hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
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. Its nearest town is Fordingbridge, which lies approximately north of the hamlet.
Location
The hamlet of North Gorley sits on the western boundary of the New Forest National Park, about north of
South Gorley
South Gorley is a hamlet in the New Forest National Park of Hampshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Ellingham, Harbridge and Ibsley. Its nearest town is Ringwood, which lies approximately south-west of the hamlet.
The hamlet sits on t ...
. The River Avon lies just to the west. The hamlet has one
inn
Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...
, The Royal Oak, which claims to be a former Royal hunting lodge. There is also a
restaurant
A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
known as Little Mere, which also operates as tea rooms in the summer months.
History
The name Gorley means "triangular wood/clearing".Burgate, Old Hampshire Gazetteer /ref> In 1086 Osbern the Falconer held the manor of Gorley from the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
.Victoria County History of Hampshire: Fordingbridge /ref> Two manors of "North Gorley" existed in the 16th century. One was in the possession of John Bulkeley, which apparently passed to the Keilways of
Rockbourne
Rockbourne is a village and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire, close to Fordingbridge.
Overview
Rockbourne is a village of thatched, brick and timber houses, next to a stream now known as Sweatfords Water. It was purchased by Sir John Cooper in 1608, and evidently merged in Rockbourne. The other manor was acquired by the Abbot and convent of Beaulieu from Margery Rivers, John Rivers and others, and was probably granted, after the
Dissolution
Dissolution may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Books
* ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers
* ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music
* Dissolution, in mu ...
, with Freren Court to Robert White, to whom it belonged in 1564, from which date it followed the descent of Rockford, being merged in that manor after 1634–5.
North Gorley was, unlike South Gorley, in the parish of Fordingbridge. In 1855 it was incorporated in the new ecclesiastical parish of Hyde, and it is now part of 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 Hyde.
Gorley Hill
To the east of North Gorley on Gorley Common was the site of an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
Gorley Hill
Gorley Hill is the site of a former Iron Age promontory hillfort located in Hampshire in the United Kingdom.
The fort once occupied the southwestern corner of Gorley Common on Gorley Hill, a gravel-capped spur that points southwest into the Av ...
. Much of the site was destroyed in the 1950s and 60s when the Common's new owners carried out large-scale gravel extraction works.