Godshill, Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Godshill is a village and civil parish and in New Forest National Park
in Hampshire
, England
. It is about 1.5 miles east of the town of Fordingbridge
.
cottages intermixed with brick
-with-slate
-roof buildings. The village pub
is known as "The Fighting Cocks" because there was once a cockpit
here. The village cricket
pitch of Godshill Cricket Club is 0.5 miles east of Godshill village, surrounded by the gorse and heather of the New Forest. Godshill is also the location of the Sandy Balls
holiday park.
fort
of Frankenbury Camp
. The east bank of the River Avon at Armsley, in the north-west of the parish, has yielded evidence of Iron Age and Roman era
occupation. Four coins of the Durotriges
tribe were found in 1959 together with a bronze fibula. Excavations have also found glazed pottery dating from a 1st/2nd century AD, as well as evidence for metal-working.
Godshill is not mentioned in the Domesday Book
. One New Forest location listed as Godesmanescamp was erroneously identified by Antiquarian
s as Godshill, and as a consequence the name Godesmanescamp mistakenly appeared on some Ordnance Survey
maps as an alternative name for Frankenbury Camp. About 1 miles northwest of Godshill, (although within the parish of Woodgreen
) is Castle Hill, which is said to be the only likely relic of a Norman
fortification in the New Forest.
In 1571 the so-called manor of Godshill was sold by Henry Earl of Arundel, John Lord Lumley and Joan his wife, eldest daughter of the earl, to a certain Reginald Howse. Some years later Robert Howse, who seems to have been son of Reginald, sold it to William Dodington, from which date it descended with Breamore
.
Historically Godshill village was a tithing of Fordingbridge
parish. The population of the village in the mid 19th-century was around 100 people, although census counts in the 19th century are somewhat variable, because Godshill Wood was often used as a Gypsy camp. It is even related that Gypsy women used to go alone to a particular holly
tree in a sheltered spot along Godshill Ridge to give birth.
In 1868 a new civil parish called Ashley Walk was created which incorporated much of what is now the eastern half of the current parishes of Godshill and Hyde
. The parish of Ashley Walk did not include the village of Godshill itself, which remained part of Fordingbridge. The civil parish of Ashley Walk lasted until 1932.
To the west of the village is the estate known as Sandy Balls
, which is now a holiday park owned by the Wesklake family. Before World War II
, Sandy Balls was the headquarters of the Scouting-like movement known as the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry
.
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is about 1.5 miles east of the town of Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge is a town and civil parish with a population of 5,700 on the River Avon in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England, near to the Dorset and Wiltshire borders and on the edge of the New Forest. It is south west of London, and south of the city of Salisbury. Fordingbridge is a...
.
The village
Godshill is a small village scattered on either side of the B3078 road east of Fordingbridge. The village is generally 18th and 19th century in date, with a number of cob-and-thatchedThatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge , rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates...
cottages intermixed with brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
-with-slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
-roof buildings. The village pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
is known as "The Fighting Cocks" because there was once a cockpit
Cockfight
A cockfight is a blood sport between two roosters , held in a ring called a cockpit. Cockfighting is now illegal throughout all states in the United States, Brazil, Australia and in most of Europe. It is still legal in several U.S. territories....
here. The village cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
pitch of Godshill Cricket Club is 0.5 miles east of Godshill village, surrounded by the gorse and heather of the New Forest. Godshill is also the location of the Sandy Balls
Sandy Balls
Sandy Balls is of woods and parkland in the New Forest, between Godshill and Fordingbridge, in Hampshire, UK. It is bounded on the western edge by the River Avon. Now run as a holiday centre, Sandy Balls is owned by the Westlake family.-Name:...
holiday park.
History
People have lived in the Godshill area since prehistoric times. On Cockley Hill, east of Godshill, an earth pit, used for boiling water, has been discovered dating from the Bronze Age, around 3000 years ago. 0.5 miles west of the village is the Iron AgeBritish Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
of Frankenbury Camp
Frankenbury Camp
Frankenbury Camp is the site of an Iron Age univallate hillfort located in Hampshire. The site is on a very slight promontory overlooking the Avon Valley on the north-western edge of the New Forest. The fort encloses approximately 11 acres. It has very steep natural slopes on the west and south...
. The east bank of the River Avon at Armsley, in the north-west of the parish, has yielded evidence of Iron Age and Roman era
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
occupation. Four coins of the Durotriges
Durotriges
The Durotriges were one of the Celtic tribes living in Britain prior to the Roman invasion. The tribe lived in modern Dorset, south Wiltshire and south Somerset...
tribe were found in 1959 together with a bronze fibula. Excavations have also found glazed pottery dating from a 1st/2nd century AD, as well as evidence for metal-working.
Godshill is not mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. One New Forest location listed as Godesmanescamp was erroneously identified by Antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
s as Godshill, and as a consequence the name Godesmanescamp mistakenly appeared on some Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps as an alternative name for Frankenbury Camp. About 1 miles northwest of Godshill, (although within the parish of Woodgreen
Woodgreen
Woodgreen is a village and civil parish within the New Forest district of Hampshire in England.-Overview:Woodgreen lies between Breamore and Hale to the east of the River Avon. It is located due south of the city of Salisbury, its nearest town is Fordingbridge lying to the southwest. In the 2001 UK...
) is Castle Hill, which is said to be the only likely relic of a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
fortification in the New Forest.
In 1571 the so-called manor of Godshill was sold by Henry Earl of Arundel, John Lord Lumley and Joan his wife, eldest daughter of the earl, to a certain Reginald Howse. Some years later Robert Howse, who seems to have been son of Reginald, sold it to William Dodington, from which date it descended with Breamore
Breamore
Breamore is a village and civil parish near Fordingbridge in Hampshire, England. The toponym is pronounced "Bremmer", not "Bree-moor" as might be supposed. The parish includes a notable Elizabethan country house, Breamore House, built with an E-shaped ground plan...
.
Historically Godshill village was a tithing of Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge is a town and civil parish with a population of 5,700 on the River Avon in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England, near to the Dorset and Wiltshire borders and on the edge of the New Forest. It is south west of London, and south of the city of Salisbury. Fordingbridge is a...
parish. The population of the village in the mid 19th-century was around 100 people, although census counts in the 19th century are somewhat variable, because Godshill Wood was often used as a Gypsy camp. It is even related that Gypsy women used to go alone to a particular holly
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
tree in a sheltered spot along Godshill Ridge to give birth.
In 1868 a new civil parish called Ashley Walk was created which incorporated much of what is now the eastern half of the current parishes of Godshill and Hyde
Hyde, Hampshire
Hyde is a village and civil parish in the New Forest near Fordingbridge in Hampshire, England.-Overview:The parish of Hyde is mostly within the boundary of the New Forest National Park...
. The parish of Ashley Walk did not include the village of Godshill itself, which remained part of Fordingbridge. The civil parish of Ashley Walk lasted until 1932.
To the west of the village is the estate known as Sandy Balls
Sandy Balls
Sandy Balls is of woods and parkland in the New Forest, between Godshill and Fordingbridge, in Hampshire, UK. It is bounded on the western edge by the River Avon. Now run as a holiday centre, Sandy Balls is owned by the Westlake family.-Name:...
, which is now a holiday park owned by the Wesklake family. Before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Sandy Balls was the headquarters of the Scouting-like movement known as the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry
Order of Woodcraft Chivalry
The Order of Woodcraft Chivalry is a Scouting-like movement operating in the United Kingdom, which was founded in 1916 by Ernest Westlake. Like Scouting, it was inspired by Ernest Seton's Seton Indians, and Seton was its honourary Grand Chieftain...
.