A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



commanded the prospect of the sea, and the long hang- 

 ing woods in sight of the house could not perhaps have 

 been improved by art or expense. My father kept in 

 his own hands the whole of his estate, and even 

 rented some additional land, and whatsoever might be 

 the balance of profit and loss the farm supplied him 

 with amusement and plenty.' * The room occupied 

 by Gibbon is still pointed out, the added portion of 

 the house having fine rooms and a good staircase. In 

 the older part is some late sixteenth or early seven- 

 teenth-century panelling, and some early eighteenth- 

 century chimney-pieces and other details. The rectory 

 house is of unusual interest. Though much altered, 

 it is an |-| -shaped building, with a central hall and 

 wings at the east and west. Part of the wooden 

 partitions at the lower end of the hall in which were 

 the doors to buttery, pantry, and kitchen passage is 

 still to be seen, and appears to be of the fifteenth 

 century, but at the south end of the east wing the 

 arch and part of the jambs of an early fourteenth- 

 century window in wrought stone witness to a 

 considerably earlier date for the building. The 

 window has be;n of two lights, with tracery in the 

 head, but the tracery and central mullion have been 

 cut away. The older roof timbers of the wing also 

 exist below the present roof, and in the western gable 

 of the rectory is a small arched opening high in the 

 wall, which is of fourteenth-century date, and pro- 

 bably coeval with the window in the east wing. 



Ditcham Park, about 100 acres in extent, is situated 

 2 miles south-east of the village. Nursted House, 

 standing about midway between Petersfield and Buri- 

 ton, the seat and residence of Mr. John Rowe Ben- 

 nion, was purchased by him in 1863 from General 

 Hugonin, whose family had long owned it. About 

 a mile north-north-west of Buriton is West Maple- 

 durham, known in modern days as Mapledurham 

 only, 4 the property of the Legge family. In the 

 north-western extremity of the parish is the little 

 hamlet of Weston, marking the site of the reputed 

 manor of Weston. 



The soil varies ; the subsoil is of the Upper Green- 

 sand formation. The chief crops are wheat, barley, 

 beans, oats, and hops. There are lime works near 

 the village. 6 The area of the parish is 5,625 acres, 

 comprising 1,742^ acres of arable land, 988 acres of 

 permanent grass, and 876 acres of woods and pasture. 

 Buriton Holt and Head Down were inclosed by 

 authority of an Act of Parliament dated 24 July, 

 1854.' The following are place-names in the parish : 

 Westcleye and Crowburghfeld, 8 Countesparke, Bel- 

 lelond and Britteshore ' (xv cent.) ; a tenement called 

 Whekys and lands called Holwysashe, Gofiys, Foren- 

 gerys and Halpenny Londe, 10 a copse called Godle- 

 combe," lands called Medplatts and Stigant Brynche " 



(xvi cent.), and Gaston Purrocke and Alder's Crofte '* 

 (xvii cent.). 



At the time of the Domesday Survey there were 

 three mills worth 201. in ' Malpedrcsham,' " but only 

 one of them seems to have been situated in the 

 modern parish of Buriton. This was a water-mill, 

 and is included in the extents of the main manor of 

 Mapledurham taken in 1296 "and 1521," but no 

 trace of it now remains. 



Malpedresham (xi cent.) ; Mapeldore- 

 M4NORS ham (xii cent.) ; Mapeldereham, Maple- 

 dreham, Mapeldurham, Mapeldeham and 

 Appeldoueham (xiii cent.) ; Mapuldrham (xiv cent.) ;. 

 Mapylderham (xv cent.) ; Mapel-Dereham (xvi cent.)- 

 Before the Conquest the extensive manor of MAPLE- 

 DURHAM was held by Wulfgifu (' Ulveva '), sur- 

 named ' Beteslau," who was the owner of wide estates 

 in Hampshire and the neighbouring district. William, 

 the Conqueror deprived her of her lands, granting 

 Mapledurham to his wife Maud," on whose death in. 

 1083 it reverted to King William, who was holding 

 it at the time of the Domesday Survey. 18 Later, the 

 manor formed ' parcel of the Honour of Gloucester,'' 

 and doubtless part of the original Honour which was. 

 bestowed upon Robert Fitzhamon by William Rufus 

 for services rendered in suppressing the revolt of Odo 

 of Bayeux. By his wife Sibyl of Montgomery Fitz- 

 hamon left no son, and his possessions passed with the 

 hand of his daughter Mabel to Robert, a natural son 

 of King Henry 1, who was created Earl of Gloucester 

 some time between April, 1121, and June, 1123." 

 William, second earl of Gloucester, the eldest son of 

 Robert, died in 1183, leaving three daughters Mabel, 

 Amice, and Isabel, the youngest of whom Henry II 

 gave in marriage to Prince John with the possessions 

 of the earldom which he had himself retained for six 

 years, and which John retained after his accession and 

 divorce from Isabel. However, in 1205 he granted 

 Mapledurham to Aumary count of Evreux, who had 

 married Mabel, the eldest of the three daughters of 

 William. 10 The count died before 1214, in which 

 year the king ordered the sheriff of Hampshire to 

 cause the executors of the count to have full seisin of 

 all his chattels in Mapledurham." The manor, how- 

 ever, reverted to the king, who in the same year 

 granted it to Geoffrey de Mandeville, whom Isabel 

 had married after her divorce from John," but before 

 the year was out Geoffrey was in rebellion against 

 John and was deprived of his lands, the manor of 

 Mapledurham being granted to Savary de Mauleon 

 in May, 1215." However, in October of the same 

 year the king bestowed it on his faithful adherent 

 Roger de la Zouche." Henry III by letters patent 

 dated 1 2 March, 1217, took the men of Mapledur- 

 ham and all their lands and possessions under hi* 



4 Tht AutMografbici of Edward 

 Gibbon, 246. 



5 The old manor house, a large gabled 

 building approached by an avenue of elms, 

 was pulled down during the last century, 

 when the present farm-house was built on 

 the site. 



6 Butser Hill lime-works are to the 

 east of Butser Hill, and Buriton lime- 

 works on the downs to the west of the 

 village. 



' Par!. Accts. and Pa firs, 1893-4, '**'> 

 485. 



8 Add. R. 27656. 



' Mins. Accts. bdle. 1117, No. 8. 



10 

 11 

 

 18 

 14 

 15 

 16 



182. 

 " 

 18 

 19 

 40 



Ibid. Suss. 109, m. \jd. 



Add. Chart. 28026. 



Add. R. 28235. 



Ibid. 28178. 



V.C.H. Hants, i, 4513. 



Inq. p.m. 24 Edw. I, No. 1074. 



Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), Ixxx, No. 



V.C.H. Hants, i, 429. 



Ibid. 451. 



The Gcncal. (New Ser.), iv, 1 29-40. 



Rot. Lift. Claus. (Rec. Com.), i, 29. 



Ibid. 141. 



Ibid. 209. 



Ibid 213. 



86 



84 Ibid. 231. The earldom and the 

 honour of Gloucester had in reality de- 

 scended, on the death of Geoffrey de 

 Mandeville, to Aumary count of Evreux 

 son and heir of Aumary count of Evreux 

 and Mabel his wife who, as has been 

 shown above, was the eldest daughter of 

 William earl of Gloucester. Aumary had 

 died before 15 Mar. 1217, for on that 

 day the king ordered Roger to give a 

 reasonable dowry from the manor of 

 Mapledurham to William de Cantilupe 

 the younger, who had married Millicent 

 widow of Aumary (Rot. Lin. Claus. i, 

 300). 



