BERMONDSPIT HUNDRED 



DUMMER 



DUMMER WITH KEMPSHOT 



Dummere (xi cent.) ; Dumare (xiii cent.) ; Dom- 

 mere (xiv cent.). 



The parish of Dummer, with Kempshot added in 

 1876 for civil purposes, contains 2,774 acres of hilly 

 country generally rising from west to east, and reaching 

 a height of over 660 ft. above the ordnance datum in 

 the east of the parish. 



The main road from Winchester to Basingstoke, 

 leaving the high ground near Popham church, con- 

 tinues north, and running downhill enters the parish 

 of Dummer about half a mile south of the Wheat 

 Sheaf Inn. Thence it continues north, forming for 

 about a mile and a half the western boundary of the 

 parish, until suddenly turning east it cuts across the 

 parish north-west of Kempshot, and skirting the grounds 

 of Kempshot House, the residence of Mr. Henry 

 Gourlay.continues towards Basingstoke. Three-quarters 

 of a mile north of the Wheat Sheaf Inn a road from 

 North Waltham runs across the main road, and goes east 

 to the village of Dummer, between banks and fields and 

 hedgerows covered in the early spring with masses of 

 primroses and violets and lilac-coloured ' milkmaids ' 

 or lady-smocks. Curving slightly north the road enters 

 the village, past two or three more or less modern cot- 

 tages lying back behind hedges and gardens, to the 

 more old-world thatched and half-timbered cottages, 

 farms and farm buildings, which lie for the most part 

 along the north side of the street, and along the branch 

 road which leads south from the west end of the vil- 

 lage. On the south side of the road, nearly half-way 

 along the village street, beyond a line of tall young 

 spruce firs, a square tiled and now dilapidated roof, 

 supported on four wooden pillars, forms the covering 

 for the village pump. A few yards on, on the opposite 

 side of the road, is the small village pond, beyond which 

 are the schools, built in 1 8 1 6. Beyond the schools a 

 low brick wall encircles an old well-kept graveyard, 

 entered from the street by an iron gate, and east of 

 which runs a narrow grass inclosure. The church, the 

 manor-house, and the rectory are grouped together at 

 the east end of the village, the rectory, a grey stone 

 house, standing on the north side of the road, facing 

 west on the lane that turns off towards Kempshot, 

 among well-grown trees which are much frequented by 

 rooks. The simple quaint church, west of which a lane 

 leads off south to Tidley Hill, stands opposite behind 

 a low brick wall, in front of which several fine beech 

 and horse-chestnut trees grow by the side of the road. 

 Immediately south-east, almost behind the church, 

 is the manor-house, a large square white building, the 

 residence of Sir Richard Nelson Rycroft, bart. It is in 

 the main a good specimen of early eighteenth-century 

 date, with excellent details of panelling, staircases, and 

 chimney-pieces. Parts of the building are, however, 

 of earlier date, and there is some Jacobean panelling in 

 some of the first-floor rooms. In front of the house 

 on the north side of the short wide drive, spreading 

 over the road is a fine horse-chestnut tree. From here 

 the road winds east, generally uphill, through the 

 parish, then, curving slightly north, enters Farleigh 



Wallop. As it rises towards Farleigh, climbing the side 

 of the downland which rises to the east, fine views of 

 the whole parish and of the surrounding country can 

 be seen on the north and west and south from between 

 the low hedges, and from the open fields which stretch 

 on either side. Away to the north-west is the dark 

 woodland surrounding Kempshot House, followed by 

 undulating country, stretching away west and south to 

 North Waltham parish, and over North Waltham to 

 the misty outline of the woods which adjoin Steventon 

 manor-house, and to the dark outline of Steventon 

 Warren, which rises further south. Following on 

 still further south beyond Tidley Hill another long 

 stretch of woodland lies north of Woodmancott. 

 Dummer Grange Farm, which was for some centuries 

 before the Dissolution the property of Waverley Abbey, 

 is near Tidley Hill in the south of the parish. 

 Kempshot House stands in a well-wooded park of 

 about 1 50 acres, north of the village and parish. 

 The soil of the whole parish is clay with a subsoil 

 of chalk, and hence on the 2,13 ij acres of arable 

 land good crops of wheat, barley, oats, and turnips 

 are produced, while only 654 acres are given up 

 to permanent grass, and those mostly in the east of 

 the parish. The 268^ acres of woodland are for the 

 most part included in Kempshot manor, and encircle 

 the grounds of Kempshot House. A small wood 

 which extends mostly into Nutley parish lies in the 

 south-east. Several disused chalk-pits, a familiar feature 

 in most parts of Hampshire, exist in the parish. 



The manor known in th'e sixteenth 

 MANORS century as EAST DUMMER or POP- 

 HAM DUMMER may be identified 

 with the five hides of land in Dummer held at 

 the time of the Survey by Odo of Winchester, 

 and under him by Hunger. 1 Odo's lands sub- 

 sequently became part of the honour of St. Valery, 

 which, having escheated to the crown in the reign of 

 Henry III, 1 was regranted by that king to Richard 

 earl of Cornwall. On the death of Richard's son 

 Edmund without heirs his estates, including the 

 honours of St. Valery and Wallingford, once more 

 came into the king's hands, 5 and the overlordship of 

 Dummer by a confusion, not unusual about this date, 

 seems to have been transferred to Wallingford honour 

 and henceforth the overlordship followed that descent. 4 

 At the time of the Survey one Hunger held these 

 five hides as a sub-tenant of Odo. Three ' hagae ' in 

 Winchester which paid a rent of 2/. were annexed to 

 the property. 5 It is possible that this Hunger may 

 have been the ancestor of the family of Dummer, for 

 between the years 1107 and 1128 a certain Henry 

 Dummer possessed rents from three houses in Win- 

 chester, 6 possibly the three ' hagae ' of Domesday Book, 

 and Ralph Dummer, probably a son or grandson of 

 Henry, held a rent of 5/. jd. from lands in Tanner 

 Street, Winchester, in 1 148. In 1 198 his son Robert 

 gave half a hide of land in Dummer to his brother 

 Geoffrey, parson of the church; and it may be assumed 

 that the property in Dummer passed through his son 



32- 



V.C.H. Hants, i, 504.6. 



Cal. Inq. p.m. 56 Hen. Ill, No. 



8 Chan. Inq. p.m. 28 Edw. I, No. 44. 

 4 Ibid. 21 Ric. II, No. 44 ; ibid. 10 

 Hen. IV, No. 22, *c. 



357 



5 y.C.H. Hants, i, 504*. 



6 Liber Winton, 532, 



