"The principal manor in the Parish of Buriton
was known as Mapledurham, other manors were West Mapledurham, Weston,
Ditcham and Sunworth. For several centuries the manor was held by the
Clare family, Dukes of Hereford and Gloucester. In 1719 the land was
bought by Edward Gibbon, grandfather of the historian, with money from
the South Sea Company; the manor eventually descended to the historian
himself......."
Taken from Hampshire County Council website
Buriton
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| The Manor House |
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The Thrashing
Barn in the grounds of the Manor House |
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This is a lovely little place
with a narrow road that wends its way down to a large duckpond
opposite the church and is a favourite spot for walkers on there
way to nearby Butser Hill at a height o 900 ft above sea level and
the site of an ancient camp.
Here also can be found adequte
car parking for visitors to the church or those wishing to walk.
The church of St Mary's as an extremely fine 12th
century interior abut the outside of the chancel is from a century
later. Buried here is John Goodyer who in the 17th century was a well
known botanist and he was so well known that during the English Civil
War a royalist general ordered his men "... on all occasions to defend and protect John Goodyer,
his house, servants, family, goods, chattels and estates of all sorts
from all damages, disturbances and oppressions whatever."
The great 18th century scholar Bishop Lowth was
born here at the rectory, an early Georgian Manor House, and the
home of the father of Edward Gibbon who wrote of the Decline and Fall of
the Roman Empire.
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He wrote in his autobiography,
referring to the manor: "An old mansion in a state of decay has been converted
into the fashion and convenience of a modern house ... and if strangers
had nothing to see the inhabitants had little to desire". Gibbon started to build his own library here and
he loved all the books that his father had in the library "stuffed
with old trash, High Church divinity, and politics."
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THE POOR
HOUSE |
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The Poor House, built in 1790, was
in the middle of the High Street and were occupied by couples who were
separated and could not look after themselves, men were housed in
one half and women in the other.
During the 1940s there were six
dwellings here consisting of two bedrooms a scullery and a sitting room.
Primitive amenities were laid on with electricity downstairs only
consisting of a light in the living room and one in the hallway, candles
were used upstairs. One tape which was situated outside served all six
houses and water was carried in by bucket when required.
The houses all had an outside
toilet at the end of the garden and these were cleaned out by a
sanitation tanker, known affectionately as the "Violet Cart"".
Cooking was carried out on a
double primus stove in the scullery or on a large range in the sitting
room. Ironing was done by heating flat irons on the range and the
laundry was done in a large copper in the scullery which was heated by
wood.
Today though, the Poor House has
been made into modern dwellings
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HISTORY OF ST MARYS CHURCH
MORE INFORMATION ON BURITON AND PARISH REGISTERS
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