Rockbourne
Encyclopedia
Rockbourne is a village
and civil parish
in the English
county of Hampshire
, close to Fordingbridge
.
long barrow
s are known within the parish boundaries, as well as the sites of over twenty Bronze Age
bowl barrow
s. At Knoll Camp
, there is also the site of an Iron Age
Hill fort
with a single bank and ditch. At West Park, Rockbourne Roman Villa
has been excavated since the 1950s, revealing over 70 rooms, several with mosaic floors and hypocaust
s. The collection of finds from the site have been housed permanently in the museum building on the site, which is the only villa site in Hampshire open to the public.
The name Rockbourne, recorded as Rocheborne in 1086, may derive from Old English "Hrocaburna", Rooks' stream, or perhaps Rocky stream. In the earliest records Rockbourne was a royal manor. In the Domesday Book
of 1086, Alwy son of Turber held a hide
there which Wulfgeat had previously held of King Edward
. Saewin also held half a hide of the gift of King Edward, to which the sheriff in 1086 made an unsuccessful claim as part of the king's farm, but which at a later date reverted to the Crown
.
Alwy was succeeded here as in Hale
and Tytherley
by the Cardenvilles, and in the 13th century William Cardenville held a free tenement in Rockbourne. Before 1156 the manor had been granted to Baron Manser Bisset. He was succeeded before 1177 by a son Henry, and whose widow Iseuld was holding Rockbourne early in the next century. Their eldest son William died c. 1220, and was succeeded by his brother John, who died in 1241. Rockbourne passed to his daughter Ela, and then to her son John who assumed his mother's surname. He died in 1307, leaving a son John, who died unmarried in 1334, leaving the manor to his sister Margaret, at that time the wife of Robert Martin, on whom the manor was settled in 1338.
Early in 1336 Robert Martin complained that a certain John de Crucheston (Crux Easton
) and others had abducted Margaret his wife and taken away his goods. Not waiting for justice, he retaliated by breaking into the house of John de Crucheston and seizing his property. Some years later he took Crucheston prisoner, torturing him "with cords tied round his head and other torments, and extorting £1,150 from his friends for his release." Robert Martin died in 1355, his wife surviving him until 1373, when the manor passed to her eldest son by her first husband, Sir Walter de Romsey. It then passed by inheritance into the Keilway family, it being held by John Keilway on his death in 1547. His son Francis died in 1601–2, and his son Thomas succeeded to Rockbourne, which, already heavily mortgaged to Sir Anthony Ashley
, he sold in 1608 to Sir Anthony's son-in-law, Sir John Cooper
. Sir John Cooper was succeeded by his eldest son Anthony Ashley Cooper
, created Earl of Shaftesbury in 1672, and the manor descended with the Earls of Shaftesbury.
The nearby manor of Rockstead, which Aldwin held before 1066, belonged to Hugh de Port in 1086. Rockstead had passed to Breamore Priory
before 1291. It belonged to the priory at the Dissolution
and was granted with its other possessions to Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter
and Gertrude his wife in November 1536. Escheat
ing to the Crown in 1539, it was granted to Anne of Cleves
, but in 1548 passed to Sir Thomas Henneage
and William Lord Willoughby
, who in the following year sold it to William Keilway. After this date it followed the descent of Rockbourne and became merged in that manor, its name only surviving in Rockstead Farm.
. Originally cruciform, it bears the remains of an 11th century Saxon north door and north transept
arch. The church was enlarged in the 13th, 16th and 17th centuries. There is a 14th century chantry chapel restored
in the 19th century.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
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 English
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...
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...
, close to Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge is a town and civil parish with a population of 5,700 on the River Avon in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England, near to the Dorset and Wiltshire borders and on the edge of the New Forest. It is south west of London, and south of the city of Salisbury. Fordingbridge is a...
.
Overview
Rockbourne is a village of thatch, brick and timber houses, next to a stream now known as Sweatfords Water. The village consists chiefly of one street almost half a mile long. The church is in the north-east of the main street. Close to the church, adjoining the north side of the churchyard, is a manorial complex consisting of small L-shaped 14th-century house, now used as part of a modern farm-house; the remains of a large Elizabethan or Jacobean house a short distance to the east; a 13th-century chapel near its south-east angle; and a large 15th-century barn running northward from the chapel.History
Rockbourne has a long history of human habitation. Three NeolithicNeolithic British Isles
The Neolithic British Isles refers to the period of British, Irish and Manx history that spanned from circa 4000 to circa 2,500 BCE. The final part of the Stone Age in the British Isles, it was a part of the greater Neolithic, or "New Stone Age", across Europe.During the preceding Mesolithic...
long barrow
Long barrow
A long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period. They are rectangular or trapezoidal tumuli or earth mounds traditionally interpreted as collective tombs...
s are known within the parish boundaries, as well as the sites of over twenty Bronze Age
Bronze Age Britain
Bronze Age Britain refers to the period of British history that spanned from c. 2,500 until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the era of Iron Age Britain...
bowl barrow
Bowl barrow
Bowl Barrow is the name for a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from the fact that it looks like an upturned bowl...
s. At Knoll Camp
Knoll Camp
Knoll Camp, or Damerham Knoll, is the site of an Iron Age univallate hillfort located in Hampshire.The fort comprises a circular earthwork containing about four acres. There is a single ditch with inner rampart and traces of counter scarp bank....
, there is also the site of an Iron Age
British Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
Hill fort
Hillforts in Britain
Hillforts in Britain refers to the various hillforts within the island of Great Britain. Although the earliest such constructs fitting this description come from the Neolithic period, with a few also dating to the later Bronze Age, British hill forts were primarily constructed during the Iron Age...
with a single bank and ditch. At West Park, Rockbourne Roman Villa
Rockbourne Roman Villa
Rockbourne Roman Villa is a Roman courtyard villa excavated and put on public display in the village of Rockbourne in the English county of Hampshire, England. The villa was discovered in 1942 by the ferret of a local farmer and excavated by A. T...
has been excavated since the 1950s, revealing over 70 rooms, several with mosaic floors and hypocaust
Hypocaust
A hypocaust was an ancient Roman system of underfloor heating, used to heat houses with hot air. The word derives from the Ancient Greek hypo meaning "under" and caust-, meaning "burnt"...
s. The collection of finds from the site have been housed permanently in the museum building on the site, which is the only villa site in Hampshire open to the public.
The name Rockbourne, recorded as Rocheborne in 1086, may derive from Old English "Hrocaburna", Rooks' stream, or perhaps Rocky stream. In the earliest records Rockbourne was a royal manor. In the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086, Alwy son of Turber held a hide
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
there which Wulfgeat had previously held of King Edward
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
. Saewin also held half a hide of the gift of King Edward, to which the sheriff in 1086 made an unsuccessful claim as part of the king's farm, but which at a later date reverted to the Crown
Crown Estate
In the United Kingdom, the Crown Estate is a property portfolio owned by the Crown. Although still belonging to the monarch and inherent with the accession of the throne, it is no longer the private property of the reigning monarch and cannot be sold by him/her, nor do the revenues from it belong...
.
Alwy was succeeded here as in Hale
Hale, Hampshire
Hale is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It lies on the border of the New Forest, overlooking the valley of the River Avon. The village is about north-east of the town of Fordingbridge, and about south of the city of Salisbury...
and Tytherley
West Tytherley
West Tytherley is a village in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Stockbridge, which lies approximately 6 miles north-east from the village, although its post town comes under Salisbury. The village shares a joint parish council with the neighbouring parish of...
by the Cardenvilles, and in the 13th century William Cardenville held a free tenement in Rockbourne. Before 1156 the manor had been granted to Baron Manser Bisset. He was succeeded before 1177 by a son Henry, and whose widow Iseuld was holding Rockbourne early in the next century. Their eldest son William died c. 1220, and was succeeded by his brother John, who died in 1241. Rockbourne passed to his daughter Ela, and then to her son John who assumed his mother's surname. He died in 1307, leaving a son John, who died unmarried in 1334, leaving the manor to his sister Margaret, at that time the wife of Robert Martin, on whom the manor was settled in 1338.
Early in 1336 Robert Martin complained that a certain John de Crucheston (Crux Easton
Crux Easton
Crux Easton is a hamlet in the English county of Hampshire located 6½ miles south of Newbury. It falls within the civil parish of Ashmansworth...
) and others had abducted Margaret his wife and taken away his goods. Not waiting for justice, he retaliated by breaking into the house of John de Crucheston and seizing his property. Some years later he took Crucheston prisoner, torturing him "with cords tied round his head and other torments, and extorting £1,150 from his friends for his release." Robert Martin died in 1355, his wife surviving him until 1373, when the manor passed to her eldest son by her first husband, Sir Walter de Romsey. It then passed by inheritance into the Keilway family, it being held by John Keilway on his death in 1547. His son Francis died in 1601–2, and his son Thomas succeeded to Rockbourne, which, already heavily mortgaged to Sir Anthony Ashley
Sir Anthony Ashley, 1st Baronet
Anthony Ashley, 1st Baronet, PC was Clerk of the Privy Council , which was the most senior civil servant in the Privy Council Office. Ashley accompanied the fleet to Cádiz as a representative of the Queen...
, he sold in 1608 to Sir Anthony's son-in-law, Sir John Cooper
Sir John Cooper, 1st Baronet
Sir John Cooper, 1st Baronet , was an English landowner in the counties of Dorset and Somerset. After earlier being knighted, he was created a Baronet in 1622....
. Sir John Cooper was succeeded by his eldest son Anthony Ashley Cooper
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury PC , known as Anthony Ashley Cooper from 1621 to 1631, as Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, 2nd Baronet from 1631 to 1661, and as The Lord Ashley from 1661 to 1672, was a prominent English politician during the Interregnum and during the reign of King Charles...
, created Earl of Shaftesbury in 1672, and the manor descended with the Earls of Shaftesbury.
The nearby manor of Rockstead, which Aldwin held before 1066, belonged to Hugh de Port in 1086. Rockstead had passed 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:...
before 1291. It belonged to the priory at 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...
and was granted with its other possessions 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 Gertrude his wife in November 1536. Escheat
Escheat
Escheat is a common law doctrine which transfers the property of a person who dies without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in limbo without recognised ownership...
ing to the Crown in 1539, it was granted to Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
, but in 1548 passed to Sir Thomas Henneage
Thomas Heneage
Sir Thomas Heneage PC was an English politician and a courtier at the court of Elizabeth I.-Early and personal life:...
and William Lord Willoughby
William Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby of Parham
William Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby of Parham was an English nobleman and soldier who in 1547 was made an hereditary peer of the House of Lords.-Life:...
, who in the following year sold it to William Keilway. After this date it followed the descent of Rockbourne and became merged in that manor, its name only surviving in Rockstead Farm.
Rockbourne Roman Villa
Rockbourne Roman villa once stood in the centre of a large farming estate, and is the largest known villa in the area. Its history spans the period from the Iron Age to the 5th century. The villa included bath houses, living quarters, farm buildings and workshops. Much of the villa is on public display and there is a site museum, with excavated artefacts, tracing the villa's history.Saint Andrew's church
The 11th/12th century church of Saint Andrew is a flint structure with a tiled roof, and a timber and wood tiled belfryBell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
. Originally cruciform, it bears the remains of an 11th century Saxon north door and north transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
arch. The church was enlarged in the 13th, 16th and 17th centuries. There is a 14th century chantry chapel restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the 19th century.
External links
- Rockbourne's Official Website - Rockbourne's history and current news and events.
- Rockbourne Parish Council
- Rockbourne Roman Villa