National Gazetteer (1868) - Romsey

"ROMSEY, (or Rumsey), a parish, post and market town, and municipal borough, locally in the lower half hundred of King's Somborne, Romsey division of county Hants, 73 miles S.W. of London, by road, or 80 by the South-Western railway, on which it is a station. It is situated on the left bank of the river Test, here grossed by a bridge, and the Andover canal runs through the town. Romsey is one of the most ancient towns in England, and has been classed by Dr. Stukely as a Roman city under the name of Arminis; the journal of the British Archæological Association also records the finding of Roman coins in the neighbourhood.

It was a place of considerable importance under the Saxon kings, and is chiefly famous on account of the abbey of Benedictine nuns, which was founded by Edward the Elder in the 10th century, and of which he made his daughter abbess. Soon afterwards the Danes effected a landing, and pillaged the monastery. Edgar, the grandson of Edward the Elder, greatly enlarged it, and his son was buried here. Another royal lady, in the person of Mary, youngest daughter of King Stephen, subsequently became abbess. After its surrender to Henry VIII. it was made a parish church. The town was first chartered by James I., and is now governed by a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12 councillors, with the title of mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the town of Romsey Infra.

The population in 1851 was 2,080, which in 1861 had increased to 2,116. The application of steam to machinery has been the cause of removal of many extensive manufactures to places where coal could be more readily procured, but there are still paper and flax spinning-mills. The town is paved and lighted with gas. It contains a townhall; an audit-house, supported on pillars, with a market below; a borough gaol, union poorhouse, literary and scientific institution, newsrooms, two branch banks, and the hundred bridge over the river Test or Anton, also a young men's reading society and a young men's mutual improvement association. There are tanneries, malt-houses, breweries, gas-works, and corn, paper, and flax mills; The inhabitants are principally engaged in the general trade.

The town is a polling-place for the county elections, and the centre of a new County Court district. It is divided into two distinct parishes, distinguished as Infra and "Extra." The Infra comprises the municipal borough, with Cherville Street, &c., in parochial matters; while the Extra includes Cupernham, Lee, Mainstone, Ranviels, Spurshot, Stanbridge, Woodbury, and Wools. These two parishes are for all purposes ecclesiastical. The living is a vicarage* in the archdeaconry and diocese of Winchester, value £351, in the patronage of the dean and chapter. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a venerable cruciform structure, with a low tower, and was originally the abbey church. It has been several times rebuilt since its foundation in the 10th century, and is chiefly in the Norman style of architecture, but much enriched in some parts with zig-zag and other ornaments. The W. end of the church is early English, richly decorated within. The whole building has recently been restored, under the auspices of the British Archæological Association. It contains an ancient screen, old frescoes, sculptures on the S. transept, and several monuments, including those of Sir H. Petty, the Surveyor of Ireland, Lady Palmerston, of Broadlands, J. St. Barbs, whose tomb bears a curious epitaph, beginning, Earth's rich in mines of pretious dust. An old apple-tree, which is said to have grown on the roof for above two centuries, was recently cut down for fear of its injuring the building. The register dates from 1569.

The Wesleyans, Baptists, Independents, Primitive Methodists, and Sandemanians have places of worship. The charities produce about £700 per annum, including John Nowe's school for 20 boys, with an endowment of £350; St. Barbe's charity of £25, now attached to the National school; and Bartlett's and Kent's almshouses, with a joint income of £210; there are also National, British, and infant schools, besides an industrial school for girls, which was maintained up to the day of his death by the late Lord Palmerston. Romsey Poor-law Union comprises 20 parishes. The principal residences are Broadlands, for many years the seat of the late Viscount Palmerston, who was lord of the manor, and Embley Park, the seat of W. E. Nightingale, Esq. Jacob, author of the "Law Dictionary," was born here. Market day is on Thursday. Fairs are held on Easter Monday, 26th August, and 8th November. "BROADLANDS, the seat of Viscount Palmerston, in the parish of Romsey, hundred of King's Somborne, in the county of Hants, 1 mile S. of Romsey, 62 N.W. of Southampton, and 79 from London, by the South-Western railway. The mansion is situated in the meadows of the river Teat or Anton, near the Andover canal. It formerly belonged to the St. Barbes, and has a fine picture gallery, rich in the ancient masters, including Vandyck, Rembrandt, Poussin, Claude, Reynolds, Douw, and the sketch by Paul Veronese for his famous picture, the "Last Supper." "CUPERNHAM, a tything in the parish of Romsey, in the county of Hants, 2 miles from Romsey. "LEE, a tything in the parish of Romsey, hundred of King's Sombourne, county Hants, 2 miles from Romsey, and 7 N.W. of Southampton. It is situated near the river Test and Andover canal. "MAINSTONE, a tything in the parish of Romsey, liberty of Romsey, county Hants, near Romsey. "RANVILLS, a tything in the parish of Romsey, county Hants, 2 miles S.W. of Romsey. "SPURSHOT, a tything in the parish of Romsey, county Hants, near Romsey. "STANBRIDGE, a tything in the parish and liberty of Romsey, county Hants, near Romsey. "WOODBURY, (or Woodley), a tything in the parish of Romsey Extra, county Hants, adjoining Romsey. "WOOLS, a tything in the parish and liberty of Romsey, county Hants, 2 miles from Romsey."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]