The History Of The Two Hambledon
Hambledon In The 20Th Century
All those who served their country in the two World Wars and never came home are honoured by the village memorial, which stands at the side of The Square. The names of all 33 men from Hambledon who fell in WWI were inscribed on the base of the memorial, which was unveiled by R Adm Sir Henry B Rawlinson on 5th August 1920. The four plaques listing the names of those from Hambledon who fell serving their country in WWII were added to the top of the memorial when it was re-dedicated after refurbishment and repairs in October 1952, following thanksgiving services at St Mary’s church for those who had survived the war.
All 39 men have representations on permanent display in The Square, with, This Is Hampshire (thisishampshire.co.uk). An exhibition of many items relating to Hambledon life in the 20th century will be presented in the Hambledon Village Hall on Saturday 14th October 2016, as part of the village’s celebrations for being twinned with Villedieu-les-Poêles. The annual celebration with our French sister-village is always on the first weekend of October. This year, however, we have taken a slightly longer view and chosen to highlight the anniversary of World War I — 100 years ago in this same month.
The total of 41 men died in battle; they are commemorated on Hambledon War Memorial. Four were killed in the trenches of Belgium and France. Ten were drowned when their ships were torpedoed at sea: two on HMS Shere, three on HMS Marmion, and five on HMS M2. Thirteen men were killed in air raids, eight of them in one air raid on Southampton on 24 November 1940. The First World War saw the end of an ancient tradition.
From 1807, Hambledon was in-field only, there being no organised domestic cricket until 1920. The Second World War saw the end of an ancient batting stand. Hambledon lost 33 men serving England, 8 killed serving England. When war broke out in 1914, Hambledon was becoming famous for its batsmen. The club's splendour evolved around a Five of the greatest players of all time. The finest testimony to their skill lies in the fact that W G Grace regarded them as his equal.
Hambledon In The 21St Century
Hambledon is a village cricket venue in southern England. Its claim to fame is that it is the venue of the Hambledon Club, one of the most prestigious clubs in old England. The club was initially formed as an amateur sporting club in London. The club played matches at the Ivy Bush Inn after which they were named. All this happened in 1755 and within a period of 30 years Hambledon became a highly ranked club as per their skill level.
Most of the players who used this team as their platform to become an international Cricket star assembled at this very location. Hambledon is a village and civil parish in the borough of Rushmoor in Hampshire, England. It sits on the River Wey, about two miles north of the county town of Aldershot. The village name may mean "Hamma's valley", from an Anglo-Saxon settler called Hamma, who may have been lord of the manor in Saxon times.
Hamma's settlement grew to become a village and market centre. In the Domesday Book, Hambledon is referred to as Domeltone. The name is believed to mean "Home Farm". The dark green areas show the extent of Hambledon Manor, with its manorial watermill in red. The mill stood beside the stream which flows down from Blackmoor to join the Stour River at Cheriton. The name Hambledon is thought to come from the Saxon Hambleton meaning 'Hamilton's Hill'.
By the 13th cenutry the de Rabayn family had replaced the Hamiltons as Lords of the Manor. The first mention of Hambledon is found in Domesday Book when it was known as Hambledone. It was held by Goisfrid before the Norman Conquest and then by William de Warenne. The land then passed to the Crown. By the time of the survey, its assessment was £4 and it contained two ploughs. The Lord in 1086 was Geoffrey Talbot.
In August 2005 the church roof had to be replaced. The cost of over £3000 came from lottery grants and funds raised by the Parochial Church Council. The Parish Council assisted with funds from their contribution to the upkeep of the church building. In the year 1885 Mr. B. C. S. Thompson purchased the old houses of West Overton and relocated them to Hambledon. This resulted in the formation of Down Street, Horse Bank, Monks Lane, New Street, Potter Street, Smith Street and Thomas Street.
Hambledon In The Middle Ages
In 1877 an old silver coin was found in a ditch near the stream. It was made in Oxford about 400 years ago. At that time some people only farmed and others lived by selling things. People are still living in Hambledon today but they don’t farm or sell goods and services from market stalls. They do other jobs for example doctors, dentists, vets, barbers, electricians, chefs, farmers and shopkeepers. In 776 AD, a man called Ethelred was born in Hambledon.
He became King of Wessex in the year 839. The Danes invaded England in 871 and 884. In those years they killed many men and burned down many buildings. No one knows why the Danes invaded. Maybe it was because they wanted treasure or land. More probably they wanted to be free from English rule. In the Middle Ages there was a sport in Hambledon called bowler-bowling. It is also known as rounders, stoolball or baseball.
This game was played with the feet and when a player threw the ball it was called bowling. The hooped ball used in the game was called a cricket ball. In 1906 both men and women played bowling at South Hill Park. During the Middle Ages Hambledon was visited by kings and queens. Queen Elizabeth came to the village in 1574. King Henry VIII read the Bible each year at St Mary’s church. English kings and queens stayed at Hambledon Priory.
The priory was a house for monks until 1536 when it was closed by Henry VIII. In the Middle Ages there were no railways, roads or even wheeled carts. Houses were built of wood and straw. They had thatched roofs. The people ate vegetables, fish and animals from the fields and forests. Some food was kept to eat in the winter months. There were three big buildings in Hambledon. Three axe heads from East Street were found in 1973.
They were made about 1,500 BC. At that time people in England started to settle down. A lot of farming tools have been found. They are called Bronze Age tools because they are made of bronze (which is an alloy of copper and tin). This is where we come in to help with our South Western Railway guide. Travelling by rail is not only an easy way to get around but also a very relaxing way to travel.
