Ellisfield is a village in the

Basingstoke and Deane Basingstoke and Deane is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its primary settlement is Basingstoke. Other settlements include Bramley, Tadley, Kingsclere, Overton, Oakley, Whitchurch and the village of Deane, s ...

district of

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. It lies approximately south of Basingstoke on the other side of the M3 motorway from the town. As a parish it is grouped together with Cliddesden, Dummer and

Farleigh Wallop Farleigh Wallop is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire, England, approximately south of Basingstoke on the slopes of Farleigh Hill (208 m). The parish includes about . Since 1486, Farleigh Wallop has been the home of the Wallop family ...

History

The name Ellisfield derives from the Old English word ''ielfsanfeld'', meaning ''open land of Iellfsa''. At the time of the Domesday Survey (1086) Ellisfield was part of the estate of the Bishop of Bayeux. It was held by Hugh de Port and later the St Johns. The manor was held by a favourite of

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 disagr ...

, Sir William Sandys, in 1496. He later became

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. T ...

and was created Baron Sandys. In 1657, the fifth Lord Sandys served with Charles I at the Battle of Cheriton. The property was sold and divided, to be reformed in 1789 by John Wallop, Earl of Portsmouth.

Demography

Ellisfield has a population of approximately 250 people.In 1871 the population was 245. William White (1878) History, Gazetter and Directory of the County of Hampshire. p. 225

Landmarks

There is a pub, The Fox, and a church, St Martin's, which has 13th-century origins. There is no school or local shop, with primary-age children being educated usually in either Preston Candover or Cliddesden village schools. There are 12 listed properties in the village, including the church, which is Grade-II* listed. Part of Ellisfield has been designated as a conservation area by

Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council Basingstoke and Deane is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its primary settlement is Basingstoke. Other settlements include Bramley, Tadley, Kingsclere, Overton, Oakley, Whitchurch and the village of Deane, so ...

. The conservation area comprises four of the settlements that lead to the creation of the village: Merritt's Farm, Ellisfield Manor, The Old Manor and Ellisfield Green. All are joined by a series of lanes running east/west, linking the A339 with the B3046. Part of this route formed the Harrow Way, an ancient trackway across Southern England from

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connecting ...

and then

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...

. The remainder of the village lies outside the Conservation Area, further south along Green Lane, College Lane and Axford Road. Affordable housing has been built outside of the conservation area at Farrier's Field on land donated by the Earl of Portsmouth (who owns the Farleigh Estate).

References

* Tom Kime ''Aelle's Field: A History of Ellisfield Village Church'' (available from the church)

External links

Ellisfield Village Community Website

Ellisfield Parish Council Website
* ''Hampshire Treasures'' Volume 2 (Basingstoke and Deane) page

an

Stained Glass Windows at St. Martin Ellisfield, Hampshire

{{authority control Villages in Hampshire