The manor of Wootton, later called Manydown, was held by the prior and convent of St. Swithun at the time of the Domesday Survey, and remained in their possession until the Dissolution. The long association of the manor with the Wither family began as early as 1402; in 1649 the Dean and Chapter of Winchester sold the manor to William Wither, whose family had long been resident at Manydown.