NAME Michelmersh PARISH Michelmersh HUNDRED Buddlesgate DISTRICT NGR SU 347256 GEOLOGY Reading Beds Upper chalk on N, W and S

SITE CONTEXT The settlement is positioned on the upper slope of the the E side of the valley of the . The church is sited at about 80m OD with the village to the SW between 60 and 80m OD. To the W the land drops to the flood plain. SE of the church area of the settlement there is a second centre around a cross roads at a little over 50m OD. Generally the village lies on S and SW facing slopes.

PLAN TYPE & DESCRIPTION Polyfocal Irregular agglomeration with a green. Irregular rows.

The area of settlement near the church is loosely arranged around a sub-oval 'island' bounded by roads. To the N of the island there is another similar shaped unit which has a footpath along its N boundary and roads on the S and E. A map of 1774 shows the field strips running up to the outer boundary of these units on the N and W. Medieval pottery found within this area, together with the cartographic evidence suggests that this most of these areas were part of the settlement land of the village during the medieval period. However, there may have been some intake from the arable along the NE side of the unit where there are some strip-like inclosures. The church is sited away to the NE of the island bounded by roads but it faces the latter unit. At the junction of Church Road and the 'island' there was a small oblong green in the C18 which really seemed to act as a focus for the settlement.

The second focus of settlement is to the SE of the first and is located around and near a cross-roads. At the cross-roads there is a small cluster of buildings which may be termed an irregular row. SW of the junction along a road to the SW is another small cluster of buildings that seem to combine row and agglomeration. Much of the land along the road to the SW is labelled as 'new inclosure' on the 1774 map suggesting that this area was newly inclosed common land. This makes this area of the village a possible common-edge settlement.

AREAS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL POTENTIAL

The two sub-oval units of the plan and the area around the church and Michelmersh Court are covered by an AHAP as these areas appear to be the core of the settlement once bounded on the N and W by arable strips. The AHAP continues to the S to include the area of the Saxon pottery kiln. The fact that there has been some form of ceramic industry around the settlement at different periods for over one thousand years proves that the clay has been deemed worthy of extraction and the possibility that there are further kilns to be discovered is high. The AHAP and AAPs have been drawn with regard to settlement only. Further fieldwork is required to attempt to discover if there are any further areas of ceramic production.

To the SE of the main area of settlement an AAP takes in the building lines on both sides of the lane to the road junction around which the AAP covers the area of C18 occupation.

A small AAP surrounds the area of Elizabethan Cottage, Chapel Lane which dates to the C16. Other buildings around it are of a slightly later date but they may have been replacements of earlier structures in this small focus.

CHURCH & CHURCHYARD St Mary. S doorway and N and S chapels c. 1200. Dec window. W tower probably was originally detached. Effigy of knight, early 14C.

BUILDINGS (Listed) House 1865 II Barn behind Stoneymarsh Cottage C17 II The Bear and Ragged Staff Late C18 with early C19 range behind II The Malthouse Inn Mid C18 altered to rear C20 II Hunts Fmhse, Lane Late C17 extended C18 and C19 II Granary 5m W of Hunts Fmhse C18 II Barn group 20m N of Hunts Fmhse C17 and C18 II Warblers Cottage C17 extended C20 II Elizabethan Cottage, Chapel Lane C16 altered C18 and C20 II Waldens Late C18 II Michelmersh Court, Church Rd Former rectory Late C18 II* Stables 20m SW of Michelmersh Court Late C18 II Walled garden 150m SW of Michelmersh Court Late C18 II Church of St Mary II* Barn at Old Michelmersh Farm C18 II Michelmersh House, Church Rd Early C19 altered C19 II Church Corner House Once cottages Early C18 II The Thatched Cottage C17 encased and extended C18 II Manor Fmhse C13 med grange core c. 1700 range with C19 addition II* Barn 15m N of Michelmersh Manor Fmhse Mid C18 II* Barn beside Corner Barn House, Mesh Rd C18 II Orchard Cottage C17 II Barn Cottage Early C18 II Old School, School Lane C17 extended C18 and C20 II Church of St Andrew II* The Old School 1847 II

SMR DATA 7 34592628 Roman pot 19 34802554 Med building C16 23 34602662 Church 32 34562635 Saxon pot kiln 38 34302580 Post-med brickworks 58 34742527 BA flint tool scatter 59 34742527 No arch seen after topsoiling 62 34082557 Neo flint debitage 63 34702550 Post-med coin 1791 80 34682611 Prehist flint debitage 81 34682611 IA pot from pond 82 34652660 Roman coin 83 34452655 Med pot scatter 84 34452655 Prehist flint debitage 97 34502523 Negative evidence 100 34402680 BA flint debitage 101 34602547 C19 pumping station 117 34682667 Michelmersh Ct

ADDITIONAL SITES/FEATURES 1 34292662 Site of building shown on Tithe map 2 34272656 Site of building shown on Tithe map. To the SE of this site there is a scarp slope running parallel to the road but approximately 40m away from it 3 34422654 Site of 2 cottages shown on map of 1774. Earthworks in this field may represent the sites of these buildings and may be associated with the medieval pottery scatter recorded on the SMR 4 34542663 Site of building shown on Tithe map 5 34452646 Site of buildings shown on Tithe map

CARTOGRAPHIC SOURCES 1:2,500 SU 3426-3526; Tithe map 21M65/F7/157/2 (1841).

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS

BIBLIOGRAPHY Addyman, P.V., Hopkins, B.G. & Norton, G. T. 1972 'A Saxo-Norman pottery kiln producing stamped wares at Michelmersh, Hants' in Medieval Archaeology Vol XVI pp127-30 Roberts, E. 1993 A Prior's Mansion at Michelmersh in PHFC&AS Vol 48, pp107-119.

PRIMARY HISTORIC SOURCES Domesday Not mentioned but recorded in earlier and later documents.

Subsidy Rolls 1334 2. 1. 11 (with ) 1524 8. 9. 4 (62 taxpayers)

Manorial Documents There are extensive records about the manor of Michelmersh in Winchester Cathedral library

Hearth Tax 1665 171 hearths (80 houses) 34 hearths not chargeable (33 houses) Total 113 houses This total will include other settlements such as Braishfield Pucknall and possibly Awbridge.

PLACE NAME 985 miclamersce OE mycla mersc 'the big marsh' referring to wetland at the confluence of the Test and Dun.

PHOTOGRAPHS

OTHER PROJECT ARCHIVE ELEMENTS Manor Farm contains medieval stonework from the mansion of the Prior of St Swithuns, Winchester. Restoration revealed C14 solar range. Records begin 1248. Documents describe the mansion- a courtyard bounded by E and W gatehouses, one of which was re-built 1270 with a first floor chamber and slated roof. A chapel and a hall. Chambers for squires and visiting monks, a baliff's chamber, a pantry and a butler's cellar. Garden with apple orchard. Home Farm with great and small barns, stables, a granary, cartsheds, pigsties, a dovecote and a well-house (Roberts, 1993).

A Saxo-Norman pottery kiln was excavated and produced stamped wares of late C10th/ C11th date (Addyman, 1972).

Grant of land by King Æthelred to Alfred 985 (ref. 857 in Sawyer, 1968, p 266).