CHILTON
Cilletone, Ciltone, Chiltune, Chiltuna, Cildatun,
Childatun (xi cent.); Childestuna (xii cent.).
Chilton is a small parish covering an area of 1,447
acres, of which 1,089 acres are arable land, 302 acres
permanent grass, and 3 acres woods and plantations. (fn. 1)
The soil is chiefly chalk and light gravel with a subsoil of chalk, and the chief crops are wheat, barley
and roots. The general slope of the land is from
south to north, the height above the ordnance datum
varying between 600 ft. and 400 ft. Grimsdyke
forms one of the boundaries of the parish. The
nearest railway station is Upton, which is 2 miles
distant. Although here, as at East Usley, there are
training stables for race-horses, the principal occupation
of the inhabitants is agriculture, and much of the open
down known as Chilton Plain has been brought under
cultivation since the Inclosure Act. (fn. 2) A prehistoric
hoard was discovered on Hagbourne Hill in 1803,
and near it is a supposed Roman burial ground, while
on the summit of the hill is a barrow. (fn. 3)
The village of Chilton lies in the middle of the
beautiful undulating down-land on the north side of
the Downs. It is well wooded and is built about
some by-roads on the east side of the main road from
Newbury to Abingdon. The cottages are of brick or
brick and half-timber construction and are generally
roofed with tiles. The church stands at the northern
end of the settlement. A little distance below the
church on the south side of the roadway stand the
remains of the house formerly called Lattons Place,
which has been completely modernized and converted into a small residence. The original portion
dates from the latter part of the 15th century and
consists of a small L-shaped building, (fn. 4) two stories
high, built of brick and half-timber and roofed with
tiles. There is a Primitive Methodist chapel at some
distance from the village on the Bargeway road.
Edward II visited Chilton in 1321, (fn. 5) but the chief
historical event of interest in connexion with the
parish occurred in 1644, a few days after the second
battle of Newbury, when Chilton narrowly escaped
being the scene of a battle, a strong force of Royalists
in pursuit of Cromwell's troops having arrived there
the day after the enemy had withdrawn. (fn. 6)
Manors
There are two manors of CHILTON
mentioned in the Domesday Survey, one
of which was held by Wenric under
Edward the Confessor and granted by William the
Conqueror to Walter Fitz Other. (fn. 7) The descendants
of Fitz Other, who assumed the name of Windsor on
becoming wardens of Windsor Castle, (fn. 8) retained the
overlordship for nearly five centuries as parcel of the
manor of Stanwell in Middlesex, which they held of
the king in chief. (fn. 9) In 1542 Henry VIII compelled
them to surrender Stanwell to him in exchange for
certain abbey lands, (fn. 10) and the overlordship then
passed to the Crown, and is mentioned as late as
1601. (fn. 11)
The Lascelles held under the Windsors, Duncan
de Lascelles married Christine daughter and heiress
of Walter de Windsor, (fn. 12) At the date of the
Testa de Nevill Thomas de Lascelles (fn. 13) held the fee
from the Windsors, with Simon de Luncok, Robert
Danvers and Henry Pesey as his under-tenants. (fn. 14)
The Danvers family, the successors of the Estuns
(see under advowson), held the manor for several
generations. In the middle of the 13th century
Robert Danvers was holding a free tenement in
Chilton for the service of half a knight's fee, (fn. 15)
while in 1288 Thomas, probably his son, levied
a fine of a 'messuage, land and rents,' to be held
of Henry Simeons for the nominal rent of one
clove gillyflower. (fn. 16) Edmund the son of Thomas
was returned as owning the
'vill' of Chilton in 1316, (fn. 17)
and in 1329 the district was
referred to as Chilton Danvers. (fn. 18) Edmund was succeeded
by his son Robert Danvers, (fn. 19)
who died in 1362 seised of
5 virgates of land (fn. 20) in the
parish. The manor is first
actually mentioned in 1381,
when Sir Almeric de St.
Amand died seised of a third
of it, (fn. 21) possibly by right of
dower. In 1399 in an inquisition taken on the death of one of the overlords the
tenants are entered as 'not known,' (fn. 22) but property
in Chilton was held by Almeric de St. Amand, son of
the above-mentioned Almeric, at his death in 1401. (fn. 23)
In 1432 seisin was delivered to William son and heir
of Edmund Danvers (fn. 24) 'of the manor of Chilton
which formerly belonged to Eleanor St. Amand,' (fn. 25)
apparently the wife of the younger Almeric, who
survived her husband and died in 1426. William
Danvers was holding in 1428 (fn. 26) and in 1439, (fn. 27) but
he must have died before 1446–7, as at that date his
widow Joan was in possession of the manor. She
had a life interest in it with reversion to Isabella the
wife of Thomas Hannes who was probably the heir
of William Danvers and who released her claim for
a consideration of 100 marks to William Yorke, a
cousin of Thomas de Windsor, and his heirs. (fn. 28) Joan
was still holding in 1457. (fn. 29) The manor seems to
have been inherited by John the son and heir of
William Yorke, and then
divided between his two
children, Eleanor, who married Robert Hungerford, and
Joan, who married first
Thomas Bodenham and
secondly Stephen Apharry, (fn. 30)
as the latter was holding a
moiety of it in 1543. (fn. 31) In
1569 Joan's son Roger Bodenham was defendant in a suit
in which he claimed a moiety
of Chilton against Walter
Hungerford, who, however,
alleged that his father Robert
had died seised of the manor in 1557, (fn. 32) and that
Roger had put the deeds relating to the estate into
Chancery and refused to show them. (fn. 33)
Danvers of Chilton. Argent a bend gules charged with three martlets or.
Hungerford. Sable two bars argent with three roundels argent in the chief.
The result of the suit is not known, but Walter died
seised of the manor in 1601. (fn. 34) He was succeeded by
his son John, (fn. 35) who settled the manor in 1628–9 (fn. 36)
and died in 1636. (fn. 37) Edward his son was holding in
1651. (fn. 38) George, the grandson of the latter, conveyed it in 1701 to George Knapp. (fn. 39) Catherine
daughter of Richard Knapp (fn. 40) married her cousin
Robert Knapp. Their daughter Catherine became
the wife of Charles Peeres of Chislehampton (fn. 41) and had
a son Robert, who settled the manor in 1800 (fn. 42) and
sold it shortly afterwards to Sir Thomas Metcalfe.
The latter conveyed it in 1803 to Mr. Benjamin
Morland of Abingdon, (fn. 43) who died in 1833 and was
succeeded by his son the Rev. Benjamin Morland.
In 1865 he and his brother, Mr. G. B. Morland,
conveyed the manor and estate to Lord Overstone of
Lockinge House, who during the same year conveyed it to the trustees of the settlement of his
daughter Mrs. Loyd Lindsay, wife of Colonel Loyd
Lindsay, V.C., K.C.B., who was created Lord
Wantage. Lady Wantage now owns the manor.
No courts have been held or any quit-rents received
in modern times. (fn. 44)
Loyd. Party bend sinister-wise ermine and argent an eagle sable with two heads in a border sable bezanty.
Lindsay. Gules a fesse checky argent and azure.
A second manor of CHILTON was held at the
time of the Domesday Survey by Wenric under the
Abbot of Abingdon, and had previously been held by
Blacheman under Earl Harold. (fn. 45) It is stated in the
Abingdon Chronicles that Blacheman, who was a
wealthy priest, was holding it from the abbey in
1050, (fn. 46) and that upon his flight from England with
the mother of Harold the land was wrongfully forfeited
to William the Conqueror, who, however, after much
solicitation from the abbot, restored it to the abbey.
The Chronicles further relate that the estate had
originally belonged to one Wulfget, from whom it
had been confiscated in 1015 for engaging in plots
against King Ethelred, and that it had then been
granted to Brihtwold Bishop of Ramsbury, who conveyed it to the abbey. Their right to it was confirmed
in 1052 by a charter of Edward the Confessor, (fn. 47) and
this again was re-confirmed in the reign of Henry II
by a bull of Pope Eugcnius. (fn. 48) The abbey continued
to hold the overlordship of the manor of the king in
chief until the Dissolution. (fn. 49)
The next under-tenant of whom mention has been
found was Gueres de Palences, who by an early
return held a quarter of a fee from the abbey in
Sandford, Chilton and Leverton (in Chilton Foliat). (fn. 50)
In the Testa de Nevill Alice de Sandford is given
as holding one fee in Chilton and Pibworth from
the abbot which Thomas de Sandford had previously
held. (fn. 51) From the Sandfords the holding passed to
the Paynels and was held in the first half of the
14th century by John Paynel. (fn. 52) The manor of
Bayworth, which was also held by John Paynel, was
granted by him in 1324 to his uncle Hugh Paynel,
parson of Chilton, who gave it to the abbey of
Abingdon. (fn. 53) In 1359 Henry de la Poyle died
seised of a carucate of land in Chilton held of the
Abbot of Abingdon as of his manor of Bayworth. (fn. 54)
Thomas de la Poyle, son and heir of Henry, held
lands and tenements in Chilton, (fn. 55) and his successor
John de la Poyle was holding rents of assize and a
court baron there at his death in 1423. (fn. 56) John's
heir was his grandson Robert, who died without issue
in 1446 when the title passed to the descendants of
Margery de la Poyle, daughter of John and Mabel de
la Poyle and apparently sister of the first-mentioned
Henry. Margery had married John Gainsford of
Crowhurst (co. Surr.). In 1478–9 the Chilton
property was settled on John Gainsford, jun.,
gentleman, son of John Gainsford, esq., late of
Crowhurst, and Catherine his wife, and Elizabeth
Martyn, daughter of John and Catherine Martyn. (fn. 57)
Before the middle of the 16th century the estate is
found under the name of the manor of GAINSFORDS
in the hands of John Latton (see below under
Symeons). It then followed the descent of the
manor of Symeons until 1601, and was sold in that
year by William Latton to James Hyde and John
Stampe. (fn. 58) At this date a lease of forty-one years
formerly held by John Broker had been transferred
to John North, (fn. 59) but nothing further is known of
its history.
The so-called manor of SYMEONS (Simeons,
Symons) is first mentioned in 1468–9, when it was
held by Edward Cheyne and his wife Beatrice. (fn. 60)
The estate probably derived its name from the family
of Simeon of Abingdon. (fn. 61) Henry Simeon and
Gunnora his wife were dealing with a 'messuage,
land, and rents in Chilton' in 1288–9. (fn. 62) In 1488
Edward Cheyne conveyed the manor to Thomas
Latton, (fn. 63) who on his death in 1503 is described as
holding the manor of Chilton, meaning this manor. (fn. 64)
John Latton his son, who died in 1548, also owned
a capital messuage called Sewardes and the reputed
manor of Gainsfords. (fn. 65) He was succeeded by his son
William, who died seised of these properties in
1551, (fn. 66) leaving a son John, who died in 1596. (fn. 67)
William, the son and successor of the latter, sold the
manor in 1604 to Henry Knapp and Adam Cox, (fn. 68)
but his mother, who had married Sir David Williams (fn. 69)
as her second husband, still retained certain lands in
Chilton for which he was acting as trustee in 1623,
she having lost her reason. (fn. 70) Alice daughter of
Adam Cox married John son of Henry Knapp, (fn. 71)
bringing him part of Symeons Manor as her share of
her father's property. In 1647 a quarter of the
remaining moiety of the manor was conveyed to
Alice by Francis Hyde and Agnes his wife, (fn. 72) and in
1650 a quarter of the manor was conveyed by Robert
Terrell and Mary his wife and Zachariah Keane and
Elizabeth his wife to Nicholas Knapp. (fn. 73) Apparently the whole manor came into the hands of the
Knapps. John Knapp, the son of John and Alice,
alienated part of the manor to his brother (fn. 74) George,
who conveyed it to Richard Knapp, (fn. 75) but apparently
one quarter was retained to the use of his widow
Mary and his son Jerome, who were dealing with
this share in 1709. (fn. 76) Anne Chancellor held another
share in 1704, (fn. 77) which was probably the quarter
purchased by Nicholas Knapp in 1650. Richard
Knapp had a daughter and heir Catherine, who
married her cousin Robert Knapp, grandson of John
and Alice Cox, and the manor seems to have devolved
upon their daughter Catherine, who with her husband
Charles Peeres was holding it in 1739. (fn. 78) Their son
Robert settled the manor in 1800, (fn. 79) and shortly
afterwards sold it to Sir Thomas Metcalfe, who in
1803 conveyed it to Benjamin Morland. (fn. 80) It descended with the main manor of Chilton held by this
family, and was in 1865 conveyed to Lord Overstone,
whose daughter Lady Wantage now holds it.
Plan of Chilton Church
Church
The church of ALL SAINTS consists
of a chancel about 24 ft. 9 in. by
12 ft. 3 in., a nave 31 ft. 9 in. by
15 ft. 8 in., a south aisle 21 ft. by 11 ft. 7 in., and a
modern west tower and south porch. These measurements are all internal.
The oldest part of the present building is the late
12th-century nave, originally that of a small aisleless
church. Early in the 13th century the south aisle
was added and in the 14th century the chancel was
rebuilt. The tower was not built until 1847. In
1876 the chancel was restored under the supervision
of the late G. E. Street, R.A.
The east window of the chancel, which is of 14thcentury date, is of three cinquefoiled lights with
geometric tracery under a pointed head. In the north
wall are two single trefoiled ogee lights with external
chamfers, and splayed inner jambs carried up to the
underside of the wall-plate, while in the south wall are
two late 14th-century square-headed windows, each of
two cinquefoiled lights with sunk spandrels. As with
the window in the opposite wall the inner jambs
are carried up to the underside of the wall-plate.
Between them is a pointed doorway having a label
with head stops and a carved head just above its apex.
The chancel arch is contemporary with the nave. It
is pointed and of one square order springing from
moulded and chamfered abaci. The walls of the
chancel are plastered inside and covered with roughcast without. At the eastern angles are diagonal
buttresses, and there is also one against the north
wall, all of two offsets and much restored.
In the east end of the north wall of the nave is a
square-headed late 14th-century window similar in
detail to those lighting the chancel, but of three
cinquefoiled lights. In the east jamb immediately
below the soffit is a small carved head. To the west
of this is a small trefoil-headed recess,
under which is a modern open grate. The
arcade between the nave and the south
aisle is of two bays with pointed arches of
a single chamfered order, carried by a
central column having a moulded capital
and base. The responds are chamfered,
and at the springing are moulded abaci.
To the west of the arcade is a squareheaded window of two cinquefoiled lights.
The south aisle is lighted from the south
by a 15th-century window of two squareheaded lights, to the west of which is a
modern pointed doorway, while in the west
wall is a 14th-century square-headed window of two trefoiled ogee lights. The walls
of both nave and aisle are plastered internally
and are covered externally with rough-cast.
The tower is of stone and is undivided externally;
it has an embattled parapet and diagonal buttresses at
its western angles, stopping about half-way up the
tower. The lower part is now used as a vestry.
A plain nine-sided font of 12th-century date is
still in use. The base upon which it stands is
modern.
Preserved in the tower are two carved head stops,
one the head of a beast, the other a grotesque human
head. They were found in the walling during a
restoration and are apparently of 12th-century date.
There is a peal of six bells: the treble and second
are both by Mears & Stainbank of London, 1892;
the third is inscribed 'Peter Lawson and William
Payne C.W. 1770'; the fourth, 'Let youar hope be
in the Lord E.K. 1623'; the fifth, 'Feare God
Honour the King 1665'; while the tenor was recast
in 1892 by Mears & Stainbank.
The plate consists of a silver chalice with no
stamps of any description, the upper part of which
appears to be of late 17th-century workmanship, while
the foot is of much earlier date, a late 17th-century
paten, the date letter of which is quite illegible, a
small silver pyx of 1898 and a pewter foot paten
inscribed with the date 1720; there are also two
small glass cruets with silver stoppers.
The registers previous to 1812 are as follows: (i)
baptisms 1584 to 1812, burials 1667 to 1812, marriages 1694 to 1753; (ii) marriages 1754 to 1812.
Advowson
The advowson of Chilton
Church (fn. 81) belonged to the abbey
of Abingdon, and in the 14th century was attached to the abbey's manor of Bayworth. (fn. 82)
The first rector of whom there is record is Philip
Bassett, who was summoned in 1275 for building a
wall which encroached on the king's highway. (fn. 83) The
advowson remained in the gift of the abbey until
1538, when the abbot conveyed it to Henry VIII. (fn. 84)
It was granted by the king to John Wrothe in 1544. (fn. 85)
Before 1591 it had come into the possession of Sir
William Button, who died seised of it in 1591 (fn. 86) and
was succeeded by his son William, who was presenting
in 1596. (fn. 87) He died in 1599, leaving it to his son
William, (fn. 88) who was created a baronet by James I. (fn. 89)
The grandson of the latter, Sir John Button, with
whom the baronetcy became extinct, was the patron
in 1692 (fn. 90) and was succeeded in 1714 by Mary Read,
widow. (fn. 91) From 1736 the advowson was held by
the family of Walker, John Walker presenting until
1766, followed by Arabella Walker Heneage until
1808. (fn. 92) In 1817 J. W. Heneage held the gift of
the living and was succeeded by H. Heneage until
1862, (fn. 93) when it came into the possession of Mr.
G. B. Morland, whose widow presented after his death
until 1877. From that date until the present day
it has been in the hands of his trustees.
In 1641 Chilton made the protestation ordered by
the House of Commons to 'maintain and defend
the Reformed Protestant religion.' (fn. 94) During the
Commonwealth Thomas Lawrence was ejected from
the living as non compos mentis and Holyday Barten
inducted. (fn. 95) This divine had been chaplain to
Charles I and Archdeacon of Oxford since 1626. He
was a translator and a dramatist, and among other
things wrote a play which was performed before James I,
who, however, found it so dull that he was with
difficulty induced to remain till the end. (fn. 96) At the
Restoration Lawrence was reinstated in his living. (fn. 97)
The tithes of the Danvers manor of Chilton were
confirmed to the abbey of Abingdon by papal bull in
1401. (fn. 98) These had been granted in the 12th century
by members of the family of Estun (Aston Tirrold),
who evidently preceded the Danvers family as tenants
of the manor (cf. Aston Tirrold). Nicholas son of
Tirrold de Estun granted the tithes of his demesne
to the abbey in the reign of Henry II, and the
payment of these by Miles son of Tirrold is noted in
an abbey custumal. (fn. 99) The papal bull confirmed the
ground tithes in 2 carucates recently held by Robert
Danvers and from 4 half acres of his demesne.
After the Dissolution some of these tithes were
held under grant from the Crown by Sir John
Mason, (fn. 100) who conveyed them in 1562 to Nicholas
Cox, (fn. 101) from whom they descended, like the manor of
Symeons (q.v.), to the Knapps and their successors. (fn. 102)
In 1771 John Walker, who was at that date patron
of the living, was in receipt of all the tithes. (fn. 103) These
were held by the Morland family, and the tithe rentcharge in lieu of great tithes issuing out of land in
Court Tithing and other lands was conveyed to Lord
Overstone and is now owned by Lady Wantage.
Charities
Adam Head, as stated on the
church table, charged lands in Harwell Fields with 10s. a year for the
poor in Christmas week. The payment of this
annuity has been discontinued for some years.
In 1807 Lydia Thomas, as appeared from the same
table, by her will bequeathed £333 6s. 8d. consols,
now held by the official trustees, the annual dividends
of which, amounting to £8 6s. 8d., are distributed in
bread on New Year's Day.
It appears from the Parliamentary Returns of
1786 that sums amounting to £20 were given for
the poor by John and George Knapp; also that a
sum of £10 was left to the poor by will of Mary
Allen. No interest is now received in respect of
these sums, which had been advanced on loan.
By an award made under the Inclosure Act, (fn. 104)
4 a. or. 20 p. on the Hagbourne Way, an acre in
Bury Croft and 3 r. 8 p., with Chilton Pond, were
allotted to the surveyor of the highways. These
allotments are not now productive of income.