Cadnam is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

situated in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, England, within the boundaries of the

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 ...

. The village has existed since the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

period, when it was (and still is) an important crossroads between

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

and the towns of

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

Overview

Cadnam is 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Copythorne Copythorne is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England, within the boundaries of the New Forest National Park. Overview Copythorne is in the north-eastern part of the New Forest. The village is on the A31 Romsey Road, just south of the ...

, a smaller village lying a mile to the north. The village is situated at the crossroads between the

Romsey Romsey ( ) is a town in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. The town is situated northwest of Southampton, southwest of Winchester and southeast of Salisbury. It sits on the outskirts of the New Forest, just over northeast of ...

to Ringwood road (the A31 road) and the

to Fordingbridge B3079. This makes it an important link between

and the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

s of

via Ringwood, and towns in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

via Fordingbridge. The A337 road links Cadnam with the small port at

Lymington Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest (district), New Forest district of Hampshire, England. The town faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a Roll-on/roll-off, car ferry s ...

. The western end (Junction 1) of the

M27 motorway The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs between Cadnam and Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983, providing the largest two urban areas in Hampshire (Southampton and Portsmouth) with a direct moto ...

is at Cadnam. Surrounding villages are

to the northeast, and Bartley to the southeast. There are a number of pubs in Cadnam, including the White Hart (after White Hart), The Sir John Barleycorn (after

John Barleycorn "John Barleycorn" is an England, English and Scotland, Scottish folk song. The song's protagonist is John Barleycorn, a personification of barley and of the beer made from it. In the song, he suffers indignities, attacks, and death that corres ...

) and The Coach And Horses located halfway through Cadnam on Southampton Road. There is also a hotel, The Bartley Lodge Hotel, and a Methodist church. The village has a petrol station with a convenience store. Cadnam is home to Cadnam

Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

Club (established in 1880) who play on the Lambs Corner ground (adjacent to the road to Lyndhurst).

History

Cadnam is first recorded in the 1270s as Cadenham.Cadnam, Old Hampshire Gazetteer
/ref> The name apparently means the

farmstead A farmstead refers to the buildings and service areas associated with a farm. It consists of a house belonging to a farm along with the surrounding buildings. The characteristics of a specific farmstead reflect the local landscape, which provides ...

("ham") of a man named ''Cadda''. In the 13th century there was an estate at Cadnam and at nearby Winsor which belonged to the nuns of Amesbury, who in 1286 obtained a grant of

free warren A free warren—often simply warren—is a type of Exclusive franchise or Privilege (legal ethics), privilege conveyed by a sovereign in medieval England to an English subject, promising to hold them harmless for killing game (hunting), g ...

in both estates.Victoria County History of Hampshire: Eling
/ref> It seems to have formed part of the manor of Wigley, and the rent of tenants at Cadnam was paid to Amesbury Abbey until the Dissolution. Land at Cadnam and Winsor was granted with the manor of Wigley to Edmund Vaughan in 1545. All of these lands subsequently became part of the Paultons estate. A Congregational chapel at Cadnam was founded in 1790.

The Cadnam Oak

The Cadnam Oak, at the south-east corner of a crossroads in Cadnam (), is thought to be a "boundary tree" of the New Forest. Legend has it that the Cadnam Oak puts forth green leaves on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

, being leafless immediately before and after the day.Wendy Boase, (1976), ''The folklore of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight'', page 118. Batsford The current tree is actually a descendant of the first Cadnam Oak, but the fame still continues. Popular tradition even has it that the tree only buds on Old Christmas Day on 6 January, refusing to acknowledge the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

change of 1752.

Notable residents

* Bentley Collingwood Hilliam * Sir Charles Lyell spent much of his childhood at Bartley Lodge * *

Notes

External links

{{authority control Villages in Hampshire