From — Some Ancient Churches in North East Hampshire
About a mile north of Hartley Mauditt lies the church of St Nicholas, West
Worldham, on a small mound indicating a limited area of land that has been
used over and over again for burials.
One of William the Conqueror's knights, Richard d'Annecy, granted a large
parcel of land to the Priory of Hamble, which was a cell of the Abbey of
Tiron. Monks were sent from Hamble to manage the farm and to receive the
tithes, and they built the tiny monastic church towards the end of the 12th
century.
The monks attended services at the east end, entering by a door in the north
wall, while the villagers were separated by a screen confining them to the
west end.
In 1414 the church was acquired by Winchester College, together with other
possessions of Hamble Priory. The manor house nearby probably stands on the
site of the Norman habitation of the monks.
A piscina can be seen in the north wall of the church and another in the
south wall, indicating where two small altars would have stood.
In the west window, fragments of old glass may be seen. This is from a
window of 1653, commissioned by the Rev Nicholas Mason, ejected from
Irchester, Northamptonshire, who found refuge here during the Cromwellian
interregnum. There is a delightful mermaid and a colourful parrot; these
are extremely rare for their date anywhere in England.
In 1870 the church became almost ruined by fire and the roof fell in, but
it was beautifully restored in 1888 by C.R. Pink, financed by Winchester
College.
