| Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 50.896°N -1.506°W |
| Official Name: | Colbury |
| Static Image Name: | Christ Church, Colbury - geograph.org.uk - 2047684.jpg |
| Static Image Caption: | Colbury |
| Civil Parish: | Ashurst and Colbury |
| Shire County: | Hampshire |
| Region: | South East England |
| Constituency Westminster: | New Forest East |
| Post Town: | SOUTHAMPTON |
| Postcode District: | SO40 |
| Postcode Area: | SO |
| Dial Code: | 023[1] |
| Os Grid Reference: | SU348108 |
Colbury is a small village in the civil parish of Ashurst and Colbury, in the New Forest district, in the county of Hampshire, England. The village lies along Deerleap Lane,[2] near the modern village of Ashurst, in the New Forest National Park.
The name Colbury is derived from Middle English for "Cola's manor",[3] and near Colbury is an estate called Langley which was held by "Cola the Hunter" in the Domesday Book of 1086.[4] The manor of Colbury was given to the Abbot of Beaulieu by Robert de Punchardon sometime in the 13th century.[2] A grant of free warren in the manor was made in 1359–60 to the Abbot and convent of Beaulieu.[2] Successive abbots remained in possession of the manor until the dissolution of the abbey in April 1538, when it passed to the Crown.[2] It was purchased in 1544 by John Mill and his son John. The elder John died in 1551 and the younger John was succeeded by his son Lewknor.[2] He died in November 1587, and his son Lewknor died in the following month, leaving John his brother and heir.[2] John was created a baronet in 1619, and the manor descended with the Mill Baronets until the death of the last baronet in 1835.[2]
The site of the Colbury Manor House is about a mile to the northeast of Colbury village, close to the village of Eling.[5] The house which is now there is modern, and no trace of ancient buildings survive.[5]
Colbury was for centuries a tithing in Eling parish. Its population in 1870 was 341 people.[6] The church in Colbury, called Christ Church, was built in 1870 by Benjamin Ferrey.[7]
The civil parish of Colbury was one of the parishes created out of the ancient parish of Eling on 30 September 1894.[2] Colbury parish was abolished on 1 October 1934 when 4722 acres were transferred to the parish of Denny Lodge and 750 acres were transferred to Eling.[8] In 1931 the parish had a population of 1247.[9] The modern parish of Ashurst and Colbury was created in 1985, but administers a much smaller area than the old Colbury parish.
The village has a hall built in 1928 as a memorial to the First World War.[10]