Crondall

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Crondall is a large parish in the North East of Hampshire and is all that remains of the old Hundred of Crondall referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086. 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. Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England of 1831 also describes both Ewshot and Crookham as in the parish and hundred of Crondall.

1 Historical
2 Industry
3 Architecture
4 Notable visitors
5 Statistics
6 External links

[edit] Historical

[edit] Pre-Norman

An Old English crundel was a chalk-pit or quarry, and the word has survived in the name of Crondall. The remains of these quarries can still be seen as large depressions on the local golf course.

Crondall's southern boundary is the North Downs along which ran the prehistoric Harrow Way, thought to be the oldest road in Britain which ran from the Cornish tin mines to Dover in Kent. There is some evidence for Neolithic settlements since there are is an Iron Age earthworks at Caesar's Camp. Remains of Roman and Norman settlements have been found close beside the Harrow Way near Barley Pound. Evidence for Roman occupation can be found in the fields as broken tiles and artifacts. In 1817 an intact Roman mosaic pavement was found by a ploughman, and is commemorated by a tapestry in the parish church. Coins of the from the third century were found in 1869.

More coins, the "Crondall Hoard" of one hundred and one coins, two jewelled ornaments, and a chain were found in 1828. Many of these date to the fifth century and ninety seven of these coins are now in the possession of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford.

King Alfred the Great bequeathed the Hundred of Crondall to his nephew Eltham in 885. In 975 it was handed over by King Edgar to the monks at Winchester; and remained in their hands until 1539. At this time Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and within two years Crondall was controlled by the new Dean and Chapter of Winchester Cathedral. Crondall remained in their hands until 1861, when it was taken over by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners [1].

[edit] The Manors

The Hundred of Crondall was divided into 'Manors', Itchell, Ewshot, Crokeham, Well, Feldmead, Dippenhall, Farnborough and Aldershot. These Manors are all mentioned in the records of Winchester Cathedral. All the land within the Hundred was administered by the Lords of the Manor at Crondall on behalf of the monks of St Swithen and later on behalf of Winchester Cathedral.

Itchell Manor (house demolished 1954). Gardens were laid out by Capability Brown. A greenhouse, built 1840, still in use and a Tudor Gateway also remains. The Old Itchell Manor House had the reputation of being haunted when members of the Lefroy family were in residence. The apparition took the form of a phantom coach racing away from the manor and down nearby Hyde Lane.

[edit] Civil War

All Saints’ church in Crondall, Hampshire, was a minor parliamentary outpost for much of the war, guarding the western approaches to Farnham

[edit] Tithe map

The Hundred of Crondall Tithe Map was dated 1846 and it is housed in the Hampshire County Archive at Winchester.

[edit] Industry

Crondall has for centuries been rich farming land. A great variety of soils appear in the area because it lies on the edge of the London Basin including chalk, clay and heavy fertile loam. There are many natural springs in the area that were used as watercress beds and for growing osier trees for basket weaving. Some of the baskets were used as balloon baskets and airship gondolas used by S.F. Cody in his early aviation experiments at Farnborough. The area was also renowned for Hops that were grown here for two hundred years until the last war. For many years Crondall had a brickworks that supplied tiles and brick to the local towns.

[edit] Architecture

[edit] Barley Pound, Motte and Bailey

Barley Pound a large ring-motte with two to three baileys and it is one of the best examples in Hampshire of a ring and bailey fortress. The site may be Lidelea Castle Pound, the castle of the bishops of Winchester, that was sieged in 1147 causing it to be abandoned in favour of Farnham Castle.

[edit] All Saints, Norman Church

The 12th Century Norman parish church, All Saints, Crondall has been called 'The Cathedral of North Hampshire'. It replaced a Saxon church on the same site and the Saxon font remains from that period. The east end of the nave dates to 1170. Among notable interior features are the dogtooth mouldings of the chancel arch and the imposing arcades and foliate capitals of the Nave. To date All Saints has undergone two major restorations, the first in 1847 by the architect Benjamin Ferrey and the second in 1871 under the guidance of Sir George Gilbert Scott. In 1995 the "National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies" (NADFAS) declared All Saints to be one of the finest examples of architecture of its style in the country.

[edit] Residential buildings

Throughout Crondall there are many well-preserved old houses and cottages. The Plume of Feathers pub is a fine example of Tudor architecture and was a resting stop on the turnpike to Portsmouth.

[edit] Notable visitors

A fine panoramic view of this beautiful part of Hampshire may be gained from Queens View looking from East to West across Crondall. It takes its name from the fact that Queen Victoria admired this view whilst inspecting the garrisoned troops at nearby Aldershot "Home of the British Army". Oliver Cromwell is reputed to have stayed in the Plume of Feathers in October 1645, when the siege of Basing House was in progress.

[edit] Statistics

As of 2005, Crondall consists of some or all of the following areas, Bentley, Bucks Horn Oak, Crondall, Ewshot, Mill Lane, Batt's Corner, Charleshill, Churt, Dippenhall, Frensham, Millbridge, Rowledge, Rushmoor, Seale, Spreakley, The Sands, Tilford, Tongham.