Section 1
The first section Is the short length of the west boundary with New Alresford. The length of the boundary between BIshops Sutton and New Alresford Parishes is only three quarters of a mile.
The perambulation starts on what is now the B3047 just the Alresford side of the Railway bridge at what was called Bowling Close Gate, and headed south with Bowling Close on the Sutton side and Marrow Ditch on the Alresford side.(Bowling close being subsequently cut through when the railway was built 120 years later). Sweatly Row is the hedge row on the west of the solar farm. The Cump would have been in the corner where the old section of White hill Lane is, when it was cut of by the A31 bypass. The boundary then runs west just north of the old section of White Hill lane, then turns south again to cross the old White Hill Lane at its junction with Appledown lane. Appledown Gate would have been about there.
Village History
Village History
Mobile View: scroll L-R for contents, use PDF for registers
Mobile View: scroll L-R for contents, use PDF for registers
old-maps.co.uk
Perambulation of the Bounds 1745
Garry Allam, Bishop's Sutton Heritage
The Perambulation of the Bounds of Bishop's Sutton took place on Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26 June 1745. In all some 67 locals took part in the procession.
The purpose of these Perambulations were to preserve in people's memory where the boundaries were - in fact in some places the children who accompanied the procession would have their heads banged on the boundary stones so as to remind them where they were.
It was important to have the location of the boundary remembered especially before the days of detailed maps. They needed to know the boundaries so as to stop encroachment of one parish into another, which land would pay Tithe taxes into to which parish church, on which side of the boundary inhabitants lived especially in regards to the payment of poor relief and which parish would maintain roads hedges and boundary ditches etc.
The route in 1745 looks pretty much the same as today's boundary with the exception of the Gundleton and Barnetts Wood area which is now in Bighton. In fact, it looks like the boundaries had changed little from around 1086 for 900 years.
The images of the Perambulation text you see here are directly from the original manuscript, kindly lent to Garry some thirty years ago by Mrs. Cole at Western Court. This was the home of Mrs Venables in 1745 who instigated the original Perambulation, and has been kept there ever since.
The Perambulation of the Bishop's Sutton Boundary, 1745. From the original manuscript
Section 1
The first section Is the short length of the west boundary with New Alresford. The length of the boundary between BIshops Sutton and New Alresford Parishes is only three quarters of a mile.
The perambulation starts on what is now the B3047 just the Alresford side of the Railway bridge at what was called Bowling Close Gate, and headed south with Bowling Close on the Sutton side and Marrow Ditch on the Alresford side.(Bowling close being subsequently cut through when the railway was built 120 years later). Sweatly Row is the hedge row on the west of the solar farm. The Cump would have been in the corner where the old section of White hill Lane is, when it was cut of by the A31 bypass. The boundary then runs west just north of the old section of White Hill lane, then turns south again to cross the old White Hill Lane at its junction with Appledown lane. Appledown Gate would have been about there.
Google Maps
This covers the Boundary between Bishop's Sutton and Tichborne to the South West corner of the parish and runs for about three quarters of a mile. It continues from where Section 1 one ended at Appledown Gate and crosses the road that came from Tichborne Down, (The old section of White Hill cut of by the A31 Bypass).
Then down what is now Appledown Lane, with Tichborne down on one side (the Golf Course ) and Appledown in Bishop's Sutton on the other. The next point is called The Burnt Ground - this must have been at the south end of Appledown just north of where the three Parishes of Tichborne , Cheriton and Bishop’s Sutton meet. This was possibly an area which had been cleared of scrub by burning. Then to Pissen Stile (a couple of years later spelt Pissing Stile), this would have been where the 3 parishes met by Hookham Copse. The name Pissen Stile might come from the Old English Pise meaning Pease (the old word for Pea). But then again it could mean what it says.
Section 2
Google Maps
Section 3
The next stretch of the Perambulation is the Bishop's Sutton and Cheriton Boundary which is one of the Longest at almost 4 miles long. It goes from Pissen stile where Sutton Tichborne and Cheriton meet, along the side of Hoakham Copse to the road between Hoakham and Scrubs Wood (this must be Appledown lane) and then to the lower end of Scrubs Ground. This is where Cheriton lane, Appledown Lane and Bramdean Lane meet. Then along Cheriton Lane (Lane leading to Brights Plaine), to Marshal Hanger at Cheriton Wood, and back on to Brights Plaine lane. This is the Bridleway that leads to Bramdean Common and to Brights Plaine (now called Breach Plaine).
Google Maps
Google Maps
Section 4
The Boundary continues along the south of the Parish with Bramdean. This section is a little over a mile long with a short section of about a quarter of a mile in the south east corner of Sutton parish that abuts on the Parish of West Tisted. The whole length includes Bright’s Plaine (now called Breach Plain).
Going along the top of Bramdean Common on the South side of Old Park Wood, across Old Park Road and along the north side of Bramdean Wood; for the most it follows the remains of the Old Park Pale and meets the point where Sutton, Bramdean and West Tisted meet at Hatnum Corner (at Hatnum Wood) and then north for a short distance to where Sutton, West Tisted and Ropley meet.
Google Maps
Section 5a
The next section of the Boundary is the Bishops Sutton/Ropley stretch which is one of the longest - some 6.25 miles in length, and therfore has been split into two sections. since 1984 the boundary was shortened to just over 2 miles when the Tongue of Sutton (the portion of the parish that ran up towards Medstead) was incorporated into Bighton - e.g. Barnets wood, Gundleton, Ranscome Farm and the Gullet areas.
We left of in part 4 at the West Tisted part in the corner of Bishop's Sutton Park near Hatnum Copse. From there it continued into Lipscomb’s Close and out into what is now a stretch of track which joins the metalled section of Parkside Lane at its junction with Park lane. It continued along the present lane some 700 m until the bend at what is now the end of Teg Down Lane. It then headed of N.W across the field for 570 metres and turned north at Brinkworths Field, Mr Barnards land.
It came out on the present A31 just to the west of the Shell garage at Ropley. The A31 (then called just The Dean or Lane). Over the road north the land on the west side in Sutton was a coppice belonging to Mrs Catherine Venables called Brinkworth Coppies. Then up to Ropley Mark, some 250m north of the A31. It then generally ran north over the present railway line, zig zagging around the edge of Nicholas Mayhews field, Honeylynch and Mr Dummers Town Breach.
Google Maps
Section 5b
We now continue with the second stretch of the Bishop's Sutton/Ropley Boundary. Today this section is in fact the Bighton/Ropley border as the Tongue or Gullet of Bishop's Sutton in the far east of the parish was transferred in to Bighton in the 1980’s.
From Town Breach it went past Mr White of Newton Stacey’s land (this is preserved in the name Whites Wood on the southern end of Sutton Wood). It then headed east by Widow Budd’s land rented to a William Moth, called Brokes and Ovis’s Lies. It came out just South of Two Hoots camp site, and onto the lane we call Bighton Hill which was then called Lyshot Lane.
It then ran north towards Bighton until just after Crow Hurst Kennels (Because the boundary ran through the middle of the lane Bishop's Sutton was responsible for filling in the ruts on their side and Ropley on theirs). It then turned east again along the track that edges Bowers Grove, With Ranscombe field on its north side. From where the railway line comes close to the lane at called Hasle Croft and the lane we call Bowers Grove that comes up off North Street farm on the A31 to Ranscombe Farm; this section before the railway bridge was called Haslecroft Lane. Inhams was the name of the field on the north side of the bend above the railway bridge.
The boundary continued east for a few yards until it came to Gullet Lane, which is today called Rook Wood Lane - the unmetalled road that runs up from the A31 just east of North Street Farm. It followed the lane north leaving it again at another piece of Ranscombes Land. Heading east and back into Gullet Lane that skirts the southern edge of Gullet wood. At the tip of Gullet wood, it enters a field called Jaspers Mead then on to the site of an old brick Kiln to the meeting point of Ropley, Sutton and Medstead at Soldridge.
Google Maps
Section 6
The next stretch is only a short piece along the boundary between Bishops Sutton and Medstead and is barely a mile in length - and like the previous section was changed in 1984 and is now no longer the boundary for Bishop's Sutton. Before 1984 it was the furthest point from the village being over 3 miles as the crow flies.
It leaves off from where Bishop's Sutton, Ropley and Medstead met, near the old brick kiln in a north westerly direction from Budds Coppice along the north side of four pieces of land called Gullet Land (all then owned by Mr Wake of Bighton) and out on to what is now Rook Lane - then described as the Basingstoke Road where Ranscombe adjoins to Stankham (today called Stancombe). From there the boundary bears round slightly to a south western direction to Pye Corner where Bighton, Medstead and Bishop's Sutton met.
Google Maps
Section 7
A straight forward stretch of just over two and a half miles of boundary separates Bishops Sutton from Bighton and forms the whole of Bighton's Southern Boundary. It Starts form where Bighton, Medstead and Bishop's Sutton meet at Pye corner and then straight down the unmetalled road called Bighton Dean Lane - locally known as the Broads because of its width. It joins the lane to Barnets wood from where it is metalled and then and to a triangle piece of grass: two sides are formed by Bighton Dean Lane and Sutton Wood Lane and the third side is the boundary which runs along the back of the grass - this is today called Bakers Green and was the point called Greenaways (in the Perambulation the field near by is called Greenways). This little bit of green of about quarter of an acre is almost certainly unchanged since the Perambulation, never being ploughed only grazed.
The boundary then crosses Lane End (the end of the lane today called Sutton Wood Lane). Then it’s pretty much a straight line through today's Goscombe, then Gundleton out to the Nithe in Old Alresford where Bighton, Bishops Sutton and Old Alresford come together. This spot in 959 A.D. was called Wibbas Barrow.
Google Maps
Section 8 (final)
The next and final stretch covers the Bishop's Sutton boundary with Old Alresford; about 400 metres in length and a short stretch with New Alresford of about 50 metres. We left of where the boundaries of Bishops Sutton, Bighton and Old Alresford meet: the boundary then goes south with Old Alresford Nithe on the West Side, down as far as the river (Alre) which comes up from Bishop's Sutton and empty’s out into Alresford Pond. I think the hatches would have controlled the amount of water going into the pond, much like the shettles behind the Globe in Alresford controls the amount of water coming out of the pond.
Furley Pond: In a 16th century Perambulation of Old Alresford the point where New Alresford, Old Alresford and Bishop's Sutton meet is called Furdley Ditch corner. It has been suggested that Furdley is a corruption of Fordley and perhaps a crossing place pre 1200 A.D and the construction of Alresford Pond. Sheeplands still shows on the 1840’s Tithe map for New Alresford (Sheeplands has often been mistaken for Shiplands and this is often used to substantiate the mistaken belief that there was a canal from Winchester to Alresford and Bishop's Sutton). On the O.S. 1881 Map Nevilles Barn is shown standing on the site of what is now the house called Bensons: the first property in New Alresford on the Sutton Road.
Google Maps
