Fonthill Gifford

The parish is in the Dunworth Hundred and is situated 22 Km west of Salisbury. Until 1934 the parish covered an area of 2004 acres, but this was reduced to 1558acres at this time, when the North West part of the parish was transferred to Hindon. In 1986 further small areas were transferred to Berwick St. Leonard and Fonthill Bishop. The north and north east boundary follows a tributary of the river Nadder, part of which was dammed in 1539 to form a lake. The west, south west boundary with Tisbury follows a road, possibly in existence in the 11th and 14th centuries. The Wilton-Mere road which forms the northern boundary was turnpiked in 1761, but dis-turnpiked in 1870. This road may have taken a different route before it became a turnpike. To the west, the road from Marlborough to Shaftsbury was said to have been obstructed by imparking in 1379, but remains a public road through parkland, beside the lake of Fonthill House and links Fonthill Bishop to Semley. The Hindon – Tisbury road is thought to have been in existence in the 11th century.

The tunnel under this road was constructed in the late 18th century. 

An Upper Greensand ridge crosses the parish from north eat to south west, and towards the south west Beacon Hill rises to the highest point in the parish at 237m. To the north west of the greensand are outcrops of chalk, with ridges and dry valleys, in the lower east-south east are limestone outcrops. Bitham Lake was made before 1639 by damming a stream which flowed into the Nadder. The ruins of Fonthill Abbey are situated on Hinkley Hill at 213m. During the Middle Ages there were open fields on the lower chalkland with common pastures on the higher land and some arable on the greensand and limestone areas. From the 14th century imparking increased. In the mid 16th century here were 10 farms, most land was inclosed, but sheep were on common downland and cattle on the greensand areas. The Abbey enclosure was walled between 1794-6, enclosing 725 acres of parkland in the parish.  In the 18th century woodland was increased at the expense of arable land.

In 1840, 21 acres near Hindon was divided into small gardens with around 100 tenants, and dairy farming increased. By 1984 a high proportion of the parish was woodland and pasture, the Fonthill Abbey estate consisted of 650 acres of farmland, 300 of which were in Fonthill Gifford with arable and dairy farming continuing.  

In 1066 Fonthill Gifford was held by Euing and consisted of 5 hides. By1086 there was land for 7 plough teams with 7 of meadow and a pasture ½ league long x 3 furloughs and held by Berenger Gifford. It is suggested that he was the Berenger Cotel who held the demesne in 1084, and a descendent, Gerard Gifford held Fonthill in 1159. His son Robert held the barony of Fonthill Gifford until his death 1202-9. His brother Andrew gave up the lands and with the King’s assent had, by 1209, resigned the lands to four males, presumably the husbands or descendents of his 4 female co-heirs. 

The first parcel of land passed to the eldest of these, Robert de Mandeville, who became overlord, and this passed through the family until John Mandeville died in 1360.

By 1348 land had passed to Sir Robert Challons, and was then acquired by a Hungerford, thought to be Robert, Lord Hungerford. After his death in 1459 it passed to Robert, Lord Hungerford and Moleyns. In 1466 the manor was held by Baroness Botreaux, mother of Robert, and John Mervyn. 

The second portion, that of Robert Maundit was later called Fonthill Gifford Manor.  Sir John Maundit, who died in 1347, also held Fernhill Manor and some of the Fonthill lands passed with Fernhill manor, mostly in Tisbury, to his grandson, Sir Wm. Moleyns, and through his family to Eleanor Moleyns, wife of Robert Hungerford, Lord Hungerford and Moleyns who died in 1464. The remainder of the Fonthill land passed through the Maundit family and by marriage in the 14th century this portion of the manor was held by Thomas Hinge.

It is believed that he sold the land to Robert Hungerford who was succeeded by his son Robert, Lord Hungerford and Moleyns, so the two portions of Fonthill Gifford Manor were reunited. 

The third portion of the estate, that of William Cummin was called Fonthill La Warre in later times and at the end of the 13th century it became Fonthill Charterhouse. It was held by his grandson Sir John de Cauntelo, and passed through the family by marriage and in 1416 was held by Thomas, Lord West. From 1427 until 1553 the land and the la Warre title were inherited together, until it was sold to John Mervyn. 

In 1209 an estate was held by William de Fontibus, this was possibly the estate called Fonthill Charterhouse by mid 13th century and held by Matthew de Furnays. By 1392 it had been conveyed to the Carthusian Priory at Witham in Somerset, who held it until the dissolution. In 1542 the estate was conveyed to Sir Thomas Arundell, on Arundell’s attainer in 1552 it passed to the Crown and was granted to Sir John Mervyn in 1553.

John Mervyn now held two of the four portions. 

The four portions of the manor were again under one owner, when Sir John Mervyn gained them through inheritance and purchase. The estate was held by the Crown from 1631 when Mervyn Tuchet, Earl of Castlehaven was executed for felony. Charles 1st granted the manor to Francis, Baron Cottington in 1632, and this family held it until the estate was sequestrated in 1645 and given to the regicide John Bradshaw. After the death of Bradshaw, Francis Cottington took the estate by force and it was held by the Cottington family until it was sold, in 1745, to William Beckford, lord mayor of London in 1763 and 1770. His son William succeeded to the estate and built Fonthill Abbey. The estate was sold to John Farquhar in 1823, but by 1825 he had decided to divide the estate. Farquhar died intestate before the sale could be completed. Terms were agreed to sell the Fonthill Abbey estate to John Bennett in 1838, who in turn sold the property in 1845, to Richard Grosvenor, who became the marquis of Westminster. Fonthill House estate became the property of George Mortimer, nephew of John Farquhar. It was sold to James Morrison in 1838, and passed through this family until 1984 when it belonged to the Hon. J.I. Morrison.

By then the estate had been enlarged and totalled 9,000 acres, with around 800 acres in the parish of Fonthill Gifford. 

Fonthill House had been owned by Sir John Mervyn in 1624 and was surrounded by a park, but was destroyed by fire. The ruin was bought by Lord Cottington in 1632 and by 1637 had been restored. This house consisted of a north-south hall of 5 bays with east wings. The south part seems to have been part of the original house, having survived the fire. There was a gateway with circular turrets. It is believed that Cottington built the northern gateway over the road from Fonthill Bishop to Semley. In the later 17 th century an ornamental canal east of the house was joined to the water garden at the south, this was much altered in the early 18th century and by1740 there were no formal gardens, and the eastern gatehouse was replaced by piers surmounted by eagles. Beckford made further alterations to the house and opened up the park and lake to the east of the house, the lake being crossed by a five arch bridge. During 1747-9 the old parish church was demolished and replaced by one to the south of the house. This had a Tuscan portico facing the house.

In 1755 Beckford’s Fonthill House was destroyed by fire. 

 A new house was built slightly to the south of the previous one and was based on a design of Houghton Hall in Norfolk. The shell was built in 1760, but the interior was not completed for many years, architects, sculptors and painters were working on the house for a further 30 years. The park and lake were extended in the late 18th century, stables were built and a kitchen garden extended to 8 acres. A vaulted boat house, grottos and an alpine garden, together with the tunnel under the road were added.  During the early 19th century parts of the house were demolished, but it is possible that at this time the additional storey was added. An Italianate Tower was added around 1846, with more extensions built in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Most of the house was demolished in 1921, when the name Fonthill House was transferred to Little Ridge, near the eastern edge of the park in Chilmark. This was replaced in 1972. 

 In 1796 Beckford commissioned James Wyatt to design a house to be built on Hinkley Hill in an enclosure of 524 acres. This area had been surrounded by a wall in 1794. Fonthill Abbey was based on a Gothic monastery, altered and enlarged during building. In 1798 a short spire and choir with turrets 37 metres high were added. In May 1800 part of the tower collapsed. At Christmas 1800 Lord Nelson attended a feast held in his honour in the Abbey, though guests had to be accommodated in Fonthill House. Much of the original construction of the abbey was faulty; it was re-built in stone taken from the old Fonthill House. There was much re-building in the early 1800’s, the building housed Beckford’s many collections in various displays. The Abbey was sold in 1823. In 1825 the central tower collapsed, destroying the western arm of the house and damaging part of the southern arm. It is believed the remaining building was demolished by 1845.

The Lancaster Tower survived with the sanctuary and oratory, a low wing was constructed, possibly using masonry from the cloister. It is said the original builder of the abbey confessed on his deathbed that he had neglected the foundations to save costs; these had been the cause of the collapse of the tower. 

A new abbey was built about 500 metres to the south west of the previous building. This was designed by Wm. Burn and was in the Scottish Baronial style. The 3 storey turreted main block and stables were demolished in 1955. The stable court was converted into a dwelling in 1984. 

In the 14th century the village had 70 poll tax payers and was said to be below average wealth but from the 16th to 20th centuries the lords of the manor were wealthy, living in large houses with many members of staff. In 1801 the parish population was at its peak of 493 when employment was provided by both Fonthill House and Fonthill Abbey.

The house was mostly demolished and the abbey building mostly completed by 1811 when population was reduced to 381. By 1821 it was 471 and remained at over 400 in the 19th century. However in 1931 had fallen to 291. About one third of the population lived in the area transferred to Hindon in 1934 and in 1981 the parish population was 160. 

The parish church, together with Fonthill House stood near the stream in the north east of the parish in the 16th century. It is possible that there was a settlement here in the middle ages, but by the mid 17th century only 2 building remained. The church was demolished in the mid 18th century and the last Fonthill House on this site demolished in 1921. In 1984 buildings on the site surviving were an early 17th century gateway spanning the road near Fonthill Bishop, this was transferred to that parish in 1986.

The walls of an extensive kitchen garden also remained together with 19th century kennels which were later used as a dairy. There is a 19th century stable yard which, since the early 1950’s has been successfully used for breeding racehorses. 

In the 13th century the hamlet of Stop, on the site of Stop Farm, was included in the parish. The settlement was still called Stop in the 18th century, but from 1773 the settlement was called Fonthill Gifford. The main settlement was presumably in the street heading south west from this farm, in the 20th century the names of either Fonthill Street or Stop Street were used.

To the north of Stop Farm in 1773 there was a small settlement known as Greenwich, but the buildings were replaced by estate cottages during the period 1840-86. 

 Stop Farmhouse, stone and thatch, was built in the 17th century and extended in the 18th. Disused farm buildings include a granary on staddle stones. To the west is a pair of late 18th early 19th century cottages. Jerrards farmhouse is from 18th century with 19th and extensive 20th century farm buildings. The oldest buildings in the street are 2 pairs of 18th century thatched cottages.

There is a 17th century house, much altered in the 20th century. Several pairs of estate cottages were built between 1840 and 1886. In 1953 2 pairs of council houses were erected. The new Fonthill Gifford church was built between 1747-9 near the parish boundary, at the cross roads on the Hinton – Tisbury road and the Fonthill Bishop – Semley road, this was replaced by a new church in 1864-6. Also at the crossroads an 18th century house with 19th century extensions was called the Fonthill Inn until the mid 19th century and is now the Beckford Arms. To the south is an 18th century stone and thatch house and to east, the 19th century South Lodge and gateway to Fonthill House.

Between the inn and the church is an 18th century cottage and a 20th century 1 storey stone and thatch house, built in 1983 

The area called Dene at the south east of Hindon Street consisted in the 18th century of several houses, including Dene House, built of red brick with stone quoins in the early 18th century, was used as a lunatic asylum(notes below). Dene House, together with an 18th century stone house both survive. It is suggested that around 1630 there were cottages built by the boundary with Berwick St. Leonard but no traces remain. Berwick Farm was built between 1817 and 1840, the farmhouse, Berwick House, has a red brick front with 5 bays, 3 storeys and a Doric porch. It was enlarged several times during the 19th century and in 1949 was converted into flats.

The existing farm buildings are of the 19th and 20th centuries. The farm and neighbouring cottages were included in the transfer to Berwick St. Leonard in 1986. Other scattered properties in the parish included the old and new rectory houses, mid 19th century estate houses and the lodges of Fonthill Abbey. 

A church worth 11 marks had been standing in 1291. Advowson was claimed by the lords of Fonthill Manor, in 1550 these passed with the manor and Fonthill Abbey estate. In 1566 a medieval church dedicated to St. Nicholas stood near Fonthill House, but by 1747 this was said to be in ruins. A new church beside the Hinton – Tisbury road at the south end of Fonthill House Park was consecrated in 1749. This was replaced in 1864-6 by a church built of ashlars to the early Gothic designs of T.H.Wyatt and was dedicated to Holy Trinity. The plate was replaced at this time. The 1553 church had 2 bells; the single bell of 1749 was re-hung in the 1866 church and re-cast in 1918.

In 1547 there was a rectory near the church, but in 1642 a new house was built at Stop, in 1830 this was declared unfit for the rector to live in and a new house to the north west of the new church was begun in 1838. Around 1546 Sir John Mervyn and Sir Thomas Arundel each appointed a curate. Both changed the locks on the church and fought over a surplice in the church.  During the dispute a corpse was denied burial. In 1553 it was said there was no pulpit in the church, in 1584 there were complaints the rector was not catechizing and in 1585 complaints he was not preaching enough sermons. Records note that in 1676 there were 260 conformists and papists in the parish. On Census Sunday in 1851 the congregation was 55 in the morning and 80 in the evening; by 1864 this had risen to 110. 

Several lords of Fonthill Manor and the owners of Fonthill Abbey estate had been Roman Catholic and Benedictine priests were received at times during the period 1690-1721.

In the 20th century the owners of Fonthill Abbey has Roman Catholic chaplains at Fonthill Gifford, and they paid for children of this faith to be taken to school in Wardour.  

There is note of un-lawful assemblies of non-conformists in Stop. 6 buildings were licensed for worship by Independents between 1786 and 1820. A Congregational Chapel at the Dene was in use around 1791 and a new chapel was built in 1810. The congregation transferred to Hindon in 1934. 

The parish had a mill in 1086 and also one is recorded in 1324. There was a windmill in 1341 when tithes were due to the Rector, there was no corn mill. In 1379 a fuller was active in the village and in 1550 a tanner was operating. Stone was quarried in the parish from the 13th century. A water powered saw mill was built and operating 1840-67, but was out of use by World War 11. It is recorded that in 1370 land at Fonthill Gifford including a lake was imparked.

In 1566 the park covering part of Fonthill Gifford, Fonthill Bishop and Tisbury included a heronry, woodland, orchard, a hop yard and dairy pasture for sheep and cattle. In 1633 there was a vineyard and by 1637 the walled park contained game birds for hawking, fallow deer, and they even baited bulls. By 1745 Beckford’s park, later called Old Park, included 250 acres in Fonthill Gifford, and trees were planted for ornament in over 493 acres in the three parishes. In 1984 Fonthill Abbey Estate contained 670 acres of woodland, mostly in Fonthill Gifford. A cloth factory was established in the parish in 1824 but work had ceased by 1848. In 1848 there was a Surveyor operating in the parish, together with an Inn Keeper and a Blacksmith. There was a shop-keeper in the parish in 1861 and also a game keeper and a police superintendent. In 1875 along with a wheelwright and smith there was a malster brewer whilst in 1889 a road surveyor and sanitary inspector were resident, together with a grocer and baker and a head gamekeeper and a forester. In 1899 a clerk of works had joined the parish and in 1911 there were 2 head gardeners. 

24 pupils attended a Dame School in the parish in 1818, but by 1833 the day school had only 10 pupils as many village children went to school in Tisbury.

A new National School was built in 1846 and by 1858 attendances averaged 20-30, the older boys attending Hindon School in Chicklade. In 1846 boys left school at the age of 10, girls at 12. There were 57 pupils on the roll in 1902-3, by 1932 only 17. The school closed in 1933.  A Boarding School opened in Fonthill Gifford in 1833 with 63 boys and 33 girls. In the early 20th century there was a Boarding School for the Sons of Gentlemen in the Rectory House. 7 were taken each year and pupils left at 15. 

The asylum previously mentioned was owned by Joseph Frowd Spencer was a house with a walled enclosure with ‘cottages’ used as day rooms and sleeping rooms opened in 1790 or possibly earlier and closed in 1844. There were no religious services but Prayer Books and Bibles were distributed and amusements permitted. In 1828 there were 23 inmates, 15 men and 8 women, of whom 3 were thought to be curable. Number decreased and in 1844 the remaining 2 were transferred to Laverstock 

In 1770 Maria, relict of Wm.

Beck died and in her will gave 2/- each month to 12 widows living in Fonthill Gifford, Fonthill Bishops and Hindon. This ceased in 1823. During the 18th century there were 2 overseers of the poor. Paupers were given weekly doles, help to buy food and clothing. They paid rent and doctors and undertakers bills. In 1738 the amount was £27, in 1740 £47. 14 parishioners received doles in 1762/3 when £69 was spent on doles and other relief. A peak was reached in 1818 when over £500 per annum was raised by a poor rate. The parish joined Tisbury Poor Law Union in 1835 and became part of Salisbury District in 1974.