FAWLEY HUNDRED 



MEDSTED 



(probably for 1631), both by the founder i H., possibly 

 for John Higden. 



The font, near the south door, is modern, with an 

 octagonal bowl on a panelled stem, and there are no 

 ancient fittings in the church. 



The plate consists of a silver chalice and paten of 

 1851, and a modern plated cup, paten, and flagon. 



The first book of the registers, on paper, runs from 

 1539 to 1624 (baptisms 1542-89, marriages 1550 

 84, burials 1539-80 and 1597-1624) ; the second 

 from 1633 to 1807, the marriages not after 1753 ; 

 the third is the printed marriage register 17541812, 

 and the fourth contains baptisms and burials 1808-12. 

 The earliest mention of a church 

 JDyOJPSON at Martyr Worthy is in the year 

 1251, when John la Martre con- 

 veyed the advowson of the church to the prior and 

 convent of St. Swithun." In 1535 the church was 

 assessed at 16." 



The advowson of the church followed the descent 

 of the manor until the Dissolution, since which time 

 it has been in the hands of the bishop of Winchester." 

 The living is a rectory. 



Paul Clapham, vicar of Martyr Worthy, in 1639 

 was charged with defrauding the parishioners by com- 

 pounding with excommunicated persons. Other 

 accusations were brought against him, one being ' that 

 he thought it lawful for a man to have as many wives 

 as his estate would keep.' ls 



In 1589 Alderman Pranell, by his 

 CHARITIES will (confirmed by deed 1592 by 

 Agnes Pranell his widow), charged 

 his great messuage and houses in Hart Street, city of 

 London, with an annual payment of 6 1 3/. \d. for 

 the maintenance of a schoolmaster to teach ten poor 

 children born in the parish until the age of sixteen 

 years. The rent-charge is applied in connexion with 

 the National School of the parish." 



MEDSTED 



The parish of Medsted, covering an area of 2,484 

 acres of land, lies on the high country which rises 

 north-east of Alresford and south-west of Alton, and 

 slopes down towards the north-west to Preston Can- 

 dover. Generally speaking the land of the parish 

 rises from south to north, though the highest ground 

 697 ft. above the ordnance datum is near the village, 

 which lies more to the west than the north. The main 

 road from Winchester to Alton cutting through the 

 town of New Alresford runs on through Bishop's 

 Sutton to Ropley, and gradually climbing towards 

 Medsted enters the south-eastern corner of the parish, 

 forming its south-eastern boundary line for about a 

 mile. As it enters the parish it sends off a branch road 

 north-west towards the village, passing under a railway 

 bridge on the Alton branch of the London and South 

 Western Railway, which runs through the parish for 

 about a mile and a half, north of and parallel to the 

 main road to Alton. There is a station at Medsted 

 on this line, near the spot locally known as Four Marks, 

 north-east of the bridge. 



Leaving the railway bridge and winding between 

 fields and meadows the road continues north by the 

 small iron Congregational chapel standing on the west 

 side and between the several cottages and houses which 

 form that part of the village known as South Town. 

 Then curving slightly east it again turns sharply north 

 and runs between the village green, with its scattered 

 gorse bushes, which stretches to the east, and the trim 

 burial ground hedged in by a thick line of well- 

 growing fir trees. This burial ground was formed and 

 consecrated in 1884 at a cost of ^150, and is under 

 the control of a Burial Board of nine members. Past 

 the green and the cemetery the road branches east and 

 west, the eastern branch running towards Alton, the 

 western forming the main village street. Along this 

 the unpicturesque low slated cottages are grouped, 

 with the small village shops and the post office which 

 lies on the south side of the road. Nearly opposite 

 the post office is the old Congregational church, built 

 in 1850, now used as an oil store. Here at the west 

 end of the village a narrow branch curves to the 



north from the main road, and after sending off a 

 branch north-east towards Bentworth circles round to 

 meet the main road again some few yards up. On 

 the island so formed is the church, standing compara- 

 tively near the road in the midst of several fine yew 

 trees ; the schools, which stand immediately west of 

 the church ; and two or three cottages, which stand 

 behind the church, two facing north, two facing west. 

 On the outer side of the circling road are two or three 

 cottages ; the Castle Inn, a plain-fronted house 

 standing behind a narrow courtyard ; and the parish 

 hall, consisting of two rooms, erected by the late 

 Mr. Thomas Nuller. 



West of the church, on the south side of the main 

 village street, behind a high garden wall, stands Med- 

 sted House, round the grounds of which the road 

 curves to the south, downhill towards Bighton. On 

 the north side of the road as it curves stands the 

 rectory, round the east side of which a branch road 

 curves north-west towards Wield, sending ofF a branch 

 road south-west towards the small tithing of Hat- 

 tingley about three-quarters of a mile from Medsted 

 village. 



Both from Medsted House and from the rectory, 

 and from the high sloping fields which fall away to 

 the west, a panoramic view stretches north and west. 

 To the north over Wield and Preston Candover parishes 

 is seen the dim outline of the high country round 

 Nutley and Farleigh Wallop, and from this running 

 west a fine line of undulating country rising against 

 the horizon, Juniper Hill, Bogmoor Hill, Abbotstone 

 Wood, and Abbotstone Down. 



The lane leading to the two farm-houses and the 

 three or four cottages composing Hattingley runs 

 downhill between fields and meadows, beyond which 

 as they stretch away to the north can be seen a long 

 blue line of distant country. Passing one group of 

 thatched cottages on the left the lane approaches the 

 high tiled wall which surrounds the garden of Pul- 

 linger's Farm, with its square white farm-house and 

 outbuildings lying on the north side of the road. 

 Nearly opposite, standing back from the road, is 



" Feet of F. Hants, 35 Hen. Ill, No. 

 389- 



13 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), ii, 10. 

 " last. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



327 



14 Cat. S.P. Dam. 1639, p. 182. 

 i. Hanti, ii, Schools.' 



