By the Rev. Canon J. E. Jackson. 



331 



2. West Ashton is the next division of the parish. It includes 

 Stourton, and the two Paxcrofts. Mr. Long's survey of 1604 speaks 

 of a cottage at West Ashton, ' ' next to the King's Hall." I don't 

 know what this means, unless that whilst the manor belonged to 

 the Crown, the steward might have occupied some house so called. 



The Beach family of this place has been already mentioned. 

 They lived here ; and a Mr. Thomas Beach was steward under the 

 l] Crown whilst the manor belonged to Prince Henry, son of James I. ; 

 he was also steward of the Longleat estates. They removed to 

 I Woolley, near Bradford, and their house at West Ashton was taken 

 down. In the grounds of it was a labyrinth or " miz-maze" [such as 

 you may see at Hampton Court] a common addition to pleasure- 

 -grounds of former times. The last male heir, Lt. Col. Thomas 

 Beach, changed the name of his family to Delabeche. Their estate 

 here was purchased by R. Godolphin Long, Esq. 



There used to be in Covent Garden, in London, a celebrated tavern, 

 called " King's Coffee-House." It was first established by Thomas 

 King, son of Harman King, of West Ashton, about 1720. 



Stourfcon Hill, close by the Park, takes its name from the Lords 

 Stourton, formerly owners of Stourhead. They had a good deal of 

 land at West Ashton, Poulshot, Marston, Potterne, and Worton. 

 In 1543, William Lord Stourton sold these lands, together with 

 the Manor of Hilperton and Whaddon, and the patronage of the 

 Rectory of Hilperton, to Mr. Thomas Long, of Trowbridge. 



There are two Paxcrofts (the old name was Packle's-croft) . One 

 adjoining Hilperton was formerly part of Romsey Abbey property. 



hay, in Sulde Ashton, Ashton Dunstanville* and West Ashton. Also to havo 

 24 pigs in the woods of the Abbess, and certain other rights of feeding for 6 

 cows &c. Also a court and house with shrubbery belonging to the Rectory, 

 the old vicar's house to go the Abbess . except 2 acres of old vicarage. The 

 Vicar, having more than 20 s . burden to bear, to receive 12 s . a year from Bradley 

 Church, 5 s . from Trowbridge Church and 4 s . from the Abbess's demesne at 

 Tylshyde. All the rest of the Rectory to the Abbess. But the Vicar shall 

 have Two chaplains continually with him, to serve the church at his own 

 expense: and the vicar shall bear one third part of the Episcopal and other 

 charges, and the Abbess the rest. Sealed and dated. Kal. Oct., 1252." 



a. This is now Ashton Gilford, in the Hundred of Hcytesbury, usually considered to have be- 

 longed to quite different baronial lords : but its name Ashton, and the Abbess's properly in tithes 

 seem to indicate that there had been some connection with the manor of Ashton belonging to the 

 Abbess of Romsey. 



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