Welcome to the website of WestTytherley, Frenchmoor & Buckholt Parish Council

 

Our website

Within this website you can find contact details for the Parish Councillors and Parish Clerk, 

dates of all the Parish Council meetings, plus Agendas and Minutes for meetings already held. 

The Parish Council covers West Tytherley, Stony Batter, Frenchmoor, Buckholt,

and the area of West Dean which lies within the county of Hampshire.

 

CASUAL VACANCIES FOR A COUNCILLOR

 

There are two vacancies on the Parish Council caused by the resignations of John Camilleri and Chris Rowland.

The Parish Council will consider whether to fill the vacancies by co-option.

 

 

 

Overview

 

West Tytherley is an ancient rural village which has been an important settlement within a single land-holding dating back to medieval times, but more recently defined as the Norman Court Estate.

The self-supporting small rural community, distant from towns, was linked by droves, byways, and navigable waterways. Today the road infrastructure connecting the villages and surrounding areas consists of unclassified, unnumbered roads with limited capacity. Dean railway station, located in the neighbouring village of West Dean, provides a regular hourly local service between Salisbury, Romsey, Southampton Central, Southampton Airport (Parkway), and Chandlers Ford. 

Almost 50% of the neighbourhood area is agricultural land and approximately 30% (2000 acres) consists of protected woodland. 

Social amenities include a primary school, a parish church, a village hall, a recreation ground, a village shop, and a pub.

 

Early History

West Tytherley was held by Thegn Alwig son of Thurbert in 1086, paying geld for 3 hides and 1 virgate (equivalent to 390 acres).  Before the Conquest it was held by three free men as three manors of King Edward and paid geld for 4 hides and 1 virgate (510 acres). There were 7½ acres of meadow and woodland for fencing.

 According to the testimony of men of the hundred, two of the men who held it before the Conquest were killed in the Battle of Hastings, and the hundred affirmed that they had never seen the King’s seal or that of his officer, by right of which Alwine Ret, the predecessor of Alwig, held the manor.  They thus claimed that unless the King gave testimony, Alwig had no possessions there. 

A chapel at West Tytherley was one of six in the manor of Mottisfont held by the Archbishop of York in 1086.  In the 13th century, the manor was held by the King in serjeantry, and in 1334 it was bought by Roger Norman.  His family were succeeded by the Whitheds by 1433.

 

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Bentley Wood

The village of Tytherley is an ancient one; it was recorded in the Domesday Book at Tederleg. The name means a young wood. The wood may have been young in Norman times, but today it is well developed.

Bentley Wood, together with the adjacent Upper and Lower Noads Copse and Frenchmoor Copse, form one of the largest contiguous areas of woodland in the south of England. It contains broad-leaved, mixed and yew woodland covering an area of over 1600 acres (660 hectares). It is a nationally important nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a working wood, and a very special place enjoyed by the public. The principal features of this SSSI are the nationally uncommon invertebrates and butterflies such as (from left to right) the High Brown Fritillary, the Purple Emperor, the Pearl-bordered Fritillary and the Duke of Burgundy.

The Wood is managed by The Bentley Wood Charitable Trust. To ensure that visits to the wood are as enjoyable as possible for all visitors and cause the minimum disturbance to wildlife, the Trustees have developed an Access Policy, which is summarised here.

Friends of Bentley Wood

Do you and your family enjoy walking, riding or cycling in Bentley Wood?  Would you like to know more about its plants and wildlife? Would you like to help in the conservation, maintenance and improvement of the wood as a nature reserve and as an amenity for the surrounding community?  Would you like to meet other people who enjoy the beauty and peace of the wood, and wish to see it conserved for future generations?  Then join the Friends of Bentley Wood who have a full programme of events to allow maximum enjoyment of this SSSI. 

For more information, please email: secretary@friendsofbentleywood.org.uk