a south and perhaps a north aisle. The nave 

 and aisles were certainly of three bays, and may 

 have bean longer. 



The date of all this work, with the exception 

 of the aisles, was early Norman, probably circa 

 1090. The aisles were added about 1140. 



Early in the thirteenth century the chancel, 

 which was probably apsidal, was replaced by a 

 new one, square ended and of greater length, 

 which was widened northwards early in the four- 

 teenth century. About a century later great alter- 

 ations were made. First the north transept was 

 taken down and the north side of the nave. An 

 arcade was then pierced through the north wall of 

 the chancel, and prolonged westwards as far as the 

 west wall of the nave. This arcade formed the 

 south side of a new chancel and nave, which 

 were carried up with it. The south transept 

 was also taken down, and the tower arch that 

 opened into it walled up. The vestry and stair 

 turret were then built, partly as abutments to the 

 tower, and from the east and west sides of the 

 tower short connecting walls were carried north- 

 wards to join the newly built arcade. The arcade 

 on the south of the nave was also walled up, and 

 the aisle removed, and the nave itself widened by 

 taking down its north side and extending it up to 

 the new arcade. The addition of the south 

 porch and of a projecting chapel or vestry on the 

 north side of the new work completed the present 

 somewhat unusual plan. 



The north chapel is probably that mentioned 

 in a royal licence of 20 October, 1473, to Sir 

 Maurice Berkeley, Sir John Parre, Hugh Crikland, 

 perpetual vicar of Alton, and others to found a 

 chantry of one chaplain to celebrate daily ' in a 

 chapel lately built by John Champfloure in the 

 said parish church.' m 



Add. R. 27,816 and 27,826. 



I 24 Monumental brass to him in 

 Alton church. 



l* B Inq. p.m. 12 Hen. VI. No. 43. 

 In the middle of the sixteenth century 

 we have mention of messuages called 

 Le Hart and of an inn called Le 

 Pellycan (Mins. Acct. 30-3 1, Hen. VIII. 

 No. 135, m. 38d to 39d). 



126 Curtis'i Hist, of Alton, p. 114. 



Hit. MSS. Com. Report on the VIII. 135, m. 35 



130 Mins. Accts. No. 30-31 Hen. 



Duke of Portland's Papers, vi. (x.) 172. 



"8 Hyde Abbey, Hants Rec. Soc. 

 p. 1 10. Stowe MS. 944, fo. 41. 



129 Inq. a.q.d. 2 Edw. II. 142 ; Pat. z 

 Edw. II. pt. z, m. II, & Close, 4 

 Edw. II. m. 26. 



480 



Pat. 33Hen.VIII.pt. 9, m. 5-11. 

 133 Ibid. 23 Elir. pt. II, m. 3. 

 133 Ibid. 



13* Parl. Surv. of Ch. Liv.at Lambeth. 

 135 Pat. 13 Edw. IV. pt. 2, m. 15. 



