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North Stoneham Park: its origin and development (1992), by C K Currie


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The Saxon landscape

To understand how North Stoneham has evolved as a landscape, it is necessary to understand the evidence that is available in the Saxon land charter of A.D. 932, whereby King Athelstan gave the estate to thegn Alfred (see Appendix 1 for a full text of the bounds). These lands were transferred to the New Minster (later Hyde Abbey) at Winchester soon after.

This document was studied by Grundy in the 1920s (1927, 242-47), but a recent examination of the area on the ground suggests a number of revisions are required. Analysis of the charter bounds suggests that North Stoneham was once of a much greater extent in the tenth century than later (Currie, forthcoming). This extended estate stretched northwards beyond the later manorial boundaries to include much of the historic sub-manors of Boyatt and Eastleigh (later in South Stoneham).