A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



mysterious acre disappears as suddenly as it appeared. 

 On her death, in 1554, it was settled on trustees 152 

 and evidently descended to Ambrose Dudley, but 

 reverted probably to the crown with the rest of his 

 property on his death without heirs in 1589. At 

 any rate it evidently again became parcel of the manor 

 and passed as part of the same to John Pescod of 

 Newton Valence some time before 1558. In what 

 year John Pescod acquired the rest of the manor it 

 is difficult to say. It may have been that when 

 Thomas Lord De La Warr was suffering under the 

 royal displeasure in 1538 for his adherence to the old 

 religion, and had to pay for his release from the 

 Tower by the surrender of Halnaker (Sussex), he 

 also surrendered the manor of Oakhanger all but the 

 acre which was held as before described. This is 

 borne out by a letter which he wrote to Cromwell in 

 November, 1539, saying that if the lands in Hamp- 

 shire which the king had promised him in exchange 

 for Halnaker were worth more than the latter he 

 would 'gladly part with other 

 lands lying commodiously for 

 His Grace.' 163 Possibly the 

 grant was then made to John 

 Pescod, who died seised of the 

 manor in 1558, leaving his son 

 Richard as his heir. 154 In 

 1564 Richard Pescod brought 

 an action in Chancery against 

 Richard Springham, citizen 

 and mercer of London, who, 

 knowing that Pescod was in 

 debt and in great need of money, 

 was 'greatly desirous to take 

 lease ' of the Oakhanger Ponds, promising to lend him 

 100 or j75 or more for a reasonable time, and a 

 yearly rent of forty carps from the pond. The lease 

 had therefore been made for forty years, but when 

 one year of the time had elapsed the lessee refused to 

 make the promised loan, or pay the yearly rent unless 

 the plaintiff would mortgage to him the manor of 

 Oakhanger and other premises as security for the re- 

 payment of the jioo. Thereupon after Springham 

 had promised that even if the said orator should break 

 day with him by the space of one month or two or 

 three he would not take any advantage of the mort- 

 gage, ' the said orator conceaved and had such trust 

 and confidence in the said Richard ' that he bargained 

 and sold the manor on condition that if he should pay 

 the 100 within the time agreed the bargain and sale 

 should be void. Yet when he could not well pay the 

 sum on the day fixed the defendant, in spite of his 

 former promises not to take immediate advantage of 

 the mortgage, ' being of covetous mind and intending 

 subtily to get the manor and pond of Oakhanger,' 

 tried to expel the plaintiff and seize the manor for 

 debt. Defendant stated that he had acted according 



PESCOD. Sable ermincd 

 argent a chief or -with 

 three griffons sahle therein. 



to the agreement, and when the plaintiff could not 

 pay he offered him a further sum to make up the 

 value of the manor, but Pescod ' obstinately and will- 

 fully refused to accept the offer.' '" However the 

 judgement eventually went for the plaintiff, who in 

 1568, evidently compelled by his debts and poverty, 

 mortgaged the manor to a certain William Smith and 

 others. 154 In August, 1571, Richard Pescod died leav- 

 ing the manor to his son and heir Thomas, 157 who 

 in June, 1578, granted the whole to his brother, 

 John Pescod of Roxwell. 153 In 1587 John Pescod 

 died seised of the manor, leaving his brother Nicholas 

 as heir. 159 Nicholas Pescod had a son Nicholas bap- 

 tized in Selborne church in I594. 160 From the Pes- 

 cods the manor passed to William Bishop of South 

 Warnborough, who died at Swallowfield (Berks) in 

 1660, leaving the manor of Oakhanger with his free- 

 holds in Swallowfield to his wife Flower (or Flora), 

 daughter of William Backhouse, lord of Swallowfield. 

 She married her second cousin, William Backhouse, 

 two years later, and settled the manor on herself and 

 her husband in that year. 161 In December, 1663, 

 they mortgaged certain premises in Oakhanger, includ- 

 ing a close called ' Chappie House,' to a certain 

 George Ashton. Sir William Backhouse died in 

 1669, and in October, 1670, Flower was married a 

 third time to Henry Hyde Viscount Cornbury, who 

 became Lord Clarendon by his father's death in 1 674. 

 By 1685 the earl was in financial difficulties, and 

 judgement was given against him to William Tallman 

 for a debt of j8oo. 161 In July, 1694, Tallman, whose 

 debt had evidently not been paid, assigned his judge- 

 ment to Mr. Edward Wilcox of St. Martin's in the 

 Fields, to whom in August, 1 694, the earl and countess 

 bargained and sold the manor subject to redemption 

 on payment of 1,493 IO/. 163 Edward Wilcox, 

 by will dated 1724, left the manor in trust for his 

 only daughter and heir Margaret, who in 1731, as 

 Margaret Jeffries, bargained and sold the same to 

 John Conduit. 184 By will of John Conduit, dated 

 1736, Oakhanger was settled on his only daughter 

 and heir Catherine, who married Lord Viscount 

 Lymington. By Act of Parliament of 1748-9 for 

 selling the settled estates of Catherine Lady Lyming- 

 ton, Oakhanger was sold to Henry Bilson Legge. In 

 1750 Henry Bilson Legge married Mary, created 

 Baroness Stawell in her own right in 1760. Their 

 son, Henry Bilson Legge, Lord Stawell, married Mary 

 daughter of Viscount Curzon, and died without heirs 

 male in 1820. Their only daughter Mary married 

 the Hon. John Dutton, only son and heir of James 

 Lord Sherborne, from whom the manor of Oakhanger 

 has passed by inheritance to Henry John Dutton, the 

 present owner. 166 



The modern Oakhanger Farm on the right-hand 

 side of the road leading from Selborne through Honey 

 Lane to Oakhanger is probably on the site of the 



1M Pat. 1 and 2 Phil, and Mary, pt. 6, 

 m. 19. 



L. and P. Hen. Vlll, xiv (2), p. 191. 



i" Exch. Inq. p.m. (Scr. 2), file 998, 

 No. 7. 



1" Chan. Proc. (Ser. 2), bdle.145, No. 2. 



156 Feet of F. Hants,Mich. 10 andi lEliz. 



"7 Inq. p.m. i4Eliz.vol. 162, No. 154. 



148 Ibid. 25 Eliz. vol. 234, No. 37. Con- 

 firmed by letters patent in 1589 (Pat. 

 31 Eliz. pt. 6). 



159 Inq. p.m. 29 Eliz. vol. 212, No. 51. 



160 Selborne Parish Register. 



161 Deeds penes Mr. H. F. Johnson, 

 solicitor to Mr. Henry John Dutton. 



2 Ibid. 



188 Previous to this, the premises, which 

 had been mortgaged to George Ashton, 

 were transferred by his widow Elizabeth 

 in May, 1670, to the bishop of Chester 

 for the remainder of the term. On the 

 death of the bishop, in 1687, these pre- 

 mises were mortgaged (his executor being 

 party to the dealing), together with the 

 manor, to Sir John Werdon for the residue 

 of the 500 years. On the sale to Edward 



12 



Wilcox, in 1694, Sir John was still holding 

 as mortgagee, but by a poll deed of the 

 same year he agreed, in consideration of 

 1,088 55., to assign the premises and 

 manor to Wilcox. Deeds penes Mr. H. F. 

 Johnson. 



164 Before the sale redemption was pur- 

 chased from Elizabeth King, spinster, of 

 Hampstead, cousin and heir of LadyClaren- 

 don, and of the trustees of the late Lady 

 Clarendon. 



165 Information from Mr. Henry John 

 Dutton. 



