GODSFIELD
Godesfeld, Godefeld (xii cent.).
The parish of Godsfield lies 3 miles north-east
of New Alresford. It was formerly extra-parochial,
bat is now a parish in Alresford union, and adjoins
Armsworth, which lies on the east.
Godsfield Farm, and the remains of the chapel of
the Hospitallers, now in disuse, are in the south-east
of the parish. The ground is fairly high, rising in
some places to over 520 ft. above the ordnance datum.
The north of the parish is occupied by a large copse
and plantations. There are several old chalk-pits
scattered throughout the parish.
Duthy, writing about 1830, states that there was
only one house in Godsfield, which was occupied by
the farmer and his family. (fn. 1) A few cottages have been
added since then, but in 1903 the number of inhabitants was only 13.
The area of the parish is 509 acres, of which 164.
acres are arable land, 225 acres permanent grass and
103 acres woods and plantations. (fn. 2)
Constant reference is made in Godsfield and
Swarraton charters to the wood of 'Buggenore' and
to a well-known landmark at one of its corners known
as Buggenores thorn. (fn. 3) The name may be retained at
the present day in 'Bogmoor Hill' in Godsfield.
This wood also extended into the adjacent parishes,
into Brown Candover (q.v.) and into Wield, for
in a conveyance (fn. 4) of 1598 we hear of 'Behunger
Coppice' and 'Bugner Coppice' situate in the parish
of Wield.
Manor
The Hospitallers' manor of GODSFIELD was formed by the consolidation
of certain lands, the most important of
which were granted them in the 12th and 13th
centuries by the Daundelys, lords of Chilton Candover, and by Adam de Port.
The first (fn. 5) of these grants was made not later than
the year 1171 by Walter de Andely (Daundely) and
comprised all his land ' between the two Bogenores
which belonged to Candover' (vide Chilton Candover) as well as pasture for 12 oxen and 200 sheep
among his own herds. For this a rent of 5s. a year
was to be paid. (fn. 6) As the grantor was a knight
holding under the Bishops of Winchester this conveyance was effected in the episcopal court in the
actual presence of Henry of Blois, who thus witnessed
and allowed it. (fn. 7) Other grants in the neighbourhood
followed, and of these one of the most noteworthy
was the gift (fn. 8) to the Hospitallers in frankalmoign by
Adam de Port the lord of Abbotstone of the whole
of his land in Godsfield 'between the new ditch as it
extends from the bishop's grove as far as the boundaries
of Swarraton.' Again in 1267 the knights exchanged
the right of pasture for 12 oxen (fn. 9) against 18 acres in
Chilton Candover, and three years later their still
more valuable right of sheep pasture (fn. 10) against 50 acres
near 'Buggenore.' These gifts were the chief constituents of the manor of Godsfield proper. But in
addition, possibly as early as the reign of John, we
hear of William of St. Martin and Erenburgia his
wife granting (fn. 11) to the Hospitallers an extensive tract
of land and pasture in Swarraton, the boundary of
which is traced 'from the corner of the wood of
Buggenora,' at an annual rent of 20s. (fn. 12) Hugh son of
William confirmed his father's grant but remitted the
rent.
Again, Hugh de St. Martin, possibly a later tenant
of the same family, granted to the knights his manor
of Swarraton, as we learn from a release by Roger de
Mortimer of his right therein, (fn. 13) and from this circumstance the estate of the Hospitallers was sometimes
called the manor of Godsfield and Swarraton (q.v.).
The Hospitallers established a preceptory at Godsfield
which appears to have been
the principal of the three
estates of the order in Hampshire, namely, Godsfield, Baddesley and Rownhams, the
last two being described as
members of Godsfield. The
report made on the property
of the order in 1338 as
regards Godsfield is as follows:—'At Gods field is one
messuage in bad repair, with
garden worth 3s. 4d. At the
same place there are 300 acres of arable land, 100
acres of which are worth 4d., 100 acres worth
2d., and 100 acres uncultivated worth 1d. an acre
per annum.' (fn. 14) After the Dissolution the manor of
Godsfield was for some time in the possession of Sir
Thomas Seymour, and was probably granted to him
at the same time as North Baddesley (q.v.). (fn. 15) After his
attainder in 1549, all his estates, including the manor
of Godsfield, were given to Sir William Paulet Earl
of Wiltshire, (fn. 16) afterwards Marquess of Winchester,
who in 1570 obtained licence to alienate the manor, (fn. 17)
and sold it in the following year to Richard Knight
for £361 9s. 2d. (fn. 18) The manor remained in the
Knight family (fn. 19) until 1584, when Robert son of
Richard Knight sold it to Richard Beaconshaw. (fn. 20)
Of the purchase money (£1,000) £600 was forfeited
to the queen by reason of the recusancy of the said
Robert Knight. (fn. 21)
The Hospitallers.Gules a cross argent.
In 1595 Richard Beaconshaw died seised of the
manor of Godsfield and Swarraton, which descended
to his son William. (fn. 22) Three years later William
Beaconshaw conveyed it to William Petre and other
trustees, (fn. 23) who in 1607 conveyed it to John Wilmot
and William Latton to the use of Charles Wilmot
of Culham (co. Oxon.). (fn. 24) The latter was created
Viscount Wilmot of Athlone on 4 June 1621, (fn. 25) and
remained in possession (fn. 26) of the whole estate until
1634, in which year he sold 'the mansion or manorhouse of Godsfield, and the site and demesne of the
manor and all the arable land, meadow, pasture and
feedings now used, occupied and enjoyed by Robert
Goudge tenant,' to Dame Constance Lucy and Sir
Richard Lucy, bart., respectively widow and son of
Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote (co. Warw.). (fn. 27) This
family continued to hold the
property generally called the
manor of Godsfield until about
1747, when it was sold by
Sir Berkeley Lucy, bart., the
last male heir of his family. (fn. 28)
It is uncertain who purchased
it, but shortly afterwards it
came into the possession of
George Rodney Brydges, who
was descended from a younger
branch of the family of Sir
Giles Bruges. (fn. 29) In 1751 he
was found drowned in the
canal of his garden at Avington, in the seventy-second year of his age; as he left
no issue, the greater part of his estates reverted to
the Chandos branch of the family, but he devised
his property of Godsfield to George Brydges Rodney,
afterwards the great Admiral Rodney, who had been
brought up by him. (fn. 30)
Lucy, of Charlecote. Gules crusilly argent with three luces argent.
In 1845 Godsfield was sold to John Houghton
of Armsworth House, father of the present owner, (fn. 31)
Mr. Thomas A. Houghton.
Godsfield Chapel
Church
At some distance to the west of the
house is the site of the preceptory of the
Hospitallers known as Godsfield, of
12th-century foundation. A chapel with livingrooms at the west still stands here, in very good
preservation except for the loss of the glazing of the
windows, and carefully protected by its present owner.
Its arrangements may be seen on the annexed plan.
It is all of one date, about 1360–70, built of flint
walling with large ashlar dressings, having the chapel,
26 ft. by 13 ft. to the east, and the living-rooms to the
west. The east window of the chapel is blocked, but
was evidently of three lights, and there are three
single cinquefoiled windows on the south, retaining
their iron stanchions. In the north wall near the
east end is a small opening splayed outward, evidently
to give a view of the altar from some building adjoining the chapel on the north, all traces of which have
disappeared, and the entrance to the chapel is by a
plain pointed doorway at the north-west. Three
couples of the original roof remain at the west end,
the rest of the roof being modern, as is the wooden
floor, which is raised above the level of the old. The
position of the altar is marked, and to the north of it
is a corbel for an image.
The lower living-room is entered from the northeast, and has a fireplace in its west wall, with a
square-headed window close to it on the south, and
another in the south wall. On the north side is a
projecting block containing a stone stair to the upper
room, and beneath the stair a small barrel-vaulted
chamber with a window in its north wall, and entered
from the living-room; it doubtless served as a storeroom. The upper room has a fireplace with an
arched head in the east wall, and close to it on the
south a small opening commanding a view of the
chapel. In the south wall is a cinquefoiled window,
and in the north-west angle a garderobe, close to the
door from the stairhead. A recess at the stairhead,
corbelled over above, may have contained a press or
chest, and the western gable is crowned by an embattled chimney shaft. The wooden joists carrying
the floor of the upper chamber are all ancient but
one.
Close to the chapel on the north is a modern farmhouse, and to the north-west the broken lines of the
ground suggest the existence of remains of ruined
buildings beneath the surface.
In a 16th-century survey (fn. 32) of Godsfield the 'faire
chappell' was described as adjoining 'a convenient
dwelling house for a gentleman builded of
tymber with viij or nyne good lodging
chambers . . . watered with a well of
excellent good water with garden, orchard,
barnes, stables and all other outhousing of
all sortes sufficient.'
There was a chapel at Godsfield as
early as 1338, and for its service the
Hospitallers provided a chaplain at the
yearly stipend of 4 marks without commons. (fn. 33) He would seem to have been
distinct from the professed chaplain John
Couffen, who was at this time in residence
with the preceptor William de Multon.