A short history of Owslebury
A short history of Owslebury and Morestead
Owslebury stands on a chalk ridge approximately six miles south-east of Winchester, surrounded by rolling downland, farmland and woodland. From the higher ground there are far-reaching views towards the Isle of Wight, Cheesefoot Head, Beacon Hill and the Meon Valley.
The parish brings together Owslebury, Morestead, Baybridge, Marwell and part of Hensting. Its history reflects centuries of farming, the influence of the Bishops of Winchester, the changing fortunes of local estates and the lives of the families who have made their homes here.
Early origins
Owslebury’s recorded history stretches back to the Anglo-Saxon period. The name appears as Oselbyrig in a document associated with King Edgar, dated between AD 963 and 975, confirming lands belonging to the church at Winchester. Hensting is also named in that record.
The village’s name is commonly associated with the Old English words for “blackbird” and “fortified place”, although a derivation from the personal name Osla has also been suggested. The names of the surrounding settlements similarly preserve traces of the early landscape and its inhabitants.
For much of the medieval period, the history of Owslebury and Marwell was closely connected with the Bishops of Winchester, whose estates shaped local farming, settlement and employment.
Medieval Marwell
Marwell was an important country estate of the Bishops of Winchester. Its medieval landscape included a residence, religious buildings, a deer park and fishponds.
During the twelfth century, Henry de Blois, Bishop of Winchester from 1129 to 1171 and a grandson of William the Conqueror, founded a small community of priests at Marwell. Bishop Peter des Roches enlarged and regulated the foundation in 1226, and Bishop Henry Woodlock subsequently added to its endowments.
The moated site at Lower Marwell, now associated with Marwell Manor, preserves evidence of this medieval estate. Its surviving moat, fishpond and surrounding archaeological features are recognised as a scheduled monument. Sections of the boundary earthworks of the medieval deer park also survive in the wider landscape.
How Marwell became divided: Marwell Manor and Marwell Woodlock
Marwell originally formed part of a single estate belonging to the Bishops of Winchester, historically known as Twyford with Marwell.
The division arose when the Woodlock family acquired land from the bishop’s estate and established it as their own holding. During the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, these acquisitions—including grants made by Bishop Henry Woodlock to members of his family—created the separate estate known as Marwell Woodlock. Bishop Richard Fox subsequently acquired Marwell Woodlock to help fund his new foundation, Corpus Christi College, Oxford. The estate provided an endowment, generating income to support the college, and the complete manor was formally granted to it in 1520.
The land remaining under the bishop’s direct control continued to be centred on Marwell Manor at Lower Marwell. The Woodlock estate was centred on Marwell Hall, now within the grounds of Marwell Zoo.
The two therefore share a common origin: Marwell Woodlock was separated from the older Marwell estate. Their subsequent ownership histories followed different paths.
Marwell Hall and its later history
Marwell Hall, now within the grounds of Marwell Zoo, is a separate historic building from the moated manor site at Lower Marwell.
The Hall has medieval origins, with surviving roof timbers from its early history. It was remodelled for Sir Henry Seymour in 1551 and again for William Long in 1816. Its present appearance therefore reflects several periods of building and alteration. It is listed at Grade I.
Sir Henry Seymour was a brother of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third wife, and an uncle of Edward VI. These family connections account for Marwell Hall’s strong association with Tudor history.
Local tradition links Marwell with the courtship of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, and with the story of the “Mistletoe Bride”. These stories form part of the area’s folklore and should be understood as traditions rather than established historical events.
A new chapter began in 1972 when John Knowles founded Marwell Zoological Park. Today, Marwell Wildlife continues the estate’s association with animals through its conservation, education and breeding programmes.
Longwood and village life
Longwood has its own history as a farm and country estate. A farmstead named Landwode is recorded in 1272, and the estate later became known for its house, parkland and sporting gatherings. The house was also known for a time as Rosehill.
During the nineteenth century, Longwood had a private cricket ground where visiting teams and local players took part in organised matches. Contemporary reports describe cricket weeks, hospitality and other games, including lawn tennis, quoits, baseball and bowls.
The private cricket ground at Longwood supported local cricket, with its use acknowledged in the club minutes. The parish’s historical account quotes this vote of thanks from 1909:
“A vote of thanks be recorded to Lord Northesk for his kindness in lending his ground. A vote of thanks be recorded to Mr Dunlop for his work in preparing the pitch for the season”.
This private estate ground was distinct from the village recreation ground. Its history forms part of Owslebury’s wider sporting heritage, alongside matches played at Marwell and elsewhere.
Beyond the estates, parish life centred on farming, the church, the school, local trades and family networks. Recollections preserved by residents describe schooldays, agricultural work, village water supplies, wartime experiences and the celebrations and difficulties of everyday rural life.
The recreation ground: established in 1861
Owslebury Recreation Ground originated in the 1861 Owslebury Inclosure Award.
The Award set aside land identified as Plot 42, containing five acres, to be held by the parish’s Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor and their successors:
“in Trust as a place for Exercise and Recreation for the Inhabitants of the said Parish and Neighbourhood.”
The ground was therefore established for public exercise and recreation decades before the cricket pitch was prepared in the early twentieth century. Its origins lie in the 1861 Award, rather than the previously published account of a gift by the owner of Longwood in 1906.
The historical five-acre allotment should be distinguished from the approximately four acres within the present measured site.
The Recreation Ground subsequently came under the ownership and management of the Parish Council and was later registered as village green VG80. Over the years, it has accommodated cricket, football, youth activities and informal recreation.
100 Years of Cricket
Cricket in Owslebury
Cricket has been part of village life for nearly two centuries. Local histories trace it to the 1830s. The parish’s historical collection refers to a newspaper cutting from 1840 which states:
“The Cricket Club possessed two strong teams, and played courtesy of landowners at Marwell or Longwood”
Surviving nineteenth-century match reports identify Owslebury fixtures at Marwell Hall, including a match against Upham in August 1888. Players also travelled to neighbouring grounds, forming part of an active local cricketing community.
The private grounds at Marwell and Longwood were distinct from the present Recreation Ground, which originated in the 1861 Inclosure Award.
The parish’s historical account records work to prepare the village cricket pitch beginning around 1906, with approximately two years needed to make it playable. The centenary celebrated in 2008 commemorated this development of cricket on the present Recreation Ground.
Preparing the pitch and building the pavilion
The pitch and pavilion were supported by considerable voluntary effort and fundraising. George Pierce, the village schoolmaster and a former cricket club secretary, recalled:
“I was secretary to the Cricket Club and we had to raise £80 (on the then wages) to make the table and build the Pavilion”
The “table” was the prepared cricket square. Raising the money and creating the facilities represented a substantial undertaking for a small rural community.
The parish’s historical account reproduces the following entry from the 1909 cricket club minutes:
The account records that the committee accepted a tender of £44 15s from Mr Tithecot to erect a pavilion “on the Recreation Ground”. The money was raised through suppers, dances, whist drives and other village events.
By 1910, the minutes recorded:
“The Pavilion has now been paid for”.
The historical account also records that the pavilion was subsequently thatched at a cost of £2 10s.
These short entries preserve the story of a community gradually creating and paying for its own sporting facilities.
Village families and cricketing memories
Successive generations of village families have contributed as players, organisers, groundskeepers and supporters. The Harfield family is among those remembered for its long association with local cricket.
A photograph in the original historical account carries this description:
“David Harfield in action. Fond of ‘sixes’ and wicket taking!”
The accompanying recollection describes David’s grandfather, Harold, as one of 18 children born at Baybridge and remembers cricket being played across successive generations of the family.
The original account, signed “E.H. November 2007”, looked ahead to the following year’s centenary with the words:
“1908 – 2008 – 100 years of cricket here in the village on our Recreation Ground”
That anniversary marked a century of cricket on the present ground, within a village cricketing tradition reaching further back into the nineteenth century.
Football and a continuing sporting tradition
The village’s historical account records the formation of a football club in 1906, initially playing on land provided by a local landowner opposite the former Cricketers Inn, now Northwood House.
Following the loss of players in the First World War, the club disbanded. It re-formed in the 1950s, when, without a ground of its own, it sought permission to play on part of the cricket ground.
Cricket, football and other recreational activities have brought generations of residents together. The Recreation Ground’s history is also a history of community effort: preparing pitches, raising funds, building and maintaining facilities, and giving people opportunities to meet and take part in sport.
The surviving minutes, photographs and personal recollections preserve the contributions of the people who made this possible.
Explore more of the parish’s history
Our historical collections contain residents’ memories, accounts of village life, information about Longwood House, school records, wartime experiences and stories of agricultural unrest, including the events of 1830.
These collections preserve earlier accounts in their original form. The quotations above are reproduced from those accounts, including their transcriptions of cricket club minutes. Some surrounding historical details have since been clarified by documentary research, particularly the distinction between the private estate cricket grounds and the Recreation Ground established under the 1861 Inclosure Award.
With thanks to the residents, researchers and local historians whose records, photographs and recollections have helped preserve the history of our parish.