Editing Stratfield Saye House (section)

==Early history==

The line of the [[Roman Road]] the [[Devil's Highway (Roman Britain)|Devil's Highway]] passes East to West just within the Northern boundary of the grounds of Stratfield Saye House 
<ref>Hampshire Field Club and Archeological Society, Papers and Proceedings. Vol.VII, Part I. Printed 1914. H.M. Gilbert and Son, 24 Above Bar, Southampton and at Winchester. Sketch Map opposite page 24</ref>

The Manor of Stratfield Saye was created by the joining of two older manors. In the 12th century Stratfield was owned by the Stoteville family, and then early in the 13th century this passed by marriage to the Saye family.

Before 1370 the manor passed on again by marriage to the [[Sanchet D'Abrichecourt|Dabridgecourts]],<ref>[[John Gough Nichols]], ''The Topographer and genealogist'', Volume 1 (1846), pp. 198–208 [https://books.google.com/books?id=VKZWAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA200 read here] on Google Books</ref> and in 1629 they sold the property to the Pitt family, cousins of the great father-and-son Prime Ministers.

The main part of the house was extensively enlarged around 1630 by [[William Pitt (courtier)|Sir William Pitt]], [[Comptroller of the Household]] to King [[James I of England|James I]]. Sir William's eldest son, [[Edward Pitt]] (1592–1643), MP, of Steepleton Iwerne, Dorset, and later of Stratfield Saye, bought the estate for £4,800 in 1629.<ref>''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604–1629'', edited by Andrew Thrush and John P. Ferris, 2010</ref> Further extensive alterations were carried out to the house and park in the 18th century by [[George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers]].