Southampton is a city in Hampshire, England. The area has been settled since the Stone Age. Its history has been affected by its geographical location, on a major estuary on the English Channel coast with an unusual double high-tide, and by its proximity to Winchester and London; the ancient and modern capitals of England. Having been an important regional centre for centuries, Southampton was awarded city status by Queen Elizabeth II in 1964 .
Southampton became an important port in medieval times, experiencing several hundred years of fluctuating fortunes until it was expanded by the Victorians.
As a centre of commerce, an industrial town and an important military embarkation point, Southampton was a strategic target for the Luftwaffe and was severely damaged in World War II.
Post-war re-development and the need to accommodate 20th century innovations such as the motor car has significantly altered the character of Southampton.
Prehistoric times
Numerous gravel pits have been dug in the Southampton area, many of which have yielded Stone Age tools. Evidence of a Stone Age settlement has been found at Priory Avenue, St Denys.
Bronze Age objects have been found on Southampton Common, particularly by grave-diggers working in the cemetery and during the construction of the reservoir. Further Bronze Age finds have been made near Cobden Bridge.
Iron Age earthworks have been found at Lordswood and Aldermoor and evidence of Iron Age buildings has been found in the City Centre.
Roman occupation (AD 43–410) Antonine Itinerary VII documents the Roman settlement of Clausentum in Roman Britain as being west of Noviomagus Reginorum (Chichester) and from Venta Belgarum (Winchester).
In about 1770, John Speed claimed that Clausentum was in the area that is now known as Bitterne Manor. In 1792, the Rev. Richard Warner investigated those claims and found a ditch, a bank and some Roman coins. Since then, this site has been investigated further and is generally accepted as the site of Clausentum, but there is no universal agreement. Reference to modern maps show Bitterne Manor to be from Chichester. Wickham is at the junction of two Roman Roads and is a better fit to the distances documented in Antonine Itinerary VII. The case for Clausentum being situated at Bitterne Manor is based on archaeological evidence and the geography of the site (nestled inside a sharp bend in the River Itchen) which clearly allowed it to be turned into a good defensive position.
But the fact that there was a Roman settlement at what is now Bitterne Manor is not disputed. Archaeological finds at what is believed to be Clausentum show the site to be an important trading port with some significant buildings. Traces of a Roman Road on a line running from Bitterne Manor to Wickham have also been found.
The Romans abandoned the settlement circa 410, when the Roman occupation of Britain ended.
Anglo Saxon period (400–1066) The Anglo-Saxons moved the centre of the town across the River Itchen to what is now the St Mary's area. The settlement was known as Hamwic and or Hamtun, the two names co-existed and described the same area but were used in different contexts. By the middle of the 11th century, the area is described as South Hamtun by Anglo Saxon Chroniclers. References to St Mary's Church also appear in 11th century documents. Hamwic is referred to as a market in the account of the life of St Willibald, written by an Anglo-Saxon nun named Hygeburg in the late 8th century. The town developed under royal patronage where traders could be protected and taxed.
Excavations have revealed a section of the street plan of Hamwic and uncovered one of the best collections of Saxon artefacts in Europe. These collectively show that Hamwic was a planned town, that it became an important port and traded with the continent and was a Royal administration centre. The 110-acre site possibly sheltered a population of 2,000 or 3,000 people during c. AD 700–850. Other evidence in the excavations found 68 houses and workshops, 21 wells and 500 pits. Hamwic was the site of a mint for several Anglo Saxon Kings (AD 786–858) until it was moved to Winchester later in the 9th Century. Series H silver pennies were issued in Hamwic in the 8th century AD. They have mostly been found within or close to Hamwic.
Hamwic is also believed to have been a point of departure for slaves (being sent to the market at Rouen) and pilgrims, like Willibald to important European cities like Rome.