Driving into Winchester from the Alton/ Alresford road you will see a large white pyramid and other strange shapes on the hillside in front of you, then when getting to the roundabout with the Cricketers Inn on one corner turn left and you will find the pretty little village of Easton. Here on the left is the church and the old school house with some other pretty cottages mixed in with some 19th century villas. The village was a stopping off place for people on the Pilgrim's Way heading to Canterbury from Winchester and the village featured in a four day siege in 1293 when the Rector Henry de Rowarden was was attacked while officiating in the Church

Being near to Winchester records have been kept better to show what the history of Easton was, and the first mention is in AD 871 when Alswith Bishop of Winchester gave eight *hides of land to Culthred the Dux, then in AD 961 King Edgar granted to Birthelm, Bishop of Winchester seven and a half **manae.

It is from its close proximity to Winchester that we know what we do about Easton's history. The first mention of Easton is in A.D. 871 when Alswith,
Bishop of Winchester granted eight hides of land to Culthred the Dux,  In A.D. 961 King Edgar granted to Brithelm, Bishop of Winchester seven and a half mansae,

The Domesday Survey ordered by William the Conqueror provides more information on the village. Walkelin, who was the first Norman Bishop of Winchester had unrestricted possession of Easton which in those days had two chapels and two mills and in 1205 all the properties were given to the Prior and monks of St Swithun's who retained the ownership until 1539 the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when the Manor land were given to Sir William Sydney and then to his grandson Sir Philip Sydney who perished in the Spanish Nederlands in 1586.

The Domesday Book, the census ordered by William the Conqueror in 1086, provides more information about the village. Walkelin, the first Norman Bishop of Winchester, had unrestricted possession of the village, which included two corn mills and two chapels. In 1205 all the properties were given to the Prior and monks of St. Swithun's in Winchester, who retained ownership until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539. The Manor and land were then granted to Sir William Sydney, and passed eventually to his grandson, Sir Philip Sydney, who died fighting in the Spanish Nederlands in 1586. After his death his widow sold the property to the Antrobus family and then it seemed to go from hand to hand until the Brydges family were in possession and the head of this family became the Duke of Chandos in the 18th century.

The enclosure Act of 1799 gives more detailed records of the village and there is no record of what the village looked like before this  but the landscape was considerably altered with new hedges and boundaries appearing, what is know though is that the Easton estate encompassed a little over 923 acres and by 1825 this had been increased to 2753 acres which covered not only the cultivated land but also nearby water meadows.

In 1841 most of the village was owned by the Duke of Chandos and maps show the road layout to be almost as it is today. The Shelley family bought the estate in 1848 and they sold land and houses to individuals and tenant farmers, the principle house being Avington Park was sold in 1952 and made into apartments.

The map of 1841 shows the Rectory to the northeast of the church between the churchyard and the River Itchen and in 1853 it was pulled down to make way for a house at the top of Church Lane on much higher ground.

By 1869 the village was self-contained, the school was next to the Church and the Bat and Ball was the only pub. There was also a post office, a smithy, a wheelwright and a boot maker.

In 1935 the Rectory was sold and a new house built nearer the centre of the village. This house remained the Rectory until 1991, when, with the creation of the United Benefice of the Itchen Valley, a new Rectory was built at Chilland, in the centre of the Benefice.

St Mary's church, Easton

The other public house is the Chestnut Horse and here the narrow road turns into a smaller country lane leaving down to Avington. More modern residences can be found in Malthouse Close which is just off Easton Lane.

The name comes from Est-tun which means that it is the  Village to the East and is Anglo Saxon in origin. The church of St Mary sits on the south bank of the Itchen which flows just outside of the village and was built around 1120-1170 on what was the site of an older Saxon church.

The River Itchen meandering though the Easton countryside

The village is surrounded by farmland and little traffic pass through but the M3 motorway cut through the valley and this caused uproar but today it is accepted as a way of life for the villagers themselves. A blacksmith used to be here with a general store two bakers a shoemaker and a post office the local farms produced the milk. It is said that a lady of the village used her pony and trap to purchase goods for the villages from Winchester. The school has long since been closed and is now a private house and the chapel went the same way, and all that remains in the village of a commercial nature are a garage and the two public houses.

William Cobbett wrote:
"I INTENDED to go from UPHUSBAND to STONEHENGE, thence to OLD SARUM, and thence, through the New Forest, to Southampton and Botley, and thence across into Sussex, to see Up-Park and Cowdry House. But, then, there must be no loss of time: I must adhere to a certain route as strictly as a regiment on a march. I had written the route; and Laverstock, after seeing Stonehenge and Old Sarum, was to be the resting place of yesterday (Tuesday); but when it came, it brought rain with it after a white frost on Monday. It was likely to rain again today. It became necessary to change the route, as I must get to London by a certain day; and as the first day, on the new route, brought us here [Easton near Winchester].......
......Coming from EASTON yesterday, I learned that Sir CHARLES OGLE, the eldest son and successor of Sir CHALONER OGLE, had sold to some General, his mansion and estate at MARTYR'S WORTHY, a village on the North side of the Hichen, just opposite EASTON. The Ogles had been here for a couple of centuries perhaps. They are gone off now, 'for good and all,' as the country people call it. ..."

*a hide being about one hundred acres or the amount of land that could be tilled by one plough in a year.

** A mansae is the amount of land to support one family.

EASTON TODAY (adapted from the church guide)

A 120 houses can be found in Easton today and a further thirty within the parish of around 350 people, the population is well balanced between young and old but most people commute to work to nearby Winchester and its surrounding towns plus to London, while others seem to follow the modern trait of working from home which has been made much easier by the computer and wireless internet communications. There are not many people working on the farms these days due to the coming of automation of machinery the only local employer being the two pubs and garage and a small catering business.

The growth of housing has increased since the 1970s when in-filling became popular and the school was closed in 1970 and also at about this time the village Post Office and and shop. The local primary school children are sent  to Itchen Abbas and the older children are taught at Winchester. But as a whole Easton is a close knit community and has an active cricket club! The village hall holds summer fetes, pantomime a harvest supper and is also a meeting place for the local Women's Institute, and a village magazine is produced and shared with Martyr worthy and has been produced  since 1972.

HISTORY OF ST MARY's CHURCH

IMAGES OF EASTON

The Old School house		An Easton cottage, note the small windows and low ceilings
The lych gate at St Mary's Church		"Three Acres" on the approach to Easton
The interior of St Mary's church, Easton		Church Road Easton