1783 AD
American War of Independence Ends
In 1783, the American War of Independence concluded with Great Britain acknowledging defeat, as the thirteen colonies formed the nucleus of what would become the United States of America. This seismic shift in global power threatened the long-standing status quo of monarchical rule, and while the implications for a rural village like Hambledon might seem indirect, the reality was quite different…
1772 AD
The First Cricket Match
Although a form of cricket had been played on the windswept plateau of Broadhalfpenny Down in Hambledon since at least 1753, the village secured its place in sporting immortality between 23rd and 25th June 1772. This three-day, two-innings match is recognized as the first-ever recorded first-class game of cricket, contested between a Hambledon XI (as local tradition stoutly maintains) or a Hampshire XI (the designation preferred by Wisden) and an England XI.
1749 AD
Church Bells
In 1749, St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Hambledon undertook a significant restoration of its soundscape. The existing five bells, which had suffered years of unreliable performance, were dismounted and transported to Robert Catlin’s renowned foundry in Holborn, London. There, they were recast into a modern peal of six bells.
1726 AD
Village Fire
In 1726, a devastating fire tore through the heart of Hambledon, fundamentally reshaping the village’s architecture. The blaze was particularly destructive on the east side of the High Street, where the majority of the houses were either damaged or entirely leveled. The fire also spread into East Street, leaving a significant portion of the community homeless and impoverished.
1066 AD
Norman Times
The 11th Century was a period of great turmoil for England. The Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard invaded and took the English throne in 1013 only to die in 1016 and was succeeded by his son Cnut the Great who ruled until his death in 1035 a turbulent sort of interregnum ensued with Harald Harefoot in power until the accession of Edward the Confessor to the English throne in 1042, ruling until his death on 5 January 1066.
956 AD
Saxon Hambledon
The waning of the Roman Empire in the 5thC was accompanied by the spread of Germanic tribes across Europe and into the islands of Britain. The peoples migrating to our isles in this period were Angles, Saxons and Jutes. The Jutes predominated in the area that is now Kent and they migrated further west to the Isle of Wight thence to the Meon Valley where they were called the Meonwara.
43 AD
Roman Hambledon
The arrival of the Romans in 43AD is portrayed as a military invasion which is generally true because Rome certainly used military force – first in Julius Caesar’s attacks in 54BCE and then in Emperor Claudius’ sustained invasion in 43AD that set out to subdue the violent resistance of the inhabitants occupying the farthest reach of the Roman Empire. The blood that was shed in battle was the native Celt’s but also that of Rome’s multinational force drawn from the corners of its Empire.
1200 BC – 43 AD
Iron Age Hambledon
During this period Britain experienced immigration of Celtic tribes from north and central Europe. It is likely that inhabitants in the vicinity of ancient Hambledon included these Celtic migrants and it is thought that the name Meon may be a Celtic legacy.
2200 BC – 1200 BC
Bronze Age Hambledon
The development of more sophisticated metal tools in this era changed man’s relationship with the environment – permitting greater control over the landscape and enabling more permanent settlement and effective hunting and defence. During this period permanent field systems appeared and the trading of high value goods took place over considerable distance and some extraordinary craftsmanship has been preserved in archaeological finds.
5000 BC – 2200BC
Neolithic Hambledon
Although we have no direct archaeological evidence of settlement in the form of dwellings in Hambledon itself, the surrounding downland and farm fields have a lot of evidence of human activity in the form of flint arrowheads and other flint tools. A burial site was also discovered in the 1990s complete with an antler digging tool and this points toward settlement. We don’t have a record of the exact location though the finds were identified by Winchester Museum Services as grave goods and dated as around 750 BCE.