SELBORNE HUNDRED 



SELBORNE 



Close by the Selborne Arms a path leads through 

 the Punfle, a triangular field let out in allotments, to 

 the foot of the Hanger. Here a path to the left 

 tailed 'the Bostal' leads up through the wood to 

 Selborne Hill and Common. As the path mounts 

 higher and higher glimpses of the village and church 

 are seen through the trees, and finally, at the point 

 where the Bostal merges into the high wood, a full 

 view of the village is seen through a cutting in the 

 trees in a triangular frame of foliage. Besides the 

 Bostal there is another pathway up the hill leading 

 straight up from the Punfle through a cutting in the 

 trees. This is the Zigzag, its name, so familiar to the 

 general reader through Gilbert White, suggesting its 

 formation. At the top of the Zigzag is a big round 

 boulder known as the ' Wishing Stone.' Here at the 

 top of the hill the wood changes its character and 

 becomes a stretch of wild undergrowth, untrodden 

 brambles, and avenues of tall bracken, with here and 

 there grassy glades and yellow patches of rock roses 

 in the early summer, or later in the season groups of 

 foxgloves and briar roses and trails of honeysuckle. 

 The pathways through the wood are many and 

 bewildering, but one well-trodden way leads in 

 almost a straight line through the wood to Selborne 

 Common and across the common to the parish of 

 Newton Valence, which lies south-east of Selborne. 

 On the other side of Selborne village a steep lane 

 called Hucker's Lane goes to Hucker's Cottages. 

 Opposite is a stile leading across a meadow to a slop- 

 ing and wooded hill and grassy valley known as the 

 Short Lythe, and on again to a longer hill and 

 valley known as the Long Lythe. 



Norton Farm is almost directly north of Selborne 

 on the right-hand side of the road from Alton at 

 a corner where the road branches to the right to 

 Faringdon. Further north-east of Norton are Lower 

 and Upper Wick Hill Farms and Priory Farm on the 

 site of Selborne Priory. Remains of the monastic 

 house have been found here, and several stone coffins 

 which have now been removed to Selborne church. 



Further north and east of the parish is the hamlet 

 of Oakhanger, including Oakhanger Farm and Chapel 

 Farm. The houses of Oakhanger lie scattered for the 

 most part over the sandy and barren common, though 

 some are grouped along the road, which serves as a 

 kind of village street. There is a small chapel of ease 

 attached to Blackmoor church and a Congregational 

 chapel. 



Directly east of Selborne and south of Oakhanger 

 are Sotherington Farm, backed by Fox Crag Meadow, 

 and Upper Temple Farm. The latter is on the site 

 of the manor of Temple Sotherington and commands 

 a very beautiful view over Blackmoor to Weaver's 

 Hill and Holywater Clump," while beyond in the far 

 distance is Hindhead, and to the left Crooksbury 

 Hill. Temple Hanger and Plainbairn Copse are in 

 the foreground to the north and west, and farther 

 north are Shrub Copse and Ironpaddock Copse. To 

 the south on high ground almost parallel with 

 Temple is Bradshott Hall, owned by Lieut.-Colonel 



Thurlow, on the site of the original Bradshott Farm, 

 dating at least in name back to the thirteenth century." 

 The house is modern and without special interest, 

 except that it commands a splendid view. Looking 

 directly north-east, Bradshott park and woods are 

 in the immediate foreground, with Temple Hanger 

 on the left and Blackmoor on the right, while be- 

 yond is Kingsley, and beyond Kingsley in the blue 

 distance Farnham and the Surrey Hills. 



Beyond Blackmoor, which lies due east of Temple 

 and south-west of Oakhanger, the whole parish is one 

 long stretch of forest, since the three-fifths of Woolmer 

 Forest that are in Selborne cover a tract of land 

 about 7 miles in length by ^\ in breadth. There 

 are three large ponds on the edge of the forest two 

 in Oakhanger, Oakhanger and Rookery, and one 

 called Bin's or Bean's Pond, which is frequented by 

 wild duck, teal, snipe, and other water fowl. Within 

 the forest are the three ponds of Woolmer, Hogmoor, 

 and Cranmer. The first is very shallow and generally 

 fordable, varying in winter and summer from a broad 

 sheet of water covering about 66 acres to a bed of 

 sand almost entirely dry. 



The manor of SELBORNE was the 

 M4NOR ancient demesne of the crown, and, 

 according to the Domesday Survey, 

 Queen Edith held it in the time of Edward the 

 Confessor, and ' it never paid geld.' Then it was worth 

 1 2j. 6J., but by the time of the survey only 8/. 4</. 

 Half a hide of the manor, with the church, had been 

 given by the king to Radfred the priest. 13 There is 

 no evidence to show when the lands in Selborne, 

 which afterwards became the manor of the prior and 

 convent of Selborne, were granted to the family of 

 de Lucy, but a patent of 1229 confirmed these lands 

 to Stephen de Lucy for his life for an annual rent of 

 4 yearly." In 1233 the land which Stephen de 

 Lucy had held was granted by royal charter to 

 Peter des Roches, bishop of Winchester, for the 

 foundation of Selborne Priory." In February of 1 234 

 the king granted freedom from tallage ' on the land 

 in the manor of Selborne which the king gave to 

 Peter bishop of Winchester ' to the prior and monks 

 of Selborne." In April of the same year he granted 

 them further extensive rights and privileges, freedom 

 from view of frankpledge and from any interference 

 of the sheriff, while their lands which lay within the 

 king's forest were to be free from view of regard." 

 The manor of Selborne remained in the possession of 

 the prior and convent until the end of the fifteenth 

 century, when the financial state of the priory was 

 proved to be hopeless. Its possessions were then 

 annexed by Bishop Waynflete in 1484 to his new 

 foundation of Magdalen College, Oxford, 18 and belong 

 to the^college at the present time. 



Priory Farm of modern days is on a site to the 

 south of that of the priory buildings. The last 

 mention of these buildings is in a rent roll of 1463, 

 when, among the expenses of the convent, come 

 repairs of the priory house, including 4,000 tiles 

 for the roof of the ' frayter,' the stables, and the 



11 Here a hermit is supposed to have 

 lived, but nothing remains to prove the 

 legend. 



18 In 1250 Roger de Charlecote granted 

 his messuage, mill, and 35 acres of land 

 in ' Bradechete ' to the prior and convent 

 of Selborne. Selborne Chart. (Hants Rec. 

 Soc.), i, 35. At a later date he confirmed 



his grant ' with a certain addition on the 

 east side of his house between his old and 

 new ditch,' and added also the land he had 

 in ' Bradcsate ' ' by the gift of Laurence 

 de Hayes of the tenure of Blakemer." 

 (Ibid, i, 44-) 



18 V.C.H. Hants, ii, 45 1 a. 



14 Cal. Pat. 1225-32, p. 235. 



15 The charter runs thus: 'totamterram 

 cum pertinentiis in manerio de Seleburne 

 quam magister Stephanus de Lucy ali- 

 quando tenuit de concessione nostra.' 



16 Close, 1 8 Hen. Ill, m. 29. 



V Exch. Trans, of Chart. No. 2. 

 18 Stlborne Chart. (Hants Rec. Soc.), i, 

 119-35 ; V.C.H. Hants, ii, 179. 



