Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/405

ODIUAM CASTLE, HANTS. .'5*39 It appears from a document of this reign, printed b}'- Rymer, that upon Wilham, the son of Durandus Nanus (the dwarf), proposing to become a monk, the King allowed his land to pass to his cousin Margaret, wife of Alexander do liarentin. The land lay in Warnburn (Warnborough) and Odiham, and had been purchased by Durandus " de sullacio " in the time of Henry I. with the King's consent. The land carried with it certain rights of herbage, cutting firewood, enclosing within hedges, &c., and the w^liole was evidently held direct from the Crown. The chief interest of Odiham ceases with the reign of Henry III. Edward I. was much engaged in the North and West, and the value of fortresses in the interior of England was small under a Prince whose sway no Englishman ventured to contest. His visits to Odiham were but few. The park or forest seems to have been kept up, but onl}' as a jilaco of diversion, and the Castle probably was allowed to fall into decay. 2nd Sept. 1274, 2 Ed. I., the King was at Odiham. In the third year of the i-eign John de London, the King's Escheator, was to hold the Castle during pleasure. He probably did not hold it long, for (10 Ed, I.) it was committed to Nicholas le Gras in succession to Ralph de Sandw3'ch, and in 12 Ed. I. Hugh le Despenser had it. In 27 Ed. I. the Castle, park, town, and hundred of Odiham were included in the ample jointure settled on Queen Margaret, and described as "Castrum et villa de Odcham ct appruamentum (emolument) parci ibidem ; " or, in another schedule, *' The castle and vill, with the park and hundred and appurtenances in the county of Hants." In 33 Ed. I. John de lieauchamp of Fyfhed held the manor. Edward 11. appears to liave seen little of Odiham. In 5 Ed. II. the Castle, which Queen Margaret had, was committed to Robert le Ewer during pleasure. In 9 Ed. II. Robert atte liui-gh had licence to enfeoff for Stapelcgh Manor and Odiham Manor with suit of court, and a docu- ment of this date throws some light on the extent of the hundred of Odiham, which, it appears, included the vills of Odiham, Greywell (now Grewell), Monks Hartley, Hel- vethan (now Elvetham), AVynchesfelde, Hogmcrsfelde, jiyiitcworth (now Bentworth), Ihocham (now liurkham), Lassham, 8haldene (now Shaldon), Weston-Patrik, Ilore- i'eld and Lys — the two last only not having been identified.