Keyhaven

Keyhaven

Keyhaven harbour
Keyhaven
 Keyhaven shown within Hampshire
OS grid referenceSZ3049091559
DistrictNew Forest
Shire countyHampshire
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town LYMINGTON
Postcode district SO42
Dialling code 01590
Police Hampshire
Fire Hampshire
Ambulance South Central
EU Parliament South East England
UK ParliamentNew Forest East
List of places
UK
England
Hampshire

Coordinates: 50°43′22″N 1°34′10″W / 50.722863°N 1.569420°W

Keyhaven is a hamlet on the south coast of England in the county of Hampshire. It is a fishing village, but the trade has been in decline for a period of years and its main draw now is tourism, especially sailing.

Overview

Keyhaven lies in the district of the New Forest and is just within the borders of the New Forest National Park. It is in the civil parish of Milford on Sea, and it lies at one end of the shingle bank which leads to Hurst Castle . Keyhaven draws visitors through its outstanding natural beauty, from the views over the Solent to the abundance of open farm land. To the east of Keyhaven lies the nature reserve of Keyhaven marshes.

History

The name "Keyhaven" means ‘Harbour where cows are shipped’; OE cū (genitive cȳ) + hæfen. Cattle and sheep were transported from the Isle of Wight to the water meadows of the Avon around Christchurch.[1]

Winter sunshine at Keyhaven

Keyhaven was a port as early as 1206.[2] There seem to have been two manorial estates here, one held by Bath Abbey, and the other by the Bishop of Salisbury.[2] The lands of Bath Abbey were held by them until the time of the Dissolution, but in the 17th century it seems that the two manors were merged, and in 1802 the estate was purchased by Sir John D'Oyly.[2] He subsequently sold it and by the 19th century it had passed, like other lands in the area, to William Cornwallis-West.[2]

Like the rest of the West Solent area, a considerable salt industry developed soon after the Conquest. This had disappeared by 1400 but was revived in the 17th century with the introduction of new techniques.[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ D. MILLS. "Keyhaven." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 2003.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Victoria County History, (1912), A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 5, Pages 115-124
  3. ↑ J. Greenwood, (2008), Post medieval salt making in Hampshire.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Keyhaven.