Herald - Issue 408

Page 6 • The HERALD • 24th June 2021 v PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY FOR OVER 27 YEARS v Waterside Furnishings & Re-Upholstery 023 8020 7895 16 Marsh Parade, Hythe (Opposite Hythe Club) Est 2006 RE-UPHOLSTERY NEW AND USED FURNITURE NEW AND USED FURNITURE RE-UPHOLSTERY • FOGGY/MISTED & BROKEN DOUBLE GLAZED UNITS REPLACED • HINGES & HANDLES • WINDOW & DOOR LOCKS • PATIO DOOR ROLLER MECHANISMS & TRACK • WINDOWS ENERGY EFFCIENCY & SECURITY UPGRADES • WINDOWS, DOORS & CONSERVATORIES SUPPLIED & INSTALLED Telephone 023 8073 1884 • Mobile 07909 654025 Email doubleglazingrepairuk@gmail.com Web www.doubleglazingrepairuk.com DOUBLE GLAZING REPAIR UK ARE PROUD MEMBERS OF FASCIAS • SOFFITS • GUTTERING • MOSS CLEARING CONSERVATORIES/ROOFS • PVC • CLADDING EXPERT DOMESTICS APPLIANCE SERVICES S ales and R epairs to A ll M akes and M odels 169-171 LONG LANE, HOLBURY • TEL (023) 8089 0054 POSSIBLY THE ONLY INDEPENDENT MAIN DEALER IN THE NEW FOREST For Bosch, Belling, Britannia, Candy, Ebac, Hotpoint, Hoover, Indesit, Ice King, LG, LEC, Liebherr, Miele, Neff, Sebo, Siemens, Stoves, Whirlpool, Zanussi and more... Free Standing & Built In Sales Centre Over 300 appliances in stock www.expertdomestics.co.uk Send your local news to The Editor, The Herald, 2 High Street, Hythe SO45 6AH A BLAST FROM THE PAST - The Families of Cowlease & Hilltop by Robin Somes, Fawley & Blackfield Memories Taking the road from Hilltop towards Exbury, the historic settlement of Cowleaze, or Cowleys, is nowhere to be seen, but it once straddled the boundary between open heath and the woodlands of Exbury estate. Apart from a footpath leading from Moonhills car park, there is little evidence on the ground, and only the names ‘Cowleys Heath’ and “Cowleys Copse” on the map. In the mid-1800’s, though, land outside the parish boundary. eir origin was likely the old Forest right dictating that, if an incomer already had a roof on, and a re burning in the hearth, he could not be evicted from the hovel he had built himself. Other settlements started this way at the Weirs in Brockenhurst, and Beaulieu Rails (now East Boldre); Denny Lodge parish was eventually formed in 1868 to encompass all the extra- parochial areas. Censuses from 1841 onwards list many well- known local surnames living at Cowleaze and Hilltop, including Jones, Bubb, Etheridge, Kitcher, Shelley, Osman, Bunday, Nutbeam, Read, Stickland, Musselwhite and Renyard. Among the permanent residents there, censuses also recorded Romany families, Sherwoods and Pidgeleys, coming and going more freely. My 3rd-great grandfather Randall Jones was one Hilltop resident. His daughter married into the Spedding family of Lepe; his two other descendent lines are the Bubbs and Tillyers. Where all these incomers originated is largely uncertain, except for the Shelleys; it is known that they had come from Downton, near Salisbury, when that area was depopulated by famine. Perhaps the others had a similar story. By the early 20th century, though other houses remained at Hilltop and Otterwood, Cowleaze had all but disappeared. In 1911, James Shelley, his son Steave (unusual spelling of Steve) and grandson Edward Renyard lived in Cowleys Cottage. e 3-room cottage’s only water supply was an arti cial stream dug across the heath. e only other Cowleaze resident was Emily Nicholas, a widowed charwoman, in another cottage nearby. 110 years on and nothing remains, but it’s surprising how many local families have origins in those rough little settlements on the open forest. Cottage, home of the Shelley family at Cowleaze. Photo courtesy of Peggy Tillyer Cowleaze and Hilltop were a busy straggle of rough dwellings, semi-permanent at best, on open forest Seven of the volunteers from the Healthy Haven Garden enjoyed an a ernoon out at the beautiful Exbury Gardens on ursday 20th May. ey had a picnic lunch and then enjoyed a train ride seeing the rock garden on the way. Followed by a nice walk down to the Jubilee Pond to see the glorious vistas. ey enjoyed the many di erent colours of the Azaleas and Rhododendrons that were almost in full bloom. A erwards they were able to enjoy tea and cake in Mr Eddy’s restaurant. It made a nice change from working in the Healthy Haven garden at the Waterside Medical Practice. Haven Volunteers at Exbury