Notes on the parishes of Fyfield, Kimpton, Penton Mewsey, Weyhill and Wherwell in the county of Hampshire
Clutterbuck, Robert Hawley, 1837-1896
>,■•>■ n -•? . ^^ iff, » >ik 'i^i'i^ S^^H . <■ "I"-! II V'. > ^ i ',1^'^' ^ u ; A 1 * 1? i ^ .f •V \ y" vV' -> *\ .\' J' >^ «S '/*^^'V^ ii! , s '.*i ^:' I \ NOTES ON THE PARISHES OF FYFIELD, KIMPTON, PENTON MEWSEY, WEVHILL AND WHERWELL, IN THE COUNTY OF HAMPSHIRE BY Elje l\el). Uotm l^aUilei? iffUittniuuU, Jf.ir>..a.; REVISED AND EDITED BY EDWARD DORAN WEBB, F.S.A. SALISBURY : BENNETT BROTHERS, PRINTERS, JOURNAL OFFICE. i«98. coFVKiciir. CONTENTS. List of Subscribers Preface Chapter I.— Fifield and Some of Its Associations „ II. — KiMPTON „ III.— Weyhill „ IV.— The Story of Wherwell Abbey V. — Penton Mewsey PAGE. iii vi 1 52 84 152 188 ILLUSTRATIONS. Portrait of the Author Faciug- Title Frontispiece, Anna Valley from Bury Hill 1 Fifield Church 4 Parson White's House at Fifield 9 KiMPTON Church 52 Plan of the Site of Wherwell Abbey 152 Penton Mewsey Church 188 Bell found at Penton Mewsey July, 1845 192 -> / ' UNIVEIISITY OF CALTFORNIS G.\:\'TA XSAUBAllA LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. COPIES. Abi'am, Gr. S., Esq., 106, London Road, Reading ... ... 1 Abram, E. A., 45, Greeuci'oft Gardeas ... ... ... ... 1 Atterbnry, Mrs. K. L. St. Moritz, Cranes Park, Snrbiton ... 4 Awdry, Rev. W. H., Lvidgersliall, Andover ... ...  Enfield ... ... 1 Beach, W. W., Esq., m.p., Oakley Manor, Basing.stoko ... 1 Beddingtou, H. M., Esq., 8, Cromwell Terrace, Regent's Park, W. 2 Bennett, F. J., Esq., F.G.S., Belle Vue, London  Kelfield Gardens, North Kensington, W. 1 Bird, S., Esq., 20, Bedford Street, Covent Garden, W.C. ... 1 Bird, S. J., Esq., Upper Grange Road .. ... ... ... 3 Bird, W., Esq., 24, Wyuustay Gardens, Kensington, W. .. 1 Bridge, Mrs. M., 44, St. James' Square, Nottiug Hill, London ... 1 Brown, G. S., Esq., 17, Cheyue Gardens, Chelsea, S.W. ... 1 Brown, St. John, Esq., 26, Percy Circus, London, W.C. ... 1 Buckman, P., Esq., 8, Portland Place, "West Kensington ... 1 Butt, Mrs., Finkley, Andover 1 Chalke, Mrs. R. J., Inveresk, Bournemouth ... ... .. 1 Clark, E., Esq., Western Lodge, Andover 1 Cluttcrbuck, A. W., Esq., 230, Finchley Road, Loudon ... 3 Cokayne, G. E., Esq., College of Arms, London, E.C. ... 3 Coles, Rev. E. T., Knight's Enham Rectory, Andover ... 1 Cotton, Miss A. O. R, 21, East Park, Southami)ton 1 Crews, C. T. D., E.sq., Billingbear, Wokiiigliam, Berks ... 6 Dickens, H., Esq., Atterstouc, Eton Avenue 2 Dickenson, Rev. C. R. Ponton Mcwsey Rectory, Andover ... 1 Dorling, Rev. E. E., The Close, Salisbury 1 Dudley, J., Esq., May field, Cheriton, Hants 1 Durham, The Vei-y Rev. Tlie Dean of. The Deanery, Durham . . 1 Edraeades, Rev. W. R., Groat Bedwin, Huugerford, Wilts ... 1 Freeman, Commander F. Williams, United Service Club, Pall Mall 1 Freeman, J. P. Williams, Esq., M.D., Woyhill, Andover ... 1 IV COPIES. Goddard, Miss, Lower Froyle, Alton, Hants 1 Grelliei", Mrs. A., Downside, Epsom, Surrey ... ... ... 1 Grellior, W., Esq., Beddin^ton Gardens,  Andover ... ,.. ... 2 Hammond, John J., Esq., Mitre House,  ... ... ... 1 Hoare, Sir Henry, Bart., Stourhead, Bath ... ... ... 1 Holbrooke, Rev. F. G., Kimpton Rectory, Andover 1 Holbrooke, Mrs., Kimpton Rectory, Andover ... ... ... 1 Jerrett, T. R., Esq., East Dean, Salisbury ... ... 1 Keyser, G. E., Esq., F.S.A., Aldermaston Gourt, Reading ... 1 Kidstone, Rev. J. W., Weyhill Rectory,  53, St. James' Road, Bermondsey ... 1 Lai.sh, Mrs. K. M., 52, Lower Sloane Street 1 Mansfield, A., Esq., 9, Park Hill, Ealing, W 1 Mansfield, H., Esq.. Firwood, Frans Road, Tunbridge Wells ... 2 Mansfield, Mrs., 50, Goombe Road, Groydon, Surrey ... ... 1 Marling, Sir William, Bart.. Stanley Park, Sti'oud, Gloucester 1 Mar.sland, E., Esq., 73, Sydenham Hill, S.E 1 Marsland, J., Esq., Elmside, Newlands Park, Sydenham, S.E. 1 Menzies, E. St. John, Esq., 2, The Grove, Hammersmith, W. ... 15 Merceron, H., Esq., 60, Leinster Square, London ... ... 1 Mills, Miss E., 17, London Street, Andover 3 Milman, W., E.sq., Glafford Manor. Andover 1 Moreland, J. B., Esq., Youlg-reave, Beckenham, Kent ... ... 3 Morcland, R., Esq., Highbury Gardens, London, N. ... ... 1 Muuday, J. A., Esq., The Laurels, Winchester ... ... ... 1 Newcastle, the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of. Bishop's Gourt, Morpeth, New Soixth Wales 1 Newman, Mrs. G., 10, Saville Row, W 4 Newman, P. H., Esq., 21, Eudsleigh Gardens, London, N.W. ... 2 Norris, C., Esq., F.R.G.S., Rokeby, Putney, London, S.W. ... 1 Paravicini, Rev. F. de. Grateley Rectory, Andover ... ... 1 Phillimoro, W. P. W., Esq. 124, Ghancery Lane, Loudon, S.W. 1 Poore, G. V., E,sq., F.R.C.S., Neville Lodge, Woodlands, Isle- worth, S.W 1 Poore, Miss M. J., Priory Lodge, Andover ... Portal, W. W., Esq., Soutliiiigtou, Ovei'tou, Hants 1 Powney, C, Esq., Fyficld House, Andover 2 Prior, Rev. E. E., Charlton Rectory, Oxford 1 Radcliffe, Rev.  1 Ravenhill, W. W., Esq., Medbourue House, Snrbitou Hill, Surrey 2 Reeson, J., Esq,, 68, Holland Park Avenue, Loudon, W. ... 1 Reynolds, Rev. E. K., Fyfield Rectory, Andover 1 Richardson, Rev. P. J., Seaton Vicarage, East Devon 1 Rider, T. F., Esq.. Stanstead House. Durand Gardens, Stock- well, S.W 1 Robbins, J. B., Esq., Millway Lodge, Andover 1 Routh, R. A., Esq., Amport, Hants ... ... ... .. 1 Rowden, Mrs., Hafod, Gordon Road, Ealing, W. 1 Rycroft, Lady Dorothea, Dunimer House, Basingstoke 1 Sanger, Miss, 36, Doughty Street, London, ■W.C. 1 Sheehy, Mrs. S., 39, Great Percy Street, London, W.C. ... 1 Simouds, H. A., Esq., Red Rice, Andover ... ...  House, Staines 6 Slec, F. E., E.sq., B.C.L., Knowle Green House, Staines ... 1 Smith, J., Esq., Weyhill, Andover 2 Stamford, tlie Right Hon. the Earl of, 15. St. James' Place, London, S.W 1 Steedman, Mrs. A., Ramridge Cottage, Andover 1 Stockey, Rev. W. F., Chax^lain's House, Pentonvillc Prison, N. 1 Straton, C. R., Esq., West Lodge, Wilton, Salisbury 1 Sutton, Lady Evelyn, 18, Curzon Street, Loudon 1 Tamer, G., Esq., .3.5, High Street, Marylcbone, W 2 Veitch, J. L., Esq., Salisbury 1 Wakeman, Mrs., 20, Groat Percy Street, London, W.C. .. 3 Ward, J. B., Esq., Beaufort Lodge, Strcatham Common 1 Washington, Miss, 20, Addison Road, North Kensington, W. , . 1 Wilkinson, Rev. R. P., Longparisli Vicarage, Hants 1 Wilson, Rev. Sumner, Preston Candover Vicarage, Basingstoke I Wooldridge, J. H., Esq., Canal Wharf, Hungerford 1 Yates, E., Esq., Ivyhurst, Half Moon Lane, Didwich, Kent ... 1 PREFACE. The Rev. Robert Hawley Clutterbuck, the second son of Charles Clutterbuck, citizen and draper of London, and Hannah his wife, was born on the first day of January, 1837, and was, therefore, at the time he passed away, August the tenth, 1896, in his sixtieth year. Mr. Clutterbuck came of an old Gloucestershire family, their principal house was at King's Stanley in that county, whose members were among the chief cloth workers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and whose " cloth mark " is still to be seen on the doorway of a house called " Town's end" at Leonard Stanley; the Arms of Clutterbuck are : — Azure, a lion rampant argent, in chief three escallops of the second. Crest : — A buck sejant, between two sprigs of laurel. Mr. Clutterbuck was ordained priest in 1864 by the Bishop of London, and after serving as curate at Plaistow, Essex, from 1864 to 1866, and at St. Mark's, Clerkenwell, from 1866 to 1867, was instituted to the living of St. Philip's, Clerken- well ; in 1880 he became St. Antholin's lecturer at St. Mary Aldermanbury, City of London. Failing health brought on by overwork caused him, when the opportunity offered itself, to leave London, and in 1882 he became Rector of Knight's Enham, Hants, from whence he removed in 1890 to the neighbouring living of Penton Mewsey. Mr. Clutterbuck was twice married ; by his first wife Harriet, daughter of George Washington, Esq., who died May, 1875, he leaves one son and three daughters, he married secondly Marianna, daughter of Thomas Hyett Mansfield, Esq., who survives him. VII Mr. Cluttei'buck was the author of many pamphlets mostly relating to antiquarian matters, in which he took a great interest. He was a frequent contributor on such subjects to the columns of the local newspapers, and articles by him have appeared from time to time in the Journals of the British Archneological Association, the Bristol and Gloucester- shire Archneological Society, the Wiltshire Archgeological Society, the Hampshire Field Club, and the Salisbury Field Club. On March the tenth, 1892, he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries ; he was also a Vice-President of the Hampshire and Salisbury Field Clubs, and in May, 189G, had been elected on the Committee of the Salisbury and South Wilts Museums, where he had several times lectured. Mr. Clutterbuck's last appearance in public was at Salis- bury on July the fourteenth, 1896, when he delivered an address on "Fraternities" to the Members of the Wiltshire Archseological Society on the occasion of their visit to that city. In all things that concerned the past history of the border parishes of Hampshire and Wiltshire, Mr. Clutterbuck was a perfect mine of information, and he had a way of imparting his knowledge to others in such a manner that his addresses at archaeological meetings were always looked forward to by his many friends with great interest, and his cheery presence was certain to ensure the success of the dullest programme. A keen antiquary with a wonderful knowledge of manuscript Mr. Clutterbuck had been employing the little amount of leisure time at his disposal in deciphering and printing the ancient borough records of Andover ; he had also nearly completed a transcript of the Black Book of Southampton for the Hampshire Record Society. It was Mr. Clutterbuck's intention, had he lived, to have published an account of the villages in the neighbourhood of Penton Mewsey, and with Vlll this object in view be bad contributed to the Andover Advertiser and the Hampshire Observer articles on the history and antiquities of Fyfield, Kimpton, Weybill and Wherwell, these articles, with the addition of some notes on Penton Mewsey, never before printed, the writer of this Preface has, at the wish of Mr. Clutterbuck's family, re- arranged and edited in their present form in the hope that they will serve as a memorial, however slight, of one who did such good work for the history of not only Hampshire but also of our own county. Wiltshire has lost in Mr. Clutterbuck an antiquary whose wide knowledge of the study that he took so great an interest in was always at the disposal of others. Speaking personally of him, who now rests at Penton Mewsey in the quiet church- yard which surrounds the village church that he loved so well, I would like to add that, a kinder man, a truer friend, it would be impossible to find, were one to search the wide world over. EDWARD DORAN WEBB. Salisbury, July 1st, 1898, ririELD AND SOME OF ITS ASSOCIATIONS. There can be no doubt as to the place The Village takes in English literature. Many of the choicest of our classics have it for their theme, and there are few English writings that are better known or better loved than those which describe " country scenery and country manners as they exist in a small village in the South of England." I have quoted this expression from one of the most precious examples of these writings — Miss Mitford's "Our Village;" and I own to a strong temptation to claim Miss Mitford as a Hampshire authoress, for she lived for some time at Ashe, where her grandfather. Dr. Russell, was rector for fifty-four years. Curiously enough Miss Jane Austen's parents resided in the immediate neighbourhood at the same time, so that these two popular writers must have been intimately ac- quainted with each other at their Hampshire home. We know Miss Mitford drew her life-like pictures from a " Berkshire hamlet," but my object in mentioning her is partly to attract attention to the very distinctly typical character of the villages of the valley of the Anton, and partly to take advantage of her association of the ideal enjoyment of such rural spots with another of those EngHsh, thoroughly English, books, which can never lose their charm. Very little apology is needed for giving the passage as it stands — " Nothing is so delightful as to sit down in a country village in one of Miss Austen's delicious novels, quite sure before we leave it to become intimate with every spot, and every person it contains, or to ramble with Mr. White over his own parish of Selborue, and form a friendship with the fields and coppices, as well as with the birds, mice and squirrels that inhabit them." If now, for the name Selborne I may substitute Fyfield, I shall have all the introduction I want for the remarks I have to offer. But, at the risk of spoiling the efi'ect of Miss Mitford's pleasant rippling words, I sliall venture to make an addition to this introduction ; and this time to ask for notice of the remarkable B completeness of the individuality of the villages of our valley. Contenting ourselves with the quiet home-like scenery of the Upper Chalk, I doubt if any district could excel the typical beauty of the separate village. Each perhaps has its own particular feature, which is retained in the memory, but they stand one by one complete, and yet lending themselves to a harmony which is remarkable. Take a position on one of the higher points and note the spots— for you don't see much of the villages themselves from any distance — where nestle Thruxton, Monxton, Fyfield, Kimpton, Penton, Enham, Quarley, Araport, orGrateley ; or though not so clearly distinct perhaps, Abbotts Ann and "Coodworth Clatford. The beauty has other features than merely the picturesque. It is the beauty of reaHsed history, the old tale of the past ever being told before our eyes. As you tell off the list of parishes, with their names ending in the familiar ham and ton and field and ley, you are recounting a whole era of the " history of the English people." You might read this passage frona Mr. Green's admirable book as the most accurate description of the valley, ''they live alone," Tacitus says, "each by him- self, as woodside, plain, or fresh spring attracts him . .. and as each dweller within the settlement was jealous of his own isolation and independence among his fellow-settlers, so each settlement was jealous of its independence among its fellow settlements. Each little farmer-commonwealth was girt by its own border or mark, a belt of forest, or waste, or fen, which parted it from its fellow villages, a ring of common ground which none of its settlers might take for its own." While, in common with numberless other places, these villages tell their Anglo-Saxon origin by the structure of their names, Fyfield does more. Its name associates more than the rest the modern parish with the ancient manor. In Domesday the place is called " Fifhide," and it is said: — " William de Malduith holds five hides of land, which were held by Ulveva as a manor, allodially of King Edward, called Fifield. They were then assessed at 5 hides, now at 3 hides. Here are five ploughlands, one in demesne and ten villeins, and five borderers with three ploughlands, also a church, two servants and two acres of meadow. In the time of King Edward its value was then as now 100s., and when it came in possession 508." There are 1252 acres in Fyfield, and it looks as if a very simple exercise in arithmetic would give us a solution of the knotty problem of the area of a " hide."" But this does uot work out according to the usually accepted ratio, and probably all we can say is that in this case the hide represents the amount of land required for one family, and that the five families here each held a hide. The localisation of these families within the confines of the Manor of Fyfield renders it quite easy to understand the con- stitution of the Tything, and the grouping of the several Tytldngs into the Hundred is a very plain and obvious de- velopment. Thus then, I think, we may claim for Fyfield, through its very name, the distinction of being a most clear and illustrative example of the Manorial system. We can go back to the very remote past when within its 7nark or boundary there were five families. We have the inhabitants of the same area; the members of the same defined com- munity kept clearly distinct and separate by their association in the tything ; and then the tything of Fyfield with the ten other ty things, making up the " Out" or " Foreign" Hundred of Andover. There is but this one very slight complication — that the Hundred of Andover is divided into two parts, the In and the Out Hundred. All difficulty however disappears if the fact is put in this form — That comprised within the Hundred of Andover is the inner circle of the Parish of Andover itself (twenty-two miles in circuit), which goes by the name of the In Hundred ; while the Tythings not within the parish of Andover are known as the Out or Foreign Hundred. Law and order were maintained within the area of the Hundred by the responsible authority, who in this case were the " Go- verning Body of the Borough and Town of Andover."" They were the authority over the Hundred because that authority with View of Frank Pledge had been granted to them by Charter from the King. They were responsible to the Lord King, and the Courts of Justice were held in his name. As lords of the Manor of Andover that governing body had other rights ; but those other rights of property as lords of the Manor did not affect Fyfield in a direct way. It is not a little singular that the small, retired, one might almost say out-of-the-way, little parish, perhaps topographi- cally the least conspicuous place in the valley, should present the readiest and most complete example of the integrity and self-contained completeness of a member of the Hundred, and should show with such fortunate distinctness how the parish grew up with, and out of, the work of the Church in the tything. b2 When the Domesday survey was taken (1085) the little village church at Fyfield was already old, the time-honoured witness to the working out of Archbishop Theodore's wise plan. And it is significant that while the primitive folk laws, the Hundred-moot and its marvellous organisation, have faded out of practical life, and here, as in most places, are only matters of record and history, the parochial system has survived even the destructive spirit of modern centralisa- tion, and remains as vigorous and effectual as it has ever been throughout the past twelve hundred years. The Corporation of Andover possesses a wonderful series of the rolls of the Hundred Court, the Court Leet, and View of Frank Pledge. The Ty thing of Fyfield, of course, made regular and periodical returns, which were duly entered on these rolls, so that through several centuries we are kept in touch with the various circumstances which arose out of the " Local Government " of the Tything. From these rolls we learn of the stocks, the pound, and the butts for the practice of archery, which the good people of Fyfield were once and again called to account for allowing to be out of repair. We read also the particulars of the suits and causes between the inhabitants during the years for which these records are preserved. There are also, no doubt, the same kind, and probably an average number, of historical evidences, such as may be found about most places in the usual sources of such information. For these I have made no search. My present object is to bring to notice an association with Fyfield of comparatively modern date, and one which I hope may be felt to have the closer interest from the fact that on the one hand it is with a notable Hampshire writer, and on the other hand with houses still standing, and the immediate ancestors of people still living amongst us. It would be difficult indeed to imagine anything more thoroughly typical than the tiny little village church of St. Nicholas, Fyfield. It looks as if it ought to have a place in the sweetest stories of village life. Its little churchyard has such an air of holy calm and rest that the title of God's Acre is the most appropriate that can be given it. Perhaps from an antiquarian point of view the church is a little dis- appointing, for all original details have been '' restored " away, and although the plan of nave and chancel with western bell gable is probably the same it always has been, yet there are none of the fittings or even the stone work as they were I u E 3 X o Q -J U \L il at the time I wish to speak of. On the north side of the chancel is a white marhle tablet with this inscription : — " On the outside of this Church are iutei-red the remains of Henet White, A.M., tAventy-six years Rector of this parish, who died December 27, 1788, in the 53rd year of his ag-e, leaving a widow and ten children. Elizabeth, his widow, died at Northampton December 9, 1815, in the 81 year of her age, and is bixried in the Parish Church of Maidford in that County." It is the worthy rector thus commemorated I wish to write about. His grave was kindly pointed out to me, but with some degree of uncertainty. There is no inscription over it to mark the spot, a touching and pathetic fact, and according with his distinguished brother's tombstone at Selborne, which is — or was when I last saw it — marked only with the letters G. W. John White, of Selborne, Esq., who married Anne, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Holt, rector of Streatham, Surrey, had five sons, who were all enthusiastic naturalists, two of them attaining great distinction in that branch of science. The eldest son, Gilbert, was the author of the well-known " Natural History of Selborne" in the preface to the 1880 edition of that work brought out by James Edward Harting, F.L.S., F.Z.S., it is stated that Gilbert White was born on the 18th July, 1720, but by his brother's diary it would seem that his birthday was either the 9th or 10th. Gilbert was educated at Basingstoke at the Grammar School in the Liten, which was held in part of the Chapel of the Holy Ghost, the ruins of which are so conspicuous from the rail- way. From thence he proceeded to Oriel College, Oxford, where he was admitted 17th December, 1739, took his degree of B.A. June 1743, was elected Fellow of his college 1744, took his M.A. 1746, was Proctor of the University 1752. He was curate of Faringdon, near Alton, but never took a benefice. He resided in Selborne, which is the next parish, and died there a bacheler 26th June, 1793. Another son was John White, to whom frequent reference is made in the succeeding pages, he was at one time vicar of Blackburn in Lancashire and had also resided at Gibraltar, where he made large collections for a natural history of that place. He is honourably mentioned by Pennant in his " Literary Life" as having rendered him material assistance in connection with the birds and fishes of Gibraltar. I am enabled to give by the following entry in the Diary the date of his death : — Wednesday, 22 November, 1780. Yesterday Brother Jolm White died at Blackburne after a very terrible long illness. Another son, Thomas H. White, who lived at South Lambeth, had been an wholesale ironmonger in London, but retired from business with an ample fortune, and devoted much of his time to literary pursuits, especially on subjects connected with meteorology and natural history. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, and author of numerous essays which appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine between the years 1780 and 1790, under the signature of T.H.W., among them a series of articles on the " Trees of Great Britain," are particularly deserving of notice for the extensive information, good taste, and variety of reading which they display. A fourth son, Benjamin, was during the latter half of the past century the principal publisher of English books on Natural History. On the death of his brother Gilbert he succeeded to the Selborne estate and transferred his business to his second son, John, who continued it until within a few years of the present time. The house in which the business was carried on was distinguished according to the fashion of the times by the sign of the Horace's Head. The youngest son, Henry White, was rector of Fyfield. He likewise was of Oriel College, matriculated 11th April, 1749, at the age of 15 ; took his B.A. 1754, M.A. 1760. He was presented to the living of Fyfield in 1762. He married Elizabeth Cooper, by whom he had ten children. Sampson, the eldest son, named after his great-great- grandfather. Sir Sampson White, Knight, was admitted at Oriel College 10th December, 1782, and was then the junior of six Whites at that College at the time. He took his B.A. 1786, M.A. 1789, was vicar of Upavon, Wilts, 1789, rector of Maidford, Northampton, 1798, died 1826 ; his mother was buried in his church at Maidford ; she died in the 81st year of her age, 9th of December, 1815 ; his son, Sampson Henry White, was of Merton College, matriculated 22nd February, 1820, at the age of 17, was Postmaster 1820-23, B.A. 1823, rector of Wandsford 1826, died 22nd October, 1871. The second son of the Rev. Henry White was Charles Henry White, of St, Alban's Hall, Oxford, matriculated 11th July, 1787, aged 20, B.A. 1793, M.A. 1797, rector of Shalden, Hants, 1797. He married 3rd June, 1802, Christian, daughter of Alexander St. Barbe, Esq. She died 9th July, 1806, aged 22, and was buried at Fyfield. Charles Henry White died 25th October, 1859. Another son, Gilbert, died of a nervous fever June, 1795, and was buried at Fyfield. The 3'Oungest son, Francis Henry White, was born 14th May, 1782. He was of Worcester College, Oxford, matriculated 12th March, 1799, B.A. 1803. He was a chaplain in the Royal Navy, sailing with Captain Smith, brother of Mr. Assheton Smith ; but subsequently was vicar of Patteshull, Northampton, 1842, which he resigned and came back to the neighbourhood of his old home, living in the house at Abbotts Ann in which Mrs. Best now resides till his death in 1864. He is buried at Fyfield. His descendants most worthily represent at the present moment this singularly gifted family ; one of his sons, WiHiam White, Esq., F.S.A., is a distinguished architect whose works are well known in this country ; whilst a daughter who married the Rev. W. Gray was the mother of the present Earl of Stamford. It is not a little remarkable that not only did Gilbert White, of Selborne, make a series of observations which have ever been a delightful source of information, but that his three brothers, John, Thomas, and Henry, and his two nephews, Charles Henry and Sampson Henry, also kept records of what they observed with so much zeal and love of nature. The Rev. Henry White, Rector of Fyfield, took constant and regular observations of all that was within his roach in matters of natural science ; and the record of these observa- tions was kept and compared with similar records which his brothers made and preserved. Recently I have been per- mitted by the Rev. F. G. Holbrooke, the Rector of Kimpton, whose property they are, to examine the diaries for the 3^ear3 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783, and 1784 ; the books are of paper, folio size, each page ruled with red ink, now much faded, 8 into three columns ; as one column serves for each day, when the book is open the record of a week's doings is before the reader, Sunday's doings being entered under the heading of "yesterday" in the Monday column. A heading line marks off the space for the date, another line a short distance from the bottom of the page reserves room for the daily readings of the barometer and thermometer, and the direction of the wind. A horizontal line about the middle divides each day's memoranda into two parts. As a rule, the upper portion is occupied with notes of what went on day by day in the house, family, or garden, while the lower half is used for recording how his team of horses were employed and what the men in his service were engaged on. These diaries contain much that is of the greatest interest, and give a vivid picture of the life of a quiet country clergyman in the second half of the eighteenth century. Mr. White, as he shows himself to us in the pages of his Diary, might have sat for the portrait of dear old Dr. Primrose, and indeed it is impossible to follow him through a single week of his recorded doings, without being continually reminded of that delightful character, and the excellent " gooseberry wine, for the making of which we had lost neither the receipt nor the reputation." We do not come, happily, on any trace of such misfortunes as Oliver Goldsmith tells of, in his inimitable history. And Mr. White's home-made wine was mostly " brewed" from raisins. But the industry with which a liberal supply was maintained leaves no room for doubt that its flavour was appreciated quite as highly, and it has left an aroma that will always afford pleasure to those who love to realise the days gone by. It would be a happy thought if the perusal of the journal of this Hampshire clergyman called up in the mind of any of its readers a suggestion of association between two of the most delightful books in our language. Mr. White lived in the house now occupied by Dr. Lush, which on the whole is probably much the same, structurally, as in his time ; the drawing-room, on the first floor, has a very good plaster ceiling ; on one of the window cills at the back of the house is carved " H. W. 1774." A window is still pointed out as the means by which a young lady, who eloped with her lover, made her escape. The tradition clings to it only so far as that. I have been unable to identify the errant damsel or the time of the exciting incident, and I do not think it was during the occupation of the Whites at all. 9 The gardens which had so much of the Kector's attention do not exhibit, with the exception of the cyprus tree and the lawn which he ahvays speaks of as the " Green," any of the features he alkides to. The Whites made a sort of bay in the hank of the stream where it runs through the meadow, which they called the " Cold Bath," and used it for bathing. The Rector constantly notes the height of the water in it. A building, round at the back and thatched, covered part of it, and there was a bathing step. This can be traced still, but it is no longer kept up. Mr. White retained the rectory house in his hands, farming the glebe with some additional land which he rented, keeping a team of horses for that purpose, which he also let out on hire to his neighbours when they required them. The rectory house, rebuilt in 1830, was used by the pupils of a school which he kept (he does not call it " taking pupils"), his assistant masters were mostly in Holy Orders, and helped him with the numerous clerical duties for which he was responsible. Among his pupils were Sir Philip Houghton Clarke, the sons of most of the neighbouring gentry, and several of his nephews. Nothing can be more clear than that he and his family were held in the highest estimation and were welcome guests at all the houses round. And from this circumstance his diaries have a great value for local history, as there is not a household of any note for miles and miles of which he does not mention some particulars. The man chiefly employed about the house is always called " Sop," and very varied indeed must have been his occupations, for not only were the butter and cheese made at home, but beer, " Siberian beer," Raisin wine, Cider and Perry were all " brewed" by this indefatigable establishment, and the home farm supplied them with all domestic necessaries. Here then in this lovely retired nook of our lovely county this busy but typical family lived their quiet life. We might fancy his saying of it, as the Vicar of Wakefield said, " Walking out, drinking tea, country dances and forfeits shortened the rest of the day without the assistance of cards, as I hated all manner of gaming." We find a quaint lament under the 31st of December, 1782: — "Dined at Redenham with Mr. and Mrs. Butcher ; Chute Lodge family came to tea, Whist instead of Music, dreadful alternative. Alas ! alas ! ! alas ! ! !" The earliest diary that I have seen is for the year 1780 ; on the title-page is a quotation from Exodus xx. 10, " Six 10 clays shalt thou labour," written in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, and English. 1783, May, Monday 26th.— Yesterday. Very bright night and Morn, white Frost and Ice enough to scorch ye young French Beans and potatoes at Tidworth, incessant parching Wind continues night and day. A most dreadful severe season to all Counties particu- larly this. Even ye Wheat seems to languish. Servd Kimpton and Fyfield a.m., Ludgershall and N. Tidw"" p.m., called on Messrs. Humpris and Goddard, vast multitudes of Hares by Ashen Copse. Beautiful even, tho cold Great Coat necessary all day in ye full Sun. Mrs. Pn and Mrs. Wildg at Church mat. 1784, April 12th. — Yesterday [Easter Sunday] Dark, cold blowing morn : wind very rough, seems threatening for rain. Served Kimpton Church 9th time. Sacr' there and at Fyfield a.m. Very stormy ride to Tidw"" with C.A.S., p.m. Rain began misty and came on harder about sunset . Conns'" P at Tidworth dr. T. [drank tea] with do. and ret'' home rather wet. Some stripes of snow rems on Chute hills, and a little on ye hollow roads entering Tidw'N 1784, April 19th. — Yesterday. Fine bright morn., no frost, spring- like and pleasant day ; brisk wind a.m. Served Kimpton Church 10th time and Sacr' at Tidworth ; Conns'" P""" received, do Mr. Dykes fam^. To Dr. with Mr. Recorder. Nephew T.H.W. rode to D^ Snow still visible in specks on ye hills near Conholt. Ref rather late, to church p.m. Went to A'isit ye sick man at Red" [Redeuham] ve.sp. Dark and threatening at night. George, the son of John and Sarah Shipway, was l)aptized privately. 1784, May 17tli. — Yestei-day. Perfect settled dry weather continues, with summer warmth beyond ye season ; thin light grey clouds with hot sun between. Went to serve Kimpton before 10 a.m., but ret** not being wanted. Rode to N. Tidworth with C. S. A. and Gil. sent Knapper on to Mr. Dykes. Serv*" Thi-uxton for Mr. Toft and Fyfield vosp. Bathing in ye new sheep pond. Tea on ye green. Mr. C. called vesp. Letters from Mr. T. D. H , S'^ P. H. C, and Rev. Mr. Wilson. Oaks at Periham begin to show leaves. 11 Taking the distances into consideration, it is rather difficult to understand how time was got for the usual sermon of the period with its many divisions into " fifteenthly," and so on. Hampshire is not usually reckoned a cider county ; it may he of interest therefore to quote some chronicles of the brew-house. 1780, April 7tli. — Sop helping' about the Raisin wine all day. Raisin wine filled up the Drawing cask, and put about 20 gallons of very- rich Malaga made last November into the store cask and also jjut 2 baskets of the new fruit into the 3 qr. cask and one basket into the half hogshead from the Parsonage cellar. 1782, April 29tli. — Filled the draught barrel of wine quite full, enough in ye Parsonage cellar of ye Michs maniifacture to refill ye inter- mediate barrel. 1782,* April 30th. — Sliei)pard ye Cooper unheaded the ta^ier barrel and put in 1 cwt. of Malaga Raisins. Bottled off ye Shrub from Saunders, 8 bottles and about 1 pint. Bottled off Siberian Beer 7 doz. and 5 bottles, more left and worth preserving, having no seed of ye Hordeum Nuda to sow. 1780, Nov. 7th. — Paid ye cyder man 4s. 6d. for grinding 6 sacks of apples. 1781, Oct. 26th. — Pnrrc hogshead tapped and most excellent liquor. 1781, Nov. 9th.— Purre Barrell fails alas ! lasted just 14 days. 1784, Oct. 2Gth. — No tithe api)les from Rednam. "Ward's orchard being grubbed up. Cyder said to be sold iu ye West at 5s. pr hogshead. ^c- These excellent home-brews were from time to time sup- plemented by other wines, as for instance, 1780, Oct. 28th. — Team came from Southampton and brt pipe of port vnne fr Mr. Ballard, 27 bs of coals, 1 sack of salt, 2 doz. and 4 of whitings, 200 oysters, and 1 sack of salt fr Mr. B. to Dr. Domut, and a few coals for Mundy and also 4 doz. of white wine and 1 hamper. Buckland, his man, Lansley's man, and Jas. Batt all day widening ye hall and cellar doors at ye parsonage to admit ye inpe. Put pipe into ye cellar and on ye stand by 8 vesp. We hear of this " Pipe" again in misfortune, with reflec- tions thereon, which once more take our minds to Wakefield. 1780, Dec. 7th.— Bottled off the jjipe of port wine. Dr. Shoppard and Mr. Griffith had 1 qr. of it. Mr. Ekins had 1 qr., it ran 56 doz. exactly and 4 bottles and 1 of tliick, all done in excellent order and "without any accident till 30 doz. bottles were danced over and 2 doz. and ^ broke by a drunken beast from Andor. " Moustrum horrcndum " — unctos saliorc per litres 1782, Oct. 19th.— Claret brt home in Buckland's cart. Horse ran away with the cart and greatly endangered the cargo. 12 The busy home at Fyfield was not much disturbed by events outside the circle of their own interests. News did not travel very fast in those days, and very few public matters are recorded. 1781, March 15. — News of Roduey's conquest of St. Eustatia, &c. Firing heard about 6 vesp of artillery or small arms. 1781, Nov. 28. — Fatal news reported of Ld. Cornwall's army sd from the D. of Gloster. 1781, Dec, 20th.— Mr. Hy and T. H. W. to Andover to hear the news of Adm. Kempenfeldt. 1782, March 1. — American war sd to be voted against in H. of C. by a majority of 19 ! ! ! ! 1782, Aug. 31. — News brt of the sinking of the Royal George at Spit- head by laying her too low on her side with the ports open to stop a leak in an expeditious manner not to delay her sailing. A dreadful accident, no instance like it was ever heard of before, so many lives, and a most able Admiral lost Kempenfeldt. It happened on ye 29th inst. Nor is there much recorded in the way of antiquarian notes ; in fact the following entry would perhaps tempt one to question the orthodoxy of Mr. White's antiquarian taste. 1781, March 13th. — Rode to Soper's Bottom and Redenham ; saw ye large stone and bespoke Siberian Barley for seed of Mr. Baily Appleshaw. 1781, March 20th. — 2 carprs and 2 men, No. 17 and 5 nags went to Soper's Bottom to bring home ye enormous Druidical Stone, but ye rope of Mr. Robinson's engine was so very much decay'd that it broke 3 times ; and all were obliged to return re infecta. 1781, March 21st. — Team brought home ye great stone and went to plough for Jno Smith p m. Borrowed Nash of Sarsons rope, and by putting it double took ye stone up safe and brt it safe to ye grove without injuring ye waggon in ye least, tlio supposed to weigh near 4 tons. Gave Farmer Fuller 3s. for it. 1781, April 12th. — Druidical Column or Kist Vaen erected in ye grove very successfiilly p.m. will make an excellent gnomon for a meri- dian line when settled firm. White's "Druidical Column" is not now standing, but there are large fragments of Sarson Stone all about the village.* * Since the above was written the liouse, which remained empty after the removal of Mrs. Lush, has been newly tenanted, and the shrubs which bordered the pathway south of the house leading to the " grove " have been trimmed, bringing to light three Sarson Stones. Of these three stones the two on the west side of the path measure, the one 2ft. 9in. in height above the ground by 3ft. 4in. from north to south by 2ft. thick, the other 4ft. Iiigh above the gi'ound by 1ft. 3iu. from north to south ))y 2ft. Gin. thick ; the third stone is on the east side of the path, and measures 3ft. 9in. in height above the ground by 3ft. from east to west by 2ft. 9iu. thick. Possibly these stones formed part of Parson White's "Druidical Column."— E. D. W. 13 1782, April 29tli. — The bones and skull of a human body found by Mr P's labourers, buried near ye spot where Fr. Saunders barn stood it was covered abt 1 foot beneath the surface. 1784, July 19th. — New church at S. Tidwth. Foundations dug out. 1784, Jidy 26th.— The old church at S. Tidworth began to be taken down this morn in order to be removed by Wm. Lansley. 1784, Sept. 1st. — Rode to see ye new church at S. Tidworth, ye porch just covered and ye inside ceiled. 1784, Oct. 18th.— Served Fyfield and N. Tidworth both a.m. rode back by ye new church which is quite finished, ye doores open to dry it. The church White speaks of at S. Tidworth was superseded in 1880 by the present beautiful structure built by Sir John Kelk, and was pulled down in 1892. 1784, November 8th. — Roman earthenware foiind to ye west of Kimpton Copse betwixt that and Ashen Copse some pieces of brick and a fragment of a cullender ; coins are frequently found there when ye land is ploughed, found to-day by Bro. Tho., &c. But while little was recorded of antiquarian interest some things are noted which were very strange to them, though familiar enough now to us. Balloons for example : — 1784, Oct. 18th. — Mr. Wellman came instead of Wednesday. He saw on Saturday last p.m. half-past 4, at Rumsey Mr. Blanchard in his grand air baloon hovering at a great height over ye church, and soon after saw him descend into a meadow near the toAvn, he then let out ye gas, folded up ye baloon and put it into a chaise, in which he returned to London instantly. — Mr. Sheldon set out with Mr. Blanchard, but ye land being too heavy he was obliged to be set down 17 miles on this side of London, at Sunbury Common, near Lord Veres. Mr. Blanchard was only 3| hours passing from London to Rumsey, 75 miles, and was seen passing over manj^ places, parti- cularly from Selborne Hill and \'illage, where he appeared in ye N.E. like a blue spot in ye sky about ye size of a small tea urn, and passed on rather to ye N. of Alton, Alresford, and Wintou, passing over Lord Northbrook's at ye Grange, possibly witliin view of ye hills in this district. 1784, Oct. 30th. Mr. Blan chard's balloon was conducted by ropes through Rumsey Town into ye garden of ye Rev. Mr. Pentou, where it was folded up. 1784, Nov. 18th. Received an account last night from Sam of Mr. Sadler's ascent in his baloon at Oxford, his passage through a cloud wants explanation, i.e., whether it rained on ye ground at ye same time that liis machine received so much water. 