BEECHINGSTOKE
Beechingstoke, (fn. 1) also known simply as 'Stoke'
until the 19th century, (fn. 2) is situated on a small rise of
greensand at the south-east corner of Cannings
marsh midway between Pewsey and Devizes, and is
about 5 miles distant from each. Roughly oval in
shape, the parish contains 891 a. and is bounded on
three sides by the river Avon and its head-streams. (fn. 3)
It measures 1¼ mile from the northern boundary to
Puckshipton in the south and 1½ mile across at its
widest point on a line with the Patney-Woodborough
road. The main area of settlement lies directly north
of the road to Woodborough near the north-western
parish boundary and a small settlement known as
Piccadilly lies ¼ mile east. Broad Street, a hamlet
strung out along the secondary road from Hilcott
(in North Newnton) to Woodborough, marks the
probable course of the Ridge Way and stands about
a mile to the east at Bottle. That area, known until
the mid 19th century as 'Botwell' and in 1970 as
Bottle, takes its name from the north-eastern
boundary stream, called 'botan waelle' in the 9th
century. (fn. 4)
The narrow strip of alluvium which borders the
boundary streams of the parish on the south, west,
north, and north-east lies at about 350 ft. (fn. 5) The
marshy ground there is characterized, as in earlier
times, by beds of withies and alders. From the
alluvial soils the ground rises gently over the Upper
Greensand which covers most of the parish and
on which the settlements of Beechingstoke and
Broad Street are sited. The heavier soils near the
boundary streams were formerly exploited as watermeadows and in 1970 the greensand soils there were
still largely devoted to pasture. (fn. 6) The triangle formed
by Broad Street, Puckshipton Lane, and the PatneyWoodborough road encircles an outcrop of Lower
Chalk which rises to over 400 ft. As early as 1773 its
highest point was marked by 'Stoke elm'. (fn. 7) Open
arable fields occupied the area in the 18th century
and much land there was still under arable cultivation in 1970.
The late-Neolithic henge monument known as
Marden earthwork, the largest enclosure of its kind
so far known, stands on the north bank of the river
Avon in the south-west corner of the parish. It is
transected by the road from Marden to Woodborough and comprises an irregular oval of about
50 a. enclosed by a ditch with a bank outside. It
formerly contained Hatfield barrow, a large bowlbarrow apparently destroyed at some date before
1818, and a smaller saucer-barrow. (fn. 8)
In 1377 there were 62 poll-tax payers, one of the
smaller totals for Swanborough hundred as then
constituted. (fn. 9) The parish had 174 inhabitants in
1801, a total which had decreased to 156 in 1821.
There were 196 people in 1841 and thereafter the
population declined steadily until 1931 when there
were 137 inhabitants. There were 183 people in
1951 and ten years later 235 people lived in the
parish. (fn. 10) In 1971 205 people lived there. (fn. 11)
An ancient track, 'Frith Herpath', still a footpath
in 1970, forms part of the south-east boundary of
Beechingstoke. (fn. 12) The road through Broad Street,
which probably follows the ancient Ridge Way, the
road from Marden as far as its junction with Puckshipton Lane, and that lane itself (called Hilcott
Way in 1793) were turnpiked in 1840. (fn. 13) The road to
Woodborough north of Broad Street was rerouted
on a more easterly course and redirected over a
railway bridge when the Berks. & Hants Extension
Railway, opened in 1862, was constructed across the
parish. (fn. 14) Woodborough station was situated in
Beechingstoke north of Manor Farm on the site of
the old turnpike road. The station was closed in
1966 and the buildings demolished. (fn. 15)
Beechingstoke village lies near the north-western
parish boundary and is entered by the secondary road
from Patney, tree-lined in 1970 as in 1726. (fn. 16)
Beechingstoke Manor (see below) stands on the
south side of the road and opposite is Stoke Farm,
a late-18th-century house with a lattice iron porch.
The village itself, comprising the former school,
teacher's house, and a range of thatched cottages,
lies along a narrow lane, probably that called 'the
street' in the earlier 19th century, which runs
westwards from Stoke Farm. (fn. 17) At its western end the
lane widens into a semicircle around which are
grouped church and Rectory. South of the Rectory,
the house known in 1970 as 'Fairings' was converted
from cottages, formerly fronted by a pond, in the
early 20th century. (fn. 18) East of the village a few cottages
of late-18th- and early-19th-century date stand
along the lane which links the Woodborough and
Marden roads. Houses are shown there in 1773 and
by the later 19th century the area was called Piccadilly. The hamlet of Broad Street, also first shown in
1773, lies along the former turnpike road in the east
of the parish and contains a few cottages, a butcher's
shop, and a corn merchant's store. (fn. 19) A number of
more recent buildings, including Woodborough
school, stand along the east side of the road north of
Broad Street. Manor Farm, which stands at the
junction of Broad Street and the road to Beechingstoke, was originally a symmetrical late-18thcentury house, but was subsequently altered and
a one-bay western extension added. A large contemporary thatched barn stands to the west. Recent
development in Beechingstoke has been mainly
confined to council housing. A few such houses stand
at the junction of the Marden road with that which
runs to Woodborough, and in 1952 Corpus Christi
College, Oxford, sold land west of the church
belonging to Puckshipton farm for the construction
of a small council estate, which was apparently
completed in 1958. (fn. 20)
Manors and other Estates.
In 941
King Edmund granted his vassal Adric two mansae
at 'Stoke'. (fn. 21) At an unknown date the land was
acquired by Shaftesbury Abbey, whose overlordship
is last expressly mentioned in 1316. (fn. 22)
T. R. E. Harding held a life estate but restored it
to Shaftesbury of his own accord. In 1086 Turstin
held it of the abbey. (fn. 23) By 1242 Hawise Cusin (d.
1243) was tenant in socage and was succeeded in
turn by her son Andrew Wake (d. 1285) and grandson Ralph Wake, who held the manor of
BEECHINGSTOKE in 1297. (fn. 24) By 1303 land at
Beechingstoke was held by Andrew Wake, presumably Ralph's son, and Andrew's wife Joan. (fn. 25) In 1357
Joan, wife of Richard Monck and possibly daughter
and heir of Andrew Wake, conveyed land at Beechingstoke to John Wroth. (fn. 26) Thenceforth the manor
apparently descended with that of Puckshipton (see
below) and was allotted in 1502 to Anne, wife of Sir
Adrian Fortescue, as great-granddaughter and
coheir of Joan, Lady Ingoldisthorpe. (fn. 27) In 1513 Anne
and her husband conveyed the estate to Richard
Foxe, bishop of Winchester (d. 1528). (fn. 28) Bishop Foxe
assigned it to the cathedral priory and in 1535 the
lands were included among estates allotted to the
hordarian, William Basyng. (fn. 29)
In 1541 the king transferred the estate to the
newly-formed chapter of Winchester, who retained
it until 1845 when they sold the land to their copyhold tenant, Joseph Hayward (d. 1851). (fn. 30) Hayward
devised the land upon trust for sale and in 1865 390 a.
were sold to Welbore Ellis Agar, 2nd earl of
Normanton (d. 1868). The estate then comprised
two farms, one worked from Bottle House (known
in 1970 as Manor Farm) and the other from Stoke
House (known in 1970 as Beechingstoke Manor). (fn. 31)
It descended with the Normanton title until 1917
when the 4th earl (d. 1933) sold it, being then
represented by Beechingstoke (later Manor) farm,
to his tenant Robert Eavis. (fn. 32) It was owned in 1970 by
English Farms Ltd. and farmed in conjunction with
Bottle farm (see below). (fn. 33)
Beechingstoke Manor, which was sold separately
in 1917, stands at the entrance to the village on the
south side of the secondary road from Patney to
Woodborough. (fn. 34) The older, west-facing wing dates
from the early 18th century. (fn. 35) It was refronted on
the east and extended to the south c. 1830. A large
thatched barn inscribed 'IK 1818' on the north
wall stands west of the house.
The estate known in the 14th century as the
manor of PUCKSHIPTON was probably included
in Shaftesbury Abbey's Domesday estate at Beechingstoke. Shaftesbury retained its overlordship in
1396. (fn. 36) In 1470 the earl of Arundel and in 1494 the
prior of St. Swithin, Winchester, were named as
overlords. (fn. 37)
In 1210 Matthew FitzHerbert held a fee in 'Stoke',
an estate identifiable with Puckshipton manor. (fn. 38)
Between 1341 and 1347 conveyances of various
fractions of the manor to Adam de la Folye and his
wife Joan by John Enfield and his wife Margaret
and by Henry de la Folye, Adam's father, and his
wife Isabel suggest that Joan, Margaret, and Isabel
were coheirs to the manor or two-thirds of it. In
1350, however, the whole manor was granted to the
same Margaret and her husband John Wroth, and
in 1368 Margaret's son Francis Enfield released his
rights to Margaret and John. (fn. 39) John Wroth (d.
1396) was succeeded by his son John (d. 1407), and
grandson John (d. 1412), whose heir was his sister
Elizabeth, wife of William Palton. (fn. 40) Elizabeth
Palton (d. 1413) was succeeded by her cousin Sir
John Tiptoft (d. 1443), son of her father's sister
Agnes, Lady Tiptoft. (fn. 41) Sir John was succeeded by his
son, another John (cr. earl of Worcester 1449 and
executed 1470), and grandson Edward (d.s.p. 1485). (fn. 42)
Edward's heirs were his father's three sisters, of
whom Joan, Lady Ingoldisthorpe (d. 1494), succeeded her nephew at Puckshipton. (fn. 43) In 1502 the
manor was allotted to her granddaughter and coheir
Isabel, Lady Huddleston (later Dacre, Smith). (fn. 44)
During 1515 and 1516 she conveyed it to Richard
Foxe, bishop of Winchester, who subsequently gave
it to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, which he
founded in 1515–16. (fn. 45) The college sold the estate in
1953 to Miss Betty Horton of Wilsford Manor. (fn. 46)
Mr. J. H. Noble owned the farm in 1970.
During the 16th and early 17th centuries, Puckshipton was let to members of the Miles family,
during the 17th and early 18th centuries to members
of the Raymond family, and during the remainder of
the 18th century to the Dicker family, who were not
resident and sub-let it. (fn. 47)
Charles Raymond (d. 1716), who succeeded his
father Matthew as tenant at Puckshipton in 1690,
built the house known as 'New House' and first
mentioned in 1704. (fn. 48) The south-east-facing house is
depicted in 1726 as standing amid a formal walled
garden approached by an avenue of trees from
Puckshipton Lane. The house then comprised two
storeys, basement, attic with three dormers, and
flanking chimneys. The south-east front of five bays
included a central doorway approached by steps. (fn. 49)
The house had apparently been demolished by 1790
but may have stood east of the present house. Some
bricks from it may have been re-used in the construction of a large quadrangle of farm buildings to
the east, which in 1970 included a thatched, timberframed barn. (fn. 50) The smaller house which stood to
west of the mansion in 1726 is identifiable with the
'old farm-house' which Joseph Gilbert, tenant 1790–
1849, incorporated in a new house some time
before 1834. (fn. 51) Gilbert's house was represented in
1970 by Puckshipton House, the central wing of
which dates partly from the 17th century and the
west front from the earlier 19th century. It was then
approached by a tree-lined drive from the Marden
road.
Some time after 1243, a small estate which comprised a house and 20 a. of demesne arable, to be
identified with land known as Bottle farm in 1970,
was subinfeudated to Richard Pinckney by Andrew
Wake (d. 1285), lord of Beechingstoke manor. (fn. 52)
The land was held in 1443 by John Pinckney, whose
son and successor Thomas settled his land at Botwell
on himself for life with remainder in tail male to his
son Henry in 1502. (fn. 53) Thomas apparently died in
1512 or 1513. In 1513 his son Henry sold certain
pasture rights in Botwell to John Button of Alton
Priors and the following year sold him two messuages
and other lands in Botwell. (fn. 54) The estate descended
to William Button (d. 1591) and to his second son
William (d. 1599), its descent thereafter following
that of the manor of Lyneham. (fn. 55) It is last expressly
mentioned in 1793 when it was owned by John
Walker-Heneage (d.s.p. 1806). (fn. 56) In 1865 the land
was included in that part of Joseph Hayward's
Beechingstoke estate (see above) farmed from Bottle
House (known in 1970 as Manor Farm), and was
sold that year to the 2nd earl of Normanton. (fn. 57) In 1917
the 4th earl sold Bottle farm (79 a.), then worked
from a farm-house directly east of Broad Street, to
his tenant Robert Eavis, who acquired Beechingstoke (later Manor) farm at the same time. (fn. 58) It was
owned in 1970, as was Manor farm, by English
Farms Ltd. (fn. 59)
Economic History.
Shaftesbury Abbey's
estate at Beechingstoke, which then included
Puckshipton farm (see below) paid geld for five hides
and was worth £3 T.R.E. In 1086, when its value
had increased to £5, the estate had land for five
ploughs. Two serfs with two ploughs worked the
three demesne hides, while elsewhere on the estate
there were six villeins and six coscez with three
ploughs. There were 28 a. of meadow and 40 a. of
pasture. A mill then paid 12s. but no more is known
of it. (fn. 60)
By the 13th century the land in the parish was
divided between Beechingstoke manor, represented
in 1970 by Manor farm, which lay in the north, and
that of Puckshipton, which lay in the south. In 1513
the manor of Beechingstoke comprised 23 small
copyhold estates, mostly of half a yardland each,
held by eight copyholders. Of these, the most substantial, John Adams alias Clark, held five, which
included land called Knight's, Gabriel's, 'Swofters',
Swain's, and 'Allabors'. (fn. 61) By the 17th century the
Hayward family had acquired John Adams's lands
and from then on began to accumulate other copyholds until by 1793 Richard Hayward the elder (d.
1823) held three much enlarged estates, all formerly
held by his ancestors. (fn. 62) By 1807 he held six copyholds and by 1814 a total of 250 a. (fn. 63) His estate, considerably augmented, seems eventually to have
passed to his grandson Joseph Hayward, who in
1839 held a total of 475 a. (fn. 64) In 1845, as explained
above, Joseph Hayward (d. 1851) acquired the
freehold of the estate, which was represented in
1970 by Manor farm. (fn. 65)
Puckshipton manor, unlike that of Beechingstoke,
was leased out as a single farm by Corpus Christi
College, Oxford, for terms of 20 years from at least
the early 16th century. Farmers included members
of the Miles family (1534–c. 1582), the Raymond
family (1616–1719), and the Dicker family (1736–
90). The Miles and Raymond families lived in the
parish but the Dickers sub-let the estate. (fn. 66) Joseph
Gilbert farmed at Puckshipton from 1790 until his
death in 1849. (fn. 67) Members of the Bruges family were
farmers in the later 19th century. (fn. 68) Reckoned in
1601 at 279 a., the farm contained 167 a. of arable
land, of which 50 a. were inclosed and the remainder
in the open fields. The meadow land (38 a.), lay
chiefly in Great mead, Mill mead, and Wall mead.
Pasture land was estimated at 74 a. and, divided into
closes, lay mainly in Great and Middle leaze and
in the Slays. (fn. 69) The farm's acreage varied little and
was reckoned at 289 a. in 1834, of which 206 a. were
arable, 45 a. pasture, and 22 a. meadow land.
Another 12 a. were apparently laid out by Joseph
Gilbert as water-meadows. (fn. 70) One of 4 a. called Mill
mead, probably the site of the mill mentioned in
1086 (see above), lay south-east of Puckshipton near
the river Avon, while another near Beechingstoke
church was watered by the stream which forms the
north-western parish boundary. (fn. 71)
The parish had an open field common to all
estates in the parish and known as 'Stoke field' in
1599. Land there was inclosed that year by private
agreement between the most substantial landowners
in the parish, Winchester chapter, lords of Beechingstoke manor, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, lords
of Puckshipton, and William Button (d. 1599), owner
of the estate known as Bottle farm in 1970. The
parish's old inclosures lay north of the PatneyWoodborough road in 1793. (fn. 72) In the later 17th and
early 18th centuries the parish included open fields
known as Gold hill and Drove furlong, and common
meadows called North mead, Fowl mead, and
Scotchfall. (fn. 73) The open fields, named as Gold hill,
Drove furlong, North, and Middle fields in 1793,
then lay roughly in a triangle formed by Broad
Street, Hilcott Way (in 1970 called Puckshipton
Lane), and the Patney-Woodborough road, an area
which still contained arable land in 1970. Under
parliamentary inclosure in 1793 a total of 287 a.
was inclosed: Winchester chapter, as lords of
Beechingstoke, received an allotment of 172 a. and
the lords of Puckshipton, Corpus Christi College,
85a. (fn. 74)
No woodland is recorded in 1086. (fn. 75) It seems likely
that willows and alders have always flourished
beside the streams which partly encircle the parish.
Puckshipton farm contained an alder bed c. 1609
and in 1834 had two withy beds totalling 3 a. One,
known as Moon's meadow, lay north-east of
Beechingstoke village and another, called Osier Bed
bank, bordered the stream west of Marden earthwork. (fn. 76) By 1839 there were 14 a. of woodland in
Beechingstoke, including five willow beds, five alder
beds, and a plantation of 2 a. on Puckshipton farm. (fn. 77)
One withy bed on the northern parish boundary,
which occupied the 'tithing plot', formerly the
perquisite of the parish constable, was let to a basketmaker in 1874. (fn. 78) Willows still grew along the strip
of low-lying land around the parish boundary in
1970.
There were four farms in the parish in 1970, of
which three, Manor, Bottle, and Puckshipton farms,
represented earlier estates. (fn. 79) The fourth, Stoke
farm, may perhaps have emerged after parliamentary
inclosure in 1793 and is first mentioned in 1839
when it was owned by George Ruddle and reckoned
at 31 a. (fn. 80) Manor and Bottle farms (300 a.), worked
together in 1970, were devoted to dairy and arable
farming, as was Puckshipton farm (392 a.). Stoke
farm (70 a.) was solely a dairy farm. (fn. 81) Corn, seed,
and cattle cake were marketed at Broad Street in
1970 by R. F. Ford & Sons Ltd. (fn. 82)
Local Government.
Records of manorial
courts held for the manor of Beechingstoke are
preserved in the library of Winchester cathedral.
The earliest extant roll is for 1513 and further rolls
cover various years in the 16th, 17th, and 18th
centuries. Courts for the 18th and earlier 19th
centuries are also recorded in a series of books compiled on progress by the bailiffs of Winchester
chapter. The 16th-century courts dealt with small
agricultural matters such as the infringement of
pasture rights and maintenance of ditches. Tenants
also surrendered, and were admitted to, copyholds,
business which occupied the later courts exclusively.
A manorial court for Puckshipton is recorded in
1512, but no more seem to have been held. (fn. 83)
Two overseers of the poor are listed yearly for
1622–78 in the earliest parish register and in a
series of overseers' accounts for 1678–1799 which
record little more than yearly disbursements. (fn. 84) In
1835 Beechingstoke became part of Devizes poorlaw union. (fn. 85) In the earlier 19th century, seven
cottages at Broad Street were set aside for the use of
paupers. They were sold by the Devizes guardians
in 1853. (fn. 86) Parish constables were appointed in the
earlier 19th century and were entitled to a small
withy bed on the northern parish boundary known
as the 'tithing plot'. (fn. 87)
Church.
Norman moulding discovered built into
the walls in 1861 suggests an early origin for a church
at Beechingstoke. (fn. 88) Its existence, however, is first
recorded in 1291. (fn. 89) The rectory was united with
Woodborough and Manningford Bohune in 1961,
the benefice with which it had been held in plurality
for the preceding ten years. (fn. 90) In 1970 the united
benefice became part of the Swanborough Team of
Parishes, served by a rector, who lived at Wilcot,
and a vicar who lived at Woodborough. (fn. 91) The
enlarged benefice so formed was in 1972 officially
constituted that of Swanborough. (fn. 92)
The abbess of Shaftesbury presented to the church
in 1304. Thereafter the abbess continued to present
rectors until the house was dissolved in 1539, except
in 1350, 1354, and 1389 when the bishop presented. (fn. 93)
At the Dissolution the advowson passed to the
Crown, who in 1545 granted it to William Button
(d. 1547). (fn. 94) It descended like that of Sutton Veny
in the Button, Walker, and Walker-Heneage
families to Major J. D. G. Walker-Heneage (d.
1950). (fn. 95) So far as is known, the family delegated
their right of patronage only once, in 1737, when the
Revd. John Mayo the elder of Calne presented. (fn. 96)
In 1961 (see above) the advowson was vested in
Salisbury chapter, patrons of the benefice of Woodborough with Manningford Bohune. (fn. 97)
The church was assessed for taxation in 1291 at
£5. (fn. 98) Its value in 1535 was £7 14s. (fn. 99) During the
years 1829–31 the value of the benefice averaged
£293 net yearly, a sum representative of the value
of the tithes, in place of which the rector was
allotted a rent-charge of £295 in 1839. (fn. 100)
In 1671 the rector had 33 a. of glebe, of which
meadow land lay in North mead, Fowl mead, and
Scotchfall, while arable lay chiefly in Gold hill and
Hatfield. (fn. 101) By the early 18th century, c. 16 a.,
including the meadow land, were already inclosed,
and at the time of parliamentary inclosure in 1793
the rector was allotted c. 12 a. in Drove furlong,
south of Piccadilly, to replace glebe in the former
open fields. (fn. 102)
In the later 17th and early 18th centuries the
rector had a house of two bays, which was replaced
in 1743 by John Mayo, rector 1737–79, at his own
expense. (fn. 103) Mayo's house was rebuilt by Edward
Warren Caulfield, rector 1829–46, in 1830. (fn. 104) As
explained above, after 1951 the incumbent of
Woodborough with Manningford Bohune, who
lived at Woodborough, also served Beechingstoke
and in 1956 the Rectory, which stands east of the
church, was sold as a private residence. (fn. 105)
The absence of the rector in 1414 resulted in an
order for the sequestration of the revenues of the
benefice. (fn. 106) In 1560 parishioners reported that the
rector, Henry Brian, held two benefices and did not
reside. (fn. 107) His successor, Henry Twychener, was
reported non-resident in 1584 and 1585. At that
time, although parishioners were uncertain whether
he was licensed to do so, Andrew Neate, curate
of Woodborough, took services at Beechingstoke,
during which he expounded the Gospel and Epistle
from the pulpit. (fn. 108) John Cleavely, rector 1630–70,
was ejected some time after 1655 as 'an ungodly
man, no diligent preacher'. He was restored c.
1660. (fn. 109) John Chapman, rector 1715–37, lived at
Bath and employed curates at Beechingstoke. (fn. 110)
John Mayo, rector 1737–79, was also vicar of
Wilcot but lived at Beechingstoke. So did his son and
successor Charles Mayo, rector 1779–1829, also
rector of Huish, and author of several historical and
theological works, including A Compendious View
of Universal History 1753–1802 (1804) in four
volumes. (fn. 111) Edward Warren Caulfield (d. 1871),
rector 1829–46, resigned the living because he no
longer felt able to preach Anglican doctrines and
subsequently justified his views in a pamphlet which
advocated a return to 'biblical Christianity'. (fn. 112) His
successor, Edward Wyndham Tufnell, rector 1846–
58, was later consecrated first bishop of Brisbane
(Australia). (fn. 113)
In 1553 and 1585 parishioners complained that no
quarter sermons were preached. (fn. 114) In 1783 services
were held once on Sundays and on weekdays when
the rector thought parishioners would attend. Holy
Communion, celebrated four times yearly, was then
attended by eight to twelve communicants. (fn. 115) In
1851 an average congregation of 60 was reported to
have attended Sunday services over the past year. (fn. 116)
In 1864 services, generally attended by 60 or 70
people, were held twice on Sundays and also on
great festivals. The Sacrament was administered
once a month and on great festivals. Evening
services, attended by some 30 people, were then
held on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent. (fn. 117)
The church of ST. STEPHEN is built of rubble
and ashlar and has a chancel and nave with south
porch. Of the medieval church only the 14th
century chancel arch and part of the surrounding
wall survive. (fn. 118) The plan of the nave is possibly of
the same date and there is evidence that the contemporary chancel was wider than that which now
exists. In the later 17th century the churchwardens
constantly reported the need to rebuild the church
completely. (fn. 119) In 1692 Winchester chapter, lords of
Beechingstoke manor, gave £5 towards the proposed reconstruction. (fn. 120) Charles Raymond (d. 1716),
tenant of Puckshipton farm, also offered to contribute in exchange, it is said, for the lead from the
roof of the old church. The nave was rebuilt in 1693
(which date is inscribed on the east gable), roofed
with shingle tiles, and given plain, square-headed
windows. The chancel was rebuilt by the Revd.
Charles Mayo (d. 1829) whose initials and the date
1791 appear above the priest's door in its south-east
wall. He also provided an east window in the style of
the 14th century and copied from an original in
Westminster Abbey. (fn. 121) It was removed to the school
at Wilsford (N.) c. 1848 and replaced by a window
in the 15th-century style. (fn. 122) The whole church was
thoroughly restored under the direction of S. B.
Gabriel of Bristol in 1861, when much of the walling
was again rebuilt and both nave and chancel reroofed. The wooden bell-turret on the west end of
the nave roof was then replaced by a stone gable
pierced for two bells. (fn. 123) A new window was cut high
in the west wall, the east window restored to a 14thcentury design, and tracery inserted in the nave
windows. The fittings date from Gabriel's restoration and the 19th-century stained glass commemorates members of the Hayward, Gilbert, Mayo,
Caulfield, and Tufnell families.
In 1553 the king's commissioners allowed the
parish to keep a chalice. The church in 1970 had a
pewter chalice of 1776, a silver chalice and paten
made in 1864 from an alms-dish and paten of the
earlier 19th century, and a silver wafer box. (fn. 124) There
were two bells in 1553, which were probably replaced
c. 1604 by two bells cast that year by Robert
Becconsall. In 1909 one bell was recast and the
other replaced. (fn. 125) Registrations of baptisms and
burials begin in 1566 and those of marriages in
1590, but entries for some years in the mid 17th
century are wanting. (fn. 126)
Education.
In 1808 twelve children in the
parish were taught to read at the rector's expense. (fn. 127)
A school was supported by the incumbent and
parishioners in 1818. (fn. 128) Another, begun in 1833 and
supported by parents, was then attended by ten
boys and girls. (fn. 129) A new school, with a teacher's house
attached, was built shortly before 1859 on the south
side of the lane leading to the church and fifteen
children were taught there by a mistress. (fn. 130) It was
associated with the National Society (fn. 131) and was
apparently closed when the school north of Broad
Street, afterwards known as Woodborough school,
was opened. That school was provided in 1872 by
the earl of Normanton and was attended by children
from Woodborough, North Newnton, and Bottlesford (then in Wilsford), as well as Beechingstoke. (fn. 132)
In 1914 an average number of 121 infants and
juniors attended. The number had declined to 89
in 1922. (fn. 133) In 1970 68 children from Beechingstoke,
Woodborough, Hilcott (in North Newnton), and
from Bottlesford and Manningford Bohune (in
Manningford) were on the roll. The former schoolroom in Beechingstoke village was then used as a
parish hall and the teacher's house was a private
dwelling. (fn. 134)
Nonconformity.
Nonconformity first appears
in Beechingstoke in 1841, when a house at Broad
Street, occupied by Isaac Tilley, was registered by
an unspecified group. (fn. 135) The meeting may have
flourished, since in 1864 there were about twenty
'Wesleyans and Baptists' at Broad Street and one
nonconformist in Beechingstoke. (fn. 136) There were no
chapels in the parish in 1970.
Charities for the Poor.
The Revd.
Charles Mayo (d. 1829) bequeathed £100 stock, the
income on which was to be used to buy clothing for
the old and bibles and prayer books for children
who attended church regularly. (fn. 137) In 1834 it was
used to buy clothing. During 1867–9, however, the
annual income of £3 was apparently distributed in
accordance with the original bequest but was afterwards variously given out in doles, blankets, bibles,
prayer books, and books for confirmation candidates.
In 1900 four people received 10s. each and another
two 5s. each.
By 1877 the 'tithing plot' (see above) was sold to
Lord Normanton and £42 invested as a charitable fund. (fn. 138) In 1901 the income, £1 4s. 4d., was
paid into the parish coal fund. The incomes of the
Mayo and 'tithing plot' charities, which produced
£1 2s. and £2 10s. respectively, were distributed
together in 1969 among seven people who each
received 10s. at Christmas. (fn. 139)