Wootton St Lawrence Explained

Country:	England
Static Image Name:	Church at Wootton St. Lawrence - geograph.org.uk - 73850.jpg
Static Image Caption:	Church of St. Lawrence
Official Name:	Wootton St Lawrence
Coordinates:	51.2768°N -1.1531°W
Population:	636
Population Ref:	(2011 Census. including Charter Alley, Ramsdel, Upper Wootton and West Heath)^[1]
Civil Parish:	Wootton St Lawrence with Ramsdell
Shire District:	Basingstoke and Deane
Shire County:	Hampshire
Region:	South East England
Constituency Westminster:	Basingstoke
Post Town:	Basingstoke
Postcode Area:	RG
Postcode District:	RG23
Dial Code:	01256
Os Grid Reference:	SZ2477198254

Wootton St Lawrence is a small village in the civil parish of Wootton St Lawrence with Ramsdell, in Hampshire, England, 2.5miles west of Basingstoke. The name is derived from the Old English wudu tun meaning woodland settlement or farm.^[2]

History

The manor of Wootton (see Manydown) was a possession of the prior and convent of St. Swithun from the time of the Domesday book until the dissolution of the monasteries. The Dean and Chapter of Winchester sold the manor to William Wither in 1649. However, the manor was reclaimed by the church after the restoration and the family received no compensation. The manor returned to the family after the purchase by the Reverend Lovelace Bigg-Wither in 1863, but he sold it to the Bates family 10 years later. Wootton oak timber was used to reconstruct Winchester Cathedral nave c. 1390 by William of Wykeham.^[3]

Governance

Wootton St Lawrence is in the civil parish of Wootton St Lawrence with Ramsdell^[4] with an elected Parish Council and falls within the local government district of Basingstoke and Deane, part of the shire county of Hampshire.^[5] On 1 July 1966 the East Oakley ward of Wootton St Lawrence Parish Council was added to Oakley Parish Council, with elections in May 1968.^[6] The council changed its name to Wootton St Lawrence with RamsdellParish Council because the majority of the parish is on the Ramsdell side of the A339 covering Ramsdell.^[7]

Religious sites

The village has a church named St Lawrence^[8] and the village is often regarded to its name. The mediaeval church was rebuilt in 1864, retaining the 12th century north arcade and tower and some of the 14th century windows.

Notable residents

• Charles Butler (1560–1647), sometimes called the Father of English Beekeeping,^[9] was Vicar of St Lawrence for 48 years until his death in 1647

Further reading

Parishes: Wootton St Lawrence, A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 4 (1911), pp. 239–242

Notes and References

1. Web site: Civil Parish population 2011. 12 December 2016. Office for National Statistics . Neighbourhood Statistics.
2. Web site: Wooton St Lawrence . Key To English Place Names. . 9 May 2012.
3. Web site: HantsWeb - Wootton St Lawrence . 23 August 2010.
4. Web site: Wootton St. Lawrence with Ramsdell. Ordnance Survey. 20 July 2021.
5. Web site: Wootton St Lawrence Parish Council . 23 August 2010.
6. Web site: Oakley and Deane parish council - history . 23 August 2010.
7. Web site: Change of Name of Parish Council – Section 75 Local Government Act 1972 Report of Monitoring Officer. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. 20 July 2021.
8. http://www.southernlife.org.uk/woottonlawrence_church.htm The Church of St Lawrence
9. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Beekeeping, Roger Morse and Ted Hooper, 1985, E.P. Dutton, Inc.