Herriard

At the heart of the parish of Herriard, four miles south-east of Basingstoke, Hampshire, lies Herriard House, the home for four centuries of the Jervoise family. Their archive, containing over 250,000 items, turns this rural parish into something extraordinary, permitting us to see life there in remarkable detail. Consequently this ordinary parish can serve as a model for less well documented places in the Hampshire downland. This study draws upon this unique archive to tell the story of Herriard from the earliest settlement until the present day. Prominent throughout are the families that have put their stamp upon Herriard - the Coudrays, Paulets, and Jervoises - from founding the parish church to building a mansion within grounds landscaped by Humphrey Repton. Nor does the book neglect ordinary parishioners as it explores the social, economic, and religious history of Herriard: their homes, their work, their worship. It provides examples of agricultural improvement and model farms, complex relationships between master and servant, a short-lived light railway, a rogue who almost destroyed the estate, and much else. This is the second collaboration between the Victoria County History, Hampshire and Hobnob Press, to produce a 'VCH Short' parish history.