KINWARDSTONE HUNDRED
Kinwardstone hundred was a large and compact hundred in east Wiltshire which possibly took its name from a stone that marked its
meeting place. (fn. 1) At 196¼ hides it was the second most highly assessed
hundred in Wiltshire in 1084, (fn. 2) and it was later among Wiltshire's largest
hundreds. (fn. 3) Estates known to have been part of the assessment in 1084 lay at East
Grafton, West Grafton, or both, Marten, Wolfhall (all four later in Great Bedwyn
parish), Burbage, Collingbourne Kingston, Ham, Pewsey, Stitchcombe (later in
Mildenhall parish), Shalbourne, South Standen (Standen Hussey later in
Hungerford parish), and Wootton Rivers. (fn. 4)
In 1332 the hundred apparently included the whole of some parishes, most of
some others, and a smaller proportion of others. Ham and Stitchcombe, parts of the
hundred in 1084, had been transferred respectively to Elstub hundred by 1332 and
Selkley hundred by 1243; (fn. 5) Everleigh and Collingbourne Ducis, both in Kinwardstone
hundred in 1249 and 1275, (fn. 6) were withdrawn by an earl of Lancaster and in 1332 were
part of Everleigh liberty. (fn. 7) The parishes apparently wholly in Kinwardstone hundred
in 1332 were Little Bedwyn, Burbage, Buttermere, Chute, Collingbourne Kingston,
Easton, Froxfield, Pewsey, and Wootton Rivers. The lands of all the villages and
hamlets of Great Bedwyn parish as it was from the 16th century, except Great
Bedwyn village, were part of the hundred in 1332; Great Bedwyn village had borough
status and was not part of a hundred in the Middle Ages. (fn. 8) From c. 1130 to 1522,
from 1547 to 1552, and from 1783 the lord of the hundred was also lord of the
borough, (fn. 9) and in the 18th and 19th centuries the village, although not represented
at the hundred court, was an accepted part of the hundred. (fn. 10) The whole of Milton
Lilbourne parish except Clench apparently lay in the hundred in 1332: (fn. 11) Clench had
been withdrawn in the mid 13th century by Battle abbey (Suss.), which held the land,
was added to the abbey's liberty of Bromham, which survived the Reformation, (fn. 12) but
was apparently part of Kinwardstone hundred from the late 18th century (fn. 13) or earlier.
The whole of what was Tidcombe parish from 1894 lay in Kinwardstone hundred
in 1332 with the probable exception of Hippenscombe, which was part of Chute
forest; (fn. 14) Hippenscombe was part of the hundred in the 17th century and later. (fn. 15)
Three fifths of Chilton Foliat parish lay in Wiltshire, the rest in Berkshire: the Wiltshire
part lay in Kinwardstone hundred from 1332 or earlier; the Berkshire part lay in Kintbury
(later Kintbury Eagle) hundred in 1086 and remained part of it. (fn. 16) Of six estates at
Shalbourne in 1086 the two largest lay in Kintbury hundred and in Berkshire, the
four smallest in Kinwardstone hundred: (fn. 17) about a third of Shalbourne parish,
including most of Shalbourne village, remained part of Kinwardstone hundred. (fn. 18)
South Standen, Charlton (later Charnham Street), which was in the hundred in
1249, and North Standen, which was in it in 1268, remained parts of the hundred
although most of Hungerford parish, in which they lay, was in Berkshire. (fn. 19) In 1255
Savernake forest was expressly said to lie in Kinwardstone hundred: (fn. 20) much land
was excluded from the forest in the early 14th century, from 1330 the forest consisted
only of the king's woods, (fn. 21) and for long after 1330 no part of the forest seems to
have lain in the hundred; the west part of the forest was converted to agriculture in
the 17th century, (fn. 22) and by the 19th century the southern part of that land had been
assigned to Kinwardstone hundred. (fn. 23) Other parts of Savernake forest were added to
Great Bedwyn, Little Bedwyn, and Burbage parishes and thus to the hundred. (fn. 24)
Chute forest, which was a royal forest until the 17th century, (fn. 25) never seems to have
been part of Kinwardstone hundred. Although in 1784 the owner of the land of the
forest may have succeeded in a disputed claim that his land there was exempt from
obligations imposed by the hundred court, (fn. 26) as an extra-parochial place and civil
parish called Chute Forest it was accepted as part of the hundred for purposes of
county government in the 19th century. (fn. 27) This volume deals with the whole of
Kinwardstone hundred except the part which lay in Hungerford and Shalbourne
parishes; it includes the whole of Chilton Foliat parish, Chute Forest parish, and
the whole of Savernake parish, only part of which became part of the hundred.
The history of the whole of Hungerford and Shalbourne parishes has been written
elsewhere. (fn. 28)
KINWARDSTONE HUNDRED c. 1840
Jurisdiction over Kinwardstone hundred was granted by Henry I with his
estate called Bedwyn, which included the lordship of Great Bedwyn borough
and the lordship in demesne of Wexcombe manor in Great Bedwyn parish, to
John FitzGilbert, his marshal, probably c. 1130. (fn. 29) It descended with Wexcombe
manor until 1522: it was then held by the Crown after the execution of Edward
Stafford, duke of Buckingham, for high treason and was retained when Wexcombe
manor was granted. (fn. 30) In 1523 the Crown granted the hundred to William Cary (d.
1528) in tail male, (fn. 31) and in 1544 granted the reversion to Edward Seymour, earl of
Hertford. (fn. 32) Cary's heir was his son Henry, who in 1547, when he came of age, sold
his interest in the hundred to Seymour, then duke of Somerset. (fn. 33) The hundred
passed back to the Crown on Somerset's execution and attainder in 1552, and in that
year the Crown granted it to William Herbert, earl of Pembroke. (fn. 34) It descended with
the Pembroke title to 1783, when Henry Herbert, earl of Pembroke and of
Montgomery, sold it to Thomas Bruce, earl of Ailesbury. (fn. 35) It thereafter descended
in the Bruce and Brudenell-Bruce families with Tottenham House in Great
Bedwyn. (fn. 36)
Of the places in Kinwardstone hundred in the later Middle Ages some were
exempt from the jurisdiction of the hundred courts. Besides the exemption of Great
Bedwyn borough, from 1340 or earlier a manor held by the prebendary of Bedwyn
and based in Great Bedwyn village was also exempt, and the lord of the hundred,
and later other owners of Wexcombe manor, held a separate view of frankpledge
for Wexcombe and, also in Great Bedwyn parish, Stock, Ford, Wilton, and West
Bedwyn manor. (fn. 37) The overlord of Chilton Foliat manor, which was the Wiltshire
part of Chilton Foliat parish, held the honor of Wallingford (Berks., later Oxon.)
and until c. 1520 his men of Chilton Foliat attended a view held for part of the
honor; after c. 1520 a separate view was held for Chilton Foliat. (fn. 38) While Conholt
manor was held by Battle abbey in the 13th and 14th centuries the men of Conholt
attended views held by the abbey; (fn. 39) in the 16th century and later the tithingman
of Conholt attended Kinwardstone hundred courts. (fn. 40) The men of a manor in
Easton parish held by Bradenstoke priory were also exempt from the jurisdiction
of the hundred courts, and from the mid 16th century leet jurisdiction over the
whole parish was exercised at a view held privately; a tithingman of Easton
nevertheless attended the hundred courts. (fn. 41) Oakhill, in Froxfield parish, and North
Standen were parts of one manor and of the duchy of Lancaster and had been
withdrawn from the jurisdiction of Kinwardstone hundred courts by the 15th
century. (fn. 42) No tithingman expressly said to be of South Standen attended the
hundred courts; (fn. 43) South Standen may have been exempt or part of Charnham
Street tithing.
Despite those exemptions the courts of Kinwardstone hundred were attended in
the 16th century by 31 tithingmen, in the 17th by 32, and in the 19th by 33; only
three tithings, Buttermere, Easton, and Wootton Rivers, were apparently conterminous with parishes. In the part of Great Bedwyn parish not exempt there were
four tithings, Crofton, East Grafton, West Grafton, and Wolfhall, and the
tithingman of Wilton also attended the courts; Marten in Great Bedwyn was part
of a composite tithing with Tidcombe. In Little Bedwyn there were four tithings,
Little Bedwyn, Chisbury, Henset, and Puthall; either Henset or Puthall included
Rudge in Froxfield. There were four tithings in Pewsey parish (Down Pewsey,
Kepnal, Sharcott, and Southcott), three in Collingbourne Kingston parish
(Collingbourne Kingston, Collingbourne Valence, and Collingbourne Sunton) and
Milton Lilbourne parish (Milton Lilbourne, Milton Abbot's, and Fyfield), and
two in Burbage parish (Burbage Savage and Burbage Sturmy) and Chute parish
(Chute and Conholt). Tidcombe was part of Tidcombe and Marten tithing, and
Fosbury in Tidcombe parish was a separate tithing. Froxfield (excluding Oakhill
and Rudge), Charnham Street, and the Wiltshire part of Shalbourne parish were
also tithings. Between 1567 and 1696 a tithingman of Hippenscombe began to
attend the courts, and in the 19th century a tithingman of Brimslade and South
Savernake attended. (fn. 44)
Two hundred courts were held, one, at which leet jurisdiction was exercised and
the tithingmen paid cert rent, twice a year, and one every three weeks. (fn. 45) The early
meeting place of the hundred may have been in or near Burbage village, which lies
near the centre of the hundred, and in the late 17th century Kinwardstone gate
led to the part of Burbage parish where Kinwardstone Farm was built in the earlier
19th century; (fn. 46) in the mid 19th century the biannual court met at the White Hart,
Burbage. One tithingman for each tithing was required to attend when each court
was held. Records of the biannual court survive for 1696-1719, when it was called
the court of view of frankpledge, and 1842-71, when it was called the court leet
and view of frankpledge. In the earlier period the court met each spring and
autumn. It was attended by the tithingmen and some of the free suitors, and new
tithingmen were appointed at the autumn meeting. The tithingman of Wolfhall
and the tithingman of Puthall were required to keep, respectively, a bloodhound
and a mastiff for the use of the men of the hundred, and by custom each showed
his dog at the view of frankpledge: presumably for meeting the requirement each
was excused attendance at the court held every three weeks. At each meeting of
the view of frankpledge a jury was empanelled and it presented under leet
jurisdiction. Most presentments concerned the poor condition of boundaries,
highways, watercourses, hedges, pounds, and stocks; in 1716 the dangerous
condition of chimneys in Charnham Street was presented. The number of
presentments declined through the period. In the later period the court leet met
alternately in spring and autumn, but only 15 times. Besides amercing those who
failed to attend, its only business was to nominate officers and tithingmen. Records
of the court held every three weeks survive for 1706-20 and 1737-63. The court
was held by the lord's steward, met before two free suitors of the hundred, and
was usually attended by several tithingmen. Apparently the court's only business
was to hear pleas and to amerce the tithingmen who failed to attend, and until the
1750s the progress of several pleas was recorded at most meetings. From 1760 no
tithingman attended and the court's only business was to amerce each one. (fn. 47)
In 1275 the hundred was valued at £20: £2 4s. was received by the lord of the
hundred as tithing penny, £3 14s. as sheriff's aid, and the rest as perquisites of the
courts. (fn. 48) In the 1390s it was valued at £17: £9 10s. was received as tithing rent,
£3 as sheriff's aid, and the rest from the perquisites. (fn. 49) In 1567 the tithingmen
attending the courts paid £9 1s. 4d. as cert rent and £4 10s. 10½d. as sheriff's aid. (fn. 50)
In 1783 the combined payments, then called law silver, amounted to £13 13s.
10d. (fn. 51)
The bailiwick of Kinwardstone hundred descended in the Homedieu family in
the 13th and 14th centuries. (fn. 52) Constables were being appointed in the mid 14th
century. (fn. 53) From the later 16th century or earlier two were appointed each year, (fn. 54)
and from the later 17th century or earlier they were chosen by the steward at the
autumn meeting of the view of frankpledge and one served for the east part of the
hundred and one for the west. (fn. 55)