An extract from the Hampshire volume (Vol. 4) of the Victoria County History of England, edited by W. Page and published in London by Constable & Co in 1908. The project was originally conceived as part of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, but it wasn't completed until over 20 years later and that some counties were never included.
( Thanks to Colin Dyer and Carol Lawrence for supplying this content)
SCHOOLS
The Girls' School (Church) was built in 1839. The Boys' School (National) was built in 1861, to replace the ruinous free school, and a classroom for fifty infants was added in 1873. The school at Kingsclere Woodlands (Church) was built in 1863 and enlarged in 1895. The school at Headley (National) was built in 1872-3. The children of Sydmonton attend the school in Ecchinswell (Church), which dates from 1861.
Notes regarding documents in Hampshire Record Office - supplied by Barbara Mallyon
Anyone visiting the Hampshire Record Office at Winchester can look up the Kingsclere Education documents.
Free Church of England School for boys founded by 1618 when endowed by Sir James Lancaster; rebuilt 1861
Account of Kingsclere bequest under Sir James Lancaster's charity 1714-39, Ref H148M71/6/1
Printed papers about new schools 1859-60 ref 90M72 PF5
Plans of Schools (5) 1860 ref H20M65
Correspondence with Board of Education about Lancaster charity 1905-7 with copy scheme 1860 ref H 8M62/119
Girls' National/C.E. School ( built 1819) Rules and subscription list n.d. ref H 90M72 PF5 Printed account 1897 notice of grant 1915 H 90M75 PJ2
Headley National/ C.E. School (built 1872-3) Plan of school c1872 ref 20M65 Plan n.d ref H 26M59
St. Paul's School, Kingsclere Woodlands (built 1863) Plans of school (5) 1862 ref H 20M65 Printed accounts 1893-7 ref H 90M72 PJ1
Kingsclere Union - Census register of children in Kingsclere district 1873-1900 ref H PL111/11/37
Kingsclere Secondary Modern School Attendance registers (8) 1955-6 ref H 14M67
You can get a lot of information about your ancestors by looking at the school Registers
CHARITIES
The free school, also called the Litten School, the date of foundation of which is unknown, was endowed with £10 a year by will of Sir James Lancaster, dated 18 April 1618, which is paid by the Corporation of Basingstoke and applied to the Boys' School.
Sir James Lancaster likewise directed that £10 a year should be paid for distribution to the poor in bread and otherwise. The annuity is regularly received from the Corporation.
The poor also receive a moiety of the income of 14 acres known as Osman's Lands (gift of John Chamberlain, 1649), now let at £20 (see church estate below); an annuity of 20s. by will of William Pigeon, paid out of a farm called Stantons; an annuity of 20s. charged by will of William Atfield, 1658, on the Old Farm; an annuity of 20s. charged by George Higham on Westlands; an annuity of £4 (subject to the payment of £1 t the church wardens) in respect of charity of Andrew Chamberlain, paid out of a farm called Pitchorn.
The poor also receive £8 6s. 8d. a year, being the dividends on £333 6s. 8d. held by the official trustees in trust for the charity of James Widmore, founded by codicil to will proved 3 November 1825.
In 1907-8 the income of these charities for the poor amounted to £34 6s. 8d., was, less expenses applied in the distribution of clothing.
John Fauconer, by will (date not stated) gave to twelve poor housekeepers the yearly sum of £12 for ever on 25 December, also £3 yearly for ever for the repairs of the parish church. The annuity of £15 (less land tax) is paid out of Woodhouse Farm, Woodlands, by Mrs Caroline E Lamb of Knightsbridge House, Newbury. In 1907 £2 8s. was paid to the churchwardens and £9 12s. to twenty poor widows.
In 1726 Lady Rebecca Kingsmill by will appointed a sum of £400 to be laid out in land, the profits to be employed in the payment of £1 5s. a year t the incumbent of Kingsclere for a sermon at Sydmonton Chapel on Trinity Sunday and for providing bread and wine for sacrament, and to the clerk 5s.; £2 10s. to the poor of North and South Sydmonton, and to twelve poor men of Kingsclere 10s. each.
The sum of £10 is received annually from the owner of certain lands called the Hurst Meadows now in the possession of the Rev. J. Rolfe Fisher, and is duly applied.
It was stated on the table of benefactions that the Rev. Thomas Brown, a former vicar, in 1586 gave one almshouse and £1 per annum for repairs. The last payment of this was in 1814. The almshouse was rebuilt in 1853 at the expense of Mr William Holding and the Misses Holding of Elm Grove. It now provides accommodation for four women.
In 1722 Robert Higham, by his will dated 30 May, devised certain properties, the rents and profits thereof to be applied for poor in clothing, for educational purposes and for apprenticing. The trust estates now consist of a farm called Blissett's Farm, containing 51 acres 1 rood 29 poles, 38 acres 0 roods 33 poles of arable land let partly in allotments, about 4 acres of meadow land, four cottages, ie three in the Marsh and one in the Dell, and a piece of waste land in the Dell, producing a gross rental of about £115. Trustees were last appointed by an order of the Charity Commissioners of 28 June 1901, and by a further order of 4 March 1904, made under the Board of Education Act 1899, the proportion of the income applicable for educational purposes was determined to be one-fourth. In 1907-0 £20 16s.was applied for clothing, £50 in premiums on apprenticeships and £20 for ten scholars at £2 each.
Church Estate:- In addition to a moiety of the rent of Osman's Lands mentioned above, amounting to £10 a year, the churchwardens receive the rents of 3 acres, known as Crooked Mead, now let at £5 10s. a year, arising from the gift of one Thomas Smith, temp. Henry VIII. Also £1 a year from the gift of Andrew Chamberlain and £2 8s. a year under John Fauconer's gift above mentioned.
The recreation grounds consist of 21 acres in Kingsclere, Headley and Ashford Hill, producing yearly, with certain tolls £7 14s. which is absorbed in payment of the outgoings.
In 1875 Charles James Kilpin by will, proved at London 14 August, left £200, free of duty, for the benefit of the poor. A portion of the capital amounting to £50 was expended on the school, and the balance invested in £159 3s. 6d. consols, in the names of the Rev. Arthur Thomas Finch and the two churchwardens.
A charity called the Digweed charity founded by Col. William Henry Digweed of Ecchinswell House provides a bed for any parishioner of Ecchinswell at Winchester Hospital and also assistance for the poor there amounting to £4 19s. per annum through the investment of £200 in consols. The charity is administered by the Guardians of the Poor.
Another charity was founded by the parishioners in 1897 called the Queen Victoria Memorial (Maternity) Charity for the purpose of providing nourishment to women after their confinement. The investment of £155 in India 3per cents yields £4 5s. 4d. per annum. The charity is administered by a committee, of which the vicar is chairman, hon. secretary and treasurer.
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