Neatham

Coordinates: 51°09′41″N 0°56′30″W / 51.161426°N 0.94153918°W / 51.161426; -0.94153918

Neatham
Neatham  Neatham shown within Hampshire
OS grid reference	SU7411240774
District	East Hampshire
Shire county	Hampshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ALTON
Postcode district	GU34 4
Dialling code	01420
Police	Hampshire
Fire	Hampshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Alton
List of places: UK • England • Hampshire

Neatham is a Roman hamlet in the civil parish of Holybourne in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Alton, which lies 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south-west from the hamlet.

History

Roman period – Vindomis

The lost Roman settlement of Vindomis is believed to be at Neatham. Its strategic importance lay in its being at the crossing of important roads: one from Winchester towards London and the other from Chichester to Silchester, a large Roman town to the north of present-day Basingstoke. The name Vindomis might be translated as ‘(The mansio) of the wine country’ (although this may equally be a Celtic name, with the prefix VINDO-'white'). Vindomis may well have been the administrative centre of a large estate associated with the potteries.^[1] The population at this time is estimated at have been 2,500.

Saxon period – Neatham

After the Romans left, it became a Saxon settlement, called Neatham, indicating the presence of a cattle market. For several centuries, Neatham remained the chief place in the area and the focal point of the Neatham Hundred, which included a large part of north-east Hampshire.

Norman period

At the time of the Domesday Book, Neatham was recorded as belonging to the Crown. The population was 96.^[2] After the founding of Waverley Abbey in 1128, King Steven made a gift of Neatham for the Abbey to establish a Grange and an Oratory, with a community of 12 monks, independent of the parish of Holybourne. Eventually, Neatham was eclipsed by Alton and, in the 12th century, the area was renamed the Alton Hundred.

Tudor period

When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, Neatham went into lay hands and became part of the parish of Binsted.

Modern day

In the 1980s, Neatham elected to be joined to Holybourne. Neatham is now a hamlet comprising a Manor House, a Grange, a mill, and a dozen cottages. Today, the hamlet lies along the Alton bypass between Alton and Farnham. Its Grade I buildings and mills still remain.

Notable buildings

Neatham Grange

• Mill House (C.19)^[3]

Upper Neatham Mill

• Mill House. Possible C.18 or earlier.^[3]
• Barn^[3]

Neatham Mill

• Mill and Barn . Mostly C.19.^[3]
• Dovecote C.18^[4]

Neatham Manor

• Manor House Possible C.18.^[5]
• Dovecote C.16/17^[4]

References

1. ^ The distribution of Alice Holt/Farnham ware pp57–58 Original PDF
2. ^ Hampshire Treasures Volume 6 (East Hampshire) Page 47 - Binsted
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Hampshire Treasures Volume 6 (East Hampshire) p49
4. ^ ^{a b} Hampshire Treasures Volume 6 (East Hampshire) p48
5. ^ Hampshire Treasures Volume 6 (East Hampshire) p50

External links

• VINDOMIS? Minor Romano-British Settlement: Neatham, Hampshire?
• Neatham
• PROPOSED CONSERVATION AREAS AT LOWER NEATHAM MILL AND ISINGTON