What is Denmead's history? The quiet village with a lot to hide
Barn Green, a bishop's manor, a bit of cockfighting, a Roman building under the plough and a pillar box marked Dudley.
Denmead comes from Old English denu, meaning valley, and mede, meaning meadow, so it means the meadow in the valley. It was once called Barn Green, belonged to the Bishop of Winchester in 1316, and is where American and Canadian troops camped before D-Day.
Denmead looks like the quietest village in Hampshire. It is hiding a lot.
What does Denmead mean?
According to Denmead Parish Council, the name comes from the Old English words denu, meaning hollow or valley, and mede, meaning meadow, so it means "the meadow in the valley". The manor was recorded as Denemede. It is a single-source explanation, but it is the village's own.
It used to be called Barn Green
Another name was Barn Green, which, to be fair, is exactly what it looks like.
Owned by a bishop
In 1316 the whole place belonged to the Bishop of Winchester. That was around 700 years ago. Parking was probably easier.
Famous for cockfighting
In the 1800s Denmead was famous for one thing: cockfighting. Lovely, quiet Denmead.
Before D-Day
Before D-Day, American and Canadian troops camped here, and General Eisenhower is said to have been among them. We say "said to" because we have not confirmed it. In Creech Wood you can still see what is left of the prisoner of war camp.
A Roman building under the plough
The parish council's history says the debris of a Roman building has been exposed by ploughing, about half a mile north-west of Rookwood Farm. The remains include shards of pottery, roof tiles, roof slabs of Purbeck limestone and box tiles. This is one source, but it is a remarkable one.
Bronze Age burial mounds
The parish history lists Bronze Age burial mounds at Great Ervilles. Historic England has a scheduled group of barrows there, dated to the Late Neolithic or Bronze Age. We give no count because the sources disagree: the parish council says three survive out of an original four, while Historic England lists three bell barrows plus a bowl barrow.
The Wayfarer's Walk
The long-distance Wayfarer's Walk runs through Denmead. Wikipedia gives its length as 71 miles in the opening and 70 in the infobox, so call it about 70 miles, from Emsworth town square to the car park on Walbury Hill in Berkshire.
A windmill on the heath
In 1819 a windmill was built on the newly enclosed Denmead Heath, on the west side of Mill Road. It was demolished in 1922. Again, this is the parish council's own history.
The pillar box marked Dudley
The pillar box at Worlds End is Grade II listed, listed on 24 September 1987. It is cast iron, dates from around 1860 and is marked "Cochrane and Co, Woodside Works, Dudley 1859". It is said to have originally been in London. Wikipedia calls it one of the oldest Victorian pillar boxes, but we make no claim that it is the oldest.
Ashling House
Ashling House was an imposing flint mansion in the Victorian Gothic style. Its grounds are now the King George V Playing Field. The house was demolished in 1960.
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