A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



two mills in West Meon, worth I o/.* In 1 664 when 

 Thomas Neale was holding the manor there were 

 three mills." In 1301 a grant was made to the 

 prior and convent of St. Swithun of free warren in 

 their demesne lands at West Meon." View of 

 frankpledge was granted to the dean and chapter of 

 Winchester in 1542," and the Foxcrofts held view of 

 frankpledge and rights of free warren in 1773." 



The reputed manor of HALL PARK in West 

 Meon is first mentioned in I 550, when it was in the 

 possession of Thomas Wriothesley, earl of South- 

 ampton, who also held the main manor of West 

 Meon. 25 Hall Park subsequently followed the 

 descent of the manor of West Meon (q.v.). A fine 

 house called Hall Place and Hall Place Farm now 

 stands on the site of the so-called manor. 



The earl of Southampton was also holding the so- 

 called manor of COOMSE at the time of his death 

 in 1550 ;* 6 it is always mentioned with West Meon 

 and follows the descent of that manor (q.v.) until 

 the end of the eighteenth century, after which no 

 further record of it has been found. It may possibly 

 have become amalgamated with the main manor, 

 though there is no place of this name at the present 

 day in West Meon ; or possibly the tithing of 

 Coombe, now in West Meon, may mark its site. 



In 1677 occurs the first separate mention of the 

 so-called manor of WOODLANDS," a name given 

 to a porton of West Meon manor, with which its 

 history is identical. It subsequently became merged 

 in that manor ; and its site is now occupied by the 

 Woodlands estate and farm. 



The earliest mention of PUNSHOLT (Punsold, 

 xiv cent. ; Poundesolte, Ponsholt, xvi cent. ; Pun- 

 sholes, Punsalls, xvii cent.) is found in 1341, 

 when Walter de Ticheborne and his wife Agatha 

 were holding in right of the latter half the manor 

 of West Tisted and 40*. rent in Bramdean and 

 Punsholt." 



Again, in 1511 William Tisted, lord of the manor 

 of West Tisted, died seised of the reversion of two 

 tenements, forty acres of land, twenty acres of 

 pasture, and six acres of woodland in Punsholt which 

 ; he held of the priory of St. Swithun as of the manor 

 of West Meon.* 9 It seems probable therefore that 

 Punsholt followed the descent of West Tisted (q.v.). 



On the death of William Tisted's brother and heir, 

 Thomas, a few years later, these tenements were 

 divided among his four sisters and co-heirs and their 

 descendants.* Three of them sold their shares to 

 Richard Norton, 31 whose descendant, Richard Norton, 

 died seised of the so-called manor or capital messuage 

 of Punsholt in West Meon and Privett in 15 84, 

 leaving a son and heir, Anthony," who ten years 

 later granted three-fourths to his sister, Isabel 

 Norton. 33 



Isabel married Thomas Lovedean of East Meon, 

 and owing to his recusancy two-thirds of his lands 

 and tenements, including a messuage called Punsholt, 

 were granted in 1608 for a term of forty-one years 34 



to John Casewell, Christopher Stubbs, and Thomas 

 Hutchinson. 



On the death of Thomas and Isabel, Punsholt 

 descended to Anthony Lovedean, on whose death in 

 1635 it was described as a messuage or tenement, 

 and a virgate of land in the parish of West Meon 

 held from Thomas Neale as of his manor of West 

 Meon by a rent of z6/. 8</. M His heir was his son 

 Sebastian, aged ten and a half years, who was a 

 recusant like his grandfather. 36 



After this the only record concerning Punsholt 

 seems to be in the year 1791, when Thomas 

 Marchant and John Marchant and Ann his wife 

 were holding a moiety of the so-called manor of 

 Punsholt, which they conveyed to Richard Pratt and 

 John Greene. 37 



Punsholt Farm in the north of West Meon parish 

 now indicates the site of the manor of Punsholt. 



The church of ST. JOHN was re- 

 CHURCH built in 1843-6 to the north of the 

 former church, nothing of the older 

 building being preserved. It is a fine building in 

 geometrical style, of carefully faced flint with stone 

 dressings, and has a chancel with north vestry and 

 organ chamber, a nave of five bays, with an em- 

 battled porch, and a tall western tower. The roofs 

 are covered with blue slates. The old font was 

 removed at the rebuilding, and is now in St. Edmund's, 

 Lombard Street ; its successor stands at the west end 

 of the nave, and is octagonal, of thirteenth-century 

 design. There are eight bells, six of 1850 and two 

 of 1897. 



The plate includes a set given in 1846, consisting 

 of two chalices and patens, a larger paten, a flagon 

 and two alms dishes. There is also a gold dish given 

 in 1844, and a plated chalice and paten given in 

 1900. 



The first book of the registers contains all entries 

 from 1542 to 1639, the second runs from 1640 to 

 1688, the third from 1690 to 1733, the fourth from 

 1675 to 1733, and the fifth from 1733 to 1812. 

 The sixth and seventh are the printed marriage 

 registers, 1745-1817. _ 



There are some entries of burials as early as 1536, 

 two years before the passing of the Act for the 

 keeping of parish registers. 



At the time of the Domesday 

 ADVOWSON Survey there was one church in West 

 Meon to which was attached one 

 hide of land ; the church paid 50^. towards the 

 farm of the manor. 38 In 1284 the king gave up to 

 John, bishop of Winchester, and his successors all 

 right and claim in the advowson of the church of 

 West Meon with the chapels. 39 



In 1291 the church was assessed at 20,'" and 

 by 1535 the value had risen 10^31 5/. 4<z'. 41 



The advowson, except during the Commonwealth, 

 has always been in the hands of the bishop of 

 Winchester. 41 The living is a rectory. 



In 1391 there was a chapel of the Holy Trinity 





V.C.H. Hants, i, 461. 



81 Recov. R. Mich. 16 Chas. II, m. 102. 

 Two of these mills may possibly have been 

 in West Meon, as Hall Park and Privett 

 were included in West Meon. 



M Chart. R. 29 Edw. I. No. 54. 



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



54 Recov. R. Trin. 13 Geo. Ill, m. 42. 



86 W. & L. Inq. p.m. 4 Edw. VI (Ser. 

 2), vol. 5, No. 103. 



*> Ibid. 



" Feet of F. Div. Cos. East. 29 Chas. II. 



88 Ibid. Hants, Trin. II Edw. III. 



M Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2),vol. 26.No. 1 3. 



80 Berry, Hants Genealogies, 29. 



Vide Feet of F. Hants, Mich. 1 1 

 Hen. VIII. 



88 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 351, 

 No. 82. 



"Add. MSS. 38278, fol. ijii. 



344 



34 Pat. 6 Jas. I, pt. 3, No. 15. 

 86 Chan. Inq. p.m. II Chas. I, vol. 476, 

 No. 71. 



86 Cal. of Com. for Com p. iii, 1788. 



W Feet of F. Hants, Mich. 34 Geo. III. 



MV.C.H. Hants, i, 461. 



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



4 Pof<! Nicn. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 211*. 



41 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), ii, 22. 



44 Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



