ELLISFIELD
Esewelle, Domesday; Ulesfeld, Hulsefelde (xiii
cent.); Essefeld, Elsefeud (xiii cent.); Elsefeld (xii,
xiii, xiv cent.).
The 2,349 acres comprising the parish of Ellisfield
are part of the high sweep of country that rises southwest of Basingstoke and reaches its greatest height at
Farleigh Wallop. Ellisfield, lying south-east of Farleigh, is practically in itself a hill, the ground rising
to over 640 ft. above the ordnance datum almost in
the centre of the parish between the two outlying
groups which compose the village, the church and
manor farm, which lie together towards the northwest, and the Fox Inn, and the various farms which
are grouped together in the south-east. Although
the parish is intersected by lanes and narrow roads,
there is no main road running through it, the most
important being that which enters the south-east
corner, about a mile from Herriard Station, and runs a
generally north-westerly course through the parish to
Farlington and Cliddesden. This road mounts uphill,
past Bushy Leaze Copse and College Farm, the Fox
Inn, and Cooper's and Merritt's Farms and their outbuildings, then curves west past Widmore House,
now known as Ellisfield Manor, the residence of Mr.
Harry Hoare. At this point, the highest in the
parish, the road divides, one branch running
north-east, the other northward downhill to the
church and manor farm, which both lie west of
the road, the farmhouse, a square white stone house
with a dark tiled roof, being immediately southwest of the church. Forming a foreground for the
church and farmhouse, as the road approaches from
the south-east, is the farm pond. On the opposite
side of the road are two low flint cottages.
The chief charm of Ellisfield is not in its scattered
village, but in the wonderful sweeps of woodland
country that rise on every side. Every lane seems to
run between or through copses carpeted in early
spring by masses of primroses and wild anemones, and
inhabited by rabbits and pheasants, which start up
everywhere. Of the cluster of copses lying north of
the parish the chief are Kingsmore Copse, Allwood
Copse, Whinkney Copse, and Fryingdown Copse,
while in the east are Park Field Copse, Smart's Copse,
and Withy Copse, south of the manor farm and in
the south-east, Great Reid's Copse, Warwick's Row
Copse, Berry Down Copse, and Highwood. These
cover the best part of the 562 acres of woodland in
the parish. Crops of wheat, oats, and roots are produced on the 766 acres of arable land lying on the
chalk soil and subsoil of the parish, 483½ acres are
given up to permanent grass, and 562 to woods and
plantations.
MANOR
In the time of Edward the Confessor
Auti had held ELLISFIELD as an alod,
but at the date of the Conqueror's Survey
it formed part of the great possessions of the bishop of
Bayeux, of whom it was held by Hugh de Port, (fn. 1) with
whose descendants the overlordship remained, passing
to the St. Johns in the thirteenth century. (fn. 2) The
family of Sifrewast held as mesne lords under the
St. Johns except in 1386, when half of the manor
was held directly of the St. Johns and the other half
partly of Bernard Brocas and partly of John Bremshott. Richard de Sifrewast, (fn. 3) holding of Robert de
St. John, was lord of Ellisfield in 1255, and owed
suit at the courts of Basing and Sherborne. Of his
grandson Roger Sifrewast (fn. 4) Ellisfield was held in
1361, and of John Sifrewast (fn. 5) in 1496. In the reign
of James I, however, the manor was held of the heirs
of Sir Edward Marvyn. (fn. 6)
The history of the manor cannot be traced earlier
than the reign of Edward II, although the Pipe Rolls
and Fines show tenants in the parish (fn. 7) at an earlier
date. In the reign of Henry III, Nicholas son of
Ralph held half a carucate and half a virgate in
Ellisfield, and also a capital messuage, which seems to
imply a not inconsiderable estate, the third of which,
and of a wood called 'Wodehull,' and lands named
'Homcroft' and 'Middelcroft' (the latter forming
part of the half-virgate), he leased to Peter de Chevelegh and his wife Sarah for their lives. (fn. 8)
Robert Cusyn and Joan his wife seem to have been
landowners in Ellisfield in the same reign, since of
them John son of Thomas de Beckering held a house
and land, paying a yearly rent of two capons. (fn. 9) In
the reign of Edward I Henry and William de la
Stonhupe are mentioned in connexion with a house
and land in Ellisfield and Herriard, (fn. 10) but none of
these early tenants can be connected with the two
joint lords of Ellisfield in the reign of Edward II. In
1316 the vill of Ellisfield was the joint possession of
the priory of Southwick and Roger de Fyfhide; (fn. 11) in
1346 the prior was still holding, and Roger had been
succeeded by William de Fyfhide. (fn. 12) The priory
owned two-thirds and William the remaining third,
the latter's portion being described as having formerly
belonged to Hugh de Spaigne. (fn. 13)
In 1361 William de Fyfhide died possessed of land
in Ellisfield, (fn. 14) and his son William, a minor at his
father's death, had seisin of
his estates in or about 1382. (fn. 15)
He died four years later without issue, and the manor of
Ellisfield descended to his
cousin Joan, wife of Sir John
Sandys. (fn. 16) Sir Walter Sandys (fn. 17)
succeeded as lord of the manor,
and died 16 June, 1435. He
was followed by his son Sir
Thomas, who held the manor
until 1443, (fn. 18) when he was
succeeded by his son Sir William, (fn. 19) whose son, also Sir
William, inherited the manor in 1496. (fn. 20) This second
Sir William enjoyed the favour of Henry VIII, who
made him his lord chamberlain and created him
Baron Sandys. His son Thomas, Lord Sandys, held
the manor at the time of Elizabeth's accession, (fn. 21) whose
grandson William, the third Lord Sandys, was in
possession of Ellisfield until 1624. (fn. 22) In 1657
William, fifth Lord Sandys, son of Colonel Henry
Sandys, who was mortally wounded in the service of
Charles I at Cheriton fight, sold the property. The
manor house, site of the manor, and land in Ellisfield
were sold for £3,300 to Robert Stocker of Basingstoke. (fn. 23) For £736 the Berrydown portion of the
demesne lands went to John Oades, yeoman of Preston Candover, (fn. 24) and for £150, £550, £65, and
£266 10s. other parts of the estates were bought by
Hugh White, Richard Wither, and William Beck,
and Nicholas Merriott, husbandman, and Edward
Panford, respectively. (fn. 25)
Sandys. Or a fesse dancetty gules between three crosslets fitchy gules.
Robert Stocker was still holding the manor in 1668,
but no further mention of him occurs, and the manor
appears to have been divided, for in 1675 Henry
Lincbrey and William Moleyns were parties to a fine
concerning half the manor of Ellisfield, (fn. 26) and in 1685
another fine between Michael Terry and Robert
Searle and Anne his wife deals also with half the
manor and half the advowson. (fn. 27) The moiety held by
William Moleyns under the conveyance of 1675 must
have remained in his family, though details of the
descent are not known, for in 1704 Mary and Anne
Moleyns, spinsters, each held a fourth of the manor. (fn. 28)
In 1756 one of these fourth parts was held by William
Saltmarsh, (fn. 29) who was probably a descendant of one of
these sisters, he being the son of Philip Saltmarsh,
who had married Anne, daughter of William
'Mullins' (fn. 30) of Skervill Court, Hants. (fn. 31) As the bulk
of the family property lay in Yorkshire William Saltmarsh sold his Hampshire property to Michael Terry
of Dummer in 1756. (fn. 32) From the Terrys of Dummer
the manor passed by purchase to the earls of
Portsmouth, (fn. 33) John Wallop, earl of Portsmouth, holding the manor in 1789. (fn. 34) What became of the other
scattered portions of the manor is nowhere shown.
Possibly the Terrys had acquired more than the
fourth part of William Saltmarsh, at any rate the lands
of the earl of Portsmouth in 1789 are described, not
as a portion of, but as the manor of Ellisfield. The
lordship of the manor is still held by the earl of Portsmouth.
Earlier mention, however, of the Wallop family in
Ellisfield occurs, for Robert Wallop, regicide, forfeited,
with the manor of Farleigh Wallop, a farm called
'Dyer's Farm,' with lands in Ellisfield and Nutley, (fn. 35)
which with Farleigh Wallop evidently descended to
his son, as for upwards of two hundred years the
Wallops have held lands in this parish (fn. 36)
Besides the manor held by the Fyfhides there was,
in early times, a second manor held by the prior of
Southwick. Before 1284 Bartholomew Pecche had
granted, together with part of the advowson, a house,
a carucate of land, woodland, and rent to the priory. (fn. 37)
According to the taxation of 1291 a manor, 'apud Elleswelde,' was taxed at 15s. 11d. (fn. 38) In the reign of Edward II the prior appears as joint lord of Ellisfield, (fn. 39) and,
moreover, in the same reign free warren was granted
to the prior and convent in their demesne lands in
Ellisfield by royal charter, (fn. 40) which was later confirmed
by Richard II. (fn. 41) In 1346 the prior was said to hold
two parts of a knight's fee, (fn. 42) and in 1337 and 1348
held with John de Roches one fee of Edmund and
Hugh de St. John. (fn. 43)
In 1428 the prior was still holding his two parts of
a fee in Ellisfield, but later than this there is no
mention of the priory's land.
In 1218 Maud de Munfichet appears to have
granted to Beatrice de Bovill, William de Bremlessete,
and Robert de Chinham 22 acres in Ellisfield. (fn. 44) The
name Chinham then spelt Chunham occurs again in
1272, when Herbert Pecche died seised of 60 acres of
land in Ellisfield, which he held of William de Chunham. (fn. 45) He left an heir in his son Bartholomew, who
was probably that Bartholomew Pecche who made the
grant of land and advowson in Ellisfield to Southwick
Priory. (fn. 46) In 1284 John de Foxle, John de St. John,
and Michael de Chillham (another variation probably
of Chinham) were guardians of the lands and heir of
Bartholomew Pecche. (fn. 47) In 1327 part of rents in
Ellisfield and Bromleigh which were granted by Sir
John Pecche to his mother Dame Joan was due from
the prior (fn. 48) of Southwick.
Connected also with the priory as early landowners
in Ellisfield were the family of De Roches, who probably acquired their lands and the advowson through
the marriage of Geoffrey de Roches with Emma,
daughter of Walter Fitz Roger, and heiress of her
brother. (fn. 49)
In 1329 John de Roches held a knight's fee in
Ellisfield of John de St. John, described as worth
£6 14s., (fn. 50) and eight years later the name of John de
Roches occurs with that of the prior of Southwick as
joint holder of a knight's fee worth £10, (fn. 51) it being
held of Hugh de St. John, and in 1348 they held the
fee of Edmund de St. John. (fn. 52) Nothing more is
known of the De Roches property, which no doubt
passed to Sir Bernard Brocas with the advowson on
his marriage with Mary de Roches at the end of the
fourteenth century.
Property in Ellisfield was also held under the Sifrewasts by the prioress of Wintney. Avis, the prioress,
in the reign of Henry III, held ½ a carucate by grant
of Richard de Sifrewast, (fn. 53) of whom also Lucy, the
prioress, held 3 carucates later in the same reign. (fn. 54) In
the reign of Edward III the nuns of Wintney held
100 acres of pasture of Roger Sifrewast. (fn. 55) After the
dissolution of Wintney Priory the land in this parish,
including what is now Merritt's Farm, held with
Herriard Grange, was allotted to Sir William Paulet, (fn. 56)
and remained with Lord Bolton's family till 1851,
when it was sold to F. J. E. Jervoise.
CHURCH
The church of ST. MARTIN has a
chancel, nave, south porch, and west
tower. The tower was built in 1884,
and the rest of the church underwent a most unsympathetic 'restoration' in 1870, which obliterated
nearly everything of interest. The chancel seems to
have been lengthened at this time, and is lighted by
modern lancets on north and south, and a modern
three-light east window, on either side of which are
plain corbels for images, re-used, and at the south-east
is a length of moulded string-course, which is old
work. Parts of the nave walls probably date from the
first quarter of the twelfth century, the label and tall
semicircular rear arch of a south doorway of this
date being left in the wall above the present south doorway, which is plain work of fourteenth-century date,
and opens to a brick porch now used as a vestry, its
outer arch being built up. The chancel is of the
same width as the nave, separated from it by a modern
chancel arch, and was probably built round a smaller
chancel, contemporary with the nave, at some time in
the thirteenth century. At the north-east of the nave
is a lancet window, which may be in part of this date,
the wall at this point being cut back to give more room
for a former altar here.
Externally the nave walls show some early-looking
flint masonry, and there is some trace of the former
existence of a north doorway, a modern window now
taking its place. A blocked lancet window or
thirteenth-century date shows on the outer face of the
south wall of the chancel, and a few quoin stones mark
the line of the former east wall, partly hidden by
modern buttresses.
The tower has a curious vane shaped like a pineapple, which was once on the tower of Long Ditton
church, whence it was taken and set up over the
stables of Cawley Priory, finally coming to Ellisfield.
In the tower are five bells, without any inscription,
but with an unusual number of lines on the crown,
shoulder and sound bow; they are said to be Spanish.
The plate consists of two communion cups and a
paten, with a pewter almsdish.
The first book of registers begins in 1668 and
goes to 1812, the second being the printed marriage
register 1756–1812.
South-east of the rectory is the site of a chapel, belonging to the fraternity of the Holy Ghost at Basingstoke; it is still known as the Litton, and foundations
of walls and graves have been found there. Near to
it stood till recent years a small Jacobean house with
cut brickwork details, now entirely destroyed.
ADVOWSON
The advowson of Ellisfield can
boast of a longer descent than the
manor. A church existed at the time
of the Domesday Survey, but by the reign of Henry III
there were two churches, one dedicated to the honour
of St. Martin, the other to All Saints.
In 1284 a suit was brought against the prior of
Southwick by John de Foxle and his wife Constance
for the recovery of land and of a third of the advowson
of the church of 'Ellisfield.' (fn. 57) The prior it seems
was able to produce a charter in witness that the property had been granted to him by Bartholomew
Pecche. It is not certain to which of the two churches
in Ellisfield this grant referred, nor is there any subsequent record of the ownership of the advowson by
the prior of Southwick.
The churches of St. Martin and of All Saints were
at the end of the thirteenth century in the patronage
of the De Roches family, (fn. 58) members of the same
family also having filled the living, Geoffrey de
Roches being rector of Ellisfield in 1284 and Hugh
de Roches in 1305. (fn. 59) Between 1282 and 1304 Hugh
de Roches presented, and in the fourteenth century the
name of John de Roches occurs as patron of both
churches. (fn. 60) John de Roches, whose only son William
was an idiot, settled in 1338 the advowson of All Saints
upon his daughters, Alice and Mary, after the decease of
himself and his wife Joan, the latter daughter being
then wife of Sir John Boarhunt. (fn. 61) On the death of
Joan, Mary, widow of Sir John Boarhunt, inherited
the advowson, (fn. 62) her sister Alice having predeceased her
mother.
Her second husband was Sir Bernard Brocas, who
towards the end of the fourteenth century was patron. (fn. 63)
In the year 1383 the two churches of All Saints and
St. Martin's were united (fn. 64) on the petition of Sir Bernard Brocas and William Fyfhide, lord of the manor,
who appears to have shared the advowson, as
had his father before him, (fn. 65) and had presented
to St. Martin's towards the end of the fourteenth
century. (fn. 66) The plea was made on the ground
of the poverty of the churches, All Saints being then
a ruin. (fn. 67)
The Brocas family continued to share the advowson
with the lords of the manor, the names of Sandys and
Brocas occurring alternately, (fn. 68) until the manor was
sold to Robert Stocker, to whom the advowson must
have passed also, as he presented in 1668. (fn. 69) On the
subsequent partition of the manor the advowson was
also split up and was held by owners of portions of the
manor successively. (fn. 70) In 1661 Thomas Taylor appeared as patron; his name had before occurred in
1634 and 1648 in conjunction with that of Brocas. (fn. 71)
In 1783 Thomas Brocas, in 1734 Thomas Terry, and
in 1785, and 1830 Richard Willis presented. (fn. 72) In
the reign of George III the advowson descended to the
natural son of Bernard Brocas of Beaurepaire, Bernard
Austin, who had assumed the name of Brocas. (fn. 73)
Bernard Brocas of Beaurepaire was the last of the
Brocases to hold the advowson. He married first
Anne Dolly, daughter of Paynton Pigott, and
secondly, Miss Raymond Barker, who sold the advowson about 1870 to Mr. Henry and Mr. Alfred
Welch-Thornton. Upon the death of the Rev.
Richard Paynton Pigott, brother-in-law to Bernard
Brocas, the Messrs. Welch-Thornton presented the
present rector, the Rev. Botry Pigott, in 1885. The
trustees of the latter have since bought the advowson.
CHARITIES
In 1736 Thomas Ellisfield by his
will gave to the poor £20 to be put
out for their use, and directed that
20s. a year should be paid for ever for the use thereof.
The principal sum of £20 has been lost.
In 1737 Stephen Terry by deed charged his farm
and lands called Tilbroughs in this parish with a clear
yearly rent of £3, of which 40s. was to be paid to a
schoolmaster or school dame for teaching six poor
children, boys or girls, to read and say their prayers
and the catechism, and 20s. in buying two Bibles and
other religious books to be given to the best scholars.
The annuity is paid by the earl of Portsmouth.
In 1896 a scheme was established by the Charity
Commissioners, whereby the £3 a year is to be applied
in granting prizes or rewards, not exceeding 10s. each,
to children bonâ fide resident in the parish attending
elementary schools, including the gift of a Bible.