Hale, Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Hale is a small village and civil parish
in Hampshire
, England
. It lies on the border of the New Forest
, overlooking the valley of the River Avon. The village is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-east of the town of Fordingbridge
, and about 8 miles (12.9 km) south of the city of Salisbury
. Within the parish stands Hale House
, a large 18th century mansion which was the country house of architect Thomas Archer
, who also rebuilt Hale church in 1717.
in an area of woodland, to the east of the River Avon. It is a scattered community with some thatched cottages around the green, a village hall, and a Victorian school building which still houses the primary school.
At the centre of the village is Hatchet Green, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
and a Conservation Area
. It contains various tree species including oak, ash, birch, holly, lawson cypress, chestnut and hawthorn. It was taken over by the Parish Council in 1975 because no owner could be traced.
Next to Hale is the National Trust
common of Hale Purlieu. Hale Purlieu is an area of heath and valley bog with typical flora and fauna. It was for centuries outside of the New Forest
- the word "purlieu" means an area which has been "disafforested" and is not subject to forest law. It was brought within the boundary and the Verderer
s' jurisdiction under the New Forest Act of 1964.
of 1086. However there was a hide
of land in nearby Charford
held of the King
by Alwi son of Torber. Alwi was also holding West Tytherley
at the time of the Domesday Book, and since Richard de Cardenvill, at the beginning of the 13th century, was holding Hale and West Tytherley of the King it is possible that this Charford estate was Hale.
In the 14th century Hale passed by marriage to Sir Robert Brent of Cossington
, in whose family the manor remained for about two centuries. Hale was probably sold to one of the Penruddocks in the 16th century. Thus Robert Penruddock, who died childless in 1583, evidently had a lease of the manor and was the first of the family to settle at Hale. Around this time the original mediaeval church was substantially rebuilt, and there is a brass on the floor of the church to Sir John Penruddock, who died 8 March 1600.
It passed by marriage into the Gage family, until Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage
of Castlebar
in Ireland
, apparently sold the manor between 1713 and 1720 to Thomas Archer
, Groom Porter
to Queen Anne, who at the latter date was licensed to inclose two roads in Hale between South Charford
and Woodgreen
. Archer demolished the Penruddock's Elizabethan Manor House and built the Palladian
style Georgian Mansion which is here today. He also altered and enlarged the church, landscaped the grounds and planted the oldest part of the Lime Avenue. Andrew Archer, 2nd Baron Archer
held it before his death in 1778, his heirs being his three daughters. The May family took over in 1789, and the Goff family bought Hale in 1836.
The civil parish of Hale was formed in 1895. Until 1920, Hale was one large estate, and the village was effectively closed to outsiders, with no inn and no shops. In 1920, the estate was divided up and sold in lots. Hale House and its surrounding park still survives as the nucleus of the old estate.
, home to a Palladian
style Georgian Mansion, built by Thomas Archer around 1715 and added to over the years. The village church is to the north-west of the house. It is dedicated to Saint Mary. It is mostly 18th century in date, but with its 17th century nave and chancel retained.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
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 lies on the border of the New Forest
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....
, overlooking the valley of the River Avon. The village is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-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...
, and about 8 miles (12.9 km) south of the city of Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
. Within the parish stands Hale House
Hale Park
Hale Park is a country house and landscape park in the village of Hale, Hampshire. It was designed and built by Thomas Archer around 1715.-Hale Park House:...
, a large 18th century mansion which was the country house of architect Thomas Archer
Thomas Archer
Thomas Archer was an English Baroque architect, whose work is somewhat overshadowed by that of his contemporaries Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor. Archer was born at Umberslade Hall in Tanworth-in-Arden in Warwickshire, the youngest son of Thomas Archer, a country gentleman, Parliamentary...
, who also rebuilt Hale church in 1717.
Overview
Hale is a village to the northeast of FordingbridgeFordingbridge
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...
in an area of woodland, to the east of the River Avon. It is a scattered community with some thatched cottages around the green, a village hall, and a Victorian school building which still houses the primary school.
At the centre of the village is Hatchet Green, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
and a Conservation Area
Conservation Area (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, the term Conservation Area nearly always applies to an area considered worthy of preservation or enhancement because of its special architectural or historic interest, "the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance," as required by the Planning ...
. It contains various tree species including oak, ash, birch, holly, lawson cypress, chestnut and hawthorn. It was taken over by the Parish Council in 1975 because no owner could be traced.
Next to Hale is the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
common of Hale Purlieu. Hale Purlieu is an area of heath and valley bog with typical flora and fauna. It was for centuries outside of the New Forest
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....
- the word "purlieu" means an area which has been "disafforested" and is not subject to forest law. It was brought within the boundary and the Verderer
Verderer
Verderers are officials in Britain who deal with Common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of The Crown.-Origins:...
s' jurisdiction under the New Forest Act of 1964.
History
The manor of Hale does not appear in the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
of 1086. However there was a hide
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
of land in nearby Charford
North Charford
North Charford is a hamlet in the New Forest district, in Hampshire, England, near the Wiltshire border. Historically the name refers to a manor which is now in the civil parish of Breamore on the west bank of the River Avon.-History:...
held of the King
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
by Alwi son of Torber. Alwi was also holding West Tytherley
West Tytherley
West Tytherley is a village in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Stockbridge, which lies approximately 6 miles north-east from the village, although its post town comes under Salisbury. The village shares a joint parish council with the neighbouring parish of...
at the time of the Domesday Book, and since Richard de Cardenvill, at the beginning of the 13th century, was holding Hale and West Tytherley of the King it is possible that this Charford estate was Hale.
In the 14th century Hale passed by marriage to Sir Robert Brent of Cossington
Cossington, Somerset
Cossington is a village and civil parish close to Woolavington and north of Bridgwater, in the Sedgemoor district in Somerset, England. The village lies on the north side of the Polden Hills.-History:...
, in whose family the manor remained for about two centuries. Hale was probably sold to one of the Penruddocks in the 16th century. Thus Robert Penruddock, who died childless in 1583, evidently had a lease of the manor and was the first of the family to settle at Hale. Around this time the original mediaeval church was substantially rebuilt, and there is a brass on the floor of the church to Sir John Penruddock, who died 8 March 1600.
It passed by marriage into the Gage family, until Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage
Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage
Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage Bt was the son of Joseph Gage of Sherborne Castle and Elizabeth Penruddock.He married Benedicta Maria Theresa Hall in 1717. Gage's first son was born in 1718...
of Castlebar
Castlebar
Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, apparently sold the manor between 1713 and 1720 to Thomas Archer
Thomas Archer
Thomas Archer was an English Baroque architect, whose work is somewhat overshadowed by that of his contemporaries Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor. Archer was born at Umberslade Hall in Tanworth-in-Arden in Warwickshire, the youngest son of Thomas Archer, a country gentleman, Parliamentary...
, Groom Porter
Groom Porter
The Groom-Porter was an office at the royal court of the kings of England, who had 'the Inspection of the King's Lodgings, and takes care that they are provided with Tables, Chairs, Firing, &c. As also to provide Cards, Dice, &c. when there is playing at Court: To decide Disputes which arise in...
to Queen Anne, who at the latter date was licensed to inclose two roads in Hale between South Charford
South Charford
South Charford is a hamlet in the New Forest district, in Hampshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Breamore on the west bank of the River Avon.-History:...
and 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...
. Archer demolished the Penruddock's Elizabethan Manor House and built the Palladian
Palladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
style Georgian Mansion which is here today. He also altered and enlarged the church, landscaped the grounds and planted the oldest part of the Lime Avenue. Andrew Archer, 2nd Baron Archer
Andrew Archer, 2nd Baron Archer
Andrew Archer, 2nd Baron Archer , styled The Honourable Andrew Archer between 1747 and 1768, was a British peer and Whig politician....
held it before his death in 1778, his heirs being his three daughters. The May family took over in 1789, and the Goff family bought Hale in 1836.
The civil parish of Hale was formed in 1895. Until 1920, Hale was one large estate, and the village was effectively closed to outsiders, with no inn and no shops. In 1920, the estate was divided up and sold in lots. Hale House and its surrounding park still survives as the nucleus of the old estate.
Hale Park
To the west of Hale is Hale ParkHale Park
Hale Park is a country house and landscape park in the village of Hale, Hampshire. It was designed and built by Thomas Archer around 1715.-Hale Park House:...
, home to a Palladian
Palladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
style Georgian Mansion, built by Thomas Archer around 1715 and added to over the years. The village church is to the north-west of the house. It is dedicated to Saint Mary. It is mostly 18th century in date, but with its 17th century nave and chancel retained.