Eyre, Rev William Leigh Williamson

17 March 1841 – 25 October 1914

Eyre was born in Padbury, near Buckingham, and began his working life in the merchant navy. By his early 20s, however, he had taken holy orders and served as curate at a number of English parishes before – in 1875 – becoming rector of Swarraton and vicar of Northington, where he spent the rest of his days.

Eyre had a particular interest in fungi, developed when he was a member of the Woolhope Club (Herefordshire). He continued and developed this pursuit in Hampshire, publishing lists in the Proceedings and the Victoria County History. He was a founder member of the British Mycological Society and served as its president in 1903. As a consequence, a number of species were named in his honour. He was also a member of the Royal Meteorological Society, compiling local weather records.

Despite these many distractions, Eyre found time to put together a history of the parishes of Northington and Swarraton. This tackled, among other things, the origins of The Grange, the question of estate ownership either by Hyde Abbey (Winchester) or Waverley Abbey (Surrey) and the subsequent interests of wealthy families such as the Brownes, Cobbs, Paulets, Henleys and Barings.

Sources

Wikipediea

Portrait

Rev WLW Eyre

There is a good group photograph, including Rev WLW Eyre, taken during a fungus foray in 1905, on Wikipedia Commons.

Contribution to county’s history

Eyre put together a history of the parishes of Northington and Swarraton.

Relevant published works

Eyre, W.L.W. (1887), A list of Hampshire fungi. Proc Hants Field Club & Archaeol Soc 1 pt 1: 49–50; & (1888) Proc Hants Field Club & Archaeol Soc 1 pt 2: 22-23; (1889) Proc Hants Field Club & Archaeol Soc 1 pt 3: 41-42; (1890) Proc Hants Field Club & Archaeol Soc 1 pt 4: 66-67
Eyre, W L W (1890), A Brief History of the Parishes of Swarraton and Northington, London.
Eyre, W.L.W. (1900), Fungi. In: Doubleday, H.A. (ed.) Victoria County History of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Vol. 1: 82–87. University of London.

Critical Comments

Deveson, A M (2005), The early history of The Grange, Northington, Proc Hants Field Club & Archaeol Soc 60, 198-208, suggests that Eyre is confused in his assessment of the early history of the estate.