HAMPSHIRE

A summary of Tim Silver’s links with Hampshire

The earliest Silver ancestor I have found is my 6x gt. grandfather, John Silver. He was born c.1725. Where? I’m not sure (probably, Basingstoke) and he married an Anne; trouble is, judging from the baptism & burial entries around that time and area, it seems quite likely that there were two ‘John & Anne Silver’ families in Basingstoke parish producing off-spring around the same time! Anyway, a ‘John & Anne Silver’ family had a son, John, in 1755 and from then upto c.1908 my Silver's were, without question, all Hampshire folk; living mainly in the Winchfield area.

Main areas of interest:

Basingstoke; Crondall; Hartley Wintney; Odiham; Potbridge; Winchfield

Extended family locations:

Aldershot; Alton; Alverstoke; Awbridge; Barton Stacey; (Old) Basing; Baughurst; Bishops Sutton; Blackwater; Bournemouth; Church Crookham; Cliddesden; Compton; Cove; Crookham; Dogmersfield; Dunley; Dunley Manor; East Wellow; Eling; Elvetham; Eversley; Fareham; Farnborough; Fleet; Greywell; Hartley Row; Hawley; Hook; Martyr Worthy; Nately Scures; Newnham; North Warnborough; Portsmouth; Romsey; Ropley; Rotherwick; Sherfield; Sherfield English; Silchester; Southampton; Stockbridge; Totton; Upton Grey; Wellow; Whitchurch; Winchester; Yateley

Hampshire (abbreviated Hants) is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, the former capital city of England. Hampshire is the most populous ceremonial county in the United Kingdom and, if excluding the relatively newly formed metropolitan counties such as the West Midlands, Hampshire would be the most populous county in the whole of the United Kingdom. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force. The ceremonial county borders Dorset to the west, Wiltshire to the north-west, Berkshire to the north, Surrey to the north-east, and West Sussex to the east. The southern boundary is the coastline of the English Channel and The Solent.

Hampshire takes its name from the settlement that is now the city of Southampton. An Old English name for Southampton was Hantum, and references to the county - Southampton and shire - became Hantum plus Scir. The county was known by the Anglo-Saxons as Hamtunschire and was recorded in the Domesday book as Hantescire. This is from where the abbreviation Hants originates.

Hampshire is the largest county in SE England and the third largest shire county in the UK despite losing more land than any other English county during the Local Government Act 1972 boundary changes. At its greatest size in 1889, Hampshire was the fifth largest county in England. It now has an overall area of 3,700 square kilometres (1,400 sq mi), and measures approximately 86 kilometres (53 mi) east-west and 76 kilometres (47 mi) north-south. ©Wikipedia

Hampshire’s geology falls into two categories. In the south, along the coast is the &dquo;Hampshire Basin&ddquo;, an area of relatively non-resistant Eocene and Oligocene clays and gravels which are protected from sea erosion by the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, and the Isle of Wight. These low, flat lands support heathland and woodland habitats, a large area of which form part of the New Forest. The New Forest has a mosaic of heathland, grassland, coniferous and deciduous woodland habitats that host diverse wildlife. The forest is protected as a national park, limiting development and agricultural use to protect the landscape and wildlife. Large areas of the New Forest are open common lands kept as a grassland plagioclimax by grazing animals, including domesticated cattle, pigs and horses, and several wild deer species. Erosion of the weak rock and sea level change flooding the low land has carved several large estuaries and rias, notably the 16 km (9.9 mi) long Southampton Water and the large convoluted Portsmouth Harbour. The Isle of Wight lies off the coast of Hampshire where the non-resistant rock has been eroded away, forming the Solent.

In the north and centre of the county the substrate is the rocks of the Chalk Group which form Salisbury Plain and the South Downs. These are high hills with steep slopes where they border the clays to the south. The hills dip steeply forming a scarp onto the Thames valley to the north, and dip gently to the south. The highest point in the county is Pilot Hill, which reaches the height of 286 m (938 ft), and lies on the border with West Berkshire. Butser Hill near Petersfield is the second highest point at 271 metres (889 ft) and lies in the South Downs National Park. The highest village in Hampshire is Bentworth, near Alton. The downland supports a calcareous grassland habitat, important for wild flowers and insects. A large area of the downs is now protected from further agricultural damage by the East Hampshire Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Itchen and Test are trout rivers that flow from the chalk through wooded valleys into Southampton Water. Nestled in a valley on the downs is Selborne, and the countryside surrounding the village was the location of Gilbert White’s pioneering observations on natural history. Hampshire's county flower is the Dog Rose.

Hampshire has a milder climate than most areas of the British Isles, being in the far south with the climate stabilising effect of the sea, but protected against the more extreme weather of the Atlantic coast. Hampshire has a higher average annual temperature than the UK average at 9.8 to 12°C (50 to 54°F), average rainfall at 741 to 1,060 millimetres (29.2 to 42 in) per year, and higher than average sunshine at over 1541 hours per year. ©Wikipedia

Basingstoke, 51°16'N 1°5.5'W, is the largest town in the modern county of Hampshire. It is situated in south central England, and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is located 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Southampton, 48 miles (77 km) southwest of London, and 19 miles (31 km) northeast of the county town and former capital Winchester. Basingstoke is often nicknamed "Doughnut City" or "Roundabout City" because of the number of large roundabouts. ©Wikipedia

The London and South Western Railway arrived in 1839 from London, and within a year it was extended to Winchester and Southampton. In 1848 a rival company, sponsored by the Great Western Railway built a branch from Reading. In 1854 a line was built to Salisbury by the London and South Western.

Ordinary citizens were said to be shocked by the emotive, evangelical tactics of the Salvation Army when they arrived in the town in 1880, but the reaction from those employed by the breweries or within the licenced trade quickly grew more openly hostile. Violent clashes became a regular occurrence culminating on Sunday 27 March 1881 with troops being called upon to break up the conflict after the Mayor had read the Riot Act. The riot and its causes led to questions in Parliament and a period of notoriety for the town. The town was described as ‘Barbarous Basingstoke’ by one London newspaper in 1882.

Basingstoke is an old market town expanded in the mid 1960s as a result of an agreement between London County Council and Hampshire County Council. It was developed rapidly after World War 2, along with various other towns in the United Kingdom, in order to accommodate part of the London ‘overspill’ as perceived under the Greater London Plan in 1944. Basingstoke market was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, and it remained a small market town until the early 1960s. At the start of World War 2 the population was little more than 13,000. It still has a regular market, but is now larger than Hampshire County Council’s definition of a market town. ©Wikipedia

My 5x gt. grandfather, John Silver, was born in Basingstoke c.1755 - at least, he was baptised in Basingstoke parish church on 07 Mar 1755.

Crondall, 51°14'N 0°52'W, is a village and large civil parish in the north east of Hampshire, England and is all that remains of the old Hundred of Crondall referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086. Various earlier spellings have in common the use of a “u” instead of the “o” and the village is still properly pronounced “Crundel” although some recent incomers prefer to pronounce the “o”.

The map of Hampshire in the 1722 edition of William Camden’s Britannia or Geographical Description of Britain and Ireland shows symbols for habitation in Farnborough, Cove, Ewshot, Aldershot and Crookham in the Crundhal (Crondall) hundred. ©Wikipedia

My 3x paternal gt. grandmother, Mary Gains was born in Crondall c.1799 (at least, she was baptised in Crondall on 28 July 1799). Mary married Thomas Silver on 9 November 1825.

One fine attraction of Condall is the 'Plume of Feathers' pub - old beams, well kept ale and good food at a reasonable price.

Hartley Wintney, 51°18'N 0°54'W, is a large village and civil parish in the Hart district of north-east Hampshire. The parish includes the joined village of Phoenix Green to the south and surrounding hamlets of Dipley, West Green, Elvetham and Hartfordbridge, as well as large wooded areas such as Yateley Heath Wood and part of Hazeley Heath. The River Hart flows to the north-east of the village. The River Whitewater forms the western parish boundary and the M3 motorway forms the southern boundary.

The village has a typical wide Hampshire main street, lined with local businesses, shops, public houses and a Baptist church. At the southern end is the village green and duckpond (with thatched duck house). The red-brick parish church of St John overlooks the green and the elegant Mildmay oak trees beyond. The oaks were planted by Lady St John Mildmay in response to the call, in 1807, by Admiral Collingwood following the Battle of Trafalgar for landowners to plant oaks to provide timber for naval ships.

The cricket green, home of the oldest cricket club in Hampshire, is behind the shops adjoining a second picturesque duckpond and Dutch-gabled farmhouse.

In 1831, the village (excluding Elvetham and Hartfordbridge) had a population of 1139. In 2004, the ward had a population of 4954 and is expected to only increase to 5022 by 2008. Hartley Row is a former hamlet within Hartley Wintney. ©Wikipedia

There are 63 individuals with the surname Silver in my tree who either were born in, lived in or died in Hartley Wintney. Other significant connections come via the surname Baldwin and one was my 2x gt. grandfather, James Baldwin, who was baptised in Hartley Wintney on 1 June 1828.

Odiham, 51°15'N 0°56'W, is a historic village and large civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The current population is 4,406. The parish contains an acreage of 7,354 acres with 50 acres of land covered with water. The nearest railway station is at Hook, on the London and South Western Railway. The village had its own Hundred in the nintenth century, named The Hundred of Odiham. RAF Odiham aerodrome lies to the south of the village. ©Wikipedia

Four of my direct Silver ancestors were married in All Saints church, Odiham. My gt. grandparents James Thomas Silver & Ellen Sophia Baldwin 26 Jan 1884; James' parents Oliver Silver & Jane Hooker 22 Oct 1853; Oliver’s parents Thomas Silver & Mary Gains 09 Nov 1825 and Thomas’ parents John Silver & Hannah Howard 29 Aug 1796.

Potbridge, approx. 51°17'N 0°55'W. There's not much to know really. It was a hamlet throughout the 1800's but has now been largely lost under the M3 motorway. Although the name doesn't show on Google Maps, it does appear on OS maps.

Nonetheless, for about 100 years Potbridge was ‘home’ to four consecutive generations of my Silver lineage (the same four couples who married in Odiham) - my gt. grandparents James & Ellen Silver, James’ parents Oliver & Jane Silver, Oliver’s parents Thomas & Mary Silver and Thomas’ parents John & Hannah Silver.

On the north side of the M3, just to the west of the end of Old Potbridge Road, (need to look at OS maps for this) is an area known as Beggars’ Corner - I harbour an amusing notion that these Silver’s may have contributed to the name!

Winchfield, 51°17'N 0°54'W, is a small village in the Hart District of Hampshire in the South-East of England. It is situated 1 mile south-west of Hartley Wintney, 8 miles east of Basingstoke, 2 miles north-east of Odiham and 38 miles west of London. It is well connected to London Waterloo and Basingstoke by rail.

Winchfield consists of a recently rebuilt village hall (in 1998), a church, a 17th Century inn called the Winchfield Inn and a combination of old residential properties and new ones.

Winchfield parish currently has a population of some 610 people. The population is scattered across this wide parish, which includes Potbridge, settlement around winchfield church, Winchfield Hurst and Shapley Heath. ©Wikipedia

I've discovered 34 Silver's (of my branch) who were born in Winchfield and the last one was to my gt. grandparents James Thomas & Ellen Sophia Baldwin, my grand aunt Lily, in 1901. Lily's older brother was my grandfather, Wilfred Silver, born 27 November 1898. This Silver family moved to Feltham, Middlesex c.1908.