Before the Roman Conquest The region is believed to have been continuously occupied since the end of the
last Ice Age about 12,000 BCE. At that time sea levels were lower and Britain was still attached by a land bridge to the European continent and predominantly covered with deciduous woodland. The first inhabitants were
Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. The majority of the population would have been concentrated around the river valleys. Over several thousand years the climate became progressively warmer and sea levels rose; the English Channel, which started out as a river, was a major inlet by 8000 BCE, although Britain was still connected to Europe by a land bridge across the North Sea until 6500 BCE. Notable sites from this period include
Bouldnor Cliff. – aerial image
Agriculture was being practised in southern Britain by 4000 BCE and with it a
Neolithic culture. Some deforestation took place at that time, although during the
Bronze Age, beginning in 2200 BCE, it became more widespread and systematic. Hampshire has few monuments to show from those early periods, although nearby
Stonehenge was built in several phases at some time between 3100 and 2200 BCE. In the very late Bronze Age fortified hilltop settlements known as
hillforts began to appear in large numbers in many parts of Britain including Hampshire, and they became more and more important in the early and middle
Iron Age; many of them are still visible in the landscape today and can be visited, notably
Danebury Rings, the subject of a major study by archaeologist
Barry Cunliffe. By that period the people of Britain predominantly spoke a
Celtic language, and their culture shared much in common with the
Celts described by classical writers. The town of
Bitterne (
Byterne in a reference from the late 11th century.) shares the same root as the
River Erne, suggesting the name refers to the
Iverni. Hillforts largely declined in importance in the second half of the second century BCE, with many being abandoned. Probably around that period the first recorded invasion of Britain took place, as southern Britain was largely conquered by warrior-elites from
Belgic tribes of northeastern Gaul, but whether those two events were linked to the decline of hillforts is unknown. By the time of the Roman conquest the
oppidum at
Venta Belgarum, modern-day Winchester, was the
de facto regional administrative centre; Winchester was, however, of secondary importance to the Roman-style town of
Calleva Atrebatum, modern
Silchester, built further north by a dominant Belgic polity known as the
Atrebates in the 50s BCE. Julius Caesar invaded south-eastern England briefly in 55 and again in 54 BCE, but he never reached Hampshire. Notable sites from this period include
Hengistbury Head (now in Dorset), which was a major port.
The Roman Era The Romans invaded Britain again in 43 CE and Hampshire was incorporated into the Roman province of Britannia very quickly. It is generally believed their political leaders allowed themselves to be incorporated peacefully. Venta became the capital of the administrative polity of the Belgae, which included most of Hampshire and Wiltshire and reached as far as Bath. Whether the people of Hampshire played any role in
Boudicca's rebellion of 60–61 is not recorded, but evidence of burning is seen in Winchester dated to around that period. For most of the next three centuries southern Britain enjoyed relative peace. During the later part of the Roman period most towns built defensive walls; a pottery industry based in the New Forest exported items widely across southern Britain. A fortification near Southampton was called
Clausentum, part of the
Saxon Shore forts, traditionally seen as either defences against maritime raids by Germanic tribes, or as a settlement area of Germanic tribes, which receives support from archaeological finds. Artefacts of a Germanic style have been found in burials, while there is also evidence of the presence of early Saxon settlement in southern England and the northern coasts of Gaul around
Boulogne-sur-Mer and
Bayeux. This, in turn, could mirror a well documented practice of deliberately settling Germanic tribes to strengthen Roman defences. Portus Adurni was a
Roman fort situated at the north end of
Portsmouth Harbour. It was part of the
Saxon Shore, and is the best-preserved Roman fort north of the Alps. Around an eighth of the fort has been excavated. A Norman keep was added in the
Middle Ages, now known as
Portchester Castle. The Romans withdrew from Britain in 410. Two major Roman roads,
Ermin Way and
Port Way, cross the north of the county connecting Calleva Atrebatum with
Corinium Dobunnorum, modern
Cirencester, and
Old Sarum respectively. Other roads connected Venta Belgarum with Old Sarum,
Wickham and Clausentum. A road presumed to diverge from the
Chichester to Silchester Way at Wickham connected
Noviomagus Reginorum, modern
Chichester, with Clausentum.
The Jutes Records are sparse for the next 300 years, but later chroniclers speak of an influx of
Jutes – an amalgam of
Cimbri,
Teutons,
Gutones and
Charudes called
Eudoses,
Eotenas,
Iutae or
Euthiones in other sources - and recorded by Bede in his
Ecclesiastical History of the English People in the early eighth century: They initially settled Hampshire under
Visigothic authority sometime after 476 AD, forming several distinct
folklands organized around a central geographical feature. Various place-names identify locations as Jutish, including
Bishopstoke (
Ytingstoc), the
River Itchen (
Ytene) and the
Meon Valley (
Ytedene). There in fact appear to be at least two Jutish folklands in Hampshire: one established along the
River Itchen and one along the
River Meon. Evidence of an early Germanic settlement has been found at
Clausentum, dated to the fifth century and likely the Visigothic center of power in the area, either independently or in conjunction with powerful Romano-British trading ports. Nevertheless,
Visigothic authority waned after 517 A.D and the settlements were gradually encroached upon by
South Saxons.
The Saxons The
West Saxons moved south in the late seventh century and incorporated Hampshire into their kingdom. Around this period, the administrative region of "Hampshire" seems to appear - the name is attested as
Hamwic and "Hamtunscir" in 755 AD - and suggests that control over the
Solent was the motivating factor for establishment of the settlement. Wessex, with its capital at Winchester, gradually expanded westwards into Brythonic
Dorset and
Somerset. A statue in Winchester celebrates the powerful
King Alfred, who repulsed the Vikings and stabilised the region in the 9th century. A scholar as well as a soldier, the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a powerful tool in the development of the English identity, was commissioned in his reign. King Alfred proclaimed himself "King of England" in 886 AD; but
Athelstan of Wessex did not officially control the whole of England until 927 AD.
Middle Ages onwards from 1577 By the Norman Conquest,
London had overtaken Winchester as the largest city in England From the 12th century, the ports grew in importance, fuelled by trade with the continent, wool and cloth manufacture in the county, and the fishing industry, and a shipbuilding industry was established. By 1523 at the latest, the population of Southampton had outstripped that of Winchester. Over several centuries, a series of
castles and
forts was constructed along the coast of the
Solent to defend the harbours at Southampton and Portsmouth. These include the Roman
Portchester Castle which overlooks
Portsmouth Harbour, and a series of forts built by
Henry VIII including
Hurst Castle, situated on a sand
spit at the mouth of the Solent,
Calshot Castle on another spit at the mouth of Southampton Water, and
Netley Castle. Southampton and Portsmouth remained important harbours when rivals, such as
Poole and
Bristol, declined, as they are amongst the few locations that combine shelter with deep water.
Mayflower and
Speedwell set sail for America from Southampton in 1620. During the
English Civil War (1642–1651) there were several skirmishes in Hampshire between the
Royalist and
Parliamentarian forces. Principal engagements were the
Siege of Basing House between 1643 and 1645, and the
Battle of Cheriton in 1644; both were significant Parliamentarian victories. Other clashes included the
Battle of Alton in 1643, where the commander of the Royalist forces was killed in the pulpit of the parish church, and the
Siege of Portsmouth in 1642. By the mid-19th century, with the county's population at 219,210 (double that at the beginning of the century) in more than 86,000 dwellings, agriculture was the principal industry (10 per cent of the county was still forest) with cereals, peas, hops, honey, sheep and hogs important. Due to Hampshire's long association with pigs and boars, natives of the county have been known as
Hampshire hogs since the 18th century. In the eastern part of the county the principal port was Portsmouth (with its naval base, population 95,000), while several ports (including Southampton, with its steam docks, population 47,000) in the western part were significant. In 1868, the number of people employed in manufacture exceeded those in agriculture, engaged in silk, paper, sugar and lace industries, ship building and salt works. Coastal towns engaged in fishing and exporting agricultural produce. Several places were popular for seasonal sea bathing. On 16 October 1908,
Samuel Franklin Cody made the first powered flight of in the United Kingdom at
Farnborough, then home to the Army Balloon Factory.
Modern era Hampshire played a crucial role in both World Wars due to the large
Royal Navy naval base at Portsmouth, the army camp at
Aldershot, and the military
Netley Hospital on Southampton Water, as well as its proximity to the army training ranges on
Salisbury Plain and the
Isle of Purbeck.
Supermarine, the designers of the
Spitfire and other military aircraft, were based in Southampton, which led to severe bombing of the city in
World War II. Aldershot remains one of the
British Army's main permanent camps.
Farnborough is a major centre for the aviation industry. During World War II, the
Beaulieu estate of Lord Montagu in the New Forest was the site of several group B finishing schools for agents operated by the
Special Operations Executive (SOE) between 1941 and 1945. (One of the trainers was
Kim Philby who was later found to be part of a spy ring passing information to the Soviets.) In 2005, a special exhibition was established at the Estate, with a video showing photographs from that era as well as voice recordings of former SOE trainers and agents. Although the
Isle of Wight has at times been part of Hampshire, it has been administratively independent for over a century, obtaining a
county council of its own in 1890. The Isle of Wight became a full
ceremonial county in 1974. Apart from a shared
police force, no formal administrative links now exist between the Isle of Wight and Hampshire, though many organisations still combine Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. In the 1970s, local government reorganisation led to a reduction in Hampshire's size; in 1974, the towns of
Bournemouth and
Christchurch were transferred to
Dorset. ==Geography==