Burton is a village in the
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 ...
of Burton and Winkton, administered (since April 2019) as part of the
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. It was created on 1 April 2019 by the merger of the areas that were previously administered by the unitary authorities of Bournem ...
unitary authority, in the
historic county 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 ...
and the ceremonial county of
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 ...
, England. The parish is elevated above the Avon Valley on a gravel plateau and includes the village of Burton, plus the hamlets of
Winkton, Holfleet, North Bockhampton, Middle Bockhampton and South Bockhampton. The
toponymy
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
of Burton suggests an
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
settlement but the first record of the name appears in twelfth-century records. It is thought that this is because it has always been viewed as an extension of Christchurch. Certainly, there is evidence of human habitation there as far back as the
mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
. The oldest existing parts date back to at least the early 18th century.
Greatly expanded in the 1970s, today the population is around 4,000, residing in more than 1,700 dwellings which extend to within of the Christchurch urban area. Burton has a much younger age demographic than the rest of Christchurch and the vast majority of the inhabitants identify as
White British
White British is an ethnicity classification used for the native white population identifying as English, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Northern Irish, or British in the United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White British population wa ...
. More than 30% of villagers are non-religious but those who are, are mainly
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
.
The village holds a number of annual events including a
veteran's day and an
Easter egg hunt
An egg hunt is an Eastertide game during which decorated eggs or Easter eggs are hidden for children to find. Real hard-boiled eggs, which are typically dyed or painted, artificial eggs made of plastic filled with chocolate or candies, or foil-w ...
. Church services are also held on the green at Easter and Christmas including
carols around the
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
. There are a number of
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
s in the village including the
parish church of St Luke, built in 1874-75 and designed by
Benjamin Ferrey
Benjamin Ferrey FSA FRIBA (1 April 1810–22 August 1880) was an English architect who worked mostly in the Gothic Revival.
Family
Benjamin Ferrey was the youngest son of Benjamin Ferrey Snr (1779–1847), a draper who became Mayor of Christc ...
, and Burton Hall, a large 18th-century residence with grade II* status. Arguably Burton's most famous resident was the poet and writer
Robert Southey
Robert Southey ( or ; 12 August 1774 – 21 March 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic school, and Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death. Like the other Lake Poets, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Southey began as a ra ...
who lived there between 1799 and 1805 and where he wrote his well known fairytale,
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
"Goldilocks and the Three Bears" (originally titled "The Story of the Three Bears") is a 19th-century English fairy tale of which three versions exist. The original version of the tale tells of an obscene old woman who enters the forest home ...
.
Geography
The parish of Burton covers an area of and comprises the village of the same name, the hamlets of Winkton, Bockhampton and Holfleet, and the surrounding countryside.
[Burton Parish Council (2014) - About Us][Burton Core Strategy Area Profile (2010) p.2][ The village is situated approximately north-east of Christchurch town centre but less than from its urban extent.][Policy CN2, Section 2][Burton conservation area appraisal and management plan (2007) p.13]
Sitting on a gravel terrace above the Avon Valley flood plain, Burton village is a linear settlement along the historic route from Christchurch to Ringwood and Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
.[Burton conservation area appraisal and management plan (2007) pp.13-14] To the west of the settlement lies the Avon Valley, designated a Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cert ...
(SPA), Ramsar Ramsar may refer to:
* Places so named:
** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran
** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India
* Eponyms of the Iranian city:
** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran
** Ramsar site, wetland listed in ...
and Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
(SSSI).[Burton Core Strategy Area Profile (2010) p.3] From there, the land slopes gently upwards in easterly direction where, beyond the village, it is used mainly for agricultural purposes.[ The area is drained by a small stream, known as the Clockhouse Stream, which meanders through the northern end of the village and across the flood plain, before joining the Avon near Christchurch town centre. The ]Avon Valley Path
The Avon Valley Path is a long-distance path, opened in 1992, which runs for through the English counties of Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset.
The path takes its name from the River Avon. From Salisbury it passes through the towns of Fordin ...
, a 34-mile trail from Christchurch to Salisbury, passes through the village.[
]
History
Burton is not recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
. The earliest mention of the name occurs in the twelfth century but it is likely that prior to this, official records included it as part of the lands of Twynham or Christchurch as it was later known. The village's name stems from the Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
, burh
A burh () or burg was an Old English fortification or fortified settlement. In the 9th century, raids and invasions by Vikings prompted Alfred the Great to develop a network of burhs and roads to use against such attackers. Some were new constru ...
meaning fortified town and tun meaning farm. The name suggests the village was either a fortified farmstead or simply a farm belonging to the nearby Burgh of Christchurch.[
There is archaeological evidence that ]Palaeolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...
and Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
people occupied the lower part of the Avon Valley but the first evidence of permanent residence at Burton dates back to the Mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
.[ It is thought that the obstacle of the flood plain led to the development of an alternative route north on which fringe settlements like Burton and Winkton grew.][
The oldest buildings in the village date back to at least the early 18th century but Burton was greatly expanded in the 1970s and 1980s and today there are more than 1700 dwellings and a population of nearly 4000. Winkton is the second largest settlement in the parish with a population of about 180.] John Marius Wilson
John Marius Wilson (c. 1805–1885) was a British writer and an editor, most notable for his gazetteers. The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' (published 1870–72), was a substantial topographical dictionary in six volumes. It was a c ...
's ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales
The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' is a substantial topographical dictionary first published between 1870 and 1872, edited by the Reverend John Marius Wilson. It contains a detailed description of England and Wales. Its six volumes h ...
'', published 1870–1872, records the then population of Burton as 582.
Demography
The 2011 census records the population of the parish as 4,177 of which 48.2% are male and 51.8% are female. 16.5% are children under 16 years-of-age, 29.3% are over 60, and the remaining 54.2% are in the 17 to 59 age bracket. The mean average age is 43.3 years. 96.6% identify as white British. Of the 69.1% of residents who claimed to have a religion, 97.97% said they were Christian.
The population density is 4.8 people per hectare.[ 71.7% of the population are economically active comprising 66.0% who are in employment, 3.1% who are students over the age of 16, and 2.6% who are unemployed. The remaining 28.3% are classified as economically inactive and incorporate the 17.7% who are retired, the 3.3% who are students over the age of 16, 3.5% who are carers, 2.6% who are long-term sick or disabled, and 1.1% who fall into another category.][ Burton has a considerably younger population than the rest of Christchurch.][
Despite being a rural area, only 0.8% of residents work in agriculture. The largest employment sectors are ONS Industry Groups G and Q - Wholesale, Retail and Motor Vehicle Maintenance, which employs 16.9%, and Human Health and Social Work, which employs 16.1% of residents.][
]
Culture and community
The village holds a number of annual events including a veteran's day and an Easter egg hunt
An egg hunt is an Eastertide game during which decorated eggs or Easter eggs are hidden for children to find. Real hard-boiled eggs, which are typically dyed or painted, artificial eggs made of plastic filled with chocolate or candies, or foil-w ...
. Church services are also held on the green at Easter and Christmas including carols around the tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
.[ The services are jointly hosted by the two local churches of St Lukes and Burton United Reformed, both situated on the green. Other local amenities include two general stores, one with a ]post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
, four public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
s, a doctors surgery and a youth centre
A youth center or youth centre, often called youth club, is a place where young people can meet and participate in a variety of activities, for example table football, association football (US soccer, UK football), basketball, table tennis, vid ...
.[
There are a number of ]listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
s in the village including the parish church of St Luke
Luke the Evangelist (Latin: '' Lucas''; grc, Λουκᾶς, '' Loukâs''; he, לוקאס, ''Lūqās''; arc, /ܠܘܩܐ לוקא, ''Lūqā’; Ge'ez: ሉቃስ'') is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of t ...
, built in 1874-75 and designed by Benjamin Ferrey
Benjamin Ferrey FSA FRIBA (1 April 1810–22 August 1880) was an English architect who worked mostly in the Gothic Revival.
Family
Benjamin Ferrey was the youngest son of Benjamin Ferrey Snr (1779–1847), a draper who became Mayor of Christc ...
. Constructed in the early-English style from red brick with stone dressings, the slate roof leads to a stone coped gable end with bellcote. Another locally recognised landmark is Burton Hall, a large 18th-century gentleman's residence with grade II* status.[Burton Core Strategy Area Profile (2010) p.6] The property has since been divided into flats but the interior still retains its large staircase, moulded architrave, six-panelled doors and 18th-century fireplaces. Another listed building is Whitehayes House (also known in some archives a
Sunnyhayes
and Westhayes), just off Burton Green, where Admiral Edmund Lyons was born. The parish also contains a Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
, Staple Cross. Very little is known about the truncated stone obelisk that stands at the southern extremity of the village but one suggestion is that it was a boundary marker between the tithing
A tithing or tything was a historic English legal, administrative or territorial unit, originally ten hides (and hence, one tenth of a hundred). Tithings later came to be seen as subdivisions of a manor or civil parish. The tithing's leader or s ...
s of Christchurch and Burton.[ Another source states that the 'cross' at Staple Cross, was knocked over by a Sherman tank during World War 2, hence the somewhat stunted remains. However, analysis of the engraving on page 288 of The New Forest: Its History and Its Scenery (John R. Wise - 1863) would suggest that this is little more than folklore.
Primary education is provided for within the village at Burton ]Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
Primary School. Children must travel outside the parish for secondary schooling, usually The Grange in nearby Somerford. A mobile library visits the area fortnightly.[Burton Core Strategy Area Profile (2010) p.8]
Politics
Burton is part of the Burton and Grange ward for elections to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is a unitary local authority for the district of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in England that came into being on 1 April 2019. It was created from the areas that were previously administered by ...
. Burton is also a part of the Christchurch parliamentary constituency for elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...
, currently represented by Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
MP Christopher Chope
Sir Christopher Robert Chope (born 19 May 1947) is a British barrister and politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Christchurch in Dorset since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected in 1983 fo ...
.
Notable residents
* Edmund Lyons (1790–1858) was a Royal Navy commander and diplomat who was born and lived in the parish of Burton, Christchurch.
* Robert Southey
Robert Southey ( or ; 12 August 1774 – 21 March 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic school, and Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death. Like the other Lake Poets, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Southey began as a ra ...
(1774–1843), writer, poet and later poet laureate; lived in Burton between 1799 and 1805. He wrote the fairytale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears
"Goldilocks and the Three Bears" (originally titled "The Story of the Three Bears") is a 19th-century English fairy tale of which three versions exist. The original version of the tale tells of an obscene old woman who enters the forest home ...
at his home, Burton Cottage, which he had fashioned from two adjoining properties. Many other writers and poets of the day visited him there including his brother in law, Samuel Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake P ...
, and Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
.[Moxey p.79]
* Daniel Gunn (minister)
Daniel Gunn (1774–1848), was a Scottish congregational minister.
Gunn was born at Wick in Caithness in 1774, the son of Ingram Gunn, and his wife Elizabeth Miller (or Millar). He was educated at the high school, Edinburgh, and trained for the ...
(1774-1848), was a Scottish congregational
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
minister, with a congregation of a thousand in Christchurch, Hampshire
Christchurch () is a town and civil parish in Dorset on the south coast of England. The town had a population of 31,372 in 2021. For the borough the population was 48,368. It adjoins Bournemouth to the west, with the New Forest to the east. Part ...
from 1816 until his death. His Sunday school
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
Su ...
was attended by upwards of four hundred children. He lived like a country gentleman at Burton, and died there on 17 June 1848.
Citations
References
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External links
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{{authority control
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Villages in Dorset
Civil parishes in Dorset