The church of St. Nicholas

The church consists of a chancel 24ft 4in by 13ft 6in, with a north vestry, a nave 52ft 2in by 18ft 6in, with north and south aisles 9 ft 2in and 8ft 8i long respectively, a west tower 9ft 10in by 9ft 1in, also an organ chamber opening north from the north aisle and south porch.

All measurements are internal. The general structure of the chancel, nave and aisles belongs to 1190-1200 century , but modern restorations have destroyed all the old windows, and the nave arcades are the chief features that remain of the original building. The tower was added in the 16^th century and the vestry and organ chamber are modern additions.

The east window of the chancel has three trefoiled lights and tracery of 14^th century design and is modern, as is the tracery of all the windows of the church.

The four other windows of the chancel, two in the north wall and two in the south, are single trefoiled lancets, which have old masonry at the angles of the internal jambs and rear arches, the south-west window having 13^th century shafts with moulded capitals. Beneath the easternmost window on this side is a modern piscina and in the opposite wall a small modern credence. There is also a modern sedile on the south and over it a modern reminiscence of an Easter sepulchre. Between the north windows is the entrance to the vestry, which is lighted by two small windows in then east wall and a very small two lighted window in the north wall. There is an outside doorway in the west wall. Between the two windows of the south wall is a priest’s doorway which has stop chamfered jambs, grooved and chamfered abaci and a plain semicircular arch. The internal jambs and rear arch are modern.

The chancel arch is two centred and has two chamfered orders continuos with the jambs with a moulded abacus at the springing which continues round to the capitals of the aisles responds. The work is old but entirely retooled. The north and south arcades are each of four bays with circular columns which have roll and hollow moulded bases and capitals with fluted scallops enriched with foliage, much repaired and recut. The capital of the first pillar on the south side has a stiff leaf foliage, while one on the north side has hollow flutings. The arches are two centred and of two chamfered orders with moulded labels on the nave side.

The west window on the north aisle is a deeply splayed round headed light in a pointed rear arch, the jambs of the rear arch alone being old, and near it on jambs of the   north west is a plain two light window also widely splayed but all the other aisles windows are of 14^th century character with modern tracery, their jambs being for the most part old.

The pointed arch opening to the organ chamber has a modern semicircular responds with moulded bases, but the capitals, which are of the same type as those in in the arcades, appear to be old. The chamber is lighted by two single trefoil lights with traceried head in the north wall. The south doorway has jambs moulded in two orders and a two centred arch with a label, the outer arch having a moulded base and modern capitals; the doorway must date from 12^th century.

The tower arch is narrow and four centred with wide chamfered jambs. The west doorway is modern and has moulded jambs and a two centred arch. Above it is a modern three light window with traceried head.

The tower is divided into three stages and has an embattled parapet. The stair turret is on the north west angle and is square at the bottom and octagonal at the top. The top stage contains a window of two plain flat pointed lights filled with modern pierced stonework on each side except the east. In the west face only is a similar window in the  middle stage. The walls of the tower are of chequer work with flint and stone. All other walls are of flint with stone dressings. The roofs are tiled.

All the internal fittings are modern and the roofs are of modern open timber work.

The font near the west end of the nave has a tall modern canopy which swings on a pivoted iron bracket. The whole interior of the church is decorated with modern painted ornament and texts in red, blue,  green and gold, and all the windows are filled with stained glass. This and the absence of a clear story make the building very dark.

The tower contains three bells, all by Robert Well of Aldbourne 1791. 

The plate consists of a silver parcel gilt chalice and two patens of 1884, a silver flagon of the same date, a plated chalice and flagon and two plated flagons given by the late Rev. Ellorough Woodcock in 1886.

The registers are contained in five books; the first having baptisms, marriages and burials from 1654 to1759; the second marriages only from 1754 to 1803; the third book contains baptisms and burials from 1760 to 1801; the fourth book, which has marriage forms printed on vellum, was in use from 1784 to 1802, and the fifth book has baptisms, marriages and burials on printed paper forms 1802 to 1812.

Advowson

The church was in the gift of Wherwell Abbey, where there was a prebend of Middleton.

In 1546 the advowson of the prebend, rectory and vicarage of Middleton was granted to Laurence Syeriward and others at a rent of 26s 8d for the rectory. In the following reign Richard Venables and John Maynard had a pension and rent in this rectory to be held in socage (free tenure) of the manor of East Greenwich. At what date the advowson first belonged to the Paulets is uncertain, but in 1610 William Marquess of Winchester and Lucy his wife conveyed it among other premises to the Earl’s of Salisbury and Exeter, Lord Burghley and others.

In September 1614 Lucy Marchioness of Winchester made her will which contains this among other dispositions

“Mr Johnson my chaplain, has promised to make over an estate of the tythes of Longparish upon a yearly rent for lives or years unto whomsoever I shall nominate. My will is that the said Mr Johnson shall make over the said tythes to Sir Anthony Mayne, knight for such three lives as he shall nominate, for the bringing up of my son Edward, his godson, until he be 21, when Sir Anthony shall assign the interest of the said tythes to him”.

The Marchioness died 1 October 1614 and her will was proved in November. In 1652 George Cony and Daniel Witcharley recovered seisin of various property including the advowson of Middleton and the tithes in Middleton and Longparish, against Sir Henry Paulet Knight of the Bath, Charles Paulet the elder, and Edward Paulet, Charles Paulet the younger being vouchee. The defendants here were the younger sons of the William Fourth Marquess of Winchester and the above mentioned Lucy, and the vouchee would be their nephew, the future first Duke of Bolton. Just a century later Harry fourth Duke of Bolton was vouched as warrenty when Thomas Barnard recovered seisin against Edward Woodcock. Edward Woodcock was patron of the prebend of Middleton in 1795.

The prebend of Middleton seems to have been a bone of contention with the Abbey and the Crown. In 1347 the Court of Common Bench passed judgement in favour of the king against the abbess, and a pardon was granted to Roger Ferrour of Bedford clerk, who prosecuted in the court of Rome to annul this judgement . Again in 1398 and 1402 the king recovered the right to represent.

The parliamentary returns of 1786 mention that Thomas baker by his will demised a rent charge of 10s for teaching poor children. The annuity received from the trustees of the Widemore estate and paid to the National school.

In 1825 James Widemore by a codicil to his will bequeathed £10 a year to be applied in providing clothes and bedding for the poor.   

Reproduced from V.C.H. Hampshire