CALSTONE WELLINGTON
Calstone village stands 4 km. ESE. of Calne. (fn. 96)
This article deals not with Calstone Wellington
parish alone, (fn. 97) but with the whole of what in the
19th century was called Calstone tithing.
Its name (possibly Calne east tun) (fn. 98) may suggest that Calstone village was colonized from
Calne. Its land was almost certainly part of the
large estate called Calne held by the king in the
10th century or earlier, and included that which
became Blackland manor. (fn. 99) By 1066 most of it
had been granted away, and in 1066 the granted
land lay in three estates, of which one became
Calstone manor and an estate called Calstone
Wylye, one became Calstone Wellington manor,
and one was later called Blunt's. (fn. 1) The rest was
granted away later, was called the black land of
Calstone in 1194, and became Blackland manor
and parish. The parts of Calstone's open fields
and downland where most of Blackland manor
lay adopted the name Blackland and, lying as a
north-west arc around what continued to be
known as Calstone's land, a tithing came to be
called Blackland. In general this article ignores
Blackland tithing. (fn. 2)
By 1301 a church had been built at Calstone,
presumably on the estate called Blunt's. Its
patron in the 14th century was the tenant in demesne of Blunt's, it was a parish church, and
the parish was the estate. In 1600 and later the
parish was unaccountably given the name
Calstone Wellington, (fn. 3) the epithet having been
derived from the surname of the lords of
Calstone Wellington manor in the 13th and
14th centuries. (fn. 4) Calstone manor, Calstone Wylye,
and Calstone Wellington manor remained part
of Calne parish (fn. 5) and, excluding the parts which
lay in Blackland tithing, with Blunt's constituted Calstone tithing. (fn. 6) The article deals with
the whole of Calstone tithing as if it lay in one
parish. It covers the whole of Calstone village,
which lay divided between Calne and Calstone
Wellington parishes.
In the earlier 19th century Calstone tithing
was of c. 1,350 a., of which c. 1,070 a. lay in
Calne parish. Before inclosure the arable of the
estate called Blunt's, and thus of Calstone
Wellington parish, lay scattered in Calstone's
and Blackland's open fields; in the earlier 19th
century, after inclosure, most of Calstone
Wellington parish was a compact block of 260
a. consisting mainly of Manor farm. Calstone
tithing embraced 20 a. of Blackland parish. Detached from Calstone, Calstone Wellington
parish also included 49 a. in four separate areas
which presumably represented land or pasture
rights formerly held with Blunt's: north-east of
Calne 7 a. of a common pasture called Penn was
assigned to the parish when the common was
inclosed in 1821, 26 a. lay SSW. of Calne, 6 a.
lay south of Calne, and 10 a. lay at Blackland. (fn. 7)
In 1883 the 7 a. was transferred to Cherhill, the
10 a. to Blackland parish, and the other detached parts to Calne; 90 a. in the south-west
part of Calstone tithing, embracing the 20 a. of
Blackland parish, was transferred from Calne
parish to Blackland parish, and c. 20 a. northwest of Calstone village was transferred to
Calstone Wellington parish from Calne and
Blackland. In 1885 Calstone Wellington parish
measured 284 a. (115 ha.). (fn. 8) In 1890 the whole of
Calstone and Blackland tithings, including
Calstone Wellington and Blackland parishes,
became part of Calne Without parish. (fn. 9)
On the south and east, and on the east part of
the north, the boundary of Calstone tithing was
that of Calne parish. On the south it followed a
prehistoric ditch and the course of a Roman
road, on the east it followed another prehistoric
ditch, and on the north it followed a ridge and
crossed a prehistoric hill fort. Elsewhere it was
with Blackland tithing. On the west, where it is
marked by a road, it crossed the contours at
right angles, as most of it did on the north. Between those two sections the boundary is in
places uncertain. (fn. 10)
What was Calstone tithing lies almost entirely on chalk. East of the village the western
scarp of the Marlborough Downs runs northeast and south-west across it and is cut by deep
dry valleys. There is flatter downland near the
boundary south-east of the scarp. The highest
point is at 262 m. on the northern boundary
where, on a small part of the ridge followed by
the boundary, clay-with-flints has been deposited. The dry valleys are tributaries of
Ranscombe bottom, which runs east–west. The
river Marden rises at the west end of Ranscombe bottom and flows west towards Calne; in
Calstone village it is joined by a short southern
tributary. About 1882 a reservoir to supply piped
water to Calne was made by damming the
Marden in Calstone village. North-west of the
village Upper Greensand and Gault outcrop
and the Marden has deposited a small amount
of alluvium. Calstone's lowest point is at c. 90 m.
where the Marden leaves the tithing. (fn. 11)
Even after parts of them were defined as
Blackland's, (fn. 12) Calstone had extensive open
fields. They lay on chalk and included the floors
and lower slopes of Ranscombe bottom and its
tributaries. The flat downland at the east end of
the tithing was for long rough pasture, and
there was meadow land beside the Marden near
the west end of the village. There was little
woodland. (fn. 13)
Calstone had 79 poll-tax payers in 1377. (fn. 14) In
1841 it had c. 180 inhabitants, of whom 28 lived
in Calstone Wellington parish; (fn. 15) in 1891 it had
c. 120 inhabitants, (fn. 16) in 1999 almost certainly
fewer.
Apart from the Roman road between London
and Bath along the southern boundary, (fn. 17) and a
Calne–Devizes road which marks the western
boundary, no main road crossed Calstone tithing. The village is served by an east–west lane
which, west of the village, divides into a branch
leading west to the Calne–Devizes road, and a
branch leading north to what was the main
London–Bristol road; (fn. 18) no other public road
has been tarmacadamed.
Calstone c. 1844
Oldbury castle, an Iron-Age hill fort, lies on
the boundary with Cherhill. Barrows near it include one on the land of Calstone tithing and a
long barrow on the Cherhill boundary. One
prehistoric ditch lies west of Oldbury castle,
and others, including that on the eastern
boundary of the tithing, lie on the downs south
and south-east of it; the west end of the east
Wansdyke is the ditch on the south boundary.
A prehistoric field system lies partly on the
easternmost land of the tithing. (fn. 19)
On the perimeter of Oldbury castle and near
the boundary with Cherhill a stone obelisk, which
in 1845 Charles Barry was commissioned to design, was erected by Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice,
marquess of Lansdowne. It was apparently
conceived as a monument to Lord Lansdowne's
ancestor Sir William Petty (d. 1687) and was presumably built soon after it was commissioned. (fn. 20)
In the Middle Ages Calstone village seems to
have consisted of several demesne farmsteads
and many smaller farmsteads loosely grouped
along and off the east–west lane. Mills stood on
the Marden to the north and on the tributary
stream, (fn. 21) and the church, with a rectory house
near it, was built on rising ground to the
south. (fn. 22) In the 19th century it was alleged that
in the Civil War a manor house in the village
was destroyed: there is no direct evidence that
such a house existed. (fn. 23)
By 1728 the number of farmsteads in the
village had been reduced to c. 10, and they
stood then, as they presumably had earlier,
along and off the east–west lane. (fn. 24) In 1843–4
there were only three farmsteads. (fn. 25) At the east
end of the lane the farmhouse of South Farm
was demolished in 1971–2 and replaced by a
house built in 1983. (fn. 26) Besides one of the 19th
century, all the buildings at the farmstead in
1999 were apparently 20th-century. East Farm
included a two-storeyed 18th-century farmhouse built of rubble stone on an L plan with a
main north–south range and a short north-west
kitchen wing; additions were built in the 18th
and 19th centuries. In the late 20th century East
Farm went out of use as a farmstead, farm
buildings were demolished, (fn. 27) and the farmhouse was given the name Calstone House.
Further west the farmhouse of Manor Farm
was rebuilt in 1876; (fn. 28) in 1999 the farm buildings included a stone one of the 19th century
and were otherwise 20th-century.
In 1843–4 there were in the village, besides
the rectory house and the three main farmhouses,
three mills on the Marden and c. 25 cottages and
houses. Some small farmhouses, including several east and west of the rectory house,
apparently survived from 1728; (fn. 29) none survived
in 1999. About half the cottages and houses
standing in 1843–4 had been demolished by c.
1900, (fn. 30) and in 1999 only 11 cottages and houses,
none apparently older than the 19th century,
stood on the line of the east–west lane and only
one house off it. Along the lane stood a thatched
cottage, a cottage ornée dated 1877, four pairs of
19th-century estate cottages, one of which had
been extended and was occupied as a single
house, and two 20th-century houses. A school
built west of Manor Farm in 1860 (fn. 31) was occupied as a dwelling house. North of the Marden a
house built in the mid 18th century stood near
the site of the easternmost mill. (fn. 32) It is of high
quality, two-storeyed, and mainly of red brick
with ashlar dressings; on its main entrance front
it incorporates a moulded pediment on brackets.
Sprays Farm and Sprays mill were built on
adjoining sites where the lane leading north to
the London road crossed the Marden a little
north-west of the village. They stood there in
1728 (fn. 33) and probably much earlier. Sprays farm
was so called in the 16th century. (fn. 34) The farmhouse was rebuilt in the 19th century, and in
1999 stood beside extensive 20th-century farm
buildings. Sprays mill was demolished in the
later 20th century. (fn. 35)
At the road junction south of Sprays Farm a
pair of cottages was built on the waste in the
mid 18th century. (fn. 36) It had been demolished by
1883, when a house and reading room of stone
with red-brick dressings was built on the site. (fn. 37)
In 1999 the reading room was part of the house.
MANORS AND OTHER ESTATES
Calstone's land was almost certainly part of the
king's estate called Calne in the 10th century or
earlier. (fn. 38) By 1066 most of it had been granted
away and divided into three estates; (fn. 39) the descent
of the rest, what became Blackland manor, is
traced elsewhere. (fn. 40)
An estate of 3¾ hides was held by Gunnar in
1066 and by Richard Pungiant in 1086. (fn. 41) It was
later divided. (fn. 42) The greater part, apparently
what was later called CALSTONE manor, was
held in the 1190s by Reynold son of Herbert,
perhaps jointly with his father Herbert son of
Herbert. It was apparently resumed by the king
c. 1200, and in 1201–2 the king granted it to
Fulk de Cauntelo, (fn. 43) the lord of Calne manor. (fn. 44)
Thereafter the two manors descended together,
and later the combined estate was often called
the manor of Calne and Calstone. (fn. 45) On terms
which are obscure Fulk gave Calstone manor to
the Templars. In 1218 it was again resumed by
the king, who in 1219 granted it to Fulk's
nephew William de Cauntelo. From 1227 it was
held as ½ knight's fee. (fn. 46) It descended from William (d. 1239) (fn. 47) in the direct line to William (fn. 48)
(d. 1251), William (d. 1254), and George de
Cauntelo (fn. 49) (d. s.p. 1273). The manor passed to
George's sister Millicent, the relict of John de
Montalt and the wife of Eudes la Zouche, (fn. 50)
from Millicent (d. c. 1299) to her son William la
Zouche (Lord Zouche from 1308, d. 1352), (fn. 51)
and from William to his grandson William la
Zouche, Lord Zouche (fn. 52) (d. 1382), and it descended with the title in the direct line to
William (fn. 53) (d. 1396), William (fn. 54) (d. 1415), William (fn. 55) (d. 1462), William (d. 1468), John (fn. 56) (d.
1526), and John (d. 1550). (fn. 57) The manor was
held in dower by Elizabeth (d. 1408), the relict
of William (d. 1396), (fn. 58) and by Catherine (d.
1470), the relict of William (d. 1468) and the
wife of Sir Gilbert Debenham; (fn. 59) a third of it
was held in dower by Elizabeth (d. 1425), the
relict of William (d. 1415) and the wife of William Carnell. (fn. 60)
In 1550 John, Lord Zouche, conveyed
Calstone manor to Thomas Long, a clothier,
possibly by way of mortgage or sale. (fn. 61) John
was succeeded by his son Richard, Lord
Zouche (d. 1552), and he by his son George,
Lord Zouche, (fn. 62) who in 1554 conveyed the
manor to Long, (fn. 63) apparently by way of sale or
confirmation. Long (d. 1562) devised it to his
wife Joan (d. 1583) for life with remainder to
his nephew Edward Long (d. 1622). (fn. 64) The descent between 1562 and 1572 is uncertain. In
1572 the manor was conveyed by William
Meredith and his wife Martha to Sir Lionel
Duckett (fn. 65) (d. c. 1588), who settled it on his
nephew Stephen Duckett (d. 1591) and Stephen's
wife Anne (fl. 1594), later the wife of Thomas
Edwards. (fn. 66) The manor passed in turn to
Stephen's sons Lionel (d. 1609) and John (fn. 67) (d.
1648). From John it descended in the direct
line to William (d. 1686), Lionel (d. 1693),
George (d. 1732), and Lionel, who in 1752 conveyed it to his brother Thomas. (fn. 68) In 1763
Thomas Duckett sold Calstone manor to William Petty, earl of Shelburne, (fn. 69) and from then
until 1954 it descended with Bowood House. (fn. 70)
In 1274 it was stated that a chief messuage
had been built on Calstone manor probably at a
cost of 100 marks or more. (fn. 71) Its site is not
known and it is unlikely that the Zouches had a
manor house at Calstone. (fn. 72) In the 19th century
it was said that John Duckett, who was a royalist in arms, had a house at Calstone which was
burned down or otherwise destroyed in the
Civil War. (fn. 73) There is no direct evidence that
Duckett had a manor house at Calstone, and
the house in question may have been that at
Pinhills, in Calne parish, which was lived in by
his father and was slighted in 1644. (fn. 74)
A 2-carucate estate, later called
CALSTONE WYLYE, was detached from
what became Calstone manor. (fn. 75) It was apparently held by Philip of Calstone in 1198, when 1
carucate of it was claimed by Richard of
Calstone as land assigned to him at a partition
with his brothers William, Ellis, and Simon. (fn. 76)
Richard recognized Philip's title in an exchange
in 1199, (fn. 77) and the king confirmed it in 1204. (fn. 78)
In 1227–8 the estate passed to Philip's nephew
and heir Walter of Calstone, (fn. 79) and by 1243 it
had passed to Walter's son Roger, who held it
in chief. (fn. 80) It was held by Roger of Calstone,
perhaps another, in 1275, (fn. 81) and at Roger's death
c. 1292 passed to his son Roger, a minor. (fn. 82)
From that Roger (d. c. 1342) the estate descended to his son John (fn. 83) (d. 1357), whose relict
Eleanor (d. 1363) held it for life. It passed on
Eleanor's death to John's daughter Agnes (fn. 84) (d.
1405), who married John Wylye (d. by 1402),
and at Agnes's death it passed to her daughter
Catherine Wylye, the wife of William Pershut. (fn. 85)
About 1444 Catherine conveyed the estate to
William Temmes (fn. 86) (d. 1475), and it passed in
turn to William's son William (fn. 87) (d. 1499) and
that William's son William (born c. 1480). (fn. 88) In
1563 William Temmes, perhaps another, sold the
estate to Thomas Page, (fn. 89) who held an estimated
193 a. at Calstone in 1575. (fn. 90) In 1585 Page sold it
to Stephen Duckett (fn. 91) and it was reunited with
Calstone manor. (fn. 92)
What became CALSTONE WELLINGTON
manor was held in 1066 by Edric and in 1084
and 1086 by his relict Estrild. In 1086, when
the estate was assessed at 2½ hides, Estrild held
it of Ernulf of Hesdin. (fn. 93) The overlordship apparently descended with Keevil manor in the
Hesdin and FitzAlan families: it was held by
Edmund, earl of Kent, as lord of Keevil manor
at his death in 1330. (fn. 94) In 1228 and later
Calstone Wellington was among estates held of
the lord of Keevil manor by service of castle
guard at Devizes, (fn. 95) and in 1349 and later
Calstone Wellington manor was held of the
king, or the grantee of Devizes castle, by that
service. (fn. 96)
In 1228 Ralph de Wilington (d. c. 1237) held
the manor to which his surname was later applied. (fn. 97) The manor descended in the direct line
to Sir Ralph (d. 1255 × 1260), Sir Ralph (d. by
1294), John (from 1336 Lord Wilington, d.
1338), (fn. 98) who was granted free warren in his
demesne at Calstone in 1310, (fn. 99) and Ralph, Lord
Wilington (d. s.p. 1348). Apparently on the
youngest Ralph's death Calstone Wellington
manor passed to his cousin Henry de Wilington
(d. 1349), whose relict Isabel held it for life as
dower. (fn. 1) It passed to Henry's son Sir John (d.
1378), who was succeeded in turn by his sons
Ralph (fn. 2) (d. s.p. 1382, a minor) and John (d. s.p.
1396, an idiot). In 1396 the manor was assigned
to Sir John's daughter Isabel (d. 1424), the wife
of William Beaumont. It descended in turn to
her son Sir Thomas Beaumont (fn. 3) (d. 1450) and to
Sir Thomas's son William (fn. 4) (d. 1453). It probably
passed to William's brother Philip (d. 1473),
and it passed in turn to Philip's half-brothers
Thomas Beaumont (d. 1488) and Hugh Beaumont (fn. 5) (fl. 1501). John Basset (later knighted),
nephew of Philip Beaumont, also had an interest in Calstone Wellington manor in 1501; (fn. 6) he
was acknowledged as Hugh's heir and in 1504
the manor was settled on Giles Daubeney,
Lord Daubeney, whose son was betrothed to
Basset's daughter. Daubeney held the manor at
his death in 1508. The marriage did not take
place and the manor reverted to Basset (d.
1528) and descended in turn to his son John (d.
by 1548) and John's son Arthur. (fn. 7) In 1571 Arthur
Basset sold the manor to Richard Kington, (fn. 8)
who in 1584 sold it to Stephen Duckett. (fn. 9) From
c. 1588 it descended with Calstone manor, from
1763 also with Bowood House. (fn. 10)
An estate at Calstone held by Algar in 1066
and by Gunfrid Mauduit in 1086, when it was
assessed at 2¼ hides, (fn. 11) was later known as
BLUNT'S. The estate probably descended in
the Mauduit family with Little Somerford
manor and what became Whitley manor in
Calne, and in 1242–3 it was apparently held in
portions by Beatrice Mauduit, the relict of
Robert Mauduit, and John Mauduit as mesne
tenants. Thereafter no Mauduit is known to
have held land in Calstone. The overlord in
1242–3 was Baldwin de Reviers, earl of Devon
and lord of the Isle of Wight (fn. 12) (d. 1245), and
the overlordship descended with the lordship of
the Isle of Wight and with Fyfield manor in
Milton Lilbourne: it was surrendered to the
king by Robert Lisle, Lord Lisle, in 1368, (fn. 13) was
held by William de Montagu, earl of Salisbury
(d. 1397), and descended with the earldom of
Salisbury. (fn. 14)
The main tenant in demesne of the
Mauduits' estate in 1242–3 was probably Andrew
Blunt. (fn. 15) The estate apparently descended in the
Blunt family with Beversbrook manor in
Hilmarton, and was probably held by Sir Hugh
Blunt (fl. 1302), Andrew Blunt (fl. 1330–40),
and Ralph Blunt (fl. 1350–61). Sir John Blunt
(d. c. 1383) probably held it in 1362 and held it
in 1377. Sir John was succeeded by another Sir
John Blunt, who in 1406 conveyed Beversbrook
manor, and presumably his estate at Calstone,
to William and Thomas Wroughton. (fn. 16) William
Wroughton held Blunt's at his death in 1408, (fn. 17)
when it passed to his son John (fn. 18) (d. c. 1429).
The estate descended in the direct line to John
(d. 1496), Sir Christopher (d. 1515), and Sir
William Wroughton, (fn. 19) who sold it to John
Mitchell in 1545. (fn. 20) From John (d. 1573) it
passed to his nephew John Mitchell (fn. 21) (d. by
1623), whose relict Marion held it for life. The
estate passed in turn to the second John's son
John (fl. 1646), the third John's grandson John
Mitchell (fl. 1687), and that John's son John, (fn. 22)
who in 1720 sold it to Sir Edward des Bouverie,
Bt. (fn. 23) (d. 1736). Sir Edward devised the estate to
his brother Sir Jacob Bouverie, Bt. (cr. Viscount Folkestone 1747, d. 1761), for life and to
Sir Jacob's son William, Viscount Folkestone
(cr. earl of Radnor 1765, d. 1776). In 1770 it
was settled on trustees for sale, (fn. 24) and it was
probably bought in 1772 by Henry Bailey. In
1776 Bailey sold the estate to William, earl of
Shelburne, (fn. 25) and it thereafter descended with
Calstone manor and Bowood House. (fn. 26)
From 1776 to 1954 nearly all the land of
Calstone tithing belonged to the owner of Bowood House. In 1954 George Petty-Fitzmaurice,
marquess of Lansdowne, then the owner of
Bowood House, sold East, South, and Manor
farms to G. R. and Mr. M. J. Maundrell,
brothers in partnership, who in that year sold
East farm, 458 a., and in 1970 sold South farm,
524 a. (fn. 27) From 1970 Manor farm, c. 400 a., belonged to Mr. M. J. Maundrell, who in 1982
sold it to Sir (Harold) Brian Warren (d. 1996).
In 1999 the farm belonged to Sir Brian's trustees. (fn. 28) East farm was bought in 1954 by Peter
Luard, who sold it to B. H. C. Sykes in 1970.
Sykes sold 262 a. to the National Trust, 47 a. in
1988 and 215 a. in 1993, and 184 a. in 1993 to
Mr. D. R. Tyler, (fn. 29) the owner of Home farm,
Heddington. The National Trust and Mr. Tyler
owned those lands in 1999. (fn. 30) South farm was
bought in 1970 by R. M. Roberts, who in that
year sold all but the farmhouse and c. 50 a. to
Mr. T. Powys-Lybbe; in 1999 Mr. Powys-Lybbe
owned c. 473 a. (fn. 31) George, marquess of Lansdowne, retained Sprays farm, c. 125 a., which
in 2000 belonged to his son Charles, marquess
of Lansdowne. (fn. 32)
Philip of Calstone gave 1 yardland at
Calstone to Stanley abbey in Bremhill. In 1227
the abbey gave it to Philip's nephew and heir
Walter of Calstone in an exchange. (fn. 33)
Tithes from Calstone Wellington parish
were due to the rector of the parish church. (fn. 34)
Tithes from nearly all the rest of Calstone tithing were, with those from the rest of Calne
parish, an endowment of the prebend of Calne
and, as such, belonged to the treasurer of
Salisbury cathedral from the 1220s and to the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners from 1841. (fn. 35) The
commissioners' tithes arising from Calstone
tithing were valued at c. £213 in 1842 and commuted in 1843. In 1844 the rector of Blackland
proved his right to great tithes from Calne parish worth £40. In 1843 the tithes were
commuted to a rent charge, of which £30 was
imposed on 87 a. at Calstone. (fn. 36)
ECONOMIC HISTORY
Agriculture
In
1086 the three estates at Calstone which had
been granted away by the king had land for 9
ploughteams. They had in demesne 4¾ hides
on which there were 6 teams and 5 servi, they
had on them 1 villanus, 19 bordars, and 34
coscets with only 2½ teams, and they had 25
a. of meadow, 15 a. and 5 square furlongs of
pasture, and 6 a. and 6 square furlongs of woodland. (fn. 37)
Calstone's lands, c. 1,350 a. excluding those
parts which became known as Blackland's and
lay in Blackland tithing, (fn. 38) included extensive
open fields and downland pasture, and in the
village the home closes of the farmsteads were
probably not extensive. The open fields lay on
all sides of the village except the north-west. (fn. 39)
There were apparently two in the 14th century,
as there were in the 16th. (fn. 40) What was almost
certainly the same area of open-field land was
worked in the earlier 18th century as three
fields, North, South, and West, and in the early
19th as two, East and West. On the eve of inclosure in 1818 East and West fields totalled
820 a. East of the open fields lay c. 304 a. of
downland pasture, none of which is known to
have been commonable and all of which was
several demesne land in the 18th century or
earlier. Within the open fields the lower slopes
of Ranscombe bottom and its tributary valleys
were terraced; the low grassy risers between
strips of arable were called linches in the earlier
19th century, when there were c. 110 of them.
Also within the open fields there were small areas
of steeply sloping downland south and SSW. of
the church. The linches and the steep slopes,
altogether c. 110 a., were commonable pastures. (fn. 41)
Linches on some of the steep slopes, following
the contours and resembling flights of steps,
were probably made for cultivation before the
open fields were laid out. The men of Calstone
had plots and feeding rights in Abberd mead, a
commonable meadow east of Calne, and with
the men of Cherhill they shared Low, a common pasture adjoining Abberd mead. (fn. 42)
From the 13th century or earlier to the 19th
century there were probably four main farms in
Calstone, one on each of the principal estates. (fn. 43)
The demesne of Calstone manor, which in 1274
had an estimated 350 a. of arable, an estimated
25½ a. of meadow in various places including
12 a. in Abberd mead, and several pasture for
oxen and more than 350 sheep, was almost certainly the largest in the 13th century, (fn. 44) as it was
later. (fn. 45) In 1349 the demesne of Calstone
Wellington manor included 6 a. of meadow and
an estimated 60 a. of arable; (fn. 46) in 1572 it was
called Sprays farm. (fn. 47) The estate called Calstone
Wylye consisted almost entirely of demesne in
the 14th century; (fn. 48) in 1575 it was a farm accounted 183 a. (fn. 49) and in the 17th century was
called Page's farm. (fn. 50) It is not clear what the estate called Blunt's consisted of in the Middle
Ages; later it was entirely demesne, (fn. 51) and in
1589 and 1646 included 160 a. in open fields, an
estimated 50 a. of downland, and 10½ a. in
Abberd mead. (fn. 52) A part of Calstone's downland,
probably allotted to each estate at Calstone
when the estate was granted away by the king, (fn. 53)
was used in severalty in each demesne farm.
Calstone down, 240 a., was part of Calstone
manor and was used thus in 1728, (fn. 54) as much or
all of it apparently had been in the 13th century. (fn. 55) Spray down, 27 a. including the south
part of Oldbury castle, was a several part of the
demesne of Calstone Wellington manor apparently from the 16th century or earlier, and 37 a.
of several down between Spray down and
Blackland down which was part of Blunt's in
1728 (fn. 56) was presumably the downland of that
estate earlier. When it was detached from
Calstone manor there was apparently no
downland assigned to the estate called Calstone
Wylye, (fn. 57) and in the 17th century Page's farm
had no several downland. (fn. 58)
The smaller farms based at Calstone were
mainly copyholds of Calstone manor. In 1274
there were 19 tenants of the manor holding 8⅓
yardlands and c. 20 a. free from labour service;
9 tenants each held 1 or ½ yardland for 10s. rent
and c. 20 days' work a year on the demesne, 6
had smaller holdings and also worked for c. 20
days, and 6 held a messuage and 5 a. and
worked for c. 8 days. (fn. 59) In 1299 there were 11
free tenants, and there were 34 customary tenants of whom none held more than 1 yardland,
14 mowed the lord's meadow, and 28 reaped his
corn for 1 day. (fn. 60) In 1349 Calstone Wellington
manor included a few free and customary tenants, (fn. 61) and in the Middle Ages a few tenants of
Blackland manor may have had farmsteads at
Calstone. (fn. 62) In 1621 there were 19 copyholders
of Calstone manor and many small farms were
apparently based at Calstone. (fn. 63)
The larger farms based in Calstone included
closes of meadow or pasture which presumably
lay, north-west of Calstone village, in both
Calstone and Blackland tithings. (fn. 64) A common
pasture called Moon lanes was inclosed, divided,
and allotted before 1657. (fn. 65)
In 1728 the demesne of Calstone manor was
a farm of 439 a. worked from the buildings later
called South Farm. It included 143 a. in
Calstone's open fields, 8 a. in Blackland's open
fields, a 6-a. close of arable, 42 a. of inclosed
meadow and pasture, and Calstone down. The
farm earlier called Page's was worked from the
farmstead later called East Farm and had 90 a.
in the open fields, 11 a. of inclosed arable, and
62 a. of inclosed meadow and pasture. Blunt's
estate was a farm of 217 a. including 91 a. in
Calstone's open fields, 15 a. in Blackland's open
fields, 73 a. of inclosed arable, meadow, and
pasture, the 37 a. of several downland, and the
farmstead later called Manor Farm. Sprays
farm, 129 a., included 67 a. in Calstone's open
fields, 3 a. in Blackland's open fields, closes
totalling 33 a., Spray down, and Sprays Farm
on its present site. Seven other holdings with
farmsteads in Calstone village had between 25
a. and 53 a.; each included both open-field arable and inclosed grassland and more of the
former. The inclosed meadow and pasture of all
the farms and holdings, c. 200 a., lay mainly
north-west of the village between the two open
fields of Blackland (fn. 66) and constituted most of
that part of Blackland tithing which was not
part of Blackland manor and parish. (fn. 67)
St. Mary's church from the north-east in 1806
The pasture called Low, in the early 17th
century used by the men of Calstone and
Cherhill to feed horses, cattle, and sheep in
common, (fn. 68) had been divided by 1728: after the
division Calstone Low, 37 a. lying detached
from Calstone tithing (fn. 69) and in the 19th century
called Calne Low, (fn. 70) was presumably a common
pasture for use only by the men of Calstone.
The open fields of Calstone were inclosed, and
common rights over the roughly 110 a. of
linches and steep slopes in them extinguished,
in 1818 under an Act of 1813. (fn. 71) By the early
19th century most of the smaller holdings had
been absorbed by three of the four principal
farms, and the farms were apparently being
worked in severalty before 1818. In 1817 Calstone (then Middle, later South) farm, 610 a.,
lay east of the village and included Hill barn and
211 a. of Calstone down. East farm, 403 a., lay
mainly north-east of the village and included c.
118 a. of downland, including Spray down. West
(formerly Blunt's, later Manor) farm, 366 a., included the land south and south-west of the
village. Sprays farm, 78 a., lay north-west of the
village. (fn. 72) By 1843 the whole of Calstone Low
had been added to Sands farm, Quemerford. (fn. 73)
The four farms based in Calstone changed
little in size and content in the 19th century. In
the 1840s South, East, and Manor were mainly
arable; Sprays, 94 a., included only 36 a. of arable; South, Manor, and Sprays had a total of c.
140 a. in Blackland tithing. In the late 19th century and early 20th East and Manor, a total of
760 a., were worked together; in 1910 South
farm was of 597 a., Sprays of 97 a. (fn. 74) In the early
1930s Calstone's land was more pasture than
arable and was used for mixed farming. The
east part of Calstone down, much of which was
under the plough in 1970, was first ploughed in
the Second World War. (fn. 75) In 1954 East farm,
458 a., was a separate farm on which only 175 a.
was ploughed and dairy cattle and sheep were
kept, (fn. 76) in the 1970s it remained a mixed farm,
and between 1988 and 1993 it was divided into
portions which were added to other farms. (fn. 77)
South farm, 524 a., was an arable, dairy, and
stock rearing farm in 1970. (fn. 78) In 1999, c. 473 a.,
it was mainly arable, and sheep were kept on
the parts which could not be ploughed; most of
the buildings and c. 30 a. immediately south of
them were then used for keeping and training
horses. In 1999 Manor farm, c. 400 a., was also
a mainly arable farm on which some sheep were
kept, and it was still worked mainly from
Calstone village. (fn. 79) Sprays, c. 125 a., remained a
dairy farm. (fn. 80) In 1993 the land at the head of
Ranscombe bottom, and the coombs and Spray
down north of it, 215 a. in all, most of which
was formerly open-field land, were bought by
the National Trust. North of that land the trust
already owned Oldbury castle and Blackland
down, and in 1999 all its land was in agricultural use as pasture. (fn. 81) South-west of Blackland
down 184 a. of former open field was part of
Home farm, Heddington, and arable. (fn. 82)
Calstone was sparsely wooded. South of the
village a 13-a. copse at the head of Horsecombe
bottom was standing in 1728, (fn. 83) probably long
before, and in 1999. In the 19th and 20th centuries trees were standing on c. 10 a. around the
source of the Marden, and in the 20th century a
small copse was planted south-east of the rectory house. (fn. 84)
Mills, trade, and industry
In 1086 there
were four mills at Calstone including two on
what apparently became Calstone manor. (fn. 85)
When the estate called Calstone Wylye was separated from the manor one of the two mills was
apparently assigned to it; there was a mill on
the estate in 1227 and one on the manor in
1254. (fn. 86) All the mills were driven by the Marden.
The mill which stood on Calstone manor was
a fulling mill in 1563. (fn. 87) It was probably Upper
mill, which stood north of South Farm and was
so called in 1564. (fn. 88) In the late 17th century and
early 18th Upper mill was possibly a cloth mill
occupied by Henry Fry, a clothier of Calstone.
It was held by Anthony Fry in 1728, and c.
1750 it was both a grist and a fulling mill. It
was rebuilt as a paper mill c. 1786 (fn. 89) and was
used as such by members of the Huband family
in 1803 and apparently until 1860 or later. (fn. 90)
The mill was demolished before 1885, presumably c. 1882 when a reservoir was made north of
South Farm to supply water to Calne. (fn. 91)
The mill which stood on the estate called
Calstone Wylye, used for fulling in 1475, (fn. 92) was
possibly Lower (formerly Swaddon's, sometimes Cove's) mill, which stood north-west of
South Farm. (fn. 93) Lower mill was partly a corn
mill and partly a cloth mill until c. 1784, when
it was refitted as solely a corn mill. A dispute
over the use of the Marden began c. 1786 between the tenants of Lower mill and Calstone
mill, which stood below it; it was settled by
arbitration in 1804. Lower mill was burned
down c. 1805, was rebuilt c. 1813, and from c.
1814 was used like Upper mill by members of
the Huband family for making paper. (fn. 94) Members of the Dowding family made paper at
Lower mill from 1848 or earlier, and in 1876
W. J. Dowding & Sons had a machine there 48
in. wide for making paper. (fn. 95) The mill was demolished before 1885, presumably when the
reservoir was made c. 1882. (fn. 96)
A mill on the estate called Blunt's was called
Wolheys in 1545, later Calstone mill. (fn. 97) About
1560 its breast-shot wheel, which had earlier
replaced an undershot wheel, was itself replaced by an overshot wheel; the change c. 1560
was said to have disrupted the flow of water at a
neighbouring mill. (fn. 98) Calstone mill stood below
Lower mill, was a fulling mill in 1571, (fn. 99) and in
the 17th century and earlier 18th housed a grist
mill and two fulling mills. (fn. 1) It was rebuilt in the
late 18th century, (fn. 2) and in 1804 had three
wheels, one each for the corn, fulling, and gig
mills which it housed. In 1830 five overshot
wheels drove two pairs of stones, a dressing
machine, three gig mills, two pairs of stocks, 22
shearing frames, and a brushing machine. (fn. 3)
Cloth making had ceased by 1869, when the
miller was said to have a good flour and malting
business. (fn. 4) Milling continued until c. 1913. (fn. 5) The
late 18th-century building probably combined
the mill and the miller's house. It is of brick,
has sashed windows, and is of three storeys and
three bays with a two-storeyed and two-bayed
wing and north and south additions. Nearby and
apparently contemporary with the mill there is a
long red-brick workshop or warehouse, partly
weatherboarded and with stone-mullioned windows.
A mill on Calstone Wellington manor was
described in 1349 as broken down and worthless. (fn. 6) Later Sprays mill was presumably part of
that manor, as Sprays farm is known to have
been. (fn. 7) The mill stood below Calstone mill and
in 1629, the late 17th century, and the early
18th century was a fulling mill. In the later
18th century or earlier 19th it was rebuilt as a
three-storeyed mill with three-light mullioned
windows. From 1780 or earlier to 1805 Sprays
mill was used by B. W. Anstie of Devizes for
grinding snuff, and from 1805 to 1825, when
Viveash & Co., clothiers of Calne, held it by
lease, it was a cloth mill. (fn. 8) It was a corn mill in
1865, (fn. 9) and from 1875 or earlier to c. 1900 was a
mop mill. (fn. 10) It had gone out of use by 1922 and
was later demolished. (fn. 11)
In 1728 Little mill stood east of East farm on
the tributary flowing north to the Marden. (fn. 12) It
may have been the mill said c. 1740 to have
been recently built. (fn. 13) It had gone out of use by
1812. (fn. 14)
In 1679 Hardwick mill was said to be a fulling mill at Calstone. (fn. 15) If it was, and if it was not
Little mill or one of the mills on the Marden,
its site is not known.
In the early 18th century a lime burner lived
at Calstone, (fn. 16) and in the earlier 19th century
and until the early 20th members of the Green
family made whitening from crushed chalk at
a site near South Farm. (fn. 17) In the 19th and
20th centuries sand was extracted from Calne
(formerly Calstone) Low. (fn. 18)
Clocks or watches may have been made at
Calstone in 1745. (fn. 19)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
A court and view
of frankpledge was held by the lord of Calstone
manor. Direct records exist for 1535–6 and
many of the years 1580–1612, 1665–89, 1705–
67, and 1810–34. The court usually met twice a
year until the 18th century, once a year in the
19th. It dealt with business relating not only to
Calstone but also to Quemerford and Stockley,
both in Calne parish, where the lord held other
land. Under leet jurisdiction it proceeded on
the presentments of the tithingman of each
place and of a jury. In 1595 it punished the perpetrator of an assault but most presentments
concerned the poor condition of gates, bridges,
and boundaries, other public nuisances, and
breaches of agrarian custom. Some presentments were of millers whose use of the Marden
at their mills adversely affected other mills. The
homage presented the death of tenants and witnessed surrenders and admittances. A court
baron, dealing only with the conveyancing of
copyholds, met occasionally. (fn. 20)
A court of Calstone Wellington manor was
presumably held in the Middle Ages. A court at
which a new lord of the manor was acknowledged by his tenants was held in 1572. (fn. 21) From
c. 1588 the manor was held by the lord of
Calstone manor (fn. 22) and the court is not known to
have met after 1572.
Most of Calstone lay in, paid rates to, and
received poor relief from Calne parish. (fn. 23) The
rest of Calstone, as Calstone Wellington parish,
relieved its own poor. The accounts of successive overseers of Calstone Wellington parish,
who each held office alone, exist for 1715–39
and 1754–1802. In 1715–16 the parish spent £1
1s. on poor relief, of which £1 was given in
doles to one man. Expenditure increased gradually: it was £6 in 1728–9, £15 in 1758–9, and
£31 in 1768–9. In addition to regular doles
given to a few parishioners an apprenticeship
was paid for, doctors' bills were met, rent was
paid, and money was spent on shoes and a
coffin. (fn. 24) The parish spent £24 on poor relief in
1775–6, an average of £19 in the three years to
Easter 1785, and £35 in 1802–3, when at 3s.
10d. the poor rate was average for the hundred,
and 5 adults and 5 children were relieved. (fn. 25) In
1812–13 £32 was spent and 3 people were relieved regularly and 4 occasionally. (fn. 26) Between
1813 and 1835 spending was lowest in 1820–1 at
£21 and highest in 1830–1 at £70. (fn. 27) Calstone
Wellington parish joined Calne poor-law union
in 1835 (fn. 28) and, as part of Calne Without parish,
Calstone became part of North Wiltshire district in 1974. (fn. 29)
CHURCH
Calstone church was standing in
1301 and was served by a rector. (fn. 30) Its parish
was the estate called Blunt's (later Manor
farm), the tenant in demesne of the estate was
the patron in the 14th century, tithes from the
estate were the rector's main source of income, (fn. 31) and the church was presumably built
on the estate. The rest of Calstone tithing was
part of Calne parish. (fn. 32) In 1600, sometimes in
the mid and later 18th century, and from the
19th century the diocese unaccountably adopted
the name Calstone Wellington for the parish of
Calstone church. (fn. 33) In 1881 the rectory was
united to Blackland rectory. (fn. 34) In 1962 it was
disunited from Blackland and united to Heddington rectory, (fn. 35) and in 1973 the united
benefice was united to other benefices to form
Oldbury benefice. (fn. 36) In the late 18th century the
rector held as glebe, or received tithes in respect of, several small areas of land detached
from Calstone, presumably land formerly held
with Blunt's. Some of those areas were part of
Calstone Wellington parish in the early 19th
century when, at inclosure, new boundaries
were given to Manor farm and thus the parish. (fn. 37) In 1887 most of Calstone's land which lay
in Calne ecclesiastical parish, including most of
Calstone village, was transferred to Calstone
Wellington ecclesiastical parish, and Calstone
Wellington's detached lands were absorbed by
the ecclesiastical parishes which embraced
them. (fn. 38) In 1962, when the benefices were disunited, part of Blackland ecclesiastical parish
was transferred to Calstone Wellington ecclesiastical parish. (fn. 39)
In 1301 the bishop collated a rector by lapse,
in 1302–3 successive presentations were made
by Sir Hugh Blunt, probably the tenant in demesne of Blunt's, and by Philip Corbyn, a
former rector, (fn. 40) and in 1311 Corbyn conveyed a
moiety of the advowson. (fn. 41) In 1330 what were
apparently rival presentations were made by
Andrew Blunt, probably the tenant in demesne,
and Sir John Mauduit, whose forebears had
held the estate. (fn. 42) Between 1336 and 1362 successive presentations were made by Andrew,
Ralph, and (Sir) John Blunt. Sir John or his
successor and namesake apparently alienated
the advowson, and in 1392 Nicholas Houghton
and Thomas Samkins made rival presentations.
Houghton may have been the true patron: John
Houghton presented in 1393 and Nicholas
Houghton in 1394. From 1396 or earlier to
1430 or later John Green, the prior of the hospital of St. John the Baptist and St. Anthony at
Calne, was apparently the patron: he presented
jointly with John Pacon in 1396 and 1402, alone
in 1419 and 1430. By 1436 the advowson had
been acquired by William la Zouche, Lord
Zouche, the lord of Calstone manor, and thereafter it descended with the manor and from
1763 also with Bowood House. The bishop
again collated by lapse in 1448 and 1458 and
again collated in 1563. (fn. 43) Successive marquesses
of Lansdowne, owners of Bowood House, had
the right to present at alternate vacancies of the
united benefice formed in 1881, and the marquess presented in 1902 and 1927. (fn. 44) The
marquess held a right to present similarly for
the united benefice formed in 1962, did not
present, (fn. 45) and was a member of the patronage
board for Oldbury benefice from 1973. (fn. 46)
The rectory, valued at £4 in 1535 (fn. 47) and at
£200 c. 1830, (fn. 48) was poor. In 1722–3 it was augmented by £400, of which Queen Anne's
Bounty gave £200 to match benefactions. (fn. 49) The
rector was entitled to all tithes from the whole
parish and held land which had presumably
been assigned to him from Blunt's estate. By
1844 the tithes from the glebe had been
merged, and in that year those from the rest of
the parish were valued at £82 and commuted. (fn. 50)
Besides those from detached areas which were
then part of Calstone Wellington parish, the
rector was also entitled to the tithes from 17 a.
in Blackland; they were valued at £7 in 1845
and commuted from 1844. (fn. 51) In 1783 the rector
held 5 a. in closes in Calstone, 36 a. in Calstone's
open fields, 10 a. at Blackland deemed in 1844
to be part of Calstone Wellington parish, and 9
a. in Calne parish in or near Abberd mead; he
also held 22 a. in Box which had been bought at
or soon after the augmentation of the living in
1722–3. (fn. 52) After inclosures and exchanges of
land in 1818 and 1821 the rector held 20 a. in
Calstone and 7 a. in or near Abberd mead. (fn. 53)
The land at Box was sold in 1918, (fn. 54) the 7 a. in
1919. (fn. 55) The rectory house and the 20 a. were
sold in 1962. (fn. 56) The core of the rectory house is
a two-storeyed early 18th-century house of
rubble stone on a T plan; the rear wing, to the
north, may have been the north end of an earlier
house. In 1783 the house was already roughcast. (fn. 57) In the early 19th century it was
heightened and two full-height bow windows
were built on the south front. In 1842 a kitchen
was built in the west angle of the house, and
other service rooms were built to adjoin the
kitchen north and west. (fn. 58) A porch was built on
the south front in 1849, (fn. 59) and by 1883 the bows
had been converted to bay windows. The house
was further enlarged to the west in 1883, when
the principal rooms on the ground floor were
replanned, (fn. 60) and in 1886; (fn. 61) in 1962 further alterations were made to the service rooms in the
north-west part of the house. (fn. 62)
The rectory changed hands thrice in 1301–
3, (fn. 63) four times in the period 1392–4. (fn. 64) In 1662
there was no cloth for the communion table and
no surplice, and the books of Homilies and
Jewell's Apology were missing. (fn. 65) Rectors in
the 18th and 19th centuries were pluralists.
Thomas Heath, rector 1758–1802 and vicar of
Hilmarton, lived at Calstone, where in 1783
he held a service each Sunday and celebrated
communion thrice; seven parishioners communicated at Easter. Other rectors apparently did
not reside until 1842, and from 1843 the resident rector was also rector of Blackland. (fn. 66) In
1851, when it numbered c. 120, in 1864, when it
numbered c. 80, and presumably at other times,
the congregation included inhabitants of
Calstone who were parishioners of Calne. In
1851 there were two services each Sunday, in
1864 one. In 1864 services were also held at
Christmas and on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Ascension day, Wednesdays in Lent, and
most days in Holy Week; they were held by a
curate because the rector was ill and absent.
Communion was then celebrated every six
weeks with an average of c. 17 communicants. (fn. 67)
The church of ST. MARY, so called in
1763, (fn. 68) is built of stone rubble with ashlar
dressings and consists of a chancel, a nave with
north porch and south vestry, and a west tower
of three stages. It was rebuilt in the mid 15th
century, the date of all its parts except the vestry; the timber roofs of the nave and porch, and
some fragments of stained glass, also survive
from then. The easterly of two windows in the
north wall of the chancel has intersecting tracery
and was inserted for the first time or as a replacement in the late 15th century or early 16th,
and in the early 19th century the two windows in
the south wall of the nave, and the westerly of
two windows in the south wall of the chancel,
were narrow upright rectangles. (fn. 69) A small west
gallery was built in the later 18th century. (fn. 70) In
1884–5 the church was conservatively restored
under the supervision of Ewan Christian. The
vestry, entered by the south door of the nave,
was built, the chancel was reroofed, the narrow
upright windows in the nave and chancel were
replaced by traceried windows in 15th-century
style, and the gallery was removed. (fn. 71)
A chalice and a paten, made in or after 1728,
were given to the church probably c. 1738.
They were retained in 2000. A silver paten and
a pair of silver and glass cruets were given in
1885 and held in 2000. (fn. 72)
Two bells hung in the church in 1553. A bell
cast by John Wallis in 1603 hung alone in the
tower until 1885, from when it was the treble in
a ring of three. The two new bells were cast by
John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough (Leics.). (fn. 73)
Those three bells hung in the church in 2000. (fn. 74)
The registers begin in 1760 and are complete. (fn. 75)
NONCONFORMITY
In 1704 a meeting
house at Calstone was licensed for dissenters, (fn. 76)
in the mid 18th century a few Quakers lived in
the village, (fn. 77) and in 1827 a meeting house for
Methodists was certified. (fn. 78) Methodists, who
also met nearby at Blackland from 1841 and at
Theobald's Green from 1850, (fn. 79) worshipped in
the mill house at Sprays mill from c. 1829 to
1866. (fn. 80) On Census Sunday in 1851 afternoon
service was attended by 30, evening service by
50. (fn. 81) A new Methodist chapel was built at
Theobald's Green in 1866, (fn. 82) and no later meeting house at Calstone is known.
EDUCATION
All three schools known to
have been held at Calstone were attended by
children of the village whether they lived in
Calstone Wellington parish or Calne parish. (fn. 83)
George Millard, rector 1701–40, opened a
school at Calstone in 1711. The pupils, who in
1712 included six paid for by Millard, were catechized and taught to read. (fn. 84) There is no
evidence that the school outlasted Millard's incumbency, and there was apparently no other
day school at Calstone until, probably in 1845
or 1846, a National school was opened. (fn. 85) In
1846–7 the school had 32 pupils, including
some from Blackland; (fn. 86) in 1859 it had 40 pupils
and was held in a cottage by a mistress. (fn. 87) A new
school, incorporating a teacher's house, was
built west of Manor Farm in 1860 for the children of Calstone and Blackland. (fn. 88) The average
attendance was 37 in 1906–7, between 38 and
47 from 1910 to the late 1920s, and 13 in 1936. (fn. 89)
The school was closed in 1963. (fn. 90)
CHARITIES FOR THE POOR
Most inhabitants of Calstone were parishioners of Calne
and eligible to benefit from charities endowed
for the poor of that parish. (fn. 91) No charity to
benefit inhabitants of Calstone Wellington parish, and no charity endowed after 1890 to
benefit Calne Without, of which all inhabitants
of Calstone were parishioners, is known.