Following my investigations into the street names of Basingstoke, they have led me to the name of Walter de Merton, the namesake of Merton Road in South View. Unfortunately, there is little information about the birthplace of Walter except that it was possible that he was born in Basingstoke as his family were landowners in the area, and that he was educated in Merton, Surrey; but - there is a lot of information of his life.

Walter de Merton (1205 – 1277) born to Christina Fitz-Oliver and William, became a skilled negotiator and lawyer and rose from being, at the age of 32, a clerk in Holy orders to the heights of the right-hand-man to Henry III. When the king travelled to Paris to negotiate the Paris Treaty with Louis IX in 1259, Walter remained in England assisting in the complex financial dealings required and running the country.

On return from Paris, Henry had the promise of peace between France and England, and a massive 134,000 livres (an ancient French currency with one livre equal to one pound of silver) from Louis IX. Henry was Impressed by Walter’s skills, and he granted him a prebendary of St. Paul’s in London eventually becoming Lord Chancellor of England, Bishop of Rochester, Archdeacon of Bath. Walter also founded Merton College, Oxford, which he stated was his greatest achievement.

In 1264 a number of barons rose in civil war against the royalist forces of Henry led by Simon de Montfort, to force him to accept rule by a council of barons instead of those chosen by the king. The massacre of Jews also took place to hide financial irregularities carried out by the barons.

The war, led by Henry and his son the future king Edward I, lasted three years. De Montfort was partly successful but after only a year of rule he was killed at the Battle of Evesham.

In the early years of the reign of Edward I, and his return from the Crusades in the Holy Land, Walter de Merton was replaced in his role as Lord Chancellor and was given the See of Rochester and consecrated on 21st October 1274.

As Bishop of Rochester, Walter de Merton divided his time between Rochester and Oxford and travelled regularly between the two. It was whilst he was travelling from Oxford on the 25th October 1277 that he fell from his horse whilst crossing the Medway River and died from his injuries two days later.

His tomb can be viewed in Rochester Cathedral.