FAWLEY HUNDRED 



WIELD 



in West Meon, and an indulgence was granted to 

 those penitents who visited and gave alms to the 

 ' fabric of the chapel.' The same indulgence was also 

 granted to those penitents who gave alms towards the 

 chapel of St. Mary the Virgin in Punsholt." 



In 1846 William Butterworth 

 CHARITIES Bayley by deed conveyed to trustees 

 schoolhouse, master's house, and three 

 acres of playground, and by a deed in 1853 Miss 

 Mary Touchett endowed the school with three tene- 

 ments, blacksmith's shop, and coach-house. In 1897 

 the blacksmith's shop was pulled down and upon 

 the site an institute called the ' Queen Victoria 

 Institute ' was built at a cost of 377, provided by 



voluntary contribution. The income is about 

 a year." 



In 1 867 a village green was granted by the lords 

 of the manor for the use of the inhabitants. 



In 1872 Hannah Batten by will, proved this 

 date, left 100 consuls, income to be divided yearly 

 among three poor widows on last day of January 

 by the rector and churchwardens. 



In 1873 Elizabeth Sibley, by will proved this 

 date, left 5 a year for the daily ringing of the 

 church bell, to denote certain hours and the day 

 of the month. The funds consist of 166 ly.^J. 

 consols. The sums of stock are held by the 

 official trustees. 



WIELD 



Walde (xi cent.) ; Welde, Wolde (xiv cent.). 



The parish of Wield, covering an area of 2,104 acres, 

 lies in the open down country that rises north-east of 

 Old Alresford and south-east of Preston Candover. 

 The land, generally speaking, slopes upward from 

 north to south, reaching a height of 576ft. above the 

 ordnance datum in the south-east as the road leads 

 from Upper Wield to Medsted. 



The village of Upper Wield, the nucleus of the 

 parish, lies in the south, and is reached from the north- 

 west from Preston Candover by a steep rough lane 

 which rises for about a mile between thick hedges, 

 plough-land, and pasture land, from 450 ft. above the 

 ordnance datum to over 550 ft. near the village. On 

 the approach to the village a farmhouse stands north 

 of the road, which here makes a more distinct curve 

 to the south round the house and thatched out- 

 buildings of a small farm which lies in the west, 

 and runs past the village pond on the opposite 

 side of the road to the groups of thatched cottages 

 which lie on either side. A branch road to the west 



leads down to the church, which, being approached by 

 a narrow pathway leading north, stands in a fenced-in 

 churchyard, and on the north side of the road imme- 

 diately behind a group of thatched cottages. South- 

 west of the church is a small Primitive Methodist 

 chapel dated 1 8 1 8. The main road continues south 

 for a few yards beyond this branch leading to the 

 church, a few thatched cottages lying on the west 

 side, while opposite is a rough uninclosed green. At 

 the end of this green the road branches east and west, 

 the western branch leading to Alresford, the eastern 

 to Lower Wield. A few yards along this eastern 

 branch as it leads down hill the village schools stand 

 on the north side, while beyond the schools are a few 

 outlying thatched cottages, and at the corner as a 

 branch road goes north-west to Lower Wield is the 

 thatched vicarage. Lower Wield, lying away towards 

 the north of the parish, is about a mile as the crow 

 flies from Upper Wield, and is on much lower ground. 

 It consists of three farms, Lower Wield Farm, 

 Nicholas' Farm, and Fitter Farm, with a few scattered 



. 



48 Cal. Pap. Letters, iv, 356. 



WIELD VILLAGE 



345 



" V.C.ll. Hants, ii, 'School..' 



44 



