Stroud in the mid 19th Century
Stroud in the mid 19th Century
Ron Allen 4 December 2020
This map is derived from a careful tracing of the massive rolled Tithe Maps of 1839-1852 of East Meon, Buriton and Steep parishes held in the Hampshire Record Office. These maps provide an amazing insight into the landscape and landholdings of some 175 years ago. The map also shows the parish boundaries of the time (purple dashed lines), the modern parish boundary (red dashed lines) and the modern footpath network (green dotted lines).
In the middle of the 19th century much of the western part of the modern Stroud parish (then an outlying part of East Meon parish and known as Stroud Common) was described as ‘waste’ while the eastern part of the modern Stroud parish (within outlying parts of Buriton and Steep parishes) was enclosed pasture with some arable farmland. These markedly contrasted landscapes probably date back to at least the mediaeval period and form the very basis for the modern parish.
Points of interest
Stroud Common
The one time common (brown tone) is now all but lost, the last remaining part being Stroud Village Green and which privately owned but still available for quiet recreation. It is likely that the common would have been open land with wet grassland and scrub and grazed by the commoners’ livestock. The common is now enclosed farmland. The modern Winchester Road and Ramsdean Road passed through the ‘waste’ as unfenced tracks. The modern North Stroud Lane is not shown. See how the entrances to the common form open funnels typical of mediaeval commons.
Pesthouse
The East Meon Pesthouse is located within the wastes of the common and Judith Wright explains that this was constructed in 1703 to house families afflicted by malaria that had taken over from the former devastating plagues.
Stroud Brick and Tile Works
The buildings and kilns for the brickworks show clearly and must have been important employer at the time. Note the related names Kiln copse, Brick Kiln Mead and Kiln Yard.
Two Mill Plat fields are named and speculation suggests may represent the platform of a former water mill on the Cridell Stream. Bridge Pieces suggests a bridge over the stream.
Beckham Lane field has the name of what is now the Winchester Road.
The only modern farm shown is Rothercombe Farm, otherwise there is a building that became known as Holmwood Farm (now demolished) with its adjacent Milking Plot, presumably a dairy farm. The site of the modern New Buildings Farm is shown a small enclosure adjacent Bradleys Barn Field and may at that time have been but a single barn.
Holmwood Copse is now known as Furzefield Copse, an ancient coppiced woodland. Other coppice woodland appears as Stroud Bridge Coppice and Torps Copse.
Housing
The modern settlement of Stroud village did not exist and the parish appears almost devoid of housing. There are cottages and gardens at the Pesthouse, to the south of Holmwood Farm and adjacent to Rothercombe Farm. There is a garden at what is now Stroudbridge Farm. A Homestead is shown at what is now the Red House.
Public House
The 7 Stars is shown adjacent to 7 Stars Meadow.