NUTLEY
Noclei (Domesday); Nutleye, Nuclega, Nutelegha
(xiii cent.); Nuttele, Nutleghe, Nottele (xiv cent.);
Nutle, Nutes (xv cent.).
The parish of Nutley, containing only 1,524 acres
of land, lies between Farleigh Wallop and Preston Candover on the slope of the high ridge of downland which
sweeps down from the north, from a height of over
600 ft. above the ordnance datum at Farleigh to less
than 300 ft. in the north of Preston Candover. The
main road from the Candovers climbing this high
country towards Farleigh cuts through the centre of
Nutley parish, entering it from the south at Axford,
which, with its two fine old thatched farm-houses
of the farms of Upper and Lower Axford, is partly in
Nutley and partly in Preston Candover. Leaving
Axford Lodge, the residence of Captain Richard
Purefoy, R.N., and the Crown Inn on the east, the road
curves slightly west between rising fields and downland, and then turning due north again approaches the
quiet village. To the east, behind short front gardens,
is a group of two or three thatched cottages, beyond
which a sloping field, rising to the sky-line, runs along
the side of the road to the low brick wall which, curving with the road to the east, incloses the farmyard
with its pond and some of the thatched outbuildings
of the Manor Farm. Opposite, along the west side of
the road, run other long straight barns and outbuildings of the farm, while the house itself, a substantial
square red-brick building, stands on high ground
immediately behind the barns. North-east of the
farm on the curve of the road as it turns east is
the church of St. Mary, standing behind a low brick
wall. East of the church fronting on the road
is a picturesque block of two thatched and timbered
cottages, beyond which high downland stretches to the
north-east. Up the downland the road curves, and
being lost to sight from the village passes on the north
between fine woodland and down country, past two
or three outlying thatched cottages, out of the parish.
Bermondspit House is in the south-east of the parish
on the border between Nutley and Preston Candover.
The soil of the whole parish is chalk and clay with
a subsoil of chalk, and crops of wheat, turnips, oats,
and barley are produced on the 556½ acres of arable
land which lies for the most part south and east of
the village. The 174¾ acres given up to permanent
grass are for the most part in the west where the
downland stretches away to Dummer. Of the
386¾ acres of woodland, Norton's Wood, bearing
the name of early lords of the manor of Nutley,
covers nearly the whole of the north-east of the
parish, while Nutley Wood covers the north-west part
of the parish that lies between the main road and
the western boundary.
MANOR
At the time of Domesday Survey,
Henry the treasurer held NUTLEY,
assessed at 2½ hides. Of this manor,
Geoffrey Mareschal held ½ a hide, and at the same
time 1 virgate, but not of the manor. (fn. 1) No further
information exists concerning the treasurer's lands,
and probably the family of Geoffrey Mareschal, or de
Venuz, obtained the whole of Nutley, as in the
thirteenth century John de Venuz held Nutley by
serjeanty of being marshal of the king's household. (fn. 2)
In the reign of Henry III, Constance de Venuz,
daughter of the above-mentioned John, and lady of
the manor, conveyed 24 acres in Nutley to Gilbert de
Dene, evidently her tenant. (fn. 3) Gilbert afterwards
brought an unsuccessful action against her for trespass. (fn. 4)
It was through his marriage with the same Constance,
heiress of Nutley, that the famous Adam Gurdon became possessed of the manor. (fn. 5) In the reign of
Edward I Joan daughter of Adam Gurdon received
licence from the king to enfeoff James de Norton
and Elizabeth his wife of the manor, (fn. 6) described
as held of the king in chief as a member of the
manor of Worldham, by John de Venuz, the service
due being that of great serjeanty, namely, 'that
Joan together with the said John should carry a
Marshal's rod yearly in the king's house.' (fn. 7) The
Nortons continued in possession (fn. 8) for 400 years, ever
described as holding of the crown by great serjeanty,
once varied by the term 'knight service.' (fn. 9) In the
eighteenth century Elizabeth Norton married Francis
Paulet of Amport, and their son Norton Paulet became lord of the manor. He disposed of Nutley to
Thomas Hall in 1745. (fn. 10) With Elizabeth Hall, his
granddaughter, heiress of her
brother Thomas Hall of Preston Candover, the manor
passed to George Purefoy Jervoise of Herriard, she being
his first wife. (fn. 11) His descendant, Captain Richard Purefoy
Purefoy, sold it in 1905 to
Mr. J. C. A. Hall and Mr.
C. Wade, in whose hands the
manor now is. (fn. 12)
Norton. Vert a lion or.
It is evident that some
property in Nutley remained
to the family of de Venuz after the marriage of Constance de Venuz to Adam Gurdon, as in 1317 John
le Mareschal, then lord of East Worldham, (fn. 13) granted
that manor with its rent from Nutley Manor to
John de Burghersh. (fn. 14) The grant was said to be only
for the grantor's life; however, in 1374, John, the
son of the said John de Burghersh, granted the manor
of East Worldham and all lands and rent from Nutley
to the crown. (fn. 15) In spite of this, Alice de la Pole,
duchess of Suffolk, a descendant of John de Burghersh,
petitioned Edward IV for the restoration of lands in
Nutley and East Worldham 'once held by John de
Venuz,' which she said had been granted to her and
the duke of Suffolk by King Henry VI. (fn. 16) The same
had come into the hands of Edward IV in the first
year of his reign, but were regranted to the duchess
upon her petition. (fn. 17)
Upon the attainder of Edmund, duke of Suffolk,
these lands must again have passed into royal possession,
which perhaps accounts for the fact that Humphrey
Bridges (to whom a grant may have been made),
holding land in Nutley of the crown, received licence
to alienate the same to John Myllyngate and Anne
his wife. (fn. 18) In 1669 there was a lawsuit between
the granddaughters of John Myllyngate, Mary wife
of John Coates, and Amy wife of William Soper. (fn. 19)
The plaintiff Mary stated that her father had settled
his estates upon his daughters, but that William Soper
had carefully lived close to his father-in-law, and had
obtained the family deeds from him as well as a settlement to the use of his wife. The defendants, however, maintained that the land had been settled upon
Amy as eldest child, and that the plaintiff and her
husband had been non-suited when they laid claim to
the moiety seven years back, and for yielding up their
claim had received money from William Soper. The
defendants apparently won their case, (fn. 20) and the Sopers
continued to hold their property. In 1736 Patience
and Frances Soper, daughters and heirs-at-law of John
Soper of Preston Candover, sold to Stephen Terry of
Long Sutton Dummer Grange Farm and land in
Nutley and Basing and other places. (fn. 21)
In 1757 the name of Soper again occurs in connexion with Nutley and Axford, when resettlement of
his lands was made upon William Soper, yeoman, and
his heirs. (fn. 22)
In 1578 William Fauconer of Laverstock, Wiltshire, sold to Philip Wateridge of Axford for £400 his
messuage commonly called Axford or Axor Farm, and
lands in Nutley. (fn. 23) A fine in 1652 occurs between
William Soper and John Wateridge concerning a
messuage and 150 acres of land besides pasture,
meadow, and woodland. (fn. 24) As the Soper settlement of
1757 has reference to a messuage in Axford and
150 acres of land and woodland, (fn. 25) it seems probable
that Axford Farm had been sold to the Sopers by
Philip Wateridge.
Glimpses of the history of Axford hamlet can be
found here and there. The prior of Southwick in
early times held land there, (fn. 26) and his villeins owed suit
at the hundred of Bermondspit, which William de
Valence, so said the prior, hindered them from paying. (fn. 27) The Valences also had land there, as Aylmer
de Valence earl of Pembroke held three parts of a
fee in Axore (Axford) before 1323. (fn. 28)
The family of Ingepenne held land in Axford and
Nutley from the fourteenth until the seventeenth
century. (fn. 29) Their land in Axford they held of John
Norton in 1405 and 1410. (fn. 30)
CHURCH
The church of OUR LADY is entirely
modern, having been rebuilt with chancel,
north vestry, nave, south porch, and west
bell-turret, in 1845. One voussoir of a mid-twelfthcentury arch, with zigzag ornament, is preserved in the
vestry, as a relic of the former church. The font has
an octagonal bowl, and stands near the south doorway
of the nave; it is modern, together with all the
fittings of the church. There is one bell without
inscription, possibly from the old church.
For plate and registers see Preston Candover.
ADVOWSON
The vicarage of Nutley is annexed
to Preston Candover. The priory of
Southwick held the advowson until
the Dissolution. (fn. 31) It was then probably annexed to
Preston Candover, and granted with Preston Candover
to the dean and chapter of Winchester, (fn. 32) who presented
in the time of Bishop Gardiner, (fn. 33) and are the present
patrons.