Breamore Manor House, Hampshire, England

The manor of BREAMORE or BREAMORE COURTENAY was ancient demesne of the Crown, and in 1086 was parcel of the royal manor of Rockbourne. A hide of land in the Isle of Wight held by Gherni belonged to the manor of Breamore, and from it came £9 towards the king's ferm. Half a hide in the manor held by Ulmar and 2½ hides and certain woodland had been put into the New Forest. At an early date, probably by grant of Henry I, Breamore passed to the Earls of Devon, lords of the Isle of Wight, who held it of the king in chief for the service of half a knight. Later, like the lordship of the Isle of Wight (q.v.), it was annexed to the honour of Albemarle, but on the death of Isabel Countess of Albemarle the king took possession of the manor, as part of the manor of Christchurch Twyneham, which he had purchased from the countess. Hence in 1299 Edward I assigned it to his consort, Margaret of France, but by commission of 1302 Breamore was found to be separate from Christchurch, and was delivered in the same year to Hugh de Courtenay, the cousin and heir of Isabel, compensation being made to Queen Margaret. From that time it descended with the title of Earl of Devon until the forfeiture of Thomas Courtenay Earl of Devon in 1461. In the same year Edward IV restored the manor to Henry Courtenay, brother and heir of Thomas, and confirmed it to him in 1465. He did not, however, long enjoy possession of it, for it was granted in 1467 to Walter Blount Lord Mountjoy, who, dying in 1474, was succeeded by his grandson Edward. The latter died under age in the following year, and Breamore escheated to the king, who granted it for life in 1490 to Sir Hugh Conway and Elizabeth his wife. The reversion was granted in 1512 to Katherine widow of William Courtenay Earl of Devon and her heirs. Her son Henry was created Marquess of Exeter in 1525, but was beheaded and attainted in 1538–9, when the manor again passed to the Crown. It was granted in 1541 to the queen consort, Katherine Howard, and in 1544 to Katherine Parr,who, after the death of Henry VIII, married Thomas Lord Seymour of Sudeley, to whom Breamore was granted by Edward VI in 1547.

On his attainder and execution in 1549 it again passed to the Crown and was granted in 1579 by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Christopher Hatton. It was purchased of him by William Dodington, who died in 1600 leaving a son and heir Sir William. From this date Breamore followed the descent of South Charford (q.v.) until 1741, when Francis Lord Brooke sold it to Samuel Dixon, preliminary to its sale to Sir Edward Hulse, bart. The manor has descended with the title, and is now held by Sir Edward Hamilton Westrow Hulse, bart.

Breamore House, the seat of Sir Edward Hulse, stands north-west of the church. The original house was a very fine late 16th-century building of brick and stone, but was unfortunately burnt in 1856. It has been practically rebuilt on the old lines, incorporating such of the old masonry as was left, and now from a short distance has quite the effect of an Elizabethan building. The site is very picturesque, being well timbered, with a fall eastwards to the river valley.

Park

In 1293, when the manor of Breamore was in the king's hands, he commanded the keeper of the park of Breamore to give John de Drokensford two live bucks and six does to stock his park of Crux Easton, and the profits of the park of Breamore formed part of the grant to Margaret, consort of Edward I. In 1316 Hugh de Courtenay complained that certain persons broke his park at Breamore and hunted therein and took away deer. In 1461, the manor of Breamore being again in the king's hands on account of the forfeiture of Thomas Earl of Devon, the custody of the park, warren and manor of Breamore was granted to William Philpotte for life. In 1542 wood from the park of 'Overbremer' was assigned to William Pyrrye, farmer of 'Overbremer,' for repairing a stable and building a hayhouse. The 'inclosed ground called the park of Breamore' is mentioned in a deed of 1741.

Baldwin and Hugh de Redvers endowed their priory of Breamore with certain land in Breamore which formed the nucleus of the manor later known as BREAMORE BULBORN. Various donors added gifts of adjoining land which were merged in the manor. Thus Isabel de Fortibus Countess of Albemarle gave the canons land which John de Gauefrey once held. Other donors were Nicholas de Clarebold of land in Shortelond, William atte Cumbe and his wife Eva; Thomas and William Polet and John Gobet, brother of Thomas, of lands in Cherlewod, Houtwyke and elsewhere in the parish of Breamore—the lands given by Thomas Polet were to maintain a light before the rood; Lucy la Lavendere, before 1326, of lands to provide a lamp to burn before the cross in the conventual church; Edmund Upehulle and his wife Agnes of land next the prior's land called Walewell in 1345–6; and Richard Alpher of lands lying towards 'la Mulleweye' and 'la Brummel's acre'; John de Breamore in 1348–9 of lands for which the prior undertook to receive John, his wife Gena and his son John into the brotherhood of the priory and to celebrate their anniversaries with placebo, dirige and a mass for them and for John and Agnes, John's parents, twice a year, and to distribute 3s. worth of bread to a hundred and forty-four poor people in Fordingbridge on their anniversary.

The manor remained in the possession of the priory until its suppression in 1536, when it was granted to Henry Marquess of Exeter and his wife Gertrude as the manor of Bulborn. On Henry's attainder in 1538–9 it passed once more to the Crown and was granted in 1539 to Anne of Cleves, in 1540 to Katherine Howard, in 1544 to Katherine Parr, and in 1551–2 to the Princess Elizabeth for life. In 1553 Queen Mary granted the reversion to Edward Earl of Devon, but in 1571–2 Queen Elizabeth granted it to Sir Christopher Hatton. It subsequently returned to the Crown, and was granted in 1582, on the petition of William Brooke Lord Cobham, to Edmund Frost and John Walker, who sold it on the following day to William Dodington, ) and its descent from that time is identical with that of Breamore Courtenay