King's Somborne is a typical large Hampshire village. It was formerly of greater importance as a local centre: the Hundred of Somborne stretched along the Test Valley from Wherwell to Timsbury and Sherfield, and until 1842 the parishes of the Hundred formed the Deanery of Somborne. From 1307 to 1832, on and off, Somborne returned a member of Parliament. For the last century or so, however, most of the small semi-rural industries that used to flourish have disappeared, leaving a residential and farming community.

All Saints, Little Somborne, has always been a Chapel of Ease, attached to the Mother Church of King's Somborne, while at one time there was also a chapel at Compton, and the curacy of St. Peter's, Stockbridge was annexed to the parish till 1843. In 1923 the benefice was united with its neighbour, St. Mary's, Ashley. All Saints was declared redundant in 1972, and St. Mary's in 1977. The Roman road from Winchester to Old Sarum runs through the parish: the area was certainly cultivated in Roman times. Christianity had a toe-hold in England during the Roman occupation but was overwhelmed by the heathen invaders, Angles, Saxons, and Jutes: the latter had settlements in the southern part of the county, and the Saxons in this area. Missionaries then came from Gaul and Ireland, and by the mid-seventh century the country was Christian, in name anyway, a wild country of small scattered communities, dividing their time between farming and feuding: only the Church provided any kind of unity, or laid any stress on the gentler virtues. Some time during these confused years, the settlement of Somborne appeared: recent excavations in the churchyard and school grounds have produced 5th to 6th century ceramic evidence, as well as some Roman remains. The name may mean "Swines Brook" or "Summer Bourne".

In the ninth century all that had been achieved in the way of unity or civilisation was again threatened, this time by the Danes and Norsemen, who by 873 had conquered the whole of England except the Kingdom of Wessex, as well as parts of the continent: Normandy, in France, owes its name to them. The genius of Alfred the Great, however, halted and tamed the invaders: he set up fortified burghs, among them his capital, Winchester, organised the defence of the realm, and encouraged the administration of Justice. During the next century the Shire and Hundred Courts gradually developed: in some circumstances cases were tried in the Hundred Courts using a sort of Jury. It is of interest that the Abbess of Romsey had jurisdiction over criminals in her own domain.

The wise rule of Alfred was followed by further years of strife, when the Danes harried the land, possibly passing through the village on their way to their ships with loot from Berkshire. Canute, a Dane and a converted heathen, became king of both Denmark and England, and was buried in Winchester in 1035; the union did not survive him. Finally, with the Norman conquest of 1066, the tale of invasion came to an end.

By the time of the later Saxon kings, Somborne was a place of some importance. There are traces of large stone buildings south of the churchyard. which it is thought formed part of a royal palace possibly comparable to Clarendon near Salisbury - hence the name King's Somborne. It is probable that a stone church had been built on the present site by then (though the palace would have contained its own chapel) but nothing visible remains.

The Norman King, William, replaced the existing Saxon aristocracy by his Norman followers, and imposed severe taxes, but he brought strong government, peace, and prosperity. In 1082, in order to establish his tax base and ascertain the ownership of land William ordered a survey to be made of the country south of the Tees, even employing a second body of Commissioners to check the findings of the first. In this remarkable document, the Domesday Book, are listed several manors 'At Sumburne', one of them the royal manor which had belonged to Edward the Confessor, the largest establishment: 'The King holds Sumburne in demesne (lordship) .... Land for 10 ploughs. In the demesne there are 3 ploughs, 25 villagers and 8 smallholders with 8 ploughs. Two serfs; 3 mills at 15 shillings, 7 freedmen; meadow, 20 acres; pasture at 17s; from grazing 10d. The jurisdiction of two Hundreds belongs to this manor. Two churches, to which 1/2 hide belongs in alms.' The book also records that the count of Mortain (half brother of the King) 'holds 1 manor which 3 thegnes held of King Edward ...' The Count appears to have had an extra patch of land: he held it, but the jurors of the Hundred asserted that it ought to belong to the King. William de Ow (later to rebel against William Rufus) held land stretching from Stockbridge - hence perhaps 'How' Park. Little Somborne was held by Bernard Pauncefoot ('Fat-faced' or 'Fat-bellied') - hence Pauncefoot Hill - and Compton by William the Archer. (Waleran the Hunter also held some land). Thus the entire district passed under Norman control.

The Normans were tremendous builders. For defensive reasons they made themselves castles, first in wood and then in stone, and in due course when the times allowed, splendid churches (though their more ambitious towers usually collapsed, as in Winchester Cathedral). They therefore rebuilt the church in King's Somborne fairly soon after the Conquest. Their structure would probably have been in the shape of a cross, and have had three altars, at the East end and in each side arm. All that remains today is the Purbeck marble font, and even on it the little marble pillars are replacements from the 1886 restoration.

Little Somborne church, which was built in the first half of the eleventh century, is unusual in having retained its Saxon form and masonry, though it was altered towards the end of the twelfth century.

The mediaeval churches have shaped our perceptions of beauty and worship; these buildings themselves were shaped by the needs and ideas of their time. It is extraordinarily difficult for us to understand mediaeval life, with its extremes of saintliness and corruption, superstition and sophistication, and its web of obligations and responsibilities. Our present separation of sacred and secular life did not exist: the monasteries were the centres of learning of all kinds, and at first the Church supplied most of the administration, the King's officials: two at least of the Rectors of this parish, Martin Pateshull (c 1220) and William de Ralegh (1230-39, when he became Bishop of Norwich), were distinguished judges. Both were possessed of other benefices as well as King's Somborne, and their parish work would have been done by chaplains. The theoretical model of a parson in his parsonage, collecting tithes to be split four ways, between him, the care of the church, the poor, and the diocese, was rarely if ever found in practice: the tithes went to a rector who was not necessarily even in Holy Orders, or to a religious house, or a statesman; the churches were then served by vicars or chaplains salaried by the rector, or by priests attached to a monastery. The parish priests were usually simple men like those among whom they worked: though celibacy was always the ideal, a domestic union recognised as marriage was common among the lower clergy, particularly before the Conquest. Most people's lives were spent within a day's walk of their homes, yet the King and Court travelled incessantly and the dignitaries of the Church were in constant touch with Rome and the Continent. Because of the universal use of Latin for all important matters, there was less of a language barrier than there is today. These ages could take on the astonishing adventure of the Crusades: the troops are said to have celebrated Mass at Little Somborne on their way to set sail in 1196.

In 1190 the Manor of King's Somborne was granted to William Briwere, a loyal servant of the Plantaganet kings, who made him one of the most powerful men in the realm, and rewarded him handsomely. Among other offices he was at various times sheriff of Hampshire and of other counties, (including Nottingham while Richard Coeur-de Lion was on a Crusade: this makes him Robin Hood's notorious adversary). He also signed Magna Carta. Though much disliked and an extortioner, his family married well: one of his descendants married Henry of Lancaster: their daughter, Blanche, who inherited the Manor in 1362, married John of Gaunt; the Manor then passed to their son, Henry Bolingbroke, who in 1399 became King Henry IV. The Manor remained a royal possession till the time of Charles I.

In 1200 William Brewer received from King John a licence to fortify a castle at
Ashley: Ashley church had stood for over half a century already, so William's bailey was built around it. Subsequently the King stayed there to hunt in the Forest of Bere. In 1201 Brewer founded a Priory of Augustinian Canons at Mottisfont; his son gave them the church of King's Somborne: from 1207 till the dissolution of the Monastery the Priory appointed the vicars of King's Somborne, and no doubt the priests to serve at the altars and chantry. His brother John presented Little Somborne to the Priory, and there is unreliable evidence that a third brother, Peter de Rivaulx, was a monk there of some sanctity, known as 'the Monk in the Wall'.

Because of the increase in the size and importance of the area at that time, a north aisle of two bays was added to the church in about 1205, followed by enlargement of the chancel and then the addition of a south aisle in about 1225. Of this Early English work, the first bay of the nave from the east end and the arch of the second bay remain, having been rebuilt in 1886. On the first column of the south aisle are two most interesting graffiti, small drawings incised in the stone, which were recognised as 13C work by the late Canon Theophilus. They may have been preliminary sketches, or the artists may have scratched the outline of their pictures on the stone before colouring them. One depicts the Crucifixion: it faces the nave, 32 inches from the ground and 9 inches high. The other, even more difficult to see, faces the south aisle on the fifth stone from the ground and shows the Virgin, crowned, and Child. Also, near the ground, there are little crusader's crosses incised by kneeling pilgrims

Two interesting records survive from those days: in about 1236 William de Ralegh, lawyer and rector of the parish, in the course of litigation to arrange the affairs of William Briwere's daughter Margery de la Ferte, agreed that the church had the right to keep, with the beasts of the Lord of the Manor: 12 bullocks, 2 cows and a bull, 100 sheep and a ram, 30 pigs and a boar; and there were also rights to gather wood for fuel. Then in 1241 a licence of the Pope himself, Gregory IX, confirmed the priory of King's Somborne, provided they paid a vicar.

The 13th C. saw the development of the Nave as a place for the people to assemble and take part in services (it would have been used for meetings and probably festivities as well), while the chancel might give sanctuary to fugitives. The 14th C. saw the development of the Chancel for the use of the clergy, and the screening of the chancel and chapels from the nave: the screen would have been surmounted by a crucifix (rood). Following the death of William de Brestowe (or Brestolle, i.e. of Bristol), vicar from 1305-27, the chancel was doubled in length, in order to make room for his monument on the north side of the Chancel, consisting of a niche with a very bold septfoiled ogeeshaped head, containing the figure of a priest clad in eucharistic vestments, carved in low relief. An inscription in Norman French (instead of the more usual Latin) runs round the slab, "Williem de Brestowe gist ici de so alme eyt merci." (William de Brestowe lies here, God have mercy on his soul).

It is likely that on Maundy Thursday the Sacrament was placed on the Brestowe monument, representing the Lord's tomb, and guarded by a priest till Easter morning.

In 1321 the Prior of Mottisfont had to explain to Rigaud Bishop of Winchester that William had been instituted during a (lengthy) vacancy in the See, and subsequently, but through no fault of his own, a fire in the Vicarage had destroyed all his papers; a proper enquiry, with evidence given on oath had shown that everything was in order.

These improvements were followed by the lengthening of the north and south side-chapels, the cutting of arches between the Chapels and Chancel, and the insertion of the present Chancel windows; the congregation were helped by the provision of bigger windows in the south aisle. Corbal stones for the images of SS Peter and Paul can be seen on each side of the East window, and there is an aumbry behind the altar: from the 7C on, the Bread and Wine consecrated at Holy Communion were placed in a vessel called a Pyx which was kept in a cupboard - armarium or aumbry - together with the sacred vessels and any relics the church might have possessed.

After this, no further expansion of the church took place for a very long time: the Black Death in the middle of the 14th C reduced the population drastically, while the relative importance of the area declined as London replaced Winchester as the capital.

John of Gaunt 1340-99, fourth son of Edward III and father of Henry IV was prominent in English affairs during his lifetime. Through his marriage to Blanche of Lancaster he acquired with the manor of King's Somborne a deer park to the West of the village, of which part of the enclosing banks and the yew trees on these may still be seen. William Brewer had been given the right to chase hare, fox, cat and wolf there in 1200; in 1552 the pale was broken and there were no deer, by 1591 it had been mended and there were 215; there are still deer there today.

The two brasses of about 1380 on the chancel floor are thought to be father and son and to have been John of Gaunt's stewards. They are the third oldest in Hampshire, and. belong to the finest period of the craft. The Church in his time, with its wall paintings and figures must have been very splendid, a symbol of the self-confidence and temporal power of the Church. With neither pews nor pulpit it would seem strange as well as garish to us.

These were the times of the rise of the English archers: local legend has it that the mound just to the south of the churchyard is the remains of archery butts; certainly there was a muster at Michelmersh before Henry V sailed to victory at Agincourt in 1415, and 100 years later in March 1523 the Hundred of Somborne could muster 58 archers and 116 billmen against the possibility of war with France.

In 1543 an Archdeacon's Visitation ordered the repair of the windows. By that time the Church was preoccupied by the Reformation with all its passion and confusion. The Priory of Mottisfont was dissolved in 1537, amicably, the Prior receiving a pension: the patronage of the parish passed to the new owner of Mottisfont, Lord Sandys of the Vyne. The Bible went from Latin to English, to Latin again in the reign of Mary Tudor, and finally to English under Elizabeth. The Rood images and all Popish relics, even the head of Brestowe's effigy, were destroyed. The incumbent of Ashley was deprived of his living for refusing to take the oath of supremacy when Elizabeth ascended the throne. Both sides persecuted their opponents with horrifying intensity: a relation of the Giffards who then owned King's Somborne manor was burned at the stake in Winchester.

In 1536 Thomas Cromwell ordered parishes to keep a record of births, marriages, and deaths, an order that was widely disregarded; in 1597 it was enacted that earlier entries should be transcribed into parchment books. In this parish the entries go back to November 1567, all the entries till 1597 being made at one time. There are 24 entries for 1568: from then until 1600 the number fluctuates between 22 and 24 with a marked preponderance of births, except in 1587, when there were 10 baptisms, 2 marriages, and 10 burials, five of them in one week in May. Whether famine, pestilence, or chance accounted for this is a matter for speculation. Some names, such as Ewence, occur that are still well known in the village. A note in the register book says that on October 23rd, 1620, Alice Higgins Sturt of London, born in this village, gave the sum of £4 to the church for the poor of the parish. This first register ends in 1631; its successors are missing so there is no record of whether the village was struck by the plague that afflicted Winchester but touched the surrounding villages lightly.

After 1552, the law was that all persons were to attend Divine service every Sunday and holyday. In the Consistory Court proceedings of the Archdeacon's Visitation of 1607 three men from Somborne were summonsed for refusing to attend Church: presumably they were Roman Catholics (the decision of the court was excommunication) while a Stockbridge butcher was summonsed for keeping his shop open at the time of the service, and the innkeeper for keeping ordinary company and playing at that time.

The intimate association of the church with agriculture continued, in 1619 there is a reference to the custom of giving a general summons in church to those tenants who had rights to wood from Parnholt Forest in return for services rendered and in 1632 were reserved to the Vicar of Somborne 3 sheep, 3 fleece of wool and 3 lambs yearly out of Little Somborne.

The charming Jacobean altar rails date from this period: they were designed to enclose all four sides of the Holy Table, to keep dogs and children from spoiling it. After various wanderings, they are now sited in the South aisle round replicas of the chancel brasses, suitable for making rubbings without damage to the originals.

In 1603 King James I stayed with Richard Gifford at the Manor; Richard was knighted for the occasion. In the Civil War, however, Richard Gifford and Sir John Mills, who was then the patron, were known Parliamentarians, and would have supported the Puritan changes. There is a span of 47 years between the appointment of William Barlow as vicar in 1611 and his successor in 1658.

During the Civil War many clergy were deprived of their livings, including the incumbents of Houghton, Michelmersh, and Leckford in this area: it is likely that Barlow died about 1640; the new man was appointed in 1658 during the Commonwealth and would have used the 'Directory of Public Worship' in place of the Prayer Book which had been made illegal in 1644.

The Restoration brought a new Vicar and an end to religious turmoil: indeed, by 1685 the church required a major restoration. The Chancel arch was removed and the church given a new bell tower and roof with a barrel vault running the full length of the church: there is a tradition that the timbers for the new roof came from the old Palace, pulled down around that time, and also the Jacobean moulded tie beams with their dentils and ornamental pendants which are now in the nave.

In about 1736 the Sanctuary acquired its black and white marble floor and a memorial on the left of the altar, both commemorating the Needham family, who probably built the Old Vicarage: father and son in turn were Vicar from 1690 to 1733. The nave was also filled with box pews and galleries added at the back (for the organ) and over the South aisle. At the same time the Dissenting movement arose and John Wesley's work led to the rise of Methodism: a Dissenter's meeting house was licensed in King's Somborne in 1797, and the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was opened in 1832, though the present Church was not built till 1871.

Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act of 1753 - to prevent clandestine marriages - started the registration of marriages in specially printed books. Again, village names still current are to be found, and for anyone interested in the spread of literacy these books provide valuable information.

In spite of the opening of the Canal in the 1790's, the beginning of the 19th C found the area in a very depressed state: the population is given as 778 in 1801: by 1838 it is given as about 1,000 (incidentally with a rental value of £3,700) so the figures may not be comparable. At this later date, there were three Non-conformist chapels, and Stockbridge is described as a hamlet of the parish.

In 1842 a constant preoccupation of the parish since earliest times was finally ended when the tithes were commuted for £767 per annum. Also in 1842 the parish acquired its most distinguished incumbent of modern times, Richard Dawes, later Dean of Hereford. He played a prominent part in the Church's efforts to provide universal education, and in 1846 he set up a village school, still flourishing today. In it he could apply his own ideas, and it was widely acclaimed as a model: he insisted that everyone should pay fees according to their means, maintaining that what appears 'free' is correspondingly undervalued, and he regarded natural history and practical studies as an essential part of every child's education.

In 1843 Stockbridge became a separate parish and acquired a new church: the great wave of Victorian church building was getting under way. The Oxford Movement, with its high view of the role of the clergy and desire for services full of movement and splendour was spreading its influence through the land, and was soon to transform the parish church. For in 1882 Charles Nicholls, Vicar from 1851 and known as the Hunting Parson, was followed by a young man, William Blackley, who set to work to 'restore' the church. This was done in 1886, using funds raised by a levy of one shilling in the pound on the parish rates. Somewhat oddly, the faculty is for enlarging the capacity of the church from 352 places to 298. Though the work was done with more discretion than in some places, the effect was to rob the church of character. Gone are the box pews and galleries, and the entire roof was removed, together with the walls of the West and the North arcade.

All that could be seen of the original nave and aisles were skeletal parts of walling and the south-east pier of the chancel (behind the pulpit) the core of which must still contain some of the work of the Norman builders of the church. The vicar is reputed to have commented that, 'The Norman pillars go down like a pack of cards.'

In the rebuilt church both aisles were extended to the full length of the nave with arcades of three bays and a fourth bay at the West end with smaller arches and strengthened piers to support the new belfry. The chancel arch was replaced, slightly off-centre, and the north arcade built, both in thirteenth century style. The two original arches in the south side were rebuilt, and one new arch and column to match added. The west end was completely rebuilt with a large window corresponding to the east window of the chancel, increased in height and stiffened with buttresses, and the redesigned belfrey added. The Porch was moved from the south, facing the palace, to the north side, reflecting the reorientation of the village as railway had followed canal, and a turnpike road had been built to Romsey on a causeway over the low-lying flood plain. In all this work as much of the old material as possible was used: in the porch can be found the odd incised stone, upside-down, and the ornamented Jacobean beams were reinserted in the nave, though with no structural function.

The nave and aisles were then filled with the pews we have now, which also occupied the spaces which are now vestries. Compton Manor pew took up part of the north aisle, the east end of which (where the organ is) was used as a vestry

In 1892 it was the turn of Little Somborne to be repaired and restored to its original state, but no structural changes were made to the very simple building.

In 1900 the church acquired a new organ, and Bible, 16 suspension lamps, and brass communion rails (recently replaced in wood), and also surplices and cassocks for a choir of 22 men and boys. The vestry was moved from the north aisle to its present position at the back of the church, with a choir vestry on the other side. As the Vicar, A.J.B. Creighton, was disinclined to bother with formalities, an acrimonious correspondence with the Diocesan authorities followed.

Since then, the church and its government have been gradually modernised: in 1923 the Parochial Church Council was set up, a stage in the process which has taken the Church back to synodical government in attempting to find a form of organisation appropriate to our times. In 1923 the benefice was united with its neighbour, St. Mary's Ashley.

In 1926 electric light was installed by a local contractor, Arthur Page, at 100 volts D.C., the cost defrayed by Mrs. Milmer of Compton Manor, and in 1936 Central Heating was installed. In 1939 the charming side chapel in the north aisle was constructed by local craftsmen.

In 1972/3 Mrs. Coates, wife of the Vicar, designed and made the wrought iron chandeliers in the nave, while the comfort and beauty of the kneelers were made by the congregation, inspired by Mrs. Ida Walford and Mrs. Irene Pigott. The conversion of the North vestry to a kitchen and store was the work of Col. Ian Wilson.

To commemorate the centenary of the Victorian restoration, an appeal was made: with the proceeds the tower has been reshingled, the organ overhauled, and the interior colourwashed.

And so we see the church continuing to be the centre of the village, its fabric altered according to the needs and ideas of the time, but always witnessing to the best of man's ability to the faith of the congregation and the truth of the Gospel.

OUTSIDE

The graveyard round the church itself was closed in 1913, and taken over by the Parish Council in 1940. Twenty years later the kerbstones and mounds were removed, but happily the stones remain. The churchyard must be more populated than the scattered stones suggest, and the raised, box-like memorials are in fact small family vaults. The grass-mound to the south just outside the churchyard may be the remains of archery butts, used in the days when compulsory practice with the longbow gave English archers their pre-eminence in battle. In 1852 a site was acquired in Stockbridge Road, which is now used as the parish cemetery, and this was extended in 1998.

In the 1930s the church was reminded by the churchwardens, Mr. Smith and Mr. C.B. Scott, of a link with the distant past. Like many families, the church possessed a peat hole on the floor of the valley near Stockbridge - an area of nearly an acre in extent from which the Church had the right to dig peat for fuel. The hole had, of course, filled with water, and was let to Mr. Herbert Johnson of Marsh Court for fishing. When the Marsh Court Estate was sold, the hole was included in the land for sale. With great presence of mind, the Churchwardens noticed and pointed out the error to the vendors, with the result that the church was able to sell the hole for a modest, but useful sum.

There is a mass dial on the joint of the south-west window. This is a small sundial incised on a stone: the style is missing. This unsophisticated timepiece was sufficient for village activities in early times.

THE BELLS

There is a fine peal of 6 bells: the oldest of 1495 in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of 1626 inscribed 'Praise the Lorde', one of 1686 saying 'I will give eade into the Lord. Henry Anderson vikar', and a fourth from 1810. These were all recast in 1887, when a fifth bell was added:

Victoria et I 1837
Wm Lewery Blackley Vicar
T.B.Woodham M.D. Ringer
Ringer Churchwardens

In 1927 the sixth bell was added, costing £80 raised by public subscription.

PLATE, ETC.

The church has a pair of silver chalices of 1802, a plated flagon, and a silver chalice of 1703 with an older cover dated 1624. Following the Reformation much silver was melted down and recast in accordance with the intolerant anti-papalism of the time so really old plate is rare. In 1996 a Ciborium was presented to the Church by the Pepperell family and in 1997 a Chalice, Ciborium, and two silver cruets were presented to the church by Mrs. Olive Coates in memory of her husband, Raymond Coates, Vicar of this parish 1969-82.

In 1996 the new West Window was dedicated to the memory of Sir Thomas Sopwith, who died at Compton Manor, aged 101, in 1989.

There is a parish bier in the museum in Winchester and the Parish registers are in the County archives.

The large oak candlesticks in the chancel were placed there in 1952 to commemorate fifty years of service as Churchwarden by Mr. Cyril Scott of Up Somborne Manor; in 1973 he completed sixty years in office. Five years before he was appointed, his grandfather had resigned after 39 years in the same office a total for one family that must be exceptional.

From Mottisfont Priory the patronage of the church passed at the Reformation to Lord Sandys; for many years it was in the hands of the Barker-Mills family. and as lay rectors they owned the chancel. Since 1982 the Patron has been the Bishop of Winchester.

THE CHURCH NEEDLEWORK
Quilted Draught Curtains:
Hanging at the Main Door these curtains were designed and worked by a number of people. The quilting on the main part of the curtain was sewn by hand, whilst the red borders were machine stitched. They were completed in 1992.

Kneelers in Pews:
The making of these began almost 20 years ago and they are still being made. There are approximately 170, mostly commissioned in memory of a loved one or other significant event. They have been designed and worked by many people.

Choir Stall Cushions:
At present there are two in position. One commemorating the Flower Festival held in the Church in 1992 showing a selection of garden flowers, from left to right - pansy, poppy, arum lily, rose, iris, cornflower, and honeysuckle. The second depicts some of the most common wild flowers of the Test Valley, from left to right - marsh marigold, bluebell, cow parsley, dog rose, mallow, violet, primrose, bindweed and foxglove. These were both designed by Mrs. Pat Bird and worked by many different hands.

Three Wedding Kneelers:
These can be found in the Lady Chapel. The blue one, worked about ten years ago, was found to be too small for both the bride and groom to kneel on. In 1994 the two white kneelers were made to give more comfort for brides with very full skirts.


Priest's Door Curtains:
The intricate embroidery was completed by three parishioners. They depict St. Peter, holding the keys, and St. Paul. The embroidery was mounted and ivy leaves embroidered by a number of people, all of whose names have been embroidered on a piece of fabric and stitched on the back of the work. They were on display at the knitting and Stitching Exhibition at Alexandra Palace in 1994.

Altar Rail Cushions:
These were especially commissioned by the family of the late Ida Walford. The three six foot cushions depict Ida's faith and her life in the village. It was worked by about twenty of Ida's friends and her sister chose and worked the text. The initials of all concerned appear on the back.

Vicar's Stall Kneeler:
This was designed and worked by a parishioner, the box being made by one of the churchwardens. It was made to commemorate the ministry of the Rev. Raymond Coates who was Vicar of the parish from 1969 to 1981.

The Wedding Embroidery:
Commissioned by the P.C.C. in 1994, the design and content was decided by members of the parish. The embroidered squares of material come from the brides' dresses. The couples' initials are worked in the colours of the bridesmaids' dresses and the flowers. The work is edged with embroidered orange blossom flowers. Many hands have helped with the work and when, in 1998, there was no more room left on the original roll of material, a new roll was begun.

Kneelers Depicting Favourite Hymns:
These kneelers can be found in the Lady Chapel. They were especially designed for the Knitting and Stitching Exhibition Competition in 1995. Five members of the congregation worked them and the hymns chosen were:

Make me a Channel of Your Peace
God be in my Head and Understanding
The Old Rugged Cross
Father Lord of all Creation
A Boy Gave to Jesus Five Loaves and Two Fish

A sixth one has been worked to complete the set and this features the modern hymn, The Servant King.

VICARS OF KING'S SOMBORNE
1220 Martin Pateshall )
1230-39 William de Ralegh ) Judges, held other benefices
1243-40 Bishop of Winchester )
1283 William de Hothone
? Hugh de Hanslop
1305 William de Bristowe or Bristolls
1327 John Everard
1334 William de Bromore
1370 John Coule
1388 John Clerc
1394 John Payn
1400 Thomas Norton or Flemying
(Exchanged with Rector of Collingbourne Ducis)
1406 Henry Romayn
John Stapulford
1447 Thomas Bayly
1451 Richard Heth, Canon of Mottisfont
1454 John Wynchestre, Canon
1459 Thomas Fenvois or Fairwise, he had been a monk at Burscough Priory in Lancashire, but transferred to Mottisfont because of a scandal involving black magic. 1471 appointed Prior of Mottisfont d.1472.
1485 Henry Lake
1485 Richard Halsall
1512 William Parkhouse, A.M.
1519 Barnard Holden
1521 Robert Hutton
1557 William Rowarde
1569 Edward Hayden
1573 Thomas Burbanck
1590 Sir Jones
1611 William Barlowe - Possibly grandson of William Barlowe Bishop of Chichester (d. ?1569) and son of William who became inter alia chaplain to King James I's son Henry, wrote about the lodestone and ship's compass, and had five sisters who all married bishops.
1658 George Jones
1663 Edward Moreing
1666 Henry Anderson - Author of a pamphlet, 'A loyal tear dropt on the vault of the High & Mighty Prince, Charles II' 1685
1690 Peter Needham
1721 Peter Needham Jnr.
1733 Richard Edmonds
1747 Charles Mill
1792 Richard Taylor
1830 Anthony Crowdy
1831 Sir John Barker Mill
1836 Richard Dawes, M.A. (Preferred to the Deanery of Hereford)
1851 Charles Nicoll, M.A. 'Once upon a time when it was necessary to notify the village whether the parson was at home or gone hunting, the bell was rung on Sunday at 9 o'clock.'
1882 William Lewery Blackley, B.A (Exchanged with Vicar of St. James the Less Westminster) Hon Canon of Winchester
1889 George David William Dickson
1894 John Henry David Creighton (exchanged with Rector of Foulsham, Norfolk)
1914 Evelyn Howard Morton, M.A.
1915 George Edmund Harries Theophilus, M.A. (preferred to the Rectory of Faccombe-with-Combe) Hon Canon of Winchester
1935 Charles Sidney Chapman, M.A.
1941 John Hedley Dobbs, M.A.
1947 John George Russell Blackwall
1962 Leonard Francis Wright (exchanged with Vicar of Shepshed, Leics.)
1969 Raymond Frederick William Coates A.K.C., H.C.F.
1982 Joseph Robin Cardwell M.A. Dip.Th.
1990 Jeffrey Llewellyn Phillips
1993 Michael James Murfin Norton