A Brief History of Hatch Warren

Hatch Warren - Iron Age Farmstead & deserted medieval village

Beneath what is now the Hatch Warren estate lie the hidden remains of prehistoric and medieval villages. Excavation of those parts of the settlements which were to be destroyed by housing development was undertaken by Wessex Archaeology, in stages between 1984 and 1987.

In the Iron Age (3rd - 1st centuries BC), a small settlement was established. First there was an enclosure surrounded by a shallow ditch. This may have been for keeping livestock as no traces of any buildings were found. If there were any houses these must have been situated outside the area which was excavated.

This certainly seems to have been the case when a little later when the area just to the east of the enclosure was used for the dumping of household rubbish in pits. Some of the pits contained burnt cereal grains (wheat, barley and oats) together with pieces of chaff and weed seeds such as cleavers, bindweed and poppies indicating the cultivated fields also lay nearby.

In the 1st century BC a number of ditched enclosures contained the remains of buildings and pits grouped in different areas. Most of the buildings were small and rectangular with just four upright posts set into the ground, one at each corner. These are a familiar find on archaeological sites of this date and are generally thought to have been used for storing grain. Again, no actual houses were found but they must have been close-by as broken cooking pots, tools and small personal items were found.

Beef cattle, sheep and pigs were being raised, along with horses and dogs. Loom weights and spindle whorls made from fire clay or bone, and bone needles were found. These tell us that weaving and spinning were being done and we can imagine sewing too.

The little farming community seems to have continued to live here until sometime late in the 1st century AD, after the Roman Conquest of AD43, when for unknown reasons the site was abandoned.

The remains of the medieval settlement - possibly those of the lost Village of "Hatch" - included a small church built in the 11th-12th century which was surrounded by a wooden fence. At least six timber square and rectangular houses stood nearby. In the 12th - 14th centuries the graveyard was surrounded by two enclosure ditches. At least 240 graves occurred in the graveyard with several more burials inside the Church. One of these graves contained a pewter chalice and paten - religious items which indicate that this was the burial of a priest.

The small village served by the church and graveyard grew gradually between the 11th and 14th centuries. It included timber houses with tiled roofs, some surrounded by fences, with pits and possibly hearths, and at least one well and a bread oven.

The people of the village left behind them many small items such as silver coins, iron knives, tweezers, thimbles, buckles and a ladle; house fittings such as locks and keys; and many broken cooking pots, dishes, pans and storage jars.

The village economy was based on the keeping of cattle and sheep and the cultivation of wheat, barley, oats and rye. Dogs, cats, geese and horses were also kept and birds such as ducks, partridge and pigeons were tasty additions to the diet. Burnt seeds of raspberry, blackberry, sloe and bullace or damson were found, as well as burnt hazelnuts and catkins which show that woodland fruits and nuts were collected and eaten. Of great interest is the presence of the remains of red and roe deer and of sparrowhawk [a sparrowhawk frequents my garden, swooping on collared doves!] which suggests some serious hunting in the forest.

This apparently peaceful little village seems to have prospered in the 14th century but although the churchyard ditch was given a good spring clean sometime in the later 15th century, the area covered by the settlement seems to have been reduced and some houses were apparently pulled down. By the end of the 15th century the church had been demolished and extensive areas of building rubble were spread across the graveyard. The village was abandoned, and its name and position were lost until the excavations of the 1980s.

Copy taken from a leaflet produced by Wessex Archaeology on behalf of J. Sainsbury plc, Hampshire County Council and Basingstoke and Deane District Council.