CHURCH-OWNED LAND

At the time of the 1840 Tithe Map, the Church of England-owned land in Weeke, around where Chilbolton Avenue now sits, was shown as being owned by 'The Dean and Chapter of Winchester'. The Dean and Chapter of a cathedral is the governing body of a cathedral. The chapter consists of a group of canons or prebendaries, and is headed by the dean.

Thomas Garnier (above) was the Dean of Winchester Cathedral from 1840 - 1872.

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The ownership of church land was transferred from The Dean and Chapter of Winchester (and from all other Deans and Chapters around the country) to the newly created 'Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England'. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners, as they were known, were established by the 1836 Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act. The 1840 Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act gave them the power to implement a set of their recommendations which included transferring land ownership from the Deans and Chapters to the Commissioners. A subsequent act in 1860 allowed the transfer back to the Deans and Chapters of a limited amount of land to provide an income sufficient for their needs.

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The schemes of the commission were published in the London Gazette. (Was the original Weeke scheme published?) In April 1861 the scheme related to the re-transfer of land in Weeke was published. This included land occupied by William Henry Lipscomb, and also the Board of Ordnance, (Rifle Range link?).

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The Ecclesiastical Commissioners were joined with Queen Anne's Bounty in 1947 to form the Church Commissioners.

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