Hedge End is a town and civil parish in Hampshire, England. Situated to the east of the City of Southampton, it adjoins the districts of West End and Botley. Hedge End lies within the Borough of Eastleigh and is part of the Southampton Urban Area. The original hamlet developed on Botley Common after 1250 when it was granted to the men of Botley as common pasture. In 1267, royal charters allowed Botley to hold an annual fair and a weekly market on the common which eventually became a market town.
The Belgae tribe inhabited the Hedge End area prior to the Roman conquest. A Roman road from Clausentum (a fortified harbour in what is now Bitterne, Southampton) passed through the area on route to Portus Adurni (Portchester Castle) and Noviomagus Reginorum (Chichester).The crossing of the River Itchen at Mansbridge and the crossing of the River Hamble at Botley date to AD932. The road that linked those two river crossings would have followed the approximate route of the modern Grange Road. From Mansbridge, it is 4 miles (6.4 km) to the port of Southampton and 12 miles (19 km) to Winchester, which was for a period the capital of England. Kings of England owned hunting land at King's Copse (originally known as King's Forest). Farming at the Manor of Shamblehurst is mentioned in a record dating to 1219. Although this area is within the boundary of modern Hedge End, the original hamlet of Hedge End first established itself on Botley Common. This land was granted to the men of Botley as common pasture in 1250. That area is towards the bottom of the hill that rises up to Netley Common and is rich with natural streams and springs. Prior to the Erection of Cottages Act 1588, an Englishman could build his house on common land if he could raise the roof over his head and have a fire in the hearth between sunrise and sunset and claim the dwelling as his home. That procedure and the presence of a reliable water supply would have allowed a few dwellings to become established on Botley Common from 1250 onwards.
The development of two new roads to serve the toll bridges at Northam and Woolston brought travellers closer to Hedge End.Northam road was opened in 1799, with a tollgate at Hedge End.[citation needed] In 1839, another new road was built to provide access to the Floating Bridge at Woolston. This new road cut through the centre of Botley Common, opening the way for further development. In modern Hedge End this is St. Johns Road. An Enclosure Act of 1863–1865 formally divided Botley Common into plots. Some plots were used for development, 2 acres (8,100 m2) were for allotments and 3 acres (12,000 m2) were assigned to the lord of the manor, William Warner to be used for a Recreation Ground. St. John's School was built in 1863, admitting its first 13 children on 18 January 1864. By 1885, the building had been enlarged twice. By 1888, the building was also used as a library. St. John's Church was consecrated on 15 July 1874.In February 1876, St. Johns, Hedge End was constituted as a separate parish for ecclesiastical purposes. A sub-post office was established on 2 August 1894. Hedge End was constituted a civil parish at its inaugural meeting on 14 December 1894. In 1895, the parish took over responsibility for the recreation ground. The recreation ground between St Johns Road and Bursledon road is all that remains of Botley Common. In the late 19th Century, Hedge End, like many neighbouring villages in the area, was a strawberry growing area. Its produce was despatched to London and Scotland by train service from Botley station. St. John's Room was built in 1907, which was the church hall until the Underhill Centre (Named after the Reverend Mervyn Spenser Underhill, Vicar of St Johns Church 1961-1994) was opened in 2002. St. John's Room now serves as a day nursery for small children.
Bonus Cache
Bonus numbers will be present in all of the caches in the series. You will need to collect these numbers should you wish to find the series bonus '* - Bonus Cache - Hampshire A-Z'
Anyone finding at least 26 caches in this series may post the badge below on their Geocaching.com profile
Please see note on 6th March 2016