NEW FOREST BED and BREAKFAST

Landford

Landford lies in the extreme south-east of Wiltshire, sandwiched between Whiteparish and Redlynch and bordering the New Forest in Hampshire parishes of Plaitford, once in Wiltshire, and West Wellow. Like its neighbours it was part of the Royal Forest of Melchet and the forest had had considerable influence on its development. The boundary of Hamptworth, now in Redlynch parish, came very close to the present village centre of Landford and the two communities have many links. The village of Nomansland has also had close links with Landford since its founding around 1800 and today the two villages join to the south-west of Landford Common.

The river Blackwater flows from west to east across the parish with river terrace deposits in its valley. Otherwise there is London Clay to the north of the river and London Clay and Bracklesham Sands to the south. A prehistoric trackway, the Cloven Way, from Totton on Southampton Water to Grim?s Ditch, west of Downton crosses the south-west corner of Landford parish. Archaeological finds indicate activity in this and neighbouring parishes but it is difficult to know if there was much permanent settlement in Landford before the Iron Age.

Mesolithic microliths have been found in a field between Broom Park Wood and Sharp Hearn Wood. Judging by the quantity found and the fact that cooking stones were also present this could have been a semi-permanent flint factory site. Two loopless palstaves (axes) from the early to middle and the late Bronze Age have been found opposite the Shoe Inn and on Landford Common, now in Plaitford. At Earldoms there is an Iron Age camp in woodland and an excavation in 1929 found 18 burial urns of the late Iron Age in a small circular mound. There were settlements in other parishes and the indication is that there was prehistoric activity in the parish even if there was little permanent settlement.

With Roman Villas at East Grimstead and West Dean, substantial Roman settlement in Downton and probably late 4th century settlement in Whiteparish, it is most likely that Romans and Romano-Britons were working and using Landford. There was probably iron working in the parish and pottery was made at Fritham. The Saxons conquered this part of Wiltshire in the early 6th century but when settlement occurred in unknown. By the 10th and 11th centuries there was a small community here and a mill on the river Blackwater.

The Domesday Book of 1086 gives us an idea of the settlement. There was enough arable land to maintain two ploughs, a mill and six bordars. This indicates a population of between 20 and 30 ? a fairly small community. The pasture is one league (more than a mile) by half a league while the woodland is four by four furlongs. The large area of woodland that was regarded as Royal Forest is not included. The estate was held by Otho, and as his father held it before the Norman Conquest it is likely that he was a Saxon, probably employed as King?s forester. A church is believed to have been here in the 11th century and it seems likely that the main house would have been nearby, as Landford Manor is today. With only six other households it is likely that settlement has always been scattered throughout the parish and there may not have been nucleated settlement around the church although field walking may disprove this.

Landford Wood remained part of the Royal Forest of Melchet until the late 16th century. Assarting (clearing woodland for arable holdings) did take place from 1270 and the appropriate fines were paid. From the early 14th century William de Lye held Landford manor and the Lye, or Legh, family remained there until the early 16th century. During this period the population remained small. In 1334 a total of ?3.6.8d (?3.33p) tax was paid for the parish ? the medieval settlement of Cowesfield in neighbouring Whiteparish paid ?5. In 1377 there were 48 poll tax payers (people aged over 14 years) compared with 55 in Cowesfield and 36 in Hamptworth. It is difficult to estimate population from the poll tax as there were evasions of payment and the number of children of 14 and under is unknown but the comparison would indicate that the whole parish of Landford was smaller than the settlement of Cowesfield in Whiteparish. It is quite probable that there were less than 20 families in Landford at this time.