HAMPSHIRE, Hants, or Southampton (most anciently Hamtanscire, in Domesday book JJantesshire, and in the documents of the Middle Ages Sudhamtescire, Sudhamton- sire, and Sudenhamptonsire), a maritime county in the south of England, is situated between 50° 34’ and 51° 22’ N. lat. and 0° 43’ and 1° 54’ W. long., and is bounded on the N. by Berkshire, on the E. by the counties of Surrey and Sussex, on the §. by the English Channel, aud on the W. by Wiltshire and Dorsetshire. It is of an irregular quad- rilateral form, and its greatest breadth from north to south, not including the Isle of Wight, is 46 miles, and its greatest breadth from east to west 41 miles. The total area comprises 1,032,105 imperial acres (mainland por- tion 933,764 acres, Isle of Wight 93,341), or nearly 1613 square miles. Hampshire in its general aspect presents a beautiful variety of gently rising hills and fruitful valleys, adorned with numerous mansions and pleasant villages, and interspersed with extensive woodland. Two ranges of low chalk hills, known as the North and South Downs, enter the county from Surrey and Sussex respectively, and tra- Verse it in a north-westerly direction into Wiltshire and Berkshire, forming in the north-western corner of the county several picturesque eminences, from which some fine views are obtained. The highest of these summits is Siddown Hill, Highclere, 940 feet. The northern and north-eastern portion of the county, comprising more than 100,000 acres, is in the basin of the Thames; a large portion of the southern district is in the Southampton or Isle of Wight basin; and a portion to the west is in the basin of Wilts and Dorset. The south-western corner from South- hampton Water is almost wholly occupied by the New Forest. The coast on the whole is low and irregular. The most easterly part forms a large bay containing Hay- ling Island and Portsea Island, which divide it into Chichester harbour, Langston harbour, and Portsmouth harbour. From the south-western extremity of Portsmouth harbour itruns about 18 miles inland in a north-west direc- tion, and forms Southampton Water, which has a western shore about 10 miles in length, and an average breadth of neatly 2 miles at high water. From Southampton Water its line is continued irregularly in a south-western direction —for nearly one half of its extent fronting the Isle of Wight, and in its western half forming Christchurch Bay and part of Poole Bay.
Rivers and Canals.—The principal rivers are the Avon, the Boldre, the Exe, the Test with its tributary the Anton, the Itching, and the Hamble. The Avon in the south-west of the county has its source in Wiltshire, and passing Fordingbridge and Ringwood empties itself into Christ Church Bay, where it is joined by the Stour, which rising in Dorset crosses the south-west corner of Hampshire. The Boldre takes its rise in the New Forest, and after collecting the water of several brooks fells into Lymington creek, The Exe near the eastern extremity of the New Forest falls into the Solent at Beaulieu. The Test rises near Overton, and after its Junction with the Anton at Fullerton passes Stockbridge and Romsey, and forms the head of Southampton Water. The Itching rises near Alresford, and flowing by Kingsworthy, Winchester, and Twyford falls into the Southampton Water to the north of Southampton. The Hamble rises near Bishop’s Waltham, ind after a course of about 10 miles falls into the Southampton Water. The Wey, the Enbourne, the Loddon, and the Blackwater have their rise in the north part of the county, but soon pass into Berkshire.
There is one canal, Basingstoke, begun in 1778 and completed in 1794 at a cost of £100,000. It is 37 miles in length and terminates in the river Wey, in Surrey, near its junction with the Thames. Andover canal, begun in 1789, was filled up in 1858 and converted into a rail- way, forming a junction with the London and Exeter at Andover.
Geology and Soil.—With the exception of the northern and north-eastern corner occupied by the basin of the Thames, another portion about 8 miles in breadth extend- ing along the eastern side, and the New Forest in the south- west, with a small portion to the north of it, Hampshire is occupied by the Chalk formation which runs from Sussex and Surrey north-east into Wilts and Berks. This middle district has a length from north to south of about 22 miles and a breadth from east to west of between 20 and 30 miles. Its soil is in some places of considerable depth, and produces good crops of all kinds, Lut a great part of it is so thin as to be unfitted for the plough, and is used as sheep pasture. The basin of the Thames to the north of this district 1s principally strong brown and grey loam, with a considerable number of marshes. The eastern portion form- ing the Vale of Petersfield, and comprising only about 50,000 acres, rests on the Wealdcan formation, and is a grey sandy loam provincially called “malmy” land, lying on a soft sand rock. The southern portion, which imecinudes the ancient Forest of Bere, Waltham Chase, and the New Forest, consists principally of light sandy and gravelly loams inter- mixed with clay and brick earth, resting chiefly on argil- laceous and calcareous marl.
Agriculture.—According to the Agricultural Statistics for 1879. the total area of arable land was 706,927 imperial acres, of which 247,958 were under corn crops, 135,982 under green crop, 112,813 under rotation grasses, 184,141 permanent pasture, and 22,967 fallow. The acreage under woods was 87,229. The principal grain crop is wheat, for which Hampshire enjoys a great celebrity. Its acreage has been gradually increasing, and in 1879 was 100,090. The acreage of barley and oats was 66,228, and 64,957 respectively. Barley is usually sown after turnips, and is more grown in the uplands than in the lower levels. Beans and pease are only grown to a small extent, the acreage in 1879 being respectively 4683 and 10,092. On account of the number of sheep pastured on the uplands a large breadth of turnips is grown, their acreage in 1879 being 81,472. Potatoes are not cultivated beyond what is necessary for home supplies, and had an acreage of only 5039. Rotation grasses are grown chiefly in the uplands, and their acreage is greater than in any other of the southern counties of England. Sanfoin is the grass most largely grown, as it is best adapted to land with a calcareous subsoil. 1n the lower levels no sanfoin and searcely any clover is grown, the hay being supplied from the rich water meadows, which are managed with great skill and attention, and give the best money return of any lands in the county. Where a rapid stream of water can be passed over them during the winter it seldom becomes frozen, and the grasses grow during the cold weather so as to be fit for pasture before any traces of vegetation appear in the surrounding fields. Hops are extensively grown in the eastern part of the couuty bordering on Surrey. Their acreage in 1879 was 3064. Farming is generally condueted. on the best modern principles, but owing to the varietics of soil there is perhaps no county in England in which the rotation observed is more diversified, or the processcs and methods more varied. Most of the farms are large, and there is a considerable number of model farms. The waste land has heen mostly broucht under tillage, but a very large acreage of the ancient forests is still oecupied by wood. New Forest has 60,000 acres under wood, in addition to which there are in the east Woolmer Forest (5949) and Alice Holt (2744), in the south-cast the Forest of 3ere (11,000) and Waltham Chase (2000), and in the Isle of Wight Parkhurst Forest (3000). The New Forest was originally formed by William the Conqueror in 1079 after the battle of Hastings, and the greater part of it belongs tothe crown. The trees of the forest are principally beeeli and oak. The oaks, many of which are some hundred years old, do not grow toa great height, but shoot out strong erooked branches which give them a very picturesque appearance. Formerly they were chiefly used for the ships of the royal navy. Herds of small ponies similar to those of Shetland and the Hebrides are still reared in the Forest. It also contains abundance of decr,
