North Charford

North Charford
A338 Road at North Charford
North Charford
North Charford shown within Hampshire
OS grid reference	SU166198
Civil parish	Breamore
District	New Forest
Shire county	Hampshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	FORDINGBRIDGE
Postcode district	SP6
Dialling code	01725
Police	Hampshire
Fire	Hampshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	New Forest West
List of places UK England Hampshire 50°58′41″N 1°45′54″W / 50.978°N 1.765°W / 50.978; -1.765Coordinates: 50°58′41″N 1°45′54″W / 50.978°N 1.765°W / 50.978; -1.765

North Charford is a hamlet in the New Forest district, in Hampshire, England, near the Wiltshire border. Historically the name refers to a manor which is now in the civil parish of Breamore on the west bank of the River Avon.

North and South Charford are usually identified with the "Cerdic's ford" which appears twice in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. It first is mentioned under the entry for the year 508 when we are told that following a battle to the east "the land as far as Cerdic's ford was named Natanleaga" For the year 519 we are told that "Cerdic and Cynric succeeded to the kingdom [of the West Saxons]; and in the same year they fought against the Britons at a place called Cerdic's ford". If a battle really did take place here then it is possible that the boundary of Hampshire was first established here.

In the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, North Charford (Cerdeford) was a fairly large settlement of 29 households. The lands were split between the Earl of Salisbury and "Alwy son of Turber". That which Alwy owned may subsequently have become the manor of Hale.Richard II was overlord of North Charford in 1397, but subsequently the Bulkeleys claimed the overlordship, asserting that the manor was held of them as of their manor of Nether Burgate and their hundred of Fordingbridge. This was denied by Edward Abarowe, lord of North Charford in 1563, but seventy years later Sir William Bulkeley was stated to be the overlord.

In the beginning of the 13th century Hamo de Bachamton and Geoffrey son of John held the manor conjointly. Around 1280 William Gerberd held the manor, which passed to his heir John Gerberd. Alice was holding it in 1316. Her son William Gerberd sold the manor before 1353 to Walter Abarowe, on whose death it passed to his widow Isabel. She subsequently married Hugh Tyrell, and died in 1370, leaving a son and heir John Abarowe. The manor remained in the Abarowe family down to the 17th century. It was purchased in the 18th century by Thomas Archer, or his nephew Henry Archer, who was holding it at the time of his death in 1768. It then followed the same descent as Hale until the 19th century, when it was sold to John Coventry of Burgate manor.

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Wikipedia