Wherwell Parish History IV

On 3rd March 1540 the whole of the Abbey lands were transferred to Sir Thomas West, Lord de la Warr, in exchange for Manors in Sussex and a fifth of a Knight's service. One of the conditions of sale was that all the religious buildings be destroyed. These included: “The church ‘Quyer’ and steeple covered with lead, the Cloister covered with tiles and certain gutters of lead.  The Chapter House, Frater, Dormitory, Convent Kitchen, and all the old lodgings between the Granary and the hall door covered with tiles.” 

The buildings assigned to remain were “The late Abbess’ lodging with the houses within the Quadrant as the water leadeth from the East side of the cloister to the gate; the (In)firmery, the Mill and Millhouse with the Slaughterhouse adjoining.  The brewing and baking houses with the Granaries to the same. The Barn and Stables in the outer court.” 

Very little of the original buildings can now be seen. Recent resistivity tests have located the site of the Abbey Church, see attached plan.  The church was about 70 metres long with a large steeple, which must have been nearly as high as Salisbury cathedral. The cloisters have also been located immediately to the south of the church.  Since the days of the Abbey the course of the steam has been moved to the west by about 10 metres in the area of the church.  Mediaeval foundations can still be seen along the stream and the central core of the Priory Buildings are also much earlier than the house itself. The barn to the south of the main buildings, which used to be the stables, has recently been dated to the second half of the 13th Century. From samples of wood taken for analysis, it would appear that the building was constructed in two sections with the oak being cut in 1249 and 1279.  The roof of this building remains very largely in tact, and is considered one of the most complete 13th Century roofs in the country. The building is listed Grade 1. 

Although the main buildings of the present Priory present a unified appearance, they have been extensively altered and added to over the years. The Priory is built around a very old core, possibly mediaeval.  The south façade is late 16th Century. During the 17th Century and 18th Century there was a brick and flint building with the main entrance facing East (the main entrance is now on the north side). During the 18th Century the bow windows in the North East and South East corners were added. The present white regency façade was built in the period 1820 –1830. It is believed that at this time the dining room was constructed, the drawing room was enlarged and the main entrance moved to the North. During the middle of the 19th Century the main drive was relocated from Winchester Lodge and a new drive constructed to Andover Lodge.  At the end of the 19th Century bow windows were added to the North West corner. During the early part of the 20th Century the existing office buildings were added. 
On the Priory side of the wall, by the Priory Churchyard gate, there is a stone with the following inscription:-

ANNO DOM 1649
HERE WAS THE MONASTERY OF WHERWELL ERECTED BY
QUEEN ETHELRED. DEMOLISHED BY THE OVERACTED
SEALE OR AVARICE OF KING HENRY, AND OF ITS
LAST RUINES HERE BURIED THERE YET REMAINS THIS
MONUMENT

In the West end of the Church, in addition to the recumbent figure of the Abbess (Euphemia) which has been mentioned, there are five other small fragments, two of them let into the wall, one of these representing the Harrowing of Hell. All these fragments were brought back into the Church in 1940 and 1941.

In the gable wall of the Old Vicarage is a 14th Century Cross.

The Abbey and Parish had no separate existence before the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540; the Superior of the Monastery (Abbess) was the Lady of the Manor. Up to the Dissolution there was a (male) Prebend on the Staff of the Monastery who acted as Parish Priest.
 
The estate belonged to the Lords de la Warr till AD 1695, and then passed into the hands of Edmond Boulter, a merchant of London, who sold all the outlying Manors except Goodworth Clatford. Boulter died in 1709 and bequeathed his estate to his nephew, John Fryer, a Pewterer of London and an Alderman who, when he died in 1726, left it equally among his three daughters Bithiah, Susannah and Delicia. Delicia married Joshua Iremonger in AD 1742; and he, in AD 1743, bought out his two sisters-in-law, thus becoming Lord of the whole of the two Manors.