THE HUNDRED OF MICHELDEVER 



CONTAINING THE PARISHES OF 



MICHELDEVER 



NORTHINGTON 



POPHAM 



EAST STRATTON 



In 1831 the hundred included, locally speaking, only these four parishes, 

 but quite recently its jurisdiction extended also over Cranborne, Slackstead in 

 Farley Chamberlayne, and Abbots Worthy in Kings Worthy parish. 1 Of 

 these Cranborne had been granted to the New Minster with Micheldever 

 Hundred, 2 and both Cranborne and Worthy are separately mentioned in the 

 Domesday Survey as being in Micheldever Hundred. Other lands also in- 

 cluded in the hundred in 1086 were Drayton in Barton Stacey, West Stratton, 

 and Popham, whilst Northington and East Stratton were evidently included 

 in the abbey's lands there, though not expressly mentioned. 8 The jurisdic- 

 tion of the hundred also extended over Swarraton,* for which the tithingman 

 of Northington answered. 6 The hundred was assessed at 113 hides in the 

 time of Edward the Confessor, but of 

 these seven hides at Worthy paid no geld. 

 The remaining 106 hides were reduced to 

 83 hides and half a virgate before 1086. 



The hundred court was held at 

 Micheldever, 6 probably in early days at 

 the moot-house mentioned in the boun- 

 daries of Micheldever in 90 1. 7 The 

 hundred was granted to the New Minster 

 with the manor (q.v.) in the early years 

 of the reign of Edward the Elder, 8 and 

 its history has since been coincident with 

 that of the manor. In 1282 the abbot 

 complained that the mayor and bailiffs of 

 Winchester, together with certain citizens, 

 had entered the abbey's inclosures within 

 the hundred with a great multitude and 

 seized the attachments for certain trespasses there, a right which should have 

 belonged to the abbey. 9 Assize of bread and ale was also claimed as appur- 

 tenant to the hundred, 10 and this with other privileges, such as return of 

 writs, freedom from interference by the sheriff, and exemption from pleas, 

 tallage, aids, geld and scot, was confirmed to Henry earl of Southampton in 

 February, 1607-8," shortly after the restoration of the hundred with his 

 other lands. 12 



1 See Ct. Bks. penes Lord Northbrook. * Liber de Hyda (Rolls Ser.), 88. 



' V.C.H. Hants, i, 469^. Harl. MS. 1761, No. 49. 



5 Ibid. fol. 1 60. 6 Ibid. ; Ct. Bks. penes Lord Northbrook. 



7 Liber de Hyda (Rolls Ser.), 86. -In the English explanation of the Saxon charter it is called the manor; 

 it is possible, therefore, that this moot-house stood on the site of the present manor farm. 



8 Kemble, Codex Dipl. 336. Cal. Pat. 1281-92, p. 47. 



10 Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 766. " Pat. 5 Jas. I, pt. 15, m. I. " Ibid. pt. 2, m. i. 



389 



MICHELDEVER 



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