Timsbury, Hampshire
| Timsbury | |
|---|---|
 Timsbury
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| Timsbury shown within Hampshire | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Romsey |
| Postcode district | SO51 |
| Dialling code | 01794 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Timsbury is a village located in Hampshire, England, near the town of Romsey. It lies mainly along the A3057 road running north from Romsey towards , and shares a boundary with the village of Michelmersh (where the Post Office affirm the 2011 Census population is included).
It has a population of approximately 400.
The name "Timsbury" is derived from the Old English timber + byrig (dative of burh), meaning 'timber fort or manor'.
Timsbury has grown from a traditional village centred on the Manor House (now split into many dwellings) and the Church of St Andrew. Although there may have been a Saxon church, the current Grade II listed building dates from around the early 15th century and was badly damaged by fire on 9 March 2014.
Historically, Edmund Sharp and his wife Alice moved from the county of Berkshire to Timsbury towards the end of the seventeenth century. A direct descendant of Edmund Sharp was Richard Sharp (politician), once hailed as possibly being the most popular man in Georgian London.
An interesting anecdote has survived concerning one of Edmund's sons, Richard, who, born in 1665 gained a reputation as an accomplished wrestler and ‘cudgeller’ in the area. Even in those days cudgelling was a very old custom and especially popular in the West of England where great pride was attached to skills which were often handed from father to son. It was a fast and furious activity conducted brutally using a short club and the expression ‘to break a head’ was associated with the cudgeller’s sport since the victor was he who first drew blood from a gash to the head.
The story recorded by his grandson and clearly cherished by later generations underlines the extent of Richard’s physical prowess,
While he lived at Romsey he of a summer’s day rode up to Timsbury, where he lived, where he had been brought up and where when young he had been so fond of wrestling. It so happened that a stage was erected and sitting on his horse he stayed long enough to see a man throw two or three men who had mounted the stage against him, till all were intimidated from entering the list; the conqueror …. triumphed on the stage with so much arrogance that my grandfather was tempted to humble him; therefore he got off his horse, mounted the stage, threw the boaster on his back and having humbled the boaster he immediately took horse and left them.
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Wikipedia