Family Names

Netley Castle

Netley Castle faces out across Southampton Water, its back turned on nearby Netley Abbey and looking out for signs of a possible French invasion Netley Castle started life as the gatehouse to the Cistercian Netley Abbey. The early grounds of the abbey spilled outside of its present day boundaries and road, down to the shore…

Upper Wield Church

The church of St James in Upper Wield Hampshire is one of those simple C12th churches whose very simplicity give a sense of its ancient past and a present day serenity. See the monument to a member of one of Hampshire’s important families, the Wallops.

Buckler’s Hard

Buckler’s Hard, a place that launched at least three of the warships commanded by Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar The hamlet of Buckler’s Hard, with its two neat rows of brick terraced cottages running out to the Beaulieu River are all that remains today to remind us of the once famous shipyard that used…

Dame Mary Donaldson

Dame Mary Donaldson, born in Wickham, was the first female Lord Mayor of the City of London in 800 years Dame Mary Donaldson was a remarkable woman. She was born in her father’s ironmongers shop in Wickham on 29th August 1921 and baptised Dorothy Mary but was called Mary for most of her life. Her…

Dame Alice Lisle

Damo Alice Lisle was the first to be tried by Judge Jeffreys during the court trials in Winchester that became known as the Bloody Assizes

The Tudor House Southampton

The Tudor House Southampton The Tudor House is one of the oldest and most spendid, buildings in Southampton built in approximately 1495 when King Henry VII was on the thrown and was commissioning the world’s first dry dock in nearby Portsmouth. The site originally belonged to John Whytegod, a wealthy merchant and property owner, who,…

Holy Cross Church Binsted

The Holy Cross Church Binsted sits on the top of a chalk ridge looking out from its delightful setting across the county of Hampshire. This beautiful C12th century church occupies a high position watching over its cluster of pretty village houses and farmland. Several points of interest are to be found in the church and…

Basing House Before the Civil War

Basing House is a marvelous ruin, filled with five hundred years of history and intrigue, its history prior to the English Civil War is as fascinating as what followed.

Hampshire Church Treasure Hinton Ampner No 15

All Saints church in Hinton Ampner has a Hampshire church treasure tucked away on its vestry door and reminds us of a time when the English Civil War was in full flight and heading for the southern counties of England.

Colonel Meinertzhagen

Colonel Meinertzhagen buried his horse at the crossroads at Brockwood and erected a headstone in memory of him. What sort of a man would do such a thing, the answer reveals an amzing story

Titchfield Medieval Abbey

Place House in Titchfield is the site of a former Medieval Abbey, whose doors have been open to welcome many of England’s monarchs. This once important Medieval Abbey, fell at the Reformation and once given to the influential Earl of Southampton Sir Thomas Wriothesley

A Hampshire Catholic 1716

The county of Hampshire was tolerant of its Catholic families during the Jacobite uprisings of the early C18th. Whilst other counties persecuted those Catholics refusing to take the oath of allegiance to King George I, Hampshire took a much more relaxed attitude.

Selborne

Selborne in Hampshire, an ancient place in the beautiful Hangars of Hampshire. Home to the naturalist Gilbert White and backdrop to the notorious swing riots, the village has a plethora of magnificent buildings to admire. Take the historic Selborne walk, immerse yourself in the writings of Gilbert White or partake of refreshment in one of the lovely Hampshire Pubs, full of history themselves.