National Gazetteer (1868) - Odiham

"ODIHAM, a parish and market town in the hundred of the same name, county Hants, 28 miles N.E. of Winchester, 41 W. by S. of London, and 3 from the Winchfield station on the London and South-Western railway. The parish is intersected by the line of the London and South-Western railway, and by the Basingstoke canal; this latter passes about a mile N.E. of the town, and has on its banks commodious wharves, chiefly employed for the conveyance of chalk, timber, and coals, in which a considerable trade is carried on. The parish is of large extent, comprising about 7,200 acres, of which nearly two-thirds are arable, the remainder meadow, pasture, and hop grounds, with about 300 acres of woodland, and double that extent of common.

The town is situated on the side of a chalk hill, and in the immediate vicinity are chalk pits. It was anciently a free borough belonging to the bishops of Winchester, who had a palace here, and about a mile N.W. of the town, at a place called North Warnborough, stood a castle, built shortly after the Norman conquest. This fortress sustained a siege of fifteen days in the reign of John, by the army of Louis the dauphin of France, though garrisoned only by three officers and ten privates. In the 27th year of Edward I. the town, park, and hundred were granted to Queen Margaret as part of her dower. In the reigns of Edward I. and Edward II. it was summoned to send members to parliament, but made no returns. In the reign of Edward III. the Scotch king, David Bruce, who had been made prisoner at the battle of Neville's Cross in 1346, was kept prisoner in the fortress for eleven years. It was subsequently given by James I. to the Zouche family.

Under the provisions of the Reform Act it is a polling-place for the county elections. Petty sessions are held fortnightly by the county magistrates, and a court-leet annually at Easter, when constables are appointed by the Bishop of Winchester as lord of the manor. The town and parish together in 1861 contained 2,833 inhabitants. It has a mechanics' institute, with a library of 1,000 volumes, and a branch bank. The remains of the bishop's palace, still called Palace Gate, have been converted into a farmhouse. At a short distance from the town is Dogmersfield Park, the residence of the Mildmay family, surrounded by a park, in which is a lake covering 44 acres.

The living is a vicarage* with the curacy of Grewell annexed, in the diocese of Winchester, value £560, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to All Saints, is a spacious brick structure, coated with stucco, and was partially restored and reseated in 1851. It contains an ancient brass, bearing date 1470. The Independents and Lady Huntingdon's Connexion have each a place of worship. There is a free school for the education of 28 boys, founded and endowed by Robert May in 1694, also National, British, and infant schools. The parochial charities produce about £309 per annum. There are several endowed almshouses. Those near the church were founded in 1623 by Sir Edward More, others by Mapleton and Wyeth. William Lilly, the grammarian and first master of St. Paul's school, was born here in 1468. Market day is Tuesday. Fairs are held on the Saturday before Mid-Lent Sunday, and on the 31st July for horses and cattle. "HILLSIDE, a tything in the parish of Odiham, county Hants, 2 miles from Odiham, and 21 N.E. of Winchester. It is situated near the Basingstoke canal. "HOOK, a hamlet in the parish of Odiham, Odiham division of county Hants, 2 miles N.W. of Odiham, and 21 N.E. of Winchester. It is situated near the Basingstoke canal and the South-Western railway. "LYSS-TURNEY, a hamlet and chapelry in the parish and hundred of Odiham, county Hants, 4 miles N.E. of Petersfield. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Winchester, value £150. The church is dedicated to St. Peter. "MURRELL-GREEN, a tything in the parish of Odiham, county Hants, 2 miles N. of Odiham, and 2½ S.W. of Hartford Bridge. It is situated near the line of the South-Western railway. "NORTH WARNBOROUGH, a tything in the parish of Odiham, county Hants, 2 miles N. of South Warnborough, and 1 mile N.W. of Odiham. "RYE, a tything in the parish of Odiham, county Hants, 3 miles E. of Odiham. It is joined with Stapeley to form a township "STAPELEY, a tything in the parish and hundred of Odiham, county Hants, 2 miles S.E. of Odiham, and 2 S.W. of Hartford Bridge. It is in conjunction with Hillside and Rye."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]