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During the 19th century a Neolithic (New Stone Age) long barrow was discovered just within the boudaries of Holdenhurst Parish in Bournemouth to the west of Christchurch.
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The early history of Christchurch is very obscure although the area obviously has a long
history of human settlement. The rich food and other resources offered by the rivers
Avon and Stour
and Christchurch Harbour must have made the area a very attractive location.
Evidence of such settlement during the Bronze Age
(c. 1,800 BC to c.600 BC) may be found to the west of modern Christchurch
in the barrows of St Catherine's Hill.
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| | | A Bronze Age bell barrow was discovered at Latch Farm where there was an urn-field comprising some ninety burials giving an indication of the importance of the area in prehistoric times.
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During the Iron age (c. 600 BC to AD 43),
Hengistbury Head dominated the surrounding area as it became an important trading
settlement during the 1st century BC. Although much of the Head has since been eroded away by the sea, the
remains of the Double Dykes which protected the port and settlement there are, nevertheless, still impressive.
There are traces of Iron Age occupation of the area which is now Christchurch, particularly so on Mill Plain.
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| | | 21st century excavations under the waters of Poole Harbour have revealed the oldest port facilities in the British Isles dating from the Iron Age. The stone piers, reinforced, with oaks beams which served the trading complex in the harbour were massive structures - 85 metres long and 8 metres wide. It seems probable that Poole was the main British port not only for trade with nearby continental Europe, but also may have been frequented by Roman traders from deep within the Mediterranean. Indeed, it may have been that when the Romans invaded Britain in AD43, they chose Poole Harbour as their main port of supply because their traders and mariners were already so familiar with it.
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Hengistbury Head became a small settlement during the Roman Period (AD 43 BC to AD 410)
which may have been known as 'Dunium'. Very little is
known of the history of Christchurch between the departure of the Romans in AD410 and the reign of
King Alfred.
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There is very little known about Christchurch and the surrounding area during the
period between the departure of the Romans from Britain
in 410 AD and the reign of
King Alfred the Great. He became king of Wessex in
871AD amidst the scurge of
Viking raids on the
British Isles and much of Northern Europe. He adopted a startegy of establishing
'burghs' - fortified places where within which the population could retreat and
thus better defend itself from the
Vinking raiders. Christchurch was one such burgh although, unlike Wareham further
west, Christchurch has lost all external signs of the fortifications.
Excavations in the town centre during the 1970's revealed some of the Saxon
fortifications of Christchurch and the entrance to them appears to have been sited
near the present Bow House in the High Street.
Other excavations near the mill stream during the
building of the Saxon Centre revealed a Saxon cemetery - some of the items uncovered may
be seen at the Red House Museum, as may be the
reconstruction of one of the graves uncovered.
The entry in the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the
year AD901, the year of King Alfred the Great's death, informs us that Prince Ethelwald captured Wimborne and
Christchurch in revolt against Alfred's recognized successor, his son Edward. This entry provides also furnishes
us with the first written mention of the town by its ancient name of
"Twineham".
A.D. 901. This year died ALFRED, the son of Ethelwulf, six nights before
the mass of All Saints. He was king over all the English nation, except that part that was under the power of the
Danes.
He held the government one year and a half less than thirty winters; and then Edward his son took to the government.
Then Prince Ethelwald, the son of his paternal uncle, rode against the towns of
Winburn and of
Twineham, without leave of the king and his council. Then rode the king with his army;
so that he encamped the same night at Badbury near
Winburn
; and Ethelwald remained within the town with the men that were
under him, and had all the gates shut upon him, saying, that he would either there live or there die. But in the meantime
he stole away in the night, and sought the army in Northumberland. The king gave orders to ride after him; but they were
not able to overtake him. The Danes, however, received him as their king. They then rode after
the wife that Ethelwald had taken without the king's leave, and against the command of the bishops; for she was formerly
consecrated a nun. In this year also died Ethered, who was alderman of Devonshire, four weeks before King Alfred.
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Duke William of Normandy's Norman Conquest of England in 1066 and the years
which followed brought to an end the Saxon period of British history and changes to Christchurch, as elsewhere.
In William the Conqueror's
Domesday Book of 1086 Christchurch is mentioned
the Saxon monastery in the Church of the Holy Trinity which occupied the site of the present
Priory Church.
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In William the Conqueror's
Domesday Book of
1086
Christchurch is recorded as a small
market town. It also mentions the Saxon monastery in the Church of the Holy Trinity
which occupied the site of the present Priory Church.
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| | | The Domesday Book records the town's name as "Thuinham" or "Twynham" and, at the time of the Norman conquest it comprised twenty-one houses paying an annual tax of 6d.The church is recorded as being dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the priory's inmates as secular canons.
Two mills are recorded; one belonging to the King, the other to the Canons of the Holy Trinity. The latter being worth thirty pence at the time of the survey in 1086.
It is not known whether a mill stood on the site of Place Mill at the time of the Survey and it seems likely that it's building was contemporary with that of the Priory in about 1100 AD.
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It was the Normans who commenced the building of the Priory Church and, at about the
same time, the building of Twynham Castle
which dominated the local countryside from atop its artificial mound or motte.
During the absence of the Lord of the Manor,
Twynham Castle would be left in the charge of a bailiff or constable. In about
1160,
what is now known as the Constable's or Norman
House was
erected a hundred or so yards to the east of the motte. This was a two-storey domestic
building with the first floor housing the Constable. It has a fireplace and is generously
provided with mullioned windows. The ground floor, with its narrow slit windows to prevent
entry, was used for stores.
Originally the castle was a wooden construction
which was gradually replaced by stone.
The Keep we see now was erected in about 1300. Although the castle saw active life
until 1656, it had fallen into decay by the mid-1500's and seems to have been used as
a cattle pound.
The ruins of castle and
Constable's House remain today and are open for
public viewing throughout the year.
Christchurch appears to have been a prosperous town in the early medieval period, its
fortunes bolstered by the trade brought by the pilgrims to the Priory. After about 1350,
the town does seem to have suffered a decline and this may have been due to the ravages of
the Black Death. After 1600 Chrsitchurch relied on agriculture and fishing and, though
small, was not unprosperous.
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Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries in
1536 caused not only the suppression of the
Priory at Christchurch which had existed
since Saxon times (although the
Priory Church was allowed to remain as the town's
parish church), but also the loss of the town's school which was run by the monks.
At the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Christchurch had grown little since
mediaeval times.
The town returned two members of Parliament and continued to do so until the
Reform Act of 1832.
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Christchurch was captured by parliamentry forces during the Civil War of 1640-1645 which
resisted two attempts by the royalist Cavaliers to capture it. When the hostilities came
to an end, Twynham castle was partialy destroyed
to render it
useless for military purposes and remains in that condition today never having been
restored to its previous condition.
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In common with many places along the south coast, Christchurch became a centre for
smuggling, in the 17th and 18th
centuries. High duties on many commodities made this clandestine trade highly
profitable and whole communities were involved in it.
The south coast is riddled with rumours of secret passages and tunnels, some of quite
extraordinary length, from this period and Christchurech is certainly no exception for
the Eight Bells public house in Church Street
and The Ship in Distress at Stanpit (both previously
public houses) are said to be thus connected.
The turn of the 19th century was
marked by expectations of invasion by Napoleon
and led to the establishment of military barracks in Christchurch as in other places along
the south coast.
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