EVERLEIGH
Everleigh lies mostly at heights of between
150 m. and 180 m. towards the north-eastern edge
of Salisbury Plain. (fn. 1) High on the plain the village
occupies an isolated site about half-way between the
villages of the Bourne valley to the east and those of
the Avon valley to the west. (fn. 2) The parish is roughly
rectangular, nearly 5 km. long and about 3 km. wide,
and covers 1,330 ha. (3,286 a.). The nearest town
is Pewsey some 8 km. away. The entire parish lies on
the Upper Chalk of Salisbury Plain. On the south-west and east sides the heads of three dry valleys
with their floorings of gravel have cut into the chalk
plateau for short stretches.
The name Everleigh comes from the Old English
eofor, a wild boar, and leah, a clearing, (fn. 3) a reminder
that the parish lay within the old natural forest of
Chute. (fn. 4) The parish came within the bounds of the
royal forest of Chute when at their broadest. It was,
however, outside the forest in 1300. (fn. 5) There are
important Romano-British settlement sites a little
to the west of the parish, and barrows, or groups of
barrows, serve as marks on the parish boundary. (fn. 6)
A commission was appointed in 1290 to determine
the course of that boundary in the north-west where
it ran between Everleigh and Pewsey. (fn. 7) In 1591 the
prominent landmark of Sidbury hill was taken as
marking the southernmost point of the parish, (fn. 8)
but in 1975 it was south of the boundary in North
Tidworth. Within Everleigh there are comparatively
few prehistoric sites, another indication of original
forest cover. Traces of field systems remain in the
south-west corner of the parish, probably connected
with the Romano-British settlement at Coombe
down in Enford. (fn. 9)
In the Middle Ages there was a scarcity of wood in
the parish, for timber to inclose the lord's park was
habitually obtained from the neighbouring parish
of Collingbourne Ducis. (fn. 10) Early in the 19th century
the surrounding landscape struck Cobbett as barren.
'Here you see miles and miles square without a tree,
or hedge, or bush. It is a country of greensward',
he wrote. (fn. 11) Aubrey in the 17th century, however,
remarked upon a large oak coppice, although he
added that it grew very poorly, not liking the chalky
soil. (fn. 12) In 1975 the parish was by no means treeless.
There was considerable woodland in the north-east
corner, some of which at Old Hat copse was
replanted with firs and beeches by the Army in 1959
and 1960. (fn. 13) Belts of trees have also been planted as
windbreaks and coverts, and more recently in the
southern half of the parish by the Army as shelter
for manoeuvres. The sycamores in a row noticed by
Cobbett in 1826, to the south of the garden of the
Crown inn, may have been the successors to those
planted by the vicar in 1660. (fn. 14)
Several important routes have crossed the parish.
The village lay on the old Salisbury—Marlborough
road across the plain, which perhaps followed the
course of a Roman road from Old Salisbury. (fn. 15) The
stretch between Marlborough and Everleigh was
turnpiked in 1762. The continuation from Everleigh
to Salisbury, however, was never turnpiked and was
eventually abandoned. (fn. 16) It is thought that the course
through Everleigh may have formed part of the
route taken by the first Saxon invaders coming up
from Southampton Water. (fn. 17) The Saxon herepath
leading from the Bourne valley to Old Salisbury
crossed the parish, (fn. 18) and the road from Andover,
via Ludgershall, to Devizes, now a main road,
crossed the old Salisbury-Marlborough road in the
village.
A charter of King Ine of 704 was dated at Everleigh, (fn. 19) perhaps implying that the place was of
importance. If so, that might be the reason why
Everleigh became the head of, and gave its name to,
a small liberty in the 13th century. (fn. 20) In 1334 it was
taxed at 110s., 20s. more than any of the other four
places then composing the liberty. (fn. 21) In 1377, when
only three places were included in the liberty for
taxation purposes, Everleigh had far fewer poll-tax
payers than Collingbourne Ducis. (fn. 22) To the benevolence of 1545 Everleigh made the fifth smallest
contribution of the thirteen places taxed in the
hundred of Elstub in which it was then merged. (fn. 23)
To the subsidy of 1576 its contribution was the
third highest of the fifteen places taxed in the
hundred. (fn. 24)
There have been two main settlements in Everleigh known as West or Lower Everleigh and East
Everleigh. In the 18th century West Everleigh,
standing at a point where many tracks converged
upon the Andover—Devizes road, had several
cottages along a road, now disused, running southeast from the present main road. (fn. 25) East Everleigh,
which now forms the village of Everleigh, lay to the
south of the manor-house. Until 1811 the parish
church and some other village buildings stood a
little to the south-east of the house. In that year
Francis Dugdale Astley, finding them too close to
his home, had them pulled down and forthwith
built a new church roughly midway between East and
West Everleigh. (fn. 26) The ground in front of the manorhouse was then inclosed as a park and the road
diverted round it. (fn. 27) A cluster of cottages, possibly
dating from the 17th century, stood until the 1930s,
when they were pulled down, to the south-west of
Lower Everleigh Farm and suggest the existence of
a third settlement site. (fn. 28)
In 1801 the population was 321. (fn. 29) In 1815 there
were said to be seventeen cottages in the village,
three with shops in them, and four houses, two of
which had shops. (fn. 30) This, however, gives a false
impression of the size of the village, for the population was dwindling. In 1951 it was 264; in 1971
210. (fn. 31)
Everleigh's isolated situation at a fairly important
road junction called for at least one inn. The Rose
and Crown is mentioned in 1713 (fn. 32) and an inn of
that name was part of the property acquired by Sir
John Astley, Bt., in 1736 and intended by him to
serve as a hunting lodge. (fn. 33) It is thought to have
stood close to the manor-house and to have been
cleared away with the church and other buildings
early in the 19th century. (fn. 34) There was a White Hart
in 1815 and a Swan in 1847, (fn. 35) but the best known
inn is the Crown, still in business in the centre of
the village. (fn. 36) It has been suggested that the Crown
was built as a dower-house, (fn. 37) and in 1748 the building
was the home of Alicia, wife of Charles Bennet,
Lord Ossulston (later earl of Tankerville), a daughter
of Sir John Astley (d. 1771). (fn. 38) In 1792 the Crown was
functioning as an inn. (fn. 39) Sir Richard Colt Hoare, Bt.,
approved of it when he stayed there while excavating
in the neighbourhood in the early 1800s, (fn. 40) and Cobbett praised it highly in 1826. (fn. 41) It was the meetingplace of several sporting clubs. (fn. 42) The oldest part of
the house, which is of the early 18th century, is the
south wing. It was formerly symmetrical and had
a brick front of seven bays with a short service wing
on the north-east. The wing was extended to make
a nearly symmetrical east front with recessed centre
in the later 18th century and more additions were
made in the early 19th century.
With Pewsey Everleigh gave its name to a petty
sessional division and consequently after 1863 to
a highway district. (fn. 43) Petty sessions were held once
a month at the Crown until c. 1907 when the court
was transferred to Ludgershall. (fn. 44)
In 1975 the older part of Everleigh (formerly
East Everleigh) village lay behind the Crown along
a side road which once continued as a way to West
Everleigh. (fn. 45) One cottage is dated 1732 with the
initials 'AMH'. Since the Army acquired most of
the land c. 1937 a few houses have been built for
service families. There has also been a little council
and some private building. Apart from the manorhouse, the Crown, and West Everleigh Farm, the
only house of any size in the parish is Lower House
Farm, which stands away from the village to the
east. The oldest part of the house, which is probably
17th-century, is a range running east-west and
having a three-roomed plan. The parlour end
was extended to form a wing with a brick front
facing south in the 18th century and then
was again enlarged early in the 19th century.
A chimney stack bears the date 1715 and the initials
'TAK', and a rainwater head the date 1828 and the
initials 'WP'. The house shows signs of having been
refurbished in the 18th century and may have been
occupied by Sir John Astley after he acquired it in
1736. Further improvements were probably made
by William Pinkney who was tenant from c. 1805
until 1845.
The downs to the south of the village with their
gentle incline southwards have been extensively used
for sport, particularly hunting and falconry. (fn. 46) A
great hare warren lay there in the 16th century and
was still marked on a map of 1773. (fn. 47) Aubrey
mentions a racecourse and the race-post formed a
boundary mark in 1669. (fn. 48) Cricket was played on
the downs in the 18th century. (fn. 49) Alma clump, a
mound once planted with trees to commemorate the
return of Sir John Astley (d. 1894) from the Crimean
War, stands on the edge of the downland just south
of the Crown. (fn. 50) In 1975 it was overgrown with scrub.
Since the 1930s all the downland has been devoted
to military training. Much of it is enclosed with
wire; firs have been planted for shelter and the
ground is scarred with tank tracks. The road through
it from Fittleton to Everleigh was built by the
Army. (fn. 51)
Manor and other Estates.
Everleigh is
not named in Domesday Book but it may have been
among the lands granted to Robert de Beaumont
(d. 1118), said to have been created earl of Leicester,
who accompanied the Conqueror to England. (fn. 52) It
was held by his grandson Robert (d. 1190) to whom
the earldom of Leicester descended. (fn. 53) Robert's son
Robert, earl of Leicester, died childless in 1204 and
his lands were partitioned between his sisters
Amice, wife of William des Barres and relict of
Simon de Montfort (d. c. 1188), and Margaret, wife
of Saier de Quency (created earl of Winchester in
1207). (fn. 54)
The partition was complicated by the assignment
of dower to Robert's widow Loretta (d. 1266) and
the claims of his mother Parnel, heir to the Norman
honor of Grandmesnil (d. 1212). (fn. 55) Everleigh was
granted in 1212 to the earl of Winchester, Margaret's
husband, for the performance of Parnel's will. (fn. 56) In
1244, however, it was in the hands of Simon de
Montfort, the grandson of Amice by her first
husband, (fn. 57) who succeeded to his father's English
lands and the earldom of Leicester in 1239. (fn. 58)
Shortly before de Montfort's death at Evesham
in 1265 Everleigh seems to have been exchanged
with the king for other lands. (fn. 59) After de Montfort's
death it passed with the rest of the honor of Leicester
to Edmund (d. 1296), fourth son of Henry III,
created earl of Lancaster in 1267. (fn. 60) It then passed
with the Lancaster title until the death of Henry,
duke of Lancaster, in 1361. (fn. 61)
On the partition of the duke's lands between his
two daughters Everleigh, with most of the lands of
the honor of Leicester, went to the elder daughter
Maud, wife of William, duke of Bavaria. (fn. 62) Maud
died in 1362 and was succeeded by her sister Blanche,
wife of John of Gaunt (d. 1399), earl (later duke) of
Lancaster. (fn. 63) When Henry, son of John and Blanche,
became King Henry IV the lands of the duchy of
Lancaster, which included Everleigh, were attached
to the Crown. (fn. 64)
Except for a short time in the 16th century
Everleigh remained part of the duchy until the mid
17th century. With other lands it was granted as
dower to Alice, countess of Lincoln, widow of
Thomas, earl of Lancaster (executed in 1322). (fn. 65)
It was among the lands conveyed to trustees for the
performance of the wills of Henry V and Henry VI. (fn. 66)
In 1547 Everleigh was granted to Edward Seymour, duke of Somerset, but on the duke's attainder
and execution in 1552 it reverted to the duchy of
Lancaster. (fn. 67) Several officers of the duchy were
among the lessees of the manor. Sir Edward
Hungerford (d. 1522), lessee in 1496, was steward of
the duchy lands in Wiltshire. (fn. 68) Richard Baker,
lessee between 1535 and 1552, may also have been
an officer. (fn. 69) In 1581 the lessee was Henry Sadler,
another steward of the duchy lands and third son of
Sir Ralph Sadler, chancellor of the duchy from 1568
to 1587. It is believed that Ralph was himself lessee
at some time. (fn. 70) Both Sadlers were renowned as
falconers and Everleigh afforded outstanding opportunities for sport. (fn. 71) Henry was succeeded by
Francis Sadler, who had a daughter baptized at
Everleigh in 1620, and Francis by George Sadler
who had daughters baptized there in 1630 and
1631. (fn. 72)
In 1625 Everleigh was among the duchy estates
conveyed to trustees for the City of London in
payment of a loan to the Crown. (fn. 73) By 1636 it had
passed to George Evelyn, one of the six clerks in
Chancery, who died at Everleigh in that year. (fn. 74) He
was followed by his son Sir John Evelyn, who
styled himself 'of Everleigh' in 1640, (fn. 75) and was still
there in 1648. (fn. 76) That year, however, a series of
conveyances resulted in the sale in 1649 of the manor
by Henry Andrews and his wife Mary to William
Barker, alderman of London. (fn. 77) From William it
went to a grandson Robert Barker (d. 1722), and
from Robert, after a contested will, to his nephew
Robert Barker. (fn. 78) That Robert, in financial difficulties,
sold Everleigh in 1765 to Sir John Astley, Bt., of
Patshull (Staffs.). (fn. 79)
Sir John had already acquired a small estate in
Everleigh in 1736 from which he hunted. (fn. 80) He died
in 1771 and Everleigh passed to his cousin Francis
Dugdale Astley. (fn. 81) F. D. Astley was succeeded in
1818 by his son John, created a baronet in 1821.
John was followed in 1842 by his son Francis. Sir
Francis died in 1873 but in 1856 the family had left
Everleigh and after some years returned to their
seat at Elsham (Lines.). (fn. 82) Sir Francis was succeeded
by his son John (d. 1894) whose son and heir F. E. G.
Astley assumed the name Astley-Corbett in 1889
and died in 1939. Between 1917 and 1919, however,
the manor-house and Everleigh estate were sold. (fn. 83)
The manor-house and 1,100 a. were sold in 1917 to
a timber merchant. In 1919 they were bought by
the National Deposit Friendly Society which in 1954
sold them to the War Department. (fn. 84) Lower House
farm and West Everleigh farm were bought c. 1918
by J. G. Hossack who sold them forthwith to
Joseph Nicholls and William Francis Hazell. (fn. 85) In
1937 the War Department bought the whole of
West Everleigh farm, 1,361 a., and 957 a. of Lower
House farm. (fn. 86)
Between 1856 and 1917 the Astleys leased the
manor-house to various tenants. Henry Fitzroy,
a member of Palmerston's government in 1856–7,
was the first and Francis Alexander (d. 1914) the
last. It was bought by the National Deposit Friendly
Society as a convalescent home. It was requisitioned
in 1939 as a military hospital and after 1945 became
an army research laboratory, named after 1951 the
David Bruce Laboratory. (fn. 87)
According to tradition the house was built by Sir
Ralph Sadler and in the mid 19th century some of
the interior was thought to date from his time. The
drawing-room was then wainscotted in oak and
there was an elaborate carved and gilded ceiling. (fn. 88)
In it hung a portrait of Sir Ralph, perhaps by Mare
Gerhardt (1580–1635), dressed as a falconer with
a hawk on his arm. The picture was removed to the
Astleys' home at Elsham in 1890 and in 1917 was
sold at Christies. (fn. 89)
Some sections of the brickwork of the north front
of the house may survive from a 17th-century house
with a central range and projecting wings. That
house appears to have been converted to a double
pile plan with main fronts of nine bays in the 18th
century. Before 1773, and perhaps soon after Sir
John Astley (d. 1771) acquired the manor in 1765,
the house was greatly enlarged by the addition of
balancing wings, each of seven bays and with a
central pediment. That on the west, which may have
incorporated an earlier range, contained service
rooms, that on the east an orangery. Beyond and at
right angles to the latter there are stables of similar
date with a pedimented loggia to the garden on the
otherwise blind west wall.
In 1882 a fire seriously damaged the central block
of the house which was virtually reconstructed in
1882–3, probably from designs by John Birch.
Additions on the west during the 19th century
obscured the symmetry of the original layout and
to a lesser extent there have been additions and
alterations during the conversion of the house for
laboratory use. There is an ice-house to the east
of the stable block.
After selling the manor in 1649 Sir John Evelyn
retained a property in Everleigh called Taylorshold
which in 1658 he conveyed to Thomas Clark. (fn. 90) From
Clark it passed to Richard Watson, D.D., who some
time after 1672 conveyed it to Queens' College,
Cambridge. (fn. 91) In 1734 Sir John Astley (d. 1771),
wishing to acquire a base in Everleigh from which to
hunt, bought a small estate at Kingston (Cambs.)
in order to exchange it with the college for their
land in Everleigh. (fn. 92) The exchange was effected by
private Act. (fn. 93) By it Sir John gained land and outbuildings then called Lake's, but almost certainly
to be identified as Lower House farm, (fn. 94) and an inn
called the Rose and Crown which he proposed to
renovate to provide the accommodation and stabling
he desired. (fn. 95)
A farm of some 200 a. in Everleigh descended
with the manor of Collingbourne Ducis. (fn. 96) In 1765,
when it was called Everleigh or Noyes farm, it was
bought by Sir John Astley and merged with Everleigh manor. (fn. 97)
Economic History.
In 1212 Everleigh was
valued at £23 10s. and, with the addition of its
stock, at £32. (fn. 98) By the late 13th century, besides a
capital messuage with its curtilage and dovecot
there were on the manor 524 a. of arable valued at
£8 14s. 8d. and 80 a. of poor land worth 13s. 4d.
There were 8 a. of meadow worth 24s., and pasture
in several and in common worth 65s. 4d. Rents of
free tenants were valued at 77s. a year, of customers
and cottars at £4 1s., and labour services and
customary payments were valued at £10 6s. 7d. (fn. 99)
A fuller extent of 1361 gives 360 a. of arable, half of
which could be sown every year, while the other
half lay fallow and could be exploited in common by
the tenants. The meadow was also pastured in
common after haymaking. There was pasture for 3
draught beasts, 12 oxen, and 500 sheep. (fn. 100)
In 1552–3 East and West Everleigh each had a
common arable field called respectively East and
West field. A third arable field was called Middle
field. There were at that date three free tenants on
the manor. Two held pieces of arable in all three
fields as well as a few closes of pasture; the third,
besides a few closes of pasture, had arable in two of
the three fields. There were sixteen copyholders
with holdings mostly of 1 or 2 virgates, and three
tenants at will. Amongst the lands of some of the
copyholders was a holding called a workland which
seems then to have measured 2½ a. (fn. 101) The freeholdings, which were quite small, may have been
merged to form the first estate which Sir John
Astley, Bt. (d. 1771), bought in Everleigh in 1736,
later known as Lower House farm.
By 1662 two more arable fields are mentioned
called Drove field and Cowpashe. By then East
field had been subdivided into north, south, and
middle divisions. (fn. 102) Consolidation of holdings was
probably a slow process, achieved in the course of
the 18th century by agreement. When in 1765 Sir
John Astley bought Noyes farm, 218 a., he pointed
out that the transaction would enable him to effect
some consolidation and so introduce certain improvements. He remarked, however, that he had no
intention of inclosing with hedges or fences, for such
action was impracticable on the barren country of
the downs. (fn. 103) An Act for inclosure was passed in
1816, but so far as is known no award followed, and
it presumably ratified an existing state of affairs
achieved over the years by agreement. (fn. 104) One such
agreement, dated 1779, covering land in the south
of the parish survives. (fn. 105)
In the mid 16th century the demesne farm had
9 yardlands of arable and three sheep downs,
allowing the flock to be moved according to the
season. Besides a down of 100 a. there were Lent
down, c. 50 a., and Summer down, c. 60 a. The
tenantry downs were Cowpas, 40 a., and Gore, 16 a.
Holders of yardlands in East Everleigh were allowed
to pasture 60 sheep, 4 working cattle, and 2 horses
for every yardland held, while in West Everleigh
the numbers permitted were 80 sheep, 4 working
cattle, and 2 horses. Holders of worklands throughout the manor were allowed to pasture 10 sheep and
2 working cattle. (fn. 106) Besides the workland there was
a holding on the manor called the Mondayland.
Originally it was the holding of the Mondaymen,
whose once-weekly labour services, chiefly for the
demesne flock, are specified throughout the 15th
century. (fn. 107) A green existed in the mid 16th century
for which all the tenants using it were charged 2d.
a year. (fn. 108) There was a windmill at East Everleigh
which still stood in the early 19th century. (fn. 109)
In such a region large flocks of sheep were
maintained throughout the Middle Ages. In 1212
a demesne flock of 533 sheep is mentioned. (fn. 110) In
the 15th century, when Everleigh was part of the
duchy of Lancaster's Wiltshire estate, the duchy's
stock-keeper leased the demesne farm for some
years. (fn. 111) Flocks of around 1,000 sheep then existed
and it was usual for wool from Everleigh to be sent
to Aldbourne, another duchy manor, for collection. (fn. 112)
In 1598 there was a tenant flock of 120 sheep. (fn. 113) In
1803 the tenant farmer of Lower House farm kept
a flock of 1,500 pure-bred Southdowns. (fn. 114) Cobbett,
visiting Everleigh in 1826, witnessed flocks of
several hundreds leaving the downs in the evenings
for the folds. (fn. 115) There was still a flock of about 800
sheep in 1936 when the wool was sent to the
Marlborough wool fair. (fn. 116)
In 1815 the largest farms in the parish were
Lower House and West or Lower Everleigh farms.
There was also a home farm, and 129 a. were
attached to the Crown inn. William Pinkney was
the tenant at Lower House where he remained for
about 40 years. (fn. 117) After 1871 and until the sale of the
Astley estate c. 1918 Lower House was farmed by
Benjamin and Arthur Nuth and West Everleigh
farm by a Mr. Strong. (fn. 118) After the sale they were
farmed in partnership by Joseph Nicholls and W. F.
Hazell. (fn. 119) In 1934 the two farms were separated and
W. E. Cave farmed Lower House, while Hazell and
his sons carried on at West Everleigh. (fn. 120) In 1975 Mr.
W. E. Cave farmed Lower House and Mr. Richard
Carter West Everleigh. (fn. 121)
As occurred in the rest of the region, there was
much ploughing of the downland in the 18th and
19th centuries. (fn. 122) In 1783 the tenant of Lower farm
was permitted to convert some downland to arable,
for a limited period and on condition that he surrendered another piece of down to the lord of the
manor. (fn. 123) In 1841 there were 1,678 a. of arable,
139 a. of meadow or pasture, and 1,166 a. of down. (fn. 124)
In 1936 barley was the chief crop, as it had long
been, and smaller acreages of oats and wheat were
grown. (fn. 125) The acquisitions of land by the War
Department in 1937 and 1954 put certain restrictions upon the land-use but the area of arable has
remained roughly the same. (fn. 126)
Although well suited for sheep and corn farming,
Everleigh's special renown until the 20th century
was as sporting, particularly hunting, country. It
was presumably no mere chance that Sir Ralph and
Henry Sadler, both expert falconers, had connexions
with the manor in the 16th century. (fn. 127) The exploitation of a great sporting estate, as it apparently was
from very early times, presumably created a certain
amount of employment. The leasing of the hare
warren, (fn. 128) and later of the sporting rights over the
whole estate were, moreover, important sources of
income to the lords of the manor.
A forest of Everleigh is quite often mentioned in
the Middle Ages, and within it Simon de Montfort
had a park in 1234. (fn. 129) Gifts of deer to stock it were
made by the king in 1244 and 1245. (fn. 130) There was a
keeper for it in 1249, (fn. 131) no doubt then a working
employee, but later the keepership became an office
to be bestowed as a piece of patronage. In 1441 it
was granted to William Collingbourne for life. (fn. 132)
In 1460 Edward, earl of March (later Edward IV),
was granted, among other offices, the keepership of
the parks of Mere and Everleigh. (fn. 133) Sir Walter
Hungerford was keeper in 1485. (fn. 134) In 1545 Sir
William Herbert (created earl of Pembroke in 1551),
steward of the duchy of Lancaster's lands in
Wiltshire, was lieutenant of the forest and chase of
Aldbourne and Everleigh. (fn. 135) The keepership was
included in the grant of the manor to the duke of
Somerset in 1547 and with the manor reverted to
the duchy in 1552. (fn. 136) In 1559 Sir James Stumpe was
keeper of the park. (fn. 137)
The park lay in the north-eastern part of the
manor. (fn. 138) In the mid 16th century it covered 200 a.
and was inclosed by 1½ mile of paling. The paling
had come from Collingbourne Ducis, but since that
manor had passed to the earl of Hertford wood was
not available for repairs. There were 40 a. of parkland
given over to rabbits. There was a coppice of 3 a.
and many oaks 200 years old. A working keeper
received 30s. 4d. a year, together with 2s. 8d. for his
dog. There was a lodge for his dwelling. (fn. 139)
A rabbit warren was valued at 60s. in 1297. (fn. 140) The
profits from it were leased with the demesne in
1496. (fn. 141) By the 15th century a hare warren had
become a feature of the estate and was frequently
leased separately from it. (fn. 142) In 1565–6 Sir Edward
Rogers, comptroller of the queen's household, was
the lessee. (fn. 143) The warren lay in the south-western
part of the manor, as shown on a map of 1773. (fn. 144) In
1581 it extended 3 miles in all directions. (fn. 145) Besides
frequent raids by poachers, the warren was often
threatened by the creation of unauthorized rabbit
warrens which were detrimental to the well-being
and safety of the hares. (fn. 146) It was still a noteworthy
feature in Aubrey's day, (fn. 147) but in 1695 the lord of
the manor agreed to destroy his warren in return
for small payments from tenants who grazed their
animals on it. (fn. 148) The suitability of the terrain for
breeding and hunting hares was emphasized in the
19th century by Cobbett's verdict that Everleigh
was the most famous place in all England for
coursing. (fn. 149)
Its high altitude has made Everleigh a good place
for training racehorses. Horses were trained from
stables attached to the Crown inn in the 19th
century and from them came the winner of the
Grand National in 1897. Other stables were built
close to the village c. 1903. (fn. 150)
Local Government.
In 1249 Everleigh
stood at the head of a small liberty belonging to the
earls of Leicester who had some sort of prison there. (fn. 151)
Collingbourne Ducis was the other main constituent
of the liberty, although at times in the 14th century
Compton, in Enford, and Haxton, in Fittleton,
both like Everleigh and Collingbourne Ducis manors
of the earls of Leicester, were said to belong to it. (fn. 152)
The privilege of return of writs belonged to the
liberty, but that was a franchise belonging to all the
fees of the honor of Leicester. (fn. 153) It is not known
whether the honor's other two Wiltshire fees,
Chitterne and Ablington in Figheldean, ever formed
part of the liberty of Everleigh. (fn. 154) By the 16th
century the liberty had been merged in the hundred
of Elstub. (fn. 155) The last mention found of it occurs in
1539. (fn. 156)
In 1766 a court leet and view of frankpledge for
Everleigh, and a court baron were held. Meetings
were held at the White Hart and the court made
arrangements for perambulating the parish boundaries. After 1771 only the court baron was held. It
ceased in 1841. (fn. 157) After the Poor Law Amendment
Act of 1834 Everleigh became part of the Pewsey
poor-law union. (fn. 158)
Church.
By 1228 the church of Everleigh had
been granted to Wherwell Abbey (Hants). (fn. 159) A
vicarage seems to have been ordained by 1291. (fn. 160)
It is mentioned again in 1428. (fn. 161) No further reference
to it has been found and at least since the 14th century, when records of presentations begin, the living
has always been a rectory. (fn. 162) It was held in plurality
with the united benefice of Manningford Abbots
and Manningford Bruce from 1967. (fn. 163) In 1975 it
was united with the benefice of the Collingbournes
to form the benefice of the Collingbournes and
Everleigh. (fn. 164) The ecclesiastical parish was united
with that of Collingbourne Ducis in 1977 to create
a new parish called Collingbourne Ducis and
Everleigh. (fn. 165)
Wherwell Abbey retained the advowson until the
Dissolution and presentations to the rectory were
made by the abbesses, except in 1361 when the
king presented by voidance. (fn. 166) In 1544 the advowson
was granted to Nicholas Bacon and Thomas Skipworth, (fn. 167) who probably sold it immediately, for in
1546 Sir Thomas Wriothesley, later earl of Southampton (d. 1550), presented. (fn. 168) The patronage did
not pass to the earl's successor and between 1556
and 1660 the Crown presented. (fn. 169) In 1662, however,
it was granted in fee to Wriothesley's descendant,
namely Thomas Wriothesley, earl of Southampton
(d. 1667). (fn. 170) Lord Southampton died without surviving male heirs and his honours became extinct. (fn. 171)
The advowson of Everleigh passed to a relation,
Wriothesley Baptist Noel, earl of Gainsborough
(d. 1690), and from him to his daughter Elizabeth,
wife of Henry Bentinck, earl of Portland (d. 1726). (fn. 172)
Lord and Lady Portland presented in 1716 and
conveyed the patronage for one turn to Henry
Somerset, duke of Beaufort (d. 1745), who presented
when the rectory fell vacant again in the same year. (fn. 173)
Thereafter the dukes of Portland presented until
1805. (fn. 174) By 1812 the advowson had been purchased
by Francis Dugdale Astley (d. 1818). (fn. 175) The lords of
the manor continued as patrons until 1917. In
1931 presentation was by the Martyrs Memorial
Trust. (fn. 176) In 1975 the patron was allotted the second
of five turns. (fn. 177)
The church was valued at £8 and the vicarage at
£5 6s. 8d. in 1291. (fn. 178) In 1535 the church was reckoned
to be worth £19 a year. (fn. 179) In 1650 the annual value
was given as £180. (fn. 180) In 1831 the average net income
over the last three years had been £675. (fn. 181)
There were c. 18 a. of glebe belonging to the
living. The arable lay in parcels throughout the
fields of the parish and there was a small farmstead
and some pasture adjoining the rectory-house. (fn. 182)
When the church was rebuilt an exchange of land
for glebe was agreed between the rector and Francis
Dugdale Astley. (fn. 183) All tithes were payable to the
rector and were commuted for a rent-charge of £700
in 1841. (fn. 184) A pension of £2 was due to the abbess of
Wherwell annually from the church in 1291 and was
still payable in 1535. (fn. 185) It was possibly transferred
to the chapter of Salisbury after the Dissolution, for
a pension of that amount due to it is mentioned twice
in the mid 17th century. (fn. 186) There is a single reference
to a pension of 4s. 6d. for the vicar of Collingbourne
Kingston in 1535. (fn. 187)
In 1316 the rector of Everleigh was given charge
of the rectory of Fittleton because of the nonresidence of the incumbent there. (fn. 188) Many rectors
held other preferments and may have been nonresident. John Jeffreys, presented in 1564, was
also prebendary of Hurstbourne, and complained
that for 5 years Richard of Inkpen illegally took the
profits of Everleigh rectory. (fn. 189) John Barnstone, rector
in 1598, was prebendary of Bishopstone in 1600 and
a residentiary canon at Salisbury from 1634 until his
death in 1645. He founded a Hebrew Lecture at
Brasenose College, Oxford. (fn. 190) Christopher Tesdall,
rector in 1646, was a canon of Chichester and of
Wells, rector of Rollestone, and a member of the
Assembly of Divines. (fn. 191) John Wallis instituted in
1716 was Laudian Professor of Arabic at Oxford
from 1703 until 1738. His successor Abraham le
Moine, the theological controversialist, (fn. 192) had been
domestic chaplain to his patron, William, duke of
Portland. (fn. 193) In 1783 the rector, Basil Cane, appears
to have been serving the church of Cholderton as
curate, while Dr. Samuel Starkey, who had a living
in Cumberland, served Everleigh as curate and, it
was thought, took its profits. Starkey succeeded
Cane as rector in 1791. (fn. 194) In 1812 the rector, Daniel
David Bergner, was non-resident. (fn. 195) Between 1830
and 1856 Everleigh and Manningford Abbots were
held in plurality by Francis Bickley Astley, who
lived at Manningford Abbots and employed a
resident curate at Everleigh. (fn. 196) His successors served
only Everleigh and lived in the rectory-house there
until 1966. In that year the rector, Charles Frederick
Smith, was appointed to the benefices of Manningford Abbots and Manningford Bruce and left the
rectory-house in Everleigh, which had been rebuilt
in 1960, to live in Manningford. (fn. 197)
In 1660 the rector, William Eastman, known as
the 'tinker', allegedly his former calling, was ejected
from the living. (fn. 198) In 1676 214 conformists were
recorded in Everleigh. (fn. 199) In 1783 two services were
held on Sundays and there were about twenty
communicants in the parish. The rector complained,
however, that some too frequently absented themselves from church. (fn. 200) In 1864 there were between
30 and 40 communicants and a congregation of
around 130 was usual. (fn. 201)
By 1973 attendances had declined so severely and
the church was so dilapidated that it was decided
to ask the Redundant Churches Fund to accept
responsibility. In the belief that it would be more
convenient, communion services were held in a
house in the village. (fn. 202) In 1974 the church was
declared redundant, and in 1975 its care vested in
the Redundant Churches Fund. (fn. 203)
The medieval church dedicated to St. Peter stood
south-east of the manor-house. It had a squat tower
and aisled nave with south porch, both built of
chalk and flint. The small chancel was of worked
flint and stone, finished with an elaborately carved
parapet said to be ornamented with the arms of the
see of Winchester. (fn. 204)
In 1674 the roof was very defective and repairs
were proposed. (fn. 205) In 1711 the church was whitewashed and adorned with verses by John Gambol,
a mason of Devizes. (fn. 206) In 1811 it was described as a
miserable heap of rubbish held together inside by
iron clamps and outside by brick buttresses and was
considered by the Astleys to be inconveniently close
to their home. (fn. 207)
At the cost of Francis Dugdale Astley a new
church of ST. PETER was built c. 800 m. northwest of the old, roughly half-way between East and
West Everleigh. The old church was then pulled
down. The architect for the new church, opened in
1814, was John Morlidge. (fn. 208) The church is of Bath
stone and has nave with south porch, chancel with
south chapel, and west tower. It is in a mixture of
late Gothic styles.
There are many memorials within it to the Astley
family, the most striking being the large monument
to Francis Dugdale Astley, the builder of the new
church, buried there in 1818. A marble tablet
commemorates Anthony Aylmer Astley, rector
1877–1917, the last member of the family to live in
the village. (fn. 209) The glass in the east windows was
given in 1873 by Sir John Dugdale Astley, Bt., to
commemorate his parents. There are four hatchments of arms in the nave. Several memorials,
mostly to former rectors, were brought from the old
church. The church was restored in 1903 when the
box-pews were converted into the existing ones. The
12th-century font from the old church was installed
in 1911. (fn. 210)
There are six bells presented by Francis Dugdale
Astley and cast by James Wells of Aldbourne. They
were rehung in 1933. (fn. 211) In 1553 18 oz. silver were left
for the parish and 4 oz. taken for the king. (fn. 212) There
is also a flagon presented by William Sweatman in
1754 and a chalice given by Anne Astley in 1813. (fn. 213)
The registers begin in 1598 and are complete. (fn. 214)
Nonconformity.
There is little evidence of
nonconformity in Everleigh, but in 1824 the house
of James Watson was registered for religious worship
by a group of dissenters. (fn. 215) The house of A. Jee was
similarly registered in 1825, but there was no dissenter in the parish in 1851, (fn. 216) and no chapel has been
built.
Education.
In 1819 there was a school kept by
a woman in the village for 22 children. The poor, it
was said, wished for better means of educating their
children. (fn. 217) There were two schools in 1833 educating
between them 31 boys and girls. Both were financed
partly by subscription and partly by the parents. (fn. 218)
In 1844 Sir Francis Dugdale Astley, Bt., gave a site
for a school to be conducted in conjunction with the
National Society. (fn. 219) In 1906 it had accommodation
for 100 children but average attendance was 44. (fn. 220) It
acquired controlled status in 1947. In 1975 there
were some eighteen children in the school. (fn. 221) The
single-storeyed gabled schoolroom had a teacher's
house added to it later in the 19th century.
Charities for the Poor.
None known.