Our duty to the future is to be accurate about the past

According to the Victorian County History of Hampshire, now available on line (click here), Winkton was known as Weringetone in the 11th century and became Wincleton in the 17th century. According to the Domesday Book it was held of Edward the Confessor by Earl Tostig who was the brother of Harold Godwin and betrayed him at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, just before Hastings.  In 1086 it belonged to Waleran the huntsman of whom it was held by one Robert.  By this time one hide and half a virgate of land [see Note 1 below] together with all the woodland had been taken into the King’s forest (the New Forest). While a another virgate had been given by William I to a certain priest. “The remainder comprised of three hides and one virgate.  In 1280 John of Monmouth held a knights fee in Winkton in chief.  John de Campney held this fee  from him (presumably a form of sub letting). One hundred years later the Lordship of the Manor was in the hands of Oliver de Ingham and at his death the value of this was forty shillings yearly. It was assigned to his daughter Joan and her husband Roger Lestrange.  In 1406 the manor was held of Miles de Stapleton and ten years later it was held by his heirs. This seems to be the last record found relating to that part overlordship. Part of the estate was aquired by the Christchurch Priory while the greater part was acquired by William Gunderville.  Between 1316 and 1346 it was held by Robert Gunderville.  Then it belonged to Richard of Fernhill and Henry Gunderville.  Henry’s quarter of a fee passed to Alice (his daughter) who was the wife of Thomas West.  She died in 1395 and half the manor passed to her son Thomas, the estate at his death in 1406 was now recognised as a distinct manor.  He was followed by his son Sir Thomas whose brother Reginald was heir and inherited in 1416. Richard of Fernhills quarter went to Ralph Bush and in 1431 Sir Reginald West owned “the Manor of Winkton.”  Confusingly this left Ralph Bush holding another manor in Winkton this probably became known as the Manor of Fernhills Court in Winkton. Sir Reginald became the sixth Lord De La Warr and died in 1450 succeeded by his son Richard who died in 1476 he had settled the manor on his wife Katherine when she died in 1494 it went to her son Thomas West the eighth Lord then to his son another Thomas.  In 1538 he considered selling the manor to Lord Cromwell [see Note 2 below].  However when he died the manor passed on to his grandson the tenth Lord William who owned it till 1568.  Two years later his son Thomas West conveyed the manor together with Bockhampton to Sir John Berkely and John Griffithe perhaps as a mortgage or settlement.  In 1591 both manors together with that of Fernhills Court belonged to William Waller.  He mortgaged them to John Berkely who in then conveyed them to Edward Read.  In 1601 the three manors were sold by John Berkely as mortgagee to John Moore. 

1. A virgate was a quarter of a hide approximately 30 acres.  A hide therefore was 120 acres 

2. Lord Cromwell was Thomas Cromwell minister to Henry VIII whose commissioners closed the Priory.