Alton Info

ALTON'S EARLY YEARS

The Saxons founded a farm of small village by a spring at Alton. The name Alton probably comes from Saxon words which meant spring farm or spring hamlet.

At first Alton was a small Saxon village but it did appear in the history books in the year 1101. William Rufus was killed by an arrow in the New Forest (whether by accident or design we don't know!). Afterwards one of his brothers took England and became King Henry I. Another brother took Normandy and became Duke Robert. The two brothers argued and Duke Robert of Normandy invaded England, landing in Hampshire. However in 1101 the two sides came to terms and they made a treaty at Alton.

Afterwards the people of Alton went back to farming and quietly living their lives. However Alton grew larger and more important. By about 1300 it had become a flourishing little market town. In 1307 the people of Alton were granted the right to have an annual fair. In those days fairs were rather like markets but they were only held once a year. People would come from far away to attend an Alton fair.

Like many towns in north Hampshire Alton's main industry was weaving wool. If we were to visit Alton in the 14th century it would seem no more than a little village with only a few hundred people. Yet by the standards of the time when villages were tiny Alton was a fair sized market town. It was also on a main road and pilgrims passed through Alton on their way to visit Canterbury.

Like all towns in England Alton was devastated by the Black Death, which struck in 1348-49. However Alton soon recovered and prospered again.

In those days the English used the longbow to deadly effect. Kings were keen that men should practice archery and they were supposed to do so every Sunday at the butts. The site of the butts in Alton is now a park.

Through the 16th and 17th centuries Alton continued to be a busy little town and from 1641 it had a grammar school.

In 1642 came civil war between England and Parliament. The two sides fought a battle at Alton. On 1 December 1643 Royalist soldiers commanded by Lord Crawford took up positions in Alton. On 13 December 1643 they were attacked by Parliamentary soldiers led by William Waller. The Royalists were soundly defeated. Their cavalry fled from Alton but the infantry continued to fight the Parliamentary troops. However they were surrounded in St Lawrence's Church. Over 700 Royalists went into captivity.

Today bullet holes from the battle of Alton are still visible on the Church of St Lawrence.

If we visited Alton in the 17th century we would think it very small with perhaps 1,200 people. Like all towns in those days it would not smell very pleasant! Towns were very unhygienic and as a result in 1665 Alton was struck by plague. The plague killed many people but fortunately the 1665 outbreak was the last of its kind.

During the 18th century the textile industry in Alton went into a long decline but the town continued to flourish. By the end of the 18th century Alton had a population of around 2,000.

ALTON'S IN THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES

During the 19th century Alton continued to grow and by 1900 more than 5,000 people lived there.

Amenities in the town improved. From 1844 the town had a supply of gas and in 1852 the railway arrived connecting the town to London. In 1856 a cemetery and Curtis Museum opened in Alton. Public health greatly improved during the 19th century. A sewage works opened in 1862 and a waterworks was built in Alton in 1876. In 1880 the Assembly Rooms were built in Alton. In 1908 Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital opened.

From 1927 Alton had an electricity supply. The first council houses were built in Alton between the wars.

During the 19th century Alton had a paper making industry. It was also known for its brewing industry. Today there are modern industrial estates in Alton.

In the 1970s Alton continued to develop. A by-pass was built at Alton in 1971 and a sports centre opened in 1972. A health centre opened in Alton in 1974 and Alton Community Centre was built in 1975. Lastly Alton College was built in 1978.

Today Alton is a prosperous town of 17,000 people.