Manor Profile
Fareham, Hampshire· Fareham Hundred· 1086 – 1894
Also known as: Fernham, Farnham
Fareham was held by the Bishop of Winchester at the time of the Domesday survey in 1086. The manor actually contained 30 hides but had always been assessed at 20 on account of its exposed position and liability to attacks from the Danes. In King Edward's time it was worth £18; after the Conquest the value fell to £10, then rose to £16 before the survey, when it was farmed at £20, though the VCH records that it could not bear that amount (VCH Hampshire Vol. 3, pp. 209-216).
The successive bishops of Winchester retained the manor throughout the medieval period. In 1284 the king granted all his right in the hundred of Fareham to John, Bishop of Winchester. Fareham functioned as a free borough and in 1306 returned two members to Parliament, the only occasion on which Fareham was represented. Borough courts were held almost continuously from the first record in 1337 until 1729, when the last evidence of jurisdiction appears. By 1835 Fareham was omitted from the Hampshire boroughs in the official report, its privileges having been allowed to lapse (VCH Hampshire Vol. 3, pp. 209-216).
The manor was seized during the Civil War. Ralph Riggs held a lease for three lives, granted in 1641. After his death, his widow Margery petitioned the Commons in 1647 for confirmation of the lease. Following the ordinances for the sale of bishops' lands, Nicholas Bond purchased the manor in 1648 for £1,632 12s. 7d. At the Restoration the manor was returned to the See of Winchester, where it remained until 1869 when the Ecclesiastical Commissioners took over the estates of the see (VCH Hampshire Vol. 3, pp. 209-216).
Fareham was an important medieval port. In 1346 it was described as a free port, and the mayor of Southampton was pardoned for taking customs to the great damage of Fareham. A letter from Portsmouth to Sir John Coke in 1630 praised Fareham Harbour as a convenient and safe place to moor ships. Ship-money of £50 was levied on the parish in 1636 (VCH Hampshire Vol. 3, pp. 209-216).
The parish church of St Peter and St Paul existed by 1086. In 1157 Henry de Blois, Bishop of Winchester, appropriated the church with all its appurtenances to the Hospital of St Cross, Winchester, which yielded 60 marks yearly at the time of Henry VIII's valuation. The advowson and tithes passed through several hands before being acquired by Sir John Whalley-Smythe Gardiner in 1840 (VCH Hampshire Vol. 3, pp. 209-216).
| # | Name | From | To | Acquired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bishop of Winchester(Bishop) | 1086 | 1284 | original endowment of the bishopric | Part of the original endowment of the see. Actually contained 30 hides but assessed at 20 owing to exposed position and Danish raids. |
| 2 | John de Pontoise(Bishop of Winchester) | 1284 | 1304 | royal grant of hundred rights | In 1284 the king granted all his right in the hundred of Fareham to Bishop John. Bishop from 1282 to 1304. |
| 3 | Successive Bishops of Winchester(Bishop) | 1304 | 1641 | episcopal succession | Held continuously by the see until the Civil War confiscation. |
| 4 | Ralph Riggs | 1641 | 1647 | lease for three lives | Granted a lease for three lives in 1641. His widow Margery petitioned the Commons in 1647 for confirmation, citing a £1,000 loan to him in 1645. |
| 5 | Nicholas Bond | 1648 | 1660 | purchase (bishops' lands sale) | Purchased the manor for £1,632 12s. 7d. following the ordinances for the sale of bishops' lands. |
| 6 | Bishop of Winchester (restored)(Bishop) | 1660 | 1869 | Restoration | Restored to the see at the Restoration. Held until the Ecclesiastical Commissioners took over in 1869. |
| 7 | Ecclesiastical Commissioners | 1869 | statutory transfer | Took over the estates of the see of Winchester in 1869. |
Bishop of Winchester
Manor farmed at £20 at Domesday, though previously assessed at £18 TRE. Always assessed at 20 hides despite containing 30, owing to exposed coastal position and liability to Danish raids.
Source: VCH Hampshire Vol. 3, pp. 209-216; Domesday Book 1086
See of Winchester
diocese · held · 1086 – 1869
Part of original endowment of the bishopric. Hundred rights confirmed 1284.
Hospital of St Cross, Winchester
hospital · held church revenues · 1157
Henry de Blois, Bishop of Winchester, appropriated church of St Peter and St Paul with all appurtenances to St Cross in 1157.
Ecclesiastical Commissioners
government_body · held · 1869
North Fareham (Roche Court) developed from a 7.5-hide Domesday holding within Fareham parish.
Cams (Cammes Oysell) developed from a 4-hide Domesday holding within Fareham parish, formerly of Earl Godwin.
Both Fareham and Alverstoke were held by the Bishop of Winchester and later the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
Both Hambledon and Fareham were held by the Bishop of Winchester and later the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
Bishop of Winchester held Fareham (20 hides assessed). Separate holdings of 4 hides (later Cams) and 7.5 hides (later North Fareham).
Referenced in VCH for knight's fee assessments at Cams and North Fareham.
Referenced in VCH for grants of hundred rights, free warren, and borough privileges at Fareham.
Referenced in VCH for deaths of lords holding North Fareham, including des Roches, Brocas, and Pexall families.
Referenced in VCH for property transfers at Fareham, Cams, and North Fareham.
Principal source for the manorial descent of Fareham, North Fareham (Roche Court), and Cams (Cammes Oysell). Covers parish, borough, manors, churches, and charities.
