Hide

National Gazetteer (1868) - Whitchurch

hide
Hide

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"WHITCHURCH, a parish, decayed market town, and borough by prescription, in the hundred of Evingar, county Hants, 12 miles N.E. of Winchester, and 59 S.W. of London. It is a station on the Andover and Basingstoke branch of the London and South-Western railway. The parish includes, besides the town of its own name, the tythings of Charlcott, Cold Henley, and Freefolk Priors. It is situated on the river Test, which has its rise about 6 miles distant in a range of chalk hills. It has a mechanics' institute, held at the townhall, a branch bank, a library at the church, and banknote paper mills in the tything of Freefolk Priors.

It is a polling place for the northern division of the county, and sent two members to parliament from the 27th of Queen Elizabeth till the passing of the Reform Act of 1832, by which it was disfranchised. It is a borough by prescription, not included in the Municipal Corporation Act, and is governed by a mayor and bailiff, elected annually by the freeholders at the court-leet of the Dean and Chapter of Winchester, to whom the manor belongs. The county court is held at Andover, and the union poorhouse is situated in the parish of Overton. The population of the parish in 1851 was 1,911, and in 1861, 1,962. Whitchurch Lodge is a meet for the Vine hounds. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Winchester, value £205, in the patronage of the bishop. The church is dedicated to All Saints. There are chapels for Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, Independents, and Baptists. There are National schools. The parochial charities produce about £100 per annum. Market day was on Friday, but is now disused. Fairs are held on the third Thursday in June, and on the 19th and 20th October. "CHARLCOTT, a tything in the parish of Whitchurch, in the county of Hants, "COLD HENLEY, a chapelry in the parish of Whitchurch, hundred of Evingar, county Hants, 3 miles N.E. of Whitchurch. "COLD HENLEY, a tything in the parish of Whitchurch, the county of Hants, 4 miles N. of Whitchurch. "FREEFOLK-PRIORS, a tything in the parish of Whitchurch, hundred of Evingar, county Hants, 1 mile N.E. of Whitchurch."

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