Place:Eling, Hampshire, England

Watchers
NameEling
Alt namesBauld-oxfeesource: settlement in parish
Calmoresource: settlement in parish
Durley in Elingsource: settlement in parish
Hammonds Greensource: settlement in parish
Newton Burysource: manor in parish
North Elingsource: settlement in parish
Rumbridgesource: manor in parish
Shelleysource: manor in parish
South Elingsource: settlement in parish
Tatchburysource: settlement in parish
Testwoodsource: manor in parish
Totton and Berkleysource: settlement in parish
TypeParish (ancient), Civil parish
Coordinates50.9096°N 1.4772°W
Located inHampshire, England
See alsoThorngate Hundred, Hampshire, Englandancient county division in which it was located earlier than it was in Redbridge
Redbridge Hundred, Hampshire, Englandancient county division in which it was located more recently, but before 1834
New Forest Rural, Hampshire, Englandrural district in which it was located 1894-1932
Totton and Eling, Hampshire, Englandcivil parish of which it is now part
New Forest District, Hampshire, Englanddistrict municipality covering the area since 1974
source: Family History Library Catalog
source: Family History Library Catalog


A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Eling from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"ELING, a village, a parish, and a [registration] sub-district in New Forest district, Hants. The village stands on the north-west horn of Southampton-water, near the mouth of the river Anton, and near Totton [railway] station, 4 miles W of Southampton; was known at Domesday as Edlinges; is said to have then had a church, two mills, a fishery, and a saltern; has now a fair on 5 July; has also granaries, storehouses, and several docks; and carries on a considerable trade in corn, timber, and coal. The parish includes South Eling, North Eling, Bartley-Regis, Bauld-oxfee, Bistern and Bartley, Colebury, Durley, Langley, Lopperwood, Marchwood, Rumbridge, Tatchbury, Testwood, Wade, Ower, and Wigley; and has post offices of Bartley, Marchwood, and Totton under Southampton, and Ower under Romsey. Acres: 18,459; of which 730 are water. Real property of South Eling: £1, 899; of North Eling: £3,984; of Bartley-Regis: £1,725; of Bauldoxfee: £2,610; of Bistern and Bartley: £719; of Colebury: £1,847; of Durley: £1,217; of Langley: £1,045; of Lopperwood: £545; of Marchwood: £497; of Rumbridge: £1, 358; of Tatchbury: £550; of Testwood: £2,364; of Wade and Ower: £2, 413; of Wigley: £507. Population of the parish: 5,947. Houses: 1,179. The limits include 740 acres of New Forest. The property is much sub-divided. The manor, in the time of Edward the Confessor, was under obligation to give half-a-day's entertainment to the king whenever he should pass it; and it belongs now to the Rev. Sir J. B. Mill, Bart. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Winchester. Value: £630. Patrons: the Trustees of the Rev. W. J. G. Phillips. The church is of various dates, from the 11th century; and contains many interesting monuments. The vicarages of North Eling, Marchwood, and Netley, are separate benefices. Value of North Eling: £260. Patrons: the Trustees of the Rev. W. J. G. Phillips. A new church, in the early decorated style, and a new school, - were founded in 1869. The charities include an alms-house for four persons, and a share in Nowes' school. The parish contains the New Forest workhouse.
"The sub-district includes 7,920 acres of the New Forest. Population: 5,952. Houses, 1,180."
the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

The area's history is inevitably closely connected with ship and boat building but more with its timber trade. It was the site of much illegal dealing in the timber unlawfully obtained from the New Forest.

Eling's attractions include its tide mill that is at one end of the harbour and Eling's Norman parish church, St Mary's, built on Saxon foundations with registers dating back to 1537. Eling Tide Mill is one of the very few working tide mills in the UK but cannot be equated with the mill listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. In addition, Eling contains Hampshire's only surviving medieval toll bridge across Bartley Water by the side of the Tide Mill. This has been in use since at least 1418 and still charges users today. There is a Town Council-run heritage centre, with details of the history of Totton and Eling, the name of the present local administration in existence since 1974.

Manors and Settlements

Wilson's Gazetteer lists a number of settlements that were located in the parish of Eling and A Vision of Britain through Time has a list of manors. A few became separate parishes in the early 20th century; some were sections of the new parishes: the remainder have always been part of Eling. Each has been redirected to its parish in 1900.

Name Type Notes
Colbury tything, manorbecame civil parish in 1894, merged back into Eling in 1934
Marchwoodchapelry, manorbecame civil parish in 1894
Copythorne became civil parish in 1894
Netley Marsh adjoining civil parish part merged into Eling in 1934
Langley manor located in Fawley
Newton Bury manor
Ower manor part of Netley Marsh parish
Rumbridge manor
Shelley manor
Sidford manorlocated in Millbrook
Tatchbury manor
Testwood manor
Totton manorsee the separate article on Totton
Totton and Berkley manor
Wade manor part of Netley Marsh parish
Wade and Owermanorpart of Netley Marsh parish
Wigley manor part of Copythorne parish
Winsor manor part of Copythorne parish
Winsor and Cadnam manorpart of Copythorne parish
Bartley-Regis settlement part of Copythorne parish
Bauld-oxfee settlement
Bistern and Bartleysettlement part of Copythorne parish
Cadnam settlement part of Copythorne parish
Colebury settlement alternate spelling of Colbury
Durley in Eling settlement
Hammonds Green settlement
Hounsdown settlement part of Colbury parish
Lopperwood settlement part of Netley Marsh parish
North Eling settlement
South Eling settlement
Wade settlement part of Netley Marsh parish

Research Tips

  • Victoria County History of Hampshire, volume 4, chapter on Eling.
  • Eling Tide Mill is marked on Google Earth at 50.9112 N, 1.4836 W. (and is searchable by its name). The slightly different co-ordinates at the top of the page are those of St. Mary's Church on the opposite side of Bartley Water. Viewing the Southampton area on Google Earth allows an inspection of the proximity of a modern port city to a neighbourhood with longstanding historical roots.
  • 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):
  • A group of maps of the post-1974 municipal districts or boroughs of Hampshire on Wikipedia Commons


This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Totton and Eling. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.