| Beacons
Norden's Hampshire 1607
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| Beacon hills
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On Norden's map beacons are shown as a hill with what might be flames
on top. These are believed to represent posts on which beacons burned
in a cresset, and the number of posts, often 3, is significant.
Three of the beacons are named on the map; others are just indicated
- we have tried very hard to make a complete list below; the
grid references are approximate:-
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| beacons |
BEWARE: to get back to this list after clicking on an item,
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'modern' name (parish; ngr) = old name (hundred) if given
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Bitterne Beacon? (West End parish; SU469139)
by Beacon Road and Telegraph Road, West End; approximately SU470138,
above 80m contour
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Burghclere Beacon? (Burghclere parish; SU454572)
Beacon Hill, and hill fort; about SU458573, 261m; Burghclere
Note in Camden's Britannia
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Crondall Beacons? (Crondall parish; SU824504)
Beacon Hill; SU823503, at 177m; Crondall
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Farley Mount Beacon? (Ashley parish; SU403290)
Beacon Hill, Farley Mount; SU403290, at 174m; Ashley
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Hythe Beacon? (Marchwood parish; SU382093)
Beacon Hill; SZ383091, above 25m contour; Hythe and Dibden
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Lomer Beacon? (Exton parish; SU603225)
Beacon Hill, Lomer Beacon; SU602224, at 201m; Exton
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Popham Beacons (Steventon parish; SU529440)
= 3 Parow beacons (Micheldevor Hundred)
Probably on the hill top near Beacons Farm; SU528440, at
167m; Steventon
BUT also see Popham Beacons now used as the name for a group of
tumuli, not on a hill top, SU525439; Overton
OR Three Barrows, not on a hill top; SU507444; Laverstoke
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Portsdown Beacons? (Portsmouth parish; SU6_0_)
On coastal ridge above Cosham, could easily be under Fort
Purbrook! about SU6706, above 90m contour; Portsmouth
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Selthorne Beacon? (Brockenhurst parish; SZ273999)
= Selborne beak (Newforrest Hundred)
Probably towards the east end of Set Thorn Enclosure; about
SZ2799, above the 60m contour
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Toothill Beacon? (Nursling and Rownhams parish; SU382187)
= Toothillbeac (Fawley Hundred)
On Toot Hill, SU381187, at 84m; Nursling and Rownhams
Note that on the hill is Telegraph Wood, refering to a later phase
of communications
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| Armada
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It is worth remembering that this map was drafted
in 1595, only a few years after the Armada, whose presence off
our shores was signalled by beacons. Norden must have been aware
how important beacons were for defensive communication.
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Camden's
Britannia
| Norden's map of Hampshire was published in
Camden's 'Britannia'
along with a description of the county, including a comment
about beacons:-
... and Burgh-Cleare situate under an high hill, in the top whereof
a warlike rampire (such as our countreymen call a Burgh) hath a
trench taking a great compasse about it: from whence, there being
a faire and open prospect every way over the country lying
underneath, there standeth a Beacon, that by light burning fire
the enemies comming, may bee shewed to all the
neighbour-inhabitants round about. And verily such watches or
signals as this, we terme in common speech Beacons, of the old
word Beacnian, that is, to shew by a signe, and for these many
hundred yeeres, they have been in right great request, and much
used among us: in some places, by heaping up a deale of wood, in
others by barrels full of pitch fastened to the top of a mast or pole
in the highest places of the countrey, at which, by night some doe
ever more watch: and in old time, there were set horsemen as posts
in many places, whom our Ancestors called Hobelers, who in the day
time should give notice of the enemies approch.
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References
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Hill, David: 1981: Atlas of Anglo Saxon England: Blackwell::
ISBN 0 631 13684 3
Jones, J D: 11968: Hampshire Beacon Plot, The: ProcHFC: 25: pp105-118
Martin, Colin; Parker, Geoffrey: 1988: Spanish Armada, The:
Hamish Hamilton:: ISBN 0 241 12125 6
Sandell, Elsie M: 1961 (March): Fire on the Hills: Hampshire
Magazine
White, H T: 1931: Beacon System in Hampshire, The: ProcHFC: 10: pp252-278
White, H T: 1934: Hampshire plot, A: ProcHFC: 12: pp54-60
White, H T: 1947: Beacon System in Hampshire, The: ProcHFC: 16: pp19-22
Williams-Freeman, J P: 1934: Coast of Hampshire, The: ProcHFC: 12: 218-220
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