Damerham: Difference between revisions

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'''Damerham''' is a village and parish in the extreme south of [[Wiltshire]] adjacent to the borders with [[Dorset]] and [[Hampshire]]. As well as being the location of notable Neolithic and Bronze Age barrows, Damerham was an important Anglo-Saxon manor mentioned in the will of Alfred the Great. By the time of the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, Damerham was a major settlement in the possession of [[Glastonbury Abbey]].
'''Damerham''', otherwise '''South Damerham''', is a village and parish in the extreme south of [[Wiltshire]] adjacent to the borders with [[Dorset]] and [[Hampshire]]. As well as being the location of notable Neolithic and Bronze Age barrows, Damerham was an important Anglo-Saxon manor mentioned in the will of Alfred the Great. By the time of the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, Damerham was a major settlement in the possession of [[Glastonbury Abbey]].


==Overview==
==Overview==
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==History==
==History==
[[File:Allen River at Damerham - geograph.org.uk - 448772.jpg|thumb|right|River Allen at Damerham]]
[[File:Allen River at Damerham - geograph.org.uk - 448772.jpg|thumb|250px|River Allen at Damerham]]
[[File:Church of St George, Damerham - geograph.org.uk - 448864.jpg|thumb|right|St George's Church]]
[[File:Church of St George, Damerham - geograph.org.uk - 448864.jpg|thumb|250px|St George's Church]]
[[File:Churchyard at St George's Church, Damerham - geograph.org.uk - 449207.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The churchyard]]
[[File:Churchyard at St George's Church, Damerham - geograph.org.uk - 449207.jpg|thumb|250px|The churchyard]]
[[File:The Compasses Damerham Hampshire - geograph.org.uk - 932577.jpg|thumb|right|The Compasses inn]]
[[File:The Compasses Damerham Hampshire - geograph.org.uk - 932577.jpg|thumb|250px|The Compasses inn]]
Damerham is the site of a prehistoric complex including two 6,000-year-old tombs representing some of the earliest monuments built in Britain.<ref name="sciencedaily">[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608143835.htm Neolithic Age: Prehistoric Complex Including Two 6,000-year-old Tombs Discovered In Britain]</ref> It was discovered by a team led by Dr. Helen Wickstead, a Kingston University archaeologist. These were previously undiscovered Neolithic tombs known as long barrows.<ref name="sciencedaily"/><ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/06/090615-stonehenge-tombs-crop-circles.html Huge Pre-Stonehenge Complex Found via "Crop Circles"] James Owen, National Geographic News, June 15, 2009<!--accessed 28-06-2009--></ref>
Damerham is the site of a prehistoric complex including two 6,000-year-old tombs representing some of the earliest monuments built in Britain.<ref name="sciencedaily">[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608143835.htm Neolithic Age: Prehistoric Complex Including Two 6,000-year-old Tombs Discovered In Britain]</ref> It was discovered by a team led by Dr Helen Wickstead, a Kingston University archaeologist. These were previously undiscovered Neolithic tombs known as long barrows.<ref name="sciencedaily"/><ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/06/090615-stonehenge-tombs-crop-circles.html Huge Pre-Stonehenge Complex Found via "Crop Circles"] James Owen, National Geographic News, June 15, 2009<!--accessed 28-06-2009--></ref>


Another earthwork, Soldiers Ring, situated on a crest in an area of Celtic fields, is thought to be a Romano-British cattle enclosure.<ref name="hantstreas76">[http://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/vol05/page076.html Hampshire Treasures - Damerham, page 76]</ref>
Another earthwork, Soldiers Ring, situated on a crest in an area of Celtic fields, is thought to be a Romano-British cattle enclosure.<ref name="hantstreas76">[http://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/vol05/page076.html Hampshire Treasures - Damerham, page 76]</ref>
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Damerham was an ancient ''demesne'' of the Saxon kings and was mentioned in the will of Alfred the Great, who desired that his men of Damerham should be free.<ref name="vch"/> In 940–6 Edmund I granted a hundred ''[[:wikt:manse|mansae]]'' at Damerham with [[Martin, Wiltshire|Martin]] and [[Pentridge]] to his queen, Æthelflæd.<ref name="vch"/> Damerham may have been the birthplace of Æthelflæd.<ref name="hantstreas73"/> Æthelflæd bequeathed Damerham to [[Glastonbury Abbey]] when she died in the late 10th century.<ref>[http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=get&type=charter&id=1494 Will of Æthelflæd], at www.anglo-saxons.net</ref>
Damerham was an ancient ''demesne'' of the Saxon kings and was mentioned in the will of Alfred the Great, who desired that his men of Damerham should be free.<ref name="vch"/> In 940–6 Edmund I granted a hundred ''[[:wikt:manse|mansae]]'' at Damerham with [[Martin, Wiltshire|Martin]] and [[Pentridge]] to his queen, Æthelflæd.<ref name="vch"/> Damerham may have been the birthplace of Æthelflæd.<ref name="hantstreas73"/> Æthelflæd bequeathed Damerham to [[Glastonbury Abbey]] when she died in the late 10th century.<ref>[http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=get&type=charter&id=1494 Will of Æthelflæd], at www.anglo-saxons.net</ref>


In the time of the [[Domesday Book]], 1086, Damerham was a large settlement of 80 households.<ref name="domesdaymap">[http://www.domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SU1015/damerham/ Domesday Map - Damerham]</ref> Glastonbury Abbey still held the manor, which remained with the abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.<ref name="vch"/> It then passed to the Crown, and in 1540 Henry VIII leased part of the demesne land and certain farms belonging to the manor for 21 years to Richard Snell - these premises were in 1608 granted to Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, and remained with his descendants.<ref name="vch"/> In 1544 Henry VIII granted the manor of Damerham to his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, but it passed back to the Crown on her death in 1548.<ref name="vch"/> In 1575 Elizabeth I granted it to the [[Bishop of Salisbury]], and, except for the temporary sale by Parliament to [[William Lytton]] in 1649, it remained in the possession of successive bishops until 1863.<ref name="vch"/>
In the time of the [[Domesday Book]], 1086, Damerham was a large settlement of 80 households.<ref name="domesdaymap">[http://www.domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SU1015/damerham/ Domesday Map - Damerham]</ref> Glastonbury Abbey still held the manor, which remained with the abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.<ref name="vch"/> It then passed to the Crown, and in 1540 Henry VIII leased part of the demesne land and certain farms belonging to the manor for 21 years to Richard Snell - these premises were in 1608 granted to Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, and remained with his descendants.<ref name="vch"/> In 1544 Henry VIII granted the manor of Damerham to his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, but it passed back to the Crown on her death in 1548.<ref name="vch"/> In 1575 Elizabeth I granted it to the Bishop of Salisbury, and, except for the temporary sale by Parliament to William Lytton in 1649, it remained in the possession of successive bishops until 1863.<ref name="vch"/>


Another important manor was the manor of Little Damerham which was owned by Glastonbury Abbey.<ref name="vch"/> Glastonbury Abbey also held lands in the manors of Hyde and Stapleham.<ref name="vch"/> Some of these lands were also held by [[Cranborne Priory]], and [[Tewkesbury Abbey]], to which Cranborne Priory was a cell.<ref name="vch"/> The hide at Lopshill (''Lopushale'') is mentioned as within the boundaries of the manor of Damerham in 940–6; it is now Lopshill Farm, in the south of the parish.<ref name="vch"/>
Another important manor was the manor of Little Damerham which was owned by Glastonbury Abbey.<ref name="vch"/> Glastonbury Abbey also held lands in the manors of Hyde and Stapleham.<ref name="vch"/> Some of these lands were also held by [[Cranborne Priory]], and [[Tewkesbury Abbey]], to which Cranborne Priory was a cell.<ref name="vch"/> The hide at Lopshill (''Lopushale'') is mentioned as within the boundaries of the manor of Damerham in 940–6; it is now Lopshill Farm, in the south of the parish.<ref name="vch"/>
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The church of St George dates from the Norman period.<ref name="hantstreas73"/> The earliest parts are the lower part of the tower and the north aisle (12th century).<ref name="vch"/> In the 13th century the chancel was seemingly rebuilt and a south aisle added to the nave.<ref name="vch"/> The tower was nearly rebuilt around this time. The 12th-century north aisle and transept were probably pulled down in the 15th century and the existing aisle substituted.<ref name="vch"/> The church has some rare features, including a canonical sundial and a relief of St George.<ref name="hantstreas73"/>
The church of St George dates from the Norman period.<ref name="hantstreas73"/> The earliest parts are the lower part of the tower and the north aisle (12th century).<ref name="vch"/> In the 13th century the chancel was seemingly rebuilt and a south aisle added to the nave.<ref name="vch"/> The tower was nearly rebuilt around this time. The 12th-century north aisle and transept were probably pulled down in the 15th century and the existing aisle substituted.<ref name="vch"/> The church has some rare features, including a canonical sundial and a relief of St George.<ref name="hantstreas73"/>


In 1830 the manor-house (West Park House) was attacked by the rioters against the introduction of machinery ([[Swing Riots]]) and several people were captured and sent to Winchester.<ref name="vch"/> One quarter of the village burned down in the "Great Fire" of 1863, but the damage was soon repaired owing to the exertions of the vicar William Owen.<ref name="vch"/><ref>[http://www.damerham.net/html/history.html History], www.damerham.net</ref>
In 1830 the manor-house (West Park House) was attacked by the rioters against the introduction of machinery (Swing Riots) and several people were captured and sent to Winchester.<ref name="vch"/> One quarter of the village burned down in the "Great Fire" of 1863, but the damage was soon repaired owing to the exertions of the vicar William Owen.<ref name="vch"/><ref>[http://www.damerham.net/html/history.html History], www.damerham.net</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==Outside links==
==Outside links==
{{Commons category|Damerham}}
{{Commons}}
*[http://www.damerham.net/ Damerham Community Web Site]
*[http://www.damerham.net/ Damerham Community Web Site]
*[http://nfdc.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2470 Damerham Parish Council]
*[http://nfdc.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2470 Damerham Parish Council]
*[http://www.damerhamarchaeology.org/index.html The Damerham Archaeology Project] An educational organisation that gives members of the public, school children and students the opportunity to visit and/or participate in archaeology.
*[http://www.damerhamarchaeology.org/index.html The Damerham Archaeology Project] An educational organisation that gives members of the public, school children and students the opportunity to visit and/or participate in archaeology.

Latest revision as of 13:08, 5 November 2016

Damerham
Wiltshire

Damerham
Location
Grid reference: SU103160
Location: 50°56’38"N, 1°51’13"W
Data
Population: 519  (2001[1])
Post town: Fordingbridge
Postcode: SP6
Dialling code: 01725
Local Government
Council: New Forest
Parliamentary
constituency:
New Forest West

Damerham, otherwise South Damerham, is a village and parish in the extreme south of Wiltshire adjacent to the borders with Dorset and Hampshire. As well as being the location of notable Neolithic and Bronze Age barrows, Damerham was an important Anglo-Saxon manor mentioned in the will of Alfred the Great. By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, Damerham was a major settlement in the possession of Glastonbury Abbey.

Overview

Situated north-west of Fordingbridge in Hampshire, Damerham is located on the River Allen.[2] Damerham contains a mixture of cottages, with a riverside mill and a Norman church.[2] Settled since Saxon times, Damerham is said to be the birthplace of Æthelflæd, wife of Edmund I.[2]

Adam of Damerham (13th century), the author of Historia de Rebus gestis Glastoniensibus, was a native of Damerham.[3]

The village gave its name to a Ham-class minesweeper, HMS Damerham.

History

River Allen at Damerham
St George's Church
The churchyard
The Compasses inn

Damerham is the site of a prehistoric complex including two 6,000-year-old tombs representing some of the earliest monuments built in Britain.[4] It was discovered by a team led by Dr Helen Wickstead, a Kingston University archaeologist. These were previously undiscovered Neolithic tombs known as long barrows.[4][5]

Another earthwork, Soldiers Ring, situated on a crest in an area of Celtic fields, is thought to be a Romano-British cattle enclosure.[6]

Damerham was an ancient demesne of the Saxon kings and was mentioned in the will of Alfred the Great, who desired that his men of Damerham should be free.[3] In 940–6 Edmund I granted a hundred mansae at Damerham with Martin and Pentridge to his queen, Æthelflæd.[3] Damerham may have been the birthplace of Æthelflæd.[2] Æthelflæd bequeathed Damerham to Glastonbury Abbey when she died in the late 10th century.[7]

In the time of the Domesday Book, 1086, Damerham was a large settlement of 80 households.[8] Glastonbury Abbey still held the manor, which remained with the abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.[3] It then passed to the Crown, and in 1540 Henry VIII leased part of the demesne land and certain farms belonging to the manor for 21 years to Richard Snell - these premises were in 1608 granted to Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, and remained with his descendants.[3] In 1544 Henry VIII granted the manor of Damerham to his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, but it passed back to the Crown on her death in 1548.[3] In 1575 Elizabeth I granted it to the Bishop of Salisbury, and, except for the temporary sale by Parliament to William Lytton in 1649, it remained in the possession of successive bishops until 1863.[3]

Another important manor was the manor of Little Damerham which was owned by Glastonbury Abbey.[3] Glastonbury Abbey also held lands in the manors of Hyde and Stapleham.[3] Some of these lands were also held by Cranborne Priory, and Tewkesbury Abbey, to which Cranborne Priory was a cell.[3] The hide at Lopshill (Lopushale) is mentioned as within the boundaries of the manor of Damerham in 940–6; it is now Lopshill Farm, in the south of the parish.[3]

The Domesday Book records four mills at Damerham.[8] One was given to Geoffrey Fitz-Ellis by John, Abbot of Glastonbury (1274–90).[3] In 1326 Henry Dotenel released to the Abbot of Glastonbury all his claim in a water-mill called Weremulle in Damerham.[3] In the survey of the manor taken in 1518 a water-mill called Lytellmyle is mentioned.[3] This mill probably stood near Littlemill Bridge at North End, but it has now disappeared.[3] In 1608 "all the water-mills of Damerham" were granted to Robert Earl of Salisbury.[3] The only mill now in existence in the parish is Damerham Mill in the village on the River Allen.[3]

Damerham Park is mentioned in 1226–7 and in 1283, and at the latter date it contained deer.[3] In 1518 the park, which contained 125 acres of wood, was divided into three coppices, Edmundshay, Middle Coppis, and Drakenorth Coppis.[3] It was apparently disparked before 1540.[3]

The church of St George dates from the Norman period.[2] The earliest parts are the lower part of the tower and the north aisle (12th century).[3] In the 13th century the chancel was seemingly rebuilt and a south aisle added to the nave.[3] The tower was nearly rebuilt around this time. The 12th-century north aisle and transept were probably pulled down in the 15th century and the existing aisle substituted.[3] The church has some rare features, including a canonical sundial and a relief of St George.[2]

In 1830 the manor-house (West Park House) was attacked by the rioters against the introduction of machinery (Swing Riots) and several people were captured and sent to Winchester.[3] One quarter of the village burned down in the "Great Fire" of 1863, but the damage was soon repaired owing to the exertions of the vicar William Owen.[3][9]

References

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Damerham)