Exton, Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Exton is a small village
and civil parish in the City of Winchester
district of Hampshire
, England
. The village lies in the South Downs National Park
, on the west bank of the River Meon
, immediately to the north of Corhampton
. It is located two miles north east of Droxford
and five miles north east of Bishops Waltham. Its name first appears in 940 as East Seaxnatune, meaning "farmstead of the East Saxons".
The parish straddles the Meon Valley, including higher ground of the South Downs
to either side, with Old Winchester Hill
to the east and the southern part of Beacon Hill
(shared with Warnford
parish) to the west. It is crossed from east to west by the present temporary route of the South Downs Way
long distance footpath. The A32
and the Meon Valley Railway footpath
cross from north to south.
The parish contains numerous archaeological sites including a Mesolithic
flint working site, Bronze Age
bowl barrow
s and the Iron Age
fort at Old Winchester Hill. There are also Roman
and Dark Age sites and the site of the mediaeval village of Lomer. The 13th century church of St. Peter and St. Paul was heavily restored
in the 19th century.
Exton has remained a small community for more than two centuries. In 1801 Exton's total population
was 224, by 1901 it had grown slightly to 299 yet by 2001 the population had shrunk to 230. Photographs from the 1950s show a village shop and post office in Exton but this closed in the 1960s. At the current time, the only community buildings in the village are the church and the Shoe Inn Public House.
In 1870-72, John Goring's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Exton like this:
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the City of Winchester
City of Winchester
Winchester is a local government district in Hampshire, England, with city status. It covers an area of central Hampshire including the city of Winchester itself, and neighbouring towns and villages including New Alresford, Colden Common and Bishops Waltham....
district of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village lies in the South Downs National Park
South Downs National Park
The South Downs National Park is England's newest National Park, having become fully operational on 1 April 2011. The park, covering an area of in southern England, stretches for from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in the east through the counties of Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex...
, on the west bank of the River Meon
River Meon
The River Meon is a river that flows through an area of Hampshire in southern England known as the Meon Valley, it flows generally southwards from the South Downs to the Solent. For most of its route it is a chalk stream, with a length of 21 miles .The River Meon rises approximately...
, immediately to the north of Corhampton
Corhampton
Corhampton is a village in Hampshire, England. It lies on the western bank of the River Meon. It forms a civil parish with Meonstoke which adjoins on the eastern bank....
. It is located two miles north east of Droxford
Droxford
Droxford is a village in Hampshire, England, lying in the Meon valley, and lies around 3¾ miles east of Bishop's Waltham within the new South Downs National Park. The A32 passes through the village between Gosport and Alton...
and five miles north east of Bishops Waltham. Its name first appears in 940 as East Seaxnatune, meaning "farmstead of the East Saxons".
The parish straddles the Meon Valley, including higher ground of the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
to either side, with Old Winchester Hill
Old Winchester Hill
Old Winchester Hill is a chalk hill in Hampshire, England surmounted by an Iron Age hill fort and a Bronze Age cemetery. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve. The hill fort has never been fully excavated.-Location:...
to the east and the southern part of Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill, Warnford, Hampshire
Beacon Hill, Warnford, Hampshire is a chalk hill in the South Downs on the boundary of the parishes of Warnford and Exton. Part of the hill is a National Nature Reserve and biological SSSI, first notified in 1979.The hill-Location:...
(shared with Warnford
Warnford
Warnford is a village and civil parish in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England.The village lies on the A32 in the valley of the River Meon between West Meon and Exton. It has a church and a pub, . There is an infrequent bus service from Bishop's Waltham to Petersfield...
parish) to the west. It is crossed from east to west by the present temporary route of the South Downs Way
South Downs Way
The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England, and is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales...
long distance footpath. The A32
A32 road
The A32 is a road in Hampshire, southern England, that links Gosport and Alton. Starting at Gosport, facing Portsmouth, it travels north via Fareham, Wickham, Droxford, before joining the A31 road near Alton...
and the Meon Valley Railway footpath
Meon Valley Railway Line (trail)
The Meon Valley Railway Line is a recreational footpath and cyclepath in Hampshire, England.The trail follows part of the bed of the former Meon Valley Railway , which closed in 1968...
cross from north to south.
The parish contains numerous archaeological sites including a Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
flint working site, Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
bowl barrow
Bowl barrow
Bowl Barrow is the name for a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from the fact that it looks like an upturned bowl...
s and the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
fort at Old Winchester Hill. There are also Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and Dark Age sites and the site of the mediaeval village of Lomer. The 13th century church of St. Peter and St. Paul was heavily restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the 19th century.
Exton has remained a small community for more than two centuries. In 1801 Exton's total population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
was 224, by 1901 it had grown slightly to 299 yet by 2001 the population had shrunk to 230. Photographs from the 1950s show a village shop and post office in Exton but this closed in the 1960s. At the current time, the only community buildings in the village are the church and the Shoe Inn Public House.
In 1870-72, John Goring's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Exton like this:
- "EXTON, a village and a parish in Droxford district, Hants. The village stands 2 miles N by E of Droxford, and 5 NE of Bishops-Waltham r. station; and has a post officePost officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
under SouthamptonSouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. The parish comprises 2,464 acres (10 km²). Real property, £Pound sterlingThe pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
2,640. Pop., 257. Houses, 41. Exton Lodge is a principal residence. The living is a rectory in the diocese of WinchesterWinchesterWinchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. Value, 331.* Patron, the Bishop of WinchesterBishop of WinchesterThe Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...
. The church was rebuilt in 1847, and is in the early English style. "