A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



of the original fittings. A very fine and well- 

 preserved piece of thirteenth century ironwork, in 

 the passage to the billiard room, is worthy of 

 notice ; it is an elaborate wrought-iron hinge, on 

 a plain oak door which is probably of the same 

 date, removed a few years ago from Neatham 

 manor house, formerly belonging to Waverley 

 Abbey and afterwards to the Lords Montague of 

 Cowdray. 



The stables and outbuildings are to the north- 

 west of the house, at a lower level, and are of con- 

 siderable interest. The stables stand east and 

 west, with projecting gables at either end of the 

 south face. They are built of brick and stone 

 with stone dressings and mullioned windows, and 



ENTRANCE DOORWAY TO STABLES. 



a cut brick string at half height. The entrance 

 doorway is in the middle of the south side, with a 

 plain arched head, and in the wall over it, in lead 

 letters let into a small stone, the initials and date 

 I. 1593 K., doubtless the same John Knight whose 

 initials occur on the fireback in the hall. North- 

 east of the stables is a rectangular red brick pigeon 

 house, now ruinous, and another rectangular 

 gabled building with two narrow and deeply 

 splayed window openings at either end, and above 

 them in the gables small stone mullioned win- 

 dows. A painting of the house, of the first 

 half of the eighteenth century, shows the garden 



laid out in terraces with formal trees, but only 

 slight traces of the old arrangement now exist. 



In the village of Chawton stands a plain square 

 brick house of two storeys, once the home of Miss 

 Jane Austen, the famous novelist. It has no 

 architectural interest, and retains beside its walls 

 little which can claim to have existed in the time 

 of her occupation. On its east side it abuts on 

 the village street, having a little garden to the 

 south. The south-east room on the ground floor 

 is of some size, and must have been a pleasant 

 room before it lost the projecting bay window at 

 its east end. In the north-east room is a chimney- 

 piece of 'Adam's' style. 



The endowment of the rectory of Chawton, 

 the patronage of which has always been held by 

 the lord of the manor, is now commuted tithe of 

 the nominal value of 490 with 60 acres of glebe 

 and a rectory house. 



The church of St. Nicholas, taxed 

 CHURCH in 1291 at 8/. 13;. 4^.," stands only 

 about 70 yards from the manor house 

 at the bottom of the valley. It consists of a 

 chancel with north aisle or chapel, nave of four 

 bays with north aisle, and tower at the south-west 

 angle forming a porch entrance. The old 

 church, which consisted of chancel and nave with 

 low tower at the west end, was burnt down in 

 1871. The present building of flint and Bath stone 

 was designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield. The altar 

 is an oak table of the time of Archbishop Laud. 



On the north side of the altar is a black and 

 white marble monument with semi-recumbent 

 effigy to Sir Richard Knight, ob. 1679. Also a 

 tablet to Elizabeth Knight, ob. 1737. The rood- 

 screen is surmounted by figures of the Rood and 

 SS. Mary and John. 



The parish registers begin in 1593 and 

 previous to 1812 consist of five volumes : i. 

 1596-1658 ; ii., 1662-1708; iii., 1708-1806; 

 iv - 1757-1806; and v., 1806-1813. There 

 are two volumes of churchwardens' accounts, from 

 1621 to 1 8 1 2, and from 1813 to the present time. 



The communion plate includes a flagon dated 

 1641, a large paten dated 1726, and a chalice 

 and small paten dated 1667. Two of the six bells 

 are pre-Reformation ; one is inscribed, ' S. Nicho- 

 las ora pro nobis,' and the other, ' Sancta Maria 

 ora pro nobis.' 



There is mention, in 1302, of the free chapel 

 of St. Laurence within the 'court' of the manor ; 

 so that, as the church is so close to the manor 

 house, we may presume this was a chapel of the 

 church. In 1337 we have reference to a chantry 

 in this chapel founded by Sir Robert St. John.* 8 

 The chantry certificate made in Henry the 

 Eighth's reign does not mention either the chapel 

 or the chantry therein, but refers to Thomas 

 Womme, parson of Chawton, having, as his pre- 

 decessors had, the chantry lands as parcel of his 

 glebe."* The chantry certificate of Edward VI. is 

 also silent as to the chantry, but mentions an obit 



T,tion of Pope Nichola, (R ec . s In,, p.m. 30 Edw. I. No. 36, *> Chantry certif. No. 51. 

 Com.), p. 210. ,nd also n Edw. III. i,t no.. No. 49 



tnd Pit. 10 Edw. III. pt. i, m . 16. 



5OO 



