HAVANT PARISH AND LIBERTY 



fruit trees. This hamlet is known as Durrants ; still 

 further north on another slope of the road lies Redhill, 

 which was formed into an ecclesiastical district in 

 1840, when the little church of St. John was built 

 half-way up the hill. 



Havant has a station on the direct Portsmouth 

 branch of the London, Brighton, and South Coast 

 Railway. It is also connected with Hayling by the 

 Hayling Island Railway, laid down in 1851,' which 

 crosses Langstone Harbour. The shore along the 

 harbour is in most places shingly. The fishery, which 

 was once of considerable importance, has decreased 

 materially during the last two centuries, though the 

 oyster trade still flourishes. 



The name Billy which survives in Billy Lawn and 

 Billy Copse dates from early in the seventeenth century, 

 when pastures called ' Billyes ' were conveyed with 

 Havant manor to William Wolgar : " half an acre in 

 'Conquerauntescrouch' was owned by Jordan the Hay- 

 ward in 1289," and ' Boyes Buttes ' in Leigh tithing 

 was sold by Richard Softley in i692. 13 In the same 

 tithing lies Stockheath Common, known in the fifteenth 

 century as Stoke Heath." It was inclosed in 1870 

 together with Havant Thicket, Leigh Green, and 

 South Moor, 14 the award being in the custody of the 

 Deputy Clerk of the Peace. 



In 935 A.D. King Athelstan granted 

 MANORS seven ' mansae ' at HAVANT to his 

 thegn Witgar for three lives." The 

 third in succession after Witgar was a certain widow 

 who gave the land to the monks of St. Peter and St. 

 Paul, Winchester, to whom King Ethelred confirmed 

 the gift in 980 and again in 984." At the latter 

 date it was extended at 10 hides, its assessment before 

 the Conquest according to the Domesday Survey in 

 1086, at which time it was still held by the monks of 

 St. Swithun. 1 * The monks were given a weekly 

 market there on Tuesdays in 1 200, and the sheep and 

 cattle market is still held on that day." In July, 1 284, 

 the monks exchanged Havant manor with the bishop 

 of Winchester for certain privileges. 10 In January, 

 14501, the bishop was granted a market, probably 

 for corn, on Saturdays, and an annual fair to be held 

 on the eve and feast of St. Faith (6 October). 11 This 

 fair was held till 1871, when it was abolished together 

 with another formerly held in June." From 1553 

 onwards the bishop leased the manor from time to 

 time. Under the Act of the Commonwealth for the 

 sale of bishops' lands it was purchased by William 

 Wolgar of Havant, who obtained a lease of it after 

 the bishop's restoration in 1 660." Finally Sir George 



Thomas Staunton, then lessee of the manor, purchased 

 the fee in i827.' 4 It ultimately passed to W. H. 

 Stone, from whom Sir F. W. FitzWygram purchased 

 it in 1875. He was succeeded by his son Sir F. L. 

 FitzWygram, the present owner. 26 



Under the terms of Ethelred's 

 HAVANT grant to the priory Havant was free 

 LIBERTY" from all service except the trinoda 

 necftsitat, and before the exchange with 

 the bishop the monks had return of all writs there. 

 This privilege was confirmed to the bishop in 1284." 

 The profits of court leet, formerly held twice yearly ," 

 were very valuable, since it seems to have been con- 

 sidered an advantage to be under the bishop's jurisdic- 

 tion. Thus in 1337 Henry le Bold gave the lord 4</. 

 to be allowed to remain in his liberty and to come to 

 two lawdays yearly. Tithingmen of Hayling, Leigh, 

 Brockhampton, and Havant attended the tourns, and 

 as late as 1817 two constables for the liberty, a 

 coroner of the market, leather-sealer, ale-taster, and 

 haywards besides the tithingmen were appointed 

 at the court leet. w After the exchange between the 

 prior and the bishop the men of Havant still owed 

 suit at the prior's hundred-court of Fawley, for 

 Havant was included in Fawley hundred in 1316," 

 and in May, 1465, the tithingman of Havant 

 paid a fine at the hundred-court of Fawley to 

 have release from suit of court of four men till 

 Michaelmas. 81 The lord of Havant also had wreck 

 of sea. 38 He was responsible for the repair of the 

 market house, and in 1645 was amerced 5, to be 

 paid to the poor of the town failing its repair 

 before a fixed date.* 8 



BROCKHAMPTON (Brochemtune, xi cent. ; 

 Brokhampton, xiv cent.), on the western borders of 

 the parish, was held of Earl Harold by Sired, who 

 also held Newtimber in Warblington. After the 

 Conquest the overlordship with that of the neigh- 

 bouring manor of Bedhampton was vested in Hugh de 

 Port, Herbert the Chamberlain being the actual 

 tenant. 84 It was subsequently known as a hamlet of 

 Bedhampton, and was held in dower with that manor 

 by Joan widow of Reginald FitzPeter, 85 and the 

 histories of the two are coincident till 1428, after 

 which Brockhampton seems to have been merged in 

 Bedhampton manor K (q. v.). 



There was also at Brockhampton at the time of the 

 Domesday Survey land with a mill, part of the 

 possessions of the monks of St. Swithun. 87 It was 

 apparently amalgamated with the manor of Havant, 

 with which it was conveyed to the bishop of 



10 Local and Pers. Act, 14 & 1 5 Viet, 

 cap. 68. 



11 Close, 23 Chas. I, pt. xi, 16. 



la Mins. Accts. bdlc. 1141, No. 14. 

 u Add. Chart. 9446. 

 " Eccl. Com. Ct. R. bdle. 81, No. 9. 

 I* Return of Commons (Inclosure Awards), 

 1904, p. 157. 



18 Birch, Cart. Sax. ii, 41 1. 



W Kcmble, Codex Dipl. 624, 642. 

 m y.C.H. Hants, i, 468*. 



19 Rot. Chart, i, 78. The treasurer of 

 the priory paid 20 marks and a palfrey 

 worth 5 marks for this privilege. Pipe 

 R. 2 John. 



a Add. MS. 29436, fols. 49, 85 ; Chart. 

 R. 12 Edw. I, m. 5. 



"Ibid. 27-39 Hen. VI, m. 34. The 

 corn-market is still held on Saturdays. 



MLond. Gaz. 7 Oct. 1873. 



* Close, 23 Chas. I, pt. xi, 16. 

 "Longcroft, Hand, of Bosmere, n. 



85 Ibid. 1 8 et scq. where a detailed 

 account of the lessees is given. 



* Ex inform. Rev. Canon S. G. Scott, 

 rector of Havant. 



"Chart. R. 12 Edw. I, m. 5. 



98 Ct. R. Eccl. Com. bdlc. 80. The 

 tourns were held at Hocktide and Michael- 

 mas until the eighteenth century. In 

 1817 it was said to be held yearly in Oct. 



39 Topographical Acct. of Bosmtre Hund. 

 L.P. 1817. 



80 Feud. Aids, ii, 320. 



81 Eccl. Com. Ct. R. bdle. 80, No. I. 

 The fine was lod. Perhaps the suit of 

 four men was due from the four tithings 

 of Havant, Leigh, Brockhampton, and 

 Hayling. 



88 Ibid. bdle. 82, No. 7. 



I2 3 



88 Ct. R. quoted by Longcroft, Hund. of 

 Bosmere, 43. 



" V.C.H. Hants, i, 4830. 



85 Cal. Close, 1279-88, p. 399. 



88 See Feud. Aids, ii, 356. The duchest 

 of York held a knight's fee and a half in 

 1428. There are, however, certain con- 

 veyances of 'the manor of Brockhamp- 

 ton,' viz. by James Engler to Robert 

 Woods in 1 589, by John Woods to Arthur 

 Baylie in 1635-6, and by Arthur Baylie 

 to Richard Stones in 1636, from which 

 it might be inferred that Brockhampton 

 was separate from Bedhampton at those 

 dates, unless they refer to the tenancy 

 of the bishop's lands at Brockhampton 

 mentioned below. Feet of F. Hants, 

 Mich. 31-2 Eliz. ; East. 12 Chas. I; 

 Mich. 12 Chas. I. 



*> r.C.H. Hants, i, 4684. 



