King's Somborne is a village 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. The village lies on the edge of the valley of the
River Test
The River Test is a chalk stream in Hampshire in the south of England. It rises at Ashe near Basingstoke and flows southwards for to Southampton Water. Settlements on the Test include the towns of Stockbridge and Romsey. The river's vall ...
.
Location
King's Somborne is a large parish covers , of which are covered by water. Most of the ground is low-lying, with a high point at . Park Stream, a branch of the Test, flows through John of Gaunt's Deer Park, which is west of the village and contains the site of a fish pond. It was once known as How Park, possibly through the association of a William de Ow with the parish.
Name
The parish has had several names: Sunburne (11th century); Sombourne (12th century); Sumburn Album (13th century); Kingsomborne, Sumbourne Regis (14th century)
History
King's Somborne was included 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
in 1086 when it was claimed by the King's bailiff by the King in lordship and known as "Sunburne". As a part of the Crown's lands, it was not assessed for taxation. The book records 25 villagers, eight smallholders, two slaves and seven freedmen. Three mills and two churches are also reported and land for ten ploughs in addition to meadow land and pasture.
The two churches as of 1086 were the King's Somborne Church and, perhaps, the church at Upper Eldon.
The present
Church of St Peter and St Paul, part of which dates to the early 13th century, probably occupies the site of one of the original churches.
Over subsequent years, the name of the parish containing the village changed, to Sumburne in the 11th century, Sombourne in the 12th, Sumburn Album in the 13th and to Kingsomborne and Sumbourne Regis in the 14th century.
Deer Park
William de Briwere the Elder, was given 400 acres of land for hunting by
King John. He created a deer park in 1200, when it was known as How Park. His permission included the rights to chase of hare, fox, cat and wolf through all the king's land and use of the hares, pheasants and partridges throughout all his own lands, as also licence to enclose two coppices.
William obtained permission from the Prior and convent of
Winchester Cathedral Priory, to einclose a part of Houghton so as to extend the park. His descendant, Patrick de Chaworth, obtained from the king an additional charter in 1252 to enclose How Wood. William also founded a priory of Augustinian monks in 1201 at
Mottisfont nearby.
John of Gaunt
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399), was an English royal prince, military leader and statesman. He was the fourth son (third surviving) of King Edward III of England, and the father of King Henry IV. Because ...
, Duke of Lancaster, inherited the manor of Somborne through marriage. The manor of Somborne was a Royal Estate until fairly recent times. Local tradition asserts that John of Gaunt had a palace was sited behind the church in the village which was later rebuilt as a manor house. By 1840 its remains were only 14 ft high when it was demolished. The deer park was eventually named after John of Gaunt. Descendants of the Duke of Lancaster also had "free chase" in Painholt in 1353.
and
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
stayed for two nights at King's Somborne as the guests of
Sir Richard Gifford in August 1603. When King's Somborne was granted in 1628 to Edward Ditchfield, John Heighlord, Humphrey Clarke and Francis Mosse as trustees for the Corporation of London, Painholt Chase was specifically excepted. The estate was granted in 1638 by
Charles I to Sir William Waller and his heirs. Multiple changes in ownership then followed.
Notable buildings
The village has about 100 listed buildings and structures including the
Sir Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...
designed Marsh Court, Compton Manor, thatched cottages, 18th century buildings such as the Old Vicarage and 19th century brick built cottages roofed in slate.
was designed by Lutyens and unveiled in 1921; the commission originated through Herbert Johnson, for whom Lutyens designed the nearby country house at
Marshcourt earlier in the 20th century. During the war, Johnson and his wife ran the mansion as a military hospital.
The Anglican church of St Peter and St Paul is a grade II*
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.
Education
State
Primary:
* King's Somborne Church of England Primary School
References
External links
King’s Somborne Parish Councilis the web site for the Parish Council.
The Sombornes Onlineis the community web site for Kings Somborne and the surrounding villages.
There are many groups and organisations within the village including:
The Somborne Players
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Villages in Hampshire
Test Valley