Christchurch is a town, civil parish and former borough in the county of Dorset on the English Channel coast, adjoining Bournemouth in the west, with the New Forest to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in the county. The town has existed since 650 AD and its close proximity to the Cotentin Peninsula made it an important trading port and a potential target for invasion during the Napoleonic and Second World Wars.
Situated at the lowest crossing points of the Avon and Stour, it was originally known as Twynham, from "tweon eam", meaning (the settlement) between two rivers. It was not until the construction of the priory in 1094 that the town became known as Christchurch. In Saxon times the harbour was one of the most important in England and the town became both a Royal manor and a burgh. During its turbulent history, the town has witnessed battles between Saxons, when Aethelwold stormed the ramparts; between Royalists and Parliamentarians during the civil war, and between smugglers and excise men during the 18th century.
Today the town is a popular tourist destination, with one-and-a-half-million annual visitors.
Early history
Saxon period Around 650 AD, St Birinus, the first Bishop of Dorchester (Oxford), sent his missionaries into Wessex. The small settlement that existed at the time on the headland now known as Hengistbury Head, proved unsuitable for the purpose of spreading the word of God because it was set back from and out of reach of the traders who used the busy port. Far more useful was a stretch of raised land between the two rivers of the Avon and Stour which carried people and their wares to and from settlements such as Blandford and Old Sarum (Salisbury). The site had other advantages in that it was raised and well drained, it could easily be defended being surrounded on three sides by water, it was close to the lowest crossing points of the two rivers, and there was a plentiful supply of drinking water both from the rivers and a number of wells in the area now known as Purewell. The town was originally called Twynam or Twyneham (which gives the town's central school its name), from "tweon eam", which meant (the settlement) between two rivers. Christchurch, listed as Twynham, has two entries in the Domesday Book, being part of the Edgegate Hundred, with 47 households.
Excavations conducted in 1977/8 in the Bargates area uncovered a pagan Anglo-Saxon cemetery of the 6th or 7th century containing the graves of 34 warriors of the Saxo-Jutish period. The graves yielded extensive finds of early Saxon metalwork, and indicated a previously unsuspected early Saxon presence in southeast Dorset.MONUMENT NO. 458690, Pastscape, retrieved 21 May 2012
During Saxon times the harbour was one of the most important in England as it was easily reached from the continent and boats could enter the harbour and travel up the river Avon all the way to Salisbury. Alfred the Great considered Twynham to be of such strategic importance that at the end of the 9th century, with the threat of invasion by the Danes, he made it a burgh (fortified town). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle tells how in 901 AD, Aethelwold; a cousin of Alfred the Great, captured the town's ramparts. Although Aethelwold was eventually defeated, Edward the Elder made the decision to fortify the town further. Parts of the old Saxon town wall were discovered in the early 70s when considerable archaeological excavation was carried out. The wall was found to be of earth faced with stone and probably had a wooden fighting top and palisade. The gate stood at the north end of the town until it was removed in 1744. It was from the burgh's gate that Bargates, the then main road into the town, took its name.
The Priory church
In 1094 a chief minister of William II, Ranulf Flambard, then Dean of Twynham, began the building of a priory on the site of the original mission church. Local legend tells that Flambard originally intended the church to be built on top of nearby St. Catherines Hill but, during the night, all the building materials were mysteriously transported to the site of the present priory. This 'miracle' is cited as one of the reasons the town became known as Christchurch. On 28 November 1539, John Draper the last prior of Christchurch, surrendered the priory, and it was dissolved. The monastic buildings of the priory were pulled down soon after the dissolution. The King had intended to pull down the church as well as the monastic buildings, but in response to a plea from the townspeople, supported by Prior Draper, he granted the church together with the churchyard to the churchwardens and inhabitants of Christchurch to be used as the parish church in perpetuity on 23 October 1540, a grant that was confirmed on 12 February 1612 by James I. The town is fortunate that the Christchurch Priory cartulary, which consists of over 1,300 documents and charters copied and collated in the 14th century, with a few later additions, has survived to provide a comprehensive account of the Priory and events connected to it during the medieval period. A full translation was published in 2007. The evolution of the Priory into the building it is today took place over many centuries: The nave and transepts are Norman with heavy columns and round arches, whereas the lady chapel is from the 14th century and more Perpendicular in style. The great choir is even later, having been rebuilt in the 16th century. The Priory is noted for its Miraculous Beam, which attracts pilgrims from all over the world. From the reign of Edward I, after mass on Sundays, the church wardens supervised the archery practice that all men were obliged to undertake. This event took place on a piece of unconsecrated land between the north porch and transept. The requirement for the men of the town to practise archery continued until Tudor times.
The castle
At the start of the 12th century Christchurch became the caput of a feudal barony when it was granted by King Henry I (1100–1135) to Richard de Redvers (d.1107), feudal baron of Plympton, Devon.Sanders, Ian. English Baronies, Oxford, 1960, p. 112, Probable Baronies, Christchurch The castle was originally built as a wooden motte and bailey fort, and its placement seems to have caused the realignment of nearby streets.
After Richard's death the Manor of Christchurch passed to his son, Baldwin de Redvers (d.1155). Baldwin was one of the primary barons to support Empress Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I, in her claim for the crown against her cousin King Stephen (1135–1154) during The Anarchy. In about 1147, when the civil war was all but over, Baldwin went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem or took part in the Second Crusade. It seems to have been at this time, when it was rumoured that he had died overseas, that King Stephen's former commander of Malmesbury, Walter de Pinkney, seized the opportunity to capture the castle at Christchurch. He then committed many atrocities locally and was finally ambushed by the townspeople in the nearby churchyard, where he was killed. The castle was briefly besieged and recaptured for Baldwin. It seems likely that the construction of a stone keep and the domestic hall now known as the Constable's House was instigated by Baldwin after his safe return to England.
The castle again saw action during the Civil War of 1642–51. The Parliamentarians were allowed to take control of the castle in 1644. The Royalists laid siege to it for 3 days, demolishing houses on the corner of Church Street and Castle Street in order to site their cannons. The Royalists were unable to take the castle and Cromwell fearing such a powerful stronghold, ordered it to be destroyed in 1652.
Today the bailey is home to a bowling green and gardens. The slighted keep still stands on top of its steep motte and now has steps for easier access. Much of the stone-built Constable's House, which was erected around 1160, also survives, having been excluded from Cromwell's order for destruction. Two of its notable features are a rare example of a Norman chimney and a garderobe tower situated over the adjacent millstream. It also has a small wharf and watergate which enabled direct access to the ground floor storeroom from the millstream.. It is recorded that during his 17-year-reign, 1199–1216, King John visited the town on seven occasions. The purpose of these visits is not known but it is supposed that he may have been hunting in the nearby New Forest. It is likely that he stayed at the Constable's House as this would have been the only accommodation befitting a king in the town at the time.
The leper hospital During the reign of Edward II, a leper hospital was established on land given to the Priory's monks by King Ethelred. The hospital accumulated additional lands through grants during the 14th century, by which time it was also caring for the terminally ill. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the hospital and its lands passed to the lord of the manor. When the Earl of Clarendon was impeached and left the country in 1667, control passed to the mayor and burgesses. and during this period, due to a decline in leprosy, the hospital's charter was extended so that all profits could be disposed of in a charitable fashion The charity's monies came from grants, the renting and leasing of lands and property, and from the collection of alms. In 1824 Benjamin Ferrey was appointed master of the trust and at this time some of the charities income was being used to provide bread for the town's poor. In 1835, 21 families were being provided with two 2 lb loaves a bread each week. The charity still exists today although the hospital is long gone, assisting around sixty residents a year as well as contributing to other charities such as the Citizen's Advice Bureau.
The English Civil War In 1644 a force of some 2,000 Roundhead cavalry, under Sir William Waller, surprised Royalist troops who were billeted in and around the town. 100 horse and 400 foot soldiers were captured without resistance. Waller's men stabled their horses in the Great Choir of the Priory church and apparent evidence of their presence can be seen in the pews which show signs of having been chewed.
In September 1644, the cost of maintaining Hurst Castle fell on the Hundred of Christchurch and Waller was ordered to impress 1100 horses for the war effort. Although the horses were paid for, the loss would have affected local agriculture.
In 1645 the Roundheads, now under the command of Major Phillip Lower, were chased off by a large contingent of Royalist cavalry, under Lord Goring. Goring's force however was not strong enough to hold the town and so withdrew, allowing Lower's troops to return. A few days later Goring returned with a larger force of some 1000 men. Lower now only had 200 men but had made efforts to bolster the town's defences and had pulled down some of the buildings to increase the field of fire from his guns. Despite this the Royalists were able to occupy the town, driving the defenders back into the castle and the church. As Goring lacked the large calibre weapons required to destroy the two structures, the attackers settled down to a siege. A few days later however, news reached Goring that Parliamentarian reinforcements were on their way from Lymington and having already suffered heavy losses, he made the decision to withdraw.
Christchurch remained in Parliamentarian hands until the end of the war and Major Lower was made a Lieutenant Colonel and Governor of Winchester. In 1650 the castle's cannons were removed and the keep slighted. The walls of the bailey were also pulled down and used to fill the ditch. The battle for Christchurch must've been of some magnitude as much shot, cannonballs and weaponry were later retrieved from the millstream.
18th and 19th centuries
Harbour