COMPTON
Contone (xi cent.); Cumtune, Comtone, Cumpton, Comthon (xiii cent.); Compton Parva.
The parish of Compton, which gives its name to
the hundred of Compton, covers an area of 3, 863 acres,
of which 2,586 acres are arable land, 742 permanent
grass and 49 woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The soil is chalk
and flint, with a subsoil principally of chalk, and the
chief crops are wheat, oats, barley and roots. The
barley and the red wheat are very good, while the
wheat straw is in great demand among the plaiters
of Buckingham and Bedford. As at Ilsley, besides
agriculture, many of the inhabitants are employed in
training stables. The height of the land varies from
500 ft. in the south near Perborough Castle to 320 ft.
in the centre near the village. The Icknield Way
passes through the parish, and the River Pang rises
to the south of East Compton village.
Compton is rich in evidences of British and Roman
occupation. The remains of Roman buildings have
been found in the Slade. (fn. 2) To the south of Compton
on Cow Down is a circular encampment covering an
area of 10 acres known as Perborough Castle. (fn. 3) On
Roden Down there are a number of small ditches
and dykes and other evidences of early occupation. (fn. 4)
There are four barrows, called the Cross Barrows,
near to Ilsley. (fn. 5) Before the inclosure of East Compton
the villagers had right of pasture on Cow Down. (fn. 6)
Near the village the fields called Bishop's Fields
formed part of the estate of the Bishop of Bath and
Wells. A mediaeval barn known as Bishop's Barn,
which was blown down about 1840, is said to have
once been used as a chapel. (fn. 7) There are two windmills, one Compton Windmill, near Windmill Farm;
the other, north of the church, was brought from
Little Hungerford about 1760. Over the door is
the date 1742 with the initials 'N. B. Esq.'
There are two villages, the one probably the original
settlement, consisting now of only the parish church,
in the churchyard of which are the remains of a
mediaeval cross, the manor farm adjoining the church
to the north, probably near the site of East Compton
manor-house, the vicarage and a few other houses.
The other, called West Compton, is much larger
and lies to the north-west. It contains a Primitive
Methodist chapel and a Baptist chapel. The buildings
are of brick or brick and half-timber construction,
and are generally tiled, but thatch and slate are also
employed. A few of the cottages date from the 16th
century. On the north side of the main road at the
west end of the village are two mediaeval barns, to
the east of which stands the manor farm of West
Compton Manor. It is apparently a 16th-century
building, though much modernized, and is of two
stories; the walls are now covered with stucco.
Roden House, formerly called Stokes Manor, (fn. 8) was
the scene of the close of a notable run of the Royal
Staghounds in the time of George III, when the deer,
after a chase of thirty miles from Windsor, took refuge
in the hall. The king gave the deer his liberty and
called him 'Compton.'
During the civil wars of the 17th century Berkshire suffered considerably, and the high constable
of Reading called a meeting on Compton Downs to
protest against the 'unsupportable burdens and contrary commands' to which the inhabitants of the
county were subjected—an action which led to his
imprisonment. (fn. 9) In 1644 Compton Heath was the
scene of the encampment of the whole Parliamentary
army. (fn. 10)
Manors
In 1086 King William held the
manor of Nachededorne, assessed at 20
hides, formerly held in alod of King
Edward by Edric. No further reference to this
manor under its early name has been found, and
there seems to be little doubt that it was amalgamated with the manor of COMPTON, formerly held
by Edward the Confessor and included in the Terra
Regis at the date of the Domesday Survey. (fn. 11) The
whole estate apparently remained with the Crown
until the reign of Henry II, who made a grant of
Compton to Gilbert de Crispin, (fn. 12) whose son Gilbert
de Tillers paid a relief of 100s. to Richard I in
1194. (fn. 13)
The manor was held of the king in chief by
knight service. (fn. 14) After the death of Gilbert de
Tillers the manor or a moiety of it passed to
Joan, one of his daughters and wife of Thomas
Malesmains. (fn. 15) Apparently Malesmains forfeited as
a Norman, and the manor was acquired by Ralph
Gernon about 1204. (fn. 16) In 1216 Thomas and Joan
obtained possession again, (fn. 17) but in 1219 Joan quitclaimed her right in a moiety of the manor to Ralph
Gernon, in confirmation apparently of an earlier
grant to Ralph by Thomas and Joan. (fn. 18) Ralph enfeoffed William Gernon, who is returned as sharing
4 librates of land of the inheritance of Gilbert de
Tillers with the Prioress of Kington. (fn. 19) A life
interest in a part at least seems to have been reserved, and this apparently went to the king on the
death of Joan, (fn. 20) who restored it in 1233 to Ralph
Gernon. (fn. 21)
In 1276 Thomas de Clare (who had apparently
succeeded by grant from the Gernons) exchanged
the manor with Robert de Mucegros, for which purpose he surrendered it to the king. (fn. 22) At Robert's
death in 1280 it was assigned in dower to his wife
Agnes and ultimately passed to Avice daughter and
heir of Robert, (fn. 23) who married first John de Ferrers
and then John de Bures. (fn. 24) She was sued in 1336
for land in Compton by Margaret de Stoke, the
granddaughter and heiress of Arnulph Gernon, (fn. 25) but
the result is not known.
At about this date Compton is called a member of
the manor of Hampstead Norris, which had also
been acquired by Thomas de Clare. (fn. 26) It appears
not to be mentioned as a separate manor for two
centuries. It is then found as the manor of STOKES
COMPTON or STOCKING COMPTON in the
hands of William Norreys, who died seised of it in
January 1506–7. (fn. 27) It descended in the Norreys
family (fn. 28) (see Yattendon in Faircross Hundred) until
1609, when Lord Norreys conveyed Stocking Compton to Richard Bartlett and John Okeley. (fn. 29) This
may have been in trust, possibly for one of the Head
family. Thomas Head, born in 1667, is called 'of
Roden House, formerly Stokes,' by Cherry, and the
manor is said by him to have descended through
Elizabeth, daughter of Henry and granddaughter of
Thomas Head, wife of John Pottinger, to Rev. Head
Pottinger. (fn. 30) It was sold by the latter to Edward
Lee, whose only daughter married John Browne of
Chisledon (co. Wilts.). Mrs. Browne about 1868
sold it to Lord Overstone, (fn. 31) from whom it has
descended to Lady Wantage.
When the manor of EAST COMPTON was
acquired by the Abbess of Wherwell in Hampshire is
not known, but the abbess had an estate there in
1218–19. (fn. 32) There was probably an early grant,
for in the Testa de Nevill Wherwell is returned as
having held East Compton in almoign of the predecessors of the king, (fn. 33) and in 1228 Pope Gregory confirmed its possession of both the manor and the
church. (fn. 34) The abbey continued to hold the manor till
the Dissolution, (fn. 35) when it was granted to Richard
Andrews and Leonard Chamberlain in 1542 with
leave to alienate it. (fn. 36) They seem to have conveyed
the manor to Thomas, Robert and Bartholomew
Burgoyn, who granted it in 1544 to Richard Bartlett,
M.D. (fn. 37) Between 1555, when
Richard Bartlett was still in
possession, (fn. 38) and 1607, when
Thomas and Henry Bartlett
held it, (fn. 39) no reference to the
manor has been found. Before
1618 it was sold by Richard
Bartlett to Sir Peter Vanlore, (fn. 40)
a wealthy Dutch merchant,
who also purchased West
Compton, (fn. 41) and the descent
of the two manors is identical
from this date. Sir Peter, who
was knighted in 1621, died in
1627, leaving a son and four
daughters, (fn. 42) among whom he divided this property in
equal shares. Peter his son, who died before 1653,
divided his fifth share among his three daughters:
Jacoba wife of Henry Zinzan alias Alexander, (fn. 43) Mary
wife of Henry Alexander Earl of Stirling, (fn. 44) and Susan
wife of Sir Robert Croke. (fn. 45) Mary, eldest daughter of
Sir Peter and wife of Sir Edward Powell, dealt with
her share in 1651. (fn. 46) Thomas Levingston and Anne
his wife, daughter of Anne Caesar fourth daughter
of Sir Peter, held another fifth and dealt with fractions of it at various times. (fn. 47)
Vanlore, baronet. Or a garland in its proper colours.
The share of Catherine, second daughter of Sir
Peter, wife of Thomas Glemham, was dealt with by
Sackville Glemham, (fn. 48) Robert Marriott, (fn. 49) Peter Glemham, (fn. 50) Elizabeth Glemham, (fn. 51) wife of Thomas Cressey,
and their daughter Anne wife of Sir Thomas Parkins. (fn. 52)
The share of Elizabeth, the third daughter of Sir
Peter, wife of John Vandebende, was dealt with by
her sons John and Abraham, (fn. 53) who were succeeded in
1709 by John Vandebende and Temperance his wife. (fn. 54)
It would appear from records of 1699 and 1709
that the two manors were divided between Anne
wife of Thomas Parkins and
John Vandebende, from whom
they were acquired by John
Head, (fn. 55) who was holding them
in 1740. (fn. 56) He was succeeded
by his son Sir Thomas Head,
who died in 1779. He left
the manor of Compton in East
and West Compton to his son
Walter James Head, who took
the name of Walter James
James, and was created a
baronet in 1791. (fn. 57) Sir Walter
James James conveyed the
manors to John Thomas Wasey,
at whose death they passed to his daughters Mrs. Jane
Stackpole and Miss Mary Wasey, who on 26 March
1855 sold the manors of East and West Compton for
£5,000 to Lewis Loyd, a London banker. His son
Samuel Jones Loyd was created Lord Overstone of
Overstone and Fotheringay in 1850. His daughter
and heir Harriet Sarah married Colonel Lindsay, who
assumed by royal licence the name of Loyd and was
created Lord Wantage in 1885; on his death in
1891 Lady Wantage became the owner of East and
West Compton. (fn. 58)
Head of Compton. Sable a cheveron between three unicorns' heads razed or.
Another manor known later as KYNTON'S,
BISHOP'S COMPTON or COMPTON PARVA
was originally part of the manor granted by Henry II
to Crispin, the father of Gilbert de Tillers. The
Prioress of Kington held it in the 13th century, (fn. 59)
possibly by grant from the
second co-heir of Gilbert de
Tillers, Agnes wife of Philip
de Croix. (fn. 60) Service was owed
to the prioress by (among
others) the Abbot of Abingdon (fn. 61) and John de Turbervill. (fn. 62) In 1291 the prioress
made a grant of all her lands
in West Compton to Robert
Burnell, Bishop of Bath and
Wells. (fn. 63) The manor remained
with the successors of the
bishop. (fn. 64) In 1648, at the
sale of the bishop's lands, the
manor designated Compton Parva in the indenture
was sold to Thomas Smith, whose father had been
granted a lease of it in 1624 for the term of his own
life and that of his sons Thomas and Richard. (fn. 65) In
the 17th century it was held on lease by the family
of Pottinger, who apparently ultimately acquired the
fee-simple. Richard Pottinger, son of the Recorder
of Reading, (fn. 66) levied a fine of it in 1747, (fn. 67) and
it descended to his son Richard Pottinger, (fn. 68) who
died without issue. (fn. 69) It came to his nephew the
Rev. Richard Pottinger, (fn. 70) whose daughters and coheirs, Mrs. Macbrae and Mrs. Borland, sold their
interest in the Manor Farm to Mr. W. G. Stevens. (fn. 71)
Since the latter's death it has been held by his
trustees.
Bishopric of Bath and Wills. Azure a saltire quartered saltirewise argent and or.
In the reign of Edward the Confessor Bundi had
held ASHDEN (fn. 72) (Assedone, Asschedon, xi cent.;
Esseden, xiii cent.), afterwards WEST COMPTON,
but at the date of the Domesday Survey it formed
part of the estates of Henry de Ferrers, (fn. 73) who held
it as parcel of the honour of Tutbury, with Ralph
de Bakepuz as sub-tenant. The overlordship passed
with the honour of Tutbury to Edmund Crouchback
Earl of Lancaster, (fn. 74) whose successors continued to
hold it until the 15th century, (fn. 75) when it became
merged in the Crown at the accession of Henry IV.
In the 13th century William de Bakepuz, a
descendant of the Domesday under-tenant, is given as
holding half a fee in 'Kingston, Cumpton and Ashden.' (fn. 76)
Before 1296 the lands in
Ashden and Compton had
been alienated to Nicholas de
Kingston and Philip de la
Beche. (fn. 77) In 1300 Nicholas de
Kingston conveyed his lands
in Ashden to William Maunsel, (fn. 78) who sold them in 1321
to John son of Philip de la
Beche. (fn. 79) He was holding
Ashden at his death in 1328,
and also the lands in Compton
which he held of his father Philip. (fn. 80) His son Thomas
died seised of the same in 1332. (fn. 81) His brother and
heir John died unmarried in 1338, (fn. 82) and Ashden
passed to his sister Joan wife of Andrew de Sackville,
who conveyed it in 1343 to her uncle Nicholas. (fn. 83)
From this date the manor of Ashden with Compton
followed the descent of the manor of la Beche in
Aldworth (q.v.) till it came into the possession of
Anne the wife of William Stafford of Bradfield. (fn. 84)
In 1522 William Stafford conveyed this manor under
the name of the manor of West Compton to Richard
Nevill, (fn. 85) whose son Sir John Nevill (fn. 86) left four
daughters, who in 1579 joined in vesting it in
Katherine the eldest, who married Henry Earl of
Northumberland. Richard Nevill, cousin and heir
male of Sir John, released his right in the following
year. (fn. 87) After the death of the earl, his widow, who
married Francis Fitton, continued to hold the manor (fn. 88)
until her death in 1592, when it devolved upon her
son. (fn. 89) It was purchased by Sir Peter Vanlore of Sir
Thomas Crompton and others, (fn. 90) probably the trustees
of Henry Earl of Northumberland, and thereafter
descended with East Compton (see above).
Duchy of Lancaster. England with a label of France.
John de la Beche had grants of free warren in
Compton in 1316 (fn. 91) and 1317. (fn. 92)
Another estate also known as the manor of WEST
COMPTON is first heard of in 1509, when Edmund
Earl of Suffolk forfeited it on his attainder. (fn. 93) It is
called the manor of NEW COMPTON in 1511, (fn. 94)
and it is probable that it was a part of the manor of
Langley in Hampstead Norris and about this date
became a separate estate. Anthony Fettiplace, squire
of the body to Henry VIII, was appointed steward in
1509, (fn. 95) an office in which he was succeeded on his
death two years later by William Compton. (fn. 96) In
1513 the king granted the manor to certain trustees
for the use of Margaret de la Pole, widow of the
Earl of Suffolk, during her life. (fn. 97) After her death in
1515 (fn. 98) it was probably included in the grant of
Langley to Anne wife of Thomas Howard, and in
the conveyance by Howard to Charles Brandon Duke
of Suffolk. (fn. 99) Brandon exchanged it in 1535 with
the king, (fn. 100) who in 1545 granted the farms of West
Compton and Langley to Edward Fettiplace, (fn. 101) who
died seised in 1549. (fn. 102) With Langley West Compton
came to Richard More. (fn. 103) From the Mores it passed,
probably by sale, to Henry Lord Norreys, who was
holding in 1576, (fn. 104) and whose son William died
seised of it in 1579. (fn. 105) The son of the latter, Francis
Lord Norreys, was in possession in 1602. (fn. 106) The
manor is not mentioned in the conveyance made of
Stocking Compton by Lord Norreys in 1609, (fn. 107) and
may be comprised in the lands in West Compton
conveyed by the Earl of Berkshire to Peter Vanlore
in 1622. (fn. 108)
The Prior of Poughley had a manor of COMPTON
comprising the grants made to him by various persons. (fn. 109) After the suppression of Poughley by Cardinal
Wolsey (fn. 110) the manor was given to his college at
Oxford. (fn. 111) On Wolsey's attainder the king granted
it to the Prior and convent of Westminster. (fn. 112) The
estate seems to be comprised by the woods in
Compton granted to John Carleton in 1541 after
the dissolution of St. Peter, Westminster. (fn. 113)
In 1086 the Bishop of Coutances held 5 hides in
Compton. (fn. 114) This probably came to the Crown later
and may have been the manor held by Wherwell
Abbey. (fn. 115)
Church
The church of ST. MARY AND
ST. NICHOLAS consists of a chancel
25 ft. 3 in. by 14 ft. 3 in., with vestries
and organ chamber on the north, a nave 49 ft. I in.
by 23 ft. 9 in., a modern north aisle, a west tower
11 ft. 8 in. by 10 ft. 4 in., and a south porch. These
measurements are all internal.
The building was much restored and modernized
in 1850, when the chancel was rebuilt and the north
aisle and porch were added; new windows were also
inserted throughout the nave. It is, therefore, impossible to assign a date to the body of the building,
but the Norman font, which is still in use, suggests
the existence of a 12th-century structure; the tower
is a 15th-century addition. The vestries were built
in 1911.
The chancel is built in the Early English style and
is of flint with stone dressings. It is lighted by single
cusped lights and the walls are buttressed. In the
east end of the north wall is a modern window of three
trefoiled lights. The jambs are carried down on the
inside to the top of a 15th-century altar tomb which
has here been preserved, while below the sill, forming
a slight recess over the centre part of the tomb, is a
four-centred arch. The tomb projects slightly and
stands on a base. Along the front are six square
panels in which are set quatrefoiled and trefoiled
circles. In the west end of the wall is a large modern
square-headed recess, at the west end of which stands
the organ, while at the east end is the doorway
opening into the vestries. At the east end of the
south wall is a trefoiled ogee-headed piscina having
a small credence shelf above the basin, which is
uncusped and a little more than semicircular in plan;
it appears to have been reset from the old chancel.
The modern arcade between the nave and the
north aisle is of four bays with pointed arches carried
on octagonal piers having moulded capitals and bases.
In the south wall are three modern lancets and at
the west end opening into the porch is a modern
pointed doorway. As in the case of the chancel,
the nave is built of flint with stone dressings and is
internally plastered and painted. The south wall is
divided into four bays by modern two-stage buttresses
and there are diagonal buttresses at the angles.
The tower stands on a plinth and is divided
externally into two stages by a moulded string-course at
the level of the ringing chamber; the parapet is embattled and at the western angles are diagonal buttresses
(each of three offsets) which stop just above the
moulded string; that at the south-east has its upper
part built at right angles to the wall, while the
lower stages are partly built into the west wall of
the nave and partly along the south wall of the
tower. On a stone in the north wall is carved the
date 1612. This no doubt refers to a restoration.
The tower arch is modern and the full width of the
tower. Lighting the ground stage is an original
window of three cinquefoiled lights under a fourcentred head with an external moulded label. Below
the window is a four-centred doorway under a square
hood with carved head stops. Lighting the ringing
chamber from the south is a pointed window of two
trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil over and an external
moulded label. Its general appearance is more in
character with the work of the 14th than of the
15th century. The bell-chamber is lighted from
each side by a square-headed window of two uncusped pointed lights.
All the roofs are modern and are covered with
tiles. A circular 12th-century tub font remains,
though its base has been partly broken away. The
cover, which has been much restored, probably dates
from the 15th century. The hexagonal pulpit is of
18th-century date. It is enriched with carving and
appears to have been made up out of pieces of a
'three-decker.' Built into the south end of the east
wall of the north aisle is a semi-octagonal piscina
basin, below which is part of a 14th-century jamb.
These are preserved from the older church.
In the floor at the east end of the nave is a brass
inscribed to 'Richard Pygott and Alys' his wife.
Above the inscription are the figures of Pygott and
his wife both dressed in the costume of c. 1500.
There is a peal of six bells by Pack & Chapman
of London, 1775, and a small tolling bell by
R. Wells of Aldbourne. The treble and second are
both inscribed, 'I mean to make it understood
That tho I'm Little I'm Good'; the third has
only the founder's initials and the date; the fourth,
'Such Wondrous Power to Music's Given It elevates
the Soul to Heaven'; the fifth, 'Ye People all who
hear us Ring Be Faithful to your God & King';
and the tenor, 'Ye Ringers all that Prize your
Health & Happiness Be Sober Merry Wise & you'll
the same Possess.
Compton Church from the South-west
The plate consists of a silver cup probably of
1804, (fn. 116) inscribed 'Given to the Parish of Compton,
Berks. 1819 by the Revd. Charles Jesse. B.D. Vicar,'
a silver foot paten of 1798 bearing the same
inscription, a silver salver of 1754 and a silver jug
apparently of the late 18th century, though the date
letter and hall marks are quite illegible.
The registers previous to 1812 are as follows:
(i) baptisms 1553 to 1655, burials 1553 to 1679,
marriages 1553 to 1682 (this volume is rather
fragmentary); (ii) baptisms 1679 to 1715, burials
1680 to 1715, marriages 1684 to 1715; (iii) baptisms
and burials 1716 to 1767, marriages 1716 to 1753;
(iv) baptisms 1767 to 1803, burials 1768 to 1803;
(v) baptisms and burials 1804 to 1812; (vi) marriages
1755 to 1811. There is also a loose sheet containing
baptisms 1648 to 1663.
Advowson
The advowson of the church
of Compton, which was originally
dedicated in honour of St. Nicholas,
but is now the church of St. Mary and St. Nicholas,
belonged in the 13th century to the
Abbess of Wherwell, whose right to it
was recited in the bull of Pope Gregory
in 1228. (fn. 117) The Prioress of Kington
(Wilts.) had a grant of certain tithes in
1230, (fn. 118) which were assessed in 1291 at
3s. (fn. 119) Reading Abbey (fn. 120) also had a pension from the vicarage of 8s. 5½d., (fn. 121) for
which in 1328 the prior sued William
de Petresfeld, perpetual vicar of Compton, and which was confirmed to him
by the Prior of Hurley. (fn. 122) After the
Dissolution both the rectory and the
advowson of the church were granted to
Henry Norreys and Margery his wife (fn. 123)
and descended in the Norreys family. (fn. 124)
In 1622 Sir Henry Marten presented, (fn. 125)
probably pro has vice. (fn. 126) In the autumn
of the same year the rectory and advowson were sold by the Earl of Berkshire to Sir Peter Vanlore, (fn. 127) who had
purchased the manors of East and West
Compton a few years previously, and
who died in 1628 seised of the rectory
and prebend and the advowson of the
vicarage, (fn. 128) which he divided among his
son and daughters. In 1638 his son
Sir Peter and his daughter Lady Powell
were successful in a suit with reference
to the tithes of the rectory. (fn. 129) The
advowson of the vicarage followed the
descent of the manor of East and West
Compton (q.v.). In 1683 the living is
stated to be in the gift of the Crown, (fn. 130)
owing probably to a lapse, and the next record of it
occurs in 1703, when John Head was the patron. (fn. 131)
In 1731 presentation was made by Richard Head, (fn. 132)
possibly in trust, and in 1740 the advowson was held
by Thomas son of John Head, (fn. 133) who presented until
1779. (fn. 134) John Dodd appears to have acquired the
rectory at about this date, for he was dealing with it
in 1763. (fn. 135)
From Sir Thomas Head the advowson passed to
his second son Sir Walter James James, (fn. 136) who
assumed this name in 1778 (fn. 137) and presented to the
living until 1820, when Mr. J. T. Wasey became
the patron. The advowson then followed the
descent of the manor (q.v.), and Lady Wantage is
the present patron.
Lewis Evans, the mathematician and astronomer,
was curate here between 1778 and 1788. (fn. 138)
Charities
The Parliamentary Returns of
1786 mention that William Allen,
by his will dated in 1774, gave an
annuity of £5 for the maintenance of children at
school; also that Nicholas Pottinger, by his will,
gave £10, the interest to be distributed among the
poor on every Ash Wednesday.
It further appears from an entry in the parish
register under date 1727 that John Cray left
£14 to buy a coat of 14s. value for a poor man
yearly.
No payments are now made in respect of these
charities, which appear to have been lost sight of.
By an award, made under an Inclosure Act, a plot
in the Green, containing 33 p., was allotted as a
common watering place; also 1 a. 2 r. 23 p. at Chalk
Pit Hill and 1 a. 3 r. 31 p. in Thorn Down were
allotted for the use of the parishioners. The allotments are unproductive of income.