A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



marriage, received a messuage and other premises in 

 Langrish to hold to him and his wife and their male 

 issue. In 1489 Nicholas Langrish, aged sixteen, de- 

 scribed as kinsman and heir of John Langrish priest, 

 held his first court. He had five sons, the eldest of 

 whom, Edward by name, died without issue." The 

 manor accordingly passed to his brother William, 98 

 whose son and heir Nicholas was described as lord of 

 Langrish in the visitation of 1634." William son 

 and heir of Nicholas sold the manor to Nathaniel 

 Long and Mary his wife, upon whom it was settled in 

 1663 with remainder to Hugh Webb and Abigail 

 Long, elder daughter of Nathaniel and Mary, and 

 their issue. 100 In 1664 Nathaniel Long had a dispute 

 with Edmund Bruning, lord of the neighbouring 

 manor of Rothercombe, about his right of way 

 through certain lands, parcel of the manor of Rother- 

 combe, to certain woods called Beechenleith or 

 Beechencliffe Woods, as also his right to timber in 

 the woods. The matter was referred to the Court of 

 Chancery, which gave its judgement in favour of 

 Nathaniel, awarding him in addition 250 damages."" 

 On the death of Nathaniel the manor descended to 

 Hugh and Abigail Webb, in accordance with the 

 settlement of 1663, and on their deaths to their son 

 and heir Nathaniel, whose widow Lucy and son and 

 heir Nathaniel sold it in 1719 to Thomas Ridge of 

 Portsmouth for 2,850.'* Thomas was succeeded by 

 his son and heir Humphrey, who died without issue 

 about 1730, when the manor passed to his brother 

 Thomas, described as a brewer, distiller, and wine 

 merchant of Portsmouth. Thomas, who was after- 

 wards knighted, soon became involved in financial 

 difficulties, and owed his mother Elizabeth 8,215 

 at the time of her death in 1750. He borrowed 

 further sums from his younger brothers George and 

 Richard after her death, and in 1764 was declared a 

 bankrupt, John Ridge and Thomas Hampton being 

 chosen assignees of his estate and effects. 1 " 3 The estate 

 was put up for auction 104 and was sold in 1771 for 

 4,400 to William Jolliffe of Petersfield. It con- 

 tinued in the Jolliffe family till a few years ago, when 

 it was sold by Lord Hylton to Mr. William Nicholson, 

 D.L., J.P.. of Basing Park, the present owner. 



In the Langrish court-rolls from 1419 to 1523 

 there occur the following place-names : a wood 

 called Musilcombe ; crofts called Topelayns, Bene- 

 pierks, and Yaldepierks ; a common field called the 

 Hampme, lanes called Bawfyshlane and Mustard- 

 combeslane, 105 and crofts called Pycedcrofte and 

 Thevelerscroft. From the court-rolls it is seen that 

 most of the tenants held lands of the lord of Langrish 

 by the service of finding men for the fishery in the 



River Meon. There is an interesting entry in the 

 court-roll for I479. 105 A certain John Baker received 

 from the lord of Langrish a messuage and lands in 

 Langrish to hold for the term of his life by the 

 services of paying an annual rent of 1 3/., of finding 

 two men for the great fishery of East Meon, and of 

 paying 6J. per annum tithing-silver. John Baker and 

 his successors were also to find two bushels of corn 

 every Easter at their own expense. They were to 

 make bread therefrom, and deliver over the loaves 

 every year to Thomas Langrish and his heirs in the 

 parish church of East Meon for distribution among 

 the poor of the parish. In return for these bushels 

 of corn Thomas reduced the rent of the premises 

 from 1 6s. to 1 3/. a year. 



In the East Meon court-rolls ROTHERCOMBE 

 (Redecumbe xii cent.) is frequently mentioned as one 

 of the tithings of East Meon, and now exists as a 

 farm in the parish of Langrish. In the twelfth century 

 Godfrey de Lucy, bishop of Winchester, granted in 

 free alms to John, prior of Aldebiri in Sandes, after- 

 wards known as the Priory of Newark, all the land of 

 Rothercombe which appertained to his manor of 

 East Meon, and which was worth I oos. a year. 107 On 

 the dissolution of Newark Priory the king granted the 

 manor of Rothercombe and woods called Cherry 

 Copse, Beching Cliff, and Brokewode, situated in 

 Rothercombe, to Thomas Knight, 108 who shortly 

 afterwards sold the manor together with lands and 

 rents in East Meon and Rothercombe to Thomas 

 Uvedale for l 26. 109 Anthony Uvedale, son and heir 

 of Thomas, married Ursula Norton, and had an only 

 daughter and heir, Ellen, by whose marriage to 

 Richard Bruning the manor passed into the Bruning 

 family. 110 In 1608 an inquiry was ordered to be 

 held into the goods, chattels, lands, and tenements of 

 Richard Bruning and Ursula Uvedale, since various 

 sums of money were due to the crown on account of 

 their recusancy. It was ascertained that Richard 

 was seised of the manor of Rothercombe and ot 

 30 acres of arable land and 20 acres of meadow and 

 pasture in the parish of East Meon of the yearly value 

 of 6 to/. 111 The manor, however, was evidently 

 not sequestered, as Richard died seised of it in 1612, 

 leaving a son and heir, Anthony, aged twenty-three. 118 

 The manor remained in the Bruning family until 

 1 715,"* in which year Richard Bruning sold it 

 together with a messuage and lands in Steep and 

 East Meon to John Clement of Steep for 1,730."* 



On the death of John Clement the manor passed 

 to his son William, whose only son and heir sold the 

 manor or reputed manor of Rothercombe, the 

 messuage or dwelling-house called Rothercombe Farm, 



f Berry, Hants Gen. 236. 



88 Feet of F. Hants, Trin. 7 Jas. I. 



Ibid. 



100 Eccl. Com. Ct. R. bdle. 115, No. 1. 



101 Chan. Enr. Decree, 1915, No. 2. 

 The money was to be paid at East Meon 

 at the sign of the ' George.' 



101 Deeds penes Lord Hylton. 



los Thomas did not long survive his 

 downfall, dying in October, 1766. By his 

 will, dated October, 1765, he bequeathed 

 the residue of his estate to his brothers 

 George and Richard in fee-tail with con- 

 tingent remainder to Mary Ridge daughter 

 of John Ridge. 



l 04 In the bill the property is described 

 as follows : 'The manor, lordship, or 

 royalty of Langrish, the Farm called Court 



Farm, ,93 per annum ; Stroode Farm, 

 ,35 per annum. There is payable to the 

 bishop of Winchester out of these estates 

 annually the sum of 3 61. fid. or there- 

 abouts, viz. 2. icj. for the Manor and 

 Court Farm, and 161. 6J. for Stroode 

 Farm. Langrish is situated in an exceed- 

 ing fine sporting county, and there is 

 great plenty of game on the manor. The 

 house stands on the top of a beautiful 

 hill at a convenient distance from the 

 road, and commands an extensive and 

 romantic prospect. The hill and inclo- 

 sures between it and the road are now 

 exceeding fine pasture and may be greatly 

 improved. The whole estate is a very 

 desirable object, being equally capable of 

 improvements in husbandry and elegance.' 



70 



It appears also from the East Meon court- 

 rolls that a fine of j was due to the lord 

 of the manor of East Meon from the heir 

 when taking up his inheritance. 



105 There is still a Mustercoombe Copse. 



106 Add. Chart. 27985. 



10 7 Dugdale, Man. vi, 383. 



108 Pat. 35 Hen. VIII, pt. 9, m. 33. 

 10 Feet of F. Hants, Mich. 35 



Hen. VIII i Pat. 35 Hen. VIII, pt. 



12. 



110 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. z), cclviii, 

 No. 4.1. 



111 Pat. 6 Jas. I, pt. 3, No. 19. 



112 Chan. Inq. p.m. 10 Jas. I (Ser. 2), 

 pt. 2, No. 169. 



113 Feet of F. Div. Cos. Trin. 1652. 



114 Ibid. Hants, Mich. 2 Gco. I. 



