SELBORNE HUNDRED 



FARINGDON 



had common ' and a few trees growing therein,' 

 contained 30 acres." 



The manor farm which stands behind the church 

 in a quiet shady garden is undoubtedly on the site 

 of the old manor house of Faringdon. The house 

 itself probably dates back at least to the eighteenth 

 century ; it is of two stories with a tiled roof and a 

 cemented front. At the back of the house the 

 foundations of a chapel which formerly belonged to 

 the bishops of Exeter can be traced. 



The second manor of Faringdon held of the bishop's 

 manor was that of FARINGDON POPHAM. 



In the reign of Henry I Turstin, clerk to William 

 de Pont de 1'Arche, the king's chamberlain, 18 held the 

 third part of a knight's fee in Faringdon 'of the 

 bishop of Exeter, and of the honour of the church of 

 Bosham . . . as William bishop of Exeter (l 107-37) 

 had granted in his charter.' l9 Matilda confirmed his 

 lands in Faringdon to Turstin, who was sheriff of 

 Hampshire by 1155, but in her charter they are said 

 to have been held ' in fee of Henry the King.' zo 

 Henry II confirmed the same lands to Richard son 

 of Turstin, sheriff of Hampshire," and about the same 

 time Arnulf, bishop of Lisieux, 22 addressed letters 

 patent to all clerks and laymen pertaining to the 

 church of Bosham, granting ' to Richard his clerk the 

 land which Turstin the father of the latter held in 

 Faringdon by the service of the third part of a 

 knight.' " William son of Turstin succeeded his 

 brother Richard as sheriff of Hampshire and heir 

 to his estates before 1 1 89," and it is just possible 

 that Agnes de Popham, who was holding at the 

 time of the Testa de Nevill the lands that William 

 had held, was his daughter and heir. 14a Gilbert de 

 Popham, son of Agnes, on his death in 1251 

 held the same lands," and they passed to his son 

 Robert. 26 By 1 346 they had passed to John (more 

 probably Robert) Popham," who was evidently the 

 grandson of the above Robert." In 1378 and again 

 in 1401 the lands were confirmed to Henry de Pop- 

 ham, 29 who in the latter year granted them as ' the 

 manor of Faringdon ' to John parson of Eastrop 

 and others, that they might regrant it to himself 

 and his heirs. 30 Stephen Popham, his son, held the 

 manor in 1428," but before his death in 1446 he 

 alienated it to Sir John Lisle, evidently in trust for 

 his daughters," to the youngest of whom the manor 

 passed before the death of Sir John Lisle in 1471," 

 probably on her marriage with Humphrey Forster. 

 In 1476 Alice Forster died seised of the manor" 

 which her husband held by courtesy until his death 

 in i 500." Their son and heir, George Forster, who 

 inherited, conveyed the manor for purposes of trustee- 

 ship to Richard, bishop of Winchester, and others in 

 1513." In 1574 William Forster, grandson of 



George, died seised of the manor, leaving Humphrey 

 Forster his son and heir. 37 An extant court roll for 

 1585 and another for 1599 show Humphrey Forster 

 as lord of the manor, and that at some time between 

 the two dates he had been knighted. 38 He died in 

 1 60 1, leaving a son and heir William, 39 who in 1608 

 conveyed or leased the manor by fine to Nicholas 

 Steward. 40 By 1619 it had passed into the hands of 

 Edward Knight, 41 who was still holding as lord of 

 the manor in 1633." William Knight as guardian of 

 Richard Knight was holding in 1663." From this 

 date until 1770 there seems to be little possibility of 

 tracing the history of the manor. In 1770 it be- 

 longed as to two-thirds to Richard Trimmer of Bram- 

 shott, yeoman, and as to one-third to Mr. Eames of 

 Faringdon, yeoman. The two-thirds became vested 

 in William Wilshere of Hitchin in 1821 by purchase 

 from John Kersley and Olive his wife, was left by his 

 will to his nephew William Wilshere, and was sold by 

 the latter and his trustees in l866. 44 All trace of the 

 manor as such is now lost. 



West Cross House in the Upper Street, Faringdon, 

 is traditionally known as the manor house of Faring- 

 don Popham. The manor itself must have been 

 quite small, some fifty or so acres scattered about 

 the parish. The most important part of it was about 

 40 acres of land called Pye's Plot. 



The church is dedicated in honour of 

 CHURCH ALL SAINTS, and stands at the north 

 end of the village on a site with a fall 

 from north to south, the soil having collected against 

 the north wall of the north aisle to within a few feet 

 of the eaves. The building consists of chancel with 

 north vestry and organ chamber, nave with north 

 aisle and south porch, and west tower with a short 

 wooden spire. The chancel, which with the vestry and 

 organ chamber is of modern date, is of fourteenth cen- 

 tury style with an east window of three lights, and in 

 the south wall two windows of a single light and two 

 lights respectively. The chancel arch of two orders 

 has continuous mouldings of fourteenth-century style, 

 and is of the same date as the chancel. 



The nave has a north arcade of three bays with 

 semicircular arches of a single square order. The west 

 bay is wider than the others, and the crown of its 

 arch consequently higher. It dates from c. 1150 

 and is older than the rest of the arcade, its eastern 

 column being formed by the addition of a half 

 column to the east side of the east respond of the 

 arch, and it is clear that at first the arch stood alone 

 and did not form part of a continuous arcade. It has 

 scalloped capitals with half-round shafts and moulded 

 bases. The two eastern bays belong to the end of the 

 twelfth century, and have plain bell capitals with 

 round shafts and moulded bases. In the capitals of both 



*' Survey penes Mr. Montagu G. Knight 

 of Chawton. 



18 For the position and importance of 

 this Turstin, his appearance as sheriff of 

 Hampshire in 1155 to 1159, and the 

 appearance of hia two sons Richard and 

 William as heirs to the shrievalty as well 

 as to his estates, and the possible descent 

 of the Pophams from Agnes daughter of 

 William son of Turstin, see The Ancestor, 

 vii, 59-66. 



18 According to the charter of Hen. I, 

 quoted in inspeximus Cal. Pat, 1399-1401, 

 p. 420. 



*> Cal. Pat. 1377-81, p. no. 



Ibid. 



M It is difficult to discover how he 

 gained his connexion with Bosham, but 

 Mr. Round has shown that he actually 

 held Bosham at this time (JIhe Ancestor, 

 vii, 62). 



38 Cal. Pat. 1399-1401, p. 420. 

 ai The Ancestor, vii, 63. 



*"> Ibid. 64. 



85 Inq. p.m. 35 Hen. Ill (Ser. l), 

 No. 211. 



28 Ibid. V Feud. Aids, ii, 333. 



28 See under Popham. 



39 Cal. Pat. 1377-81, c. no; 1399- 

 1401, pp. 420, 421. 



80 Recov. R. 3 Hen. IV. 

 Feud. Aids, \, 358. 



21 



108 



40 

 41 



42 



547 



44 



K.n 



Inq. p.m. 24 Hen. VI, No. 18. 



Ibid, ii Edw. IV, No. 59. 



Ibid. 16 Edw. IV, No. 41. 



Ibid. (Ser. 2), xiv, No. 136. 



Feet of F. Hants, Mich. 4 Hen. VIII. 



Exch. Inq. p. m. file 828, No. 9. 



Add. R. 27950, 27951. 



Inq. p. m. 44 Eliz. (Ser. 2), No. 



Feet of F. Hants, Hil. 5 Jas I. 



Add. R. 27952. 



Ibid. 27953. 



Lay Subs. R. Hants, bdle. 175, No. 



Information from Mr. Montagu G. 

 ght of Chawton. 



