Avington, Hampshire
Historical Description
Avington, a parish in Hants, on the river Itchen, ½ mile from Itchen-Abbas station on the L. & S.W.R., and 5 miles NE of Winchester. Post town, Alresford, which is the money order office; telegraph office, Itchen-Abbas station. Acreage, 2952; population of the civil parish, 269; of the ecclesiastical, 218. The manor belonged anciently to the Crown; was given, in 961, by King Edgar, to the monastery of St Swithin at Winchester; passed, at the dissolution, to the Clerks of Mitcheldever; and went, in the reign of Elizabeth, to the family of Bruges or Brydges, who afterwards became Dukes of Chandos and Buckingham. The infamous Countess of Shrewsbury, who married into this family, was often visited here by Charles II. The present house is a modern brick structure, on the site of the ancient mansion, and is the seat of the Shelley family. The park lies in a sequestered valley, nearly surrounded with high downs, is well wooded, and measures about 3 miles in circuit. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Winchester; gross value, £250. Patron, the Bishop of Winchester. The church stands in the park, and is modern.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | Hampshire | |
Ecclesiastical parish | Avington St. Mary | |
Hundred | Fawley |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The register dates from the year 1609.
Churches
Church of England
St. Mary (parish church)
The church of St. Mary, erected in 1769, is an ivy-covered building of red brick, consisting of chancel and nave, and an embattled western tower containing a fine peal of 6 bells: there is a marble monument to Margaret (Nicol), 1st wife of James Brydges, Marquess of Carnarvon, and afterwards 3rd Duke of Chandos. There are 90 sittings.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Avington from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Avington (St. Mary))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Hampshire (County Southampton) is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Avington are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Hampshire newspapers online:
- Portsmouth Evening News
- Hampshire Telegraph
- Hampshire Advertiser
- Hampshire Chronicle
- Aldershot Military Gazette
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitations of Hampshire, 1530, 1575, & 1622-34 is available to view on the Heraldry page.