Human settlement in England
Emsworth
is a town
[2]
in the
Borough of Havant
in the county of
Hampshire
, on the south coast of England near the border with
West Sussex
. It lies at the north end of an arm of
Chichester Harbour
, a large and shallow inlet from the
English Channel
, and is equidistant between
Portsmouth
and
Chichester
.
[3]
Emsworth had a population of 10,269 at the 2021 Census. The town has a basin for yachts and fishing boats, which fills at high tide and can be emptied through a sluice at low tide. In
geodemographic segmentation
the town is the heart of the Emsworth (cross-county) built-up area, the remainder of which is Westbourne,
Southbourne
and
Nutbourne
. The area had a combined population of 18,777 in 2011, with a density of 30.5 people per hectare, and shares two railway stations.
[4]
Etymology
[
edit
]
According to
Richard Coates
the meaning of Emsworth is derived from the
Old English
Æmelswrð
, which translates as 'Æmmele's
curtilage
'. Similarly,
Eilert Ekwall
says that "Emsworth" was derived from
Amils worth
, with
worth
meaning the fence around the property (owned by Amil).
[5]
[6]
It is popularly thought that Emsworth derived its name from the River Ems, but this is not true; before the 16th century the stream was actually called the Bourne.
[7]
The river was renamed by the 16th century chronicler
Raphael Holinshed
:
[a]
The Emille cometh first between Racton and Stansted, then down to Emilswort or Emmesworth, and so into the Ocean. Separating Sussex from Hampshire almost from the very head.
Holinshed writes that the Emille flows in to the sea at Emilswort or Emmesworth. Therefore, it appears that the river was named after Emsworth and not the other way round.
[8]
History
[
edit
]
Pre-Roman
[
edit
]
In prehistoric and early historical times the
River Ems
was tidal as far as
Westbourne
and the Westbrook creek reached to Victoria Road, leaving Emsworth almost isolated at high tide. A coastal route developed that led from
Hayling Island
through
Havant
and
Rowlands Castle
to the Downs. A part of the coastal route followed the
Portsdown
ridgeway and from
Chichester
to Belmont Hill in
Bedhampton
probably skirted the heads of the various creeks which entered the harbour, passing through country still covered with the original thick forest of oak and beech.
[9]
Roman
[
edit
]
In Roman times a villa existed to the south of the road to
Noviomagus Reginorum
in the fields of what is now Warblington Castle Farm. Archaeological finds show that the building was a sizeable brick and stone edifice, with floors paved with red brick and coloured sandstone and a view of the harbour and wooded shores of Hayling Island. The fertile landscape suggests the area to have been under continuous cultivation for 1500?1800 years.
[9]
Anglo-Saxon
[
edit
]
St James' Church
Saxons
began settling the area after AD 500. Charters were granted by Kings
Æthelstan
and
Æthelred
in AD 935 and AD 980 establishing and confirming the boundaries of Warblington. From AD 980?1066 the manor was held by
Godwin, Earl of Wessex
and his son
Harold Godwinson
.
[10]
Medieval
[
edit
]
After the
Norman Conquest
, the Manor of Warblington was given to
Roger de Montgomery
,
Earl of Shrewsbury
as part of the manor of Westbourne. The
Domesday Book
lists the latter with two churches, a mill, 29 families and two slaves (about 120 people). There were also seven plough teams, indicating about 850 acres of land under cultivation.
[11]
The first recorded mention of Emsworth as a separate entity was in AD 1216, when
King John
divided the manor of Warblington, accepting annual rent of 'a pair of gilt spurs yearly' from
William Aguillon
for land at
Emelsworth
. In AD 1239,
Henry III
granted the town a weekly market on Wednesdays and an annual fair on 7 July. The town was mentioned in a
patent roll
of a hospital in the Hermitage area in AD 1251.
[12]
In AD 1341 Emsworth was designated as one of five English towns required to provide a ship for defence of the
Channel Islands
. It was designated as a customs landing for
Chichester
in AD 1346 and in AD 1348 was investigated by a special commission for smuggling.
[12]
[13]
18th and 19th centuries
[
edit
]
The Old Flour Mill
The Promenade
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Emsworth was still a port. Emsworth was known for
shipbuilding
,
boat building
and
rope
making. Grain from the area was ground into flour by
tidal mills
and transported by ship to places such as London and
Portsmouth
. Timber from the area was also exported in the 18th and 19th centuries. The
River Ems
, which is named after the town (not, as often believed, the town being named after the river), flows into the Slipper millpond. The mill itself is now used as offices.
In the 19th century Emsworth had as many as 30 pubs and beer houses; today, only nine remain.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Emsworth had a population of less than 1,200 but it was still considered a large village for the time. By the end of the 18th century, it became fashionable for wealthy people to spend the summer by the sea. In 1805 a
bathing house
was built where people could have a bath in seawater.
The parish Church of St James was built in 1840 to a design by John Elliott.
[14]
It was expanded in the late 1850s this time to a design by John Colson.
[14]
Colson's designs were again used in an expansion of 1865.
[14]
A final round of building took place in the early 1890s this time to a design by
Arthur Blomfield
.
[14]
The
reredos
added in the 1920s features a painting by
Percy George Bentham
.
[14]
Queen Victoria
visited Emsworth in 1842, resulting in Queen Street and Victoria Road being named after her. In 1847 the
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
(now the
West Coastway line
) came to Emsworth, with a
railway station
built to serve the town.
Hollybank House
to the north of the town was built in 1825 and is now a hotel.
Emsworth became part of
Warblington Urban District
which held its first meeting in 1895. The
Urban District
was abolished in 1932. Emsworth subsequently became part of
Havant Urban District
.
Modern
[
edit
]
By 1901 the population of Emsworth was about 2,000. It grew rapidly during the 20th century to about 5,000 by the middle of the century. In 1906 construction began on the
post office
, with local
cricketer
George Wilder
laying an inscribed brick. The renamed Emsworth Recreation Ground dates from 1909 and is the current home of Emsworth Cricket Club, which was founded in 1811. Cricket in Emsworth has been played at the same ground, Cold Harbour Lawn, since 1761.
In 1902 the once famous Emsworth
oyster
industry went into rapid decline. This was after many of the guests at mayoral banquets in Southampton and Winchester became seriously ill and four died after consuming oysters. The infection was due to oysters sourced from Emsworth, as the oyster beds had been contaminated with raw sewage.
[15]
[16]
Fishing oysters at Emsworth was subsequently halted until new sewers were dug, though the industry never completely recovered.
[15]
J D Foster, an oyster merchant, who had for many years been in occupation of the oyster beds sued Warblington Urban District Council (the owners of the sewers) for nuisance. This was a
test case
as he could not prove title to the land. However, the Court of Appeal held that Foster had a right to sue, as exclusive occupier of the oyster beds, whether or not he had acquired an interest in the land itself. The judges view was that:
"..the contest arises, in my view, between the person who is in occupation of a portion of the foreshore and a wrongdoer [Warblington Urban District Council]. Whether the plaintiff would be able to resist the claims of the owner of the foreshore, whoever he may be, or the owner of a several fishery, if such fishery exists, or of a member of the public exercising a right of fishery, if there be such a right in the present case, seems to me immaterial for the purposes of this case . ."
(Judge Stirling LJ)
Foster went on to win his case.
[12]
Recently, Emsworth's last remaining oyster boat,
The Terror
,
was restored and is now sailing again.
[17]
But the oyster industry is again under threat, because the reproductive rate of the oysters has plunged, as they now contain microscopic glass spicules that are shed into the water from the hulls of the numerous plastic fibreglass boats in Chichester Harbour.
[18]
A soldier from 101st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment prepares for D-Day by reading his French handbook at a camp in Emsworth, 29 May 1944
During the
Second World War
, nearby
Thorney Island
was used as a
Royal Air Force
station, playing a role in defence in the
Battle of Britain
. The north of Emsworth at this time was used for growing flowers and further north was woodland (today Hollybank Woods).
[19]
In the run up to
D-Day
, the
Canadian Army
used these woods as one of their pre-invasion assembly points for men and materiel.
[20]
Today the foundations of their barracks can still be seen. In the 1960s large parts of this area were developed with a mix of bungalow and terraced housing.
For a few years (2001 to 2007), Emsworth held a food festival.
[21]
It was the largest event of its type in the UK, with more than 50,000 visitors in 2007. The festival was cancelled due to numerous complaints of disruption to residents and businesses in the proximity.
[21]
A Baptist church was constructed in North Street in 2015.
[14]
The harbour is now used for recreational sailing, paddle boarding, kayaking and swimming. The town has two
sailing clubs
, Emsworth Sailing Club (established in 1919) and Emsworth Slipper Sailing Club (in 1921), the latter based at Quay Mill, a former tide mill. Both clubs organise a programme of racing and social events during the sailing season.
-
Emsworth town centre
-
Quay Mill, Emsworth
Culture and community
[
edit
]
Emsworth Library was considered for closure in 2020 but following public consultation, was reprieved.
[22]
Emsworth Museum is administered by the Emsworth Maritime & Historical Trust.
[23]
The town is twinned with
Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer
in Normandy, France.
[24]
In 2014 retired
Royal Navy Captain
Clifford "John" Caughey drove his car into the clubhouse of Emsworth Sailing Club, causing an explosion and requiring thirty firefighters to put out the fire.
[25]
Politics
[
edit
]
The town is part of the
Havant
constituency
, which since the 1983 election has been a Conservative seat. The current
Member of Parliament
(MP) is
Alan Mak
MP. The town is represented at
Havant Borough Council
by
councillors
Richard Kennet and Lulu Bowerman of the
Conservative Party
and Grainne Rason of the
Green Party
. The local
Hampshire
County Councillor
is Lulu Bowerman. The town has branches of the Conservative Party,
Liberal Democrats
, the
Labour Party
, the
United Kingdom Independence Party
and the Green Party.
Transport
[
edit
]
Emsworth railway station
is on the
West Coastway Line
. It has services that run to
Portsmouth
,
Southampton
,
Brighton
and
London Victoria
.
Stagecoach South
operates the
number 700 bus
, which runs between
Brighton
and
Southsea
.
As of November 2019
[update]
Havant Borough Council
claims local bus services are provided by
Emsworth & District
, First and Stagecoach.
[26]
Notable residents
[
edit
]
- Denise Black
(1958?), actress. Best known for playing
Denise Osbourne
in
Coronation Street
and Hazel in
Queer as Folk
.
- Sir
Peter Blake
(1948?2001), yachtsman. Broke the world record for the
fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe
in 1994.
- William Buckler
(1814?1884), artist and entomologist, lived in Emsworth from the 1860s and died in Lumley in 1884.
- Sub-Lieut.
Peter Danckwerts
(1916?1984), Royal Navy officer, chemical engineer and academic.
[27]
- Albert Finney
(1936?2019), actor. Recipient of
BAFTA
,
Golden Globe
and
Emmy
awards.
- Sir
Mark Evelyn Heath
(1927?2005), diplomat. Former
British Ambassador to the Holy See
(1980?1985).
- Thomas Hellyer
(1811?1894), architect of many buildings in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight, was born in Emsworth.
[28]
- Nicholas Lyndhurst
(1961?), actor. Best known for playing
Rodney Trotter
in
Only Fools and Horses
.
- General Sir
David Richards
(1952?), British Army officer. Former
Chief of the Defence Staff
(2010?2013).
- Malcolm Waldron
(1956?), footballer. Played for
Southampton
,
Burnley
and
Portsmouth
.
- Joel Ward (footballer)
- William Whitcher
(1832?1910), cricketer. Played for
Hampshire
.
- George Wilder
(1876?1948), cricketer. Played for Hampshire and
Sussex
.
- P. G. Wodehouse
(1881?1975), writer.
[29]
Bibliography
includes the
Jeeves and Wooster
and
Blandings Castle
series
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Holinshed originally published "Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland", in 1587. There was a reprint in 1807, that had some
excisions
in it, ordered by the
Privy Council
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Office for National Statistics - Census 2021
- ^
"Emsworth dubbed as '?UK's small town food capital' after award collection"
. www.portsmouth.co.uk. 27 January 2017.
Archived
from the original on 11 April 2021
. Retrieved
11 April
2021
.
- ^
Whitfield, Robert.
Emsworth: A History
. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., 2005, p. xiii.
ISBN
1-86077-346-X
- ^
UK Census
(2011).
"Local Area Report ? Emsworth BUA Built-up area sub division (1119883320)"
.
Nomis
.
Office for National Statistics
. Retrieved
21 August
2020
.
- ^
Coates, Richard (1989).
The Place-Names of Hampshire
. London: Batsford. p. 72.
ISBN
0-7134-5625-6
.
- ^
Ekwall, Eilert (1991).
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names
(4 ed.). Oxford: OUP. p. 166.
ISBN
0-19-869103-3
.
- ^
Reger, A J C (1967).
A Short History of Emsworth and Warblington
. Portsmouth: Pott and Horsey. p. 17.
- ^
Rudkin, David J (1984).
The River Ems and related Watercourses
. Westbourne. p. 6.
OCLC
499701376
.
- ^
a
b
Reger, A.J.C. A Short History of Emsworth and Warblington. Havant Borough History Booklet No. 6. (Self-published: 1967).
- ^
Reger, A J C (1967).
A Short History of Emsworth and Warblington
. Portsmouth: Pott and Horsey. p. 21.
- ^
Powell-Smith, Anna (2023).
"Warblington"
.
Open Domesday
. Hull University
. Retrieved
4 August
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
Emsworth Museum (2022).
"Emsworth Timeline"
.
Exploring Emsworth Museum
. Retrieved
4 August
2023
.
- ^
Newell, Linda. Uncovering the Past…..Emsworth, Oysters and Men. (Emsworth Museum: 2006).
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
O’Brien, Charles; Bailey, Bruce; Pevsner, Nikolaus; Lloyd, David W. (2018).
The Buildings of England Hampshire: South
. Yale University Press. p. 259.
ISBN
9780300225037
.
- ^
a
b
"Emsworth Oysters"
. Emsworth Business Association. 3 February 2016. Archived from
the original
on 3 February 2016.
- ^
Bulstrode, H. Timbrell (1903).
"Dr. H. Timbrell Bulstrode's report to the Local Government Board upon alleged oyster-home enteric fever and other illness following the mayoral banquets at Winchester and Southampton, and upon enteric fever occurring simultaneously elsewhere and also ascribed to oysters"
. London: HMSO. p. 1.
Archived
from the original on 7 July 2019.
- ^
"Terror ? Emsworth Oyster Boat"
. Archived from
the original
on 5 February 2007
. Retrieved
2007-05-11
.
- ^
"Chichester Harbour"
.
Countryfile
. 52m. 26 July 2020.
BBC1
.
Archived
from the original on 27 July 2020
. Retrieved
27 July
2020
.
{{
cite episode
}}
: CS1 maint: location (
link
)
- ^
"Hollybank Woods"
. Woodland trust. Archived from
the original
on 8 December 2015
. Retrieved
2 November
2015
.
- ^
"D-Day marshalling area camp A2, Emsworth Common"
. D-Day Museum.
Archived
from the original on 5 December 2018
. Retrieved
2 November
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"
'Dead as a dodo' Emsworth Food Festival bites the dust"
. The News, Portsmouth. Archived from
the original
on 24 December 2016
. Retrieved
24 December
2016
.
- ^
"Plans agreed to save £1.76 million from Hampshire Libraries transform the service for the future"
.
Hampshire County Council
.
Archived
from the original on 27 September 2020
. Retrieved
3 August
2020
.
- ^
Emsworth Maritime & Historical Trust.
"August 2019 Newsletter"
(PDF)
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 23 September 2019
. Retrieved
23 September
2019
.
- ^
St Aubin ? Emsworth Twinning Association
Archived
6 September 2009 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Claire Duffin (22 April 2014).
"Pensioner arrested after crashing car into sailing club in suspected arson attack"
.
Daily Telegraph
.
Archived
from the original on 25 June 2018
. Retrieved
25 June
2018
.
- ^
"Bus services in Havant | Havant Borough Council"
.
www.havant.gov.uk
. Archived from
the original
on 23 September 2019
. Retrieved
25 November
2019
.
- ^
Denbigh, K.G. (December 1986).
"Peter Victor Danckwerts"
.
Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society
.
32
: 99.
doi
:
10.1098/rsbm.1986.0004
.
- ^
"Thomas Hellyer"
(PDF)
. Ryde Social Heritage Group. August 2015.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 2 February 2017
. Retrieved
19 June
2017
.
- ^
Hewitt, Christine.
"Havant Literary Festival, 25th to 28th September 2008"
. The P. G. Wodehouse Society(UK).
Archived
from the original on 16 July 2018
. Retrieved
16 July
2018
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Whitfield, Robert.
Emsworth: A History
. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., 2005.
ISBN
1-86077-346-X
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Emsworth
.
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Major settlements
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Towns and villages in the Borough of Havant
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Havant & contiguous parts
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Leigh Park
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- Leigh Park
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Waterlooville & adjoining neighbourhoods
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Emsworth & adjoining neighbourhoods
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Hayling Island
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