Transcribed from the 1898 Macmillan and Co. edition by DavidPrice,

John Keble’s Parishes

A HISTORY OF HURSLEY AND
OTTERBOURNE

BY
CHARLOTTE M. YONGE
AN OLD INHABITANT

London
MACMILLAN AND CO. Limited
NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
1898

All rights reserved

PREFACE

To explain the present undertaking, it should be mentionedthat a history of Hursley and North Baddesley was compiled by theReverend John Marsh, Curate of Hursley, in the year 1808. It was well and carefully done, with a considerable amount ofantiquarian knowledge.  It reached a second edition, and agood deal of it was used in Sketches of Hampshire, by JohnDuthy, Esq.  An interleaved copy received many annotationsfrom members of the Heathcote family.  There was a proposalthat it should be re-edited, but ninety years could not but makea great difference in these days of progress, so that not onlyhad the narrative to be brought up to date, but furtherinvestigations into the past brought facts to light which hadbeen unknown to Mr. Marsh.

It was therefore judged expedient to rewrite the whole,though, whenever possible, the former Curate’s work hasbeen respected and repeated; but he paid little attention to thehistory of Otterbourne, and a good deal has been since disclosed,rendering that village interesting.  Moreover, the entirecareers of John Keble and Sir William Heathcote needed to berecorded in their relations to the parish and county.  Thishas, therefore, here been attempted, together with a record ofthe building of the three churches erected since 1837, and ahistory of the changes that have taken place; though the writeris aware that there is no incident to tempt the reader—nosiege of the one castle, no battle more important than the combatin the hayfield between Mr. Coram and the penurious steward, and,till the last generation, no striking character.  But therecord of a thousand peaceful years is truly a cause ofthankfulness, shared as it is by many thousand villages, and webelieve that a little investigation would bring to light, incountless other places, much that is well worth remembrance.

For the benefit of those who take an interest in provincialdialect, some specimens are appended, which come from personalknowledge.

The lists of birds and of flowers are both from the actualobservation of long residents who have known the country before,in many instances, peculiarities have faded away before the marchof progress.

The writer returns many warm thanks to those who have givenmuch individual assistance in the undertaking, which could nothave been attempted without such aid.

C. M. YONGE.

Elderfield, Otterbourne,
         18thJune 1898.

CONTENTS