Weyhill
Weyhill, Penton Graftoncounty:
coords:
Hampshire
SU3146
otherwise: Leweo, 1200-1299?; Wou, la, 1270; Weo, 1318; Wee, la, 1379
WEYHILL
Despite there being no Anglo Saxon period records, this name shows every sign of deriving from Old English 'weoh'='idol', commonly taken to mean '(heathen) shrine, temple' in place names. The place may have had a colourful religious history; a Christian Roman hoard was found here. Continental Germanic relatives of Old English 'weoh' may have a Christian meaning. It is not now regarded as certain that names of this type actually refer to material signs of Anglo Saxon paganism.
We find 1399 'Wee alias Ramrugge. Ramridge House' is on the side of a spur to the NW of the present village, which occupies the spur used by the Andover to Devizes road (A303). 'Hill' is not added to the simplex name till 1571.
The place is described in text Cobbett 1830
WENT to Weyhill-fair, ... The 11th of October is the Sheep-fair. About 300,000l. used, some few years ago, to be carried home by the sheep-sellers. To-day, less, perhaps, than 70,00l. and yet, the rents of these sheep-sellers are, perhaps, as high, on an average, as they were then. The countenances of the farmers were descriptive of their ruinous state. I never, in all my life, beheld a more mournful scene. There is a horse-fair upon another part of the Down; and there I saw horses keeping pace in depression with the sheep. ... My sons went two of the days [to Weyhill Fair], and their account of the hop-fair was enough to make one gloomy for a month
...
... the great fair at Weyhill, which began yesterday [Tuesday 10 October], and, indeed, the day before, at APPLESHAW. These two days are allotted for the selling of sheep only, though the horse-fair begins on the 10th. ...
To Weyhill, which is a village of half a dozen houses on a down, just above Appleshaw, they bring from the down-farms in Wiltshire and Hampshire, where they are bred, the South-down sheep: ewes go away into the pasture and turnip countries to have lambs, wethers to be fatted and killed, and lambs (nine months old) to be kept to be sheep. At both fairs there is supposed to be about two hundred thousand sheep. ...
Mr. BLOUNT, at whose house (7 miles from Weyhill) I am, went with me to the fair; and we took particular pains to ascertain the prices. We saw, and spoke to, Mr. John Herbert, of Stoke (near Uphusband), who was asking 20s., and who did not expect to get it, for South Down ewes, just such as he sold, last year (at this fair), for 36s. Mr. JOLLIFFE, of Crux-Easton, was asking 16s. for just such ewes as he sold, last year (at this fair), for 32s.
Farmer HOLDWAY had sold 'for less than half' his last year's price. A farmer that I did not know, told us, that he had sold to a great sheep-dealer of the name of Smallpiece at the latter's own price! I asked him what that 'own price' was; and he said that he was ashamed to say. The horse-fair appeared to have no business at all going on; for, indeed, how were people to purchase horses, who had only got half-price for their sheep?
...
I WENT to Weyhill, yesterday [14 October 1826], to see the close of the hop and of the cheese fair; for, after the sheep, these are the principal articles. The crop of hops has been, in parts where they are grown unusually large and of super-excellent quality. The average price of ...
Period - 19th century, early
a village in Hampshire, 3m W Andover, famous for an annual fair, lasting 10 days, for all kinds of cattle, leather, hops, cheese, and pedlary.
Shown on an old map by Baker 1802
Period - 19th century, early
Wey Hill 66
66 miles from London; drawing of village.
Shown on an old map by Harrison 1788
- settlement, town - Andover Hundred - Hampshire
Period - 1780s
- Hampshire
Clutterbuck, R, Rev: 1895: Weyhill Fair: ProcHFC: 3: pp127-142
This [Weyhill] Fair is reckoned to be as great an one as any in England for many Commodities, and for Sheep indisputably the biggest, the farmers coming out of the South, North and East, to buy the Dorsetshire Ewes here. 'Tis also a great Hop and Cheese Fair, the former being brought out of Sussex and Kent, and the latter out of Wiltshire, Glocestershire and Somersetshire.
Period - 18th century, early
But the chief reason of my making this digression, is to mention, that within a mile, or thereabouts, of this town [Andover], at the place where the open down country begins, is Wey-Hill, where the greatest fair for sheep is kept, that this nation can shew. I confess, though I once saw the fair, yet I could make no estimate of the number brought thither for sale; but asking the opinion of a grasier, who had used to buy sheep there, he boldly answered, There were many hundred thousands. This being too general, I press'd him farther; at length he said, He believed there were five hundred thousand sheep sold there in one fair. Now, tho' this might, I believe, be too many, yet 'tis sufficient to note, that there are a prodigious quantity of sheep sold here; nor can it be otherwise, if be considered, that the sheep sold here, are not for immediate killing, but are generally ewes for store sheep for the farmers, and they send for them from all the following counties, Berks, Oxford, Bucks, Bedford, Hertford, Middlesex, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex: The custom of these farmers, is, to send one farmer in behalf of (perhaps) twenty, and so the sheep come up together, and they part them when they come home. These ewes have also this property, that they generally bring two lambs at a time. What weathers are bought here, are carried off by the farmers, who have feeding grounds, in order to fat them for killing; but they are but few compared to the ewes.
Near this Town [Andover] also is Fair Yearly on Septr 30th. call'd Wey-hill Fair, from ye little Village wherein tis kept, Esteem'd ye greatest in England for Sheep: Farmers from ye North, South & East, Resorting to it, to Buy Dorset-shire Ewes. It is also very Considerable for Kentish, & Sussex, Hops; & GlocesterShire, & SomersetShire Cheese, which are brought to this fair in great Adundance.
Shown on an old map by Morden 1695
- settlement, hamlet - Andover extra Hundred - Hampshire
Period - 1690s-1720s
Shown on an old map by Blaeu 1645
- settlement, village - Andover Without Hundred - Hantshire
Shown on an old map by Speed 1611
- settlement, village - Andover without Hundred - Hantshire
Shown on an old map by Norden 1607
- settlement, village - Andover extra Hundred - Hamshire
Period - 1590s-1600s
Shown on an old map by Saxton 1575
- settlement, village - Southamtoniae
