Bashley, Hampshire
Semi-rural New Forest chapelry with ancient roots and modern sports.
Last updated
via Wikipedia: Bashley, Hampshire · see source
Where it is
Coordinates: 50°46′26″N 1°39′40″W (50.7740, -1.6610) · Open in OpenStreetMap
Coordinates and connected clubs: the infobox of Wikipedia: Bashley, Hampshire (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map: drawn by Codexery from OpenStreetMap tiles.
Bashley, a chapelry in the New Forest of southwest Hampshire, sits about two miles inland from the Solent. It occupies the northern part of New Milton civil parish and makes up roughly a quarter of the population of the ward sharing its name. This semi-rural community includes a holiday park with a chain convenience shop, two garden centres, football and cricket clubs, guesthouses, two riding schools, a post office with a store, and a petrol station. Within the forest commons, past cattle grids, lies the former hamlet of Wootton, which has a large listed pub-restaurant that once served as a drovers' retreat.
History
The earliest record of Bashley comes from a 1053 charter of Christchurch Priory, naming an estate called Bagesluceleia, meaning 'wood or clearing of Baegloc' after an 8th-century abbot. By the Domesday Book in 1086, the settlement was called Bailocheslei, held by Alsi the priest from the king, who received profits from half a mill worth three shillings, within Edgegate hundred. Christchurch Priory soon acquired Bashley, and a chapel existed there by the 13th century.
Until the Dissolution under Henry VIII, the priory administered Bashley, usually as part of its Somerford estate. In 1262 William Boscher held land from Christchurch Manor, and by 1315 Robert Boscher owned Bashley Manor. The priory still held part of the original estate in 1384, receiving a grant of free warren. Bashley Common was enclosed in 1817.
Ossemsley Manor was rebuilt in 1908 for Sir Alfred Cooper. The church of Saint John the Baptist, a daughter church of St. Mary Magdalene in New Milton, was built in 1909–1910 for £300, with a corrugated church hall erected shortly after.
Surroundings
At the village's north end is the hamlet of Wootton, where The Rising Sun pub has stood on its present site for over two hundred years. Danes Stream flows to the east; its name comes from the Saxon word 'denu' meaning 'stream', and Victorian romantics were so sure a battle with Danes occurred here that old Ordnance Survey maps marked a battle site at Bashley. To the west lie the farmsteads and smallholdings of Ossemsley.
Sports and events
After World War II, funds were raised for a village hall and sports ground, and an annual flower show and fete began. In 1948, 3.5 acres were bought for £1000 to enhance residents' lives, and a lease was granted to Bashley Football Club. An ex-Ministry of Works hut purchased for £150 arrived in January 1950 as the first community hall; it was rebuilt in 1987, adding the Bashley Horse Show and Bashley Carnival. In 1979, Bashley (Rydal) Cricket Club moved to its present ground in Bashley, having previously played in the Bournemouth area.
Did You Know?
- Old Ordnance Survey maps marked a battle site at Bashley due to Victorian romantic beliefs about a Danish battle.
- Bashley Football Club reached the Second Round proper of the FA Cup in the 1994–95 season, losing 1–0 to Swansea City.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Bashley, Hampshire (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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