Who Ruled the Roost

Click on the hyperlink text to read in more detail.

Titchfield once commanded all it surveyed. It was the seat of kings, foundation of a monastery, residence of the Earl of Southampton and the place of much innovation. At one time the town of Titchfield incorporated all of the other places named on the 1611 map such as Hook, Warsash, Stubbington, Fareham Park etc. Titchfield was self -sufficient, it was a market town and accommodated many successful businesses, supplied its own gas, street lighting and beer. Once there were fourteen public houses. Now it is a hidden backwater; how did it loose its influence?

Early Civilisation

The Jutes colonise this area in 450 from the North Sea, adopting the name Meonware. Battles rage between nearby kingdoms up to the 7th century until king Athelwealh is supreme and absorbs Meonware into Wessex. From then on the settlement of Ticefelda is a royal manor.

The Danes invade eastern England in 878 and Danegeld, the first taxation reaches the realm to raise an army. Vikings raid Ticefelda several times but peace returns in 982.

The Saxons are vigorous farmers live with their labourers, families and animals in a large hall-house. Landless peasants exist in small huts made from straw and branches set in the ground. They eke out a living making pots from local clay and hiring out their labour by the day.

The Norman invasion of England in 1066 throwing a darkness over the land, feudalism replaces freedom. The population is still only about 150 inhabitants in this royal manor.

In 1086 Ticefelle is registered at the beginning of a national property survey. The Domesday Book was the first national census (this translation is taken from the Victoria County History of Hampshire). The villages mentioned in this extract are Titchfield, Meon, Brownwich, Crofton, Funtley and Segensworth; there were three separate small estates at Funtley.

The King holds Titchfield. It is a berewick, and belongs to Menestoches. King Edward held it. There are 2 hides; hut they have not paid geld. (There) is land for 15 ploughs. In (the) demesne (there are) but 2 oxen (animalia), and (there are) 16 villeins and 13 bordars with 9 ploughs. There are 4 serfs, and a mill worth 20 shillings. The market and toll (are worth) 40 shillings.

In Mene the Bishop himself holds 1 hide; and it was assessed at so much. There is land for one plough, which is there with 2 villeins. There are 2 acres of wood with fences. It was, and is, worth 20 shillings. Tovi had half of this hide by (the act of) earl William (of Hereford); and the other part he had of the King for money ... And, on the same conditions as Tovi held this and, the Bishop enjoys it by the King's gift.

The Bishop himself holds Burnewic of the King, in fee. Angsgot held it of the Bishop. It does not belong to the Bishopric ... Edric held it of King Edward. It was then, and is now, assessed at 1 hide. There is land for 3 ploughs. In (the) demesne are 1½ ploughs; and (there are) 5 villeins and 11 bordars with 3 ploughs. There is 1 serf. It was always, and is, worth 4 pounds.

In 1087 William's equally unpleasant brother, William Rufus, gets the throne but is killed in 1100 by an arrow whilst out hunting in the nearby forest. The skill of archery is secretly maintained by the suppressed Saxon peasantry as a local sport!

The Conqueror's great-grandson, Henry II, is enthroned in 1154 to rule an empire from Scotland to the Pyrenees. The Manor of Ticefeld is governed by a succession of French speaking barons.

The Abbey Reigns OK?

In 1232 Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester, gets the estates and builds Saint Mary's abbey. It is vast, the largest building for miles around and it dominates the village both in size and influence. There were up to 14 Premonstratesian cannons and at the time only about 150 village residents, although the Abbey ministered an area larger than the village itself.

From being a royal estate with lords as masters, the Abbey now effectively rules the area. It requires large investments of money and effort from local people to keep it afloat. Their contributions were not always surrendered willingly and records show that the force of the law was needed to extract it. The abbot as well as being the leading religious figure, is also the business manager. The local population farmed Fishponds, orchards, beehives, vineyards & fields for the abbot. The community have to pay tax to the Abbey, those who defaulted were punished. In return they received spiritual, medical and other forms of guidance from the learned monks. 

The Abbey is also a comfortable guesthouse for noble travellers commuting to France and is visited by royalty on several occasions.

Wriothesley Times

If something needs doing, ask a busy person. Despite the problems facing them they didn't let the grass grow under their feet. Further to his many other interests, it was Henry Wriothesley who researched, reviewed and motivated the major advance of Titchfield. Having won the favour of King Henry VIII as secretary and courtier, he inherited a number of estates including Titchfield Abbey. He spent two years surveying his estates, thereby identifying what to focus on and how to take things forward.

In its early days the iron mill at Funtley followed the Roman iron making techniques. Using a water wheel driven by the river Meon to power the bellows a beehive-shaped furnace would have produced pig iron and cast iron mouldings. The great water mill south of the abbey would have been modified to improve its efficiency and would have benefited from revised control of the Meon waters.

Delme

Titchfield Trade was prosperous in the early part of The Delme Dynasty, providing a lot of support for the Navy. Leather, grain, wood, meat and sea salt (an important preservative needed for long voyages). Before the Midlands iron industry swung into action, Henry Cort improved the properties of British iron, and defined the production methods to make parts  needed to build ships to win the 100 years war. It also enabled the railways and the industrial revolution.

Lady Elizabeth Delme was one of the many noble subjects painted by Joshua Reynolds. This work hung in The Arts Society where he was its first president. As well as being a beauty at the court of Queen Charlotte, Lady Betty was a major influence in shaping Titchfield and the Delme fortunes. Upon their marriage to Peter, she brought finance to rescue another near disaster for the family. In later years when her husband died, she raised the money needed to complete the purchase of Cams Hall in Fareham and installed her son John (seen with her in the painting) there in fine style. To enhance their new home, they removed much of the fabric from Titchfield Abbey, leaving it in a desperate state of destruction.  

Titchfield Strawberries were once renowned in Covent Garden Market thereby bringing prosperity to many local families. They grew their crop on the same dry, dusty common land that had been used for centuries as sheep grazing. The business was so successful Swanwick Railway Station was built to ship out the produce.

By the late nineteenth century Place House, Titchfield Abbey, that had been for many centuries the finest dwelling in the vicinity was derelict; Titchfield was no longer a fashionable place to live. Fareham with a smart High Street, dance hall music halls and cinemas became fashionable. During the first half of the twentieth century Titchfield gained a reputation for being a no-go area for wandering souls where they went at their peril!

Then came two world wars which ruined the independence of many small businesses put many out of work and made them dependent on council housing. There were many changes in the 1920's; mains gas, electricity and water were laid on; a bypass was built at the doorstep of a new primary school and the Territorial Hall became the Community Centre. Titchfield was just another ward governed by Fareham Borough Council.