A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



from south-east to north-west. A bourne called 

 the Holybourne rises in the centre of the parish, 

 and after a short course joins the Wey. 



This 



SOURCE OF THE HOLYBOURNE. 



division of the parish caused the name of Holy- 

 bourne Eastbrook to be given, as early as 1346,* to 

 that portion lying on the right of the bourne, and 

 Holybourne Westbrook to that on the left. The 

 main road from London to Gosport passes through 

 the parish, parallel with the river Wey ; and be- 

 tween the two is the railway from Farnham to Alton. 

 Neatham, a tithing containing about 1,100 

 acres, lies on the east side of the river Wey, 

 about half a mile from Holybourne village. It 

 was anciently a place of considerable importance. 2 

 Waverley Abbey had a grange here and the name 

 of Monk's Wood survives in connection with a 

 finely wooded hill on the southern border of the 

 parish. Neatham now only contains two farm- 

 houses, two mills and a few scattered cottages, but 

 it has a civil organization distinct from the parish of 

 Holybourne, in which it is ecclesiastically included. 



At the time of the Domesday Survey 

 MANORS HOLTBOURNE was in the king's 

 hands ; it had been held by Ulward 

 of the Confessor, assessed at I hide ; 3 but 

 it is added that Godwine held it of the 

 Confessor and that it paid geld for 2 hides. 

 In 1303 John de Westcote acquired a 

 messuage, carucate of land and rents in 

 Holybourne and La Holte of William 

 Connyn. 4 The ' vill ' is described as in the 

 king's hands in 1 3 1 6. 5 



In 1333, Richard de la Bere of West- 

 cote died seized of what was presumably the 

 manor of Holybourne, as an extent is given 

 setting out the services of tenants, etc., and 

 it was then held of the Earl of Kent as of 

 Alton. Thomas de la Bere was his son and 

 heir, then aged thirty. 8 



A few years later, in 1337, it was found 

 that John son of John de Westcote, de- 

 ceased, possessed two parts of the manor, 

 and that these had been seized into the 

 Crown's hands by reason of his idiocy ; the 

 property was then held of John Daber- 

 noun. The deceased's four sisters were his 

 co-heirs : Alice wife of William Colrich, 

 Sibyl wife of Simon Bonyng, Alice wife of 

 Laurence de Pagham, and Margaret wife of 

 John de Fulguardby.' 



In 1346 John Gask held the third part 

 of a fee in Holybourne Eastbrook which 

 was formerly of John de Westcotr. 8 



Apparently the 

 same property was 

 held in 1428 by 

 Gilbert Banbury.' It 

 was so held in 1431, 

 when it was de- 

 cribed as 'the manor' 

 of Holybourne East- 

 brook. 10 

 Joan daughter and heir of 



Gilbert Banbury, married 



Sir Bernard Brocas of Beau- 



repaire and retained posses- 

 sion of property in Holybourne Eastbrook and 



Westbrook until her death 



in 1429, when it was in- 

 herited by her younger son 



Bernard, described as of 



Horton, Bucks. 11 Bernard 



died in 1459, and a year 



and a half later, when the 



house of Lancaster came to 



an end, his son, also named 



Bernard, placed his property 



in trust. 13 



T . . BROCAS. Sable 



In 1487 John Hay ward, par d rampant gold. 

 gent., died seized of the 

 manors of Holybourne Eastbrook 

 brook held of the manor of 



BANBURY. Silver a 

 cross gules and four moleti 

 gules. 



and West- 

 Alton. Thomas 



Feud. Aids, ii. 333. 



Sic p. 513. 



V.C.H. Hants, i. 510. 



Feet of F. Hants, file 1 5, No. 146. 



Feud. Aids, ii. 314. 



8 Inq. p.m. 6 Edw. III. ist no. 

 No. 73. 



7 Ibid. 10 Edw. III. ist nos. No. 46, 

 and Pat. 7 Edw. III. pt. i, m. a. 



8 Feud. Aids, ii. 333. 



5" 



Ibid. p. 357. 



10 Ibid. p. 363. 



11 Brocas Family, by Prof. Burrows, 

 p. I 54. 



12 Close, I Edw. IV. m. lid. 



