SHREWTON
Shrewton (fn. 1) lies on Salisbury Plain 9 km.
WNW. of Amesbury. The parish, which also
contained the village or hamlet of Netton, in
1800 had 22 a. in three detached parcels surrounded mainly by Winterbourne Stoke
parish. (fn. 2) In 1885 the detached lands were transferred to Winterbourne Stoke and a further 2 a.
to Rollestone. Thereafter Shrewton parish
measured 2,203 a. (892 ha.); it was increased to
7,041 a. (2,849 ha) by the addition of Maddington and Rollestone parishes in 1934. (fn. 3)
The three estates which together made up the
old Shrewton parish, taking their name from the
river later called the Till, were among many
called Winterbourne in 1086. (fn. 4) In the late 12th
century the village was apparently called Winterbourne on the Hills (super montes), (fn. 5) although
its lands were no higher than those of its neighbours and namesakes, and from the mid 13th
century, when the nuns of Lacock acquired its
church, it was sometimes called Maiden Winterbourne. (fn. 6) The name Shrewton (sheriff's
'tun'), in use from 1236, commemorates the
shrievalties of Edward of Salisbury, who held
the three estates in 1086, and his successors as
owner and sheriff, and it replaced the name
Winterbourne. (fn. 7) The village was sometimes
called Shrewton Virgo. (fn. 8)
Shrewton's south-west boundary follows the
Till. Its other boundaries, across downland, are
mainly straight: that to the west was straightened
at inclosure in 1801. (fn. 9) To the east the boundary
crosses a low summit on which is a Neolithic
camp, (fn. 10) and elsewhere there are minor diversions
where it crosses roads.
Chalk outcrops over the whole parish; gravel
has been deposited beside the Till and in a dry
valley north-east of the church. Near the river
the land is below 91 m., on the downs mainly
between 107 m. and 131 m.: the highest points,
c. 140 m., are in the north and east corners. (fn. 11)
As its old name suggests, the Till sometimes fails
in summer, and from the 18th century severe
winter floods are recorded. (fn. 12) From the Middle
Ages the more northerly downs provided pasture, chiefly for sheep, and the lower slopes were
ploughed. (fn. 13) The detached portions of the parish
were meadow land. (fn. 14) In the nth century one of
the three estates was well wooded, (fn. 15) but in the
late 18th there was little woodland in the parish. (fn. 16) On scattered sites 25 a. of wood had been
planted by c. 1840, (fn. 17) and in the late 20th century
there were c. 70 a., mainly firs on the downland.
From c. 1900 the northern half of the parish was
used for military training and not cultivated. (fn. 18)
Shrewton 1841
An east—west road across the parish, crossing
the Till near the church, was the main road
between London and Bridgwater (Som.), via
Amesbury and Warminster, in 1675. (fn. 19) It was
closed in Amesbury parish probably c. 1761, and
soon after then a new Amesbury—Warminster
turnpike road was made further south, crossing
the Till near Maddington church. West of
Shrewton church the earlier road has become a
rough track; east of the church it has been
tarmacadamed and, as London Road, remains in
use. The second Amesbury-Warminster road
was disturnpiked in 1871. Where it left the south
end of the village it was called Amesbury Road
in 1990. A Devizes—Salisbury road across the
north part of the parish was turnpiked in 1761
and disturnpiked in 1870. (fn. 20) Two roads, each on
the course it followed in 1773, link the old
London—Bridgwater road and the turnpike road
which superseded it. Across high ground to the
east Nett Road was so called in the 1880s. Near
the river the other leads from the church to
Winterbourne Stoke and Wilton: it crosses the
river over Homanton bridge, rebuilt in 1956, and
in 1990 was called High Street north of the
turnpike road, Lower Backway south of it. From
the junction of Lower Backway and Amesbury
Road, Salisbury Road leads between them to
Rollestone. The north part of Salisbury Road
and the south part of Lower Backway were
tarmacadamed and in the later 20th century took
the Winterbourne Stoke and Wilton traffic. The
north part of Lower Backway was then a footpath. In the late 18th century there were various
tracks across the plain, (fn. 21) and new roads were
made to farmsteads on the downs in the early
19th. (fn. 22) When artillery ranges were opened on the
plain c. 1900 the Devizes—Salisbury road was
closed north of the Bustard inn and the Amesbury—Warminster road became part of a new
Devizes—Salisbury road. (fn. 23) In 1990 a road leading
west from the Bustard to Tilshead was also a
public road. In 1898 the London & South
Western Railway was empowered to build a spur
from its line at Grateley (Hants) to Amesbury
and Shrewton; it did not build the Shrewton
portion. (fn. 24)
Evidence of prehistoric activity within the
parish has been found chiefly in the northern
half. A Neolithic causewayed camp, Robin
Hood's Ball, on the boundary at the east corner
may have been the site of earlier occupation.
Nearby there are five barrows or their sites, and
others lie further west and north-west. In the
north a field system extended over 40 a. Pagan
Saxon artefacts associated with a burial were
found west of Nett Road. (fn. 25)
In 1377 Shrewton had 49 poll-tax payers,
Netton 40. (fn. 26) The population of the parish was
269 in 1801: an increase to 399 in 1811 prompted
contemporary comment but no explanation. The
population continued to increase until 1871 and
there was another exceptionally steep rise from
571 to 682 between 1851 and 1861. Between
1871 and 1891 it fell from 757 to 548 but it rose
again thereafter, reaching 631 in 1931. The
population of the enlarged parish was 1,259 in
1951, (fn. 27) 1,780 in 1991. (fn. 28)
Before 1800 Shrewton village (fn. 29) consisted of
buildings around the church and on the east side
of High Street. Buildings on the other side of
the Till in Maddington made a west side to High
Street, at the north end of which some west of
the Till were in Shrewton. In 1800 the eastern
limit of the plots in High Street was marked by
a parallel lane, called Backway or Upper Backway from the 1880s. A large farmstead was north
of the church and London Road, the vicarage
house was north-west of the church, and Shrewton Manor and two or more farmyards were
south of the church in High Street. (fn. 30) After the
Amesbury—Warminster road was turnpiked
more buildings were erected at and south of its
junction with High Street. As a result of that
and of later growth, (fn. 31) Shrewton and Maddington
villages coalesced. The enlarged settlement, now
known only as Shrewton, also embraced Netton
and Rollestone. (fn. 32) Apart from the church, the
vicarage house, and Shrewton Manor, the original Shrewton part of the settlement contains few
buildings of earlier than the 19th century. A
lock-up or blindhouse of c. 1700 standing between the turnpike road and the river at the
south end of High Street was moved a few
metres south in 1974. (fn. 33)
Netton village or hamlet may have stood on
the gravel beside lanes east of the Winterbourne
Stoke road in the south corner of the parish: c.
15 buildings stood there in 1773 (fn. 34) and the names
Nett and Netton survived for fields, downs, and
a road in the south and east parts of the parish. (fn. 35)
In 1800 there were buildings beside Lower
Backway and Salisbury Road. (fn. 36) Two thatched
cottages, possibly 17th-century, survive.
The growth of Shrewton as a minor centre of
trade and commerce in the 19th century, (fn. 37) and
the rapid increase in its population, (fn. 38) were accompanied by the rebuilding of many houses,
usually in brick or rendered, and the building of
many cottages, some in pairs or short terraces.
A terrace of cottages, some with entrances above
street level, replaced earlier buildings on the
south side of London Road. Between 1800 and
1840 there was building on the north-east side
of Amesbury Road, north-west of its junction
with Nett Road, and beside Salisbury Road,
where a nonconformist chapel was built. Another chapel was built at right angles to High
Street in what became Chapel Lane. (fn. 39) A severe
flood in January 1841 affected all the villages of
the Till valley and apparently caused greatest
destruction in Shrewton, although reports of 28
houses destroyed and 300 people left homeless
may have included the Maddington part of the
village. In 1842 four cottages, paid for by a relief
fund subscribed to nationally, were built in
Salisbury Road. (fn. 40) A nonconformist chapel and a
school were built in High Street in the 1860s,
and other new buildings between 1840 and 1886
included a large house called Highfield House,
near the south end of High Street, and a group
of houses called Chalk Hill around the junction
of Nett Road and Amesbury Road. (fn. 41) A road
running south from the junction was later called
Chalk Hill.
In the 20th century the village doubled in size,
and most new building was in the old Shrewton
parish. Between 1900 and 1950 cottages, including two trios dated 1911 and 1914, houses,
bungalows, and farmsteads were built in Nett
Road, and houses, including two pairs with
thatched roofs, and bungalows were built on new
sites in Salisbury Road and Chalk Hill. Sundial
Cottages, a pair of cottages on the north side of
London Road, were rebuilt in vernacular style
in 1934. (fn. 42) Council houses were built in Chalk
Hill, 12 in 1936, (fn. 43) and east of the village in
London Road, 12 in 1927 and 6 in 1933. Mainly
in the 1950s the local authority built c. 75 houses
on rising ground at the north end of the village
east of Upper Backway. (fn. 44) Old people's bungalows were built in Parson's Green, c. 30 in the
1960s west of Upper Backway further south, and
Hindes Meadow, 16 in the 1980s on the site of
the large farmstead north of the church. In
addition to infilling, private building in the
1960s, 1970s, and 1980s included Meadway, c.
50 houses south-west of Amesbury Road, Copper Beech Close, 6 houses south-east of Chalk
Hill, Highfield Rise, 45 bungalows east of Upper
Backway, and 6 houses in Chapel Lane. More
bungalows were being built between Highfield
Rise and Nett Road in 1990.
In 1800 there was no building within the parish
on the downs. The Bustard inn was built beside
the Devizes—Salisbury road between 1800 and
1811, (fn. 45) and between 1800 and 1817 Shrewton
Lodge, a thatched cottage ornée, was built 1.5
km. north-east of the church. (fn. 46) Shrewton House,
set in ornamental grounds north of the village,
was built between 1820 and 1840 to replace the
farmstead north of the church. The new house,
a plain classical villa, has a Doric loggia along
the main south front. A lodge was built southwest of it and a farmstead north-east of it. Barns
of similar date near the parish's north-western
boundary (fn. 47) were demolished in the earlier 20th
century, when scattered military buildings were
erected north of the Bustard. (fn. 48)
Inns stood beside the three main roads across
the parish. The George, in 1840 and 1990 on the
south side of London Road near its junction with
High Street, was presumably on that site when
mentioned in 1607 and 1780. (fn. 49) That and the
Sun, mentioned in 1746 (fn. 50) but not by name
thereafter, were presumably among the four
alehouses in the parish in the 1750s and 1760s. (fn. 51)
The Catherine Wheel, mentioned in 1780, (fn. 52) was
presumably built soon after 1761 to serve the
Amesbury—Warminster turnpike road (fn. 53) and
stands at its junction with High Street: friendly
societies may have met there and at the George
in 1803. (fn. 54) The Royal Oak on the north side of
Amesbury Road was open in 1867; (fn. 55) the Wheatsheaf in Salisbury Road, open c. 1886, was
apparently closed soon afterwards; (fn. 56) the Plume
of Feathers north-west of the church was opened
c. 1910. (fn. 57) The Bustard was open c. 1840 (fn. 58) and
from the 1860s, (fn. 59) may have been a private house
in the 1850s, (fn. 60) and was a temperance hotel in
1900. (fn. 61) It, the George, the Catherine Wheel, the
Royal Oak, and the Plume of Feathers were open
in 1990.
From 1863 rook hawking on Salisbury Plain
was organized from the Bustard; the Old Hawking club, founded in 1864, had its headquarters
there until c. 1875 and again from 1903 until
1924. (fn. 62) There was a croquet ground south of
Shrewton House c. 1886 (fn. 63) and a polo ground
near Shrewton Lodge in 1900. (fn. 64)
The northern half of the parish, c. 1,100 a.,
was acquired for the army between 1897 and
1902 (fn. 65) and was thereafter the site of artillery
ranges used by the (Royal) School of Artillery
based at Larkhill in Durrington. A narrowgauge railway in the north corner of the parish
was built between 1923 and 1958 to serve the
ranges and was dismantled before 1984. (fn. 66) Between 1940 and 1944 land west of the Bustard
was used as a military airfield. (fn. 67)
Sir Cecil Chubb, Bt. (1876–1934), who bought
Stonehenge in 1915 and gave it to the nation in
1918, was born in Shrewton. (fn. 68)
Manors and other estates.
Estates
in Shrewton were held in 1066 by Alric, 13 hides
and 3 yardlands, Alward, 3 hides, 1 yardland,
and 4 a., and Ulueva, 3 hides. All 20 hides were
held in 1086 by Edward of Salisbury, from
whom Godfrey held Ulueva's estate and Tetbald
held Alward's. (fn. 69) Edward's estates passed in turn
to his son Walter (d. 1147), Walter's son Patrick,
earl of Salisbury (d. 1168), and with the earldom
to Patrick's son William (d. 1196) and William's
daughter Ela (d. 1261) and her husband William
Longespée, earl of Salisbury (d. 1226). Ela took
the veil in 1238, (fn. 70) and in 1242–3 her son William
Longespée (d. 1250), styled earl of Salisbury,
was overlord of 3 knights' fees in Shrewton.
William was succeeded by his son Sir William
Longespée (d. 1257), and he by his daughter
Margaret, from 1261 countess of Salisbury, (fn. 71)
wife of Henry de Lacy, earl of Lincoln (d. 1311).
Henry held the overlordship with a small honor
of Shrewton. The overlordship and honor
passed from him to his daughter Alice, countess
of Lincoln and of Salisbury, wife of Thomas,
earl of Lancaster (d. 1322). (fn. 72)
The honor may have been granted in 1319 to
John de Warenne, earl of Surrey, for life and,
under duress, in 1322 may have been granted by
John to the elder Hugh le Despenser, earl of
Winchester (d. 1326). A life interest was restored
in 1327 to John (d. 1347) and his wife Joan (d.
1361), (fn. 73) who in 1348 granted her interest to
Edward, prince of Wales. (fn. 74) In 1361 the honor
reverted to William de Montagu, earl of Salisbury (fn. 75) (d. 1397), possibly under a grant of 1337
to his father, (fn. 76) and it apparently passed to his
son John, earl of Salisbury, who died and was
attainted in 1400. In 1409 it was restored to
John's son Thomas, earl of Salisbury. (fn. 77) No later
reference to the honor has been found.
The overlordship was in 1325 granted by
Alice, countess of Lincoln, and her husband
Ebles Lestrange to the younger Hugh le
Despenser, Lord le Despenser, who forfeited it
on his execution in 1326. (fn. 78) It may have been
granted in 1337 with the earldom of Salisbury
to William de Montagu (d. 1344) and was held
with the honor by his son William, earl of
Salisbury (d. 1397). (fn. 79) It passed to the younger
William's relict Elizabeth, (fn. 80) reverted on her
death in 1415 to Thomas, earl of Salisbury, (fn. 81) and
thereafter evidently descended with the earldom. (fn. 82)
Alexander Cheverell held 2 knights' fees in
Shrewton in 1242–3 (fn. 83) and was succeeded in 1260
by his son Sir John (d. 1281). The estate passed
to Sir John's son Sir Alexander (d. by 1310), (fn. 84)
to Sir Alexander's daughter Joan, wife of John
St. Lo (d. 1313 or 1314), and presumably with
Little Cheverell manor in turn to her son Sir
John St. Lo (d. after 1372) and Sir John's son
Sir John (d. 1375). The younger Sir John's relict
Margaret (d. 1412) held the estate with her
husband Sir Peter Courtenay (d. 1405) and was
succeeded by her grandson William Botreaux,
Lord Botreaux (d. 1462), (fn. 85) who held it in 1417. (fn. 86)
John of Kingston held land in Shrewton in
1291, (fn. 87) possibly the 4 yardlands and 14 a. later
held by Nicholas Kingston (d. c. 1323) and
forfeited by Nicholas's brother John, a rebel. (fn. 88)
John may have re-entered the estate in 1326, as
he did an estate in Steeple Langford. (fn. 89) It descended to his son Thomas and in 1380 was held
by Thomas's son Sir John (fl. 1383). (fn. 90)
SHREWTON manor, perhaps derived from
the Cheverells' estate, the Kingstons', or both,
was held in 1493 by Thomas Hussey (d. 1503),
who was succeeded by his son Henry. (fn. 91) It later
belonged to Sir William Brounker (d. 1596), may
have belonged to his father Sir Henry Brounker,
and in 1596 was sold by his relict Martha and
his son Henry in portions. The lordship and
demesne lands were bought by Robert Wansborough (d. 1630) (fn. 92) and passed from father to son to
Robert (d. 1639), Robert (d. 1675), Robert (d.
1697), Robert (d. 1700), Robert (d. 1704),
Robert (d. 1706), Robert (will proved 1715),
Robert (fl. 1725), and Robert (d. 1783). (fn. 93) The last
Robert's estate was divided between his sons
John (d. 1833) and Charles. John's portion was
acquired after 1831 (fn. 94) by the Revd. Samuel
Heathcote who, having bought other land in
Shrewton, owned 860 a. in the parish c. 1840. (fn. 95)
Most of Heathcote's estate was sold after his
death in 1846. (fn. 96) The lands formerly John
Wansborough's were bought as Shrewton Lodge
estate, 425 a., by C. R. M. Smith, husband of
Heathcote's granddaughter Katherine Heathcote. (fn. 97) Charles Wansborough (d. 1834) devised
his estate, including the lordship of Shrewton
manor, jointly to his children Charles, Robert,
Martha, and Jane. (fn. 98) About 1840 Charles and
Robert held 240 a. in Shrewton, (fn. 99) and by will
dated 1848 Charles devised the estate for sale. (fn. 100)
The lordship, however, passed to his son Charles
and grandson Charles Wansborough (fn. 101) (d.
1890). (fn. 102) The land was probably bought c. 1848
by C. R. M. Smith (d. 1882) whose Shrewton
Lodge estate, 680 a., was sold in 1883 to H. N.
B. Good. (fn. 103) In 1891 the estate was bought by
George Kirby. In 1898 Kirby sold 330 a. to the
War Department, and the Ministry of Defence
owned that land in 1990. (fn. 104) The rest of the estate
was sold in 1900, (fn. 105) perhaps to Robert Coombes,
the owner in 1910. (fn. 106) By 1921 Coombes's estate
had been bought by John Wort, George Way,
and J. H. Wort, in business together as Wort
& Way, builders. After the firm was dissolved
in 1967, (fn. 107) the land belonged to members of
the Wort family, from whom the southern
portion was bought by Mr. J. C. J. Tarrant, the
northern by Mr. E. G. N. Grant, the owners in
1990. (fn. 108)
Shrewton Manor, apparently built for Robert
Wansborough (d. 1630) and occupied by Wansboroughs until 1890, (fn. 109) has a long north—south range
of flint and stone with a short northern cross
wing dated 1602. The wing was extended eastwards in the 18th century and the extension was
refitted in the early 19th. Service rooms at the
south end of the main range were replaced c.
1900. East of the house was a walled farmyard, (fn. 110)
now a garden, in which a timber-framed granary and a flint and stone pigeon house, both
possibly 18th-century, survive.
In 1596 Martha and Henry Brounker sold part
of Shrewton manor to Thomas Tooker, (fn. 111) who
was succeeded in 1607 by his son Charles. (fn. 112) The
land was held in 1638 by Thomas Tooker (d. by
1650), in 1656 by John Sainsbury, and in 1662
by John Gilbert (fn. 113) (fl. 1690). (fn. 114) In 1712 a moiety
was settled on Charles Gilbert. (fn. 115) Lands bought
by Robert Gennings from William Gilbert and
from William Maundrell and Thomas Franklin
probably comprised both moieties of the estate;
Gennings bought other land in Shrewton and at
his death in 1739 held 31/8 yardlands, which he
devised to his wife Mary and son Robert. (fn. 116) In
1751 the estate was held by John Gennings (fn. 117) (d.
1762), who devised it to Robert Gennings. (fn. 118) One
or more of that name held the estate, c. 250 a.,
until 1829, (fn. 119) when a Robert Gennings was succeeded by his kinsman John Ingram (fn. 120) and
Ingram sold it to the Revd. Samuel Heathcote. (fn. 121)
Some lands were apparently sold between 1846
and 1850, (fn. 122) probably including 150 a. bought in
1898 by the War Department and owned in 1990
by the Ministry of Defence. (fn. 123) The remainder
passed with Rollestone manor. (fn. 124)
Other lands perhaps derived from Shrewton
manor were held in 1780 by Elizabeth Colebrooke
and in 1785 by Jane Folliott, who in 1800 held
c. 290 a. in Shrewton. (fn. 125) As Jane Fussell she sold
the lands c. 1818 to Joseph Gilbert. With Gilbert's other Shrewton estate they were sold to
Thomas Sheppard. (fn. 126)
By the mid 13th century Bradenstoke priory
had acquired piecemeal an estate in Shrewton,
later WINTERBOURNE SHREWTON
manor. In the later 12th century 1 yardland was
granted by Boemund to John son of Stephen and
by John to the priory. William, earl of Salisbury
(d. 1196), confirmed that grant and between
1168 and 1179 gave 100s. a year from Shrewton
to the priory. Also between 1168 and 1179
Nicholas d'Epaignes gave 3 yardlands which he
had been granted by the earl, and in the early
13th century Roger Young sold to the priory ½
yardland which he held of Sir Alexander Cheverell. The priory also held in Shrewton 3
yardlands given in 1246 by John Cheney and his
wife Margery, 10s. rent received in an exchange
with Stanley abbey in 1247, 3 yardlands given
in 1256 by Robert le Veel, (fn. 127) 3 yardlands given
before 1275 by Richard Langford, who in 1242
held ½ knight's fee there of the earldom of
Salisbury, (fn. 128) and 2 yardlands given in 1303 by
Nicholas Ingram. (fn. 129) The estate passed to the
Crown at the Dissolution and was bought in
1560 by Robert Davye and Henry Dynne, (fn. 130)
possibly feoffees for Sir Henry Brounker who
held it in 1564 or 1565. (fn. 131) Brounker (d. 1569) was
succeeded in turn by his son (Sir) William (fn. 132) (d.
1596), and by Sir William's son Henry. (fn. 133) The
manor was sold before Henry's death in 1598,
probably in 1596: the lordship may have been
bought then with that of Shrewton manor by
Robert Wansborough, (fn. 134) and the lands by William Goldisborough who held them at his death
in 1608. From Goldisborough the lands descended in the direct line to Robert (d. 1632),
Nicholas (d. 1642), Robert (d. 1702), and Robert
(d. 1739), whose relict Elizabeth held them until
her death in 1765. They apparently passed to
her nephew R. G. Cripps (d. 1782), (fn. 135) whose
relict Sarah (d. c. 1810) held c. 450 a. in Shrewton in 1800, when she was the wife of William
Goddard. (fn. 136) The estate passed to Sarah's nephew
Joseph Gilbert, (fn. 137) who with William Gilbert sold
it and other lands in Shrewton in 1832 to
Thomas Sheppard. (fn. 138) By will proved 1858 Sheppard gave his estate there, c. 800 a., to his son
Walter (fl. 1871). In 1876, however, it was sold
to perform trusts under the will (fn. 139) and was
bought by T. L. Mills (d. 1909). (fn. 140) Mills sold 570
a. to the War Department in 1897, and the
Ministry of Defence owned that land in 1990. (fn. 141)
In 1919 Mills's executors sold the remaining 230
a. to George Williams (d. 1926), (fn. 142) whose greatgrandchildren J. and E. Grant held c. 270 a. in
the old parish of Shrewton in 1990. (fn. 143)
In the later 16th century Rollestone manor
included land and pasture rights in Shrewton, (fn. 144)
and at inclosure in 1801 an allotment of 143 a.
was made to the lord of that manor, Sir
Nathaniel Holland, Bt. (fn. 145) (d. 1811). It passed
with the manor to his relict Harriett (will proved
1825), to her nephew Robert Brudenell, earl of
Cardigan, and by sale in 1827 to the Revd.
Samuel Heathcote (d. 1846). With Rollestone c.
210 a. in Shrewton passed to Heathcote's son
William in trust for William's children, were
divided in 1882 among the children, and, as the
subject of a Chancery suit, were sold in 1902. (fn. 146)
The War Department bought 54 a., which the
Ministry of Defence owned in 1990, (fn. 147) and T. W.
Pratt the rest. Pratt's land passed in 1932 to G.
R. Smith (d. 1972). (fn. 148) In 1990 part was owned
by his relict, Mrs. Janetta Smith, part by Mr. J.
C. J. Tarrant, and part by Mr. D. W. Johnson. (fn. 149)
Lacock abbey appropriated Shrewton church
under a grant of 1241. In 1242 Ives the merchant
and his wife Sibyl gave to the abbey a tenement
and rents in Shrewton, and Hugh Burgoyne and
his wife Maud gave 20s. rent from Ives's tenement. (fn. 150) The RECTORY estate consisted of
tithes and two small closes at the Dissolution, (fn. 151)
probably only of tithes in the 17th century. (fn. 152) In
1545 it was granted to John Pope, (fn. 153) perhaps a
trustee for John Lambert, to whom he conveyed
it in 1546. (fn. 154) Lambert (d. 1553) was succeeded
by his son William, (fn. 155) who sold the estate in 1570
to William Partridge (fn. 156) (d. 1578). Partridge was
succeeded by his son Robert (fn. 157) (d. 1600), who
devised it to his daughters Elizabeth, wife of
William Cartwright, and Anne, wife of Edward
Masters. (fn. 158) Cartwright and Masters held it in
1650. (fn. 159) In 1655 William Cartwright, Thomas
Cartwright, and Thomas's wife Susan held a
moiety and between 1663 and 1674 Thomas and
Susan sold portions of tithes. (fn. 160) Thomas retained
some tithes in 1681, (fn. 161) but they were apparently
sold thereafter. By 1657 the Masterses' moiety
had passed to their daughter Elizabeth (fn. 162) and it
too was later sold in portions. In 1801, when
they were exchanged for land, the rectorial tithes
of Shrewton were held by 17 owners. (fn. 163)
St. Denis's priory, Southampton, had lands in
Shrewton in 1249. (fn. 164) In 1275 St. Denis's held 3
yardlands there, Ivychurch priory held 2 yardlands, and Breamore priory (Hants) 1 yardland. (fn. 165)
Breamore had lands in Netton in 1432: (fn. 166) nothing
further is known of the holding. After the Dissolution the holdings of Ivychurch, 5 yardlands,
and St. Denis's, c. 45 a. and 8s. rent, were
granted, in 1562, to Richard Middlecot: (fn. 167) the
later history of the land has not been traced.
Before 1275 Richard Syfrewast granted to Durford abbey (Suss.) ½ knight's fee in Shrewton, (fn. 168)
which he had held of the earldom of Salisbury
in 1242–3. (fn. 169) At the Dissolution the abbey held
only rents from free tenants in Shrewton. (fn. 170)
Edington priory had rights of pasture for 50
sheep in Shrewton held with land in Orcheston
St. George at the Dissolution. (fn. 171)
Economic history.
In 1086 Shrewton
had land for 12 ploughteams. The three estates
had 7 teams and 11 servi on the demesne lands,
and there were 17 villani and 15 bordars with 4
or more teams. There were 16 a. of meadow,
pasture measuring 13 a., 6 furlongs by 4, and 1
league by ½, and 30 a. of woodland. Of two of
the estates the demesne was the greater part. (fn. 172)
Evidence from the 16th century shows Shrewton and Netton to have each had open fields and
common downland pasture, but then, as later,
each was shared by the lord and tenants of both
manors in the parish. (fn. 173) Shrewton's lands probably formed a strip between the Till and the
northern corner of the parish, Netton's presumably a similar strip between the Till and the east
corner. Each had three open fields: in the 16th
and 17th centuries Netton's were called Middle,
Middlehurst, and South or the field next to
Rollestone, (fn. 174) in the 18th Shrewton's were called
Middle, Down, and the field next to Elston. (fn. 175)
Shrewton had a cow down (fn. 176) but otherwise the
downs were for sheep. There were c. 650 a. of
open fields, c. 1,250 a. of downland pasture. (fn. 177) In
the earlier 17th century Netton's arable was
assessed as 26 yardlands, each of 24 a. with
pasture for 40 sheep. (fn. 178) Landholders of Shrewton
parish had common rights in the meadows which
formed its detached parts (fn. 179) and were entitled to
the hay, but not the aftermath, of a meadow in
Winterbourne Stoke. (fn. 180)
In 1599 orders were made for the fields and
pastures of Shrewton and Netton, which had
apparently been mismanaged since the suspension of Shrewton manor court in 1596; how far
they reflected earlier practice is not clear. Because sheep had died in recent winters for want
of fodder, provisions were made for a common
flock of weaker animals and for money to be
collected at midsummer to buy hay. Shrewton
and Netton each had a common flock: no more
than 12 lambs were to be bred for each yardland
in Shrewton and no more than 10 for each in
Netton. Other rules governed the grazing of
cattle and horses and the appointment of a
hogherd each for Shrewton and Netton and of a
hayward. (fn. 181) In the 1650s there were still separate
flocks for Shrewton and Netton. (fn. 182)
There was little inclosure in the parish before
1800. Inclosures in Netton fields were ordered
to be removed in 1615 and 1616 (fn. 183) and apparently
were not reinstated. In the 1670s part of Netton
down, perhaps c. 70 a., was brought into cultivation by burnbaking and divided among those
with pasture rights at the rate of 2 a. to the
yardland. (fn. 184)
After the two manors in the parish were broken
up in the later 16th century, mostly by sale to
the tenants, there was little copyhold. No copyholder was mentioned in the orders of 1599 and
tenurial business rarely came before the manor
court. The orders were subscribed by 23 people,
presumably all those occupying lands in the
parish. (fn. 185) The largest farms may have been those
derived from the demesnes of the two manors.
The demesne of Shrewton manor comprised 160
a. and pasture rights in 1596, (fn. 186) and in 1654 the
farmer had 190 a. sown and 302 sheep with 105
lambs. In the 1630s, although he sold wool, a
larger part of his income was derived from corn.
On some fields a three-course rotation of wheat,
barley, and fallow was practised, on others there
may have been a fourth course of oats. (fn. 187) In the
1660s the principal farm derived from Winterbourne Shrewton manor comprised 224 a. of
arable, 10 a. of meadow, and rights of pasture. (fn. 188)
Common husbandry was ended by an award
of 1801 under an Act of 1798. Allotments were
made of the whole parish, except the village,
replacing rights to arable, pasture, meadow, and
rectorial tithes. On the arable, to the south-west,
fields of 156 a., 99 a., and 75 a. were allotted;
otherwise the average size of the new fields was
c. 8 a. To the north-east 1,060 a. of downland
were allotted in six parcels. About 1840 the parish
was still about half arable and half pasture.
There were 55 a. of meadow, including the
detached 22 a., and 25 a. of wood, chiefly
plantation on the downs. Most of the land lay in
four farms. A scattered holding of 191 a. was
worked from Shrewton Manor, and a farm of
410 a. was worked from buildings immediately
north of it. The two others were worked from
buildings outside the village, all built after 1800.
The larger, 790 a., was worked from the farmstead near Shrewton House and from barns near
the north-west boundary of the parish, and a
compact farm of 445 a. was worked from Shrewton Lodge. (fn. 189)
The proportion of pasture apparently increased in the later 19th century. In 1886 lands
worked from farmsteads in the parish included
c. 650 a. of arable; from the 1870s permanent
rough pasture apparently replaced sown grasses
and clover. In 1876 there were c. 2,500 sheep
and lambs and only 20 cattle. Less land was
available for agriculture after military training
began in the north part of the parish c. 1900: in
1916 only c. 400 a. were arable and only c. 700
sheep were kept. Cattle rearing, however, increased and c. 100 cattle, mainly for beef, were
kept in 1916. (fn. 190) Most of the parish was pasture in
the 1930s; (fn. 191) in 1990 there was arable and mixed
farming in the south-western part, which was
worked from farmsteads outside the old parish. (fn. 192)
A glover lived at Shrewton in 1755. (fn. 193) Shrewton's rapid growth in the 19th century was
apparently achieved by becoming a minor centre
for trade in an area where there were few towns.
In 1841 c. 60 people in Shrewton were engaged
in c. 30 trades, of which none was unusual for a
rural village and none became prominent, but
the proportion of tradesmen in the population
was much larger than for surrounding villages.
Shrewton Laundry at the north end of High
Street was open in 1931. (fn. 194) It employed 25 people
in 1986. (fn. 195)
Mills.
There was a mill on Godfrey's estate
in 1086, (fn. 196) and a mill stood in Shrewton in 1341 (fn. 197)
and perhaps 1630. Between 1773 and 1793 a
thatched, timber windmill was built north-west
of Nett Road. From 1848 it was worked by
members of the Maslen family. (fn. 198) It passed out
of use between 1867 and 1886, (fn. 199) perhaps in 1877
when James Maslen was declared bankrupt, (fn. 200)
and had been demolished by 1899. (fn. 201)
Local government.
Shortly before
1275 honor courts for the earldom of Salisbury,
previously held twice yearly at Chitterne, were
moved to Shrewton and became three-weekly. (fn. 202)
They were apparently held at Shrewton until
1361 (fn. 203) or later. The overlord also had franchisal
jurisdiction in Shrewton: in 1255 Sir William
Longespée had return of writs and view of
frankpledge, and in 1275 Henry, earl of Lincoln,
also had pleas of vee de naam and the assize of
bread and of ale. (fn. 204) Exemption from such jurisdiction was successfully claimed by Bradenstoke
priory under a grant by William Longespée (d.
1250) of quittance from hundred courts and
other services. (fn. 205) There is no evidence that the
priory held its own court for what became
Winterbourne Shrewton manor, but Nicholas
Kingston may have done so for his estate before
1323. (fn. 206)
View of frankpledge and a manor court were
held for Shrewton manor, Winterbourne Shrewton manor, or both by Sir Henry Brounker in
1567 and (Sir) William Brounker in 1580. (fn. 207) The
lordship of both manors may have been bought
by Robert Wansborough in 1596, (fn. 208) and he and
his heirs held a court and claimed jurisdiction
over Winterbourne Shrewton manor. (fn. 209) The
claim was disputed by Nicholas Goldisborough,
who held the lands of that manor, but in 1639
he accepted it, renounced a claim to hold his own
court, agreed to attend the law days of Shrewton
manor, and was given the right to keep a third
of strays taken in Netton. (fn. 210) No court was held
between 1596 and 1599. (fn. 211) Between 1615 and
1691 the view of frankpledge and court baron
was recorded for 20 years. It usually met in
October and was held yearly between 1630 and
1635, but there was also a spring meeting in
1630. Free tenants were summoned, orders for
the use of common pastures were published, and
a tithingman was elected. Matters presented by
the jury included absence from the court, repairs
needed to roads, buildings, and in 1638 the
stocks, encroachments on and inclosures of the
open fields, and selling ale without licence. (fn. 212)
Spending on poor relief in Shrewton rose from
c. £66 in 1775 to £114 in 1785, when regular
relief was given to 19 people and occasional
payments were made for clothing, to the sick,
and to the unemployed. In 1804, when poor rates
in the parish were about the average for the
hundred, 46 adults and 57 children were regularly relieved at a cost of £273; none, apparently,
received occasional relief. (fn. 213) Expenditure rose to
a peak of £652 in 1818, fell to £294 in 1823, and
was usually between £300 and £400 in the
following 12 years. Shrewton became part of
Amesbury poor-law union in 1835, (fn. 214) and of
Salisbury district in 1974. (fn. 215)
Church.
There was a church at Shrewton in
1236. (fn. 216) In 1241 Lacock abbey was licensed to
appropriate it when it became vacant: a vicarage
was to be ordained (fn. 217) but no vicar was recorded
until 1323. (fn. 218) A proposal of 1650 that Shrewton,
Rollestone, and Maddington should form a single parish (fn. 219) was not then implemented, but in
1869 Shrewton and Maddington vicarages were
united, (fn. 220) and in 1923 Rollestone rectory was
added. (fn. 221) The three ecclesiastical parishes were
united in 1970, (fn. 222) and from 1972 the benefice was
called Shrewton. (fn. 223)
In 1236 Ela, countess of Salisbury, with the
agreement of her son William Longespée gave
the advowson of Shrewton rectory to Lacock
abbey. (fn. 224) In 1241 the advowson of the vicarage
was reserved to the bishop of Salisbury; (fn. 225) the
bishop presented at most if not all vacancies of
the vicarage and of the united benefice of Shrewton with Maddington. (fn. 226) The bishop could
present at two of every three vacancies from
1923 (fn. 227) until the Crown became sole patron by
an exchange in 1958. (fn. 228)
A valuation of the church at £8 in 1291 (fn. 229) may
have been of the rectory estate; the figure was
about the average for a living in Wylye deanery
but in 1535 and c. 1830, when he received £7
and c. £200 respectively, (fn. 230) the vicar's income
was below the average. In the late 16th century
the vicar claimed a pension of 20s. from the
rectory estate: it had not then been paid for 20
years (fn. 231) and was apparently not paid thereafter.
At its ordination the vicarage was implicitly
endowed with all tithes except those from
grain, (fn. 232) and vicarial tithes were due from the
whole parish in the 16th century, (fn. 233) as in the early
19th. In 1838 they were valued at £219 and
commuted. (fn. 234) The vicar had 1 yardland of glebe
in 1341, (fn. 235) for which 28 a. were allotted at
inclosure in 1801. (fn. 236) In the 1870s Frederick Bennett, then vicar, augmented the glebe; (fn. 237) 27 a.,
including 3 a. given by Bennett, were sold in
1918. (fn. 238) The rector's principal house was assigned to the vicar in 1241 until another could
be provided. (fn. 239) A vicarage house recorded in
1609 (fn. 240) was probably on the site of that built in
the 17th century (fn. 241) and sold in 1870. (fn. 242) The house,
of three bays, may originally have been timberframed but its walls were later of flint rubble
and ashlar. New fittings of the 18th century
included some panelling and the house was
extended westwards in the 19th century. The
vicarage house of the united benefice was at
Maddington from 1869 until 1974, when a new
house was built in Chapel Lane. (fn. 243)
In 1488 the vicar received a dispensation to
hold another living. (fn. 244) Parishioners who owed
money to the church in 1553 (fn. 245) may have bought
ornaments and furniture made superfluous by
the 1552 prayer book; some ornaments had not
been recovered by 1556. (fn. 246) In 1585 the vicar did
not reside and the curate, who served two
churches, did not preach or read a homily every
Sunday, or catechize. (fn. 247) Thomas Grange, vicar
1613–61, was expelled and the vicarage sequestrated during the Interregnum: in 1650 the
intruder Thomas Worthen was said to preach
twice every Sunday. (fn. 248) The church lacked Jewell's Apology and an almschest in 1662. (fn. 249) One
service every Sunday, alternately in the morning
and afternoon, was held in 1783: there was no
weekday service. John Skinner, vicar 1782–1801,
was master of Salisbury cathedral choristers'
school and did not reside in Shrewton. His
curate there in 1783 also served two neighbouring churches, lived at Orcheston St. Mary, and
did not have time to catechize. Communion was
celebrated at Christmas, Easter, when there were
36 communicants, and Whitsun. (fn. 250) There was
still only one service on Sundays in 1832, (fn. 251) but
in 1851 on Census Sunday 70 people attended a
morning and 200 an afternoon service. (fn. 252) In 1864
there were three services on Sundays, each with
a sermon, and services on Wednesdays, Fridays,
and holy days. Communion was celebrated
monthly and at Christmas, Easter, and Whitsun. (fn. 253) Shrewton and Maddington vicarages were
held in plurality from 1854 until 1869, (fn. 254) and
from 1938 the incumbent of the united benefice
also served Winterbourne Stoke. (fn. 255)
ST. MARY'S church, so called in 1488, (fn. 256) is
built of flint and ashlar and has a chancel with
north organ chamber and south chapel, an aisled
and clerestoried nave with north porch, and a
west tower. In the early 13th century the church
had a chancel and an aisled nave of two bays.
The tower was added in the late 15th century;
by then the aisles had been widened. In 1854 the
church was restored and enlarged in a generally
16th-century style to designs by T. H. Wyatt.
The nave was extended eastwards by one bay,
the arcades were restored, the aisles were rebuilt,
and the clerestory was added. In a new chancel
with organ chamber and chapel the respond of
the old chancel arch, the piscina, and a small
window, all of the 13th century, were reset. (fn. 257)
Lands or pasture rights given for the upkeep
of the church, perhaps by William Goldisborough in 1608, (fn. 258) were replaced at inclosure in
1801 by an allotment of 10 a., which yielded
£10–£16 yearly in the 19th century and the early
20th. (fn. 259) The church still held land in 1990. (fn. 260)
In 1553 plate weighing 20 oz., an unusually
large amount, was confiscated and a chalice of
12½ oz. was left in the parish. The church has a
17th-century chalice, the cover of which was
exchanged for a dish in 1851. An early 19th-century salver was altered to form a paten in
1854, and a new chalice and a new flagon were
given in 1855. (fn. 261)
The three bells in the church in 1553 were
replaced by three cast by John Wallis in 1619.
A fourth, by Clement Tosier, was added in 1717,
a fifth, by Abel Rudhall, in 1757, and a sixth, by
Mears & Stainbank, in 1928. (fn. 262) Those six bells
hung in the church in 1990. (fn. 263)
Registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials
survive from 1557. (fn. 264)
Nonconformity.
Two parishioners who
refused to pay Easter dues, one in 1662 and one
in 1674, (fn. 265) and another, presented for absence
from church in 1665, may have been protestant
dissenters. (fn. 266) A dissenter was recorded in the
parish in 1676, (fn. 267) and a meeting house was certified in 1694 and, for Baptists, in 1697. (fn. 268) By 1783
nonconformity had apparently died out, (fn. 269) but in
the 1790s Baptists from Imber began to preach
in Shrewton. (fn. 270) Seven Shrewton residents
marked or signed a certificate for a meeting
house in 1795, (fn. 271) and in 1796–7 a Baptist chapel,
described as a mud-walled house in a cottage
garden, was built. (fn. 272) It was replaced in 1816 by
the Zion chapel, (fn. 273) a plain brick building at the
junction of Lower Backway and Salisbury Road.
By 1831 a second chapel had been built: (fn. 274) it stood
on the north side of what was later Chapel Lane
and was evidently called Bethesda. (fn. 275) It had
probably been closed by 1851, when it was said
that on Census Sunday 300 people attended
morning, 250 afternoon, and 350 evening service
at the Zion chapel. (fn. 276) A manse was built in
Salisbury Road in 1909. (fn. 277) A schismatic group
from the Baptist congregation became Wesleyan
Methodists (fn. 278) and in 1861 built a brick chapel in
High Street. (fn. 279) Both chapels were open in 1990.
Education.
A schoolmaster lived in Shrewton in 1811, (fn. 280) and 25 children attended a school
there in 1818. (fn. 281) Another school, opened in 1823,
had 18 pupils in 1833. (fn. 282) In 1847 children from
Shrewton attended the National school in Maddington. (fn. 283) A building in Shrewton was adapted
for use as a National school in 1855; (fn. 284) it was
attended by 20–30 boys from Shrewton, Tilshead, and Maddington in 1858, when girls and
infants from Shrewton attended Maddington
school. (fn. 285) In 1868 a new school and a teacher's
house near the south end of High Street, with
help from Anne Estcourt's charity, replaced the
old Shrewton and Maddington schools. Until
1904 or later the school received £10 yearly from
the charity and more for repairs. (fn. 286) It had 95
pupils in 1871, (fn. 287) and average attendance rose
from 156 in 1910 to 178 in 1936. (fn. 288) About 1968
additional buildings were erected west of High
Street in what had been Maddington parish, and
in 1990 there were 140 children on roll. (fn. 289)
A British school, open in 1859, (fn. 290) had c. 80
pupils in 1871, (fn. 291) and was closed in or after 1879. (fn. 292)
Charities for the poor.
By will dated
1704 Anne Estcourt gave a rent charge of £30
from an estate in Long Newnton (now Glos.)
and Rollestone to apprentice six boys yearly
from those parishes and from the part of
Rollestone manor in Shrewton. No payment was
made before 1711 when the income, including
the arrears which were used to buy land, was
divided equally between the three parishes, from
each of which two boys were to be apprenticed
annually. In 1742 trustees for the Shrewton part
of the charity bought 6½ a. there which, with
some rectorial tithes, were replaced by an allotment of 5 a. at inclosure in 1801. Shrewton's
£10 of the rent charge was unpaid from 1779 to
1806, when the arrears for those years were paid
with interest. That money was later invested,
and the investment, rent charge, and land
yielded £34 10s. in 1833. The income was never
absorbed by premiums, there were fewer apprenticeships than intended, and not all
beneficiaries were from Rollestone manor: 12
boys were apprenticed between 1748 and 1771,
only 1 between 1786 and 1806, and 16 between
1821 and 1833. From 1862 £10 a year was paid
to Shrewton school. Under a Scheme of 1867
the trustees continued to provide apprenticeships, helped to pay for the new school, and
gave money to maintain the school. (fn. 293) By a
Scheme of 1910 the Shrewton and Rollestone
charities were merged. Money not used for
apprenticeships could thereafter be used to
help boys attending Dauntsey's agricultural
school or, under a Scheme of 1919, for any
training of poor children from the two parishes. (fn. 294) Money was occasionally given to
apprentices in the later 20th century, and in
1991 a new Scheme, to allow the income to be
used for wider educational purposes, was under consideration. (fn. 295)
The sites of the four cottages built in 1842,
after the flood of 1841, were transferred to
trustees in 1843, the rents from those and similar
cottages in neighbouring parishes to be used for
clothing and fuel for the poor. The conveyance
was enrolled and rules for distribution of the
income of the Shrewton Flood charity were
issued in 1863. Shrewton received two sevenths
of the income but no distribution there is recorded before 1883 when 98 people each
received a pair of sheets. Between 1889 and 1904
sheets were distributed every year; (fn. 296) in the 1920s
tickets, each worth 2s. 6d., were distributed. (fn. 297)
The cottages, occupied by needy parishioners at
very low rents in the mid 20th century, were
converted to almshouses by a Scheme of 1984,
when the charity's income from rents and investments was £4,500. (fn. 298)