Calshot Castle
Calshot Castle, Fawleycounty:
coords:
Hampshire
SU488025
otherwise: celcesoran, 980-12; celcesord; celceshord, 1000-1099?; Calchesores, 1300; Calchesorde, 1347
CALSHOT CASTLE, spit of land and fort in Fawley
The bulk of forms for this name suggest hypothetical Old English 'Caelcesord'='spit of land (ord) of the chalice', in some topographical sense [chk xxxx]. The earliest form has 'ora'='shore, bank'. It is not clear whether then change of name reflects a change in topography due to local geological and tidal conditions. As often, the element 'ord' in the Middle Ages is sometimes taken for 'ford' (1344 'Kelcheforde'). Come the 16th century, the modern form with 'shot' is found, as if for the common 'sceat' of North Hampshire, but the reason for the change is unclear. The Tudor fort is first 'Calshot castel' on Saxton's map of 1579.
Shown on an old map by Harrison 1788
- castle - New Forest Hundred - Hampshire
Period - 1780s
no symbol for castle
Shown on an old map by Badeslade 1742
- castle - Hampshire
Period - 1740s
otherwise: Caldshore; Cerdicesora
The place is described in text Cox 1738
Cox has Calshot in the wrong place, sometimes.
[New Forest] ... much exposed to the Invasion of foreign Enemies, which King Henry VIII. considering, resolved to build some Castles for its Defence, lest the Nation should lose more by the keeping than it had done by making it; and thereupon he built ... More Westward [from Hurst-Castle] upon the Mouth of the Stour and Avon, and on the utmost Edge of the Forest, the same King [Henry VIII] built Calshot Castle, so called for Corruption, for Caldshore, which seems to be taken from the Saxon Name [Cerdicesora], which was in these western Parts of England, as is plain from Matthew Westminster, who says, that those Persons landed in occidentali parte Britanniae, which the Saxon Annals relate to have come a-shore at [Cerdicesora]; which Conjecture, if it be true, we must remove their landing Place from Yarmouth to this Place.
... These two Castles upon the Shore, and more inwardly the other two Castles of ... are a perfect Security at the Entrance of the Bay of Southampton.
Shown on an old map by Morden 1695
- castle - New Forrest Hundred - Hampshire
Period - 1690s-1720s
Shown on an old map by Blaeu 1645
- castle - Newforrest Hundred - Hantshire
Shown on an old map by Simmons 1643
- Hamshire
Period - 1630s-40s
Shown on an old map by Speed 1611
- castle - Newforrest Hundred - Hantshire
The place is described in text Camden 1610
- Hantshire
Period - 1600s
And more towards the East he [Henry VIII] set up also another fortresse or blockhouse, they name it Calshot Castle for Caldshore, to defend the entrie of Southampton Haven
Shown on an old map by Norden 1607
- castle - Newforrest Hundred - Hamshire
Period - 1590s-1600s
Shown on an old map by Keer 1620
- Southampton
The place is described in text Keer 1620
- Hantshire
... the Coast strengthened with many strong Castles, such as ... Calshot, ...
Shown on an old map by Waghenaer 1583
Shown on an old map by Saxton 1575
- castle - Southamtoniae
otherwise: Cawshot castelle
The place is described in text Leland 1535-43
At the west point of it [Southampton haven] is a strong castelle a late buildid caullid Caldshore, communely Cawshot.
Minns says:- Calshot Castle, erected in the reign of Henry VIII. A massive circular tower formerly a coastguard station, now in the hands of the War Department.
