Rockbourne

"ROCKBOURNE, (or Rockburn), a parish in the hundred of Fordingbridge, Ringwood division of county Hants, 4 miles N.W. of Fordingbridge, its post town, and 9 S.W. of Salisbury. The parish, which is of large extent, comprises the hamlets of Brickhill and Sandhill Heath. The village is small, and wholly agricultural. The surface is hilly, and comprises a considerable extent of downs bordering on Salisbury Plain. The soil is principally a chalky loam, intermixed with clay. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £675, and the glebe contains 116 acres. The living is a donative* in the diocese of Winchester, value £624. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is an ancient structure, with a wooden tower containing a clock and three bells. The chancel was rebuilt in 1830, at the expense of Lady Coote. The church contains several monuments to the Coote family, including one to Sir Eyre Coote, the captor of Pondicherry. There are parochial schools for both sexes. Near the church are traces of an extensive nunnery, now a farmhouse. West Park is the principal residence. The Earl of Shaftesbury is lord of the manor and principal landowner. "

[From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]