North Baddesley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Map sources for North Baddesley at grid reference SU395195
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North Baddesley is a large village, in Hampshire, England. It is situated 3 miles (4.5 km) east of the town of Romsey and 6 miles (10 km) north of Southampton. It occupies an area of approximately 9.15 square kilometres, and is home to a population of just over 10,000 people. It is located in the Test Valley; a river famous for trout fishing. North Baddesley is one of the largest villages in the South of England.
North Baddesley is represented in Parliament by Romsey's [[Member of Parliament] (MP), Sandra Gidley of the Liberal Democrats. Administratively it is represented by the two-tier system of councils with responsibilities divided between Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council.
North Baddesley is twinned with Authie and Carpiquet, France
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[edit] Location
Position: grid reference SU395195
Map streetmap.co.uk map of North Badddesley
Nearby towns and cities: Romsey, Southampton, Eastleigh, Winchester
Nearby villages: Rownhams, Chandler's Ford, Ampfield, Chilworth, Nursling
[edit] Development
North Baddesley, although still a village, has many of the features, though few of the facilities, of a small town. In 1921 the population was fewer than 400, but by the outbreak of war in 1939 it was almost 1,000. Its proximity to Southampton and Eastleigh gave rise to considerable pressure for development after the war and large estates of modern houses were built. The most recent of the parish's developments is Valley Park, Chandler's Ford. This large new housing development, which straddles the borough boundary with Eastleigh was started in 1981, and is now a community of 3000 dwellings, with a population of 7,500. There has been much debate about whether Valley Park should form its own parish.
The old village lies to the North, and the manor house incorporates part of the Preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers, which was the Hampshire headquarters of the Order after 1365. Reminders of this are found in the local place-names of Zionshill and Knightwood. The Parish church is also of mediaeval foundation, and is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the Knights Hospitallers
[edit] History
The Domesday Book of 1086 shows North Baddesley or Badeslei as it was then called (Ley meaning a wood, and Baed or Baeddi being a proper name, i.e. Baeddi's Wood) as a small hamlet with a church, four farms, seven small holdings and a wood sufficient for ten hogs valued at 60 shillings (£3). The most notable event in North Baddesley's past was the arrival in the 12th Century of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, later known as the Knights Hospitallers, and their acquisition of the overlordship rights in the late 14th century. However, long before this, half the manor had already been transferred to the Knights as early as 1304, when the little church of All Saints was re-dedicated to St John the Baptist, the patron Saint of Hospitallers. The Church was almost opposite the Hospitallers preceptory, on the site now occupied by the present Manor House. The black death of 1348-49 resulted in the transfer of the Hospitallers Hampshire headquarters from Godsfield near New Alresford to North Baddesley.
The Knights Hospitallers were a medieval order dedicated to the care and protection of pilgrims, and tending the sick and infirm, including the Crusaders in their quest to return the Holy Land to the Christian world. A Europe-wide order, they became extremely large and wealthy landowners thanks to the patronage of rich and noble families.
The Knights Hospitallers were in Baddesley for about 400 years until 1541. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries they were at odds with Henry VIII, as they still recognised the supremacy of Rome and were themselves suppressed. Their possessions were made forfeit to the crown.
After the departure of the Hospitallers the Manor changed hands several times. The Civil War of 1642-46 came and went without leaving any physical scars and there is no record of any significant happenings in Baddesley during this time. However, the then Lord of the Manor, Samuel Dunch was a strong parliamentarian. He was later related to the Cromwell family through the marriage of his son John in 1650 to Ann Major of Hursley Park, whose sister Dorothy was married to Richard Cromwell.
In 1767 the manor was bought by Thomas Dummer of Cranbury Park, Onerbourne, from whom it devolved to the Chamberlayne family. The Joyce family bought the Manor house from the Chamberlayne's in 1981 and have lived there ever since.
Baddesley gradually expanded down Nutburn Road and in 1876 the first buildings south of the crossroads were erected. The school opened to serve both Baddesley and Chilworth, with Mr Dibble the headmaster living in the adjoining school house.
The arrival of the 20th century was to change Baddesley forever, propelling it from a small hamlet with a population of 393 in 1901 to that of the largest village in the Test Valley. In 2001, 100 years later, it had a population in excess of 10,000, akin to that of a small town. In fact the pressure for new homes was so great that one estate in Rownhams Road was built on a site which had previously been used for burying toxic chemicals, a fact which did not seem to deter purchasers.
[edit] Baddesley Common
Baddesley Common and Emer Bog are areas of New Forest style grassland heath and bog. There is a wide variety of the plants which thrive in this environment and it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Marsh Gentian, Cross-leaved Heath, Lousewort, Heath Spotted orchid and Petty Whin are some specialist plants that occur in the wet heath areas.
White Admiral and Purple Emperor butterflies glide through the woods and dragonflies chase over the bog and ponds. Several hundred different species of moth have been recorded.
St John's Church is a delightful, mainly 17th century, building set on a hill-brow with a view over miles of countryside. Baddesley Manor, opposite the church, is an 18th century building as the successor of the medieval Preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers. The village was a stronghold of the Knights of St John.
[edit] Geocaching
North Baddesley has a collection of Geocaches located in and around the area, Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. The following caches are located here:
Hoe Lane by penguinhunters
Baddesley Common by Krazy Kats
Emer Bog by harryatkins
[edit] References
- "BaddesleyNET" by Matthew Langridge & Steve Cole, BaddesleyNET, 1996-2005, retrieved December 01 2005
- "The Changing Face of North Baddesley", Una Lonergan & Beryl Green, 1996
