Gatcombe is a historic locality within the Parish of Wymering in Hampshire, now part of the city of Portsmouth. The name derives from Old English, meaning "goat valley", and the area has been settled since at least the thirteenth century. The Parish of Wymering is one of the oldest in the Portsmouth area, with a church dating to the twelfth century and a manor recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.
The locality is associated with two distinct historic manors. The parent manor of Gatcombe is on the Isle of Wight, while Little Gatcombe was carved from it as a separate holding by the mid-fifteenth century. The lords of Little Gatcombe held their land by grand serjeanty from the Crown, owing armed military service at Portchester Castle in time of war.
Gatcombe House, rebuilt around 1780 for Admiral Sir Roger Curtis, survives as a Grade II listed building on Gatcombe Road. Curtis was a hero of the Great Siege of Gibraltar and later Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth. The building is now in commercial use.
Wymering and Portsdown
Wymering sits at the foot of Portsdown Hill, a chalk ridge that runs east-west across the top of Portsmouth. The hill provides commanding views across Portsmouth Harbour, Langstone Harbour, and the Solent to the Isle of Wight. Portsdown has been strategically important since Roman times; Portchester Castle, at its western end, was built as a Saxon Shore fort around 285 AD and remains the most complete Roman fort in northern Europe.
The Parish of Wymering was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Wimeringe", held by William Mauduit from the King. The manor of Wymering was substantial, with agricultural land, woodland, and a church. St Peter and St Paul's Church in Wymering dates to the twelfth century and contains some of the oldest surviving fabric in the Portsmouth area.
Portchester Castle
The lords of Little Gatcombe owed military service at Portchester Castle under a system known as castle serjeanty. This was one of the most honourable forms of feudal tenure, held directly from the King. The obligation involved providing one armed man, equipped with lance, helmet, and shield, for eight days in time of war. The lords were also required to attend the castle court every three weeks.
The Manorial Lordship
The manorial lordship of Little Gatcombe is an incorporeal hereditament, a form of intangible property recognised in English law. It is separate from the land and from any buildings. The lordship is held by Morgan Sheldon.
Primary source: Victoria County History of Hampshire, Vol. 3 (1908), pp. 165-170.