Winterbourne

Overlordship account 1

The vill of WINTERBOURNE has been a chapelry of Chieveley since the 12th century, and still remains so. Before the Norman Conquest there were three manors, which appear to have been united before the close of the 15th century. The first manor belonged to Edith wife of the Confessor, and, passing to the Conqueror, was held by him at the time of the Domesday Survey. It seems probable that this manor was included among the lands granted by Henry I to Henry de Newburgh Earl of Warwick, a son of Roger de Beaumont, and the overlordship remained with the successive Earls of Warwick until the death in 1446 of Henry Beauchamp, created Duke of Warwick in 1444, when his fee here passed with the title to his only daughter Anne, then aged two years. She died on 3 January 1448–9, when the title and estates, including the overlordship of this manor of Winterbourne, lapsed to the Crown.

Overlordship account 2

The second manor of Winterbourne was held in the time of the Confessor by Herman Bishop of Salisbury, and at the time of the Domesday Survey by Osmund, his successor. The bishop was holding the manor in 1166, and in 1202 received a quitclaim of half a knight's fee here from Bernard de Pinefeld and others, and later in the same year a fee of the same extent from Nicholas de Winterbourne, in whom may be recognized Nicholas the son of Turold of Winterbourne who held land here in 1177–8, possibly a relation of Turold of Aston; it seems impossible that they can have been the same person. No further reference has been found to the bishop's connexion with this manor, except that he owed half a mark in 1227 in respect of it, for which he received pardon that year. We find that in 1379–80 Thomas de Oldington and Sir Hugh Segrave, apparently the third son of John Lord Segrave, independently granted their interest in lands at Winterbourne, Chilton and Colrugge to the Bishop of Winchester and others. How Thomas and Hugh acquired an interest in the lands formerly belonging to Nicholas son of Turold does not seem clear.

Overlordship account 3

The third manor was held at the time of the Confessor by Bristec, a free tenant, and in 1086 by Hascoit Musard, who was living as late as 1101–2. He was succeeded in this overlordship by his son Richard Musard, Baron of Staveley, who in turn was followed by his son Hasculf, who died in 1167. Ralph Musard inherited his estates, and married Isabel de Mesnil, widow of John Nevill. Ralph was living in 1200, and certainly as late as 1230, but later in the 13th century the overlordship had passed to his son Robert, who had died, leaving an infant son in the custody of the king. Robert's son seems to have died young, and the overlordship passed to Ralph, the second son of the former Ralph. He was holding it in 1260–1, but died in 1264, when it is stated that two and a half years before he had given his lands here to his eldest son Ralph, to hold of the king in chief. No further mention of this family has been found in connexion with the overlordship of this manor, the further history of which is obscure, but by 1415 it had passed into the hands of the king, who had attached it to his honour of Wallingford.

Lordship

Ralph Flambard, the notorious chancellor, was holding the manor of the Bishop of Salisbury at the time of the Domesday Survey, and presumably continued to do so until his arrest early in the reign of Henry I. John de Exonia or Oxonia was tenant in 1166, but there is no trace of later tenants.