Chute

The parish is situated 10 k to the north-west of Andover and consists of the villages and hamlets of Chute, Cadley, Lower Chute, Conholt, Shaw and Standen, totalling an area of 3256 acres.   The parish is situated upon chalk outcrop and is surrounded on 3 sides by the parish of Chute Forest. The land rises to a height of 244m.in the north, sloping to 125m in the south. Ridges and valleys run mainly north to south. To the north, the boundary consists of what was possibly a pre-historic ditch, with a dry valley and a short length of Roman road. The eastern boundary is the county boundary with Hampshire, to the west a pre-historic ditch, and to the south west, 2 dry valleys. It is possible that part of the parish was transferred from Hampshire after 1330. Most of the land is used for agricultural purposes. There is no running water in the parish so settlements grew up around ponds, with many wells drilled in the parish. A timber framed, thatched well house and preserved winding gear can be found in Upper Chute. This was re-built in the 1930’s. During the Middle Ages the parish contained open fields, with common pasture to the west and much woodland. In 1377 there were 129 poll tax payers. In 1801 the population is recorded as 389 reaching a peak of 571 in 1851. This declined to 275 by 1961, though had risen to 309 in 1991. A wind mill existed in 1331 and a map from 1773 shows one opposite the Cross Keys in Upper Chute.

A mill was working in the 1880’s, but was derelict in 1906.  

The whole of the parish was within the royal Chute Forest in the 13th century. This was disafforested in 1330.  The area has been mainly pasture land through the ages. Common land known as Thickett was inclosed in 1658 and Chute forest in 1639, other fields were inclosed in 1774 and an Act of 1820 inclosed yet more common pastures.  During the 18th century 138 acres of woodland were grubbed up and in 1841 a further 138 acres. In 1997 125 acres of woodland were still standing.  In early 21st century pigs and dairy and beef cattle are reared, together with some sheep.

Other land is used as arable, and in the mid 20th century a racehorse breeding site was established. 

The Roman road from Cirencester to Winchester deviates from the straight within the parish, avoiding Hippenscombe, which is a steep coomb, or wooded valley.  It is suggested that the hill was too steep for wheeled traffic, thus the diversion.  A further deviation to the original roman road was made in 17th century when a mansion with parkland was built. There is no major road running through the parish, so no turnpike roads, however there are the remains of drovers roads in the parish. The lanes run mostly north to south, following the contours, with little change over the last 200 years. 

Chute is a Celtic or British word meaning wood. Standen and Shaw are recorded in Doomsday.  Standen means stony valley.  In 1066 St. Peter’s Abbey, Winchester, held Chute as part of the estate named Collingbourne. It was assessed at 10 hides and ½ yardland.

The overlordship of Chute Manor was held by the abbey until the dissolution. In 1086 the land was held by Croc the huntsman, then held by the Croke family until 1215 when it passed to Avice, a Croke daughter, wife of Michael de Columbers. The land passed through this family until the late 13th century when it was inherited by Nichole, wife of John de Lisle and was held in direct line by this family until 1524. After 1542 the manor reverted to the Lisle family until 1634. By 1691 it was acquired by Thomas, later Lord Arundel, and was sold by this family in 1778 to John Freeman. After various sales, in 1814 it was held by Evelyn Meadows, who also owned Conholt Manor. 

In the west of the parish 4 barrows have been identified.  Grimms Ditch, which forms the northern boundary, is possibly pre-historic, as is a second ditch near the western boundary of the parish.  2 pre-historic field systems are identified in the south west of the parish. In 1330 the whole parish was included in Chute Forest but was then disafforested. In 1723 Stukeley reported the discovery of inhumation in a stone coffin, possibly Roman, and nearby, the skeleton of a horse. These were found in an area named Blood Field. This was said to be between Dean Farm and Chantry.

Fragments of Roman building material may indicate a settlement at Greens Farm in Upper Chute. An oval barrow near Scot’s Poor, excavated in 1934, contained sculls and long bones. There were lynchett strips opposite Dean Farm and at Shaw Bottom.  

During the middle ages it is thought the parish consisted of a church, a demesne farm, with Chute manor to the east of it, together with the vicarage and farmsteads.  What was known as Manor Farm in the 18th century was said to have a formal garden. By 1897 Manor Farm, around 836 acres, was almost the whole of Chute manor. In 1926 a diminished farm was sold to Ulric Hopton. Part of Manor Farm was incorporated into the Chantry estate, z whilst other areas were added to Dean Farm, which in 1997 was owned by Hon. John Eccles.  It is thought that land retained by Hyde Abbey at Chute eventually became Dean Farm. Chute Manor House, the original 17th century property, was altered in the mid 19th century, and it had a canted entrance bay in the centre of the front.

It was demolished in the mid 20th century. In 1997, large buildings of brick and flint stood to the east of the church. Parsonage Farm, a small farmstead stood near the vicarage in 1841, possibly the 18th century house still standing in 1997. There is an 18th century thatched cottage nearby. Cottages from 18th century or earlier are to the south west of the church. In 1841 there were 25 cottages of rubble construction with thatched roofs. There was a non-conformist chapel in the later 19th century; the Cross Keys probably dates from earlier 19th century. The Rural District Council built 4 dwellings in 1930, a further 4 in 1950, and at a later date, 2 bungalows. During the 1990’s a further 17 private houses were built. 

The small settlements of Cadley and Lower Chute are both situated along the southern boundary of the parish.

By the 18th century what had been common land in this area had been divided into allotments, but in 1820 buildings were erected on these sites. The buildings on the south of the road here are included in Chute Forest parish. 

Cadley has cottages around a triangular green. The area is steeply sloping but included a pond in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1841 there were 13 cottages, 2 of which were divided into 3 tenements.

By 1997 some of those standing dated from 17th century and were of brick and flint construction.  Late 18th early 19th century cottages, north of the green called Hatchett, had been demolished by 1841. 

Lower Chute had 10 dwellings in 1841, one of which was divided into 4 tenements.  An existing thatched cottage of chalk, flint and timber walls dates from 18th century and a thatched single storey house is possibly 17th century. The former tenement building was replaced in 1879 by a house, which became known as the Star public house from the 1880’s. A non-conformist chapel was built in the mid 19th century along the boundary with Chute Forest. The public house, which was open in 1901, was known as The Hatchet in 1997. Cottages still standing in 1907, of knapped flint, with brick dressings and thatched roof dated from mid 18th century.

There were 3 cottages possibly from before 18th century. There are several 20th century houses and bungalows. The Home Farm complex dates from 1905; The British Legion Club dates from 1923 and was enlarged later.  Lower Chute became a conservation area in 1994. 

What was to become Conholt Manor was held in 1066, by St. Peter’s Abbey, Winchester as part of the Collingbourne Estate as previously stated. In the 13th century Conholt Manor included 17 customary tenants, by the 16th century there were only 4 farmsteads. Land at Cornholt, known as Eastcourt was held by Thomas Sotwell in 1539, but became part of the Cornholt estate in 1705. During the late 18th century most of the area was imparked and the original 17th century Conholt House and it’s outbuildings are the only buildings in the area.  Alterations to the house were undertaken in 1826 by G.A. Underwood of Bath, and some work carried out by J.H.

Langdon.  Barns had been demolished by 1817 and a new farmyard, later called Middle Conholt Farm, was built to the N.E. of the house. 2 pairs of cottages were built in the later 19th century and a further 2 built in the 20th century when the farm buildings were renewed.    A large riding school and stables were built in the late 18th century. The school was demolished in 1896, but the L shaped stables were standing in the 20th century and cottages were built against them to form a court. The kitchen garden walls are still standing from 1841. The park probably dates late 17th or early 18th century but in 1997 the front park was to pasture.

Many trees were planted during 1992-7 when the park was partly used for agriculture.  In 1814 it was owned by Evelyn Meadows, who at that time purchased Chute Manor, thus connecting the two under the same ownership.  

Cornholt Park had an area of 350acres in 1809. There were said to be 294 deer kept at this time and the parkland was mown to provide winter fodder. The later 19th century tenant was Henry Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, and he used the park for shooting birds. In 1997 the land was put to arable and grassland, highland cattle and wild boar were kept, wild flowers preserved and the woodland used for sport. 

Land at Conholt known as Eastcourt was held by Thomas Sotwell in 1539, but became part of the Conholt estate in 1705. In 1773 Standen Farm was part of the Conholt estate of Sir Sydney Meadows, and was still part of that estate in 1997.  

In 1086 land at Shaw was probably part of the estate of St.

Peters in Winchester and included a manor called Sunton. Shaw probably had a small settlement in the Middle Ages, Shaw Farm farmstead stood in 1773, but the farmhouse was destroyed by fire in the 1940’s and all buildings were removed by the late 20th century. 

Standen, at the meeting point of 3 valleys, was probably a small village in the Middle Ages. During the 16th century it consisted of 2 estates, one, which at that time belonged to Thomas Sotwell, remained part of Conholt estate in 1997. Standen House was built on the second estate, owned by Nicholas Beacon in late 16th century. A timber framed, thatched house, Standen Farm, survives from the 17th century. The Thatched Lodge to Standen House was built in 18th century. In 1815 the club room was called the Adelphi and a Friendly Society met there, it was still standing in 1841. The site of what had been a malt house in 1773 and 1841 was used to build a school in 1857-8.

The school closed in 1978 and the building was converted to a village hall. Stadden Farm, called The Dower House in 1997, is of brick and flint construction, with 4 bays built on an L plan and has an early 17th century chimney stack between the 2 east bays. There may have been farmstead on the site of Dean Farm. Dean farmhouse dates from the early 18th century and has walls of knapped flint with a thatched roof and a 5 bay south front. A rear wing was added in the 18th century. Most farm buildings had been removed by mid 20th century. South of Dean Farm is an area called Honey Bottom. 5 or 6 cottages were standing there in 1773; one having been enlarged was still standing in 1997. A group of cottages from 1773 on Baulks Hill had disappeared by 1997. 

In the north west of the parish a house called Gammons Head was demolished mid 20th century. In 1997 all buildings at the farm dated from 20th century.

2 brick and flint buildings (1820-1841) survived in late 20th century at New Barn. New Zealand farm was built 1841-79. 

In 1775-6, Chute spent £104 on relief for the poor; this had risen to £271 in 1802-3 when 22 adults and 27 children received regular relief with 8 occasionally. By 1812 the numbers were 8 adults receiving help regularly and 71 occasionally, £609 was spent. The peak was in 1817-18 when the cost was £791; this fell to £338 in 1820’s but had risen to £601 in 1829, and was reduced to £297 by `1832. In 1835 Chute joined Andover Poor Law Union, transferred to Pewsey Union in 1879, and Kennet District in 1974. 

In 1801 Gorges Foyle left £100 for clothes and other help to be given to paupers.  In 1829 Charlotte Poore gave £100 for blankets for poor of the parish. By 1831 the income from both charities was used to buy blankets. In 1839 George Foyle left £200 to the poor and 1900 saw Mary Scroggs leaving the income from £200 to buy coal for the poor.

In 1902 the income from all 4 charities, £15, was spent on blankets and coal. During the 1930s and 40s coal was still given, but afterwards cash was donated. By 1979 the 4 charities were united as Chute Relief in Need and by 1990s the income of around £32 p.a. was allowed to accumulate. In 1997 the last gift had been made in 1992. 

Commerce in the parish has revolved around agriculture. In 1723 there was an apprentice to a harness maker, and in 1719 there was an apprentice to a spinster who was also a tailor. In 1875, along with a shop-keeper and beer retailers there was also a saddler and harness maker and 2 carpenters and wheelwrights trading, together with a blacksmith who was also a postmaster, with a grocer who was also a draper.

By 1903 there were also game- keepers and farm bailiffs, together with hurdle manufacturer in the parish along with the traders who operated in 1875.