Fareham, Hampshire

Historical Description

Fareham, a town, a parish, a hundred, and head of a division in Hants. The town stands on slightly elevated ground, -at the north-western extremity of Portsmouth harbour, 5 miles NNW of Gosport. It has a station on the L. & S.W.R., 74 miles from London; a new line of railway was opened in 1889 between Netley and Fareham, which gives an alternative route between Southampton and Portsmouth. It sent mem-"bers to Parliament in the time of Edward L, but petitioned to be excused from sending them in that of Edward III. It evidently was then declining, and it continued to decline till, in Leiand's time, it became a small fishing village; but it has of late years acquired great improvement and extension, and is now lighted with electric light and paved, and is a place —of considerable trade. It has a head post office, a bank, two chief inns, two churches, with three mission chapels, a Wes-leyan, Congregational, and Roman Catholic chapels, a literary institution, a workhouse, a town-hall, hospital, an industrial school for girls, and an endowed school and other considerable charities, and it is a seat of petty sessions. The parish church was mainly rebuilt in 1812, and has lately been partly restored; a fine chancel and organ chamber were added in 1888. Trinity Church is a modern erection, with good architectural features, and was built and endowed by benefaction of the Rev. Sir Henry Thompson; it was restored in 1889. A market is held on every alternate Monday. Vessels of 300 tons burden can come to the>quay. A considerable trade in corn, coal, and timber is carried on. There is an extensive tannery, and bricks, draining-tiles, flower-pots, and other articles of coarse pottery are largely made. Blackbrook House, Uplands, Roche Court, and Cams Hall are chief residences. A county lunatic asylum and several forts are here. Portsdown Hill, a lofty eminence of 7 miles, extending east and west, commences immediately above Cam's Hill. The parish includes the hamlets of Catisfield, North Fareham, Fontley, Wallington, and part of Crocker Hill. The area is 6356 acres of land and 236 of foreshore and water; population, 7934. The living is a vicarage, united with Funtley and Crocker Hill, and that of Trinity, a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Winchester; value of the former, £480 with residence; of the latter, net value, £160 with residence. Patron of the former, the Bishop of Winchester.

Fareham Parliamentary Division, or Southern Hampshire, was formed under the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885, and returns one member to the House of Commons. Population, 66,014. The division includes the following:- Fareham-Alverstoke and Gosport, Bedhampton, Boarhunt, Fareham, Farlington, Great Salterns, Havant,Hayling (North), Hayling (South), Porchester, Rowner, Southwick, Titchfield, Warblington, Waterloo, Wickham, Widley, Wymering½ Southampton (part of)-Botley, Bursledon, Hamble-en-le-Rice, Hound, Millbrook, South Stoneham, St Mary (Extra); Southampton-municipal borough; Portsmouth-municipal borough.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Fareham from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Fareham (St. Peter and St. Paul))

Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Hampshire (County Southampton) is available to browse.

Maps

Online maps of Fareham 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

Villages, Hamlets, &c

Visitations Heraldic

The Visitations of Hampshire, 1530, 1575, & 1622-34 is available to view on the Heraldry page.