A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



COMPTON 



Cuntone (xi cent.) ; Cumyngton (xvi cent.). 



The Roman road from Winchester to Southampton 

 running south-west almost parallel with the Itchen 

 cuts through the whole length of the eastern part of 

 Compton parish. On either side of the road are the 

 chalk downs which rise to the south of Winchester, 

 Compton Down on the right just outside Winchester 

 and Shawford Down on the left beyond Compton 

 village, which lies in the valley between the two. 

 The whole parish consists of 2,803 acres, of which 

 1 7 are water. 1 



Compton village street crosses the Roman road as 

 it runs south-west. The branch which runs west from 

 the main road leads past low thatched cottages, one of 

 which serves as the post office, to the church on the 

 left facing the village school, while west of the church 

 at the top of Carman's Lane is the Rectory, dating 

 from 1780. Then the street becomes a narrow lane 

 leading on between fields, thick hedges, and farm 

 buildings to picturesque Dummer's Farm. From 

 here it turns to the right and runs north over Compton 

 Down and on to Oliver's Battery. The eastern branch 

 of the village street leads by a group of farm buildings 

 to the manor-house on the left-hand side of the road, 

 and then becomes a narrow lane called Place Lane 

 which leads down to the river and over the canal into 

 Twyford parish. A few yards up the main road 

 from Compton village a road leads east on to the 

 downs to Shawford hamlet,* which is now the most 

 populous part of Compton parish, although less than 

 a hundred years ago it consisted only of a few thatched 

 cottages. 3 It has a station on the London and South- 

 western and Great Western Railways on a joint line, 

 which runs through the parish close to the western 

 border line, and it is since the opening of the 

 railway that Shawford has grown in importance. 

 The modern residences of which Shawford is mostly 

 composed are grouped on the hill on the north side 

 of the road facing the Downs, while the village shops, 

 the inn, and the post office are near the station. The 

 old mill, which is generally counted locally in Shaw- 

 ford, is just beyond the canal, and is properly in 

 Twyford parish, though the mill stream forms the 

 western boundary line of Compton. Shawford House, 

 which lies still further west, is also in Twyford 

 parish. 



Further along the main Roman road as it continues 

 in a south-westerly direction towards Otterbourne are 

 modern residences lately built. Oakwood House is 

 partly in Compton, partly in Twyford. The south- 

 westerly corner of the parish is comprised of part of 

 the lands of the manor of Silkstead, which is a hamlet 

 partly in Compton and partly in Huisley parish. 



The soil of the parish, since it is part of the great 

 chalk downs, is entirely chalk with a subsoil of chalk, 

 though it seems to touch a layer of sand and gravel in 

 the lower ground in the south-west towards Silkstead. 

 The chief crops are wheat, barley, and turnips. 



The manor of CHILCOMB as granted 

 MANORS by King Edward to the church of Win- 

 chesterin 908 included land in Compton. 4 

 In Domesday Book Compton, though not mentioned 

 by name, wai evidently included in the entry under 

 Chilcomb, 4 and the modern manor of Barton and 

 Buddlesgate representing Chilcomb still comprises 

 part of Compton parish. 



One of the earliest references to the manor of 

 COMPTON WJSSELING is in 1250, in which year 

 Thomas son of Herbert de Boarhunt and Emma his 

 wife quitclaimed 70 acres of land, 10 acres of wood, 

 2^ acres of meadow, and 8/. rent in Compton from 

 themselves and the heirs of Emma to Nicholas 

 Wasseling in exchange for a messuage and 40 acres 

 of land in Ropley.' Nicholas was succeeded by John 

 Wasseling, probably his son, who died towards the 

 end of the reign of Edward I seised of a messuage, 

 300 acres of arable land, 8 acres of pasture, a mill, 7 

 and rents of free and customary tenants, 8 leaving as 

 his heirs his two daughters, Nichola wife of Henry de 

 Sardene, and Maud widow of John de Pairok." In 

 1 303 a moiety of the manor was settled on Henry 

 de Sardene and Nichola in fee-tail with contingent 

 remainder to Margaret daughter of Nichola and her 

 heirs. 10 It is probable that they died without issue 

 and the moiety passed to Margaret, who seems to 

 have married Robert de Thorncombe, to whom 

 Richard de Codinge and Maud his wife, evidently 

 Nichola's sister, quitclaimed a messuage and ij 

 carucates of land in Compton, no doubt representing 

 the other moiety of the manor, in 1315." Before 

 1338 Robert had died, for in that year two parts of 

 three messuages, a mill, lands and rents in Compton, 

 and the reversion of the third part, after the death of 

 Margaret de Thorncombe, were settled on Thomas 

 de Thorncombe, a merchant of Winchester, and 

 Elizabeth his wife." Some time afterwards Thomas 

 obtained licence to celebrate mass in the oratory of 

 his manor house," but soon fell so deeply into debt 

 that in 1352 John Malweyn, citizen and merchant of 

 London, was seised of a rent of 20 from his manor 

 and his messuages and shops in Winchester, which 

 were in addition burdened by an annual payment 

 of ^4 to Nicholas de Thorncombe and 2 in. %d. 

 to the prior of St. Swithun." The subsequent 

 history of the manor is obscure, but it ultimately came 

 into the Philpot family, 15 though at what date is 



'Pop. Ret. 1901. The Ordnance 

 Survey gives the area at 2,109 seres. 



In 1527 John Smythe of Shawford 

 was amerced at the manor court of Barton 

 for trespass on lands in Compton which 

 belonged to the prior and convent of St. 

 Swithun (Ct. R. in Winchester Cathedral 

 Lib.). 



* There was a group of about sir 

 seventeenth-century cottages near the 

 station until about five years ago, when 

 they were burnt by a spark from a train 

 settling on the thatch. 



4 Kemble, Codex Dip!, ii, 153. 



s V.C.H. Hants, i, 463*. 



8 Feet of F. Hants, Trin. 34 Hen. III. 



' It was worth 3 a year, 2 1 81. of 

 which was paid to the bishop of Winches- 

 ter. 



8 There is no mention of the parish in 

 which the tenements are situated. 



Inq. p.m. 30 Edw. I, No. 16. The 

 tenements were stated to be held of the 

 prior and convent of St. Swithun by rent 

 of 1 131. Id. 



10 Feet of F. Div. Cos. Mich. 31 Edw. I. 



406 



u Ibid. Hants, Mich. 9 Edw. I. During 

 the life of Richard and Maud he was to 

 pay a rent of 1 1 marks for it. 



111 Ibid. Hants, Mich. 1 2 Edw. III. 



18 Egerton MS. 2032, fol. 49. 



14 Inq. p.m. 35 Edw. Ill, pt. 2 (ist 

 Nos.), No. 5. 



16 The Philpots were descendants of 

 Sir John Philpot, a Kentish man who 

 was Lord Mayor of London in 1378. It 

 is possible that Sir John purchased his 

 interest in the manor from John son anV 

 heir of John Malweyn. 



