frozen herring

...the more I research the histories of our local manor houses and the families that lived in them, the more I understand that this is a series that has the potential to run and run. Not wishing to bore you all to death, I will continue, weather permitting, until the end of the month, following which I will dip in and out of this theme according to whatever other options become available.

Having seen the weather forecast last night, we knew that we had to get out early if we were to have any chance of a walk before the really bad conditions returned. The day started with light rain showers and, on the higher ground, a bit of sleet. My intention had been to feature a particular house that sits in the Bride valley because of its relevance to other parts of my story. Unfortunately, the weather started to take a turn for the worse and we could see that it was only a matter of minutes before the approaching black clouds unleashed their load. Consequently, we turned around and I took this shot before the heavens opened. The rain got heavier and heavier and hasn't stopped all day.

The village hamlet manor of Winterborne Herringstone was originally known as Winterborne Beauchamp after the original family that held the land. Around 1243, the Abbot of Bindon granted Philip Hareng all the land and manor of Winterborne Beauchamp in exchange for land that Philip held in Chaldon Herring - previous spellings of Herring have been Harang and Hareng; today, the village of Chaldon Herring is generally known as East Chaldon. In 1269, Philip exchanged manors again by taking Langton Herring to allow his mother, Emma and his stepfather, Bartholomew de Brigg to move into "Wynterborn Hareng" for the duration of their lives. Philip eventually inherited both manors.

King Edward III granted the then owner, Sir Walter Hareng, a licence to fortify his manor houses, and the family line continued to own the estates. By 1438, the family name was Filiol (through marriage) and in 1449 John Filiol leased Herringston to a John Hogies . By 1513, the manor was in the hands of the Williams family, who still hold it today, exactly 500 years later.

Hoping for better weather tomorrow...