The church of St Peter & St Paul

Three miles from Alton is the small village of Shalden with its 19th century church replacing the old Saxon one that stood here. The new one, dedicated to St Peter and St Paul is built of flint with Bath stone dressing in Early English style and inside it has a 15th century font. The manor of SHALDON was held at the time of MANOR the Domesday Survey by William Maudit; formerly it had been held by four freemen of King Edward the Confessor as an alod. The overlordship of the manor passed to the descendants of William Mauduit in the same way as the manor of Hartley Mauduit (q.v.), of which Shalden was held. The manor was apparently held by the Maudits of Hartley Mauduit in demesne until near the end of the 12th century, when William Maudit of Hanslope gave this manor to his brother Robert Maudit of Warminster to be held of William and his heirs for the service of half a knight's fee. Robert Mauduit died in 1191, and his son and successor Thomas was holding the manor in 1235-6. He died in 1244, and was succeeded by his son William. Thomas the successor of William left a son and heir Warin, a minor, whose custody was assigned by Henry 111 brother Richard Earl of Cornwall. From Warin some interest in the manor seems to have passed on his death 1299-1300 to his son Thomas, for he granted a virgate of land at Shalden to Walter Stoner his freeman for his homage and services. Before this time, however, the manor seems to have passed to Richard, Earl of Cornwall, for he obtained from Henry III a grant of free warren there, and on his death in 1272 the manor descended to his son Edmund, who was summoned in 1280 to show by what right he claimed free warren and the assize of bread and ale in the manor.

At that time Sir Nicholas de Boys held the manor of the earl as a tenant for life. In 1297 the earl, in consideration of the good services of Sir Nicholas, granted the manor to him and his Cornwall, heirs for ever. Sir Nicholas was to pay nothing for the manor, but his heirs were to pay £12 a year to lion gules the earl. This rent was, however, remitted in 1320 by Edward II, to whom the earl s interest had descended. In 1309 Sir Nicholas de Boys granted the manor to Robert de Kendale and Margaret his wife and the heirs of Margaret.

The manor was then held by Ralph le Mareschal for life. He was still holding it in 1310, but it had passed to Robert de Kendale before 1316. Robert died in 1330, and his son Edward succeeded to the manor, but it was held by Margaret widow of Robert till her death in 1347. Sir Edward de Kendale died in 1373, leaving a son Edward his heir. Edward (then Sir Edward) and his brother Thomas both died without issue in 1375. Sir Robert Turk and Beatrice his wife, sister and heir of Sir Edward and Thomas de Kendale, conveyed the manor in 1376-7 to Sir William Croiser and William Buckbridge, trustees for Elizabeth widow of Sir Edward de Kendale the younger, to whom they transferred it in the same year.

Elizabeth afterwards married Sir Thomas Barre, and died in 1421. Her heir was her grandson, John son of Thomas Barre, but the manor of Shalden passed to John de Kendale, who held it in 1428. From him the manor passed by descent or purchase to Robert Lee and his wife Joan, who conveyed it in 1437-8 to Stephen Dyer and his son William. William Dyer conveyed the manor in 1444-5 to Richard Bishop of Chichester and others. The Dyers seem, however, to have been merely trustees for the Lees, for in 1445-6 Maud, Ann Elizabeth, Jane, and Ellen, daughters of John Lee, claimed the issues of the manor during the nonage of their brother John under the will of their father, and complained that they had been prevented from enjoying them by Reginald Sandes and Robert Norton, trusteen.

In 1567 William Lee sold the manor to Anne Twynne, and in 1591 Richard Miller and William Gregory sold it to William, afterwards Sir William, Kingswell.

It was sold In 1628 by Sir William's son and successor Edward Kingswell to Sir Richard Young, bart., of Weybridge, of whom it was purchased in 1632 by Humphrey Benett.

Humphrey sold the manor of Shalden in 1653 to Anne Mynne, widow of George Mynne of Woodcote, and to John Lewkenor and Anne, daughter of George Mynne, his wife. John Lewkenor and Anne were succeeded bv their son John, and this manor passed in the same way as that of Steventon (q.v.) to the Knights of Chawton, in whose family it remained till 1840, when it was sold by Edward Knight to Mr. John Wood of Theddon Grange On his death in 1871 it passed to his son Mr. John Gathorne Wood, the present owner.

The church was built in 1865 by the generosity of the then Squire of the village. It is small  seats about 150 persons, and built to replace a Late Norman thatched church which stood just to the south of the existing building.

The old font has been retained and is still in use, and there is also a silver chalice and paten cover that date back to  1628.

An underground tunnel used to run between the nave of the old church and the cellar of the Old Cottage which lies about a hundred yards away. But when the old church was demolished the tunnel was filled in for safety. The village had its own rector until 1939 but one winter the rectory was almost burnt to the ground and many of the church records were destroyed.