Widley

Widley developed from the two hides at Cosham held by Geoffrey under Hugh de Port at Domesday. Bricsmar had held this land from King Edward as an alod. These two hides evidently became the manor of Widley (VCH Hampshire Vol. 3, pp. 171-172).

By the thirteenth century, the earls of Albemarle held the manor as under-tenants. William de Fortibus, Earl of Albemarle, died seised in 1260. His daughter Avelina married Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, but died without issue in 1274. Isabel, Countess of Albemarle, William's widow, inherited and died without children in 1293. The Scures family also held interests: Lord William de Clynton and Eva, daughter and heir of Roger de Scures, gave five acres to Widley chapel during Henry III's reign. John de Scures held Widley in 1316, and in 1346 the family held one-fourth of a knight's fee (VCH Hampshire Vol. 3, pp. 171-172).

The Uvedale family succeeded the Scures. John Uvedale held one-fourth of a knight's fee in 1428 and 1431, formerly held by Scures. Dorothy, widow of William Uvedale, died seised in 1531, and the manor passed to Arthur Uvedale, then to his son William who died in 1569. His grandson William married Mary, daughter of Sir Richard Norton. The Uvedales were deprived of two-thirds of their lands for recusancy in 1605, and the manor was granted to Henry Wriothesley. By 1607 the lands were recovered through a settlement involving Sir Robert Carye and Sir Richard Norton. Sir William Uvedale senior died in 1616 and the manor passed to his son William, who conveyed it to Sir Francis Neale and Edward Woodward in 1618, evidently for a settlement (VCH Hampshire Vol. 3, pp. 171-172).

By 1766 John Suffeild Brown and Roger Griffith conveyed the manor to William Woodrow. The Woodrow family and the Maidments, connections by marriage, held the manor until it was sold to Mr Thistlethwayte after 1823, in whose family it remained at the time of the VCH publication. The advowson of Widley had been granted to the prior and convent of Southwick by Matthew de Scures and was held by them until the Dissolution. A fair for three days from 15 July, with a court of pie powder, was granted to Richard Turner in 1715; it was abolished in 1862 when an order was issued that Portsdown Fair was to cease. Widley was amalgamated with Wymering in 1894, forming the present parish of Cosham (VCH Hampshire Vol. 3, pp. 171-172).