Hordle
Encyclopedia
Hordle is a village and civil parish
in the county of Hampshire
, England
. It is situated between the Solent
coast and the New Forest
, and is bordered by the towns of Lymington
and New Milton
. Like many New Forest parishes Hordle has no village centre. The civil parish includes the hamlet
s of Tiptoe
and Everton
.
, a pharmacy
, and Co-operative Stores
. The village also has a primary school, and a pub
: The Three Bells. The headquarters of the The New Forest National Park Authority are also located within the parish, near Everton
.
The present civil parish is somewhat smaller than the 3854 acres (15.6 km²) it used to contain, but still includes the hamlet
s of Tiptoe
and Everton
. Originally the parish included both Hurst Spit (and castle)
as well as Sway tower. The soils of the parish are based mainly on well drained gravels to the south and clayey loams to the north: the character of the parish is agricultural, although in medieval times a few saltworks were operated on the coast.
The present parish church, All Saints, was built in 1872 and succeeded a previous building on the same site dating from 1830. Prior to this, the parish church was for some 700 years located two miles further south, where the churchyard still remains at Hordle Cliff. Local tradition tells of the existence of the original village near the church, which has disappeared into the sea owing to cliff erosion.
. In modern times, one 4th-century copper coin (of Maximus
) has been found in a garden near Golden Hill.
Hordle is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 when it belonged to Oidelard, who held it of Ralph de Mortimer
. In the 13th century, the family of Trenchard acquired a great part, if not the whole, of this estate. A portion of it was granted by Waleran Trenchard to one Ralph Bardolf, who sold it to Amice wife of the sixth Earl of Devon
; she in about 1250 gave it to Breamore Priory
to be held by them of Waleran. Thus two separate manors were evolved, one the Trenchard Manor and the other that held by Breamore Priory; the overlordship of both belonged to the lords of Christchurch
.
The priory manor was afterwards known as the manor of Hordle Breamore. The priory continued to hold the estate up to the Dissolution
. In 1537 the estate was granted to Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter
and his wife Gertrude. In 1578, however, it belonged to Thomas Carew, who dying that year was succeeded by his son Henry. It passed to his son Henry in 1614, and then to his son George in 1639. In 1694 the manor belonged to Sir William Lewen, in whose family it remained until the middle of the 18th century. In 1748 it belonged to William Rickman, but by 1768 had passed to Edward Ives, in whose family it remained until 1809. It passed through various hands after 1810 until it was purchased in 1863 by Colonel Frederick Clinton.
The manor of Hordle Trenchard was held by Henry Trenchard in the 13th century. His successor John Trenchard was in 1309 described as chief lord of Hordle, and in 1346 the estate belonged to another Henry Trenchard. In 1428 John Trenchard was lord of Hordle, but later in the same year, no doubt after his death, Robert Dingley and John Lisle owned the half fee which had once belonged to him. In 1633 it was again in the hands of the Trenchards, Sir Thomas Trenchard
, suffering a recovery of the manor of Hordle, which had belonged to his father, Sir George. Immediately afterwards, however, the manor was acquired by Robert Jason, who, dying in the following year, was succeeded by his son Robert who was created a baronet in 1661
. He was succeeded by his son Robert, second baronet, and in 1706 Sir Robert's daughter and heir Anne, together with her husband Thomas Partington, conveyed
the manor to Robert Southam to hold for ninety-nine years from 1683. In 1747 the manor was sold to William Rickman. A few years later it was acquired by Edward Ives, who in 1773 conveyed it to John Missing. It probably merged with the main manor in the 19th century.
The Domesday Book mentions a watermill
at Hordle, although this has long since disappeared. An 18th-century watermill is visible nearby at Gordleton, just to the east of the present village. Another 18th-century mill at Efford lies on the border of the parish with Lymington
.
With the enclosure of Arnewood Common in the early nineteenth century, the main centre of population moved northwards, away from the coast, and in order to meet this change the ancient parish church was demolished in 1830 and moved to its present situation close to the now enclosed Downton Common, two miles (3 km) to the north. There was no school in the parish until 1860. In the 1870s, Hordle Grange on Vaggs Lane was, for 3 years, home to the religious sect known locally as the New Forest Shakers
. They were eventually evicted from this home and they moved to nearby Tiptoe
, where they lived in tents until their leader, Mary Ann Girling, died in 1886.
After about 1920 considerable infilling took place in the parish and this accelerated in the 1950s and 60s leading to a much increased population that largely seeks its livelihood in the neighbouring towns of Lymington
and New Milton
. The parish population in 1801 was 446 and by 1931 this had increased by a thousand and it has gone on growing ever since. Hordle today, despite considerable growth, still manages to retain its rural character helped by the green belts that separate it from the adjoining parishes. The population of the parish in the 2001 census
census was 5,271 people.
Buildings of national importance are no longer within the parish boundary. These are Hurst Castle
, one of Henry VIII's defensive works, and Sway tower (also known as Arnewood or Peterson's tower) the tallest non-reinforced concrete construction in the world.
early in the twelfth century. From very early times Hordle was a parochial chapelry of the vicarage of Milford
and served by the vicar, until February 1867 when Hordle was declared a vicarage distinct from that of Milford. The old church was pulled down in 1830 in consequence of the decrease of the population in the south of the parish, owing to the decline of the salt industry. The site of the old church is at Hordle Cliff, about 2 miles to the south of the present village, and consists only of a graveyard inclosure. Several illustrations of the old church are preserved at the vicarage and show it to have consisted of chancel, north and south transepts with chapels, nave and central bell turret. The south door at least was of 12th-century date. Tradition, probably accurate, tells of the existence of a village near the church, now disappeared owing to cliff erosion, and as Hordle, like Lymington, was an important saltmaking centre, the early village would naturally be on the coast.
The present parish church, All Saints, was built in 1872 and succeeded a previous building on the same site dating from 1830.
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 county 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 is situated between the Solent
Solent
The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...
coast and the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, and is bordered by the towns of Lymington
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
and New Milton
New Milton
New Milton is a market town in south west Hampshire, England. The town has a high street and holds a market every Wednesday. Situated on the edge of the New Forest, the town is about 6 miles west of Lymington town centre and 12 miles east of Bournemouth town centre.-History:New Milton dates back...
. Like many New Forest parishes Hordle has no village centre. The civil parish includes the hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
s of Tiptoe
Tiptoe, Hampshire
Tiptoe is a small village in the New Forest National Park in Hampshire. It lies mostly within the civil parish of Hordle and partly within the civil parish of Sway...
and Everton
Everton, Hampshire
Everton is a village in the civil parish of Hordle, near Lymington, in the English county of Hampshire.-Overview:Everton is at the junction of the A337 and B3058 roads. It is in the southeast of the parish of Hordle. The village has around 760 houses, the majority having been built since 1970. It...
.
The village
Hordle has a several shops including a post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, and Co-operative Stores
The Co-operative Food
The Co-operative Food, abbreviated sometimes to the Co-op, is a brand devised for the supermarket and convenience store business of the UK's consumers' co-operative movement. It is the name of the largest division of The Co-operative Group, and is used by other independent consumer co-operatives...
. The village also has a primary school, and a pub
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...
: The Three Bells. The headquarters of the The New Forest National Park Authority are also located within the parish, near Everton
Everton, Hampshire
Everton is a village in the civil parish of Hordle, near Lymington, in the English county of Hampshire.-Overview:Everton is at the junction of the A337 and B3058 roads. It is in the southeast of the parish of Hordle. The village has around 760 houses, the majority having been built since 1970. It...
.
The present civil parish is somewhat smaller than the 3854 acres (15.6 km²) it used to contain, but still includes the hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
s of Tiptoe
Tiptoe, Hampshire
Tiptoe is a small village in the New Forest National Park in Hampshire. It lies mostly within the civil parish of Hordle and partly within the civil parish of Sway...
and Everton
Everton, Hampshire
Everton is a village in the civil parish of Hordle, near Lymington, in the English county of Hampshire.-Overview:Everton is at the junction of the A337 and B3058 roads. It is in the southeast of the parish of Hordle. The village has around 760 houses, the majority having been built since 1970. It...
. Originally the parish included both Hurst Spit (and castle)
Hurst Castle
Hurst Castle on the south coast of England is one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, built at the end of a long shingle barrier beach at the west end of the Solent to guard the approaches to Southampton. Hurst Castle was sited at the narrow entrance to the Solent where the ebb and flow of the tides...
as well as Sway tower. The soils of the parish are based mainly on well drained gravels to the south and clayey loams to the north: the character of the parish is agricultural, although in medieval times a few saltworks were operated on the coast.
The present parish church, All Saints, was built in 1872 and succeeded a previous building on the same site dating from 1830. Prior to this, the parish church was for some 700 years located two miles further south, where the churchyard still remains at Hordle Cliff. Local tradition tells of the existence of the original village near the church, which has disappeared into the sea owing to cliff erosion.
History
The name Hordle is generally believed to mean "Hoard Hill" (treasure hill), the name perhaps deriving from stories of the discovery of cache of coins found buried in a hill in ancient times, but the word "hord" might also be associated with words for barrows and supposedly haunted places, hence the name could be interpreted as "haunted hill". There is no known connection with "Golden Hill" which lies on the main road from Hordle to AshleyAshley, West Hampshire
Ashley is a village located in the southwest of Hampshire, England. It lies on the eastern outskirts of New Milton in the New Forest district, and is two miles inland from the sea. Its history dates back to the Domesday book of 1086, when two estates were recorded. In the 15th century much of...
. In modern times, one 4th-century copper coin (of Maximus
Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus , also known as Maximianus and Macsen Wledig in Welsh, was Western Roman Emperor from 383 to 388. As commander of Britain, he usurped the throne against Emperor Gratian in 383...
) has been found in a garden near Golden Hill.
Hordle is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 when it belonged to Oidelard, who held it of Ralph de Mortimer
Ranulph de Mortimer
Ranulph I de Mortimer of Mortemer-sur-Eaulne, was a Marcher Lord from the Montgomery lands in the Welsh Marches. In England, he was Lord of Wigmore in Herefordshire. In Normandy, he was the Seigneur of St. Victor-en-Caux. Ranulph was the founder of the English House of Mortimer of Wigmore...
. In the 13th century, the family of Trenchard acquired a great part, if not the whole, of this estate. A portion of it was granted by Waleran Trenchard to one Ralph Bardolf, who sold it to Amice wife of the sixth Earl of Devon
Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon
Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon and Lord of the Isle was the son of Baldwin de Redvers and Margaret FitzGerold and grandson of William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon.-Family and children:...
; she in about 1250 gave it to Breamore Priory
Breamore Priory
Breamore Priory was a priory of Austin canons in Breamore, Hampshire, England.-Foundation:The priory was founded some time towards the end of the reign of Henry I by Baldwin de Redvers and his uncle Hugh de Redvers.-Dissolution:...
to be held by them of Waleran. Thus two separate manors were evolved, one the Trenchard Manor and the other that held by Breamore Priory; the overlordship of both belonged to the lords of Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
.
The priory manor was afterwards known as the manor of Hordle Breamore. The priory continued to hold the estate up to the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
. In 1537 the estate was granted to Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, KG, PC was the eldest son of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and Catherine of York, and grandson of King Edward IV of England.He was an older brother of Margaret Courtenay...
and his wife Gertrude. In 1578, however, it belonged to Thomas Carew, who dying that year was succeeded by his son Henry. It passed to his son Henry in 1614, and then to his son George in 1639. In 1694 the manor belonged to Sir William Lewen, in whose family it remained until the middle of the 18th century. In 1748 it belonged to William Rickman, but by 1768 had passed to Edward Ives, in whose family it remained until 1809. It passed through various hands after 1810 until it was purchased in 1863 by Colonel Frederick Clinton.
The manor of Hordle Trenchard was held by Henry Trenchard in the 13th century. His successor John Trenchard was in 1309 described as chief lord of Hordle, and in 1346 the estate belonged to another Henry Trenchard. In 1428 John Trenchard was lord of Hordle, but later in the same year, no doubt after his death, Robert Dingley and John Lisle owned the half fee which had once belonged to him. In 1633 it was again in the hands of the Trenchards, Sir Thomas Trenchard
Thomas Trenchard (Dorset MP)
Sir Thomas Trenchard was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1648.Trenchard was the son of Sir George Trenchard of Warmwell and his wife Ann Speke daughter of Sir George Speke of Whitelackington. He was knighted at Theobalds on 15 December 1613...
, suffering a recovery of the manor of Hordle, which had belonged to his father, Sir George. Immediately afterwards, however, the manor was acquired by Robert Jason, who, dying in the following year, was succeeded by his son Robert who was created a baronet in 1661
Jason Baronets
The Jason Baronetcy, of Broad Somerford in the County of Wiltshire, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 5 September 1661 for Robert Jason. The title became extinct on the death of the sixth Baronet in 1738....
. He was succeeded by his son Robert, second baronet, and in 1706 Sir Robert's daughter and heir Anne, together with her husband Thomas Partington, conveyed
Conveyancing
In law, conveyancing is the transfer of legal title of property from one person to another, or the granting of an encumbrance such as a mortgage or a lien....
the manor to Robert Southam to hold for ninety-nine years from 1683. In 1747 the manor was sold to William Rickman. A few years later it was acquired by Edward Ives, who in 1773 conveyed it to John Missing. It probably merged with the main manor in the 19th century.
The Domesday Book mentions a watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
at Hordle, although this has long since disappeared. An 18th-century watermill is visible nearby at Gordleton, just to the east of the present village. Another 18th-century mill at Efford lies on the border of the parish with Lymington
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
.
With the enclosure of Arnewood Common in the early nineteenth century, the main centre of population moved northwards, away from the coast, and in order to meet this change the ancient parish church was demolished in 1830 and moved to its present situation close to the now enclosed Downton Common, two miles (3 km) to the north. There was no school in the parish until 1860. In the 1870s, Hordle Grange on Vaggs Lane was, for 3 years, home to the religious sect known locally as the New Forest Shakers
Walworth Jumpers
The Walworth Jumpers were a cult created by Mary Ann Girling in the 1870s in England. Born in Ipswich, Suffolk, Girling preached the Second Coming, celibacy, chastity and communal life...
. They were eventually evicted from this home and they moved to nearby Tiptoe
Tiptoe, Hampshire
Tiptoe is a small village in the New Forest National Park in Hampshire. It lies mostly within the civil parish of Hordle and partly within the civil parish of Sway...
, where they lived in tents until their leader, Mary Ann Girling, died in 1886.
After about 1920 considerable infilling took place in the parish and this accelerated in the 1950s and 60s leading to a much increased population that largely seeks its livelihood in the neighbouring towns of Lymington
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
and New Milton
New Milton
New Milton is a market town in south west Hampshire, England. The town has a high street and holds a market every Wednesday. Situated on the edge of the New Forest, the town is about 6 miles west of Lymington town centre and 12 miles east of Bournemouth town centre.-History:New Milton dates back...
. The parish population in 1801 was 446 and by 1931 this had increased by a thousand and it has gone on growing ever since. Hordle today, despite considerable growth, still manages to retain its rural character helped by the green belts that separate it from the adjoining parishes. The population of the parish in the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
census was 5,271 people.
Buildings of national importance are no longer within the parish boundary. These are Hurst Castle
Hurst Castle
Hurst Castle on the south coast of England is one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, built at the end of a long shingle barrier beach at the west end of the Solent to guard the approaches to Southampton. Hurst Castle was sited at the narrow entrance to the Solent where the ebb and flow of the tides...
, one of Henry VIII's defensive works, and Sway tower (also known as Arnewood or Peterson's tower) the tallest non-reinforced concrete construction in the world.
The church
A church is recorded in the cartulary of Christchurch PrioryChristchurch Priory
Christchurch Priory is an ecclesiastical parish and former priory church in Christchurch in the English county of Dorset .-Early history:...
early in the twelfth century. From very early times Hordle was a parochial chapelry of the vicarage of Milford
Milford on Sea
Milford on Sea is a large village and civil parish located on the south coast of England in the county of Hampshire. With a population of approximately 4500, Milford has a variety of shops, restaurants and pubs in its high street, which borders the village green.-Overview:Milford on Sea is village...
and served by the vicar, until February 1867 when Hordle was declared a vicarage distinct from that of Milford. The old church was pulled down in 1830 in consequence of the decrease of the population in the south of the parish, owing to the decline of the salt industry. The site of the old church is at Hordle Cliff, about 2 miles to the south of the present village, and consists only of a graveyard inclosure. Several illustrations of the old church are preserved at the vicarage and show it to have consisted of chancel, north and south transepts with chapels, nave and central bell turret. The south door at least was of 12th-century date. Tradition, probably accurate, tells of the existence of a village near the church, now disappeared owing to cliff erosion, and as Hordle, like Lymington, was an important saltmaking centre, the early village would naturally be on the coast.
The present parish church, All Saints, was built in 1872 and succeeded a previous building on the same site dating from 1830.