A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



converted into pasture. A considerable number of 

 sheep are reared on the downs, and these with the 

 game farm and racing stable furnish occupation for 

 the inhabitants. 



The common lands were inclosed on 10 February, 

 1859.' The tithe map is at the vicarage. Some field 

 names in the parish were ' Suffle, Barrow Croft, Hern 

 Croft, Dungerts, and Winderane." 



There seems to be little doubt that 

 MANORS MORESTE4D was originally one of 

 the eight sub-manors in Chilcomb men- 

 tioned at the time of the Domesday Survey ; and one 

 of the nine churches included in Chilcomb at this 

 date probably became the parish church of More- 

 stead.* The bishops of Winchester seem to have 

 retained possession of Morestead until nearly the end 

 of the thirteenth century ; for Morestead is not 

 mentioned by name in the charter of 1205, under 

 which various manors in Hampshire passed into the 

 hands of the prior and convent of St. Swithun, 

 Winchester; 3 but by 1284 the manor was in the 

 possession of the prior and convent, and owed suit at 

 the bishop's court.* In 1316 the vill of Morestead 

 was in the hands of the prior of St. Swithun's, 6 and 

 there are a few records of leases by him. In 1338 

 Philip Marmyon conveyed a messuage, a carucate of 

 land, 20 acres of wood, and 8;. rent in Morestead to 

 John Sauncere and his wife Julia, to be held by John 

 and Julia and the heirs of Julia ; 6 and in 1525 John 

 Dyker conveyed the manor of Morestead, together 

 with lands, tenements, and rent in Morestead, to 

 William Thorpe and others.' 



After the dissolution of the monasteries Morestead 

 with many other lands formerly belonging to St. 

 Swithun's became part of the endowment of the 

 dean and chapter of Winchester Cathedral ; 8 they 

 granted Morestead Manor to Richard Lyster, who 

 died possessed of it, held of 

 the dean and chapter, in 

 1558.' 



Richard Lyster had sold a 

 great deal of his land to Sir 

 John Leigh in 1556;' and 

 the Leighs evidently bought 

 Morestead Manor, for it was 

 in their possession in 1 5 67." 

 In 1612 Sir John Leigh, son 

 of the Sir John Leigh men- 

 tioned in 1556, died seised of 

 the capital messuage of More- 

 stead, which he held from 

 the dean and chapter of 

 Winchester, as of their manor 

 of Barton formerly Chilcomb." 



In 1682 Morestead was in 

 cathedral church 



CARNEGIE, Earl of 

 Northesk. Or an eagle 

 sable "with a naval croivn 

 or on his breast and the 

 word TRAFALGAR in the 

 chief. 



the possession of the 

 of Winchester, 13 which continued 

 to hold it until the middle of the nineteenth century. 



At some date between 1859 and 1866 the earl of 

 Northesk must have bought the property, his grand- 

 son, the present earl, being lord of the manor. 14 



The church (no dedication known) 

 CHURCH is a small building with a twelfth- 

 century nave 1 4 ft. 8 in. wide, a modern 

 chancel of 1873, a modern south porch and western 

 brick bell-cot, and a brick building dating from 1833 

 set against the west wall of the nave, which has served 

 its turn as a school, and is now disused. Its site is 

 said to have been occupied by the old rectory pulled 

 down in 1833. The chancel is lighted by modern 

 round-headed windows, and has a modern chancel 

 arch springing from corbels, while the nave has one 

 north and two south windows, likewise modern. Its 

 walls are 2 ft. 5 in. thick, and the north doorway, 

 which has a plain round head with a chamfered string 

 at the springing, is of mid-twelfth-century date, 

 while the south doorway has a head which may be of 

 the same period but reworked, its jambs being modern. 

 At the west end of the nave is a pointed window 

 blocked up. The nave roof with its tie-beams is old, 

 but all other fittings in the church are modern except 

 the font, which stands near the south door, and is 

 of a common late twelfth-century type, of Purbeck 

 marble, with an octagonal bowl on a central and 

 smaller flanking shafts, each face of the bowl being 

 worked with two pointed arches. 



The single bell bears in rough lettering i H 

 1616. 



The communion plate is modern, consisting of a 

 chalice of 1872 with flagon and paten of the preceding 

 year. 



The first book of the registers, a parchment copy 

 apparently made about 1656, begins in 1549 and 

 goes to 1811, the marriages not being entered after 

 1754. The second book is a copy of the baptisms 

 and burials 1 800-1 1 taken from the first book, and 

 the third is the marriage register 1760-1811. There 

 is also a book of the overseers of the poor, 181335. 

 Morestead church was probably 

 ADVQWSQN among the nine churches mentioned 

 in Domesday as belonging to the 

 manor of Chilcomb 16 (q.v.). The advowson is now, 

 and always has been, held by the bishop of Win- 

 chester. 16 In 1285 the prior and convent of St. 

 Swithun received confirmation of a charter by 

 which they received the Easter offerings and a pen- 

 sion from the church of Morestead. 17 In 1291 the 

 church was assessed at 5 ; 18 and by 1535 the value 

 had risen to 6 31. %d. w In 1658 Morestead was 

 temporarily united with Chilcomb parish by order of 

 the Trustees for the Maintenance of Ministers. 10 

 The living is now a rectory. 



Joseph D'Arcy Sirr, D.D., rector of Morestead 

 1859-68, was the author of A Memoir of Archbishop 

 Trench and the Life of Archbishop Usher. n 



1 Part. ACCK. and Papers, vol. 71, 485- 

 523. * V.C.H. Wants, i, 463. 



Cat. Pap. Letters, i, 21. 



< Add. MS. 29, 436, fol. 59 ; EccL 

 Com. Ct.R. bdle. 80, No. I. It is stated in 

 the St. Swithun charters that Morestead, 

 a possession of the prior and convent, 

 owed, together with eight other manors, 

 certain services to the bishop of Win- 

 chester, about which services a compro- 

 mise was made. 5 Feud. Aids, ii, 320. 



Feet of F. Hants, Mich. II Edw. III. 



'Ibid. East. 17 Hen. VIII. The ex- 



tent of the manor at this date is given as 

 2 messuages, 500 acres of land, 200 acres 

 of pasture, 100 acres of meadow, 10 acres 

 of wood, and 401. rent. 



8 Pat. 33 Hen. VIII, pt. 9, m. 34-40 ; 

 L. and P. Hen. Fill, xvi, 505. 



Chan. Inq. p.m. i Eliz. (Ser. 2), pt. 

 3, No. 222. 



10 Feet of F. Hants, HiL 3 & 4 Phil, 

 and Mary. 



Ibid. East. 9 Eliz. 



13 W. and L. Inq. p.m. 10 Jas. I, bdle. 

 45, No. 97. 



33 



Winch. Cath. Doc. (Hants Rec. Soc.), 

 ii, 185. 



u P.O. Dir. 1848, 1855, 1859, 1867, 

 1875, 1880, 1885. 



" V.C.H. Hants, i, 463. 



16 Cal. Pap. Letters, ii, 206 ; Inst. Bks. 

 (P.R.O.). 



V Cal. of Chart. R. 1257-1300, p. 

 288. 



18 Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 210. 



" Vahr Eccl. (Rec. Com.), ii, 6. 



80 Cal. S.P. Dom. 1657-8, p. 376. 



81 Diet. Nat. Biog. 



