A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



Hugh St. John, confirmed it to the bishop. 35 

 Shortly after 1391 the Bishop of Winchester ob- 

 tained a grant of free warren in his manor of 

 Binsted St. Clare, 38 and in 1428 the Bishop and 

 John Estney held the property, described as for- 

 merly held by John St. Clare. 37 In 143 1 William 

 Lord Botreaux held a free tenement in Binsted ; 38 

 and in the inquisition taken on his death in 1462 

 this is described as the ' manor ' of Binsted held of 

 the Bishop of Winchester. He left a daughter 

 and heir Margaret, aged forty, the widow of 

 Robert, Lord Hungerford. 39 This is the last 

 reference that has been found to the manor of 

 Binsted St. Clare. The bishop has now no pos- 

 sessions in Binsted. There is a fine dated 1527 by 

 which a manor of Binsted was acquired by William 

 Lokke of William Purde and Joyce his wife, with a 

 warranty against the heirs of Joyce and the Abbot 

 of Westminster, 40 and in a rental of Alton of about 

 1 600, John Locke paid rent for ' Billinghurst farm ' 

 in Binsted." 



An extent of the manor of Binsted St. Clare 

 taken in 1335 mentions a capital messuage with 

 a garden, 2 acres of pasture, a water mill, 2 acres 

 of wood, pleas of the court, etc. 4a 



Held of the manor of Binsted St. Clare, and 

 situated in the parish of Binsted, was the manor of 

 WESTCOTE or WESTCOURT. We first hear 

 of this manor in 1333, when Richard de la Bere, 

 whose son and heir was Thomas, then aged thirty, 

 died seized of it, rendering yearly to Richard 

 Folyott of Rolesham a pair of gloves. 43 



In 1346 Nicholas de la Bere held Westcote of 

 the manor of Binsted St. Clare. 44 In 1363 

 Thomas de Westcote died seized of it, leaving a 

 son and heir Richard. 45 In a rental of Alton, 

 dated 1398, we find that Richard Westcote paid 

 55*. for certain lands and tenements in Binsted. 46 

 In 1428 the property was 

 held by Elizabeth Wayte, 47 

 and in 1458 Richard Holt 

 died seized of it, when it was 

 said to be held of Alton. 

 He left two daughters and 

 co-heirs, Christine, aged 

 fourteen, and Elizabeth, 

 aged ten. 48 Christine became 

 the wife of Sir Edward 

 Berkeley, knight, who held 

 the manor by courtesy, at her 



j .1 s i 



death in 1506 ; it was then 

 held of the manor of Alton, 

 By Christine, Sir Edward 

 had a daughter Laura, who married William, 



, B K1!I - EV - Gul " " 



cbfueron ana ten frosslcfs 



^ ., whh a bor _ 

 der silver. 



Lord Mountjoy, who died in 1485, and his son 

 William, in I 506, was heir to the manor and aged 

 twenty-six. 49 He died in 1534, and the year 

 before his death sold it to William Thorpe. 60 



After this Westcourt was held by Sir Richard 

 Lyster, who died 1553. He was succeeded by 

 his grandson Richard, who sold it in 1555 to 

 Henry Heighes, who died seized of it in 1595," 

 and was succeeded by his son Nicholas. In 1602 

 Nicholas acquired a third part of the manor of 

 William Tuttie and Thomasine his wife. 62 Nicholas 

 died in l62O. 63 He had sold the reversion of the 

 manor to Henry Pratt, but his brother Edmund, 

 who was over age at Nicholas's death, is men- 

 tioned in the rental of Alton, of about 1600, as 

 paying 6os. \d. rent for property in Binsted, 54 

 though Thomas Locke paid rent for 'Westcotte 

 Ferme.' 65 Edmund left it in 1652 to his wife 

 Joan for life and then to his ' sister's daughter's 

 eldest son,' Samuel Woodford. The manor re- 

 mained in the Woodford family till 1728, when 

 the Ridges became owners, 56 and on the death of 

 Sir Thomas Ridge, a wine merchant at Portsea, in 

 1 768, his creditors, the Earl of Buckinghamshire 

 and Bishop Warburton of Gloucester became 

 owners. They conveyed it in 1769 to Dr. John 

 Butler, prebendary of Winchester and afterwards 

 Bishop of Hereford, who died in 1802 leaving it 

 to his nephew, John Butler Ford, who died in- 

 testate in 1826, when the property was inherited 

 by his brother, Frederick Ford, who in 1831 sold 

 it to Mr. Henry Wheeler of Mill Court, Binsted, 

 in whose family it still remains. 



An extent of Westcourt in 1332 mentions a 

 capital messuage, dovecote and garden, 64 acres of 

 arable land, 4^ acres of meadow, two ponds and 

 an acre of wood ; the rents of the free tenants 

 amounted to 48*. ll< 57 



Westcourt Mill was the subject of a lawsuit in 

 the reign of James I. 68 



The manor house is situated a short distance to 

 the north-west of the church, and was occupied up 

 to 1894 by tenants of the owner of the manor, 

 but is now divided into tenements for labourers. 

 The present owner does not possess any court rolls 

 of the manor. 



In July, 1367, Richard de Windsor died 

 seized of the manor of ' LA MULLE ' or MILL- 

 COURT held of Alton, leaving Miles son of 

 James de Windsor his grandson and heir, aged 

 fourteen. 69 Brian de Windsor held it in I398. 80 

 Alice wife of Brian Windsor died seized of it in 

 1406, leaving Richard son of the said Brian her 

 heir. 61 



38 Feet of F. Hants, file 29, Nos. 

 4,6. 

 58 Chart. R. 14 Rich. II. No. 13. 



37 Feudal Aids, ii. 357. 



38 Ibid. p. 363. 



39 Inq. p.m. z Edw. IV. No. 15. 



Feet of F. Hants, Mich. 18 Hen. 

 VIII. 



Add. MS. 27,893. 

 Inq. p.m. 9 Edw. III. No. 48. 

 Ibid. 6 Edw. III. lit nos. No. 73. 

 41 Feudal Aids, ii. 335. 



46 Inq. p.m. 37 Edw. III. 1st nos., 

 No. 74. 



18 Add. Chart. 27,820. 



47 Feudal Aids, ii. 357. 



48 Inq. p.m. 36 Hen. VI. No. 32. 



49 Ibid. ter. 2, vol. 19, No. 89. 



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

 VIII. 



61 Inq. p.m. Chan. ser. ii. vol. 250, 

 No. 1 6. 



6a Feet of F. Hants, Mich. 44-5 

 Eliz. 



486 



63 Inq. W. and L. 20 Jas. I. bdle. 56, 

 No. 1 86 ; and Inq. p.m. 12 Clias. I. 

 pt. I, No. 49. 



84 Add. Chart. 27,893. 6 Ibid. 



68 Feet of F. Hants, Mich. 2 Geo. II. 



87 Inq. p.m. 6 Edw. III. ist nos. No. 



68 Chan. Proc. Jas. I. c. 26/85. 



69 Inq. p.m. 41 Edw. III. lit nos. 

 No. 61. 



8 Add. Chart. 27,820. 



l Inq. p.m. 8 Hen. IV. No. 57. 



