Four Marks

Four Marks is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is southwest of Alton, on the A31 road. It is situated on the borders of the South Downs National Park on the Pilgrims' Way that leads from Winchester to Canterbury. It contains within it the medieval hamlets of Kitwood, Hawthorn and Lymington, although now the whole parish is relatively closely settled.

Four Marks is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is southwest of Alton, on the A31 road. It is situated on the borders of the South Downs National Park on the Pilgrims' Way that leads from Winchester to Canterbury. It contains within it the medieval hamlets of Kitwood, Hawthorn and Lymington, although now the whole parish is relatively closely settled.

Prehistory

In the New Stone Age there seems to be significant evidence of activity and settlement spread about the parish, which includes several Neolithic polished axeheads found near Headmore Farm, and others found near Swelling Hill pond and Brislands Lane. Several arrowheads and other flint tools have been found scattered within the parish too, suggesting not insignificant amounts of settlement. In the Early Bronze Age three barrows were constructed as graves for important members of the local community. These sit just South of Barn Lane. Some additional individual finds from this period have been found by hobby archaeologists near to the parish. A pre-Roman ridgeway from the Old Sarum area, the Lunway, crosses through Four Marks from the north following the drier southern side of the ridge . It is itself crossed near the old Windmill Inn (now the Co-op store) by a summerway from Alresford and its river, following the quickest, driest, 'up-and-over' route to the River Wey. Several features and finds dating to the Iron Age have been found in the village over the decades; these show a densely settled and worked landscape. Evidence of settlement was uncovered by pre-construction works near to Brislands Lane. This has been reinforced by finds of pottery, loom weights and coins around Four Marks and neighbouring villages over the years. In the Roman period a road was built from Winchester, then known as Venta Belgarum, to London (Londinium likely crossed through Four Marks), although this theory is not without controversy. The area around Four Marks was very active in this time, with villas and farmsteads, although little is known of within Four Marks except for the occasional coin.

Historic buildings

By the 18th century Four Marks was home to several farmsteads, many of which still stand today. Below is a list of properties built prior to the 1830s:

Historic buildings

By the 18th century Four Marks had grown in size and was home to several farmsteads, many of which still stand today. Despite the listing of some historic buildings, several have gone unlisted. Below is a list of properties built prior to the 1830s:

Notable people

Mildred Bruce, aviator, lived in Four Marks on Alton Lane C. V. Durell, mathematician, lived in Four Marks Denis Rolleston Gwynn, political journalist and historian Jessie Louisa Rickard, author, lived in Four Marks Jane Devonshire, British Chef and 2016 winner of MasterChef. Google Maps aerial photograph Four Marks Primary School Local radio Alton Herald

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378566102 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.