SILCHESTER
Silcestre (xi cent.); Ciltestere, Cilcestre (xiii cent.);
Scilchestre (xiv cent.); Sylkchester (xviii cent.).
Silchester is a parish and village 3½ miles west from
the Mortimer station on the Basingstoke and Reading
branch of the Great Western Railway. On high
ground reaching an elevation of over 300 ft. above
the sea-level in the north of the parish is the site of
the Romano-British city of Calleva. (fn. 1) The site consists chiefly of arable and pasture land inclosed by the
remains of the Roman wall, and is nearly 2 miles in
circumference. The walls in the south-east are the
most perfect, being in some places nearly 12 ft. high.
At the present time the only buildings within its
boundaries are the Manor House—now used as a
farm-house—and its appurtenances, and the parish
church of St. Mary. Lord Jeffrey visited the site in
1833, and wrote thus to his friend Lord Cockburn:
' The whole stands upon a high lonely part of the
country with only a rude low church and a single
farm-house in the neighbourhood, but commanding a
most lovely and almost boundless view over woody
plains and blue skyey ridges on all sides of it. It is
about the most striking thing I ever saw, and the
effect of that grand stretch of shaded wall with all its
antique roughness and overhanging wood, lighted by
a low autumnal sun, and the sheep and cattle feeding
in the green solitude at its feet makes a picture not
soon to be forgotten.' (fn. 2) Lying as it did on the direct
line of the great Roman road to Bath from London,
Calleva was a commercial centre rather than a military town. The road now generally called The
Devil's Highway can still be traced, as can also the
other Roman roads connecting Calleva with Winchester, Salisbury, and the north. In the west of the
parish is Silchester Common, comprising an area of
about 174 acres. It was here that Queen Elizabeth,
in her royal progress through England, was received
by Francis Palmes, the sheriff of Hampshire, and
other gentlemen of the county, on 5 September
1601. 'Her majesty sayd she was never so honorably received into any shire, for as Hampshire is a
county pleasant of soile and full of delights for
princes of this land who often made their progresses
thither, so it is well inhabited by ancient gentlemen
civilly educated and who live in great amity together.' (fn. 3)
The Primitive Methodist chapel and the schools
are situated on the common, and on its eastern boundaries are the rectory, Silchester House, the residence
of Mrs. Davis, and Silchester Hall—standing in its
own grounds of about 102 acres—the seat of
Mrs. Thorold. A stream called Silchester Brook
int:rsects the eastern portion of the parish. The
total area is 1,945 acres, of which 893¾ acres are
arable land, 438¼ acres permanent grass, and 199¾
acres woods and plantations. (fn. 4)
Silchester Church from the South
The soil is principally gravel, while the subsoil is
chalk. The chief crops are wheat, barley, and oats.
Manor
At the time of the Domesday Survey
there were two estates in SILCHESTER—one of 5 hides which Alestan had held
of Edward the Confessor, and which was then in the
possession of Ralph Bluet, who held of William de
Ow, (fn. 5) and the other assessed at 3 hides and forming
part of the possessions of Ralph de Mortimer, whose
predecessor Cheping had held it of Earl Harold as an
alod. (fn. 6) Ralph de Mortimer's holding passed probably
to the Bluets, and from this time there was but one
manor of Silchester, the property of the Bluet family.
The overlordship had passed by the beginning of the
13th century from William de Ow to the Earl Marshal, who was returned by
the Testa de Nevill as holding
one knight's fee in Silchester
of the old enfeoffment of the
king in chief, (fn. 7) but whether he
held it in right of his wife
Isabel de Clare, sole daughter
and heiress of Richard de
Cure, Earl of Pembroke, (fn. 8) or
in his own right as brother
and heir of John Marshal,
marshal of the King's Court
and lord of the manor of
Hampstcad Marshall (fn. 9) (co. Berks.), is uncertain. It
continued with successive Earls of Pembroke until
1245, when Anselm Marshal, Earl of Pembroke and
Marshal of England, died without issue. (fn. 10) The knight's
fee in Silchester was then apparently divided into
moieties, half being assigned with the lordship of
Hampstead Marshall, the castle of Strigul, and the
honour of Carlow, to Maud, eldest sister of Anselm
and widow of Hugh le Bigod, Earl of Norfolk; (fn. 11)
and the other half, with the
honour of Wexford and all
rights of the earldom of Pembroke, to John de Monchensy,
elder son of Warine de Monchensy by Joan, youngest sister
of Anselm. (fn. 12) The former
moiety passed to Roger le
Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, son
and heir of Hugh, (fn. 13) and on
his death in 1270 descended
to his nephew Roger le Bigod,
Earl of Norfolk. (fn. 14) Roger died
seised of half a knight's fee in Silchester in 1306, (fn. 15)
when, according to his surrender of 1302, (fn. 16) it passed
to the Crown with all his other possesiions, and
became merged therein. (fn. 17) It continued with the
Crown until 16 December 1312, when Edward II
created his brother Thomas of Brotherton Earl
of Norfolk, and granted him all the lands held by
the late earl. (fn. 18) The other moiety of the knight's
fee in Silchester passed from John de Monchensy
to his brother and heir, Sir William de Monchensy,
and from the latter to his only daughter Denise,
wife of Hugh de Vere. (fn. 19) Denise died without issue
in 1313, and the whole of her possessions passed
to her cousin Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, son and heir of William de Valence, Earl of
Pembroke, by Joan, only daughter of Warine de
Monchensy. (fn. 20) Thus in 1323 the overlords of Silchester were Thomas, Earl of Norfolk, and Aymer
de Valence, Earl of Pembroke. (fn. 21) In 1325 half a fee
in Silchester was assigned to
Elizabeth Comyn, afterwards
wife of Richard Talbot, niece
and co-heiress of Aymer de
Valence, in the partition of
knights' fees of that earl; (fn. 22) and
in 1348 the manor of Silchester
was said to be held of Richard
Talbot and Elizabeth his wife
by the service of one knight's
fee. (fn. 23) After this date the overlords of the manor are variously returned. Thus, in 1415,
1438, 1449, 1481, 1521,
1536, 1576, 1597, 1611, and
1623, the manor was stated to be held of the lords
of the manor of Hampstead Marshall, (fn. 24) but in 1490
and in 1501 the Marshal of England and Sir Walter
Herbert respectively, as holders of the manor of
Strigul, arc given as the over-lords. (fn. 25)
Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. Party or and vert a lion gules.
Bigod, Earl of Norfolk. Or a cross gules.
Valence, Earl of Pembroke. Burelly argent and azure an orle of martlets gules.
Returning, however, to the actual holders of the
manor, another Ralph succeeded the Ralph Bluet
of the Domesday Book, and was holding in 1167; (fn. 26)
and in 1204 Ralph Bluet, probably his son, gave a
palfrey for licence to inclose a park in his manor of
Silchester. (fn. 27) In 1228 Ralph granted half a virgate of
land in Silchester to William de Waterschete, (fn. 28) and
he was still holding the manor in 1233, in which
year the king ordered the sheriff of Hampshire to
give seisin to Eleanor, Countess of Pembroke, of the
land of Ralph Bluet in Silchester which was of her
fee. (fn. 29) John Bluet was the owner towards the end of
the 13th century, accompanying his overlord, the Earl
of Norfolk, on the king's service into Wales in 1287. (fn. 30)
He married Eleanor, the widow of William de Brianzon, in 1311, (fn. 31) and the next year two-thirds of the
manor were settled upon him and his wife in fee tail. (fn. 32)
He was returned as holding the vill of Silchester in
1316, (fn. 33) but he had died before 17 January 1317, as
is apparent from a patent roll of that date nominating
William de Northo in his stead in a commission of
oyer and terminer originally issued to William de
Hardene and John Bluet. (fn. 34) His widow Eleanor went
on pilgrimage beyond the seas in 13 21, (fn. 35) but two
years later was summoned to deliver up the bodies of
her daughters Margaret and Eleanor—the co-heiresses
of John Bluet—to William de Cusaunce, the king's
clerk, to whom Thomas, Earl of Norfolk, and Aymer
de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, as overlords, had sold
their marriage. (fn. 36) Although she had petitioned the king
for permission to keep her daughters with her by reason
of their tender age, (fn. 37) she was forced to comply with this
order, and in 1327 sought consolation in a third marriage, in that year obtaining Jicence to marry whom she
would of the king's allegiance. (fn. 38) William de Cusaunce
gave Margaret in marriage to Sir William de
Cusaunce, probably his nephew, while he bestowed
the hand of Eleanor upon Edmund Baynard. (fn. 39)
Although Eleanor, the mother, had a life interest in
the manor of Silchester, Sir William de Cusaunce, as
lord of Silchester, granted a lease of premises in that
vill to Nicholas le Heir of Silchester, his wife, and
their sons, in 1342; (fn. 40) and in 1346 Peter de
Cusaunce, son and heir of William, (fn. 41) and Edmund
Baynard were stated to be holding one knight's fee
in Silchester formerly belonging to John Bluet. (fn. 42)
Eleanor, in conjunction with her third husband,
Sir John de Peyton, (fn. 43) sought to recover tenements
in Silchester from Sir Peter de Cusaunce and others
in 1347, (fn. 44) but died the following year. By an inquisition taken in 1348 it was stated that she had
been holding the manor of Silchester, including a
park and a windmill, at her death, and that her heirs
were her daughter Eleanor Baynard and her grandson
Sir Peter de Cusaunce. (fn. 45) In 1349 the king assigned
to Eleanor Baynard half the manor of Silchester,
afterwards called THE NETHER COURT, (fn. 46) but
Sir Peter de Cusaunce, being a minor, did not obtain
livery of his moiety, afterwards called THE OVER
COURT, until 1350, in which year he came of age. (fn. 47)
Sir Peter was sheriff of Wiltshire in 1377, and presented to the church of Hilmarton (co. Wilts) in
1380, (fn. 48) but he probably died soon afterwards without issue, and his moiety of the manor consequently
passed to his cousin Philip Baynard, son and heir of
Edmund and Eleanor. (fn. 49) Philip Baynard, as lord of
the manor of Silchester, presented to the church
on 10 April 1394, (fn. 50) and eleven years later settled the
moiety of the manor called the Over Court upon his
son Robert and Joyce his wife in. fee-tail. (fn. 51) Upon
the death of Philip Baynard, in 1415, the other
moiety, called the Nether Court, passed to Robert, (fn. 52)
and was by him probably settled upon his son
and heir by his first marriage, Philip. In 1428
Robert Baynard and Philip Baynard were stated to
be holding one fee in Silchester, formerly belonging
to Sir Peter de Cusaunce and Edmund Baynard, (fn. 53) but
ten years later Philip gave up his right to the Nether
Court to William Brocas and Robert Dyneley, (fn. 54) who
in turn conveyed to Joyce widow of Robert Baynard
in March 1439. (fn. 55) Robert Baynard, who had died in
1438, (fn. 56) was survived ten years by his widow, and on
her death the whole manor passed to John Baynard,
her son and heir by Robert. (fn. 57) John presented to
the living twice during the episcopacy of William
Waynflete (fn. 58) (1447–86), but had died without issue
before 1470, in which year the manor was settled
upon his widow, Agnes, for life, with remainder to
his sister Thomasina, wife of Richard Martin of
Edenbridge (co. Kent), and her issue, with contingent remainder to Robert Baynard, son and heir of
his half-brother, Philip Baynard. (fn. 59) Agnes Baynard
died in 1481, (fn. 60) and on the death of Thomasina
Martin without issue eight years later, (fn. 61) the manor
passed, in accordance with the settlement, to Robert
Baynard, who died in 1501, leaving a son and heir
Philip. (fn. 62) On his death in 1521 Philip was succeeded
by his son and heir Robert, (fn. 63) who died in 1535,
leaving a son and heir Edward, aged nineteen. (fn. 64)
Edward died forty years later, and was followed by
his son and heir Robert, (fn. 65) who in 1589 conveyed the
manor to Thomas Gardiner,
citizen and grocer of London. (fn. 66) From the latter it
passed by purchase five years
later to William Dunche of
Little Wittenham (fn. 67) (co. Berks.),
who died in 1597 at the age
of eighty-nine, and lies buried
at Little Wittenham. His son
and heir Edmund (fn. 68) died seised
of the manor of Silchester in
1623, his heir being his grandson Edmund, son and heir of
his son Sir William, (fn. 69) who
had died in 1611. (fn. 70) Edmund, an ardent republican,
who suffered much loss in the Civil Wars by his
adherence to the cause of his kinsman Oliver Cromwell, (fn. 71) parted with Silchester, the purchaser probably
being Sir Thomas Draper, bart., of Sunninghill Park
(co. Berks.), who presented to the rectory in 1667. (fn. 72)
Sir Thomas died without male issue in 1703, (fn. 73) and
the following year his widow Mary, and his two
daughters and co-heirs, Mary widow of John Baber,
and Elizabeth wife of Henry Ashurst, (fn. 74) sold the manor
to Murrough Boyle, Viscount Blessington, (fn. 75) son and
heir of Dr. Michael Boyle, Archbishop of Armagh. (fn. 76)
The manor passed in marriage with Anne, youngest
daughter of Viscount Blessington, to William Stewart,
Viscount Mountjoy, who died in 1727. (fn. 77) Their son
and heir, William Stewart, Viscount Mountjoy, who
was created Earl of Blessington in 1745, died without
issue in 1769, (fn. 78) and the manor then passed to Charles
Dunbar, son and heir of Captain David Dunbar, by
Mary daughter of Sir John Dillon of Lissmullen
(co. Meath), by Mary eldest daughter of Murrough
Boyle, Viscount Blessington. (fn. 79) Charles Dunbar, who
died without issue in 1778, by will made elaborate
arrangements for keeping his estates, of the annual
value of £10,000, in the family of 'the late primate
Boyle,' (fn. 80) bequeathing his property in Wicklow and
Kildare to Wills Hill, Earl of Hillsborough, great-grandson of Eleanor, second daughter of the archbishop, (fn. 81)
and the rest of his estates in moieties to Thomas,
Viscount de Vesci, great-grandson of Elizabeth eldest
daughter of the archbishop, (fn. 82) and Edward Michael,
Earl of Longford, great-grandson of Honora Frances,
third daughter of the archbishop. (fn. 83) From Thomas,
Viscount de Vesci, and Edward Michael, Earl of Longford, the moieties of the manor of Silchester descended
respectively to their sons and successors, John, Viscount
de Vesci, (fn. 84) and Thomas, Earl of Longford, (fn. 85) who dealt
with them by recovery in 1805, (fn. 86) and by fine in
1817. (fn. 87) Eleven years later these joint-owners sold
the manor to Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington, (fn. 87a) and it now belongs to his grandson the
fourth duke.
Dunche. Azure a cheveron between three castles or.
Church
The church of OUR LADY consists of a chancel and nave 62 ft. 10 in.
long, of which 22 ft. is to the east of
the screen, north aisle of two bays 30 ft. 5 in. by 7 ft.
10 in., south aisle 29 ft. 5 in. by 9 ft. 4 in., and north
and south porches. All these measurements are internal.
The peculiar features of the plan are the absence
of a chancel arch and the unusually short aisles and
nave, the chancel being more than half the total
length of the building. There may have been a
12th-century aisleless nave which regulated the
length of the present one, and the chancel, which was
built about 1230, was probably an enlargement of an
earlier one; the north aisle was added at the end of
the 12th century, and the south aisle probably a little
later than the chancel. In the 14th century the
aisle windows (excepting that at the west of the
north aisle) were replaced by larger openings, and a
new west window to the nave inserted; another
window was put into the south wall of the chancel
later in the same century, and in the 15 th the east
window of the chancel and a north lancet were replaced by larger windows. The west window of
the south aisle and some gable lights are modern
insertions or repairs. The church has been very well
treated in modern restorations.
The east window is a 15th-century one of three
cinquefoiled lights under a traceried two-centred head,
its jambs and arch are of two hollow-chamfered
orders, and over it is a modern gable light; the east
wall has been strengthened by three low brick buttresses. The first and second windows in the north
wall of the chancel are 13th-century lancets; under
the first is a plain square aumbry with rebated edges
all round. A priest's doorway, now disused, pierces the wall just west of the second
window; it is of a single chamfered order,
and has a two-centred head with an ovalshaped rear-arch; the doorway is old, but
the position in the wall points to its being
later than the wall in which it is set. The
third window, west of the chancel screen,
is a 15th-century insertion of two cinquefoiled lights (the middle foil ogee-shaped)
under square heads; the jambs are moulded
with a filleted round between two hollows.
In the south wall the first two windows
are lancets like those opposite, with old
masonry pattern diaper on heads and
jambs, and there is also a similar locker
between them, but no piscina. The third
window is probably a late 14th-century
insertion of two trefoiled pointed lights
under square heads, and is set low in the
wall close to the screen; the fourth window, west of the screen, is another 13th-century lancet.
The two bays of the north arcade of the nave have
a circular column with a moulded base (a hollow
between two rounds), and an irregular eight-sided
capital carved with small scallops, each with a sunk face.
The east respond is a square one of modern stonework,
and there is none against the west wall, the arches at
both ends being carried on chamfered abaci, which
are supported by two rounded corbels; part of the
eastern abacus and one of its corbels are modern. The
pointed arches are two-centred, and of a single edgechamfered order. The south arcade also has two bays,
with a circular pillar and half-round responds; the
bases, of which the eastern is modern, are of a single
round; the capitals are irregularly octagonal with
hollow-faced abacus and a roll above the bell. The
arches are two-centred and chamfered—the chamfer
being larger than that of the opposite arcade—and have
a moulded label rounded above and hollowed below.
The west window of the nave is a 14th-century one
of three trefoiled ogee-headed lights under a twocentred head filled with net tracery, and having a
moulded label; the outer of the two orders of the
jambs is hollowed and splayed, the inner chamfered.
The north aisle has an east window of two ogee
trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil above in a twocentred head with a label; it is partly of modern
stonework outside. The only window in the north
wall is one near the east end; it is of the unusual
form of two trefoiled ogee lights, each set in pointed
arches under a square head, and is probably of midI4th-century date. The north doorway is of 13th-century workmanship; the jambs and arch are of a
single chamfered order, and have moulded abaci; the
label is enriched with dog-tooth ornament, but ends
about 18 in. above the springing of the arch. The
west wall of this aisle is pierced by a lancet window;
it may be of 13th-century date, but differs from
those in the chancel in having three small chamfers
externally and two hollows inside; it is also set
unusually close to the north wall.
The south aisle has a 14th-century east window of
two trefoiled ogee-headed lights under a pointed arch
inclosing a quatrefoil; it has no label on either side,
but inside are two human-head corbels, as though
there was one originally.
Plan of Silchester Church
In the south wall is a window of the same date and
style, but of three lights; this also has two humanhead label stops inside, but no label. Below the
window is a small piscina with a single chamfered
two-centred arch and round label; the upper half of
its sill is half round in plan, the lower semi-octagonal; both halves are moulded with several small
rolls. West of this is a good 14th-century tomb
recess with a cinquefoiled ogee arch, the foils having
roll points. In it lies the contemporary effigy of a
lady in a wimple and veil, mantle and cote hardi;
her feet rest on a dog, and at her head are two angels.
The south doorway is apparently a 13th-century
one with a pointed head, the jambs and arch having a
plain edge roll. The west window of the aisle is
cemented outside, and is of two round-headed lights;
over it is a modern gable light. The walls of the
whole building have been covered with cement and
'pebble-dashing' outside, and the north porch is a
modern one of wood. The south porch is also a
modern one, but more substantially built of stone;
it is lighted on either side by two-light windows, and has
a pointed outer doorway. Set in its east wall is what
appears to be a corner of a 12th-century font bowl
with panelled sides and a scalloped capital, to which
a modern shaft has been fitted. Over the outer entrance, inside the porch, is another old stone—a
portion of a small panelled frieze with an embattled
cornice; the panels are eight-foiled diamonds, and had
small shields painted on them; the whole is part of
a larger panel, and two of the shields have on them a
bend fusilly.
The roof of the chancel and nave is gabled and all
modern except for the plain tie-beams. The south
aisle also has a modern gabled roof, but the stone
corbels taking the timbers are of 14th-century date;
they are carved as human heads and grotesque beasts.
The north aisle is a 'lean-to' of modern date. Above
the west bay of the nave, and supported by heavy
posts from the floor, is a plain wood bell-turret with
square openings to the bell chamber; it has a boarded
pyramidal roof.
The font at the west end of the north aisle is of
15th-century workmanship; it is octagonal, and has
a moulded base and bowl. The pulpit is hexagonal,
made up with late 17th-century woodwork, but over
it hangs an octagonal canopy which is inscribed:
'The guift of James Hore, gent, 1639.' It has a
domed top surmounted by a dove, and a cornice with
semicircular arches and pendent fleurs-de-lis, all
enriched with carving; the soffit is panelled. The
chancel screen belongs to the early years of the 16th
century; it is divided on either side of the middle
doorway into two bays by heavy moulded posts, each
bay having four traceried openings; below is a heavy
middle rail and solid lower panels. The tracery in
the three southern openings is modern, but the rest is
old and of very pretty design, the rose and pomegranate occurring in it. The whole is much patched
and altered and has a line of cresting set upside down
in the middle opening. Above the head beam is a
beautiful band of open carving with kneeling
angels holding scrolls, between two bands of cresting;
between each pair of angels is a large leaf. The rest
of the furniture is modern.
In the churchyard east of the chancel are laid two
14th-century gravestones, much overgrown with moss;
one is carved in low relief with the heads and shoulders of two persons, and below them a long foliated
cross. The other has a man's head set in a quatrefoil
sinking with a cross below.
There are five bells; the treble is inscribed, 'The
gift of John Parres, D.D., late Rector of Ilchester,
J.S., B.F. (i.e. John Stares, bell-founder), 1744';
the second by W. Taylor, 1848; the third by John
Stares, 1744; the fourth is also by John Stares; and
the tenor is of the same make, but bears the date only–1744.
The plate consists of a cup and cover paten of
1572, a paten of 1757, given by Mrs. Rebecca
Taylor, a flagon 1635, given in 1636 by James Hare
and Anne his wife, and a pewter plate.
The first book of the registers contains baptisms
from 1653 to 1779, marriages 1653 to 1754, and
burials 1653 to 1675; the second has burials from
1678 to 1779, and has a black-letter copy of the
'Burial in Woollen' Act; the third book has marriages from 1754 to 1812; the fourth has baptisms
1780 to 1812; and the fifth burials 1780 to 1812.
There are also some churchwardens' accounts from
1698 to 1768.
Advowson
The advowson of the church has
throughout followed the descent of the
manor, (fn. 88) the living at the present day
being a rectory in the gift of the Duke of Wellington.
Charities
The parish is possessed of 4 acres
arising from a gift in 1671 of Richard
Hyde and others, now let at £10 10s.
a year, the rents to be distributed among twelve of
the poorest people on Good Friday and St. Matthias
Day. The net income, together with the annual
dividends on £121 0s. 5d. consols with the official
trustees, amounting to £3 0s. 4d., is duly applied.