MEONSTOKE HUNDRED 



SOBERTON 



the manor in 1521 leaving no issue.* 5 His widow 

 Elizabeth, who died six years later, directed that her 

 body should be buried in the chapel of Our Lady in 

 Soberton church beside that of her husband. She 

 left half a hundred sheep and two kine and ten marks 

 in money to the parish church of Soberton, and 

 3/. 4^. to each of her tenants in Soberton, and ordered 

 her executors to dispose of the rest of her property at 

 their discretion." In 1544 William Dale," probably 

 a trustee, conveyed the manor of Soberton together 

 with the manors of Longspiers, Flexland, and Engle- 

 field, also in the parish, to Walter Bonham and Alice 

 his wife, 88 who five years later sold them to Thomas 

 Wriothesley, earl of Southampton. 19 The earl died 

 seised a year later, leaving a son and heir Henry, aged 

 three, 80 who died in 1581, his heir being his son 

 Henry, aged eight." The latter towards the end of 

 Elizabeth's reign was drawn into the conspiracy of 

 the earl of Essex, on the failure of which he was sent 

 to the Tower. On 19 February, 1 600- 1, he was 

 with Essex convicted of treason. Cecil, however, 

 secured the commutation of his sentence to imprison- 

 ment for life, pleading that ' the poor young Earl 

 merely for love of Essex had been drawn into this 

 action.' He was sent to the Tower, but was released 

 by James I on 10 April, 1603. On 1 6 May follow- 

 ing the king restored to him the manor of Sober- 

 ton, four years later granting to him free warren, 

 view of frankpledge, assize of bread and beer, waifs 

 and estrays, and various other 

 privileges within it. 3 * The 

 earl died on the king's service 

 abroad in 1624," leaving as 

 his heir his son Thomas, aged 

 sixteen, 84 who dealt with the 

 manor by fine in 1 64 1. 86 

 Within the next few years 

 Soberton passed by sale to 

 Dr. Walter Curll, bishop 

 of Winchester, who retired 

 thither after the surrender 

 of Winchester to Cromwell 



on 5 October, 1645. 'He led a retired life there 

 in a sort of obscurity for a year and a half or there- 

 abouts in a declining state of health. He was brought 



CURLL. Vert a cheve ron 

 engrailed or. 



LEWIS of The Van. 

 Sable a lion argent. 



up to London for advice, but died 1 647 about seventy- 

 two.' " After his death the manor was sequestered, 

 and in 1651 Elizabeth Curll his widow and William 

 Curll his son and heir petitioned for its discharge. 38 

 It was subsequently restored to them and descended 

 to Sir Walter Curll, bart., son 

 and heir of William, who dealt 

 with it by fine and recovery 

 in 1674." He died in 1678, 

 aged twenty-seven. His daugh- 

 ter and heir Anna Maria mar- 

 ried Thomas Lewis son of 

 Richard Lewis and grandson 

 of Sir Edward Lewis of an 

 ancient family of The Van in 

 Glamorganshire, and brought 

 the manor to her husband, 40 

 who retained it after her death 



without issue in 1709," until his own death 

 in 1736. The history of the manor for some 

 time after this is uncertain, but it ultimately passed 

 into the possession of Humphrey Minchin of Bal- 

 linakill (co. Tipperary) and 

 Clarinda his wife, who dealt 

 with it by fine and recovery 

 in 1791." It has remained 

 in the Minchin family ever 

 since, the present lord of the 

 manor being Mr. Falkiner 

 John Minchin of Annagh (co. 

 Tipperary) and Holywell in 

 Hampshire. 



A large part of the manor 

 of SOBERTON, which had 

 been held by Herbert the 

 Chamberlain in 1086, was in 

 the time of Henry III held by 



Thomas de Windsor by the serjeanty of weighing the 

 money at the Exchequer." He was succeeded by his 

 son John, who alienated his property at Soberton, 

 granting 100*. worth of land to the abbot and convent 

 of Beaulieu and the remainder which was worth 10 a 

 year to Geoffrey de Chaworth. 44 Geoffrey in his 

 turn alienated to Richard son of Simon de Winton, 46 

 who died seised of a capital messuage, 1 20 acres of 



MINCHIN. Ermine a 

 cheveron with couple- 

 closes gules between three 

 Jlcurt de lit azure. 



85 P.C.C. Wills, 22, Maynwaryng. 

 98 Ibid. 19 Porch. 



7 He may have been a son of the John 

 Dale mentioned above. 



Feet of F. Hants, East. 36 Hen. VIII. 



Ibid. Trin. 3 Edw. VI ; Close, j 

 Edw. VI, pt. 2, m. 13. 



3 W. and L. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 5, 

 No. 103. The earl died in debt to Henry 

 VIII. Consequently some of his posses- 

 sions, including Soberton, were taken into 

 the hands of the crown and in 1555 were 

 let out at farm to Jane, countess of South- 

 ampton, to hold by the annual payment 

 of 40 until the debts were paid in full 

 (Pat. 2 & 3 Mary, pt. 4, m. 35 ; Memo. 

 R. L.T.R. Mil. 4 Eliz. rot. 74). 



81 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 196, 

 No. 46. Elizabeth granted Soberton to 

 the notorious ' fishing grantees ' William 

 Typper and Robert Dawe to hold during 

 the minority of the heir (Pat. 30 Eliz. 

 pt. 16, m. 17 ; 34 Eliz. pt. 7, m. i). 



89 Pat. I Jas. I, pt. 2, last m. 



88 Ibid. 5 Jas. I, pt. 15, last m. 



84 W. and L. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), bdle. 

 41, No. 1 20. 



86 In 1625 the king granted the manor 



to Elizabeth, countess of Southampton, 

 to hold during the minority of the heir 

 (Rymer, Fotd. xviii, 199, 200). 



86 In that year he conveyed it to 

 William Carter and Robert Crues. 



' Edmund Curll, Life of Dr. Walter 

 Curll (17 1 2), 8. 



88 Cal. of Committee for Compounding, 

 iv, 2883 and 2884. The county com- 

 mittee in 1655 reported that the manor 

 was tequestered as the estate of Dr. Curll, 

 that he contracted for it on 14 January, 

 1 647, at 60 rent and died the following 

 April, and that it had never been com- 

 pounded for. Elizabeth and William denied 

 this, declared that it was not sequestered 

 until 1651, and begged their discharge 

 anew under the act of pardon. 



89 Recov. R. Hil. 26*27 Chas. II, m. 4. 



40 Stowe MS. 845, fol. 71. 



41 On a tablet to her memory in Sober- 

 ton church are the words 'reverendo 

 edita proavo (Carolo primo imperante) 

 Wintoniensi episcopo et ad proavi ejcem- 

 plum ecclesiae Anglicanae et monarchiae 

 fidelis et amantissima, que omnibus pie- 

 tatis et charitatis officiis perfuncta morti 

 nunquam magis invidendae succubuit.' 



259 



49 Feet of F. Hants, Trin. 3 1 Geo. 

 Ill; Recov. R. Hil. 31 Geo. Ill, rot. 

 57. Humphrey was the son of Paul 

 Minchin of Bogh (co. Carlow). 



y.C.H. Hants, \, 431; Tata de 

 Nevill (Rec. Com.), 233, 235. 



44 Assize R. Mich. 8 Edw. I. 



45 Ibid. Simon, usually called Simon 

 the draper of Winchester, possessed 28} 

 acres in Soberton, consisting of all the land 

 of Richard Ulfus and all the land of John 

 Colesuen. This property had been held 

 by the abbot and convent of Dureford 

 (co. Suss.) of the abbot and convent of 

 Beaulieu by suit of court, and was granted 

 to Simon by John, abbot of Dureford, for 

 a rent of a pound of frankincense in 

 exchange for his tenement in ' St. Giles's 

 Fair,' Winchester, free from suit of court 

 and all other services and demands. The 

 abbot and convent of Beaulieu, however, 

 claimed suit of court, and Simon accord- 

 ingly agreed to pay them it. 2</. a year in 

 lieu thereof. He naturally claimed com- 

 pensation from the abbot and convent of 

 Dureford, and was successful in obtaining a 

 promise from them to pay him 2J. a year 

 (Cott. MS. Vesp. E, fol. i, 2, 3). 



