Early history The Alton Hoard of
Iron Age coins and jewellery found in the vicinity of the town in 1996 is now in the
British Museum. There is evidence of a Roman posting station at
Neatham near Alton, probably called Vindomis, and a
ford across the
River Wey on the line of a Roman road that ran from
Chichester to
Silchester. An
Anglo-Saxon settlement was established in the area and a 7th-century cemetery was discovered during building excavations. It contained
grave goods including the
Alton Buckle which is on display in the
Curtis Museum and considered to be the finest piece of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship found in Hampshire. The buckle, found in the grave of a warrior, has a silver-gilt body set with garnets and glass. The River Wey has a source in the town, and the name
Alton comes from an Anglo-Saxon word
"aewielltun" meaning
"farmstead at the source of the river". In 1001 Danish forces invaded England and during the
First Battle of Alton the forces of
Wessex came together and fought against them. About 81 Englishmen were killed, including Ethelwerd the King's high-steward, Leofric of Whitchurch, Leofwin the King's high-steward, Wulfhere a bishop's thane, and Godwin of Worthy, Bishop Elfsy's son. The Danes were the victors although Danish casualties were higher and fleeing Englishmen took refuge in
Winchester.
Aoltone, in the 'Odingeton
Hundred — Hantescire' is recorded as having the most valuable market in the
Domesday Book. The
Treaty of Alton was signed in 1101 between
William the Conqueror's eldest son
Robert II of Normandy and his brother
Henry I of England. Henry had seized the throne while his elder brother was away on the
First Crusade. Robert returned to claim the throne, landing in
Portsmouth. The brothers met in Alton and agreed terms which formed the Treaty of Alton. Part of the main street through Alton is called Normandy Street, probably reflecting this event.
Middle Ages The first recorded market in Alton was in 1232, although the market at
Neatham first recorded in the
Domesday Book may also have been in the town. Blome wrote in 1673 of a 'market on Saturdays, which is very great for provisions, where also are sold good store of living cattle'. The Saturday market is featured on Kitchin's map of Hampshire (1751) which marks the town as
Alton Mt. Sat. 1307 was, in fact, the first year of Edward II's reign but Edmund of Woodstock was not lord of the manor then. According to the Victoria County History (written after Curtis' book):- As can be seen, Queen Margaret held the manor until 1317 and so the fair could not have been granted to Edmund of Woodstock in 1307. The correct date for the grant seems to be 22 November 1320 (according to the Charter Rolls, 14 Edward II, no.15). The grant was for a 9-day fair – the vigil [eve] and feast of Whitsuntide and seven days after. The two main manors in Alton – Alton Eastbrook and Alton Westbrook – had a fair each. That of Alton Eastbrook has no extant charter, and may never have had one. It was originally held on St Lawrence's Day and so its origin was, presumably, the patronal festival. The religious aspect would have ceased when the country was no longer Roman Catholic. This fair seems to have been held on Crown Close (which is in the manor of Alton Eastbrook) in the early 19th century. When this land was built upon, the fair moved and was held where ever the Westbrook fair was – the Market Place, various meadows and the Butts. The date of the Eastbrook fair was changed to Michaelmas in the mid-18th century as it came during harvest time and the farmers were not satisfied. Some accounts for this fair in the early 18th century do survive and show that there was a cheese fair as well the usual mix of travelling and local people with stalls and stands – people selling lace, gloves, books, gingerbread, bodices, sugar plums, toys, soap and knives, to name but a few. By the late 19th century, this fair was said to be mainly for horses, sheep and, occasionally, hops. Alton still has an annual fair, but it now takes the form of a
carnival. On Saturday, 24 August 1867, an eight-year-old girl,
Fanny Adams, was murdered in Alton. Her assailant, Frederick Baker, a local solicitor's clerk, was one of the last criminals to be executed in Winchester. As was the custom of the time, the initial inquest for the death of Fanny Adams took place shortly after the body was found and took place at the Duke's Head public house (now "The George") on 27 August 1867. Frederick Baker was further remanded awaiting his trial on 29 August 1867 at Alton Town Hall. Fanny Adams' grave can still be seen in Alton cemetery. The brutal murder, so the story goes, coincided with the introduction of tinned meat in the
Royal Navy, and the sailors who did not like the new food said the tins contained the remains of "Sweet Fanny Adams" or "Sweet F.A." The expression "sweet fanny adams" has an old-fashioned slang meaning of nothing. ==Governance==