ERLESTOKE
Erlestoke, like other parishes along the spring-line
on the north-western edge of Salisbury Plain, is long
and narrow in shape, straddling the edge of the Plain.
The village lies in the centre of the parish and is surrounded on three sides by Erlestoke Park (see below,
Manor). Inclosing the village on the north, so that it
appears to lie in a valley, is a low hill of 375 ft.; this hill,
however, is only an outlier from the chalk, and the
northern part of the parish is low-lying. The land rises
rapidly south of the village, reaching 700 ft. on the
Plain.
The parish is bordered on the east by Great Cheverell
and on the west by East Coulston: the boundaries
have remained unchanged at least since 1831. (fn. 1) The
secondary road from Westbury to West Lavington
(B 3098) links all the villages together. Running north
out of the village is a minor road which after leaving
Pudnell Farm continues across the parish boundary as
a bridle road to Bulkington. About a mile from Erlestoke this road is crossed by another minor road running between East Coulston and Marston. (fn. 2) A mile
east of Erlestoke and across the parish boundary an
unmetalled road leads up the escarpment and joins the
old Bath and Salisbury slow-coach road: in 1904 this
road was still being used by an occasional gipsy van (fn. 3)
but it is now (1951) impassable except for farm
vehicles. The village lies on the Upper Greensand
outcrop overlying Gault Clay: south of the village is the
Chalk of Salisbury Plain and in the north the Kimeridge
Clay. (fn. 4) The branch line of British Railways (Western
Region) from Westbury to Patney passes north of the
village; the nearest station is Lavington, about 2 miles
away to the east.
At the head of the stretch of water in Erlestoke Park
there is a well with a pump and in the southern tip of
the parish on the Plain another that is known as
Brouncker's Well. Besides the temporary camp in the
Park (see below) the War Department own 1,235 acres
of land in the parish, acquired in four parcels between
1933 and 1940. (fn. 5) Thirteen houses in the village were
destroyed by an extensive fire in 1865. (fn. 6)
Manor
The manor of ERLESTOKE is not mentioned in the Domesday Survey, and as the
chapel of Erlestoke was annexed to the
church of Melksham it seems likely that the manor also
was included in that of Melksham. (fn. 7) No early records
have been traced for Erlestoke: the first mention of the
manor occurs when Henry I granted it to Stephen de
Mandeville or his son Roger. (fn. 8) Stephen died 'near the
road to Jerusalem' in 1154. (fn. 9) Roger died in 1195–6
and was succeeded by his brother William, who himself
died soon after. (fn. 10) From 1198 to 1203 the wardship of
William's daughter and heir Joan was said to be farmed
out to Stephen Turneham, sheriff of Wiltshire in 1198
and 1199. (fn. 11) It seems probable, however, that Stephen
held the farm only until 1200 (fn. 12) since in that year
Matthew Fitz Herbert married the daughter of Mabel
Patric, (fn. 13) who, it has been stated, was the relict of
William de Mandeville. (fn. 14) In the same year Terry
the German had attempted to marry the heiress; after
the payment of a moiety of the fine to secure the
marriage there is no further record of the proposal. (fn. 15)
It is not clear how far Terry plans had progressed
since, in 1202, when Matthew paid a fine to obtain
wardship of the de Mandeville property at Ollonde in
Normandy, the lands were said to have been previously
in the hands of Terry. (fn. 16) Whatever happened
during these years, it is certain that Matthew finally
married the de Mandeville heiress. In 1211 he
answered for Erlestoke as one fee; (fn. 17) in 1215, men and
beasts taken from the manor were returned to him; (fn. 18)
in 1220 he was allowed some timber from the forest of
Melksham for repairing the manor house (fn. 19) and in 1226
he and his wife Joan were concerned in the conveyance
of a small parcel of land in the estate. (fn. 20) In 1231 Joan, as
Matthew's relict, asked the king to accept the homage
of their son, Herbert, for all their lands held of him in
chief. (fn. 21) A grant of free warren in the manor was made
to Herbert in 1239. (fn. 22) Like his father he was attached
to the court and spent many years in the royal service. (fn. 23)
In 1244 he was sent to repress the Welsh, and in
February 1245 he was killed by a boulder cast down
upon him from a mountain height. (fn. 24) He left no
children, and was succeeded by his brother Peter, also
childless. On Peter's death in 1255 a third brother,
John, acquired the manor. (fn. 25) In 1274–5 the manor was
the inheritance of Matthew Fitz John, a minor, who
came of age in 1280–1. (fn. 26) The custody of Matthew
and his lands had been granted to Queen Eleanor, who
granted the manor to her son Edmund, who in turn sold
it to Nicholas Fitz Martin. (fn. 27) Matthew was in financial
difficulties as soon as he became of age. The estate was
probably still liable for a debt contracted by his uncle,
Peter, in 1256, (fn. 28) and a period of six years wardship had
possibly weakened its resources still further. In 1281–2
he agreed to repay to a certain John the Fat a debt of
£25. 3s. 4d. (fn. 29) and it is possible that he later mortgaged
Erlestoke to the Earl of Gloucester, for in 1285 the
earl quitclaimed this, with other manors, to Matthew,
in exchange for two Devon manors, Chittlehampton
and Chittelhamholt. (fn. 30) By this time he must have been
deeply in debt, and in 1286–7 conveyed Erlestoke to
the king and queen, who granted him in return a life
interest in this and other properties including the
Devizes parks and the castle. (fn. 31) At Matthew's death in
1309 the estate reverted to the Crown and passed out
of the family. (fn. 32)
The manor was next granted by the Crown to Ralph
de Monthermer and his sons Thomas and Edward, the
king's nephews. Certain lands in Erlestoke were excepted, as being the dower of Matthew's relict
Eleanor. (fn. 33)
In 1325 an agreement was made between the
brothers Monthermer by which Edward was to hold
the manor of Erlestoke in severalty during his life, with
reversion to Thomas if Edward should die first. At this
time Eleanor was still holding dower in the manor. (fn. 34)
Thomas was the survivor, for on his death in 1340
the manor of Erlestoke was among his possessions. (fn. 35)
Margaret his wife was granted custody of the manor
and of the heir, their daughter Margaret, aged 'ten
years or more'. (fn. 36) In the following year, however, the
young Margaret was delivered into the custody of
William de Montague, Earl of Salisbury, who married
her to his second son John. (fn. 37) Sir John de Montague
died in 1390, and his wife Margaret five years later. (fn. 38)
Their son, another John, was his mother's successor in
1395, and in 1397 he succeeded his uncle as Earl of
Salisbury. He was a firm adherent of Richard II, and
after Richard's deposition led a conspiracy for his
restoration, but having been captured by a mob at
Cirencester he was put to death without trial in January
1400. (fn. 39) In 1401 Henry IV granted the manor of
Erlestoke during pleasure to Eleanor, Countess of
Salisbury. (fn. 40) The heir of the beheaded earl was his son
Thomas who was aged 12 at his father's death; (fn. 41) owing
to his father's posthumous attainder it was not until
1421 that he recovered full possession of his inheritance, but Erlestoke was restored to him in 1409. (fn. 42) He
died in 1428, and once again the manor descended
through an heiress. Earl Thomas's daughter Alice
married Sir Richard Nevill, who became earl jure
uxoris. (fn. 43) In 1431 Richard and Alice conveyed the
manor and other property to trustees for the payment of
the earl's debts. (fn. 44) This arrangement came to an end in
1454, when the surviving trustees reconveyed the
property to the earl and countess. (fn. 45) The earl, a
prominent Yorkist, was attainted in 1459, and although
restored in 1460 was beheaded by the Lancastrians
after his capture at the battle of Wakefield in the same
year. (fn. 46) His son and heir was Richard, Earl of Warwick
and Salisbury (the Kingmaker). Warwick presumably
succeeded to the Salisbury estates on the death of his
mother in 1463. (fn. 47) At his death in 1471, Erlestoke
passed to his elder daughter Isabel, wife of George,
Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV. Isabel died
seised of the manor in 1476, and her husband was
attainted and executed in 1478. (fn. 48) Their heir was
Edward Plantagenet, born early in 1475, whose wardship was granted in 1481 to Thomas, Marquess of
Dorset. (fn. 49) This unfortunate boy was imprisoned by
Henry VII as a possible pretender to the throne, and
finally, in 1499, was beheaded on a charge of conspiring
treason with his fellow prisoner, Perkin Warbeck. He
was the last male representative of the royal house of
Plantagenet. His estates passed to his sister Margaret,
Countess of Salisbury. (fn. 50) Erlestoke escheated to the
Crown along with the rest of her property on her
attainder in 1539. (fn. 51)
From this time forward the manor was leased to local
tenants and the lordship stayed with the Crown until
the Crown's interest in the land finally disappeared.
Before her attainder, the Countess of Salisbury had
leased Erlestoke to Robert Brouncker and his son
Henry: in 1540 the king renewed the lease for twentyone years. (fn. 52) From that time until the early 18th century the family of Brouncker held land in Erlestoke and
gave their name to the down lying in the south of the
parish and the farm a mile south of the village. (fn. 53) In
1552 the manor was confirmed to Henry Brouncker
who was to hold it at the considerably reduced assessment of 1/100th part of a knight's fee; his rent was
£18. 8s.7¼d. (fn. 54)
A capital messuage in Erlestoke was leased by
Brouncker in 1562 to Laurence Hyde and John Smith,
for eight years. (fn. 55) Brouncker died in 1569. His son and
heir William was later knighted, and died in 1596. (fn. 56)
William's son Henry only survived him by two years,
leaving an infant heir, another William. (fn. 57)
The manor remained in the Brouncker family until
1677, when William Brouncker conveyed it to Sir
Richard Mason. The capital messuage of the manor,
however, was retained as the chief seat of the Brounckers. (fn. 58) Sir Richard Mason apparently sold the manor
to Sir Stephen Fox, for it was purchased from Fox in
1689 by Dauntsey Brouncker, third son of the lastmentioned William Brouncker. The capital messuage
was at that time occupied by Dauntsey's elder brother
Henry. (fn. 59) Dauntsey died in 1693, and his estate was
divided between his daughters Katherine, wife of John
Baynton, and Anne. (fn. 60) Between 1713 and 1719 the
manor was frequently mortgaged: (fn. 61) in 1720 it was sold
by Edward and Anne Rolt to Sir Gilbert Heathcote, kt. (fn. 62)
In January 1724 Thomas Pitt, the East Indian
merchant and grandfather of the first Earl of Chatham,
wrote to his son Robert: 'Mr. Hyles (Eyles) will find
that I will never part with Earl Stoke upon his computation'. (fn. 63) Pitt's interest in the manor is not clear but
it seems likely that it had been mortgaged to him for a
short time. In the same year the manor was settled
upon George Heathcote by agreement between him,
his uncle Sir Gilbert, and Thomas Pitt. (fn. 64) George
Heathcote sold the manor in 1737 to Peter Delmé. (fn. 65)
Another Peter Delmé sold it in 1780 to John Smith. (fn. 66)
Joshua Smith, son of John and M.P. for Devizes, died
in 1819. His four daughters sold the manor to George
Hibbert and others, executors of Simon Taylor of
Jamaica, in settlement upon his niece Mrs. Anna
Susannah Watson-Taylor, sole heiress of her uncle on
the death in 1815 of her brother Sir Simon Taylor. (fn. 67)
At this time Erlestoke became the centre of a large
estate: in 1820 George Watson-Taylor, jure uxoris
Anna Susannah, was lord of the hundred of Whorwellsdown, the manors of Erlestoke and East Coulston,
Edington Rectory, Edington Romsey, Tinhead
Rectory, and Tinhead Romsey. (fn. 68) The estate continued to be built up during the 19th century. (fn. 69)
Mrs. Watson-Taylor died in 1852 and was succeeded
by her son Simon, on whose death in 1902 the manor
passed to his son G. S. A. Watson-Taylor. Parts of the
Erlestoke estate were sold by Mr. Watson-Taylor in
1907 and 1910, and the remainder in 1919. In 1939
the principal landowners were Mr. F. W. Green and
Messrs. E. H. Look and H. J. Hampton. (fn. 70) A court
roll of the manor for the period from 1677 to 1755 is
in the Wiltshire Record Office.
Since the late 18th century the dominating features
of the parish have been Erlestoke Park and its house.
The park, which surrounds the village on three sides,
was laid out during the proprietorship of Joshua Smith
in the 1780s. Britton, writing in 1801, described it
thus: 'The sides and summit of this hill [the escarpment
edge of the plain] have been thickly planted with wood
which as it advances in growth will give the seat an
additional beauty. . . . The park abounds with many
fine large elm trees and is enriched with a sheet of
water. . . . After forming seven different cascades in its
progress it is collected into a lake of considerable
dimensions. . . . This spot [the pleasure grounds] of
beautifully decorated ground, abounds with a choice
collection of botanical plants....' (fn. 71) Some of the woodland remains in that part of the park, south of the Westbury Road, which is now (1951) occupied by the War
Department. In the remainder of the park some felling
has taken place. (fn. 72)
The old house in the park was removed before 1786
to make room for the present mansion which was built
between that date and 1791 from designs by George
Stewart. (fn. 73) The tradition that materials from Edington
monastery were used for this work is now held to be
without foundation but it seems likely that the figures
and other carvings built into some cottages in the
village may have been taken from the old house at
Erlestoke. (fn. 74) The present house is square in shape and
built of ashlar: it consists of three stories and a basement. The centre block, which is extended by wings
decorated with twin Ionic pilasters, is lighted by three
windows to each of the upper floors and one to each
floor of the wings. There is a central porch with eight
Doric columns in pairs, an entablature, and a plain
balustrade. All the roofs and the centre block were
burnt in June 1950.
In 1830 Thomas Moore was among those who
welcomed the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria
on their visit to Erlestoke House. Moore, much of
whose social success was due to his fine voice, records in
his diary that both the Princess and her mother sang
with him on several occasions during the visit. (fn. 75) John
Cam Hobhouse, later Baron Broughton, like Moore a
friend of Byron, leased Erlestoke in 1837. (fn. 76)
Church
From early times, Erlestoke like Seend,
formed a chapelry of the church of Melksham (q.v.). (fn. 77) About 1220, Bishop Richard
Poore assigned the 'church' and its chapelry to the
communa of the residentiary canons of Salisbury. (fn. 78) In
1253 the dean and chapter held ½ virgate of land
attached to the 'church' at Erlestoke. (fn. 79) In 1392 a
messuage and 3 acres of land in Erlestoke were alienated
to the dean and chapter 'in aid of the works' of the
'church' there. (fn. 80) In 1726 a small portion of the
'church' lands including a messuage near the 'Chappleyard' was exchanged, by arrangement with the proprietor of Erlestoke, George Heathcote, for a messuage
called 'the Butchers Arms'. (fn. 81) In 1783 the glebe lands
consisted of a small vicarage with an orchard and a
garden and 44 acres of pasture then lately allotted to
the vicar in lieu of vicarial tithes under the inclosure
award for the parish. (fn. 82) There is some evidence that the
chapelry was neglected in the 17th century since in
1664 the constable and tithing men of Melksham presented 'the whole parish of Earlestoke for not repayering
to their church every Sunday, or chappie; the reason
is because devine sarvice is not reade every Sunday'. (fn. 83)
The ecclesiastical parish of Erlestoke was formed in
1877. S. Watson-Taylor, together with his wife, Lady
Charlotte, and his son George Watson-Taylor, agreed
to convey to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners land
suitable for the building of a new church, a burialground, and a vicarage, and to find money for the
building. The advowson, which since the 13th century
had been in the hands of the dean and chapter, was
vested in S. Watson-Taylor and his heirs. (fn. 84) In 1903
the net annual value of the living was £185 including
38½ acres of glebe, and residence. (fn. 85) In 1934 the living
was joined with that of East Coulston, and presentation
is now (1950) by the Lord Chancellor and the executors of G. S. A. Watson-Taylor alternately. (fn. 86)
The church of ST. SAVIOUR consists of a chancel,
nave, north and south chapels, and a tower in an unusual position on the south side of the nave. It was
built from the designs of G. E. Street at the expense
of Lady Watson-Taylor in 1880. The church was
erected on the site of the earlier church, and is built
of ashlar inside and out in the 'Gothic' style of the 15th
century and roofed with red tiles. The tower is a small
square one in three stages, the lowest stage forming the
porch. Electric light was installed in 1933. In the
north-east corner of the north aisle there is a marble
mural monument (dated 1737) to the Townsend and
Hurst families. (fn. 87)
The parish registers begin in 1681. (fn. 88) There are six
bells: (i) presented by Lady Watson-Taylor in 1882 as
an addition to the old ring of five; cast by Llewellins
& James, Bristol; (ii) dated 1684 and inscribed with
the name of William 'Brownker'; (iii) dated 1628;
(iv) dated 1619 and inscribed with Brouncker's name
spelt 'Brovnker'; (v) dated 1664, cast by William
and Roger Purdue; (vi) dated, unusually, 1648.
In 1553 there were only three bells. (fn. 89) The plate
consists of a chalice, two patens, flagon, and alms-dish
given to the church in 1820 by George WatsonTaylor. In 1553 the church retained a chalice weighing 9 oz.; 1½ oz. of plate was taken by the king's
commissioners. (fn. 90)
Nonconformity
The earliest record of nonconformity in Erlestoke occurs
in 1672 when William Aldridge was licensed as a Baptist teacher at the house of
Thomas George. (fn. 91) William Gough, who has been
called both an Independent and a Presbyterian,
ministered to the church until 1685. (fn. 92) From 1689 to
1714 Edward Froude led the church: John Watts of
Westbury was pastor from 1720 to 1731. In the
meantime a church at Bratton was growing out of a
meeting in the house of Jeffery Whittaker; in 1734 a
meeting-house was built there and some time after 1740
Erlestoke church was merged into Bratton. (fn. 93) In 1702
the dwelling-house of Isaac Axford the younger was
licensed for Quaker meetings. (fn. 94) In 1829 a small
cottage in the village was being used for a Methodist meeting which had a membership of 30. (fn. 95) There
are now (1951) no Nonconformist chapels in
Erlestoke.
Agriculture
The manor of Erlestoke was in
the hands of the king's escheator
for 17 months from 1286 to 1287.
The account for the 12 months from Michaelmas 1286
to Michaelmas 1287 (fn. 96) shows the rents of assize valued at
£18. 5s. 8d., and the sale of the villeins' autumn works
at £6. 5s. 6d.; 146 hens were sold at Christmas for
12s. 2d.; sale of pasture in summer and herbage in
winter brought in £8. 7s., hay £9, corn £55. 6s. 6d.;
pleas and perquisites of the court were worth £5. os. 6d.
The outgoings for the same year included the acquittance of rent for 4 ploughmen, a carter, a hayward, a
shepherd, and a smith at 30s. 6d., and the purchase of
wheat, rye, beans, barley, and oats, most probably for
seed purposes, at £17. 15s. 1½d. Another account, for
1309, (fn. 97) mentions the receipt of 6s. 8d. for the pasture
of beasts in 'Podenhull', in the marsh, on the hill, and
in a grove. This account is supplemented by an extent
of the manor taken in the following year. (fn. 98) There were
then 11 free tenants, II 'virga tors', 28 'half-virgators',
and 24 cottars. All these paid rents; all the unfree
tenants commuted their labour services except four of
the cottars, who did not, apparently, owe any. The
standard rate of commutation for all was ½d. a day,
except for the harvest period (August 15 to Michaelmas) when it was 1d. Pleas and perquisites of the
courts were valued only at £1, out of a total of
£54. 13s. 2d. (gross receipts).
A court roll for the manor exists for the year 1544,
when Erlestoke was in the hands of the Crown, (fn. 99) and
there is also a manor court book containing entries for
the period 1677 to 1775. (fn. 100) The courts were held twice
a year, at Easter and Michaelmas. All tenants, free and
customary, owed suit at the court. In 1544 the amercement for absence was 3d. for a free tenant, and 1d. for a
customary. The customary tenants held their lands by
purchase for three lives; on the death of the third
tenant (or his relict if she survived him), if no renewal
had been purchased the executors enjoyed the profits
of the holding for one year called the 'dead year', after
which the tenement passed to the lord. Late in the
18th century, references to 'house-boot', 'plough-boot',
'fire-boot', and 'rail-boot' still occur. Another important tenant-right was the share in the use of the field
called Fernham, which was enjoyed under conditions
which changed every three years. In 1737 the tenants
exchanged this complicated custom for the right to
have six gates kept in repair. The lord was obliged to
maintain the bounds of the common marshland and
to keep a boar for the benefit of the manor. Twice a
year, in May and November, the suitors of the court
met at the 'Cross' at 8 a.m. to perambulate the bounds
and 'to have a view for the settling of grievances and
things that are amiss in our parish'. (fn. 101)
The parish was inclosed in 1782. Of a total of 2,015
acres 1,642 were affected. The principal allottees were
the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury, who received 330
acres in lieu of tithes, and Peter Delmé, lord of the
manor, who received some 1,154 acres. (fn. 102)
Mills
A water mill at Erlestoke was given by
Roger, son of Stephen de Mandeville, to the
priory of Montacute (Som.) in 1155 and the
gift was later confirmed by Henry II. (fn. 103) This mill remained in the possession of the priory until the Dissolution when it was valued at 20s. (fn. 104) In 1560 this mill,
together with buildings, gardens, and lands belonging
to it, was granted to Robert Davye and Henry Dynne. (fn. 105)
A second mill called 'Mershmilne' remained annexed
to the manor. In 1287 the issues of what was almost
certainly this mill were valued at 12s. 6d.; (fn. 106) before 1298
it was granted to Thomas son of Alfred of Erlestoke
for the life of the grantor, Matthew Fitz John, and in
that year the grant was confirmed and extended to
Thomas and his heirs for ever, notwithstanding that
Matthew Fitz John's lands would revert to the king
upon his death. (fn. 107) The grant was confirmed in 1303
when the lands attached to the mill comprised a messuage, 29½ acres of land, and 2 acres of meadow. (fn. 108) In
1562 two mills were in the possession of Christopher
Chambers who conveyed them in that year to William
Wallys and William Wright. (fn. 109) Mills are mentioned in
deeds of 1677, 1713, and 1718 but no information is
given about their location. (fn. 110)
School
In 1833 there were two day schools in
Erlestoke attended by 29 children at the
parish expense. No mention is made of
school buildings at this date. (fn. 111) In 1859 it was reported
that 30 to 40 children attended a class held in a cottage
that had formerly been a laundry. The building was
considered 'too low and dark for school purposes'. (fn. 112)
In 1872 it was reported that the room then in use was
inadequate for the 59 children then of school age. (fn. 113)
No enlargement was made until 1893, when an infants'
classroom was built and the accommodation raised to
70. (fn. 114) The property belonged to S. Watson-Taylor, and
in 1900 a fourteen-year lease was drawn up, whereby
the vicar, churchwarden, and three other persons
elected by subscribers to the school were to pay £7 a
year to the owner or his agent. (fn. 115) In 1920, when part
of the Watson-Taylor estate was sold, the managers
bought the school for £350 and handed it in trust to the
Salisbury Diocesan Board of Finance. The Nationa
Society granted £60 and the Diocesan Board £165 towards the purchase price. (fn. 116)
In 1902 the average attendance was 60. (fn. 117) Under the
1910 reassessment the recognized accommodation was
reduced to 65 (36 mixed, 29 infants). (fn. 118) The school
was reorganized in 1935, leaving only 22 junior
children in attendance, (fn. 119) but by 1950 this figure had
risen to 39. A headmistress and one assistant were then
employed. (fn. 120) In 1948 voluntary controlled status was
granted to the school. (fn. 121)
Charities
It was stated in 1903 that in 1834
the Charity Commissioners had investigated two charities on which their
predecessors of 1786 had reported. In 1684 Anne
Brouncker was said to have left £20 by will for six
poor persons in the village. At an unknown date an
acre of land had been given by an unknown person
to provide fuel for the poor. Various local traditions
supported the report of 1834, but by 1903 nothing was
known of either gift. (fn. 122)