JOHN KEBLE'S PARISHES: A HISTORY OF HURSLEY AND OTTERBOURNE




PREFACE



To explain the present undertaking, it should be mentioned that a
history of Hursley and North Baddesley was compiled by the Reverend
John Marsh, Curate of Hursley, in the year 1808. It was well and
carefully done, with a considerable amount of antiquarian knowledge.
It reached a second edition, and a good deal of it was used in
Sketches of Hampshire, by John Duthy, Esq. An interleaved copy
received many annotations from members of the Heathcote family.
There was a proposal that it should be re-edited, but ninety years
could not but make a great difference in these days of progress, so
that not only had the narrative to be brought up to date, but further
investigations into the past brought facts to light which had been
unknown to Mr. Marsh.

It was therefore judged expedient to rewrite the whole, though,
whenever possible, the former Curate's work has been respected and
repeated; but he paid little attention to the history of Otterbourne,
and a good deal has been since disclosed, rendering that village
interesting. Moreover, the entire careers of John Keble and Sir
William Heathcote needed to be recorded in their relations to the
parish and county. This has, therefore, here been attempted,
together with a record of the building of the three churches erected