Bransgore is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

within the

New Forest The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...

District,

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. The village developed in the 19th century when a church and a school were built. It is technically classified as an urban area, although in some respects it still has the picturesque character of a rural English village.

Overview

Bransgore is a village and

in the

New Forest District New Forest is a local government district in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Lyndhurst. The district covers most of the New Forest National Park, from which it takes its name. The district was created on 1 April 1974, under the Loca ...

. The parish includes the village of

Thorney Hill Thorney may refer to: Places in the United Kingdom *Thorney, Cambridgeshire *Thorney, Buckinghamshire *Thorney, Nottinghamshire *Thorney, Somerset *Thorney Hill, Hampshire *Thorney Island (Westminster) *Thorney Island (West Sussex) *Thorney Toll, C ...

, and the hamlets of Neacroft, Godwinscroft, Beckley, Hinton, and Waterditch. At the time of the last national census of 2011, Bransgore had a total population of 4,238, with just over half being aged between 20 and 64. Bransgore now straddles the border of the newly created

New Forest National Park The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...

, with the majority of the village being outside the park. Bransgore has a wide variety of shops including a post office, pharmacy, bakery, greengrocer, hairdresser, and take-away food shops.Bransgore Virtual High Street
newforest-online, retrieved 12 September 2011 There are also several pubs/restaurants.Things to do in Bransgore
newforest-online, retrieved 12 September 2011 Bransgore has a village sports field with a children's playground. The sports field is the location of the Village Fun Day event which is held each summer.

History

The earliest deeds mentioning Bransgore date from the 1730s. A. T. Lloyd, J. E. S. Brooks, (1996), ''The History of New Milton and its Surrounding Area, Centenary Edition'', page 14 The village was called, in 1759, "Bransgoer Common", and in 1817 "Bransgrove".Old Hampshire Gazetteer – Bransgore
/ref> The word "gore" in

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...

means a triangular piece of land. It is uncertain who or what "Bran" refers to. A local myth is that the name Bransgore came from one of

King Alfred Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...

's battles against the Danes, Brans from "brains" and Gore from "blood". In the 19th century, Victorian romantics even persuaded the

Ordnance Survey , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg , logo_width = 240px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , di ...

to mark on their maps the site of a battle at Bransgore, on the road leading to

Sopley Sopley is a village and civil parish situated in the New Forest National Park of Hampshire, England. It lies on the old main road from Christchurch to Ringwood, on the east bank of the River Avon. The parish extends east as far as Thorny Hill ...

. There is unfortunately, no truth in this story, and the name Bransgore does not derive from "brains and gore."

The Crown Inn in Bransgore dates from the 18th century, as does the Three Tuns pub. The church of Saint Mary the Virgin was erected in 1822 as a chapel of ease. Victoria County History, (1912), ''A History of the County of Hampshire'': Volume 5, Christchurch, pages 101–110
/ref> The church is of brick with stone dressings, with a tower and originally a spire.Samuel Lewis (editor), (1848), ''A Topographical Dictionary of England'', pages 347–350
/ref> However, the spire was removed in 1967. The early 16th-century font, which is said to have come from

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, is octagonal, with a monogram J D, perhaps for "John Draper," the last Prior of

Christchurch Priory Christchurch Priory is an ecclesiastical parish and former priory church in Christchurch in the English county of Dorset (formerly in Hampshire). It is one of the longest parish churches in the country and is as large as many of the Church of E ...

. The

ecclesiastical parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish priest ...

of Bransgore was formed in 1875 from parts of Christchurch and

Henry William Wilberforce Henry William Wilberforce (22 September 1807 – 23 April 1873), was a Church of England clergyman, a Tractarian, a convert to the Roman Catholic Church, and thereafter a newspaper proprietor, editor and journalist Life Henry Wilberforce wa ...

, son of

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 175929 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becom ...

(known for his campaign against slavery), was once the vicar of Saint Mary's church.The History of Bransgore
newforest-online, retrieved 12 September 2011 He founded a school in the village in 1841. In 1895, a National school was built accommodating 174 pupils, which is now the Primary School. All Saints church near

is a grade I listed, Edwardian Baroque church, built in 1906. Designed by

Detmar Blow Detmar Jellings Blow (24 November 1867 – 7 February 1939) was a British architect of the early 20th century, who designed principally in the arts and crafts style. His clients belonged chiefly to the British aristocracy, and later he became es ...

and constructed from

Caen stone Caen stone (french: Pierre de Caen) is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in north-western France near the city of Caen. The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about ...

and rendered brick. Inside are wall paintings by

Phoebe Anna Traquair Phoebe Anna Traquair (; 24 May 1852 – 4 August 1936) was an Irish-born artist, who achieved international recognition for her role in the Arts and Crafts movement in Scotland, as an illustrator, painter and embroiderer. Her works included lar ...

(1852–1936) of

Te Deum The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Chur ...

featuring local people. Between 1894 and 1974, Bransgore was part of the

of Christchurch East.Christchurch East CP
www.visionofbritain.org.uk Following the county boundary changes of 1974, Christchurch East parish was split into the parish of Bransgore (Hampshire) and the parish of Burton (

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

). In 2022, the building of 100 homes in a flood prone area near Derrit Lane in Bransgore is set to be approved despite many objections.

Twin towns

Bransgore is twinned with: * Saint-Georges-Montcocq, France

References

External links

Bransgore Parish Council
{{authority control Villages in Hampshire New Forest District