Overton, Hampshire
| Overton | |
|---|---|
 Crossroads in the centre of Overton |
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 Overton
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| Overton shown within Hampshire | |
| Population | 4,315 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SU516496 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Basingstoke |
| Postcode district | RG25 |
| Dialling code | 01256 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Overton is a large village and parish in Hampshire, England located west of the town of Basingstoke, and east of Andover and Whitchurch. The village contains smaller hamlets of Southington, Northington, Ashe, Polhampton and Quidhampton the latter two lying to the north of the village. The River Test has its source 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east in Ashe.
There is evidence of habitation since the Stone and Bronze Ages with finds and barrows located nearby.
The area has a history of banknote paper manufacture starting in the 18th century, and Overton Mill still produces Pound Sterling banknotes for the Bank of England.
The area around Overton has been inhabited for millennia with evidence of Stone Age, Bronze Age and Celtic occupation scattered across the parish and surrounding countryside, including:- tumuli at Popham Beacons at the southern tip of the parish; Abra Barrow on the boundary south west of Overton; a long barrow to the west of Willesley Warren Farm in the north of the parish; strip lynchets on Rotten Hill and the Harrow Way, an ancient track which runs across the parish north of the village.
Roman occupation in the area is shown by the discovery of Roman pottery shards in Little Meadow and the Port Way Roman Road marks the northern boundary of the parish.
The development of the village began in earnest during the 10th century when Frithstan, the Bishop of Winchester, in a chartership dated 909, was granted "Uferantun" by King Edward the Elder. Overton developed over the next century and by the time of the Doomsday Book the settlement included a large number of dwellings, the Church of St Mary and several corn mills primarily due to its location on the River Test. This expansion continued throughout the 12th and 13th centuries facilitated in 1218 by Henry III providing a royal grant to the Bishop of Winchester for a market in "his manor of Overton" when burgage tenure was introduced. By this period Overton was becoming a major settlement on the north–south route to and from Winchester.
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