Nearly 500 Years of Titheridge History

Old Records

Often when writing about the Titheridge family I mention that individuals are related to John Titheridge and Ann Quallat who married in Cheriton in 1663. You may think that these are the oldest records we have found. This is not the case, and we have identified about 35 individuals who were born before 1663. The problem is that we have no evidence to connect these individuals to John and Ann.

There are many difficulties when looking at old Parish Records. The old records are often illegible and reading them can be impossible, unless you are an expert in reading Old English. Another problem is that a lot of parishes do not have records that go back beyond the 18th century, many of the older records have not survived.

This blog lists what records we have found in Hampshire before 1665 and are therefore over 355 years old. The spelling variations of the surname are quite impressive and include Titheridge, Tytheridge, Titherygge, Tytheryge, Tetridge, Tederidge.

Basingstoke 497 years ago 

Last month we were very excited when we came across the oldest family record yet found. The record is from the reign of Henry VIII, who was on the English throne from 1509-1547. The source of this find is the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1523 for Basingstoke, Hampshire. Basingstoke is a town 18 miles to the north east of Winchester.

Lay Subsidy was a tax that was levied by Henry Vlll, to help finance his campaigns in France. An individual was taxed on income from freehold land, the value of moveable goods, or their wages. An individual was only taxed in one of these categories and the tax was paid in the place he lived.  On 21 May 1523 parliament granted an annual subsidy for four years, to be assessed each year. For the first two years, land was assessed at 12 pence in the pound, and moveable goods at the rate of 12 pence in the pound for those who owned £20 of goods, and 6 pence in the pound for those who owned 40 shillings.-£20 of goods. Persons who were paid annual wages of more than 20 shillings. were charged 4 pence annually.

The Lay Subsidy Roll for Basingstoke shows the total amount of tax levied in Basingstoke was £65 5 shillings. Some of the richer residents were charged up to £4. Among those listed to pay the tax is James Titherygge who needed to pay 2 shillings.

Avington and Chilcomb 475 years ago 

We have found records between 1539 and 1542 relating to Ricardus Tetridge. These records are also in the reign of Henry Vlll. Ricardus died in 1542 and left a will. The will mentions his wife Marjorie, son William, an unborn child, his mother Alys and his stepbrother William Kynsmill, who is the Dean of Winchester Cathedral. We also have a record of Richardus Tytheryge marrying an Alys Hall in Winchester St Maurice on 6 June 1539. Ricardus’s will refers to land in Avington and Chilcomb, these villages are situated just to the east of Winchester. This story has been written about on the website, so please follow this linkto read more. There must be some link to the previous record in Basingstoke because Ricardus’ stepbrother William Kynsmill is known to have been born in Old Basing, a village two miles from the centre of Basingstoke.

Titheridge Families in Avington 410 years ago 

It is in the reign of James 1, in 1609, that the Titheridge name is found in the parish records for Avington, St Mary. The parish records only start in 1609 and between this date and 1686 there are gaps in the records surviving. From the records that are available we have been able to construct the following family groups.

Natham Titheridge and an unknown wife had 4 children, Emma (died 1610), Mary (born 1610), John (born 1618) and Margaret (born 1630).

Stephen Titheridge and Jane had 6 children, Elizabeth (died 1616), Alice (born 1625), William (born 1628), Jane (born1629), John (born 1631) and Constance (born 1635). Constance was probably buried on 29 Apr 1666 in Martyr Worthy, where the burial of Constance Tederidge age 29 is recorded. Stephen Tythridge was buried on 18 Jan 1641 and Jane, a widow, is buried on 10 June 1677 in Avington.

Three other Titheridges are mentioned in the parish records. Nathaniel, the parish clerk, is born 1622 and died 31 Aug 1653. The fact that he is the parish clerk suggests he was educated man and he could read and write. Also mentioned are William Titheridge buried 9 Jan 1609 and Elizabeth Titheridge, a widow, buried 27 Nov 1623.

Another reference to Avington is in Hampshire Marriage Licences which record.
“Roger Hocklie of Itchen Abbas married Frances Titheridge of Avington spinster. Father Nath T of Avington husb bond at Winchester St Thomas 9 October 1630”

With the parish records being incomplete it is impossible to tie these together in a coherent manner. One could speculate that John born in 1631 might be the John who turns up in Cheriton, but there is no supporting evidence for this suggestion.

Titheridge Family in Old Alresford 379 years ago 

In 1641, nineteen years before John and Ann’s marriage in Cheriton, another John Titheridge married Eme Garrett in Old Alresford. They had 8 children all born in Old Alresford, Nathaniel (born1644), Elizabeth (born 1646), Richard (born 1648), William (born 1650), Thomas (born 1652), Thomas (born 1653), Stephen (born 1655) and Joshua born 1660. No further records of marriages or deaths are found for any of these individuals. It is speculation that Joshua could have moved to Kingsclere / Basingstoke area to start another family group, but there is no supporting evidence for this.

Titheridge Family in Cheriton 357 years ago

It was in 1663, in the reign of Charles ll, that John Titheridge married Ann Quallat in Cheriton. This marriage produced a Cheriton family tree which is familiar to many, and which links over 1700 individuals with Titheridges remaining in Cheriton until the 20th Century.



Unfortunately, there are too many missing pieces of the jigsaw to join these records up. Any attempt to do so would be pure speculation. However, it is exciting to know that 500 years ago there is a record of the surname Titheridge with James Titherygge living in Basingstoke.

Below is a map showing the close relationship of villages of Chilcomb, Avington, Old Alresford and Cheriton mentioned above.

If you have Hampshire records before 1663 that I haven’t mentioned please email me : titheradgegenealogy@gmail.com