Titchfield is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in southern

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, by the

River Meon The River Meon () is a chalk stream in Hampshire in the south of England. It rises at East Meon then flows in a generally southerly direction to empty into the Solent at Hill Head near Stubbington.Hampshire County Council (2006). Activities at ...

. The village has a history stretching back to the 6th century. During the medieval period, the village operated a small port and market. Near to the village are the ruins of Titchfield Abbey, a place with strong associations with

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, through his patron, the Earl of Southampton.

Geography

To the east of Titchfield lies the town of

Fareham Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufac ...

, to the south are

Stubbington Stubbington is a village which is located between Southampton and Portsmouth, in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. It is within the borough of Fareham. History Both Stubbington and neighbouring Crofton were mentioned in ...

, Hill Head and the

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay t ...

, to the west is

Locks Heath Locks Heath is a western residential suburb of Fareham, in the south of Hampshire, England. Locks Heath is immediately surrounded by a collection of villages including Sarisbury to the West, Swanwick, Park Gate and Whiteley to the North, Wars ...

Warsash Warsash is a village in southern Hampshire, England, situated at the mouth of the River Hamble, west of the area known as Locks Heath. Boating plays an important part in the village's economy, and the village has a sailing club. It is also home ...

, the

River Hamble The River Hamble is located in south Hampshire, England. It rises near Bishop's Waltham and flows for through Botley, Bursledon, and Lower Swanwick before entering Southampton Water between Hamble Common and Warsash. The Hamble is tida ...

and

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and to the north is

Whiteley Whiteley is a community in the county of Hampshire, England, near Fareham. The development straddles the boundary between two council districts: the Borough of Fareham to the south and east, and the city of Winchester to the north and west. Lo ...

Park Gate Park Gate is a locality in the Borough of Fareham in Hampshire, England. It merges into Locks Heath to the south, Segensworth to the east and Sarisbury to the west. Within the area are numerous shops, predominantly fast food outlets and estate ...

and Swanwick. Titchfield forms part of the

Borough of Fareham The Borough of Fareham is a local government district with borough status and unparished area in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Fareham. Other places within the borough include Portchester, Hill Head, Stubbington, Titchfield, War ...

, having been added to the Fareham urban district in 1932.Fareham Borough Council: Titchfield
Accessed 26-11-08 Several miles to the south of the village, at the mouth of the River Meon and on the shores of the

, is

Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve Titchfield Haven is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-west of Gosport in Hampshire. Most of it is a local nature reserve and a national nature reserve. It is part of Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar site and Special Pro ...

, where there is a small harbour that dries out at low tide. Inland is a Nature Reserve which is an important breeding and visiting ground for many species of birds and wildfowl (and is open to visitors at certain periods). Near to the village and the haven lies the

Titchfield Canal The so called Titchfield Canal was used to drain marshland in the lower Meon valley and is a two-mile watercourse between the village of Titchfield, Hampshire, and the coast at Titchfield Haven adjacent to the modern nature reserve. Lying abo ...

, earlier known as the New River. It has been suggested that this is the second oldest canal in England, completed in 1611 (Exeter was the first). However, as late as 1676 two tenants, John Cooper and John Landy, complained in the Manorial Court that the Lord of the Manor "by Cutting ye new River hath taken away and doth detain" parts of their copyholds, implying that in 1676 the construction was recent. It lies close to Titchfield Haven, concealed by a bridge with the remains of a sea-lock at the south end. A

footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide ...

follows the canal to Titchfield village. It was certainly used for flooding the water meadows, traces of which can still be clearly seen. Whether it was ever used as a navigation channel is still debated. The Earl of Southampton ordered the river to be sealed off from the sea by a wall which was an unpopular move with the villagers as it ultimately ended Titchfield's role as a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

History

The first people mentioned as inhabiting the area were a Jutish tribe, the

Meonwara The Meonwara were one of the tribes of Anglo-Saxon Britain. Their territory was a folkland located in the valley of the River Meon in Hampshire that was subsumed by the Kingdom of Wessex in the late seventh century. Etymology In the 8th centu ...

. The tribe were part of the Jutes originating from Denmark who founded the village during the 6th century.Local Histories: Titchfield
Accessed 26-11-08 The name of Titchfield comes from the Old English ticcen, meaning kid or young goat, and feld, meaning field. Therefore, the meaning of Titchfield is 'open lands where kids are kept'. St Peter's Church, Titchfield, was established in about 680 making it one of the oldest used churches in England. Though only a few parts of the original structure survive, the church contains a mixture of building styles, since it was expanded and redeveloped to include additional space. Within the church is the resplendent tomb of

Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton (21 December 1505 – 30 July 1550), KG was an English peer, secretary of state, Lord Chancellor and Lord High Admiral. A naturally skilled but unscrupulous and devious politician who changed with t ...

, who when Lord Chancellor, personally tortured

Anne Askew Anne Askew (sometimes spelled Ayscough or Ascue) married name Anne Kyme, (152116 July 1546) was an English writer, poet, and Anabaptist preacher who was condemned as a heretic during the reign of Henry VIII of England. She and Margaret Cheyne ...

. The

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

in 1086 mentions "Ticefelle": with a mill, a market and farms. It was a successful community, though tiny by today's standards with a population of 160. The Doomesday book entry for Titchfield states ''"The King holds TICEFELLE. It is a berewick, and belongs to MENESTOCHES. King Edward held it. There are 2 hides; but they have not paid geld. (There) is land for 15 ploughs. In (the) demesne (there are) but 2 oxen (animalia), and (there are) 16 villeins and 13 borders with 9 ploughs. There are 4 serfs, and a mill worth 20 shillings. The market and toll (are worth) 40 shillings."''Titchfield Parish History Society
, Accessed 26-11-08 A further variation in the spelling may be seen in a Mediaeval legal record, where it appears as "Thechefeld" Titchfield has long been a centre for business, with the village once having a small port. There were also tanneries (some of the buildings still exist), a market, a fair, brewers, craftsmen, traders and other business people. It is recorded that

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

before Agincourt and

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

before his imprisonment at Carisbrooke rested in the town. A Market Hall was built in Titchfield Square by the 3rd Earl of Southampton in the early 17th century. This was moved behind the Queen's Head Public House in 1810. In 1801 Titchfield had a population of almost 3,000. In 1865 a gas company provided

gaslight Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either direct ...

to the village and in 1894 Titchfield was given a parish council. In 1970, with the market hall in a derelict state, it was bought by the

Weald and Downland Open Air Museum The Weald and Downland Living Museum (formerly known as the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum until January 2017) is an open-air museum in Singleton, West Sussex. The museum is a registered charity. The museum covers , with over 50 historic bu ...

. The entire hall was dismantled and moved to Singleton where it now stands restored in the centre of a new (old) village. At the 2001 census, the population of the village was estimated at 7,000.

Places of interest

Titchfield Abbey

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

canons founded Titchfield Abbey in 1222.Doubleday and Page, Houses of Cistercian monks: Abbey of Netley, A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume II. The Victoria County History, 1973.

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

dissolved the abbey in the 16th century, giving the property to a favoured politician,

Thomas Wriothesley Sir Thomas Wriothesley ( ; died 24 November 1534) was a long serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the son of Garter King of Arms, John Writhe, and he succeeded his father in this office. Personal life Wriothesley was ...

who turned it into "Place House" and took the title Earl of Southampton. Wriothesley's heirs, including the

Duke of Portland Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

and the

Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort (), a title in the Peerage of England, was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of S ...

lived at Place House until 1742 at which point the estate was sold to the Delmé family. They lived there for another forty years until, in 1781, a decision was made to abandon the mansion. Much of the buildings were deliberately demolished to create a romantic ruin. When this happened local people took stone from the abbey for their homes; evidence can be seen in walls and foundations of older houses in Titchfield village. Much, though, is inside the buildings; in The Bugle Hotel in Titchfield, for example, one can see a big fireplace that was salvaged from the ruins. The remains of Titchfield Abbey and Place House are now administered by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

Office for National Statistics

Just outside Titchfield is one of the offices of the

Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament. Overview The ONS is responsible for ...

. The office is the national centre for

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

, regional and

demographic Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as ed ...

statistics Statistics (from German: '' Statistik'', "description of a state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a scientific, indust ...

. It is one of three national statistical centres run by the Office for National Statistics.

Titchfield Common

Titchfield Common is a ward of Fareham Borough to the north and northwest of Titchfield itself.

Events

The Titchfield Carnival took place in October every year from 1880 to 2006, organised by the Titchfield Bonfire Boys Society. By 2006 it was the largest village carnival in Hampshire. However, in 2007, due to the lack of funding and increasing costs, the carnival did not take place. The Titchfield Carnival returned in 2008 and it took place on Sunday 26 November 2008. Entertainment also takes place within the ruins of the Abbey. On yearly occasions plays are performed in the Abbey: for example Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare has been performed.

Notable people

Around 1636, Rachel Russell, English noblewoman, heiress, and author, was born as Lady Rachel Wriothesley, the second eldest daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, by his first wife, Rachel de Massue, daughter of Daniel de Massue, Seigneur de Rouvigny and Madeleine de Pinot des Fontaines. * Richard Austin, early colonist of the United States * Steve Claridge, (footballer) grew up in the village *

Henry Timberlake Henry Timberlake (1730 or 1735 – September 30, 1765) was a colonial Anglo-American officer, journalist, and cartographer. He was born in the Colony of Virginia and died in England. He is best known for his work as an emissary from the Brit ...

, merchant adventurer who died in Titchfield * Lt. Col. the Hon. Claud Maitland Patrick Brabazon, M.B.E., (1874–1959) saw active service in South Africa during the Boer War. He served in Cairo when seconded to the Egyptian Army. He became interested in ballooning, and one of his most ambitious trips involved travelling 350 miles over 25 hours from Battersea Park, London. in 1912 he obtained a royal Aero Club Certificate no. 279. in 1914 he was seconded to the Royal flying Corps. He became a Squadron Commander at Roehampton. in turn he served in R.N.A.S. Mullion, Cornwall, and was promoted to Wing Commander. in June 1917 he was commanding officer of the airship base at Pulham, Norfolk. On retirement from the army he lived in Old Court, Tichfield in the 1920s before returning home to Ireland.2020 vision, 100 years of International 12 foot dinghy in the United Kingdom, by Steve Crook pp 146-8

References

External links

Fareham Borough Council: TitchfieldTitchfield History SocietyStained Glass Windows at St. Peter's Church
{{authority control Villages in Hampshire Borough of Fareham