CLIDDESDEN
Cleresden (xi cent.); Cludesden, Cledisdon (xiii
cent.); Clydesden (xiv cent.); Cluddysdean (xvi
cent.); Cliddesdeane, Clisdon (xvii cent.); Cliddesdowne (xviii cent.).
The parish of Cliddesden covers an area ot 1,920
acres, of which no fewer than 1,804¼ acres are arable. (fn. 1)
Moody in his History of Hampshire complained that
Cliddesden was very bare from want of timber,
forming a striking contrast to Farleigh Wallop, (fn. 2) and
at the present day only 38½ acres of woods and
plantations are comprised in Cliddesden. (fn. 3) The village
is situated about 2 miles south from Basingstoke,
and has a station near it on the Alton and Basingstoke
branch of the London and South Western Railway.
It lies mostly along the road from Basingstoke to
Preston Candover at a height of about 400 ft. above
the ordnance datum. The rectory-house with 10
acres of glebe is situated west of the main road, and
a short distance to the north are the Manor Farm and
'The Jolly Farmer.' St. Leonard's Church is situated
to the east. The Methodist chapel was brought from
Basingstoke and re-erected here in 1906. Half of
Hackwood House and a large part of Hackwood Park
are included in this parish. Audley's Wood, the
residence of Mr. Louis de Luze Simonds, is in the
north-eastern corner of the parish, its grounds being
separated from Hackwood Park by the road from
Basingstoke to Alton. This name occurs as 'Oddele'
in the 13th century and as 'Odlease' in 1578. (fn. 4)
Hatch, containing Hatch Warren Farm, is a
detached portion of the parish lying to the west. It
was a separate parish until the end of the 14th century, when it was united to Cliddesden, the cause being
its poverty and depopulation. Thus in the reign of
Edward III it was returned that 300 acres of land in
Hatch were lying untilled and unsown, (fn. 5) and the petition to the king praying that the church of Hatch
might henceforth be exonerated from the payment of
tenths states that there was no one at the time living
within the parish. (fn. 6)
The soil is light loam and chalk, and the subsoil
chiefly chalk. The chief crops are wheat, barley,
roots and grass. Among place-names mentioned in
the 15th and 16th centuries are the following:—Flemmyngysgrove, Camburnecroftys and Swalowykeswood. (fn. 7)
Manors
In the reign of Edward the Confessor
the manor of CLIDDESDEN was held
by two brothers who could 'betake themselves whither they would.'They were succeeded by
Durand de Glowecestre, of whom it was held in 1086
by a certain Ralf. (fn. 8) From him it must have descended
to the Fitz Herbert family through Lucy daughter
and co-heir of Miles de Gloucester Earl of Hereford. Thus Reginald Fitz Peter and his descendant
Matthew Fitz Herbert were stated to be overlords
in 1275 and 1339 respectively. (fn. 9) At a later date
the overlordship belonged to the town of Basingstoke, the manor being held by the bailiffs by fealty
and a yearly rent of 5s. for all services. (fn. 10) The first
lords of the manor whose names have come down to
us after the Domesday Survey were lords also of
Matson (co. Glouc.) and they were consequently
called de Mattresdone (or de Mattesdon) or de
Cliddesden indifferently. Arnulf de Cliddesden,
probably the lord of the manor, witnessed a charter
of Adam de Port granting tithes of mills in Sherborne
St. John to the church of Sherborne at the end of
the 12th century. (fn. 11) In 1219 William son of Simon
de Cliddesden granted half a hide of land in
Cliddesden to Nicholas son of William de Salewike, (fn. 12)
and he was succeeded by John, who as lord of
Cliddesden granted land in Cliddesden to Henry
Fleming circa 1240. (fn. 13) In 1252 John de Cliddesden
as chief lord of the fee granted 1½ virgates in
Cliddesden to Walter Bering to hold of him and
his heirs, (fn. 14) and he was still alive in 1256, (fn. 15) but by
1275 he had been succeeded by his son Philip (fn. 16)
generally called Philip de Mattresdone, who in that
year was stated to be holding one knight's fee
in Cliddesden of Reginald Fitz Peter. (fn. 17) Philip
confirmed the warden and brethren of the Hospital of
St. John at Basingstoke in possession of lands in
Cliddesden which they had of the gift of Henry
Fleming circa 1280, (fn. 18) and he was still alive in
1286, in which year he obtained a grant of £20
worth of land and rent for five years from the king
for his good service in Wales. (fn. 19) By 1303, however, the manor had passed to Isabel the wife of
William de Gardinis, probably his daughter and
heir, (fn. 20) who in that year granted it to John de Berewyk. (fn. 21) Eight years afterwards Cliddesden was settled
by Ralph de Bereford on John de Berewyk and John
de Valoignes and the heirs
of John de Valoignes. (fn. 22) The
latter as true patron of the
church presented a rector in
1315, (fn. 23) but before the end of
the next year he had been
succeeded by Nicholas de
Valoignes. (fn. 24) Nicholas was in
his turn followed by another
John, at whose presentation
a rector was instituted by
John Stratford, Bishop of
Winchester (1323–33). (fn. 25) This
John was convicted before Bartholomew de Lisle and
his fellows, justices of oyer and terminer in
Hampshire, of having feloniously broken into the mill
of the Prior of Southwick at 'Dagesole,' in the
hundred of Barton Stacey, and of having stolen
a grindstone and one and a half quarters of wheat
found there, and died in the Bishop of Winchester's
palace of Wolvesey, to which he had been committed
as a convicted clerk. (fn. 26) The manor was taken into the
hands of the king, who granted it in 1337 to
his yeoman John Brocas to hold during his good
pleasure without money payment. (fn. 27) It was, however,
subsequently restored to John son of John de Valoignes,
and in 1346 he was returned as holding half a fee
in Cliddesden formerly belonging to John de
Berewyk. (fn. 28) He presented to the church of Cliddesden
in 1373, (fn. 29) and was succeeded by Nicholas de Valoignes,
who presented a rector in 1396. (fn. 30) Nicholas left a
daughter and heir Margaret, who married Thomas
Wallop, (fn. 31) bringing the manor of Cliddesden into the
ancient Hampshire family of Wallop. Her second
husband William Vachell was holding half a fee
in Cliddesden lately belonging to John de Valoignes, (fn. 32)
and on his death it passed to John Wallop son and
heir of Thomas and Margaret. (fn. 33) John Wallop at
various times was guilty of trespassing on Winchester
Field, Basingstoke Heath, The Down and Hyghhamysfield belonging to the men and tenants of Basingstoke, (fn. 34)
and, in order to bring these outstanding disputes to a
termination, the freeholders and tenants of the manor
and hundred appointed certain arbitrators in 1465,
binding themselves to abide by their decision. (fn. 35) The
award has unfortunately been lost, but the disputes
did not cease entirely, for in 1485 John Wallop was
fined 3s. 4d. for appropriating a piece of land near
The Down. (fn. 36) He died in 1486, and was followed
by his son Richard, (fn. 37) who was fined 3s. 4d. in 1490
because he persisted in encroaching upon the king's
soil on The Down. (fn. 38) He died
without issue in 1503, and
the manor then passed to his
brother Robert, (fn. 39) who in
1509 was ordered not to
allow his sheep to enter upon
The Down nightly under
penalty of 6s. 8d. (fn. 40) His heir
was his nephew John Wallop, (fn. 41)
who died in 1551, leaving
as his heir his brother Oliver. (fn. 42)
John Wallop sixth in descent
from the latter was created
Lord Wallop of Farley Wallop, Viscount Lymington in 1720 and Earl of
Portsmouth in 1743. (fn. 43) The manor is still in possession of the Wallop family, the present owner being
Newton Wallop sixth Earl of Portsmouth, great-greatgrandson of the first earl. (fn. 44)
Valoignes. Paly wavy argent and gules.
Wallop, Earl of Portsmouth. Argent a bend wavy table.
The manor of HATCH (Heche, xi cent.; Heccha,
xii cent.; Hacche, xiv cent.) was held by Alsi in the
reign of Edward the Confessor and was then assessed
at 1 hide. William I granted it to Geoffrey,
chamberlain to his daughter Maud, in return for the
services he had rendered her, notwithstanding the fact
that Odo of Winchester had it in mortgage for £10
from Alsi. Odo continued to assert his claim, but in
1086 Geoffrey was still in possession of the estate,
which was then assessed at 3 virgates. (fn. 45) In 1167
Hatch was in the possession of a certain Henry. (fn. 46) By
1311, however, it had become the property of the
lords of Cliddesden, and in that year was settled with
Cliddesden on John de Berewyk and John de Valoignes. (fn. 47) From that date Hatch has followed the
same descent as Cliddesden, the present owner being
Newton Wallop, sixth Earl of Portsmouth.
Church
The church of ST. LEONARD is a
rectangular building 18 ft. 6 in. wide
and 70 ft. 8 in. long, of which 23 ft.
5 in. is screened off for the chancel, a north organ
chamber and vestry and a south porch.
The walling of the nave probably belongs to the
12th century, but the only old detail now left in
the building is a plain blocked round-headed doorway
in the north wall; the rest is modern, and the chancel
appears to have been wholly rebuilt recently. It has
an east window of three lights under a traceried head
and two south windows, each of two lights with tracery;
to the east of these is a plain square piscina. An
archway opens from the chancel into the modern
organ chamber and vestry, which is lighted by an east
and a north window of two lights and has a west
doorway. The nave has three south and two north
windows, each of two cinquefoiled lights under
pointed heads. The south doorway, coming between
the second and third of the windows, has moulded
jambs and pointed head; the west window is one of
three lights with a traceried head. Over the west wall
is a modern stone bell-cote in which hangs a modern
bell. The roof is gabled and open timbered below,
it is covered with tiles, the part over the chancel being
quite new. All the furniture is modern.
The plate consists of a silver-gilt chalice of Nuremberg make, dating from the early 17th century, and
a silver paten of 1702, given by Elizabeth Reignolds,
widow, at that date.
The registers, which include those of Farleigh
Wallop, begin in 1636, the first book containing
baptisms to 1758, marriages 1754 and burials 1741;
the second has burials 1679 to 1760. Special
mention is made of eight members of the Wallop
family being buried in linen in preference to woollen;
for this they were fined £10 on each occasion. The
third book has marriages 1754 to 1812 and the fourth
baptisms and burials 1760 to 1812.
Advowsons
There was a church in Cliddesden
at the time of the Domesday
Survey. (fn. 48) It was assessed at
£5 6s. 8d. in 1291 (fn. 49) and at £10 16s. 1d. in 1535. (fn. 50)
The advowson has throughout followed the descent of
the manor, (fn. 51) the patron at the present time being
the Earl of Portsmouth.
There was also a church in Hatch at the time of
the Domesday Survey. (fn. 52) Its value was returned as
£4 6s. 8d. in 1291. (fn. 53) The advowson throughout
the history of the church followed the descent of the
manor, (fn. 54) the last recorded institution being during
the episcopacy of William de Edendon (1346–66)
at the presentation of John de Valoignes, the lord
of the manor. At the beginning of the reign of
Richard II (fn. 55) a petition was presented to the king
praying that the church might be discharged
from the payment of tenths on the ground that
it was in ruins and that no one could be found
to serve the cure because its value was so small. (fn. 56)
On 4 July 1380 the church was exonerated from
the payment of subsidies, (fn. 57) and after this the parish of
Hatch became merged in Cliddesden.
The school was built in 1876 for 120 children.
Charities
In 1736 Thomas Fellowes by his
will gave a sum of £30 to the rector
for the use ot the poor for ever.
This sum with other monies belonging to the poor
was invested in Old South Sea annuities, which is
now represented by £164 14s. 8d. consols with
official trustees, producing £4 2s. 4d. a year, which is
applied for the general benefit of the poor of Cliddesden
and Farleigh Wallop in the proportions of ¾ and ¼
respectively in pursuance of a scheme of the Charity
Commissioners of 25 April 1899.
The School Charity consists of a messuage at
Cliddesden, formerly used as a schoolhouse, let at
£12 a year and an annual rent-charge of £10 paid by
the Earl of Portsmouth. This charity is also
regulated by the scheme referred to above in the two
parishes in the like proportions in apprenticing, prizes
and exhibitions for scholars who are or have been in
attendance at a public elementary school.