THE LIBERTY OF ALVERSTOKE WITH GOSPORT
Alverstoke (Alwarestoch and Halwarestoke, xi to
xiii cent.; Alvardestoke, xiv cent.; Aillewardstoke,
xv cent.; Alverstoke, xvi cent.).
The liberty of ALVERSTOKE, including GOSPORT, is bounded on the east by the waters of
Portsmouth Harbour, and on the south by Spithead.
In the south-east of the district, between the inlets
called Forton Lake and Haslar Lake, stands the
populous town of Gosport, from which the lines of
houses extend northward along the Fareham Road
and westward to Alverstoke. To the north are
the hamlets of Bridgemary, Elson, Hardway, and
Brockhurst, and to the east Forton, now rapidly
becoming indistinguishable from Gosport itself. The
land lies low, and where not built over is well-wooded
and picturesque, especially on the south-west towards
Stokes Bay. The South Western Railway line from
Fareham runs through the parishes to Gosport, with
two branches, one to Stokes Bay, and the other on
the western boundary to Privett, and along the coast
to Lee-on-Solent. In the extreme south angle of the
parish is Gilkicker Point with its fort, and close to it
on the east is Fort Monkton. Haslar Hospital lies
further to the north, close to the mouth of Portsmouth
Harbour, where Blockhouse Fort defends the entrance,
and the chain which in former days closed the
passage yet lies, it is said, in the mud at the bottom
of the channel. Inland, and in the west of the
parish are Forts Gomer and Grange, and Brown
Down Battery; and Fort Rowner is partly in the
parish. From the shore of Stokes Bay Henry II crossed
to France on more than one occasion. East of the
village of Alverstoke is Bay House, built in 1838,
and now the residence of Mr. Francis Sloane-Stanley.
Haslar Hospital dates from the reign of George II,
and though of no particular architectural merit, is a
good building of its kind, set round a courtyard, with
open colonnades and a chapel. It takes its name from
a farmhouse once on the site. There is a ferry from
Portsmouth to the end of the High Street of Gosport,
a floating bridge capable of taking great weights
running every ten minutes to and fro, and the town
is intersected with electric tramways. The buildings
are in no way remarkable; in High Street, which is
the principal road, is a market hall built in 1812,
and other public buildings are the free public library,
opened 1901, and the Thorngate Memorial Hall,
1885, while in South Street is the Connaught Drill
Hall, built in 1902.
MANORS
ALVERSTOKE
ALVERSTOKE was among the possessions of the Old Minster or priory
of St. Swithun, Winchester, in Saxon
times. It is said to have been bestowed on the
minster by a noble Saxon lady, Alwara, for the soul
of her husband Leowin. (fn. 1) In 1086 the bishop of
Winchester held it for the support of the monks of
St. Swithun, (fn. 2) to whom it was confirmed by the pope
in 1205, and again in 1243; (fn. 3) but in 1284, a
critical year in the continuous dispute which had
been maintained for some centuries between the
bishop and the monastery, the manor of Alverstoke
with Gosport was transferred to the bishop with two
other manors in return for certain important concessions relating to the appointment of obedientiaries
and secular servants. (fn. 4) In June, 1284, the king
confirmed to the bishop the manors which he had
thus acquired from the priory, (fn. 5) and a second confirmation of the agreement was issued in the following
May. (fn. 6) The successive bishops of Winchester retained
the manor until, under the Act of 1641 confiscating
all episcopal lands, it was seized by the state and sold
in 1648 to George Wither, (fn. 7) who was noted early in
his life for his lyrics, and later for pamphlets in
support of Cromwell's government. At the Restoration the bishops regained their lands, and Alverstoke
remained a possession of the see of Winchester until
it was taken over by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
The tenure of the manor under the monastery and
bishops was of a somewhat extraordinary nature, in
that the villeins themselves were 'farming' the land
in 1086. (fn. 8) Early in the thirteenth century an agreement was made between the monks and their men of
Alverstoke by which the latter promised to pay 4d.
an acre yearly for their lands at Alverstoke with the
exception of the land lying between the two watercourses, one where the almoner's mill was situated,
and one below the garden of the parson of Alverstoke,
for which land 6d. an acre was to be paid by the men
of Stokes, Forton, Brockhurst, and Bury. The land
for which the extra farm was to be paid was evidently
that on which Gosport is now situated, for to the
north of Gosport is Forton Lake or Creek, which
formerly extended further inland as a mill-pond; and
to the south is Stoke Lake, which terminates a little
to the south of the church and rectory of Alverstoke.
The same charter recited the privileges allowed to the
men of Alverstoke by the prior and monastery:
they were to be quit of tallages, pannage, and saltrent; they were to be free to make wills and dispose
of their goods; they were to be quit of wards and
suit of hundred courts without the manor. At the
same time the prior granted that they should hold
their lands hereditarily with power to alienate them,
and that all pleas save pleas of the crown should be heard
without delay in the presence of the prior or his
steward at the court of Alverstoke. The charter also
regulated the election of the bailiff of the manor. (fn. 9)
Thus the men of the manor were practically free
tenants. They had a common seal which represented
St. Swithun as bishop of Winchester seated on a
throne holding the pastoral staff in his right hand
and in his left a book. The legend is as follows:—
SIGILL' COMUNE HOMINUM PRIORIS SCtilde;I SWITHUNI
DE ALWARESTOKE. (fn. 10)
Common Seal of Alverstoke
In 1284, after the priory had transferred Alverstoke
to the bishop, the king granted him return of writs in
his manor there, (fn. 11) and at the same time free warren
and freedom from pleas of forest in all his lands. (fn. 12)
Disputes between the bishop and his tenants as to
their privileges seem to have arisen in 1461 and again
in 1606. (fn. 13) The bishop or his steward held courtbaron and hundred court every three weeks for the
tenants of the manor, while twice a year they also
held the tourn, the tenants being quit of the sheriff's
tourn. (fn. 14) The courts were occasionally held at the
'Red Lion' in Gosport. (fn. 15) The bishop also had
rights of wreck as lord of the manor, (fn. 16) though his
claim seems to have been disputed by the lord admiral
in 1613. (fn. 17) The bishop's bailiff or reeve for the
manor was always elected in court at the Michaelmas
tourn, (fn. 18) his chief duty apparently being that of collecting the rents of the tenants. (fn. 19) A constable or beadle
was also elected at the same time. (fn. 20)
BEDENHAM
BEDENHAM (Bedeham, xiii cent.; Badeham,
xiv cent.; Bednam, xvi cent.) gives its name to three
farms which lie on a broad peninsula to the north of
Gosport, at the head of Portsmouth Harbour, where
it is joined by the estuary of the Wallington River.
Here as elsewhere in the parish the land is level and
the chief feature is the wide expanse of the harbour,
with Portchester Castle as its most conspicuous landmark. Beyond Bedenham Farm are the Foxbury
Brick and Tile Works.
Bedenham was evidently originally parcel of the
manor of Alverstoke, but was held in 1303 by John
de Drokensford, Keeper of the Wardrobe, who was
consecrated bishop of Bath and Wells in 1308. The
manor of Bedenham was held of
the bishop of Winchester, (fn. 21) and
is possibly identical with the
half hide at Alverstoke held before the Conquest by Sawin and
in 1086 by a certain knight. (fn. 22)
In 1303 John de Drokensford
granted the manor together
with the advowson of Bedenham church to Roger Lanceleue for life with reversion
to John and his heirs. (fn. 23) By
1316 it had reverted to John,
who died 9 May, 1329, (fn. 24)
leaving a brother and heir,
Philip de Drokensford, then aged forty. (fn. 25) He
twice obtained licence for the celebration of divine
service in the oratory of his house at Bedenham
in Alverstoke, (fn. 26) a fact which favours the possibility
that the 'church' granted with the manor to
Roger Lanceleue was no more than a private chapel
attached to the manor-house. Philip de Drokensford
died in 1356 and is said to have been succeeded by
a son and heir John. (fn. 27) In 1370 Margaret, then wife
of Maurice le Brun, was holding the manor of
Bedenham in dower, perhaps as widow of Philip of
Drokensford, of the inheritance of Margaret, then
wife of Walter Mildecombe. Walter and Margaret
then granted it for life to Maurice le Brun. (fn. 28) Later
a moiety of the manor was in the possession of Margaret, granddaughter of Philip de Drokensford. (fn. 29)
Her husband, Peter Courtenay, held a moiety of the
manor in her right at his death in 1404, (fn. 30) but she
survived him and her lands descended to her daughter
Elizabeth by a former husband, Sir John de St. Lo. (fn. 31)
Elizabeth married Sir William Botreux, on whom the
moiety of Bedenham was settled in 1417. (fn. 32) Their son
and heir Sir William Botreux, knight, held the whole
manor jointly with his wife Margaret at the time of
his death in 1462. (fn. 33) The latter, with her second
husband Thomas Burgh, conveyed it in 1464
to certain feoffees, (fn. 34) probably in trust, for a moiety
was purchased from Margaret Hungerford, daughter
and heir of Sir William Botreux, by Robert
White of Farnham. (fn. 35) After the death of his son John
the possession of this moiety was disputed by Robert
and Richard White, sons of John, since Richard, the
younger son, claimed that it should descend to him
according to the terms of the
will of his grandfather Robert. (fn. 36)
The termination of this quarrel
is unknown, but in 1535
Henry White died seised of a
moiety of the manor, leaving a
son and heir Robert, (fn. 37) who
settled it in 1546 on Agnes
wife of Richard Bennett. (fn. 38)
She conveyed it to her daughter Margaret Tichborne, at
whose death it reverted to
John Marriner, son and heir
of Agnes. (fn. 39) John died in
1593, (fn. 40) and his son and heir
Peter Marriner together with
his wife Dorothy purchased
the other moiety from Robert
White. (fn. 41) The whole manor
thus reunited was bequeathed by Peter Marriner
to his only daughter and heir, Mabel wife of
Edmund Plowden, who was aged seventeen at her
father's death in March, 1613–14. (fn. 42) Within a few
years she had parted with it, for in 1624 Robert
Bold of Portsea was in possession of it. (fn. 43) In 1628
his son William Bold conveyed the manor to his
kinsman John Mason, (fn. 44) in whose family it remained
until 1654, when Robert Tufton otherwise Mason
and Anne Gibbon widow were dealing with it, (fn. 45)
probably for purposes of sale. Before 1683 it was
devided into the two farms of Upper and Lower
Bedenham. The 'manor' was settled by Thomas
Beverley on his son Thomas and the latter's wife
Anne in 1713. (fn. 46) This Anne survived her husband
and was in possession in 1729, (fn. 47) after which it appears
to have been inherited by coheiresses, Anne wife of
John Bonham Smith and Susannah wife of John
Carter. (fn. 48) Fanny wife of Daniel Carter Hobbs quitclaimed a third of the manor to Anne Bonham in
1782. (fn. 49) Upper Bedenham was bequeathed by Owen
Bird to James White of Portsmouth in 1766. In
1774 he bequeathed it to Sir John Carter, who in
1808 held one-sixth, while his son John Bonham
Carter had the remaining five-sixths. Lower Bedenham had been mortgaged by Andrew Wall in 1683
and in 1779 was conveyed by James Stares to Sir
John Carter. His heirs sold both farms to Mr. Henry
Stares in 1868. He conveyed them to Mr. Woodman Hill, from whom they were purchased in 1904
by Mr. Montague Foster of Stubbington House. (fn. 50)
John de Drokeneford, Bishop of Bath and Wells. Quarterly azure and or with four (?) heads of croziers counterchanged.
White of Farnham. Six pieces azure and or, in the chief a lion's head razed gules between two roundels argent, each having two bars wavy vert upon it, and in the foot a like roundel between two of the like lion's heads.
GOSPORT
GOSPORT (Goseport xiii cent.) (fn. 51) covers the district
between Forton Lake and Haslar Lake, i.e. the land
for which the villeins of St. Swithun paid twopence
more the acre than they paid for the rest of the
manor. (fn. 52) It is not mentioned in the Domesday
Book, nor is there any trace of it in the records relating to Alverstoke before the thirteenth century. In
1284 it was 'the manor of Alverstoke with Gosport,'
which the monks transferred to the bishop of Winchester, (fn. 53) and doubtless before that time Gosport had
only existed as a member of Alverstoke, being perhaps
the more important on account of its situation at the
mouth of Portsmouth Harbour. In the following
century Gosport rather than Alverstoke was the centre
of the shipping on the west side of the harbour, for in
1302 Portsmouth and Gosport together were ordered
to provide a vessel for the Scotch expedition. (fn. 54) The
bishop held separate courts for Alverstoke and Gosport in the thirteenth century, but the profits of both
were accounted for by the same two men. (fn. 55) During
the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the bishop or his
officers held the two yearly tourns at Gosport and at
Alverstoke on the same day, (fn. 56) but in 1507 and the
following 150 years the tourns for both places seem to
have been held together, although there were different
jurors for each. (fn. 57) It is a significant fact that in the
court-rolls of Alverstoke and Gosport previous to 1461,
the date when the bishop's tenants obtained an exemplification of the entry relating to Alverstoke in
Domesday Book, no record occurs of the election of
separate officers for Gosport, although a bailiff and a
beadle were chosen at the tourns at Alverstoke in 1459
and 1461, (fn. 58) but that in April, 1462, John Bonsergaunte was chosen to the office of bailiff of Gosport,
and did homage to the bishop in the same court for
two burgages and eight acres of arable land which he
had acquired in the borough of Gosport. (fn. 59) This is
the earliest record yet obtained of Gosport as a borough,
though under the thirteenth-century charter granted
to the men of Alverstoke it enjoyed exceptional
privileges. In 1463 the bailiff of Gosport accounted
for £6 2s. 8½d. as rent of assize, besides the profits of
various vacant sites and the perquisites of the two
yearly tourns. (fn. 60) In 1648 these rents of assizes or
borough rents were of the yearly value of £6 4s. 8¾d. (fn. 61)
No charter of incorporation has been found, nor does
the bishop appear to have granted any special privileges
to Gosport. Early in the sixteenth century Leland
described it as a little village of fishermen approached
(from Titchfield) by much heathy and fern ground. (fn. 62)
It was then beginning to rise in importance owing to
its proximity to Portsmouth. A block-house and
bulwark were raised about the year 1540 for the
defence of the harbour, (fn. 63) and later in the same century
the increased value of the ferry or passage between
Portsmouth and Gosport is shown by disputes which
arose as to its ownership. It appears to have been
held and maintained by the tenants and inhabitants of
the borough and town of Gosport. (fn. 64) In 1597, however, an attempt was made to prevent its being so
casually maintained. It was found to be insufficiently
provided with boats, and was taken into the queen's
hands and leased to Stephen Riddlesden and John
Jeffries. (fn. 65) The inhabitants struggled to retain what
appears to have been their only common property of
any importance, and in 1602 the lessees were commanded to surrender the ferry to them, and arrangements were made for the provision of twenty boats
with a skilful man in each, and the nomination of two
supervisors of the passage at each law-day. (fn. 66) Nevertheless James I granted the ferry to Edmund Duffield
and John Babington in 1614, (fn. 67) but they evidently
failed to make good their right to it, for the two
supervisors continued to be chosen in the borough
courts during the seventeenth century. (fn. 68)
In 1627 a survey was made of Portsmouth Dock
with a view to deciding whether it would not be better
to make a new one on the Gosport side. (fn. 69) This plan,
however, was not carried out, though the town became an important victualling station, and considerable store-houses, timber-yards, and rope-walks were
established there in connexion with Portsmouth. (fn. 70)
During the Civil War Gosport was held by the
Parliamentarians, who set up batteries there which
were of great use in the reduction of Portsmouth. (fn. 71)
The borough had been taken over by the state with
Alverstoke Manor, and sold to George and Elizabeth
Withers, (fn. 72) under whom it appears that no courts were
held. (fn. 73) After the restoration of the bishops' lands
only the two yearly tourns were resumed, so that the
tenants and inhabitants of Alverstoke and Gosport
were obliged to seek justice at Portsmouth. (fn. 74) From
1462 onwards a bailiff had been chosen annually at
the Michaelmas tourn, together with a constable, and,
after 1537, a sergeant. (fn. 75) As a rule two men were
chosen for each office, but only one was sworn. (fn. 76) In
1691 the constable was removed from office by the
same court, on grounds of incapacity. (fn. 77) No election
of a bailiff is recorded on the court rolls after the
Restoration; the office had apparently ceased to exist,
at least as an elective one. (fn. 78) Finally, in 1682, the
corporation of Portsmouth obtained the extension of
their borough limits in order to include Gosport. (fn. 79)
Upon this the freeholders and inhabitants of the manor
of Alverstoke and the borough of Gosport petitioned
George Morley, then bishop of Winchester, to resume
his three-weekly courts, complaining that the mayor
and corporation of Portsmouth had encroached upon
their privileges by arresting tenants and inhabitants
of the borough under warrants from Portsmouth, by
forcing several of the inhabitants to serve as jurors
there, by sending their officers to survey the weights
and measures at Gosport, by taking away the profits
of the ferry, by forewarning the freeholders from
allowing cattle to graze on the common or from fishing
in Oyster Pool Lake, by collecting anchorage in the
harbour (an ancient right of the bishop), and by commanding the overseers of the poor to serve a second
time. (fn. 80) One of the bishop's tenants, Albinas Knapton, was fined for protesting against these acts and
saying that 'although the mayor of Portsmouth be
mayor of the borough of Gosport, yet he was not
mayor of the whole parish of Alverstoke.' (fn. 81) Gosport
was again separated from Portsmouth in 1688, when
the charter of Charles II to the latter was annulled, (fn. 82)
but the election of a bailiff in the borough court was
not revived, though for a time the constable, coalmeter, ale-taster, and supervisors of the ferry continued
to be appointed at the Michaelmas tourn. (fn. 83) The two
yearly tourns were held as late as 1749, although the
business done in them gradually decreased, their work
consisting chiefly in the cleansing of the town and the
prevention of encroachments. (fn. 84) All traces of burgage
tenure had by this time disappeared, and before 1749
the courts were known as the courts baron of the
manor of Gosport, whereas in 1706 they had been
termed the borough courts of Gosport. (fn. 85)
In the seventeenth century important ironworks
were established in the town, and employed chiefly in
connexion with the Portsmouth Docks. (fn. 86) Shipbuilding also increased, (fn. 87) and the town afforded accommodation for many of the workmen in Portsmouth
Docks. These suffered severely in the outbreak
of plague which raged in Gosport early in 1666, (fn. 88)
when numbers of the townspeople left their homes
there. (fn. 89) For the benefit of the increasing population the bishop of Winchester obtained a grant
of two yearly fairs to be held at Gosport on the feasts
of St. George and St. Michael, and three weekly
markets on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This
grant to the bishop is dated 1717. (fn. 90) The fairs had
much deteriorated in the nineteenth century, when
toys were the only articles sold in any quantity. The
dates were also changed to 4 May and 10 October. (fn. 91)
They were finally abolished under an order in
council in 1900. The old market-house stood in the
High Street, but in 1812 the present market-hall was
built near the beach, and the markets were held outside. No market has been held during the last fifty
years. (fn. 92)
In 1763 a board of trustees for paving Gosport was
appointed, (fn. 93) and in 1814 a more effectual Act was
passed for the watching, lighting, and paving of the
town. (fn. 94) Both Acts were partially repealed in 1874,
when Gosport was included in the urban sanitary
district of Alverstoke, (fn. 95) which adopted the Public
Health Act of 1875 in 1887, (fn. 96) and since 1894 has
been formed into the Gosport and Alverstoke Urban
District Council.
During the wars of the eighteenth century the
population increased rapidly, but the prosperity of the
town diminished after the restoration of peace, (fn. 97) until
the transfer of the victualling establishment to the
Royal Clarence Yards again revived it.
CHURCHES
The church of OUR LADY,
ALVERSTOKE, has been gradually
rebuilt, and it is now entirely modern,
with a chancel erected in 1865, a nave of five
bays built in 1885, and a west tower. The
old church, of which a plan is preserved in the
library of the Society of Antiquaries, was of the
same general plan, with north and south chapels
added to the nave in the early part of the
nineteenth century. The present church contains
a number of monuments from the former building, and stands well in a large churchyard, but is of
no antiquarian interest. In the west tower are two
bells from the old church, dated 1699 and 1766, and
the church possesses a silver paten of 1702, and cup
of 1783, the rest of the plate being quite modern—a
silver chalice of 1901, a silver-gilt chalice of 1875,
and paten of 1880, and a silver paten of 1838,
besides a glass flagon with plated mounts.
The registers begin in 1559, the first book running
to 1686, and the second to 1737 for baptisms, 1714
for burials, and 1710 for marriages. The third
volume continues the baptisms and burials to 1801,
and the marriages to 1763, and the fourth takes the
baptisms and burials to 1812. The marriages from
1763 to 1812 are contained in no less than seven
books, beginning in the years 1763, 1765, 1777,
1784, 1791, 1799, and 1809.
No church is mentioned in the Domesday Survey.
In 1122 William Giffard, then bishop of Winchester,
disputed with the prior of St. Swithun the possession
of nine churches attached to the manors held by the
monks. (fn. 98) Among these was Alverstoke church, which
the bishop restored to the monks in 1124. (fn. 99) Thenceforward the history of the rectory was coincident
with that of the manor until the latter was transferred to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners while the
bishop retained the rectory and advowson. Apparently
they were not appropriated to the prior or the
bishop. (fn. 100) A pension from the church was assigned
to the hospital of St. Cross at Winchester, and is still
paid. (fn. 101) The bishop had within the parish a peculiar
court, the records of which commence in 1612, and
are deposited at Winchester.
There are now two chapels-of-ease attached to
St. Mary, Alverstoke—one, under the invocation of
St. Mark at Anglesey, was built in 1844 (fn. 102) ; the other,
Christ Church at Newton, is a modern building enlarged in 1862, and has a chancel with nave of four bays.
There was a chapel at Gosport attached to the
parish church in 1284. (fn. 103) Leland states that there
stood, before his time, a 'prophanid' chapel near the
shore of Portsmouth Haven, 'scant half a mile from
the very mouth of the haven.' (fn. 104) The present church
of the Holy Trinity was built in 1696; for some
years it was a chapelry of St. Mary, Alverstoke, but
it was assigned a separate parish in 1860. (fn. 105) St.
Matthew, Gosport, was formed into a parish out of
Alverstoke in 1845, (fn. 106) the church being built in the
same year. (fn. 107) Holy Trinity Church is a brick building stuccoed, consisting of chancel, nave with aisles of
eight bays, west porch, and detached north-west
tower. It was entirely remodelled in 1887, and the
west end rebuilt, the tower being added in 1889. It
contains a great deal of good modern woodwork and
other fittings, and the organ came from the chapel at
Canons, Stanmore, the famous house of the dukes of
Chandos, having been purchased by the parishioners
when the house was dismantled. St. Matthew's, built
in 1846, has a chancel, nave with aisles of five bays,
and south porch, of thirteenth-century style.
The church of St. John, Forton, was built in 1831,
to serve as a district chapel. (fn. 108) In 1841 a distinct
parish was assigned to it. (fn. 109) A new church is partially
built, though the old one still exists.
At Elson the church of St. Thomas was built in
1845, and assigned a portion of Alverstoke parish in
December of that year. (fn. 110) It has a chancel, nave, and
west turret, and is designed in thirteenth-century style.
The Baptists, Congregationalists, and Wesleyans all
have chapels in Gosport, and the Roman Catholics
have a chapel in High Street.
CHARITIES
The following charities exist within
the liberty:—
Captain John Mann, by his will
1660, gave £5 yearly for the poor out of certain
messuages in George Alley, in the parish of St. George,
Southwark, vested in the governors of St. Thomas's
Hospital, from whom the sum of £4 is received
annually—£1 being deducted for land tax.
In 1671 Abraham Hewlett by will gave 20s.
yearly to the poor out of his dwelling-house in Gosport.
The annuity is secured on a house in High Street,
Gosport, and is regularly paid by the owner.
In 1711 Jane Holmes by will charged a house and
garden with 40s. yearly, for the benefit of two poor
widows. The annuity is regularly received from
Mrs. Seward, the owner of the house in the village. Two cottages adjoining the property charged
are occupied by two widows, who in addition to the
annuity of 40s. receive £36 8s. from the Thorngate
Charity No. 4 (see below).
William Allen, by will 1719, charged his estates in
Gosport and Alverstoke with £4 a year for the
poor. It is secured on the King's Arms publichouse, High Street, Gosport, and is received from
Messrs. L. N. Blake & Co., solicitors for the owner.
In 1773 William Poore, by his will, charged his
house in Gosport with £5 yearly for ever, payable to
the churchwardens of the liberty part of the parish
of Alverstoke for bread, to be given after every Sunday morning's service to poor persons therein, widows
in preference. The devise was confirmed by deed
enrolled in Chancery, dated 2 October, 1775. The
rent-charge fell into arrear, but, owing to the intervention of the Charity Commissioners, the payment was
resumed (with arrears) by the owner of No. 30,
Clarence Square, Gosport, which represents the
property charged.
In 1828 James Spaycock by his will left £78 11s.
consols (with the official trustees), dividends to be
given to two of the poorest and most respectable
watermen residing in the parish.
The above-mentioned charities are administered
together by the rector and churchwardens. Bread is
given weekly to aged widows, fourteen old widows
receive 5s. each, and the dividends on the stock are
divided between two poor old watermen.
In 1880 Thomas Paul by will left £3,000 consols to the rector and churchwardens of Alverstoke,
the dividends to be applied in the distribution of
coals at Christmas-time to poor residents in the parish
without regard to age, sex, or religious profession, in
quantities of one-fourth of a ton to each person. In
1905, 78 tons of coal were distributed among 312
recipients at a cost of £73.
In 1887 Frederick John Lowes, M.D., bequeathed
£1,000 consols to the rector and churchwardens
upon trust, that the dividends thereof should be
applied in the distribution of money at Christmas
among fifty poor inhabitants residing in the parish as
constituted in the year 1887, when the charity came
into operation. The sum of 10s. is given to each
recipient.
The two sums of stock are held by the official trustees.
The above apply to the whole parish of Alverstoke.
In connexion with the town of Gosport there are the
following charities:—
By deed dated 27 September, 1693, Lambert
Peachey conveyed a piece of land for the erection
thereon of almshouses. Augmentations were made to
the charity by members of the Peachey family, and
in 1786 a sum of £360 arising under the will of
Richard Pilfold (1760) was laid out in the purchase of
3 acres 2 roods in the parish of Wickham, the rents to
provide weekly bread for the inmates.
The endowments of the Almshouse Charity now
consist of a messuage in North Cross Street, let at
£40 a year; an annuity of £2 10s. paid by the Urban
District Council out of New Short Road, Gosport;
and £78 0s. 4d., £2 15s. per cent. annuities, arising
from investment of balances in hand.
The endowments of Richard Pilfold's augmentation
consist of 2 acres 20 poles of land at Wickham,
£196 19s. 4d., £2 15s. per cent. annuities, arising
from investment of proceeds of sale in 1899 of
part of the land at Wickham to the London and
South Western Railway Co., and £96 10s. 4d. consols from investment of surplus income. The sums of
stock are held by the official, and the charities are
administered under a scheme of the Charity Commissioners, dated 15 May, 1900.
In 1838 Mrs. Ann Paul, by will proved in the
P.C.C., left £200 to be invested and income applied
(subject to an invalid trust for repair of certain tombs
in the chapel-yard of Holy Trinity), to be divided on
1 February and 1 August in every year among indi
gent widows. The legacy was invested in £20 10s. 6d.
consols with the official trustees.
The Thorngate Almshouses at Brockhurst:—
Thorngate Charity No. 1—
By deed dated 6 March, 1866, John Batty Thorngate and William Thorngate conveyed to trustees a
piece of land at Brockhurst, upon which ten almshouses had been erected for the occupation of ten
females (spinsters or widows), and endowed the same.
The present endowment consists of £2,409 18s. 8d.
consols. In 1905, £52 was expended out of the
dividends of the stock in weekly payments to the
inmates. (See also Thorngate Charities, Nos. 3 and 5.)
Thorngate Charity No. 2—
By deed dated 11 March, 1867, the said William
Thorngate conveyed to trustees a piece of land at
Camden Town, Forton, upon which fifteen almshouses had been erected, and endowed the same with
£7,500 consols. In 1905 the sum of £155 12s. out
of the dividends of this sum of stock was expended
in weekly payments to the inmates. (See also
Thorngate Charities, Nos. 3 and 5.)
Thorngate Charity No. 3—
By another deed, also dated 11 March, 1867,
William Thorngate settled a sum of £42,000 consols
upon trust to provide certain fixed payments to certain institutions and schools and poor persons within
the parish of Alverstoke, and certain institutions not
within the parish. The stock, which is held by the
official trustees, has, as regards the educational charities, been apportioned by an order dated 10 April,
1906, made by the Charity Commissioners under the
Board of Education Act, 1899.
For Cook's Ragged School and Home in South
Street, established in 1853 (now known as 'The
Henry Cook Institute and Boys' Home'), a sum of
£1,200 consols has been set aside to produce £30 a
year. To produce £10 a year for each of the
following institutions, viz.:—The Sunday School at
Alverstoke; the Sunday School at Elson; the Ragged
School, Haslar Street, Gosport; Holy Trinity Sunday School; St. Matthew's Sunday School; and
Forton St. John Sunday School, six sums of £400
consols have been set aside as educational foundations
in connexion with each of these objects.
In 1905 the sum of £78 was paid to the inmates
of the ten almshouses at Brockhurst (Charity No. 1);
and £64 15s, to the fifteen almshouses at Gosport
(Charity No. 2).
Thorngate Charity No. 4—
By deed dated 24 August, 1867, William Thorngate and Emmanuel Churcher conveyed to trustees
land at Camden Town, Forton, for the erection of
forty or more three-roomed almshouses for married
couples or females above fifty years of age, for the
endowment of which certain securities were assigned
by deed 4 February, 1868. (Thorngate Charity,
No. 5).
In 1905 the endowment fund consisted of
£71,940 13s. 7d. consols (with the official trustees),
the income of which is applicable by the trustees in
annual specified subscriptions to numerous existing
educational and charitable societies and institutions,
with power for the trustees to retain £120 per annum
for their expenses in executing the trusts. In 1905
the payments for local objects included Gosport and
Alverstoke Victoria Nursing Institution, £10; to
inmates of two almshouses (Jane Holmes), Alverstoke,
£36 8s.; to inmates of ten almshouses at Brockhurst, £52 (Charity No. 1); to inmates of almshouses at Gosport, £51 16s. (Charity No. 4); to
inmates of fifteen almshouses, Camden Town, £116 14s.
(Charity No. 2); sixty poor people also received
£10 each, twenty-one received £15 each, and ten
received £5 each; £20 were paid to four poor old
watermen, and £20 to four poor old fishermen.
Thorngate Charity, No. 6—
By deed dated 22 January, 1868, William Thorngate conveyed to trustees certain messuages, tenements,
and lands, and assigned certain bonds and securities
upon the charitable trusts therein mentioned, namely,
for the benefit of poor persons resident in the town
of Gosport and elsewhere in Great Britain and
Ireland. Under the authority of an order of the
Charity Commissioners, dated 4 July, 1890, several
pieces of land (part of the trust property), containing
together 96 acres 2 roods 20 poles, situated at Hoe
Gate, in the parish of Soberton, were sold, and the
net proceeds, amounting to £1,908 1s. 2d., were invested in New South Wales 4 per cent. stock. The
endowment (1905) consists of four freehold tenements
in Gosport, producing about £50 a year; a rentcharge of £20 on land known as the Gurnard Estate,
in the Isle of Wight (about to be redeemed);
£3,072 4s. 2d. Queensland 4 per cent. stock;
£4,692 11s. 7d. New South Wales 4 per cent. stock;
£5,561 3s. 4d. New Zealand 4 per cent. stock;
and £644 7s. 6d. Canada 3½ per cent. stock, producing £550 a year. In 1905, £300 was expended
in donations of £20 each, and £200 was distributed
in fuel, meat, and other necessaries to 500 people;
and £100 was, as directed by the deed, retained
by the trustees.
The several sums of stock belonging to the abovementioned Thorngate Charities are held by the
official trustees.
Thorngate Charity No. 7 was founded by deed
dated 4 January, 1868, whereby certain freehold and
leasehold property in Ireland (including a fee-farm
rent of £89 10s. 9d. issuing out of the lands of
Bredagh, in the barony of Kilconnell, in the county
of Galway), were settled upon trust to apply the rents
in sums of £20 to decayed and unfortunate tradespeople or other persons of Gosport and elsewhere.
By an order of the Charity Commissioners dated
26 June, 1906, the trustees were authorized to sell
the said fee-farm rent for £2,300, the price fixed in
accordance with the provisions of the Irish Land Act,
1903. The particulars of the trust estate have not
yet been supplied to the Charity Commissioners.
In 1885 a memorial hall was erected in the High
Street, Gosport, at a cost of about £9,000, as a
memorial to the late William Thorngate, esquire, merchant of this town, who died in the year 1868, the
founder of the several Thorngate Charities.
The Gosport Royal Marine School dates from
1850. An elementary school was opened at Forton
in 1830, and another at Gosport in connexion with
Holy Trinity Church in 1831. In 1842 a school
was founded at Alverstoke, and about two years later
St. Matthew's School, Gosport, and Elson School,
were opened. In 1853 an elementary school was
founded at Newton, and another in connexion with the
Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary was established
in 1811. Leesland School was opened in 1850. (fn. 111)