BERMONDSPIT HUNDRED 



and Frances Soper, daughters and heirs-at-law of John 

 Soper of Preston Candover, sold to Stephen Terry of 

 Long Sutton Dummer Grange Farm and land in 

 Nutley and Basing and other places." 



In 1757 the name of Soper again occurs in con- 

 nexion with Nutley and Axford, when resettlement of 

 his lands was made upon William Soper, yeoman, and 

 his heirs." 



In 1578 William Fauconer of Laverstock, Wilt- 

 shire, sold to Philip Wateridge of Axford for 400 his 

 messuage commonly called Axford or Axor Farm, and 

 lands in Nutley.** A fine in 1652 occurs between 

 William Soper and John Wateridge concerning a 

 messuage and 150 acres of land besides pasture, 

 meadow, and woodland. 24 As the Soper settlement of 

 1757 has reference to a messuage in Axford and 

 I 50 acres of land and woodland, 85 it seems probable 

 that Axford Farm had been sold to the Sopers by 

 Philip Wateridge. 



Glimpses of the history of Axford hamlet can be 

 found here and there. The prior of Southwick in 

 early times held land there," and his villeins owed suit 

 at the hundred of Bcrmondspit, which William de 

 Valence, so said the prior, hindered them from pay- 

 ing." The Valences also had land there, as Aylmer 



PRESTOM 

 CANDOVER 



de Valence earl of Pembroke held three parts of a 

 fee in Axore (Axford) before 1323." 



The family of Ingepenne held land in Axford and 

 Nutley from the fourteenth until the seventeenth 

 century.* 9 Their land in Axford they held of John 

 Norton in 1405 and 1410.* 



The church of OUR LADY is entirely 

 CHURCH modern, having been rebuilt with chancel, 

 north vestry, nave, south porch, and west 

 bell-turret, in 1845. One voussoir of a mid-twelfth- 

 century arch, with zigzag ornament, is preserved in the 

 vestry, as a relic of the former church. The font has 

 an octagonal bowl, and stands near the south doorway 

 of the nave ; it is modern, together with all the 

 fittings of the church. There is one bell without 

 inscription, possibly from the old church. 



For plate and registers see Preston Candover. 



The vicarage of Nutley is annexed 

 ADVQWSON to Preston Candover. The priory of 

 Southwick held the advowson until 

 the Dissolution." It was then probably annexed to 

 Preston Candover, and granted with Preston Candover 

 to the dean and chapter of Winchester," who presented 

 in the time of Bishop Gardiner,** and are the present 

 patrons. 



PRESTON CANDOVER 



Candevre, Candovre (xi cent.) ; Candeura, Can- 

 dieura (xii cent.) ; Preste Candevere, Kandever, Kan- 

 devera (xiii cent.) ; Preston Candeuere (xiv cent.) ; 

 Preston in Candeveresdene (xv cent.) ; Kandavor 

 (xvii cent.). 



The parish of Preston Candover, containing 3,457 

 acres, lies on comparatively low ground, south of the 

 high country round Farleigh Wallop and Nutley, 

 and north-west of that which rises to Wield and be- 

 yond Wield to Medsted. The ground rises generally 

 from west to east, the greatest height, 500 ft. above 

 the ordnance datum, being reached in the north-east 

 near Moundsmere Farm. 



The village itself lies on the lowest ground towards 

 the west of the parish on the road which comes north- 

 east from Northington and the two other Candovers, 

 and runs across the parish to enter Nutley at Axford 

 and continues uphill to Farleigh and thence to Basing- 

 stoke. As the road enters the village the farm 

 buildings of Lower Farm lie on the east, as a branch 

 road turns off south-east towards Godsfield and Aires- 

 ford. On the west at the corner of a lane which 

 runs north-west by the Manor Farm to Preston 

 Copse, is the old vicarage, now a private house, north 

 of which is the graveyard and the remains of the 

 old church of St. Mary, now used as a mortuary 

 chapel. As the road continues up the village, South 

 Hall, the property and residence of Mr. C. Hall, 



stands back on the east, while on the west is North 

 Hall, the manor-house of the Purefoy estate, now 

 the property and residence of Mr. C. L. Wade. 



Passing by several good cottages and houses the 

 road comes to the modern church of St. Mary, to 

 which, as it stands well to the east, a lychgate leads 

 the way over a grass inclosure. Here the road curves 

 to the north by the ' Purefoy Arms,' which stands on 

 the west almost opposite the church, and passing by 

 the several shops and cottages of the village, one of 

 which on the east side serves as the post office, 

 goes on to the schools, which stand in their in- 

 closed playground also on the east side of the road. 

 On high ground north-east of the schools is the 

 modern vicarage standing in good grounds. Beyond 

 the schools two or three thatched cottages lie east 

 and west of the road, and a small plain tiled building, 

 a Primitive Methodist chapel, bearing the date 1863, 

 stands on the east. Passing on through the north 

 end of the village, the wooden fence inclosing the 

 well-wooded grounds of the west park of Preston 

 House, the seat of Mrs. Hope, runs along the west 

 side of the road, a drive at the further end leading 

 up to the house. On the opposite side of the road 

 are two or three thatched cottages, while from here 

 a road branches east to Bradley and Herriard. Leav- 

 ing the grounds of Preston House the main road 

 continues north to Axford and so out of the parish^ 



M Com. Pleas D. Enr. Trin. 10 Geo. II, 

 rot. i. She was heiress of Preston Can- 

 dovor manor, and married William Guidott ; 

 ice Preston Candover. 



M Com. Pleas Recov. R. rot. 695, No. 

 45. This was a different family evidently, 

 Soper not being an uncommon name in 

 these parti ; ex inform. Rev. Sumner 

 Wilson. 



Com. Pleas Recov. R. rot. 63, No. 

 18. 



w Feet of F. Hants, Mich. 1652. 



45 Com. Pleat Recov. R. rot. 695, 

 No. 45. 



Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 

 768. V ibid. 



118 Chan. Inq. p.m. 17 Edw. II, No. 75. 



*> Feet of F. Hants, Mich. 27 Edw. II ; 

 Chan. Inq. p.m. 7 Hen. IV, No. 48 ; ibid. 

 8 Hen. IV, No. 95 ; Feet of F. Hants, 

 East. 9 Hen. IV ; Chan. Inq. p.m. iz 

 Hen. IV, No. 44; Feet of F. Hants, 

 Trin. 19 Hen. VI ; ibid. Mich. 10 

 Hen. VIII ; ibid. East. 22 Eliz. 



37 1 



10 Chan. Inq. p.m. 7 Hen. IV, No. 48 ; 

 ibid. 12 Hen. IV, No. 44. 



M Egerton MS. 2031-4, Wykeham'f 

 Reg. (Hants Rec. Soc.), i, ii. In the 

 reign of Edward III the prior and convent 

 granted licence to Sir James Norton to 

 hear divine service in the oratory of the 

 manor of Nutley. Egerton MS. 2032. 



" Pat. 33 Hen. VIII, pt. 9, m. 40. 



Egerton MS. 2034. In 1636 John 

 Young, and in 1661 Edward Griffin, esq., 

 are found presenting (Inst. Bks. P.R.O.). 



