62 



THE HAMPSHIRE ANTIQUARY & NATURALIST. 



was formerly " within these thirty years," says White 

 "divided off by an old carved Gothic framework of timber, 

 having been a private chantry." The design on the dis- 

 covered coffin-lids lends colour to the suggestion that this 

 " private chantry" was formerly the chapel of the Knights 

 Templars. 



Mr. Vaughan concludes with some notes on the vil- 

 lagers and their customs and superstitions. 



THE HAMPSHIRE INDEPENDENT, March 22, 1890. 



RARE BIRD IN HAMPSHIRE. 

 Mr. A. F. Springford, of Shelbourne House, Botle3', 

 writes: I have secured, slightly maimed in one of its 

 wings, a specimen of the Palestine vulgaris, or Syrian 

 cuckoo. These birds are migratory, but seldom 

 reach our shores, now and then only visiting the 

 south-east coast, but never before, as far as I can 

 ascertain, has a specimen been seen in this locality- 

 The habits of these birds are exceedingly remarkable 

 and peculiar in their native land. It not only usurps 

 the nests of other birds like its English prototype, 

 but it has extraordinary imitative powers of the calls 

 of other species, so that whilst in the act of depositing 

 its alien eggs the rightful owners of the nests have 

 been known to be imposed upon to that degree by its 

 mimicry that they have fed it, evidently under the 

 impression that it was their own offspring to whom 

 they were supplying Nature's needs. 



EAST MEON AND WESTBURY CHURCHES. 



" Peter Lombard " contributes to The Church Times 

 of March 14 last, the following notes on some old 

 Hampshire churches : 



Two miles from Eastmeon lies Westbury House, a 

 building of about 180 years old, surrounded with 

 splendid woods. The present building stands on 

 ancient foundations ; no wonder ; for Westbury is 

 named in Domesday. It is partly in Eastmeon, partly 

 in Westmeon parish. In the Conqueror's time it 

 belonged to Hugh de Port, who was one of the 

 greatest landowners in Hants, I think the greatest. 

 He had another estate about three miles further 

 down the Meon river, called Warnford, and the two 

 are in several respects alike. In each case the river 

 Hows along in front of the house, and by the banks of 

 it is a small church. That at Westbury is in ruins, 

 and that at Warnford is little better, though it is still 

 used as the parish church. More of Warnford here- 

 after. But I have made these few notes on Westbury 

 ruin. It is a rectangular building, about 40 feet by 

 22. The east and west gables remain, and the side 

 walls as high as the roof plates. It is built of flint 

 with stone facings. On the south side is a two-light 

 window almost complete, narrow lancets, with a 

 somewhat sharply pointed hood over them, the 

 moulding plain but good. Another window, blocked 

 up, is apparently of the same character, and between 



them is a round-headed door. The tracery of the 

 east window is so destroyed that I could not make it 

 out, but it looked Geometrical, at least I thought I 

 could discern signs of a quatrefoil. On the north are 

 also two windows, with very large splays. On the 

 west gable are two small rectangular windows of 

 excellent workmanship, and above these a two-light 

 window apparently Perpendicular, but I could not be 

 sure because of the overhanging ivy. Inside is the 

 round bowl of the font, and close to it the upper 

 portion of a richly covered monumental slab, consist- 

 ing of a canopy cusped, and a head and neck. The 

 rest is clean gone. 



bince the Reformation this chapel has thus stood 

 desolate. It is mentioned in the Visitation of that 

 time as a chapelry of Eastmeon, and I here subjoin 

 the inventories of Eastmeon church and this chapelry, 

 as well as of another chapel "in the field " belonging 

 to Eastmeon, which those who know it better than I 

 do may recognise. Perhaps it was at Oxenbourne, 

 but I have never seen any remains of it. But these 

 inventories were made in 1554, and they prove con- 

 clusively that the vestments and other church orna- 

 ments were in use until then. The object was to 

 abolish the form of service as carried on in the first 

 and second years of King Edward, as that of the 

 Elizabethan rubric was to restore that. These inven- 

 tories therefore are of great historical value. 

 EASTMEOX. 



A suit of vesments of blew silk. 



Another suit of blew satin of Bridge. 



Another suit of blew and white silk. 



An old vestment of white fustian. 



2 hearse cloths, whereof one silk. 



2 pairs of candlesticks of latten. 



2 pairs of iron candlesticks. 



A shovell, a bar of iron, and a pick axe. 



2 altar cloths, six surplices. 



3 copes, one of redd velvet, the other of greene velvet, 

 the srd white damask. 



A pair of organs, 2 barres of iron. 



A cope of cloth of gold that was taken away by one 

 Nicholas Langridge which remaineth in his hands. 



OUR LADY CHAPELLE IN THE FIELD. 

 Goods and other ornaments belonging to the said Chapellc. 

 One vestment of yellow old fustian. 

 A chalice of silver with a paten. 

 2 small belles in the steeple. 



THE CHAPELLE OF WESTBURY. 

 Goods and other ornaments belonging to the said Chapelle. 



A vestment of redd silk. 



A chalice with a paten. 



One hanging bell. 



There it is, bad spelling and all. It may be well 

 to note that " Bridge " means Bruges in the Nether- 

 lands, that the " hearse " was the bier, that " latten " 

 was fine brass beaten out into plates. The expression 

 ' pair of organs " is curious. It was applied by our 

 fathers simply to what we call an organ. We still 

 use the same form of expression when we talk of a 

 pair of bellows. The " vestment,'' I need not sav, 

 was the chasuble. 



