| Four miles out of Stockbridge to the Southwest
and west of Houghton can be found the Parish of Broughton (pronounced
Braw-ton) and covers around 1,400 hectares with a population in 1981 of
915 people, the village of the same name lies in the centre of the
parish and the Wallop Brook runs along the main village street and then
meets the River Test in the east. Chattis Hill lies to the north and is
not far away from Danebury Hill, at Chattis Hill there are tumuli and
others can be found to the south of the parish, The church
dedicated to St Mary is 12th century and there is a dovecote in the
churchyard which is said to have been given by Richard III.
Evidence has been found that people lived in
scattered homesteads around the area during the Anglo-Saxon period and
used Danebury Hill Fort as shelter in times of crisis such as
invasion.The Romans also had an outstation called Brigge near to the
village.
The village itself lies in a valley and to the
west and south are high downs and rising farmland lies to the east and
north. The Wallop Brook which is a chalk stream meanders mainly to the
east of Broughton and can be seen from the many fords or bridges. And
there are a fine collection of timbered and thatched cottages in the
area, a 12th century parish church and an early Baptist church.
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St
Mary's Church |
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According to the Domesday Survey of 1086 the Manor
of Broughton was owned by the crown and ever since then it has had
associations with the Royal Family.
There is a population of around 1,000 and this has
been the norm for the last 900 years. Agriculture was the main employer
in the area with other crafts as well. But today not only are there
local businesses but a lot of the residents commute to work in the
nearby towns and cities. The village has a fine community spirit and has
many active groups which cater for all ages, it intends to keep its own
school and Post office which a lot of the villages of today have lost,
even though there seems to be an air of tranquility here the villagers
are proud of their village, and even more so when it and other nearby
villages, took part in a children's television series Worzel
Gummidge which starred the late Jon Perwee as a scarecrow.
The Church of St Mary stands tall and proud in the village and it
has strong arches above the nave and a doorway with a canopied
niche was carved into the side of the tower.
A piscina from the 15th century rests on a
shaft with its decorared bowl displaying odd mokey faced figures
on of which is a tiny man sitting with his hands on his knees.
Church records show that the rectors here go
far back into the villages history and a Giles Dowse was rector
here for 57 years and Stanlake Lee for 54 years.
There is a baptist chapel that was
built in 1655 and is one of the first generationof baptist places of
worship in the country.
There is a magnificent 17th century table as well
as a flagon and three pewter cups from the end of the century and on the
reredos a painted panel that is from the 13th century. The pews were
added after a fire in 1638 and are dark panelled to match with the roof
beams. |
THE BROUGHTON DOVECOTE
Broughton's Dovecote,
stands in the grounds of St. Mary's Church, and dates from
1340. It was rebuilt in 1684 in the design it is today but some minor
restoration of the fabric was done in 1974. It is a circular brick
structure that has a conical tiled roof and this supports the 'turret'
to allow the pigeons to fly in and out. There are 482 nesting boxes set
in the wall. The locals have always called the Dovecote Columbarium
which is a Roman name and in 1984 the original mechanism inside was
reconstrcuted by the local history group.
THE POTENCE
The round-shaped Dovecote was evolved in the Middle Ages.
because the onerous and unpleasant task of tending the
nesting boxes could be made easier by the use of a
revolving ladder. The massive central post of ash or elm,
with its arms and attached ladder, was known as a Potence,
a term borrowed from the Clockmaker's trade. The pivots
were carefully designed so that the whole apparatus
turned easily at a touch from the man up the ladder.
As rain was bound to drive through the pigeon access
openings, the interior woodwork tended to rot and needed
replacing every century or so. In 1984 we know only of
the following dovecotes which still contain a potence and
are open to the public.
Dunster Castle. Somerset (Dunster P.C.C.)
Old Basing House (Basingstoke District Council)
Glebe Farm, Kinwarton, Alcester. Warwickshire (National
Trust)
IMAGES OF
BROUGHTON
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The Tally Ho pub |
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The old Corner Shop |
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Approaching Broughton
from Nether Wallop |
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The Dovecote |
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Looking up in the dovecote note
THE POTENCE on the right |
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The nesting boxes |
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A close up of a nesting box |
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