North Gorley
Encyclopedia
North Gorley is a hamlet
in the New Forest
National Park of Hampshire
, England
. Its nearest town is Fordingbridge
, which lies approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the hamlet.
National Park, about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) north of South Gorley
. The River Avon lies just to the west. The hamlet has one inn
, The Royal Oak, which claims to be a former Royal hunting lodge. There is also a restaurant
known as Little Mere, which also operates as tea rooms
in the summer months.
. Two manors of "North Gorley" existed in the 16th century. One was in the possession of John Bulkeley, which apparently passed to the Keilways of Rockbourne
before 1576. It was purchased by Sir John Cooper in 1608, and evidently merged in Rockbourne. The other manor was acquired by the Abbot and convent of Beaulieu
from Margery Rivers, John Rivers and others, and was probably granted, after the Dissolution
, with Freren Court to Robert White, to whom it belonged in 1564, from which date it followed the descent of Rockford
, being merged in that manor after 1634–5.
North Gorley was, unlike South Gorley, in the parish of Fordingbridge
. In 1855 it was incorporated in the new ecclesiastical parish of Hyde
, and it is now part of the civil parish
of Hyde.
promontory hillfort
called Gorley Hill
. Much of the site was destroyed in the 1950s and 60s when the Common's new owners carried out large-scale gravel extraction works.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in 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....
National Park of 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...
. Its nearest town is 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...
, which lies approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the hamlet.
Location
The hamlet of North Gorley sits on the western boundary of the New ForestNew 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....
National Park, about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) north of South Gorley
South Gorley
South Gorley is a hamlet in the New Forest National Park of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Ringwood, which lies approximately south-west of the hamlet....
. The River Avon lies just to the west. The hamlet has one inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
, The Royal Oak, which claims to be a former Royal hunting lodge. There is also a restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
known as Little Mere, which also operates as tea rooms
Tea house
A tea house or tearoom is a venue centered on drinking tea. Its function varies widely depending on the culture, and some cultures have a variety of distinct tea-centered houses or parlors that all qualify under the English language term "tea house" or "tea room."-Asia:In Central Asia this term...
in the summer months.
History
The name Gorley means "triangular wood/clearing". In 1086 Osbern the Falconer held the manor of Gorley from the KingWilliam 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...
. Two manors of "North Gorley" existed in the 16th century. One was in the possession of John Bulkeley, which apparently passed to the Keilways of Rockbourne
Rockbourne
Rockbourne is a village and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire, close to Fordingbridge.-Overview:Rockbourne is a village of thatch, brick and timber houses, next to a stream now known as Sweatfords Water. The village consists chiefly of one street almost half a mile long. The church is...
before 1576. It was purchased by Sir John Cooper in 1608, and evidently merged in Rockbourne. The other manor was acquired by the Abbot and convent of Beaulieu
Beaulieu Abbey
Beaulieu Abbey, , was a Cistercian abbey located in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1203-1204 by King John and peopled by 30 monks sent from the abbey of Cîteaux in France, the mother house of the Cistercian order...
from Margery Rivers, John Rivers and others, and was probably granted, after the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, with Freren Court to Robert White, to whom it belonged in 1564, from which date it followed the descent of Rockford
Rockford, Hampshire
Rockford is a hamlet on the western edge of the New Forest National Park of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Ringwood, which lies approximately 1.8 miles south from the hamlet.-Overview:Rockford is a hamlet close to the village of Ellingham...
, being merged in that manor after 1634–5.
North Gorley was, unlike South Gorley, in the parish 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...
. In 1855 it was incorporated in the new ecclesiastical parish of 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...
, and it is now part of the civil parish
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...
of Hyde.
Gorley Hill
To the east of North Gorley on Gorley Common was the site of an 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...
promontory hillfort
Hillforts in Britain
Hillforts in Britain refers to the various hillforts within the island of Great Britain. Although the earliest such constructs fitting this description come from the Neolithic period, with a few also dating to the later Bronze Age, British hill forts were primarily constructed during the Iron Age...
called Gorley Hill
Gorley Hill
Gorley Hill is the site of a former Iron Age promontory hillfort located in Hampshire.The fort once occupied the southwestern corner of Gorley Common on Gorley Hill, a gravel-capped spur that points southwest into the Avon valley next to the hamlet of North Gorley, between the towns of...
. Much of the site was destroyed in the 1950s and 60s when the Common's new owners carried out large-scale gravel extraction works.