Old Hampshire Mapped
Leland's Hampshire 1635-43
Transcription (20)Southampton Water
Calshot Castle
Hook
Redbridge
Test, River
A Brefe Description of the Haven of Southampton.
The bredth of the mouth or the entery of Southampton haven is by estimation a 2. myles from shore to shore.
At the west point of it is a strong castelle a late buildid caullid Caldshore, communely Cawshot.
Minns:- 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.
There is on the est side agayne it a place caullid Hamel hooke, wher be a 3. or 4. fisshars houses.
Minns:- Hook or Houch, as it is spelt in Domesday, probably takes its name from the configuration of the land at this point, or possibly the hook shaped piece of water or creek now damned up at the mouth of the Hamble. Hook with Warsash is now an ecclesiastical district formed from the parish of Titchfield. Mr. Shore tells us - Shore:: Place Names of the County: ProcHFC: 3: p237- that names compounded with War do not refer to the sites of battles but are descriptive of a flow of water, and that such words as Ashe, &c., are derived from the Celtic water word 'Ache,' so Warsash would be a duplicate water word.
The haven shorith up a 7. miles on the west side tyl it cummith up to Hampton toun standing on the other side: and here by estimation the trajectus is a mile from land to land.
Thens it goith up farther a 3. miles to Redbridge: and ebbith and flowith a myle above that.
And to this salt arme as the highest and principale hed of the haven resortith both Teste Ryver and Stoke Bridge water yn one botom.
On this side of the haven I markid few other thinges notable.
But I markid that the body and principale streame of the haven enterid by south as at the mouth: and went up by ...
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