WASING
Walsince (xi cent.); Wassinge, Wawesinge, Wakesing, Wahesinge, Waghesing, Wasinges (xiii cent.);
Wauesyng, Wausynge (xiv cent.).
The small parish of Wasing lies in the south of
the county and runs down to the Enborne stream,
which forms part of its boundary on the north-west.
The church stands in the well-wooded park of
Wasing Place, the residence of Mr. W. A. Mount,
a plain modern building with a stuccoed front.
There are a few other houses in the parish, the most
important being the rectory. The land rises from
about 190 ft. above the ordnance datum at the north
to 350 ft. at the south. The parish contains 690
acres, of which about one-third are arable, one-third
permanent grass and the remaining third woods and
plantations. (fn. 1) The chief crops are wheat, barley and
oats. The soil is partly clay and partly sand and
gravel. No railway or canal passes through the parish,
but the high road from Brimpton to Aldermaston
traverses the northern part.
Manor
Alwin held the manor of King Edward
in alod, and after the Conquest it was
held of the king by Bernard the Falconer. (fn. 2)
The overlordship passed into the hands of the Earl
of Hereford, who was holding it in the 13th century, (fn. 3)
and Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford and
Essex, died seised of it in 1372–3, (fn. 4) when with his
honours it passed to the Crown.
Thomas of Kenet held the manor of the earl in
the 13th century, (fn. 5) after which it passed to the college
or hospital of St. Nicholas de Valle beside Salisbury,
who were holding it until the Dissolution. (fn. 6) In 1535
the master and twenty poor scholars of this hospital
had lands in Wasing worth £8 12s. 6d. yearly, out
of which a rent of 3s. 4d. due to the king was paid
yearly to the bailiff of the hundred of Faircross. (fn. 7)
In 1543 the king granted to Sir Humphrey Forster
the manor of Wasing, formerly belonging to the
college or hospital of St. Nicholas de Valle beside
Salisbury, and certain closes and lands both in Wasing
and Midgham. (fn. 8) Sir Humphrey died in 1555 (fn. 9) and
his son William, who succeeded him, died in 1574. (fn. 10)
He was succeeded by his son Sir Humphrey, at
whose death in 1601 (fn. 11) the manor passed to his son
Sir William, who was holding it in 1605 (fn. 12) and made
settlements of it in 1608 (fn. 13) and 1617. (fn. 14) He died
28 January 1617–18 seised of the manor, when his
heir was his son Humphrey, then aged twenty-one
and more. (fn. 15) Two years later this Humphrey, who
in the meantime, on 20 May 1620, had been made
a baronet, sold the manor and certain adjoining lands
to John Blacknall. (fn. 16)
John Blacknall died in 1625 seised of the manor,
leaving two daughters Mary and Jane, then aged
nine and one respectively. (fn. 17) Jane died in 1626, so
that Mary, then aged ten and a half years, was the
sole owner of the estate. (fn. 18) About the year 1638
she was married to Ralph Verney of Middle Claydon,
Bucks., when they placed the manor of Wasing in
settlement. (fn. 19)
Ralph Verney was created a baronet on 16 March
1661 and died in 1696, when he was succeeded by
his son Sir John Verney, who was raised to the
peerage in 1703 under the titles of Lord Verney of
Belturbet and Viscount of Fermanagh in Ireland. (fn. 20)
He had previously married as his first wife Elizabeth
daughter of Ralph Palmer of Little Chelsea, Middlesex,
and in 1707 he seems to have made some settlement
on the children of this marriage, for he then conveyed the manor of Wasing to Narcissus Lutterell
and Ralph Palmer. (fn. 21) At his death in 1717 he was
succeeded by his son Ralph, the second viscount, who
in June 1730 sold the manor to Richard Coope, (fn. 22)
citizen and salter of London, who sold it in 1733 to
Nathaniel St. Andre and Lady Elizabeth Diana his
wife. She died in 1758 and in 1760 it was sold
to John Mount. (fn. 23)
Verney of Middle Claydon. Azure a cross argent with five pierced molets gules thereon.
Mount of Wasing. Argent on a mount vert a lion gules crowned or.
John Mount, who was the son of William Mount
by his wife Jane Huckell, was Sheriff of Berks. in 1770
and died in 1786, (fn. 24) when the manor passed to his son
William, who was born in 1752. (fn. 25) He married in
1771 Jane daughter of William Page of Poynters
in Cobham, Surrey, and died in 1815, when the
manor passed to his only son William. This William
was born in 1787 and was a deputy-lieutenant for
Berkshire and a justice of the peace, being chairman
of the Newbury bench. He served as Sheriff of
Berks. in 1826 and was M.P. for Newport, Isle of
Wight. He married in 1818 Charlotte second
daughter and co-heir of George Talbot of Temple
Guiting, Gloucestershire, and died in 1869, when
the manor passed to his elder son William George. (fn. 26)
William George Mount was born in 1824, was a
deputy-lieutenant for Berkshire and a justice of the
peace for Berks. and Hants, being Sheriff of Berks. in
1877 and latterly chairman of quarter sessions. He
was chairman of the Berks. County Council from
1888 to 1905 and M.P. for South Berks. from 1885
to 1900. He married in 1862 Marianne Emily
third daughter of Robert Clutterbuck of Watford
House, Herts., and died in 1906, when he was
succeeded by his eldest son William Arthur Mount,
B.A., J.P., M.P. for South Berks. 1900 to 1906, and
again in 1910, who is now lord of the manor. (fn. 27)
Certain lands in this parish were held in 1543 by
Sir Richard Lyster, (fn. 28) the lord chief baron, who
obtained permission in 1545 with his son Sir Michael
and his grandson Richard to settle them on the occasion of Richard's marriage with Mary daughter of
Thomas Lord Wriothesley. (fn. 29) No further mention
has, however, been found of this property.
A mill worth 16s. is mentioned in the Domesday
Survey, but none exists at the present day.
Church
The church of St. Nicholas consists of a chancel 18 ft. 9 in. by 10 ft.
8 in., nave 52 ft. 6 in. by 14 ft. 1 in.,
south transept 17 ft. by 14 ft. 6 in., north vestry and
a west porch. These measurements are all internal.
There is no earlier detail than the 13th-century
lancet in the north wall of the chancel, which was
built early in that century, though the thickness of
some of the nave walling points to an earlier date.
There are some 15th-century windows in the nave,
the greater part of which was rebuilt with thinner
walls in the 18th century, when the south transept
was added, in or about 1761, which date is inscribed
on the west porch. A good deal of restoration was
done in the 19th century, when several windows
were renewed.
In the east wall of the chancel are three modern
lancets with a small modern niche on either side. A
small 13th-century lancet in the north wall now opens
into the late 18th-century vestry, which is entered by
a doorway in the north wall. The remaining window
in this wall is a modern lancet. The first of the two
southern windows is of early 14th-century date partly
restored, and is of two trefoiled lights with a spandrel
sunk externally; the second is similar, but appears
to be entirely modern. The chancel arch is also
modern and has a moulded two-centred arch carried
by detached jamb shafts. The chancel is paved with
large black and white marble squares. The roof is
tiled; its timbers appear to be ancient, but the
cornice is modern.
The north-eastern window of the nave, which is
of early 16th-century date, is of three trefoiled roundheaded lights under a flat lintel, with sunk spandrels
containing leaf ornament and plain shields at the
heads of the mullions. The second window is of
the 15th century and has two cinquefoiled ogee
lights with a quatrefoil above under a segmental
arch. The window opposite is of similar detail and
date. The walls on both sides are thinned by some
11 in. immediately west of these windows; the
thicker portion is 2 ft. 7 in. thick on the north and
2 ft. 11 in. on the south. The remaining four
windows of the nave, two on each side, are large
round-headed single lights of the 18th century and
are surrounded by plaster decoration in low relief.
The west doorway has a wood frame and over it is
a blocked round-headed window which, in place of its
keystone, has been fitted with a piece of a 15thcentury cusped window head. On this is cut the
date 1826. The keystone removed is probably the
stone bearing the date 1761 set in the side of the
porch, which has a round-headed doorway.
The transept has similar windows in its east and
south walls with plaster decoration around them.
The south window is larger and bears the date 1839
on its keystone, the record probably of an enlargement or restoration. In the west wall of the transept
is a small square-headed modern doorway. All the
walls are covered externally with whitewashed roughcast and the roofs of the nave and transept are tiled
and are ceiled with plaster below the collar beams.
The two heavy tie-beams of the nave roof are old,
but have been reworked. A wood bell-turret with
boarded sides and plain square luffered openings to the
bell-chamber stands on the middle of the nave roof.
The pulpit is of early 17th-century workmanship
and is hexagonal with carved panels. The font and
furniture are modern. The windows contain many
pieces of 17th-century Flemish painted glass.
On the east wall outside are two tombstones, one
to William Innes, M.A., rector, who died in 1717,
and the other to Thomas Worrall, rector for fortytwo years 'excepting the years yt he was banisht for
his loyalty'; he was eighty-one years old at the time
of his death, the date of which is not given.
There are two bells. One is undated, but its
tapering sides and square lip mark it as having been
cast as far back as the 13th century; the other bears
the date of 1664 without any other inscription.
The communion plate consists of a cup of 1671,
a flagon of 1851, a standing paten of 1846, a gilt
chalice, and paten of foreign workmanship without
mark or date, and a paten with the hall-mark of 1868,
given to the church in 1904. All are of silver. There
is also a knife with a silver handle.
The registers previous to 1812 are all in one volume
containing baptisms dating from 1730 to 1812, marriages from 1731 to 1812 and burials from 1780 to
1812.
Advowson
The first reference that we have
to a church here is in 1297. (fn. 30) In 1535
the church was worth 71s. 10d. (fn. 31) The
advowson seems always to have passed with the manor,
but the first mention of it that has been found is in
1625, on the death of John Blacknall, when it is
mentioned as part of the estate purchased from
Sir Humphrey Forster, kt. (fn. 32) Nevertheless, the
Crown presented in 1622 and 1623, while the
manor was in the hands of John Blacknall. (fn. 33) The
advowson is again mentioned in conjunction with the
manor in 1627, (fn. 34) and all subsequent presentations
seem to have been made by the lords of the manor. (fn. 35)
Mr. W. A. Mount, the lord of the manor, is the
present patron.
Charities
An annuity of £1 is paid by
Mr. W. A. Mount, lord of the manor,
in respect of a devise by will of John
Blacknall, dated 9 August 1625.
An annuity of £1 is also paid out of the Hyde
End estate at Inhurst in the parish of Baughurst,
Hants, by the representatives of the late Charles
Hyde, in respect of the charitable gift of John Hyde
by deed 1673. The two sums are applied in coal
by the churchwardens in the distribution.