Bentworth
Encyclopedia
Bentworth is a village and large civil parish
in the East Hampshire
district of Hampshire
, England
. It lies approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the town of Alton
and about 8 miles south of Basingstoke
, just off the A339 road. The parish covers an area of 3763 acres (15.2 km²), of which about 280 acres (1.1 km²) are woodland. At about 700 feet (213.4 m) above sea level, Bentworth is the highest village in Hampshire.
The parish covers a large area of approximately 5.5 square miles (14.2 square kilometres). The village has two public house
s: the Star Inn, and the Sun Inn. It also contains a church and a primary school. It was formerly served by the Bentworth and Lasham railway station
on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
, until its closure in 1932. But due to the closure of the Bentworth and Lasham railway station, the nearest railway station is now 3.6 miles (5.8 km) east of the village, at Alton
.
The manor of Bentworth Hall was not mentioned in the Domesday Survey but was included in the Odiham Hundred
. It was, however, recognized as a notable manor during the reign of Henry I
, when it was given by the king to Geoffrey V
, between 1111 and 1116.
The satirist and poet George Wither
was born in Bentworth in 1588.
Prehistoric archaeological sites and remains have been found in the Bentworth parish over the years, such as a Stone Age
implement Mesolithic Thames was picked up in a field by Childer Hill in 1942. It is now in Newbury Museum. Also a Bronze Age
cremation was found north of Nancole Copse in 1955. The urn is now exhibited in Alton Museum.
Belgic pottery and animal bones were found in a face of Quarry in Holt End, 1954 and with Roman coins found near Tinkers Lane. The bronze coin of Valentinian I
was found in a garden. It is now stored in Alton Museum. Also fine pottery, bone objects, spindle-whorls and fragments of Roman roofing tiles were found in Wivelrod House.
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The known Saxon History of Bentewurda came from the Domesday Survey, as King Egbert's son, Ethelwulf of Wessex
had been given the land of Bentworth Hall to own after King Egbert had deceased. Later King Ethwulf sold Bentworth Hall to the Archbishop of Canturbury, Ethelnoth whom he passed it on to King John.
Bentworth Hall itself can date back to the late 10th century with its manors and houses being passed on countless times. Bentworth Hall was in the reign of King John
from January 1207–8, until the Bishop of Winchester, Peter des Roches
, was granted temporary possession of the manor of Bentworth until his death in 1238. Bentworth Hall was opened again in the late 12th century, by King John after the Bishop of Winchester's death.
In the 11th century, Bentworth was a main crossing point to Basing to Winchester
. Bentworth is located on the hill which is the source of the River Wey
which is in Alton
. It is known that the village of Bentworth (or the neighbouring village of Shalden
) is on top of the source of the river. This is yet unknown, but the source is actually in Alton
.
for serving as a 'hiding place' for numours kings and Archbishops. When King Geoffrey
had died, he left the possession of Bentworth Hall to the Bishop of Winchester, Peter des Roches
. Bentworth Hall had served as a 'hiding place' for the Kings of Wessex for centuries but yet as the House of Wessex dissolved, Bentworth Hall was later given to King John, who kept it and passed it on to his heirs respectively.
John de Melton inherited the manor on the death of his father Sir William Melton
, Archbishop of York
in 1399, and he was returned as owner of Bentworth in 1431; he died in 1455, and was succeeded by his son, who died in 1474 seised of the manor, his heir being his grandson John Melton
.
The main passing point from Basing to Winchester
was ceased as a new road was built around the valley of the villages Bentworth and Lasham
. The road today is known as the A339, and it served as the only way to Silchester
and Vindomis
– a once lost thriving Roman settlement which has grown into the town Alton
today.
both played roles in both World Wars. Lasham had its airfield
, which played a crucial role in the Battle of Britain
, serving as a launch station for numerous squadrons such as the No. 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron RAF
, which took off 30 October 1944 for its bombing run on D-Day
.
The airfield at Lasham was so successful that the Luftwaffe
tried to bomb the airfield and Bentworth village itself. In June 1942, a bomb was dropped dangerously close to Bentworth St Mary Church, landing approximately
23 metres (75.5 ft) away from the church. The large dip still can be found today next to the church, at Swains Farm.
In late 1940, a children's home was built in Bentworth for those who had evacuated London
during the London Blitz. The home was known to be located on Drury Lane, but it was either demolished or burned down in a fire along with the Half Moon Inn in 1951. Later in 1942, Thedden Grange
was used as a prisoner of war
camp until 1944. The camp was known as 'Fisher's Camp'.
With the outbreak of World War II
the village was in desperate need for houses. Thus the council estates of Glebe Fields and Glebe Close were built in early 1946. The small estate sits in the corner of the large field that is owned by the church, giving the name 'Glebe Fields'. The houses were built to house the families who evacuated from London during the war.
. Bentworth Hall and all of its manors still remain today, being privately owned. In 2006, Bentworth Hall was se arched and had found many hidden, but inexpensive medieval remains that had once been in the belongings to King Geoffrey
(who had lived in Bentworth Hall in the mid-11th century).
The old railway station that sits beside the A339 has been demolished since the 1930s. The Bentworth and Lasham railway station
had served in the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
since it was declined in the 1940s. The site still remains today. The village has been considered to bear the marks of its own history, as a secret smugglers' tunnel had been found at the bottom of a well in the 1980s. The tunnel does not lead anywhere but it was estimated that it crossed Bentworth Hall to Wivelrod Manor.
Today, Bentworth has a primary school (known as St Mary's Bentworth School, which can be found next to the church) and two public houses, the Star Inn and the Sun Inn. The village was formerly served by a third pub called the Half Moon Inn, which was a beer house situated on the road leading from Medstead
to Lasham
. It was first licenced in 1841 and the gross value was £19.), The Half Moon Inn was destroyed by a fire in 1951 along with the children's home built to hold evacuated children from London in the Second World War.
, Moundsmere
, Medstead and Lower Wield
were all under the parish of Bentworth. At one point, villages as far as five miles (8 km) away came under their address of Bentworth.
Holt End
had extended as far as half of the land in Medstead. The hamlet of Burkam had owned land in both Bradley and Moundsmere, Wivelrod
extended as far as Alton Abbey
and some parts in Beech
(although much of Medstead and Beech did not exist in the 19th century). In 1920, the Bentworth-Lasham railway station opened, in which the parishes of both Bentworth and Lasham
had shared.
But in 1852, Bentworth had lost nearly 1000 acres (4 km²) as Medstead, Beech
and Bradley
were annexed to gain each an independent parish and Lower Wield
was merged into the parish of Wield
. Bentworth had lost its own address code, and came under Alton
.
Even though the separate parish of Bentworth has lost a lot of land over the few years, the parish had gained a further 95 acres (38.4 ha) in 1991 along with taking back the Home Farm Woodland Trust
area from the parish of Bradley
.
The church of St Mary itself used to be larger than it is today; a quarter of it was destroyed by a fire in the late 19th century. Externally, the extension building is Victorian, with plain roofs, flint walls with stone dressings with stepped buttresses, plinth, and in the nave coubled traceried lights. The bold west tower (which dates from 1891) has diagonal buttresses with an elaborate arrangement of steps (some with gabled ornamentation), and at the top is a timber turret, surmounted by a broach spire.
George Wither
was baptised in this church in 1588.
. Other hamlets include Wivelrod
, Holt End
, Thedden
and Ashley
. Gaston Grange and Thedden Grange
are manors and do not count as hamlets.
Burkham (Brocham, known in the 14th century; Barkham, 16th century; Berkham, Burcum, 18th century.) is the largest hamlet in the parish of Bentworth. It was first mentioned in the gift of Bentworth to the Archbishop of Rouen
c. 1111–16, where it is described as a 'berewite' or outlying farm. The hamlet of Burkham is in the extreme north-west corner of the parish.
In the return of the feudal aids in 1316, a certain landowner named John Daleron held 'Brocham,' which was probably Burkham. In the 16th century it followed the descent of Bentworth Hall, Robert Hunt
acquiring the manor of Burkham House along with the village of Bentworth itself by fine from Henry Lord Windsor in 1590. This was in the same year Robert Magewick purchased it all for £160.
Home Farm, near Burkham is a Woodland Trust
area which consists 339 acres (137.2 ha) of farmland, wooden copses and wide moors. Home Farm was brought by Woodland Trust and opened in 1991. Home Farm has new plantations of trees which connect from the oak woodland of Preston Oak Hills and Herriard Common.
Wivelrod is a hamlet situated in the south-east corner of the parish of Bentworth. It is mentioned as early as 1259 and has been described as one of the oldest parts of Bentworth with evidences of some tumuli and burial mounds being situated around Wivelrod Hill, near Alton Abbey
. In the 18th century Wivelrod was called a manor, and belonged to the owner of Bentworth Hall; a part of this property was sold with Bentworth in 1832.
Wivelrod hill is the highest point in the Bentworth parish and one of the highest points in Hampshire
. Today, the hamlet stands near Alton Abbey
.
Holt End is a hamlet at the southern edge of Bentworth's boundary. It is close to Medstead and Medstead Grange, (which is in the Bentworth parish boundary) and has Jennie Green Lane running through the hamlet. Holt End lies half way between the village centre and New Copse, a heath-looking dusty track which connects with Jennie Green Lane and Gaston Grange wood. The whole area between Holt End and Medstead Grange lies disputed with Medstead
, although Holt End is historically part of Bentworth. The original meaning for the name 'Holt End' must have been an end of a road or a dead end. This name theory is provable because even today Jennie Green Lane has a dead end to it, and was once one of the crossing points between Bentworth and Ropley
.
Ashley is a small hamlet farm situated in the extreme western corner of the parish. The hamlet of Ashley lies on the parish border between Wield
and Bentworth. Oddly, although the hamlet of Ashley is within the parish of Bentworth, it is often mistaken by the East Hampshire District Council for being in the wrong parish, thus making Ashley Farm in a different district council (Winchester City Council). The hamlet is the main crossing point between the village of Bentworth and the neighbouring village of Upper Wield
. The borders between the parish lie disputed between the parishes of Bentworth and Wield
, although the post code of Ashley Farm comes under Bentworth.
Thedden is a hamlet in the extreme bottom-right corner of the Bentworth parish. The hamlet is home to Thedden Grange
, a country house and estate which used to belong to one of the manors of Bentworth Hall. The grounds of Thedden Grange were filmed in a few television series. In 1942, Thedden Grange along with Bentworth itself played its part in World War II; the house itself used to be a prisoner of war
camp for a few years until its independence was granted in 1944.
. There are several farms close by in the village, on the northern side of which is the church, with the rectory close by standing in its own grounds. Gaston Grange is now privately owned.
In 1914, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Gordon
lived in Gaston Grange, in which he was a leading colonel in the First World War and a politician of Northern Ireland
.
A railway station (part of the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
) used to run through the villages of Bentworth and Lasham
until its closure in 1932. The railway station was designed by John Wallis Titt
. The station was the first stopping point to Alton and the last from Basingstoke
. The Bentworth and Lasham railway station is also well known for making an appearance in the 1929 film The Wrecker
and the 1937 film Oh, Mr Porter!
. Remarkably, the old shelter used in the station survived until its full demolition in 2003.
The station was first opened in 1 June 1901, then it was closed in 30 December 1916. It was reopened again on 18 August 1924, lasting eight years until its final closure in 1932. The station was however used for another six years for goods traffic until its demolition on 1 June 1936.
Today, the railway station has left its marks by the construction of five houses which were used for the railway workers. The houses, known as Railway Cottages today, remain in the parish of Lasham
(formerly Bentworth) still remains beside the original railway station.
Ivalls Cottage (notably the headquarters of the Bentworth Parish Council) is a large house which sits at the corner of Bentworth Hall. With late 18th century and early 19th century extensions which includes brick and flint walls, with a tile (some slate) roof. Beside the cottage also includes Ivalls Farm House, one of the older buildings in the area, is a timber framed and cruck built farmhouse of which there are very few in Hampshire. It was built in about 1500, and has 20th-century additions.
Around the centre of the village is a large wall which once divided the village in two. The wall is known to have been built around the 13th century, but today is slowly decaying. The wall retains its original character, although the upper half has almost disappeared in recent years due to the decaying. The wall itself is made up of stone and rough limescale which has been damaged in recent years due to vandalism. Other than that, the wall remains in its original position from its last extension in 1942.
of Wessex
(769-839) lived in Bentworth for a few years and owned Bentworth Hall, who he passed onto his heirs, respectively. Upon Egbert's death, his son, Ethelwulf
(839–856) owned Bentworth Hall and used it as a hiding place for a few years until he died in the year 856. After Ethelwulf's death, it is unknown what became of Bentworth Hall for the next couple of centuries until it was recorded in the Domesday Survey in 1085.
But after Bentworth was recorded in the Odiham Hundred shortly after the recording of the Domesday Survey, King Henry I
(1068–1135) brought Bentworth Hall and the village's land for an unknown amount of money and lived there for a few years until he died in 1135. Upon Henry's death, Count of Anjou King Geoffrey
(1068–1151) owned Bentworth Hall after the death of King Henry I and lived there until passing it on to the Bishop of Winchester, Peter des Roches
(?-1238). Roches was granted temporary possession of Bentworth Hall after having it being passed on by King Geoffrey. He lived there all his life until his death in 1238.
The poet and satirist George Wither
(1588–1667) was born in Bentworth in 1588. He was baptised in the church of St Mary and later (being a firm believer in Oliver Cromwell
's cause during the English Civil War
) sold all his land in the parish to raise a troop of horses for him. The Wither family lived in Bentworth until the 17th century.
at the date, and thus all manors within the area were recorded in the Hundred of Odiham by law.
The royal Hundred of Odiham was a large plan containing the parishes of; Bentworth, Dogmersfield
, Elvetham, Greywell
, Hartley Wintney
, Lasham
, Liss
, Odiham
, Rotherwick
, Shalden
, Sherfield-on-Loddon, Weston Patrick
, and Winchfield
.
At the time of the Domesday Survey the parishes contained in the Hundred of Odiham were included in the two hundreds of Odiham
and the parish of Hefedele (also known as Edefele and Efedele). The former comprised Lasham
and Shalden
and half a hide which had been taken from the nearby village Preston Candover, and the latter included Odiham, Winchfield
, Elvetham, Dogmersfield
, and a 'past' parish named Berchelei. For the manors of Bentworth, Greywell
, Hartley Wintney
, Liss
, Sherfield-upon-Loddon, and Weston Patrick
, there are no entries in the Survey, but they were all probably included in the large manor of Odiham.
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which strecthes as far as the south of Hampshire
towards Sussex
. The land across Bentworth is surrounded by arable land
and large farms which preserve local Woodland Trust
parks such as Burkham
's Home Farm. It is located along the of the River Wey
, on the northwest side of the A339 road.
At over 700 feet (210 m) above sea level, Bentworth is the highest village in Hampshire.
, Bentworth has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and walmer than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately 9 °C (48.2 °F) and shows a seasonal and a diurnal
variation, but due to the effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the UK. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 0.5 °C (32.9 °F) and 2 °C (35.6 °F). June and July are the warmest months in the area with average daily maxima around 25.5 °C (77.9 °F). Although Bentworth is situated in one of the highest points in South East England, it still receives colder than average weather and is usually seriously affected in the snow.
History
Church and village community
Miscellaneous
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the East Hampshire
East Hampshire
East Hampshire is a local government district in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Petersfield. Other towns are Alton, Horndean and Whitehill-Bordon....
district of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It lies approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the town of Alton
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
and about 8 miles south of Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
, just off the A339 road. The parish covers an area of 3763 acres (15.2 km²), of which about 280 acres (1.1 km²) are woodland. At about 700 feet (213.4 m) above sea level, Bentworth is the highest village in Hampshire.
The parish covers a large area of approximately 5.5 square miles (14.2 square kilometres). The village has two public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s: the Star Inn, and the Sun Inn. It also contains a church and a primary school. It was formerly served by the Bentworth and Lasham railway station
Bentworth and Lasham railway station
Bentworth and Lasham railway station was a railway station which served the villages of Bentworth and Lasham in Hampshire, England and was located centrally between these two villages. The station was a stop on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway until its closure in 1932. Remarkably, the...
on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
The Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway was a railway in Hampshire, UK, opened on Saturday, 1 June 1901, with no formal ceremony.It was the first railway to be enabled by an Order of the Light Railway Commission under the Light Railways Act of 1896...
, until its closure in 1932. But due to the closure of the Bentworth and Lasham railway station, the nearest railway station is now 3.6 miles (5.8 km) east of the village, at Alton
Alton railway station
Alton railway station is a railway station in the town of Alton, in the English county of Hampshire. The station is the terminus for two railway lines; the Alton Line which runs to Brookwood and onto London Waterloo and the Mid Hants Watercress Railway, which runs to Alresford. The latter once ran...
.
The manor of Bentworth Hall was not mentioned in the Domesday Survey but was included in the Odiham Hundred
The Hundred of Odiham
The Hundred of Odiham was a Hundred of Great Britain situated in the ceremonial county of Hampshire. The Hundred of Odiham contained the parishes of; Bentworth, Dogmersfield, Elvetham, Greywell, Hartley Wintney, Lasham, Liss, Odiham, Rotherwick, Shalden, Sherfield on Loddon, Weston Patrick, and...
. It was, however, recognized as a notable manor during the reign of Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
, when it was given by the king to Geoffrey V
Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou
Geoffrey V , called the Handsome and Plantagenet, was the Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine by inheritance from 1129 and then Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144...
, between 1111 and 1116.
The satirist and poet George Wither
George Wither
George Wither was an English poet, pamphleteer, and satirist. He was a prolific writer who adopted a deliberate plainness of style; he was several times imprisoned. C. V...
was born in Bentworth in 1588.
Prehistory
The village name has been spelt in many different ways including: Bentewurda or Bintewurda (as it was known in c.1100) and Bynteworth (as it was known around c.1400). There are competing theories for the origin of the name on which one suggests that the original meaning of the name Bent-worth must have been a place of cultivated land, or a way through other known land (such as woodland or streams).Prehistoric archaeological sites and remains have been found in the Bentworth parish over the years, such as a Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
implement Mesolithic Thames was picked up in a field by Childer Hill in 1942. It is now in Newbury Museum. Also a Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
cremation was found north of Nancole Copse in 1955. The urn is now exhibited in Alton Museum.
Belgic pottery and animal bones were found in a face of Quarry in Holt End, 1954 and with Roman coins found near Tinkers Lane. The bronze coin of Valentinian I
Valentinian I
Valentinian I , also known as Valentinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 364 to 375. Upon becoming emperor he made his brother Valens his co-emperor, giving him rule of the eastern provinces while Valentinian retained the west....
was found in a garden. It is now stored in Alton Museum. Also fine pottery, bone objects, spindle-whorls and fragments of Roman roofing tiles were found in Wivelrod House.
Saxon times
Ethelwulf of Wessex
Æthelwulf, also spelled Aethelwulf or Ethelwulf; Old English: Æþelwulf, meaning 'Noble Wolf', was King of Wessex from 839 until his death in 858. He is the only son who can indisputably be accredited to King Egbert of Wessex. He conquered the kingdom of Kent on behalf of his father in 825, and was...
had been given the land of Bentworth Hall to own after King Egbert had deceased. Later King Ethwulf sold Bentworth Hall to the Archbishop of Canturbury, Ethelnoth whom he passed it on to King John.
Bentworth Hall itself can date back to the late 10th century with its manors and houses being passed on countless times. Bentworth Hall was in the reign of King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
from January 1207–8, until the Bishop of Winchester, Peter des Roches
Peter des Roches
Peter des Roches was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of King John of England and his son Henry III. Roches was not an Englishman, but a Poitevin.-Life:...
, was granted temporary possession of the manor of Bentworth until his death in 1238. Bentworth Hall was opened again in the late 12th century, by King John after the Bishop of Winchester's death.
In the 11th century, Bentworth was a main crossing point to Basing to Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. Bentworth is located on the hill which is the source of the River Wey
River Wey
The River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...
which is in Alton
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
. It is known that the village of Bentworth (or the neighbouring village of Shalden
Shalden
Shalden is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road.The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
) is on top of the source of the river. This is yet unknown, but the source is actually in Alton
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
.
Middle Ages
Bentworth was originally an agricultural village until it became important to the House of WessexHouse of Wessex
The House of Wessex, also known as the House of Cerdic, refers to the family that ruled a kingdom in southwest England known as Wessex. This House was in power from the 6th century under Cerdic of Wessex to the unification of the Kingdoms of England....
for serving as a 'hiding place' for numours kings and Archbishops. When King Geoffrey
Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou
Geoffrey V , called the Handsome and Plantagenet, was the Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine by inheritance from 1129 and then Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144...
had died, he left the possession of Bentworth Hall to the Bishop of Winchester, Peter des Roches
Peter des Roches
Peter des Roches was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of King John of England and his son Henry III. Roches was not an Englishman, but a Poitevin.-Life:...
. Bentworth Hall had served as a 'hiding place' for the Kings of Wessex for centuries but yet as the House of Wessex dissolved, Bentworth Hall was later given to King John, who kept it and passed it on to his heirs respectively.
John de Melton inherited the manor on the death of his father Sir William Melton
William Melton
-Life:Melton was the son of Henry of Melton, and the brother of Henry de Melton. He was born in Melton in the parish of Welton, about nine miles from Kingston upon Hull. He was a contemporary of John Hotham, Chancellor of England and Bishop of Ely...
, Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
in 1399, and he was returned as owner of Bentworth in 1431; he died in 1455, and was succeeded by his son, who died in 1474 seised of the manor, his heir being his grandson John Melton
John Melton
Sir John Melton was an English merchant, writer and politician.He was appointed Secretary to the Council of the North in 1635, by Charles I of England.He was elected Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the year of his death....
.
The main passing point from Basing to Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
was ceased as a new road was built around the valley of the villages Bentworth and Lasham
Lasham
Lasham is a small village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road. The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
. The road today is known as the A339, and it served as the only way to Silchester
Silchester
Silchester is a village and civil parish about north of Basingstoke in Hampshire. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire and about south-west of Reading....
and Vindomis
Neatham
Neatham is a Roman hamlet in the civil parish of Holybourne in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Alton, which lies south-west from the hamlet.- Roman period – Vindomis :...
– a once lost thriving Roman settlement which has grown into the town Alton
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
today.
1939–1945
The villages of Bentworth and LashamLasham
Lasham is a small village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road. The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
both played roles in both World Wars. Lasham had its airfield
Lasham Airfield
Lasham Airfield is located north-west of Alton in Hampshire, England, in the village of Lasham.It was built in 1942 and it was an operational RAF during the Second World War. It was used for recreational gliding from 1951. The airfield is now owned by the world's largest gliding club, Lasham...
, which played a crucial role in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, serving as a launch station for numerous squadrons such as the No. 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron RAF
No. 613 Squadron RAF
No. 613 Squadron was an Auxiliary Air Force later Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron formed on 1 February 1939 at the then new municipal airport at Ringway, nine miles south of Manchester. The squadron served at first in the army cooperation role, and later during World War II became a tactical...
, which took off 30 October 1944 for its bombing run on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
.
The airfield at Lasham was so successful that the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
tried to bomb the airfield and Bentworth village itself. In June 1942, a bomb was dropped dangerously close to Bentworth St Mary Church, landing approximately
23 metres (75.5 ft) away from the church. The large dip still can be found today next to the church, at Swains Farm.
In late 1940, a children's home was built in Bentworth for those who had evacuated London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during the London Blitz. The home was known to be located on Drury Lane, but it was either demolished or burned down in a fire along with the Half Moon Inn in 1951. Later in 1942, Thedden Grange
Thedden Grange
Thedden Grange is a privately owned country house and estate in the civil parish of Bentworth, on the outskirts of Alton, Hampshire, England...
was used as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp until 1944. The camp was known as 'Fisher's Camp'.
With the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the village was in desperate need for houses. Thus the council estates of Glebe Fields and Glebe Close were built in early 1946. The small estate sits in the corner of the large field that is owned by the church, giving the name 'Glebe Fields'. The houses were built to house the families who evacuated from London during the war.
Recent history
The village of Bentworth has grown in size in recent years, and is known as the highest village in HampshireHampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. Bentworth Hall and all of its manors still remain today, being privately owned. In 2006, Bentworth Hall was se arched and had found many hidden, but inexpensive medieval remains that had once been in the belongings to King Geoffrey
Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou
Geoffrey V , called the Handsome and Plantagenet, was the Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine by inheritance from 1129 and then Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144...
(who had lived in Bentworth Hall in the mid-11th century).
The old railway station that sits beside the A339 has been demolished since the 1930s. The Bentworth and Lasham railway station
Bentworth and Lasham railway station
Bentworth and Lasham railway station was a railway station which served the villages of Bentworth and Lasham in Hampshire, England and was located centrally between these two villages. The station was a stop on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway until its closure in 1932. Remarkably, the...
had served in the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
The Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway was a railway in Hampshire, UK, opened on Saturday, 1 June 1901, with no formal ceremony.It was the first railway to be enabled by an Order of the Light Railway Commission under the Light Railways Act of 1896...
since it was declined in the 1940s. The site still remains today. The village has been considered to bear the marks of its own history, as a secret smugglers' tunnel had been found at the bottom of a well in the 1980s. The tunnel does not lead anywhere but it was estimated that it crossed Bentworth Hall to Wivelrod Manor.
Today, Bentworth has a primary school (known as St Mary's Bentworth School, which can be found next to the church) and two public houses, the Star Inn and the Sun Inn. The village was formerly served by a third pub called the Half Moon Inn, which was a beer house situated on the road leading from Medstead
Medstead
Medstead is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 4.3 miles west-southwest of Alton. The village has a population of around 2,000 and adjoins the village of Four Marks. At over 700 feet above sea level, they are some of the highest villages in...
to Lasham
Lasham
Lasham is a small village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road. The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
. It was first licenced in 1841 and the gross value was £19.), The Half Moon Inn was destroyed by a fire in 1951 along with the children's home built to hold evacuated children from London in the Second World War.
Parish decline
In the mid-1880s, Bentworth had a total parish of over 4800 acres (19.4 km²). Nearby places like BradleyBradley, Hampshire
Bradley is a small village in Hampshire, England. It is two miles away from the village of Bentworth. Its nearest railway station is at Alton, approximately away, although its nearest town is New Alresford....
, Moundsmere
Moundsmere
Moundsmere is a hamlet in Hampshire, England. It is 3 miles away from the village of Bentworth.Moundsmere became part of the dower first of Anne of Cleves and then of Catherine Howard. On the death of Catherine Howard, Henry VIII granted it to Winchester College in part exchange for certain other...
, Medstead and Lower Wield
Lower Wield
Lower Wield is a hamlet in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 1.8 miles west of the village of Bentworth, 5.2 miles west of Alton. The nearest railway station is Alton, 5.2 miles east of the village.At one time, Lower Wield came under the large parish of Bentworth until its...
were all under the parish of Bentworth. At one point, villages as far as five miles (8 km) away came under their address of Bentworth.
Holt End
Holt End, Hampshire
Holt End is a hamlet in the large civil parish of Bentworth in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Alton, which lies approximately north-east from the hamlet. Its nearest train station was formerly the Bentworth and Lasham railway station on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway, until its...
had extended as far as half of the land in Medstead. The hamlet of Burkam had owned land in both Bradley and Moundsmere, Wivelrod
Wivelrod
Wivelrod is a hamlet in the large civil parish of Bentworth in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Alton, which lies approximately 2.8 miles north-east from the hamlet. Its nearest train station was formerly the Bentworth and Lasham railway station on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway,...
extended as far as Alton Abbey
Alton Abbey
Alton Abbey is an Anglican Benedictine Monastery in the village of Beech, near Alton, Hampshire, England. The community was founded by The Rev Charles Plomer Hopkins in 1884 as the Society of Saint Paul in Rangoon, Burma ) and Culcutta to work with destitute or distressed merchant seafarers and...
and some parts in Beech
Beech, Hampshire
Beech is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It lies 2 miles west of Alton, just west of the A339 road.The nearest railway station is 2 miles east of the village, at Alton.-History:...
(although much of Medstead and Beech did not exist in the 19th century). In 1920, the Bentworth-Lasham railway station opened, in which the parishes of both Bentworth and Lasham
Lasham
Lasham is a small village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road. The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
had shared.
But in 1852, Bentworth had lost nearly 1000 acres (4 km²) as Medstead, Beech
Beech, Hampshire
Beech is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It lies 2 miles west of Alton, just west of the A339 road.The nearest railway station is 2 miles east of the village, at Alton.-History:...
and Bradley
Bradley, Hampshire
Bradley is a small village in Hampshire, England. It is two miles away from the village of Bentworth. Its nearest railway station is at Alton, approximately away, although its nearest town is New Alresford....
were annexed to gain each an independent parish and Lower Wield
Lower Wield
Lower Wield is a hamlet in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 1.8 miles west of the village of Bentworth, 5.2 miles west of Alton. The nearest railway station is Alton, 5.2 miles east of the village.At one time, Lower Wield came under the large parish of Bentworth until its...
was merged into the parish of Wield
Wield
Wield is a civil parish in Hampshire, England. It includes two neighbouring villages, Upper Wield and Lower Wield.The parish church, dedicated to St James, is in Upper Wield. It is mainly Norman, and is a Grade I listed building.- External links :*...
. Bentworth had lost its own address code, and came under Alton
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
.
Even though the separate parish of Bentworth has lost a lot of land over the few years, the parish had gained a further 95 acres (38.4 ha) in 1991 along with taking back the Home Farm Woodland Trust
Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom concerned with the protection and sympathetic management of native woodland heritage.-History:...
area from the parish of Bradley
Bradley, Hampshire
Bradley is a small village in Hampshire, England. It is two miles away from the village of Bentworth. Its nearest railway station is at Alton, approximately away, although its nearest town is New Alresford....
.
St Mary's Church
The church of St Mary is situated at the north-east of the village and stands in the centre of a churchyard which is enclosed by a wood paling and surrounded by tall trees. It consists of chancel that is 27 feet (8.2 m) by 17 in 4 in (5.28 m), with a small north vestry nave which is 48 in 7 in (14.81 m) by 17 feet (5.2 m). The nave arcades date from the late 12th century, and the chancel arch is of the same period. The chancel was built round an older chancel which dates from 1260, and the lower part of the church tower is of the same date or a little earlier. The aisles of the nave seem to have been rebuilt in the 14th century, and in modern times the fabric has been thoroughly repaired.The church of St Mary itself used to be larger than it is today; a quarter of it was destroyed by a fire in the late 19th century. Externally, the extension building is Victorian, with plain roofs, flint walls with stone dressings with stepped buttresses, plinth, and in the nave coubled traceried lights. The bold west tower (which dates from 1891) has diagonal buttresses with an elaborate arrangement of steps (some with gabled ornamentation), and at the top is a timber turret, surmounted by a broach spire.
George Wither
George Wither
George Wither was an English poet, pamphleteer, and satirist. He was a prolific writer who adopted a deliberate plainness of style; he was several times imprisoned. C. V...
was baptised in this church in 1588.
Parish
Within the Bentworth parish contains several scattered hamlets; the largest one being BurkhamBurkham
Burkham is a hamlet in the large civil parish of Bentworth in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Alton, which lies approximately 4.5 miles south-east from the hamlet. Its nearest train station was formerly the Bentworth and Lasham railway station on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway,...
. Other hamlets include Wivelrod
Wivelrod
Wivelrod is a hamlet in the large civil parish of Bentworth in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Alton, which lies approximately 2.8 miles north-east from the hamlet. Its nearest train station was formerly the Bentworth and Lasham railway station on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway,...
, Holt End
Holt End, Hampshire
Holt End is a hamlet in the large civil parish of Bentworth in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Alton, which lies approximately north-east from the hamlet. Its nearest train station was formerly the Bentworth and Lasham railway station on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway, until its...
, Thedden
Thedden
Thedden is a hamlet in the large civil parish of Bentworth in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Alton, which lies approximately 3.5 miles east from the hamlet. Its nearest train station was formerly the Bentworth and Lasham railway station on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway, until...
and Ashley
Ashley, East Hampshire
Ashley is a hamlet in the large civil parish of Bentworth in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Alton, which lies approximately 4.3 miles east from the hamlet. Its nearest train station was formerly the Bentworth and Lasham railway station on the Basingstoke and...
. Gaston Grange and Thedden Grange
Thedden Grange
Thedden Grange is a privately owned country house and estate in the civil parish of Bentworth, on the outskirts of Alton, Hampshire, England...
are manors and do not count as hamlets.
Burkham
Burkham (Brocham, known in the 14th century; Barkham, 16th century; Berkham, Burcum, 18th century.) is the largest hamlet in the parish of Bentworth. It was first mentioned in the gift of Bentworth to the Archbishop of Rouen
Archbishop of Rouen
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
c. 1111–16, where it is described as a 'berewite' or outlying farm. The hamlet of Burkham is in the extreme north-west corner of the parish.
In the return of the feudal aids in 1316, a certain landowner named John Daleron held 'Brocham,' which was probably Burkham. In the 16th century it followed the descent of Bentworth Hall, Robert Hunt
Robert Hunt (chaplain)
Robert Hunt , a vicar in the Church of England, was chaplain of the expedition that founded, in 1607, the first successful English colony in the New World, at Jamestown, Virginia.-Career in England:...
acquiring the manor of Burkham House along with the village of Bentworth itself by fine from Henry Lord Windsor in 1590. This was in the same year Robert Magewick purchased it all for £160.
Home Farm, near Burkham is a Woodland Trust
Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom concerned with the protection and sympathetic management of native woodland heritage.-History:...
area which consists 339 acres (137.2 ha) of farmland, wooden copses and wide moors. Home Farm was brought by Woodland Trust and opened in 1991. Home Farm has new plantations of trees which connect from the oak woodland of Preston Oak Hills and Herriard Common.
Wivelrod
Wivelrod is a hamlet situated in the south-east corner of the parish of Bentworth. It is mentioned as early as 1259 and has been described as one of the oldest parts of Bentworth with evidences of some tumuli and burial mounds being situated around Wivelrod Hill, near Alton Abbey
Alton Abbey
Alton Abbey is an Anglican Benedictine Monastery in the village of Beech, near Alton, Hampshire, England. The community was founded by The Rev Charles Plomer Hopkins in 1884 as the Society of Saint Paul in Rangoon, Burma ) and Culcutta to work with destitute or distressed merchant seafarers and...
. In the 18th century Wivelrod was called a manor, and belonged to the owner of Bentworth Hall; a part of this property was sold with Bentworth in 1832.
Wivelrod hill is the highest point in the Bentworth parish and one of the highest points in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. Today, the hamlet stands near Alton Abbey
Alton Abbey
Alton Abbey is an Anglican Benedictine Monastery in the village of Beech, near Alton, Hampshire, England. The community was founded by The Rev Charles Plomer Hopkins in 1884 as the Society of Saint Paul in Rangoon, Burma ) and Culcutta to work with destitute or distressed merchant seafarers and...
.
Holt End
Holt End is a hamlet at the southern edge of Bentworth's boundary. It is close to Medstead and Medstead Grange, (which is in the Bentworth parish boundary) and has Jennie Green Lane running through the hamlet. Holt End lies half way between the village centre and New Copse, a heath-looking dusty track which connects with Jennie Green Lane and Gaston Grange wood. The whole area between Holt End and Medstead Grange lies disputed with Medstead
Medstead
Medstead is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 4.3 miles west-southwest of Alton. The village has a population of around 2,000 and adjoins the village of Four Marks. At over 700 feet above sea level, they are some of the highest villages in...
, although Holt End is historically part of Bentworth. The original meaning for the name 'Holt End' must have been an end of a road or a dead end. This name theory is provable because even today Jennie Green Lane has a dead end to it, and was once one of the crossing points between Bentworth and Ropley
Ropley
Ropley is a village and large civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It has an acreage of , situated east from New Alresford, with a station 1½ miles from the village. It is southwest of Alton, just off the A31 road...
.
Ashley
Ashley is a small hamlet farm situated in the extreme western corner of the parish. The hamlet of Ashley lies on the parish border between Wield
Wield
Wield is a civil parish in Hampshire, England. It includes two neighbouring villages, Upper Wield and Lower Wield.The parish church, dedicated to St James, is in Upper Wield. It is mainly Norman, and is a Grade I listed building.- External links :*...
and Bentworth. Oddly, although the hamlet of Ashley is within the parish of Bentworth, it is often mistaken by the East Hampshire District Council for being in the wrong parish, thus making Ashley Farm in a different district council (Winchester City Council). The hamlet is the main crossing point between the village of Bentworth and the neighbouring village of Upper Wield
Upper Wield
Upper Wield is a village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is west of Alton.The nearest railway station is the restored Medstead & Four Marks station on the Watercress Line, trains from which connect with the nearest national rail station to the east, at Alton.-Further...
. The borders between the parish lie disputed between the parishes of Bentworth and Wield
Wield
Wield is a civil parish in Hampshire, England. It includes two neighbouring villages, Upper Wield and Lower Wield.The parish church, dedicated to St James, is in Upper Wield. It is mainly Norman, and is a Grade I listed building.- External links :*...
, although the post code of Ashley Farm comes under Bentworth.
Thedden
Thedden Grange
Thedden Grange is a privately owned country house and estate in the civil parish of Bentworth, on the outskirts of Alton, Hampshire, England...
, a country house and estate which used to belong to one of the manors of Bentworth Hall. The grounds of Thedden Grange were filmed in a few television series. In 1942, Thedden Grange along with Bentworth itself played its part in World War II; the house itself used to be a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp for a few years until its independence was granted in 1944.
Gaston Grange
Gaston Grange is one of the manors of Bentworth Hall, with a large wood attached to the grange, it also belongs to the Bentworth Hall estate, and is on the south-eastern boundary of the parish, next to WieldWield
Wield is a civil parish in Hampshire, England. It includes two neighbouring villages, Upper Wield and Lower Wield.The parish church, dedicated to St James, is in Upper Wield. It is mainly Norman, and is a Grade I listed building.- External links :*...
. There are several farms close by in the village, on the northern side of which is the church, with the rectory close by standing in its own grounds. Gaston Grange is now privately owned.
In 1914, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Gordon
Alexander Gordon (politician)
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Alexander Robert Gisborne Gordon GBE DSO PC was a Unionist Member and Senator in the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Family background:...
lived in Gaston Grange, in which he was a leading colonel in the First World War and a politician of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Bentworth and Lasham railway station
A railway station (part of the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
The Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway was a railway in Hampshire, UK, opened on Saturday, 1 June 1901, with no formal ceremony.It was the first railway to be enabled by an Order of the Light Railway Commission under the Light Railways Act of 1896...
) used to run through the villages of Bentworth and Lasham
Lasham
Lasham is a small village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road. The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
until its closure in 1932. The railway station was designed by John Wallis Titt
John Wallis Titt
John Wallis Titt was a late nineteenth-century mechanical engineer and builder of a particular design of large wind engine.-Early life:...
. The station was the first stopping point to Alton and the last from Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
. The Bentworth and Lasham railway station is also well known for making an appearance in the 1929 film The Wrecker
The Wrecker (1928 film)
The Wrecker is a 74 minute silent film made in 1928 . The film was based on the play of the same title by Arnold Ridley. It was produced by Michael Balcon for Gainsborough Pictures, directed by Hungarian Géza von Bolváry and starred Carlyle Blackwell, Joseph Striker and Benita Hume. A...
and the 1937 film Oh, Mr Porter!
Oh, Mr Porter!
Oh, Mr Porter! is a British comedy film starring Will Hay with Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt and directed by Marcel Varnel. While not his most commercially successful, it is probably his best-known film to modern audiences...
. Remarkably, the old shelter used in the station survived until its full demolition in 2003.
The station was first opened in 1 June 1901, then it was closed in 30 December 1916. It was reopened again on 18 August 1924, lasting eight years until its final closure in 1932. The station was however used for another six years for goods traffic until its demolition on 1 June 1936.
Today, the railway station has left its marks by the construction of five houses which were used for the railway workers. The houses, known as Railway Cottages today, remain in the parish of Lasham
Lasham
Lasham is a small village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road. The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
(formerly Bentworth) still remains beside the original railway station.
Manors and houses of Bentworth
Hall Place Farm and the manors of Bentworth and Bentworth Hall were bought by Mr. Fisher for £6,000; the building is said to have been constructed by John of 'Bynteworth' and was used as a manor court. Hall Place, now called Manor Farm, in the village of Bentworth, represents the old manor-house of Bentworth Hall, which in the 18th century was called Bentworth Hall Place the present hall having been built in the middle of the last century. The old house dates probably from the 14th century, but retains little of its original character; the outer and inner doorways at the entrance have two-centred arches of two splayed orders, and in the lobby there is a trefoiled light.Ivalls Cottage (notably the headquarters of the Bentworth Parish Council) is a large house which sits at the corner of Bentworth Hall. With late 18th century and early 19th century extensions which includes brick and flint walls, with a tile (some slate) roof. Beside the cottage also includes Ivalls Farm House, one of the older buildings in the area, is a timber framed and cruck built farmhouse of which there are very few in Hampshire. It was built in about 1500, and has 20th-century additions.
Village wall
A notable manor in the village is Mulberry House, which was formerly the Rectory. The house itself has large grounds which surround the church and its graveyard. A footpath leading to the church follows the grounds of Mulberry House. The grounds of Mulberry House has a wall to mark its boundaries.Around the centre of the village is a large wall which once divided the village in two. The wall is known to have been built around the 13th century, but today is slowly decaying. The wall retains its original character, although the upper half has almost disappeared in recent years due to the decaying. The wall itself is made up of stone and rough limescale which has been damaged in recent years due to vandalism. Other than that, the wall remains in its original position from its last extension in 1942.
Notable people
King EgbertEgbert of Wessex
Egbert was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was Ealhmund of Kent...
of Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
(769-839) lived in Bentworth for a few years and owned Bentworth Hall, who he passed onto his heirs, respectively. Upon Egbert's death, his son, Ethelwulf
Ethelwulf of Wessex
Æthelwulf, also spelled Aethelwulf or Ethelwulf; Old English: Æþelwulf, meaning 'Noble Wolf', was King of Wessex from 839 until his death in 858. He is the only son who can indisputably be accredited to King Egbert of Wessex. He conquered the kingdom of Kent on behalf of his father in 825, and was...
(839–856) owned Bentworth Hall and used it as a hiding place for a few years until he died in the year 856. After Ethelwulf's death, it is unknown what became of Bentworth Hall for the next couple of centuries until it was recorded in the Domesday Survey in 1085.
But after Bentworth was recorded in the Odiham Hundred shortly after the recording of the Domesday Survey, King Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
(1068–1135) brought Bentworth Hall and the village's land for an unknown amount of money and lived there for a few years until he died in 1135. Upon Henry's death, Count of Anjou King Geoffrey
Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou
Geoffrey V , called the Handsome and Plantagenet, was the Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine by inheritance from 1129 and then Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144...
(1068–1151) owned Bentworth Hall after the death of King Henry I and lived there until passing it on to the Bishop of Winchester, Peter des Roches
Peter des Roches
Peter des Roches was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of King John of England and his son Henry III. Roches was not an Englishman, but a Poitevin.-Life:...
(?-1238). Roches was granted temporary possession of Bentworth Hall after having it being passed on by King Geoffrey. He lived there all his life until his death in 1238.
The poet and satirist George Wither
George Wither
George Wither was an English poet, pamphleteer, and satirist. He was a prolific writer who adopted a deliberate plainness of style; he was several times imprisoned. C. V...
(1588–1667) was born in Bentworth in 1588. He was baptised in the church of St Mary and later (being a firm believer in Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's cause during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
) sold all his land in the parish to raise a troop of horses for him. The Wither family lived in Bentworth until the 17th century.
The Hundred of Odiham
From the 18th century, a law in England required that all manors of villages and parishes had to be merged with a 'Hundred' to form it. The nearest Hundred to Bentworth was OdihamOdiham
Odiham is a historic village and large civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The current population is 4,406. The parish contains an acreage of 7,354 acres with 50 acres of land covered with water. The nearest...
at the date, and thus all manors within the area were recorded in the Hundred of Odiham by law.
The royal Hundred of Odiham was a large plan containing the parishes of; Bentworth, Dogmersfield
Dogmersfield
Dogmersfield is a small and peaceful village between the towns of Fleet and Hartley Wintney located in Hampshire, England.Places of interest include the village church, the Queen's Head pub and a mansion house known variously as Dogmersfield House or Dogmersfield Park...
, Elvetham, Greywell
Greywell
Greywell is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire, England.Greywell village is a past winner of the Best Kept Village in Hampshire competition and a recent winner of Best Small Village in Hampshire. The Basingstoke Canal runs underneath part of the village through the 1.1 km long...
, Hartley Wintney
Hartley Wintney
Hartley Wintney is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire.-Location and character:Hartley Wintney is in the Hart district of North-East Hampshire...
, Lasham
Lasham
Lasham is a small village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road. The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
, Liss
Liss
Liss is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 3.3 miles northeast of Petersfield, on the A3 road, on the Hampshire/West Sussex border....
, Odiham
Odiham
Odiham is a historic village and large civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The current population is 4,406. The parish contains an acreage of 7,354 acres with 50 acres of land covered with water. The nearest...
, Rotherwick
Rotherwick
Rotherwick is a small village situated in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is situated between the Whitewater and the Lyde, both tributaries of the Loddon. Rotherwick is within walking distance from Hook....
, Shalden
Shalden
Shalden is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road.The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
, Sherfield-on-Loddon, Weston Patrick
Weston Patrick
Weston Patrick is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire. It lies four miles southeast from Basingstoke and covers an area of . Weston Patrick is divided from the neighbouring parish of Weston Corbett by the road leading to the village of Upton Grey.The former BBC Gardener's World...
, and Winchfield
Winchfield
Winchfield is a small village in the Hart District of Hampshire in the South-East of England. It is situated 1 mile south-west of Hartley Wintney, 8 miles east of Basingstoke, 2 miles north-east of Odiham and 38 miles west of London...
.
At the time of the Domesday Survey the parishes contained in the Hundred of Odiham were included in the two hundreds of Odiham
Odiham
Odiham is a historic village and large civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The current population is 4,406. The parish contains an acreage of 7,354 acres with 50 acres of land covered with water. The nearest...
and the parish of Hefedele (also known as Edefele and Efedele). The former comprised Lasham
Lasham
Lasham is a small village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road. The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
and Shalden
Shalden
Shalden is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road.The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
and half a hide which had been taken from the nearby village Preston Candover, and the latter included Odiham, Winchfield
Winchfield
Winchfield is a small village in the Hart District of Hampshire in the South-East of England. It is situated 1 mile south-west of Hartley Wintney, 8 miles east of Basingstoke, 2 miles north-east of Odiham and 38 miles west of London...
, Elvetham, Dogmersfield
Dogmersfield
Dogmersfield is a small and peaceful village between the towns of Fleet and Hartley Wintney located in Hampshire, England.Places of interest include the village church, the Queen's Head pub and a mansion house known variously as Dogmersfield House or Dogmersfield Park...
, and a 'past' parish named Berchelei. For the manors of Bentworth, Greywell
Greywell
Greywell is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire, England.Greywell village is a past winner of the Best Kept Village in Hampshire competition and a recent winner of Best Small Village in Hampshire. The Basingstoke Canal runs underneath part of the village through the 1.1 km long...
, Hartley Wintney
Hartley Wintney
Hartley Wintney is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire.-Location and character:Hartley Wintney is in the Hart district of North-East Hampshire...
, Liss
Liss
Liss is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 3.3 miles northeast of Petersfield, on the A3 road, on the Hampshire/West Sussex border....
, Sherfield-upon-Loddon, and Weston Patrick
Weston Patrick
Weston Patrick is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire. It lies four miles southeast from Basingstoke and covers an area of . Weston Patrick is divided from the neighbouring parish of Weston Corbett by the road leading to the village of Upton Grey.The former BBC Gardener's World...
, there are no entries in the Survey, but they were all probably included in the large manor of Odiham.
Demographics
Below are tables showing the population of the whole Bentworth parish with each table showing the total inhabitants of every hamlet in the parish. In 1789 the population of Bentworth was 425. By 1861 the population had grew to 470. Today the parish consists of a total of 550 inhabitants with 220 households.Distribution of residences
| Bentworth Village | Burkham | Wivelrod | Thedden | Holt End | Ashley | Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 153 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 15 |
Estimated population by ages
| Age | Percentage | Estimated number |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16 | 19 | 106 |
| 16–44 | 25 | 140 |
| 45–64 | 38 | 213 |
| 65+ | 18 | 101 |
Geography
The area of Bentworth is situated in the South DownsSouth Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which strecthes as far as the south of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
towards Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. The land across Bentworth is surrounded by arable land
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
and large farms which preserve local Woodland Trust
Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom concerned with the protection and sympathetic management of native woodland heritage.-History:...
parks such as Burkham
Burkham
Burkham is a hamlet in the large civil parish of Bentworth in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Alton, which lies approximately 4.5 miles south-east from the hamlet. Its nearest train station was formerly the Bentworth and Lasham railway station on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway,...
's Home Farm. It is located along the of the River Wey
River Wey
The River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...
, on the northwest side of the A339 road.
At over 700 feet (210 m) above sea level, Bentworth is the highest village in Hampshire.
Climate
Along with the rest of South East EnglandSouth East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
, Bentworth has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and walmer than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately 9 °C (48.2 °F) and shows a seasonal and a diurnal
Diurnal motion
Diurnal motion is an astronomical term referring to the apparent daily motion of stars around the Earth, or more precisely around the two celestial poles. It is caused by the Earth's rotation on its axis, so every star apparently moves on a circle, that is called the diurnal circle. The time for...
variation, but due to the effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the UK. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 0.5 °C (32.9 °F) and 2 °C (35.6 °F). June and July are the warmest months in the area with average daily maxima around 25.5 °C (77.9 °F). Although Bentworth is situated in one of the highest points in South East England, it still receives colder than average weather and is usually seriously affected in the snow.
External links
Local and national government- Bentworth Parish Council
- Hampshire County Council Bentworth pages
- Bentworth Conservation Area (East Hampshire District Council leaflet)
- Bentworth CP (Parish) (Office for National Statistics)
History
- Hampshire Treasures Volume 6 (East Hampshire) Pages 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
- British History Online – Bentworth
Church and village community
- Astoft: St Marys Bentworth
- Stained Glass Windows at St Mary, Bentworth, Hampshire
- Village of Bentworth Website
Miscellaneous