Bentworth
| Bentworth | |
|---|---|
| Population | 550 (2010) |
| OS grid reference | SU664401 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Alton |
| Postcode district | GU34 |
| Dialling code | 01420 |
| Police | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Fire | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| Website | http://www.bentworth.info |
Bentworth is a historic village and a large civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It lies about four miles west of Alton just of the A339. It has an acreage of 3,763 acres (1522 hectares), of which about 280 acres are woodland.
The parish covers an area of approximately 5.5 square miles (14.2 square kilometres). It has two pubs, the Star Inn[1] and the Sun Inn[2] (although it did have a third pub called the Moon Inn, but this was burned down in a fire in 1921), a church and a primary school. It was formerly served by the Bentworth and Lasham railway station on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway, until its closure in 1932. But due to the closure of the Bentworth and Lasham railway station, the nearest railway station is now 3.6 miles (5.8 km) east of the village, at Alton.
In the south-east of the village, the large estate of Bentworth Hall is located there, next to Gaston Grange wood. The manor of Bentworth is mentioned in the Domesday Survey, and it was probably included in Odiham at this date. It was, however, recognized as a manor in the reign of Henry I, when it was given by the king to King Geoffrey, between 1111 and 1116.
George Wither, a famous English poet and satirist was born in Bentworth in 1588.
At over 700 feet above sea level, Bentworth is counted as the highest village in Hampshire.
History
Bentewurda or Bintewurda (as it was known in c.1100); Bynteworth (as it was known around c.1400).
Bentworth Hall can date back to the late tenth century and its manors and houses has been passed on countless times. One time Bentworth Hall was in the reign of King John, January 1207–8, Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester, was granted temporary possession of the manor of Bentworth. Bentworth Hall was opened in the late 12th century, by King John. It was then later obtained by the Bishop of Winchester 200 years later. In 2006, Bentworth Hall was searched and had found many hidden, but inexpensive medieval remains that had once been in the belongings to King Geoffrey (who had lived in Bentworth Hall in the mid 11th century.
In the 11th century, Bentworth was a main crossing point to Basing to Winchester. Bentworth is located on the hill which is the source of the River Wey which is in Alton. Some people believe that Bentworth (or Shalden) is on top of the source of the river. This theory is yet unknown, but the source is actually in Alton.
Manors and houses of Bentworth
Hall Place Farm and the manors of Bentworth and Bentworth Hall were bought by Mr. Fisher for £6,000; sundry enclosures of Useful and Eligible Land situate at Wivelrod, but not including the farm, were sold for £900. Hall Place, now called Manor Farm, in the village of Bentworth, represents the old manor-house of Bentworth Hall, which in the 18th century was called 'Bentworth Hall Place' the present hall having been built in the middle of the last century. The old house dates probably from the 14th century, but retains little of its original character; the outer and inner doorways at the entrance have two-centred arches of two splayed orders, and in the lobby there is a trefoiled light.
St. Mary's Church
This file may be deleted after Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
The church of St. Mary, situated at the north-east of the village, stands in the centre of a churchyard which is enclosed by a wood paling and surrounded by tall trees. It consists of chancel 27 ft. by 17 ft. 4 in, with a small north vestry; nave, 48 ft. 7 in. by 17 ft. The nave arcades date from the last quarter of the 12th century, and the chancel arch is of the same period. The chancel was built round an older chancel about 1260, and the lower part of the tower is of the same date or a little earlier. The aisles of the nave seem to have been rebuilt in the 14th century, and in modern times the fabric has been thoroughly repaired. The church itself used to be larger than it is today, but a quarter was destroyed by a fire in the late 1800's.
Parish
Within the Bentworth boundary are four hamlets, Burkham, Wivelrod, Holt End and Ashley. Each settled by descendants of the royal Tudor family. Many of King Henry VII's long descendants had been involved on owning Bentworth's manors and land.
Burkham
Burkham (Brocham, xiv cent.; Barkham, xvi cent.; Berkham, Burcum, xviii cent.) is mentioned in the gift of Bentworth to the Archbishop of Rouen c. 1111–16, where it is described as a 'berewite' or outlying farm. The hamlet of Burkham is in the extreme north-west corner of the parish.
In the return of the feudal aids in 1316, a certain landowner John Daleron held 'Brocham,' which was probably Burkham. In the 16th century it followed the descent of Bentworth Hall, Robert Hunt acquiring the manor of Burkham along with the village of Bentworth itself by fine from Henry Lord Windsor in 1590. This was in the same year Robert Magewick purchased it all for £160.
Wivelrod
Wivelrod, also a hamlet, in the south-east, is mentioned as early as 1259. In the 18th century Wivelrod was called a manor, and belonged to the owner of Bentworth Hall; a part of this property was sold with Bentworth in 1832.
Wivelrod hill is the highest point in Hampshire.
Holt End (New Copse)
Holt End is a hamlet at the edge of Bentworth's boundary. It is close to Medstead and Medstead Grange, (which is in the Bentworth parish boundary) and has Jennie Green Lane running through the hamlet. Holt End is also known as 'New Copse', a heath-looking dusty track which connects with Jennie Green Lane and Gaston Grange wood.
Ashley
Ashley is a small hamlet farm at the edge of Ashley Road. The hamlet of Ashley is close to Wield and is often mistaken for being in the wrong parish, thus making Ashley Farm in a different district council.
Thedden
Thedden is a hamlet which is not in Bentworth itself but its address comes under the parish. Thedden Grange is a country house and an estate which used to belong to one of the manors of Bentworth Hall. The house itself used to be a prisoner of war camp in World War II and the grounds of Thedden Grange were filmed in a few television series.
Gaston Grange
Gaston Grange is one of the manors of Bentworth Hall, with a wood attached to the grange, it also belongs to the Bentworth Hall estate, and is on the south-eastern boundary of the parish. There are several farms in the village, on the northern side of which is the church, with the rectory close by standing in its own grounds
Home Farm (Woodland Trust)
Home Farm, near Burkham is a Woodland Trust area which consists 339 acres (137 hectares) of farmland, wooden copses and wide moors. Home Farm was brought by Woodland Trust and opened in 1991. Home Farm has new plantations of trees which connects from the oak woodland of Preston Oak Hills and Herriard Common.
Bentworth and Lasham railway station
A railway station (part of the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway) used to run through the villages of Bentworth and Lasham until its closure in 1932. The station was the first stopping point to Alton and the last from Basingstoke. The Bentworth and Lasham railway station is also well known for making an appearance in the 1929 film The Wrecker and the 1937 film Oh, Mr Porter!.
Famous People
- George Wither (1588-1667), famous English poet and satirist, born in Bentworth in 1588 and was baptised in the church of St. Mary, who he later (being a firm believer in Oliver Cromwell's cause) sold all his land in the parish in order to raise a troop of horses for him.
- King Egbert (769-839) , king of Wessex who lived in Bentworth for a few years and owned Bentworth Hall, who he passed onto his heirs, respectively.
- King Henry I (1068-1135), owned Bentworth Hall and lived there for a few years.
- King Geoffrey (1113-1151), owned Bentworth hall after the death of King Henry I and lived there until passing it on to the Bishop of Winchester.
- Peter des Roches (?-1238), Bishop of Winchester who was granted temporary possession of Bentworth Hall after having it being passed on by King Geoffrey.
The Hundred of Odiham
From the eighteenth century, a law in England required that all manors of villages and parishes had to be merged with a 'Hundred' to form it. The nearest Hundred to Bentworth was Odiham at the date, and thus all manors within the area were recorded in the Hundred of Odiham by law.
The Hundred of Odiham was a large plan containing the parishes of; Bentworth, Dogmersfield, Elvetham, Greywell, Hartley Wintney, Lasham, Liss, Odiham, Rotherwick, Shalden, Sherfield-Upon-Loddon, Weston Patrick, and Winchfield.
At the time of the Domesday Survey the parishes contained in the Hundred of Odiham were included in the two hundreds of Odiham and the parish of Hefedele (also known as Edefele and Efedele). The former comprised Lasham and Shalden and half a hide which had been taken from the nearby village Preston Candover, and the latter included Odiham, Winchfield, Elvetham, Dogmersfield, and a 'past' parish named Berchelei. For the manors of Bentworth, Greywell, Hartley Wintney, Liss, Sherfield-upon-Loddon, and Weston Patrick, there are no entries in the Survey, but they were all probably included in the large manor of Odiham. The manor of Liss Abbas was and remained until 1831 in Meonstoke Hundred, which neighboured the Odiham Hundred.
Population Figures
Altogether in the parish of Bentworth (including all hamlets) there is an estimated 550 people living in the village area.
References
- ^ Star Inn, Bentworth
- ^ Wendy Miller Hampshire Pub Guide: The Sun Inn, Bentworth Telegraph 20 October 2007
External links
- Local and national government
- Bentworth Parish Council
- Hampshire County Council Bentworth pages
- Bentworth Conservation Area (East Hampshire District Council leaflet)
- Bentworth CP (Parish) (Office for National Statistics)
- History
- Hampshire Treasures Volume 6 (East Hampshire) Pages 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
- British History Online - Bentworth
- Historical pictures of Bentworth - Francis Frith
- Church
- Community
- Miscellaneous
- Home Farm, Bentworth (Woodland Trust)
- Southern Life - Bentworth
- Village hall's 24,000 percent rent rise stirs revolt: A modern approach to finance threatens a small rural community
- Bentworth: Pictures of our delightful village and the rural environment we live in..
