Place:Upper Clatford, Hampshire, England

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source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Upper Clatford is a village and civil parish in the Test Valley District of Hampshire. The village lies in the valley of the River Anton, several miles upstream of the point where the Anton joins the River Test, just to the south of Andover. Clatford is an old English term meaning 'the ford where the burdock grows'.

The local parish Church of All Saints was first built probably during the reign of Henry I (1100-1135) as its massive columns and round arches are typical of the first half of the 12th century. It was rebuilt in the 16th century and transformed into an 'auditory church' in the 17th century. Even so, a large proportion of the congregation still cannot see the altar. The Church rests between two arms of the Pillhill Brook; the village war memorial is also within its grounds.

The village historically had 4 manors: Norman Court, Sackville Court, Clatford Manor and Clatford Mills.

The village is within walking distance of Andover town centre and the most direct route is to follow the path of the old railway line which is now a public footpath. Along this route there is much evidence of the old railway line though little to be seen of the earlier canal that preceded the railway. The canal and later railway were very important to the local economy in particular for the transport of raw materials from Southampton via Andover to Upper Clatford for Taskers of Andover (an engineering firm specializing in transport vehicles commencing in 1809) whose premises were located in nearby Anna Valley in Abbots Ann parish. Pig iron was shipped from Southampton via the canal to Taskers Wharf, originally located where the footpath now leaves Upper Clatford for Andover.

Following the road south out of the village leads to the twin village of Goodworth Clatford (formerly Lower Clatford).

Research Tips

• Victoria County History of Hampshire, volume 4, chapter on Upper Clatford.
• GENUKI has a list of archive holders in Hampshire including the Hampshire Record Office, various museums in Portsmouth and Southhampton, the Isle of Wight Record Office and Archives.
• The Hampshire Online Parish Clerk project has a large collection of transcriptions from Parish Registers across Hampshire.
• A listing of all the Registration Districts in England and Wales since their introduction in 1837 together with tables listing the parishes that were part of each district and the time period covered, along with detailed notes on changes of parish name, mergers, etc. Do respect the copyright on this material.
• The three-storey City Museum in Winchester covers the Iron Age and Roman periods, the Middle Ages, and the Victorian period.
• Volumes in The Victoria County History Series are available for Hampshire through British History Online. There are three volumes and the county is covered by parishes within the old divisions of "hundreds".

A collection of maps on the A Vision of Britain through Time website illustrating the English county of Hampshire over the period 1832-1932 (the last two are expandible):

• The Hundreds of Hampshire, a map from HMSO Boundary Commissioners, dated 1832
• Hampshire showing parishes in their Rural Districts as of 1900, a map from the Ordnance Survey
• Hampshire showing parishes in their Rural Districts after the alterations of 1932, a map from the Ordnance Survey

• A group of maps of the post-1974 municipal districts or boroughs of Hampshire on Wikipedia Commons