Wootton St Lawrence
{{Short description|Village and parish in Hampshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox UK place
|country = England
|static_image_name = Church at Wootton St. Lawrence - geograph.org.uk - 73850.jpg
|static_image_caption = Church of St. Lawrence
|official_name = Wootton St Lawrence
|coordinates = {{coord|51.2768|-1.1531|display=inline,title}}
| population = 636
| population_ref = (2011 Census. including Charter Alley , Ramsdel, Upper Wootton and West Heath){{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11130951&c=RG26+5QA&d=16&e=62&g=6428757&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=0&s=1481542517230&enc=1|title=Civil Parish population 2011|access-date=12 December 2016|publisher=Office for National Statistics |work=Neighbourhood Statistics}}
|civil_parish = Wootton St Lawrence with Ramsdell
|shire_district = Basingstoke and Deane
|shire_county = Hampshire
|region = South East England
|constituency_westminster = Basingstoke
|post_town = Basingstoke
|postcode_area = RG
|postcode_district = RG23
|dial_code = 01256
|os_grid_reference = SZ2477198254
|website =
}}
Wootton St Lawrence is a small village in the civil parish of Wootton St Lawrence with Ramsdell, in Hampshire, England, {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} west of Basingstoke. The name is derived from the Old English wudu tun meaning woodland settlement or farm.{{cite web |url = http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Hampshire/Wooton%20St.%20Lawrence |title=Wooton St Lawrence |work=Key To English Place Names|publisher= English Place Name Society |access-date=9 May 2012}}
History
The manor of Wootton (see Manydown) was a possession of the prior and convent of St. Swithun from the time of the Domesday book until the dissolution of the monasteries. The Dean and Chapter of Winchester sold the manor to William Wither in 1649. However, the manor was reclaimed by the church after the restoration and the family received no compensation. The manor returned to the family after the purchase by the Reverend Lovelace Bigg-Wither in 1863, but he sold it to the Bates family 10 years later. Wootton oak timber was used to reconstruct Winchester Cathedral nave c. 1390 by William of Wykeham.{{cite web |url=http://www3.hants.gov.uk/localpages/north-east/basingstoke/wootton.htm |title=HantsWeb - Wootton St Lawrence |access-date=23 August 2010}}
Governance
Wootton St Lawrence is in the civil parish of Wootton St Lawrence with Ramsdell{{cite web|url=http://data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/doc/7000000000017639|title=Wootton St. Lawrence with Ramsdell|publisher=Ordnance Survey|accessdate=20 July 2021}} with an elected Parish Council and falls within the local government district of Basingstoke and Deane, part of the shire county of Hampshire.{{cite web |url=http://communities.hants.gov.uk/wootton-st-lawrence-index |title=Wootton St Lawrence Parish Council |access-date=23 August 2010}} On 1 July 1966 the East Oakley ward of Wootton St Lawrence Parish Council was added to Oakley Parish Council, with elections in May 1968.{{cite web |url=http://www.oakleydeane-pc.gov.uk/council/ |title=Oakley and Deane parish council - history |access-date=23 August 2010}} The council changed its name{{when|date=July 2021}} to Wootton St Lawrence with Ramsdell
Parish Council because the majority of the parish is on the Ramsdell side of the A339 covering Ramsdell.{{cite web|url=https://democracy.basingstoke.gov.uk/documents/s23361/Wooton%20St%20Lawrence%20council%20report.pdf|title=Change of Name of Parish Council – Section 75 Local Government Act 1972 Report of Monitoring Officer|publisher=Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council|accessdate=20 July 2021}}
Religious sites
The village has a church named St Lawrence[http://www.southernlife.org.uk/woottonlawrence_church.htm The Church of St Lawrence] Southern Life (UK) website and the village is often regarded to its name. The mediaeval church was rebuilt in 1864, retaining the 12th century north arcade and tower and some of the 14th century windows.
Notable residents
- Charles Butler (1560–1647), sometimes called the Father of English Beekeeping,The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Beekeeping, Roger Morse and Ted Hooper, 1985, E.P. Dutton, Inc. was Vicar of St Lawrence for 48 years until his death in 1647
Further reading
[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=56797 Parishes: Wootton St Lawrence], A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 4 (1911), pp. 239–242