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can anyone CITE a source that states the reason Hampshire is shortened to Hants? There was a good reason in last weeks Andover advertiser, but there is dispute amongst my family!
From The Hampshire County Council web site: http://www3.hants.gov.uk/abouthnt
Why is Hampshire sometimes called Hants?
"Hampshire" is often abbreviated in written form to "Hants" and which sometimes gives rise to puzzlement. The abbreviated form is derived from the Old English Hantum plus Scir (meaning a district governed from the settlement now known as Southampton) and the Anglo-Saxons called it Hamtunschire. At the time of the Domesday Book (1086) this was compressed to Hantescire.Betty Butt (talk)
Part of Hampshire
To say "the Isle of Wight has been for some purposes in the past treated traditionally part of Hampshire" is an understatement that verges on distortion of the truth. The truth is that it was an integral part of Hampshire as much as any other part of Hampshire, pretty much from the early history of Hampshire until relatively recently (see any old maps for reference - e.g. those of John Speede or Thomas Moule). The separation of the Isle of Wight from the rest of Hampshire ranks alongside other modern meddlings such as as the subdivisions of Yorkshire and Sussex and the complete removal of Rutland from the map, all of which have had a large body of opposition and none of which have had any democratic opportunity for reversal. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.37.33.46 (talk) 11:29, 21 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]