WYMERING
Wimeringe (xii cent.); Wemering; Wymerynnge
(xiv cent.); Wymering (xv cent.).
In 1831 Wymering was a parish about four miles
north from Portsmouth, containing the villages of
Wymering and Cosham, and the tithing of Hilsea,
about one mile south of Cosham. It was about
three miles in length and three miles in breadth,
and contained 3,079 acres of land. It was, however,
amalgamated with Widley in 1894, (fn. 1) and formed into
the present parish of Cosham. The combined area
of the two parishes is 4,035 acres of land, 33 of water,
83 of tidal water, and 621 acres of foreshore. (fn. 2)
The village of Wymering, which is very small, lies
about half a mile west of Cosham, on the main road
between Cosham and Fareham. The church and
vicarage are on the north side of the road, with the
new churchyard opposite to them, and the manor
house close by on the east. Both vicarage and manor
house are old buildings, but much alteration has
deprived the former of any features by which the date
of its oldest parts can be determined; and the latter,
though retaining more evident traces of age, owes its
interest at the present day rather to its contents than
its structure. It is H-shaped in plan, with a panelled
entrance hall in the centre, the kitchen and offices
being attached to the south side of the south wing.
The beams in this part of the building witness to its
antiquity, and foundations are said to exist to the
north of the house belonging to buildings connected
with the still-existing north wing.
A large room of comparatively modern date, built
out into the garden at the back of the south wing,
contains a number of good pictures and a fine stone
chimney-piece from Bold Hall, in Lancashire, and
there are other relics of this destroyed house in other
rooms.
At the back of the house is a pretty walled garden.
East Wymering Farm is a substantial building, a
little further to the east, on the south of the road,
with a large pond before the house; and Upper
Farm and Lower Farm lie respectively north and south
of the side road which runs northward along the west
boundary of the churchyard, dividing it from the
grounds of the manor house. To the north of the
village runs the ridge of Portsdown, crowned by the
new buildings of the Alexandra Hospital, while to
the south are the low-lying lands and mud-flats of
Horsea Island.
Cosham village is in the east of the parish, at the
foot of Portsdown, where the road from Havant to
Fareham crosses the high-road between London and
Portsmouth after its sharp descent from Portsdown
Hill. To the south, east and west stretch tracts of
low-lying land commanded by the long range of
Portsdown and its impressive but obsolete array of
forts. The village is of considerable size, falling
naturally into two parts:—East Cosham, which lies
along the road to Havant, and Cosham, which is
situated along the main road to Portsmouth. The
former consists chiefly of residential houses surrounded by pleasant gardens, while Cosham is the
commercial quarter. Situated as it is on the highroad to Portsmouth, a considerable amount of traffic
passes through it, and it contains an unusually large
number of inns and restaurants. 'The Swan,' 'The
Ship,' 'The King and Queen,' 'The Red Lion.
'Uncle Tom's Cabin' and 'The Pure Drop' are the
names of some of the former, but there are others
too numerous to mention. The Portsmouth corporation electric tramway has a terminus here to the
north of the railway station, worked in connexion
with the Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway,
which runs through Cosham a little to the west of
the High Street. Cosham Park, at present unoccupied,
is of considerable extent; it lies to the north of the
railway. In the centre of the village is the cattlemarket, where a market is held every Monday for the
sale of live-stock. East Cosham contains a small
Baptist chapel erected in 1871. Divine service is
held in Cosham elementary school, which is licensed
for the purpose, and has a portion screened off to
serve as a chancel. There is a brewery in Cosham
High Street, and also a seed, coal, corn, and artificial
manure manufactory; and in East Cosham the
manufacture of sieves and baskets is carried on.
Cosham almshouses were erected and endowed by
Mistress Honor Wayte in 1608, for four poor, honest
women.
Hilsea lies to the south of Cosham on the main
Portsmouth road, about three miles north of Portsmouth, and is practically a suburb of Portsmouth.
In the centre of the village are the Royal Artillery
Barracks, the fortifications of which have been
strengthened, and are now very extensive. There is
also a garrison school for the children of soldiers and
a military hospital.
Two lines of railway pass through the parish, the
London and South-Western and the London Brighton and South Coast, the junction being at Farlington
Station; a branch line at Cosham unites the two
railways.
The soil of the parish is loamy; and the subsoil is
chalk, the chief crops being wheat, oats, and barley.
According to the latest returns of the Board of
Agriculture, the proportions of land in Cosham parish
are as follows: 1,409½ acres of arable land, 1,029¾ acres
of permanent grass, and 144¾ acres of woodland.
The common lands in Wymering, Widley, Cosham
and Hilsea were inclosed in 1811–12. (fn. 3) .
The following place-name occurs in a fine of 1318,
'Palegrove'; (fn. 4) it still survives in Paulsgrove Lake
and Paulsgrove Quay, and is the basis of a tradition
that St. Paul landed here on a visit to England.
MANORS
At the time of the Domesday Survey
WYMERING was ancient demesne of
the crown. Land in Cosham and Portchester belonged to this manor. (fn. 5)
The king possibly granted Wymering to the
Albemarles before 1167, for at that date the Vidame
of Picquigny held land in Wymering, (fn. 6) in right of his
wife, who was the eldest daughter of Stephen, second
earl of Albemarle. (fn. 7) In the reign of Henry III
William de Fortibus earl of
Albemarle held the manor, (fn. 8)
of which he died seised in
1260. (fn. 9) On the extinction of
the family the manor reverted
to the crown, and in July,
1280, it was assigned by
Edward I, with several other
manors in Hampshire, to his
mother Eleanor in part satisfaction of £1,065 16s. 7d.,
which she formerly received
from the exchequer. (fn. 10) But
this assignment was superseded
in the following year by a grant in fee simple of the
manors of Wymering and Blandford (co. Dorset) to
John le Botiller by Ralph de Sandwich, the king's
steward, in exchange for the manor of Ringwood. (fn. 11)
De Fortibus, Earl of Albemarle. Gules a cross paty vair.
In 1285 a grant was made to John le Botiller and
his heirs of 15s. yearly at the exchequer until provided with lands to that amount, because when he
accepted Wymering manor for Ringwood manor no
mention was made in the extent of Wymering of a
rent-charge of three quarters of corn worth 15s.,
which the master and brethren of the Domus Dei at
Portsmouth received from the tenants of Wymering
by the gift of William de Fortibus earl of Albemarle. (fn. 12)
In 1309 John le Botiller died seised of Wymering
manor, (fn. 13) which was assigned to his widow Joan in
dower, Joan taking oath not to marry without royal
licence. (fn. 14) Her son, John le Botiller, was seised of
Wymering in 1316, and married a certain Joan as his
first wife before 1320. (fn. 15) In 1330 John le Botiller
settled the manor on himself and his wife Joan and
their heirs; (fn. 16) but on his death, in 1350 Wymering
passed under a later settlement (fn. 17) to his second wife,
Margery, for life, (fn. 18) who married a certain Richard
Chike as her second husband. (fn. 19) She died in 1387,
when Wymering reverted to her stepson John
Botiller of Limbourne, son of John le Botiller and
his first wife Joan. (fn. 20)
John of Limbourne (fn. 21) died in the same year, and
Wymering passed to his daughter and heir Isabel wife
of Geoffrey de Roucle. (fn. 22)
Geoffrey survived his wife and held the manor
until his death in 1390, when it passed to Richard
Wayte son of Isabel by her first husband Richard
Wayte of Denmead. (fn. 23) On his death in 1423
Wymering passed to his son William, who had
married Margaret daughter of Robert Barbot of
Ernelles. (fn. 24)
In 1448 William died leaving it to his son
Edward, then aged five, (fn. 25) from whom it passed to
Simon Wayte, who died in 1518, leaving a brother
and heir William. (fn. 26) The latter died in 1561, leaving
Wymering and other lands in Hampshire and the
Isle of Wight to be divided among his six daughters
and coheirs, Eleanor the wife
of Richard Bruning, Mary the
wife of William Cresswell,
Honor who had married her
cousin William Wayte, Margaret the wife of Henry
Perkins, Elizabeth who had
married Richard Norton, and
Susan married to William
Wollascot. (fn. 27)
Wayte. Argent a cheveron gules between three hunting horns sable.
In 1582 Honor Wayte
ceded her portion of the manor
of Wymering and of the other
lands to William Cresweller
senior and her sister Mary his wife, (fn. 28) whose son
William Cresweller in 1595 granted his reversion of
these two shares to Thomas Grene (fn. 29) ; and accordingly, thirteen years later, on the death of William
Cresweller senior the reversion of these two shares in
Wymering passed to Thomas Grene. (fn. 30)
The Wollascots conveyed their portion of the
manor of Wymering in 1587 and 1613 to Thomas
Farmer and Edmund Plowden together with their
other lands and rents in Hampshire, (fn. 31) evidently as a
settlement, and in 1613 they again conveyed it to
Otho Gayer and George Parker, probably trustees. (fn. 32)
Eleanor Bruning died in 1593 leaving one-sixth of
the manor to her son and heir Francis, charged with
an annuity to her son William and with a jointure
settled on Ellen, wife of her son Richard, the daughter
and heir of Anthony Uvedale. (fn. 33) Christina Bruning, most probably the widow of Francis Bruning,
conveyed this sixth part of the manor to Humphrey
Sandford and Thomas Wollascot in 1604. (fn. 34) But in
1610 the manor was again in the possession of the
Brunings. (fn. 35) Richard Bruning died in 1612, leaving
Wymering to his son Anthony with a jointure settled
upon Mary, Anthony's wife. (fn. 36) Conveyances of the
manor were made by Anthony Bruning in 1625, (fn. 37) in
1636, (fn. 38) and in 1646, (fn. 39) after which date there is no
record of this part of the manor.
The part of Wymering which passed into the
hands of the Perkins family by the marriage of
Margaret Wayte and Henry Perkins remained to
them nearly 150 years, for in 1703 Anne Perkins,
one of the Perkins of Beenham (co. Berks), who had
married her cousin Francis Perkins of Ufton, the
great-great-grandson of Henry
Perkins (fn. 40) and Margaret, together with Frances and Margaret her sisters-in-law, conveyed her share in the manor
to her cousin Thomas Perkins,
who belonged to a younger
branch of the family. (fn. 41) This
is the latest date at which
there is a record of the divided
manor; and some time before
1730 the separate shares must
have been acquired by one
family, since at that date the
whole manor was in the hands of George Kelly in
right of his wife Sarah, (fn. 42) and we have evidence of their
ownership three years later, when they apparently
conveyed it to Sir John Huffield, kt. (fn. 43) Thomas
Gosling was holding the manor in right of his wife
Elizabeth (fn. 44) in 1821, and sold it in that year to
Thomas Thistlethwayte, (fn. 45) in whose family the manor
has remained until the present day.
Perkins. Or a fesse dancetlty between six billets sable ermined argent.
At the time of the Domesday Survey the king held
four hides in COSHAM, (fn. 46) which were part of the
royal manor of Wymering.
William de Cosham held land worth 60s. in
Cosham by serjeanty, providing one armed man for the
defence of Portchester Castle in time of war. (fn. 47) He was
succeeded by his son Peter de Cosham, who held his
lands in Cosham by the same tenure. (fn. 48) This Peter
de Cosham seems to have had several daughters, the
two eldest of whom divided the land in Cosham. (fn. 49)
Peter, son of Agnes the eldest daughter, conveyed his
land in Cosham to Henry Wade in 1269. (fn. 50) From
Henry Wade it passed to his son John, who in 1288
came before the king and tried to replevy his lands in
Bray and Cosham, which were taken into the king's
hands for his default against Margery, his father's
widow. (fn. 51) In 1303 John son of Henry Wade
obtained licence to enfeoff Thomas de Sandford with
his land in Cosham which was held in chief, (fn. 52) and
on his death in the same year the property passed to
Thomas de Sandford. (fn. 53) William de Erle died seised
of Cosham Manor in 1307, (fn. 54) which he held of the
castle of Portchester, part of which he had acquired
by inheritance, being a descendant of the second
daughter of Peter Cosham, and part probably in
right of his wife Maud who was the daughter of
John Wade. (fn. 55)
Two years later the grange opposite the wall at
Cosham was assigned in dower to Maud widow of
William de Erlee. (fn. 56)
In 1321 (fn. 57) John son of William de Erlee granted
his land in Cosham to Thomas de Sandford and Joan
his wife, (fn. 58) who thus became seised of the whole estate.
Thomas died seised of lands in Cosham held of
Portchester Castle in 1327; (fn. 59) part of his lands were
held by his widow Joan in dower, the rest descended
to his son Richard, who shortly before his death in
the same year sold his own share and the reversion
of his mother's dowry to Laurence de Pageham. (fn. 60)
Laurence de Pageham still held land in Cosham in
1375. (fn. 61) It would seem possible that Laurence's name
was Darrell, for in 1486 John Wallop held lands and
tenements in Cosham of his successor in title, Constantine Darrell of Pageham. (fn. 62)
In 1604 this part of Cosham was in the hands of
the Brunings, who were also holding the manor of
Wymering; and from this time onwards Cosham
evidently became merged in the manor of Wymering and followed its descent (q.v.). (fn. 63)
At the time of the Domesday Survey Anschitel son
of Osmund held Cosham of the king, Bricsmar had
held it of King Edward as an alod; the same Anschitel
also held half a hide of the king which Norman had
held of King Edward as an alod. (fn. 64) This entry in Domesday probably refers to EAST COSHAM, which was
held by Maud de Bokland in the twelfth century. (fn. 65)
It is never called a manor, but merely land in East
Cosham. From Maud it passed to Roger de Maundeville, then to his son Geoffrey and his grandson
Geoffrey, who held East Cosham in 1241. (fn. 66) This
Geoffrey had two sons, Geoffrey and William;
William held East Cosham after his brother Geoffrey
and gave it to Geoffrey de Lucy, (fn. 67) who sold it to
Peter des Roches, bishop of Winchester. The bishop
assigned it in free alms towards the foundation of the
abbey of Titchfield. (fn. 68)
An order was issued in 1281 to cause the lands of
East Cosham which were held of the king in chief to
be replevied to the abbot of Titchfield, since the abbot
had entered on them without licence. (fn. 69) Licence was
granted to the abbot of Titchfield and Thomas de
Sandford to exchange their lands in East Cosham in
1310. (fn. 70)
A confirmation of the grant by Peter bishop of
Winchester to the abbey of Titchfield of land in East
Cosham and Cosham, of the release by Peter de
Cosham of all service due to him from the abbot and
convent from their land in East Cosham, was made in
1318. (fn. 71) After the dissolution of the monasteries the
land in East Cosham which had belonged to the abbey
of Titchfield was granted to Henry Wriothesley in
1607, together with toll and theam, infangtheof and
utfangtheof. (fn. 72)
After this no record of the descent of East Cosham
has been found until 1779, when it was in the hands
of Thomas Joliffe and his wife Elizabeth, who conveyed it to Thomas Wrenford. (fn. 73) Sixteen years later
Thomas Wrenford and his wife Mary Shapleigh conveyed the manor to Young Meller. (fn. 74) From Young
Meller it seems to have passed to Thomas Gosling
and his wife Elizabeth. They in their turn sold it to
Thomas Thistlethwayte, lord of the manor of Wymering, in 1821, in whose family it still remains. (fn. 75)
The hamlet of HILSEA or HULSEA (Hulseye,
xiv cent.; Hulsea, xvii cent.) seems to have no
separate recorded history until the fourteenth century,
when in 1316 John le Botiller was holding Wymering
and Hilsea; (fn. 76) it is therefore probable that up to this
time Hilsea was included in Wymering manor, and
followed the descent of the manor till 1730 (q.v.).
In 1813 it was in the possession of Richard Cater, and
was sold by him to William Padwicke. (fn. 77) A court
baron was held at Hilsea until about this date, (fn. 78) but
after 1813 the manorial rights seem to have lapsed,
and Hilsea was once more included in Wymering,
Mr. Thomas Thistlethwayte being lord of the manor.
In the thirteenth century the family of Esturs, lords
of the manors of Gatcombe (Calborne and Whit
well) in the Isle of Wight, also held a small portion of land at Hilsea, in Wymering, and in Portsea, which was known later as the manor of LITTLE
GATCOMBE, to distinguish it from the larger manor
in the Isle of Wight. The origin of Hilsea manor
appears to have been one of the Portchester serjeanties,
for under Henry III Fulk 'de Wymeringes' held his
land by service there for eight days in time of war. (fn. 79)
In 1291 Sir William de Esturs died seised of 20 acres
of land in Hilsea, held by the service of suit at the
court of Portchester Castle every three weeks, and of
providing for eight days in time of war one man armed
with a lance, helmet, and shield; he also held 20 acres
of land from the lord of Warblington, and 20 acres of
land from Richard de Portsea for the rent of a pound
of pepper and one rose. (fn. 80)
Sir William was succeeded by his brother Geoffrey
Lisle, who died two years later, leaving a son and heir
Baldwin, then aged twenty-three. (fn. 81) Baldwin died in
1307, and was succeeded by his son John, who was
only four years old, and a minor in the king's wardship. (fn. 82)
John de Lisle of Gatcombe, as he was called, died
in 1337 seised of the manor of Hilsea, (fn. 83) which was
still held from the king in chief by grand serjeanty,
for the service of arming a man in time of war for the
defence of Portchester Castle. (fn. 84) He left a son John,
aged thirteen, the custody of whose lands was granted to
his mother Joan during his minority. (fn. 85) On his death
in 1349 he was holding 40 acres of land in Portsea at
Hilsea, (fn. 86) also a messuage, garden, dove-house, 60 acres
of arable land, and 2 acres of Wood in Portsea, held
of the manor of Warblington for an annual rent, and
for doing service at the court of Warblington. His
heir was his son John, aged six, (fn. 87) who died in 1369,
his land passing to his sister Elizabeth, the wife of
John Bramshott, of Bramshott, in Hants. (fn. 88)
In 1432 William Bramshott, lord of the manor of
Gatcombe, granted his lands in Hilsea and Copnor to
his son Baldwin, (fn. 89) who before his death in 1468
granted the so-called manor of Little Gatcombe to his
brother John, (fn. 90) and at his death in 1479 the lands
passed to Elizabeth and Margaret, the daughters and
co-heirs of John Bramshott, Elizabeth being the wife
of Sir John Dudley, and Margaret of Sir John
Pakenham. (fn. 91)
Sir John Pakenham and his wife Margaret both
died in 1485, and they seem to have left two
children, Edmund who inherited their estates in
Bramshott, (fn. 92) and Constance who inherited their lands
in the Isle of Wight, and who married Sir Geoffrey
Poole of Lordington in Sussex. (fn. 93) The manor of
Little Gatcombe is not mentioned in any of the
inquisitions on Sir John Pakenham or Sir John
Dudley, but it seems probable that it was included in
the share of Sir John Dudley and his wife Elizabeth
Bramshott. Elizabeth died in 1498 and her husband
in 1501; they left a son and heir Edmund who was
thirty-six at the time of his mother's death, (fn. 94) and who
married Elizabeth daughter of Edward Viscount
Lisle. (fn. 95) This Edmund was attainted for high treason
and beheaded on Tower Hill in 1510; the attainder
was reversed, however, in the following year and his
lands restored to his son John (fn. 96) ; but it seems probable
that Little Gatcombe was not restored, but was granted
to William Erneley, who died seised of it in 1445,
though no record of such a grant can be found. (fn. 97)
At his death William Erneley was holding two messuages, 100 acres of land, 10 acres of meadow, 20 acres
of pasture, and 10 acres of wood in Little Gatcombe
and Little Bramshott, called the manor of Little
Gatcombe, with lands in Bramshott, which he left by
will to his eldest son Francis, with reversion to his
second son Richard. (fn. 98) Francis died a few years later
and the lands passed to Richard, who held them until
his death in 1607, when they passed to his son
Richard, (fn. 99) who sold Little Gatcombe and 120 acres of
land in Portsea and Wymering to William Marshe in
1613 (fn. 100) ; the latter died seised of the estate in 1622,
leaving the manor by will to his eldest daughter
Lucy. (fn. 101)
In 1691 Little Gatcombe was in the hands of William Chafin and his wife Mary in right of the latter,
who was possibly a granddaughter of Lucy Marshe,
and was sold by them to Thomas Brounker, (fn. 102) who
kept it until 1714, and then sold it to Captain
Matthew Teate. (fn. 103)
Captain Teate apparently had a daughter, who
married Matthew Brady, the possessor of Little
Gatcombe in 1744. (fn. 104) They had two daughters, one
of whom, Sarah, (fn. 105) married Admiral Sir Roger Curtis, (fn. 106)
who was obliged to sell his lands to the government,
as the estate was required for military purposes.
Barracks were commenced in 1780, and in 1794
a camp was formed for several thousand men. (fn. 107)
CHURCH
The church of ST. PETER AND ST.
PAUL is a small building with chancel,
north vestry, nave and aisles, and south
porch. At the west end of the nave is a wooden
bell-turret replacing a small embattled west tower
pulled down in 1860. Most of the modern work in
this church dates from this time.
The north arcade of the nave belongs to the last
quarter of the twelfth century, and is the earliest part
of the church to which a date can be assigned. The
south arcade was added about 1220, and the chancel
was probably rebuilt about the same time. There
are no traces of later enlargements of the plan, but
the restoration of 1860 was drastic, and part of the
history of the church doubtless disappeared at the time.
The chancel has a modern east window of three
lights, replacing a three-light fifteenth-century window. In the north wall is a recess with shafts in the
jambs, a door to the vestry, and an arch to the
organ-chamber, all being modern, and in the south
wall a lancet window, the stonework of which has
been renewed, and a modern window of two lights
replacing a single-light opening. At the east end of
this wall is a square recess, and to the west of it a
cinquefoiled fifteenth-century piscina and two thirteenth-century sedilia, with arched heads, and shafts
with moulded capitals and bases.
The chancel arch is modern, of two chamfered
orders, the inner of which springs from corbels.
The nave is of four bays, the north arcade having
pointed arches of a single order with a label of halfround section, square scalloped capitals with the angles
chamfered off, and circular columns with moulded
bases. The eastern arch of this arcade has an added
inner order.
The south arcade has pointed arches of two hollowchamfered orders with moulded labels, and circular
moulded capitals with octagonal abaci, resting on very
slender round columns, only 11 in. in diameter.
This arcade is very well designed, though rather a
daring piece of building, the springers of the arches
being no less than 12½ in. wider than the columns.
No old details remain in the north aisle, and the
windows of the south aisle replace square-headed
windows with transoms, while the south porch is also
the modern successor of a former porch. In the
south aisle is, however, a late thirteenth-century piscina
with a shelf, and to the west of the first window in
the south wall a recess with an arched and moulded
head.
All the wooden fittings of the church and the
roofs are modern, the latter being covered with red
tiles and carried in one span over nave and aisles.
The font is modern, a round Purbeck marble bowl
standing near the south doorway of the nave.
A painting of St. Christopher was found over the
north arcade of the nave in 1860.
In the bell-turret are two bells by John Warner,
1861.
The plate is modern, consisting of a chalice and
paten of 1855, a flagon of 1861, and a pair of cruets.
The registers of both Wymering and Widley are kept
here. The two earliest books run from 1655 to
1699, and 1700 to 1744. The third book, with
Wymering entries only, goes from 1745 to 1748,
and the fourth, which is for Widley only, from 1738
to 1812. The fifth has Wymering entries 1738–90,
the marriages stopping at 1754, and the sixth is the
marriage book for Widley, 1754–1813. The seventh
and eighth books both belong to Wymering, and
contain respectively the baptisms and burials 1791–
1813, and the marriages 1755–1812.
The vestry book for 1744 to 1834 is preserved, and
contains a list of church goods in 1744.
ADVOWSON
Wymering church (fn. 108) was assessed in
1291 at £8. (fn. 109) In 1535 the vicarage was worth £8 2s. (fn. 110) The advowson of the vicarage was held by the prior and
convent of Southwick until the Dissolution, (fn. 111) after
which it followed the descent of the manor of Southwick until 1817. From this date until 1847 it
was held alternately by Thomas Thistlethwayte, the
lord of the manor of Wymering, and by Winchester
College. (fn. 112)
Wymering vicarage was consolidated with the
rectory of Widley at the beginning of the nineteenth century (fn. 113) ; and the right of presentation to
the consolidated benefice was bought by F. T. Nugée
from Thomas Thistlethwayte in 1847, (fn. 114) and has remained in his family until the present day.
CHARITIES
The Cosham Almshouses.—In 1600
Honor Wayte, by deed, granted to
trustees her interest in a lease for
5,000 years acquired by her in 1594 of a messuage,
orchard, and garden in Cosham, upon which she had
settled a poorhouse for four poor, honest women, and
a yearly rent of 6s. 8d. to be paid out of 'Stakes
Garden,' and a yearly rent of £6 to be paid out of
her manor of Denmead to the intent that the said
messuage and premises should for ever remain a
dwelling-house for four poor sole women of Wymering, or failing such out of the parish of Wickham;
the said yearly rent of 6s. 8d. to be employed about
the repairing of the said house, and such uses in
charity as the trustees should think most meet, and
the said annuity of £6 to be divided equally among
the four occupants.
The rent-charge of 6s. 8d. is duly paid by Mr.
Thomas Thistlethwayte, and the annuity of £6 is
paid by Mr. John Kennett and equally divided
among the four occupants, who also receive the
benefit in fuel of the interest of £100 consols bequeathed in 1818 by the will of John Soaper and
of £100 consols given in 1839 by the Rev. James
Henville. The income of another sum of £100
consols belonging to the charity of the Rev. John
Taylor is also received by the occupants. (See parish
of Widley.)
The said Honor Wayte by her will, proved in
December, 1600, also charged her manor of Denmead with a further yearly rent of 20s. for sick and
aged poor. The annual sum of 20s. is duly received
and applied.