Ringwood, Hampshire
Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox UK place
Ringwood is a market town in south-west Hampshire, England, on the River Avon close to the New Forest, northeast of Bournemouth and southwest of Southampton. It was founded by the Anglo-Saxons, and has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages.
History
Ringwood is recorded in a charter of 961, in which King Edgar gave 22 hides of land in Rimecuda to Abingdon Abbey.<ref>"Before attempting to explain this name, a note must be made on B.1066, a charter which Birch identifies with Ringwood. The VCH. Hants, points out that this charter professes to record a grant of the lands concerned to Abingdon Abbey, but that there is no other record of the abbey holding lands at Ringwood. It also mentions that in the Rolls Series Rimecuda is identified with Ruscombe, Berks. With regard to the last identification it may be said without further ado that the survey renders it quite impossible. Whether the grant be genuine or not, the survey attached to it is almost certainly that of the bounds of the lands of Ringwood as they were in early times. The survey mentions the Avon, Linford and Fulford, and, possibly, Sandford, all of them names connected with Ringwood. The agreement is too marked for it to be taken as a mere coincidence. Birch's identification is almost certainly correct." — The Archaeological Journal, (1930), Volume 84, page 192</ref> The name is also recorded in the 10th century as Runcwuda and Rimucwuda.<ref name="ohg">Template:Cite web</ref> The second element wuda means a 'wood'; rimuc may be derived from rima meaning 'border' or 'rim', hence "border wood".<ref>"The second element of the name is Wuda, a 'wood.' ... Rimuc may be a diminutive. If so, it is a diminutive of Rima, 'border.' Then the meaning of the name would be 'the Wood of the Little Border.' Later experience has led me to suspect that Rimuc is one of a class of pre-Saxon stream names in -uc and -ic. – The Archaeological Journal, (1930), Volume 84, page 193</ref> The name may refer to Ringwood's position on the fringe of Ringwood Forest, or on the border of Hampshire.<ref name="ohg"/> William Camden in 1607 gave a much more fanciful derivation, claiming that the original name was Regne-wood, the Regni being an ancient people of Britain.<ref>William Camden’s Britannia (1607) in Latin and English – The Philological Museum Library of Humanistic Texts</ref><ref>Edmund Gibson’s Edition 2, 1722 University of Adelaide Online Books</ref>
In the Domesday Book of 1086, Ringwood (Rincvede) had been appropriated by the Crown and all but six hides taken into the New Forest.<ref name="domesdaymap">Template:Cite web</ref> Prior to 1066 Ringwood had been held by Earl Tostig.<ref name="domesdaymap"/> During the 12th and early 13th centuries Ringwood, like other manors of which John and Henry III had the immediate overlordship, frequently changed hands.<ref name="vch">Template:Cite web</ref> Thus it was held by Roland de Dinan, a Breton lord, in 1167; Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester before 1204; Theodoric the Teuton, a servant of King John, after 1204; William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, in 1217, and intermittently by Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke and Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke up to 1237; Simon de Steyland, the King's clerk, around 1237; John son of Geoffrey, described as "of the lands of the Bretons", from 1240; Nicholas of Ely, Bishop of Winchester, from about 1272; and then by three successive queens: Queen Eleanor, Queen Margaret, and Queen Isabella, from 1280 until 1331.<ref name="vch"/>
In January 1331, Ringwood and other manors which Isabella had previously surrendered were granted to William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury, whose descendants with some intermission held it for more than two centuries, until the death of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury in 1541.<ref name="vch"/> It was held by Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset until his execution in 1552, and then briefly by John Gates who was executed in 1553.<ref name="vch"/> Queen Mary granted the lands to Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon, but by the middle of the 17th century the manor had passed to the Arundells of Wardour, and in 1728 was in the hands of Henry Arundell, 6th Baron Arundell of Wardour.<ref name="vch"/> His grandson, the eighth Baron, sold it in 1794 to John Morant of Brockenhurst, and the Morant family held the manor throughout the 19th century.<ref name="vch"/>
In 1108, it was recorded that the tenants of the "manor of Ringwood and Harbridge" had common rights in the New Forest, among the knights and esquires, for their farm beasts and plough beasts between "Teg att Brokelisford" and "Ostaven" and in the vill of Beaulieu for all their livestock except goats and geese: for this they paid Henry I an annual agistment.<ref name="vch"/> A valuation of the manor made at the end of the 13th century records the tenants services included mowing the lord's meadow, haymaking on eight acres in "Muchelmershe," carting the hay and making a rick; they were to repair the mills and the houses within the court.<ref name="vch"/>
A watermill in Ringwood is mentioned in the Domesday Book and later there were two.<ref name="vch"/> In March 1226 Henry III granted a weekly market in Ringwood on Wednesdays to Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke and Gervaise his wife to hold until the King should come of age.<ref name="vch"/> In 1337 the Earl of Salisbury, as lord of Ringwood Manor, was granted a yearly fair on the feast-day of Saint Andrew (30 November).<ref name="vch"/> There was also another fair held on the feast of Saint Peter (29 June) in the 16th century.<ref name="vch"/>
After the Battle of Sedgemoor on 6 July 1685, James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth was arrested near Horton, Dorset. Monmouth is believed to have hidden in a ditch under an ash tree disguised as a shepherd, but was betrayed by a local woman who, according to legend, later killed herself in remorse. Monmouth was then taken to the house now named Monmouth House in West Street (between the Market Place and the Fish Inn). It was there that he wrote a letter to James II begging forgiveness. This was not granted, and he was brought to trial in the Tower of London by the infamous "Hanging Judge Jefferies".
Also after the Battle of Sedgemoor, an elderly local lady, Alice Lisle, gave refuge to two wanted men who were escaping the battle. When her home, Moyles Court (now Moyles Court School), was raided, the men were found and Alice was arrested. She was sentenced by the same Judge Jefferies to be burned at the stake; she received a late reprieve, and the sentence was reduced to beheading. She is buried at St Mary's Church, Ellingham, one mile from Moyles Court. Her tomb can be found to the right of the church entrance; it is easily spotted as the lid has been left unfinished with rough edges. There is now a pub called the Alice Lisle near Moyles Court.
The town hall was erected by John Morant in 1868<ref name="vch"/> to designs by Thomas Henry Wyatt.<ref name="BuilderObit">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="BuildingNewsObit">Template:Cite journal</ref> The town was famous in the 19th century for its "Ringwood" woollen gloves, and there was also a large linen collar and cuff factory here.<ref name="vch"/>
The site of Royal Air Force Station Ibsley, in use during World War II, is located on the outskirts of the Ringwood hamlet of Poulner. This site has later been used for motor-racing as Ibsley Circuit and today is a quarry lake area.
Geography
Ringwood is a town on the east bank of the River Avon in Hampshire. The parish includes the hamlets of Poulner, Hangersley, Hightown, Crow, Kingston, and Bisterne.
Economy
Ringwood has a weekly market in the traditional market place. A cattle market ran until 1989 in the Furlong, which is now home to a Waitrose supermarket, coffee shops and fashion outlets. Ringwood was noted as the second most expensive market town in England in July 2008 with average property prices of over £380,000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Ringwood was the home of the Ringwood Brewery, which produced a variety of cask ales and ran five pubs in the local area, such as the Inn on the Furlong in Ringwood. Ringwood Brewery also produced a variety of wines. It was closed in December 2023, but remains a brand name of Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC).<ref name="EchoClose">Template:Cite web</ref>
Politics
Ringwood is within the New Forest West parliamentary constituency. The current Member of Parliament (MP) is Sir Desmond Swayne who represents the Conservative Party. Ringwood is represented by one councillor on Hampshire County Council and six councillors on New Forest District Council (although four of these are shared with neighbouring areas). Currently Ringwood's county councillor is Conservative, and the district councillors feature three Conservative, one Labour, one Green and one independent.
Ringwood Town Council was formed in 1974 and serves an estimated 14,000 people. The town is divided into three wards. The councillors elect a mayor every two years who is also the chairman of the council. The current mayor of Ringwood is Gareth Deboos.<ref name="hold">Template:Cite web</ref> The council, which is elected every four years, has 14 councillors: six Independent, four Labour, three Conservative and one Liberal Democrat. Ringwood Town Council provide a variety of services and amenities for the town, including allotments, the cemetery, recreation grounds<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> some public open spaces, the running of events, and a youth service.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The council is based in the Ringwood Gateway building on The Furlong in the town centre.
Ringwood was the birthplace of British communist leader and anti-fascist Bill Alexander, who was present at the Battle of Cable Street and commanded the British Battalion near the end of the Spanish Civil War.
Education
The senior school is Ringwood School, a national teaching academy. The state primary schools are Ringwood Junior, Poulner Junior, Ringwood Church of England Infants and Poulner Infants. There is also a Waldorf school, the Ringwood Waldorf School a centre for Steiner Education for ages 3 to 18 years with around 260 pupils. The Ringwood Waldorf school is near a Camphill community. Ringwood also has an independent 3–16-day and boarding school called Moyles Court School.
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South and ITV Meridian. Television signals are received from Rowridge transmitting station<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the local relay transmitter situated in the Poulner area of the town.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Local radio stations are BBC Radio Solent, Heart South, Capital South, Easy Radio South Coast, Nation Radio South Coast, and Forest FM, a community based station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The town is served by the local newspaper, Lymington Times and New Milton Advertiser.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sport and leisure
Ringwood has a Non-League football club Ringwood Town F.C., which plays at Long Lane.
Transport
The main road through Ringwood is the A31, which runs west to Dorchester and east to Southampton via the New Forest. A bypass of the town was completed in two stages; the first to the west in the 1940s<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the second to the east in 1975.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The other significant road is the A338, which goes north to Salisbury and south to Bournemouth.
Ringwood railway station opened in 1847. It lay on the Southampton and Dorchester Railway. In 1862 the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway created a new link with Christchurch. The line to Christchurch was closed in 1935, and the station ceased operating when the Southampton and Dorchester Railway line was closed in 1964. A report (Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network) from the Association of Train Operating Companies in 2009 recommended rebuilding part of the line from Brockenhurst to Ringwood.Template:ATOCConnectingCommunitiesReportS10
Several bus stands are located at Meeting House Lane next to The Furlong Car Park. National Express Coaches provide frequent services to and from London's Victoria Coach Station, Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport. Morebus route X3 between Salisbury and Bournemouth calls at Ringwood twice an hour. There are also less-frequent services to Brockenhurst and Poulner.
Church of St Peter and St Paul
A church in Ringwood is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.<ref name="vch"/> It was rebuilt in the 13th century and survived until 1853, when it was completely knocked down and rebuilt.<ref name="vch"/> The church contains a 15th-century monumental brass of John Prophete, Dean of Hereford and York.<ref name="vch"/>
Filming Location
The swimming pool, sports hall and exterior scenes of the BBC television comedy series The Brittas Empire were filmed at Ringwood Health and Leisure Centre, at the time known as Ringwood Recreation Centre. Mr and Mrs Brittas' house was filmed at 47 Northfield Road, and Laura Lancing's house was filmed at 2 (The Knole) Highfield Road. Various other buildings in the town featured including 1 High Street which appeared as Le Jollie Chocolatier, Church Hatch in the Market Place appeared as ‘Archdeacon’s Residence, Romsey’ in Series 5, and the flash forward in Series 5 when Gavin is campaigning for election was filmed in the cul de sac area outside 28-38 Kingsfield.<ref name="Brittas">Template:Cite web</ref>
Areas
Northbound
Southbound
Twin towns
Ringwood has been twinned with Pont-Audemer in Normandy, France, since 1986.<ref name="Hampshire twinnings">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ringwood also has three 'sister' towns, Ringwood, New Jersey, in the United States; Ringwood, Victoria, in Australia; and Ringwood, Ontario, in Canada.
The mayor of the borough of Ringwood, New Jersey, approached Ringwood Town Council in September 1976, advising that the borough had, in recognition of the 750th anniversary of Ringwood, Hampshire's market charter, resolved that the Hampshire town would become their Sister City. A laminated copy of the resolution was sent and several visits were subsequently exchanged on an official basis.<ref name="Official Guide">Template:Cite book</ref>
Ringwood, Victoria, approached Ringwood Town Council in 1977 and subsequently became the town's second sister town. Visits were later exchanged and correspondence ensued.<ref name="Official Guide" />
Ringwood, Ontario, was contacted in late 1978.<ref name="Official Guide" />
References
External links
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