250 



Notes on the History of Mere. 



As there is no record or tradition of a chapel at Burton probably 

 the above document refers to one of the chantry chapels in the old 

 Church at Mere. 



The Rev. John Hardcastle, Vicar of Mere, 1695 to 1734, owned 

 lands at Burton, which probably came to him by his wife, who was 

 daughter of Mrs. Bishop, who lived in the manor house there. She 

 died 1711. Mr. Hardcastle, by his will, dated 1730, bequeathed 

 these lands to Elizabeth Farrer (" Farrer's Ground " still retains 

 the name), a relative. She by her will, dated 1753, gave them to 

 Thomas Ellis, of Mere, and John Farrer, of London. The latter 

 dispersed his property, and that held by Thomas Ellis was sold to 

 Mr. James Lander, viz., Garston, Little Garston, Stedham, and 

 the homestead adjoining. In 1874 this was purchased by the 

 duchy from Mr. Charles Lander. Other property of Ellis was sold 

 to John Wilton, a wheelwright, and in 1787 a farm at Burton, 

 consisting of a dwelling-house, outbuildings, and about 100 acres 

 of land then let to Mr. William Ford as tenant, was sold by Mr. 

 Ellis, and is probably the estate afterwards owned by the Duke of 

 Somerset and sold by him to the Duchy of Cornwall about 1860. 



Woodlands. 



Woodlands was for many years the residence of the Dodington 

 family, whose arms (3 bugle horns sa., stringed gu.) } are inserted 

 in the porch on the south side of the house. These arms, with the 

 crest (a stag lodged to the sinister side regardant ar. in his mouth an 

 acorn or, stalked and leaved vert), may also be seen in the room under 

 the chapel, over the fireplace, impaling Francis (argent a chevron 

 between three annulets gu., pierced of the field), on a chimneypiece 

 still existing but much mutilated. This estate was owned by the 

 family of Ghiphaye, and came to the Dodingtons in the fourteenth 

 century by the marriage of Thomas Dodington, of Dodington, Co. 

 Somerset, with Jane, daughter and heiress of John Guphaye, or 

 Gupphey, of Mere Woodlands. The exact date of this marriage is 

 not known. They had one son, Philip. The father of this Thomas 

 died before 1364, and his grandfather, Philip Dodington, in 1345, 



