West Meon
| West Meon | |
| Hampshire | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU640240 |
| Location: | 51°-0’43"N, 1°5’16"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 724 (2011) |
| Post town: | Petersfield |
| Postcode: | GU32 |
| Dialling code: | 01730 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Winchester |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Meon Valley |
West Meon is a village in south-eastern Hampshire, on the young River Meon. It had a recorded population of 749 people at the 2011 census.
The village is almost three miles north-west of East Meon, on the headwaters of the River Meon. Its closest town is Petersfield, six and a half miles to the east.
A number of walks can be enjoyed around the village and surrounding hills along the South Downs Way and the bridleway provided by the, now defunct Meon Valley Railway Line, which leads eleven mlies south from West Meon to Wickham.
History
The remains of a Roman villa have been uncovered in Lippen Wood, a mile from the village. The outer walls of the villa, some hypocaust pillars and a patterned mosaic floor were found during a 1905 excavation.[1]
A charter of 932 in which King Æthelstan granted West Meon to the thegn Æthelweard includes a detailed account of the boundary of the estate which almost coincides with the boundary of the modern parish of West Meon.[2][3]
The Manor of West Meon is listed in the Domesday Book as owned by the Bishop of Winchester. A charter of 1205 confirmed the grant of land to the Prior and Convent of St Swithun, Winchester, in whose hands it remained until the dissolution of the monasteries.
In 1541, the manor was granted to the Dean and Chapter of Winchester by King Henry VIII, and the maintenance of six theology students at each of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge was ordered. In 1544 the king changed this regulation, and the manor was granted to Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, in whose family the manor remained until 1677.
Other lands in West Meon Parish held by the Wriothesley family were the manors of Hall Park, Coombe and Woodlands. Another manor, called Punsholt, was first mentioned in 1341 when it was held by Walter de Ticheborne. Later the manor was combined with that of West Tisted and followed the same descent.
During the Civil War, West Meon was the scene of several skirmishes prior to the Battle of Cheriton, which was fought on 29 March 1644.
Thomas Lord of cricket ground fame retired to the village in 1830: a pub named after him stands in the high street. The spy Guy Burgess, who worked for the Soviets, lived in the village and his ashes spread in the churchyard.[4]
Between West Meon and East Meon is Westbury House which was built in 1904, after the previous Palladian mansion on the estate was destroyed by fire.[5]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about West Meon) |
References
- ↑ A. Moray Williams: 'Report of preliminary excavations, May - August 1905' (1905)
- ↑ Naismith, Rory (2021). Early Mediæval Britain, c. 500-1000. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 362–369. ISBN 978-1-108-44025-7.
- ↑ Charter S 417
- ↑ "The Thomas Lord, restaurant review: This cheerleader for Hampshire". 27 January 2015. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/reviews/the-thomas-lord-restaurant-review-this-cheerleader-for-hampshire-cooking-would-benefit-from-more-10007004.html.
- ↑ "Westbury House". https://www.eastmeonhistory.net/westbury-house/.