THE REMOVAL TO KINGSCLERE 109 



was informed that a clause in his will gave me 

 the option of buying the property for ;^4000, 

 which was about half what it had cost. I, of 

 course, exercised the option, and as the stable 

 developed I had to build and build, until eventu- 

 ally I had spent ^£20,000 on improvements. 



Kingsclere has a recorded history dating 

 back more than a thousand years. In the pre- 

 Norman days it was known simply as Clere. 

 King Alfred, by his will, bestowed it on his 

 daughter Ethelgiva, Abbess of Shaftesbury. 

 Domesday Book shows that in the time of 

 Edward the Confessor Edwin the huntsman 

 held two hides of the King's demesne in Clere, 

 which the King gave him. Richard I. is known 

 to have visited Clere, while John established 

 his hunting-seat at Freemantle Park, near by. 

 King John it was who changed the name to 

 Kingsclere. The greater part of the parish 

 belonged to the Crown until Charles II. gave it 

 to his son, the Duke of Bolton, whose descendants 

 are still the chief landowners in the locality. 

 The Church of St. Mary*s, which stands in the 

 centre of the village, bears evidences of its Saxon 

 origin, and has many attractions for the anti- 

 quary. To me it enshrines many precious and 

 hallowed memories. It has been my privilege 

 to help my good friend the Vicar to add to the 

 church some suitable embellishments, including 

 stained-glass windows in the north transept. 



