Kingsclere in 1859

from
William White's, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, 1859, pages 472-6.

KINGSCLERE UNION
is in the Kingsclere Division of North Hants, on the north side of the county, adjoining Berkshire, and extending to within two miles south of Newbury Station. It contains about 8,908 inhabitants, and 43,300 acres of land. The following enumeration of its fifteen parishes shows the extent and population and the rateable annual value of their lands and buildings as assessed to the county rates.

THE UNION WORKHOUSE is at Kingsclere, and was built in 1835-6, at a cost of about £3500, and enlarged about 1850, at the cost of £1100. It has room for 300 inmates. but only had 143 in 1851, when the census was taken. The Board of Guardians meet every Tuesday, alternately at the Workhouse, and at the Carnarvon Inn, at Whitway, in Burghclere parish. The expenditure of the Union, in 1858, was about £5900. Frederick Valpy Graham, Esq., is the Union Clerk and Superintendent Registrar, and the Rev. Lewis Rugg, chaplain; Mr. and Mrs. Gethin, are master and matron of the Workhouse; Richard Selley, porter, and Jane Lush, schoolmistress. The Relieving Officers are Charles Triggs, for Kingsclere District ; and Charles Ralph Hall for Highclere District. The latter is also Registrar of Births and Deaths for Highclere District; and Mr. Henry Dale, is registrar for Kingsclere District. Mr. Dale is registrar for marriages for the whole union. The Union Surgeons are Messrs. Oliver Fowler, George Lawson Thomas, and George Fort Fox.

KINGSCLERE DIVISION of North Hants comprises all the 23 parishes in Kingsclere and Whitchurch Unions, and also those of Combe, Newtown-by-Newbury, and Steventon. It averages about twelve miles in length and breadth, and is a high chalky district; crossed by the range of hills called the North Downs, and by the Roman Road from Salisbury to Silchester; and gives rise to the river Test, on the south side of the Downs, and to several rivulets on the north side of the Downs. The latter flow northward towards the river Enborne, which is here the boundary between Hampshire and Berkshire. The railway between Basingstoke and Andover crosses the southern part of this division, and has stations at Whitchurch and Overton; but the nearest station on the north side of it is at Newbury, in Berkshire, about 6 miles north-west of Kingsclere, the capital of this Police Division, for which T. V. Graham, Esq., is clerk of the magistrates, and Mr Edward Horan police superintendent.

PETTY SESSIONS are held on the last Friday of each month, at Kingsclere; on the second Friday, at Overton; and on one Tuesday in each month at Whitway.

THE POLICE STATIONS for this Division are at Kingsclere and Woolton Hill. The former was built in 1855, at the cost of £1400.

KINGSCLERE HUNDRED which forms part of this Division, comprises the five parishes of Kingsclere, Ewhurst, Litchfield, Sidmonton, and Wolverton; and also part of Burghclere. The large parish of Kingsclere forms the Upper Half and the other parishes the Lower Half. Mr. Mark Eeles is high constable of the former, and Mr. Joshua Booth of the latter, but the Hundred Court is seldom held.

KINGSCLERE which gives its name to a large Parish, Union, Police Division, and Polling District was formerly a market town, but may now be considered only as a large village, with about 1500 inhabitants, some good houses, four corn mills, a brewery, a tannery, a sack manufactory, &c. It is pleasantly situated near the head of a rivulet, on the north side of the lofty range called the North Downs; about 7 miles south-east of Newbury Station, 15 miles south-west of Reading, 9 miles north-west by west of Basingstoke, and 20 miles north of Winchester.
The rivulet which rises about 300 yards to the south, and runs northward through the town, gives motion to four corn mills within a quarter of a mile of each other. The market which was formerly held on Tuesday, has long been obsolete, but there is a fair on Whit-Tuesday, and a hiring for servants, on the Tuesday after Old Michaelmas Day.
Kingsclere parish increased its population from 1939 in 1801, to 2885 in 1851, and extends over no less than 12,750 acres of land which is divided into eleven tithings, called Lordship Town Part; Clerewoodcott; Guildable; and Parsonage tithings, in and near the town; Edmonstrip-Lances, 1½ miles to the north; Frobury half a mile to the north-west; Hannington-Lances, 2 miles to the south-east; North Oakley, 3 miles south by east; Sandford 1 mile to the east, Edmondstrip-Beenham, 2½ miles to the north; and the Lordship-Woodlands Part, from 3 to 4 miles north and north-east of the town. The boundaries of these are not clearly defined. In 1846, those in the northern part of this large parish were formed into the new Church District of Woodlands St Paul. They [the tithings] contain many scattered houses and farms, and their principal hamlets &c., are Ashford Hill (4 miles to the north-east), Fairoak, Headley, Tanhouse, Harridown, Cannon Heath, and part of Hannington. Lord Bolton is lord of the manor of the whole parish, but a great part of the soil belongs to the Duke of Wellington, Christ Church College, Oxford, Winchester College, and the Fisher, Holding, Flower, Kilpin, Curtis, Arundell, Pickering, Goddard, Hythe, Webb, Portal, and other families, all freeholders. There are more than 100 County voters in the parish.
On Cannon Heath, 2 miles south-west of the town, are Sir J. H. Hawley’s Race Horse Training Stables. Upon this heath stood Canham, or Cannons Lodge, about two miles south-west of Kingsclere, in a hollow of the chalk downs. It was built in the 17th century, by Charles Duke of Bolton, and was for some time used as a hunting box by the Earl of Mexborough; and afterwards by the Duke of Cumberland who died in 1790. Here his Royal Highness frequently assembled a select party of his friends, among whom was the celebrated Foote and Sir Francis B. Delaval. It was subsequently occupied by Mr. Lade, who was a well known sporting character; but it was pulled down in 1805, when the heath was converted into a farm.
On the Newbury road, 3½ miles north of Kingsclere, Knight's Bridge crosses the river Enborne into Berkshire. [some questionable historical details about Kingsclere have been omitted.]
Kingsclere Church (St. Mary) is an ancient cruciform structure, in the Norman style, with a massive low tower, containing six bells and a clock. It was thoroughly restored in 1849 ; the nave, transepts, and tower, at the cost of about £3000, raised by rates, public subscription, and grants; and the chancel at the cost of about £1500, all paid by Lord Bolton, the impropriator and patron. The chancel has a south aisle, in which are placed all the old monuments formerly scattered about the church. One of these has effigies of Sir Henry Kingsmill and his Lady, who resided at Sydmonton House, in the 17th century. Another is in memory of Edward Webbe, D.D., who was chaplain to Charles II. Here are a few ancient brasses, one dated 1519. The chancel has an elegant oak screen, and is handsomely fitted up, as also is the nave. The latter has about 520 sittings, about half of which are free.
The benefice is a vicarage, valued in K.B. at £17. 19s. 6½d., and now at £400, in the patronage of Lord Bolton, and incumbency of the Rev. Richard Nelson Barnes, M.A., who has the patronage of the vicarage of Ecchinswell-cum-Sydmanton. The Vicarage House, was built in 1850, at the cost of £1407, on two acres of land given by lord Bolton. It is a neat building in the Elizabethan style. The tithes were commuted in 1841, for £1861. 3s 6d., per annum to lord Bolton, and £444. 1s. 6d., to the Vicar.
St. Paul's Church, more than 3 miles north of the town was built in 1845-6, for the new Ecclesiastical District of Woodlands St Paul which contains about 1300 souls, and 5000 acres, embracing all the northern part of the Kingsclere parish. It is a handsome structure in the Early English style, and cost about £3300, raised by subscriptions and grants. It is of flint with stone dressing, and its tower, at the north-west angle, is crowned by a slender spire rising to the height of 100 feet. The nave and aisles are divided by pillars and lofty arches, and contains 600 sittings, 450 of which are free. The benefice is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Kingsclere, and incumbency of the Rev. George Cardew, M.A., who has a commodious Parsonage House built in the Elizabethan style, at the cost of about £1600.
There is a Wesleyan Chapel in Kingsclere, built in 1809. There is also a small Primitive Methodist Chapel in the town, and another at Ashford Hill; and on Headley Common is a small Baptist Chapel built about 20 years ago.

SCHOOLS.Kingsclere receives yearly, from Sir James Lancaster's Charity, £20 towards the support of the Free School, and £10 for weekly distribution of bread &c., among the poor parishioners. The Free School is an old building in Lyddon Meadow, which contains about an acre, and is used as a playground. A small dwelling house was added to the school in 1820, but a new school and house are about to be erected. It is now attended by about 50 boys. A School for Girls and Infants was built by subscription in 1839.

CHARITIES .In 1722, Robert Highan left lands in Kingsclere parish for three charitable uses, viz. a meadow of four acres called Fosberry's Piddle, to be applied to clothing the poor; a farm of 37½ acres for the maintenance of four poor boys at school; and 36 acres 10 poles of land in the Common field, for apprenticing poor children- Mr Wm. Flower and Mr. Wm. Drake are two of the trustees.
The Church Land comprises about ten acres, let for £5, and the churchwardens have also £3. 8s. a year from Fawconer's and Chamberlain's Charities, as afterwards noticed.
In 1685 James Chamberlain, pursuant to the will of his uncle and in consideration of £40, gave to the poor 14½ acres of land in the three common fields of the parish. This land is let for about £17 a year, which is distributed in clothing &c.
In 1590 Wm. Pigeon left 20s. a year for the poor out of Stantons farm. In 1658 Wm. Atfield left for the poor 20s. a year out of Old Farm. The poor parishioners have also the following rent charges, viz., 20s. out of Ruddles Lands left by John Fickes; 20s. out of the Westlands, left by George Higham; £3 out of Pitchorn farm, left by Andrew Chamberlain, together with 20s. for repairing the church. £9. 12s. out of Newlands Farm, left by John Fawconer, together with £2. 8s for the church; and £10 left about 1823, by James Widmore, to be distributed in clothes and bedding.

LADY KINGSMILL, in 1726 left £400 for charitable uses, but all that remains of it is a yearly rent charge of £10 out of Hurst Meadows, which is applied as follows, viz. 25s to the Vicar for preaching a sermon on Trinity Sunday at Sydmonton; 5s. to the clerk, and £2 10s. to the poor of Sydmonton.

AN ALMSHOUSE of four small tenements was given in 1656 by the Rev. Thomas Brown with a yearly rent charge of 20s. for its reparation, out of a farm at Rotherwick. The latter has not been paid since 1814, when W. W. L. Pole, Esq., purchased the farm. The almshouses were re-built in 1853, at the expense of Mr. and the Misses Holding.

DIRECTORY OF KINGSCLERE PARISH

THE POST OFFICE is at Mr Frederick Richard Chance's. Letters via Newbury. Money Orders are granted and paid. There is a sub post office, under Reading, at Ashford Hill, four miles north-east of the town.
CARRIERS to Newbury are Isaac Buckridge, John Cribb, Wm. Rolfe, and at Fairoak, Henry Holdway;- to Basingstoke, John Cribb and Wm. Rolfe;- to Reading, Wm. Rolfe, and at Fairoak, Henry Holdway;- and to Andover and Whitchurch, John Cribb.
TRAINS from Newbury, 7 miles north-west.