Papers came up for sale at auction November 2025 relating to the Bigg-Wither family of Manydown, Wootton St Lawrence, near Basingstoke, containing estate, official and family material dating mainly from the 17th century until the mid-20th century, and includes an isolated medieval manorial account roll.
The Bigg-Wither family of Manydown Park provides a case study of a Hampshire gentry family. They were typical in many ways, serving locally as magistrates, clergy, officers in the militia, and in other roles, and forming part of the network of local gentry with its strong social connections. However, they were also unusual in their very long association with a particular manor, as leaseholders from the Dean and Chapter of Winchester since at least the 15th century. The family also has acquired a particular significance because of its association with the Austen family; Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra were friends of the daughters of Lovelace Bigg-Wither who had inherited Manydown in 1789, and in 1802 Lovelace Bigg-Wither’s son Harris proposed to, and was accepted and then rejected by, Jane Austen.
HRO already have archives for this family, :
- 102A17, Bigg-Wither of Manydown, Wootton St Lawrence,
- 21M58, Bates of Manydown, Wootton St Lawrence
- 89A07, Bigg-Wither family letters (3 letters only)
- 187A08, Manydown estate, Wootton St Lawrence
In addition, the Dean and Chapter of Winchester archive held at HRO includes manorial and other records relating to Manydown manor.
This acquisition will allow researchers to piece together a much fuller account of an important gentry family with longstanding north Hampshire connections
The purchase was succesful and made possible by a substantial grant from Friends of the National Libraries. The Friends like to see local funding as part of the application and HAT was delighted to award £500 making the chance chance of a successful application more likely, which it was. Pending cataloguing the highlights are thought to be;
- a manorial account roll believed to relate to Denmead, in the south of Hampshire, in 1362-3
- deeds and related papers for Wither and Bigg-Wither properties in Hampshire, 17th-20th centuries
- papers relating to official roles filled by the Wither and later Bigg-Wither family, 17th-19th centuries (particularly relating to the shrievalty, the militia and the collection of taxes)
- an inventory of the contents of Manydown Park, Wootton St Lawrence, 1831
- personal papers of Wither and Bigg-Wither family members, 17th-20th centuries, including notebooks, photographs, and a large quantity of manuscript translations of Classical verse by the Revd Lovelace Bigg-Wither (1833-1874)