Bentley, Hampshire
Historical Description
Bentley, a village, a parish, and a liberty in Hants. The village stands 5 miles NE of Alton, and has a station on the L. & S.W.R., 42 miles from London. It has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Farnham. The parish comprises 2299 acres; population, 727. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Winchester; net value, £650 with residence. Patron, the Archdeacon of Surrey. There is a handsome church containing Norman, Early English, and Perpendicular work. It is approached by an avenue of ancient yew trees. There are several gentlemen's residences and considerable endowed charities, a Bible Christian chapel, and a parish institute.
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 | Bentley St. Mary | |
Hundred | Basingstoke | |
Poor Law union | Alton |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The register dates from the year 1539.
Churches
Church of England
St. Mary (parish church)
The church of St. Mary is an ancient edifice of stone, partly of Late Norman work, with additions in the Early English and Perpendicular styles, consisting of a chancel, with clerestory and aisles, nave containing north and south aisles of recent date, south porch, and a low tower containing 6 bells: there is a Norman font, dating about A.D. 1100: the east window is stained: the organ was erected at a cost of £400 to commemorate the Jubilee of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria; an avenue of yews leads up to the timber porch: there are about 400 sittings.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Bentley from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Bentley (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 Bentley 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.