HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Barton on Sea (often hyphenated as Barton-on-Sea) is a cliff-top
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 to ...
in
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
, England with close connections, physical, governmental and commercial, to the inland town, New Milton which is its civil parish to the north. As a settlement, Barton has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. Its housing, few shops and numerous hospitality venues were largely built in the 20th century. Barton is notable for the many
fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
to be found in the Barton geological beds in the cliffs, as well as for the significant sea defences built to guard the cliffs against
coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landwa ...
. Barton on Sea is a very popular
retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
location. Approximately 36% of the population are retired. The population of Barton in the 2001 census was 6,849.


History

The area of Barton has been populated since prehistoric times. A number of
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
funerary urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape or ...
s were uncovered in Barton during the early 20th century, although most of them have been lost or destroyed. While Barton is a common English place-name, the etymology of Barton-on-Sea is unique. It means Beorma's Farm, and appears twice in 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 ...
, as ''Bermintune'' and as ''Burmintune''.Barton-on-Sea History
Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, and friend of
William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, ...
, held both Barton manors in 1086.''The History of Barton-on-Sea''
NewForest-Online, retrieved 30 November 2010
A manor is mentioned in 1559, when John Dowce died in possession of it.William Page (editor), 1912
''A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 5''
Victoria County History
William Juniper acquired it soon after, and at his death it was described as the capital farm called "Barmeton". In 1654, Richard Stephens, lord of Winkton Manor, is said to have owned the "site of the manor" of Barton. It remained in the Stephens family until 1733, when Richard Stephens sold it to Thomas Le Marchant of the
Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and W ...
. In 1771 John Le Marchant of Guernsey conveyed "the scite of the manor of Barton, etc.," to Edward Dampier of
Corfe Castle Corfe Castle is a fortification standing above the village of the same name on the Isle of Purbeck peninsula in the English county of Dorset. Built by William the Conqueror, the castle dates to the 11th century and commands a gap in the ...
, in whose family it remained (the last holder having taken the name of Crossley) until 1903. As late as the 1880s, Barton largely consisted of two farm estates, but in the 1890s, both farms were auctioned and the estates were broken up.A. T. Lloyd, J. E. S. Brooks, (1996), ''The History of New Milton and its Surrounding Area, Centenary Edition'', page 47 Subsequent land sales in the period 1904-1907 allowed the full development of the village as it appears today. In 1897 the first
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". The ...
was built at Barton along the cliff top, although the modern golf course at the east end of Barton dates from 1922. A distinctive row of Coast Guard cottages is to be found in Barton Lane; these were built at the end of the nineteenth century by the government of the day to house armed guards to try to stop the smuggling rife at the time. The Barton on Sea and Mudeford coastline was renowned for smuggling activity with many of the offshore seaways and routes to shore being named after well known local smuggling families. In the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
Barton was the site of a convalescent home for Indian service men, and this is commemorated by an obelisk in the village which was erected in 1917. In 1927, a maternity hospital known as the Grove Maternity Hospital where many local people were born was opened; it closed in 1988. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the sea front at Barton was made a restricted area and metal defences including a pillbox were built, in anticipation of a
German invasion German invasion may refer to: Pre-1900s * German invasion of Hungary (1063) World War I * German invasion of Belgium (1914) * German invasion of Luxembourg (1914) World War II * Invasion of Poland * German invasion of Belgium (1940) ...
. The footballers Russell Perrett, Jamie Redknapp, and Neil Moss, were all born in Barton on Sea. Famous residents of Barton have included composer and author Ernest St. John Burton,Proceedings of the Bournemouth natural science society, Volumes 45–56 (1954) the novelist Beatrice Harraden; the cricketer Denys Hill; and the conductor
Harry Norris Harry Norris (12 June 1888 – 15 December 1966) was an Australian architect, one of the more prolific and successful in Melbourne in the interwar period, best known for his 1930s Art Deco commercial work in the Melbourne CBD. His designs were ...
.
George Campbell Wheeler George Campbell Wheeler VC (7 April 1880 – 26 August 1938) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Early life ...
who served in the British Indian Army during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
and was awarded the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
also lived here. The GCHQ whistleblower and intelligence agency officer, Jock Kane, lived in Barton in the 1980s, where he worked as a milkman and school bus driver. At the east end of Barton was Becton Farm, where the famous showjumper Marion Coakes lived.A. T. Lloyd, J. E. S. Brooks, (1996), ''The History of New Milton and its Surrounding Area, Centenary Edition'', page 48 Her horse,
Stroller Various methods of transporting children have been used in different cultures and times. These methods include baby carriages (prams in British English), infant car seats, portable bassinets (carrycots), strollers (pushchairs), slings, backpacks ...
, is the only
pony A pony is a type of small horse (''Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared t ...
to have competed at the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...
in Show Jumping, winning an individual silver medal in the
1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
. The pony was buried at the farm. The farm was later bought by the Barton on Sea Golf Club, and Stroller now lies underneath the golf course with a plaque over the grave.


Geography

The coast at Barton on Sea is particularly well known for its
geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Eart ...
content, being home to many
fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
in the Barton geological beds. The Barton Beds may give their name to the Bartonian stage of the Eocene Epoch of geological time. The beach is separated from the village by a 34-metre-high cliff, although there are connecting paths from the village. A cliff-top path runs between Barton and the village of
Milford on Sea Milford on Sea, often hyphenated, is a large village or small town and a civil parish on the Hampshire coast. The parish had a population of 4,660 at the 2011 census and is centred about south of Lymington. Tourism and businesses for quite p ...
; the Solent Way stretches to
Emsworth Emsworth is a town in the Borough of Havant in the county of Hampshire, England, near the border of West Sussex and located at by the south coast of England. It lies at the north end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, a large and shallow inlet ...
, on the
West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an a ...
border. Barton is also well known for the fact that it was the first place in England to try out rock groynes. The cliffs are frequently used for
paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched Glider (aircraft), glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a :wikt:harness, harness o ...
. At the eastern end of the village is the Barton On Sea Golf Club, which is notable for comprising three loops of nine holes. Barton on Sea has had for many years a problem with
coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landwa ...
. In the past, the cliffs have eroded away at a rate of up to 1 metre a year, and several buildings have been lost. In the early 1900s the grassy promenade at the top of the cliffs was 100 metres wide, today it is around 20 metres at its widest points. The erosion was encouraged by the sea-defences added to the west at
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the English ...
, thus starving Barton of the sediment needed for protecting its cliffs. Some coastal protection measures at Barton were installed in the late 1930s but fell into disrepair during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.Janet M. Hooke, 1998, ''Coastal defence and earth science conservation'', page 251. In 1964 a series of timber groynes and a cliff drainage system was installed along 300m of the sea-front. This was followed in 1965-8 by a timber revetment backed by large rocks; an extension to the drainage system; and some rock groynes. Later improvements have consisted of replacing the timber groynes with rock groynes; and replacing the timber revetment with a rock structure of dark grey
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...
boulders to protect the toe of the cliff. Today's cliff slip problems are largely due to inland water seepage. There have been recent experiments with vegetation defences (planting shrubs, plants and trees on the cliff face) to prevent rotational cliff slump, and therefore slowing the retreat of the cliff towards land which is in use. To the west of Barton is Naish Farm, now a holiday park, which was once a farm estate with a history dating back to the 14th century. To the west of that is Chewton, notable for the chine called Chewton Bunny running down to the sea. To the east of Barton is Becton, once a farm with a history dating back to the Domesday bookthe Saxon name means "Becca's farm"now a golf course.A. T. Lloyd, J. E. S. Brooks, (1996), ''The History of New Milton and its Surrounding Area, Centenary Edition'', page 13 Another chine called Becton Bunny can be found here, but it has become much reduced by coastal erosion. To the east of that are the farmlands of Taddiford ("Toad ford").


References


External links


Barton on Sea Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton On Sea Villages in Hampshire New Forest District Populated coastal places in Hampshire