Awbridge (pronounced Aybridge) which lies a few miles outside of Romsey, is mentioned in the Domesday Book, and in its first draft of 1086 that Awbridge was called 'Abedric', then in 1207 it was changed to 'Abberugge' 'Abbederugge in 1218, and 'Abbederigge' by 1238. This change showed the influence of the Normans on the original Celtic name. In 1849 the name was spelt 'Awebridge' and this is shown by an inscription on the northerly wall of the original chapel near Stanbridge Earls. The land in the area of the hamlet of Awbridge belonged to St Peter's Abbey in Winchester. Awbridge lies on a ridge so it is believed the original name may have been ' Abbodhrycg' which means the 'ridge of the Abbot' The countryside around the village is what brings the visitor, with the River Test on one side and lakes for trout fishing. As early as the beginning of the  20th century a lake was built at Awbridge Danes to provide work for the local inhabitants, each man receiving one shilling a day and a loaf of bread for his labours. A Roman villa as also found here and several Roman artefacts such as coins and tiles were found in the grounds of Awbridge House that have been dated to AD307, while at  nearby Stanbridge Earls signs of both Saxon and Norman occupation have been discovered.Danish occupation can be seen just outside the parish boundary where evidence of a Danish Fort has been found, hence the names of Danes Road and Awbridge Danes. The fort is said to be were a battle was held against the Danish invaders  on Awbridge common, but now a new invasion has taken place as a  housing estate has grown up on this land. Stanbridge Earls School which was once Stanbridge Manor is in the adjacent Romsey Extra Parish and is said to have been where the Saxon King Ethelwulf (806-858AD) had his home, he is more famously remembered as the father of King Alfred the Great. And it is believed that he was initially buried there ,and it is said that they were later transferred to Winchester Cathedral, yet to be found.

The Domesday Book also states that before 1066 Earl Godwin who was the Earl of Wessex and Kent held Awbridge as one manor. Godwin died in 1053 of apoplexy while visiting his son in law King Edward the Confessor at Winchester, his wife Countess Gytha was the sister of the most powerful Danish Earl, Ulf. They had two children, a daughter called Eadgith (Edith who married Edward the Confessor, and a son Harold who became King in 1066 and was defeated and killed almost immediately by the Normans at the Battle of Hastings.

Other evidence shows that the armies of Cromwell camped on the common as during the Second Word war a group of Italian prisoners found a pike head that dated back to the time.

Up to about the early 1600s the village was still a small settlement and only a handful of substantial houses were constructed, four of them are still in existence today but by the 1800s there was about 40 houses and the population had risen to 400.

In 1988 there were 661 homes and most of the inhabitants commuted to the nearby towns and cities and even to London. There is still a mushroom farm, and a couple of farms still here alongside nurseries, and the entertainment side there is a golf course. Trades are represented by an engineering firm and the local shop/post office but things are changing with a lot of post offices being closed down.

The village war memorial		The tower of All Saints
All Saints church showing the extension added on to the left hand side with the dormer windows		The interior of All Saints
The Font		The Pulpit

The church constructed  in 1876 has been  described as a 'pleasant building set in some pretty surroundings' the school was built a year later, but the village never got electricity until 1939 and the last house was connected in 1963!

Mains water came in 1951 and many gardens still have their wells in them.

A map of Awbridge from the 1800s shows that the hamlet was based around a chapel and the old smithy near Stanbridge Earls, the post office was on the opposite side of the road, where the village hall is today and the land opposite school was marked as Kent's Oak.

Neat to Church Lane were two small hamlets known as Upper and Lower Ratley.