A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



' Burley ' with appurtenances in East Meon and 

 Burley was settled by fine upon Sir Thomas Sackville 

 Lord Buckhurst and Cecilia his wife in fee-tail. 1 " 

 In 1582 Sir Thomas sold the manor for 200 to John 

 Baker, 135 who died seised of it in 1606, leaving a son 

 and heir, Sir Richard Baker, aged thirty and more.'" 

 Fourteen years later Sir Richard obtained a grant of 

 free warren in his manor or lordship of Burley alias 

 Beerley, as also licence to stock it with stags, does, 

 hare?, rabbits, pheasants, and partridges. 137 The manor 

 passed by sale in 1631 from Sir Richard Baker and 

 Margaret his wife to William Coldham of Stedham 

 (co. Sussex). 138 It seems impossible to discover how 

 long the manor remained in the Coldham family, but 

 it was probably sold about the middle of the seven- 

 teenth century to Bartholomew Smith of Winchester, 

 who left two sons James and Bartholomew. The 

 former in 1685 joined a religious order, and all the 

 property passed to Bartholomew, who left three sons 

 and four daughters. 139 The three sons died unmarried 



of Winchester in 1728, and Frances who married 

 Alexander Wells of Brambridge in 1733."* Elizabeth 

 and Frances both died without issue, and consequently 

 the whole manor became vested in Edward Sheldon 14> 

 grandson of William and Anastasia, who mortgaged it 

 in 1775 to Nicholas Baconneau. 143 The further history 

 of the manor is uncertain, but it seems probable that 

 Mr. R. Eyle; of East Meon, who built the modern 

 Bereleigh House at the beginning of the nineteenth 

 century, bought up the whole estate, including the 

 old manor-house, which by this time had probably 

 fallen into decay. 1 " The estate has been gradually 

 added to during the last century, and has changed 

 hands several times, the present owner being Mr. 

 H. Curtis Gallup, who has recently purchased it 

 from Col. Hudson. 



The church of ALL SAINTS, E4ST 



CHURCHES MEON, consists of chancel with south 



chapel, central tower, north and south 



transepts, and nave with south aisle and south porch. 



EAST MEON CHURCH 



ot Feet 



I2*cent. Iii3*cenl. 



I5*cent. I I modem 



in the same year of small-pox, and one of the 

 daughters became a nun. Consequently the manor 

 was divided among the other three daughters, 

 Elizabeth, Anastasia who married William Sheldon " 



The south chapel and aisle are thirteenth-century 

 additions, and the north and east walls of the chancel 

 have been rebuilt, but with these exceptions the 

 church has preserved its twelfth-century plan and 



184 Feet of F. Hants, Hil. 1 1 Eliz. It 

 is just possible that the manor reverted to 

 the bishopric after the death of William 

 de Wykeham, that it fell into the hands of 

 Sir Richard Sackville, who in the reign 

 of Edward VI was patentee of the bishop 

 of Winchester's lands, and that on his death 

 in 1566 it descended to his son and heir 

 Sir Thomas Sackville, but this is purely 

 conjectural. Unfortunately the only docu- 

 ment (Com. Pleas, Deeds Enrolled Recov. 

 R. East. 24 Eliz.) which would cast any 

 light on this subject is too decayed for 

 production. 



us Feet of F. Hants, Trin. 24 Eliz. 



UB Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cciciv, 

 No. 95. "7 p a t. 17 Jas. I, No. 22. 



" Feet off. Hants, Mich. 6 Chas. I. 



139 Duthy, Sketchei of Hants, 228. 



140 Edward Sheldon, third son of Edward 

 Sheldon of Beoley (co. Wore.), was a re- 

 cusant and was disturbed during the Civil 

 Wars. He died in 1687, leaving several 

 children who all distinguished themselves, 

 viz. Lionel, O.S.B., D.D. and chaplain to 

 the duchess of York ; Dominic, general of 

 horse in the service of France ; Ralph, 

 equerry to James II, who went privately 

 with him from Rochester to France; Mary, 

 dresser to Queen Catherine ; and Frances, 

 maid of honour to Queen Catherine. 

 Ralph's only son and heir William mar- 

 ried as his second wife Anastasia, and died 

 in 1748, aged seventy-four. The family 



72 



was strictly Roman Catholic, and many of 

 its members entered the Society of Jesus 

 (Foley, Rec. of tie Engl. Province, v, 849, 

 850). 



141 Close, 8 Geo. II, pt. 1 1, No. 19; and 

 8 Gco. II, pt. 1 6, No. 2. Recov. R. Trin. 



30 & 31 Geo. II, rot. 2225 Close, 



31 Geo. II, pt. II. 



" He was the son of Edward Sheldon of 

 Winchester, whose will is dated 3 June, 

 1772 (Close, 1 5 Geo. Ill, pt. 7, No. 21). 



L" Close, 15 Geo. Ill, pt. 12, No. 3. 



1M In a survey of the parish taken in 

 1820 he is returned as holding 'Beerly 

 House,' ' Beerly ' Farm, and lands covering 

 an area of 189 acres, 2 roods, 15 poles 

 (MS. pints Mrs. Vinn of Drayton). 



