Fordingbridge, Hampshire
Historical Description
Fordingbridge, a village and a parish in Hants. The village stands on the river Avon, near the New Forest, 19 miles W by N of Southampton, and it has a station on the L. & S.W.R., 96 from London, with a post, money order, and telegraph office under Salisbury. Acreage of the civil parish, 6303; population, 3191; of the ecclesiastical, 2615. The village has repeatedly suffered from fires, and has lost much of its former importance, yet it still figures as a seat ef industry and a centre of country trade. It has a bank, two chief inns, a bridge, a church, three dissenting chapels, a Roman Catholic chapel, a literary and scientific institution, two public halls, a workhouse, and charities. The bridge is a stone structure, with seven arches. The church has an Early English chancel, an Early Decorated division within the chancel, and an Early Decorated nave, with Perpendicular clerestory, roof, and tower; contains a small brass of 1568, and is spacious and interesting. Two large, clipped, bell-shaped yew trees are in the churchyard. A fair is held on 9 Sept., and manufactures ef sailcloth, and "infants' food"are carried on. There are also extensive vineries. The village was known at Domesday as Forde, and it anciently had an hospital of the Knights of St John. Highmore, the anatomist, was a native. The parish includes the tithings of Bickton, Middle Bnrgate, North Burgate, South Bargate, Midgham, and Godshill. An ancient camp, defended on one side by a double trench and ramparts, on the other by the steep accli-vitousness of the ground, is at Godshill. The living is a vicarage, united with the perpetual curacy of Ibsley, in the diocese of Winchester; value, £390 with residence. Patron, King's College, Cambridge. The vicarage of Hyde is a separate benefice.
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 | Fordingbridge St. Mary | |
Hundred | Fordingbridge | |
Poor Law union | Fordingbridge |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Fordingbridge from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Fordingbridge (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 Fordingbridge 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
North End (Fordingbridge)Visitations Heraldic
The Visitations of Hampshire, 1530, 1575, & 1622-34 is available to view on the Heraldry page.