Petersfield is an old English town founded back in the middle ages. With such a rich and interesting history, here are 12 interesting historical facts about Petersfield.
1. The town of Petersfield was founded in the 12th century by the Earl of Gloucester. The Earl who owned the land in the area built a church dedicated to Saint Peter and the surrounding area was then known as St. Peter’s Field.
2. The prosperity of Petersfield was based on wool and leather tanning, with most the local population living by weaving and tanning leather.
3. In 1568 Petersfield suffered an outbreak of the plague, despite this however, the population rose to a respectable (at the time) 1000!
4. By the 18th century, the wool trade had declined and Petersfield became a small and quiet market town.
5. In 1722 Richard Churcher left money in his will to create a school for Petersfield. This school was created in part to teach boys things like navigation in preparation for working for the East India Company.
6. In 1735, the east of Petersfield was a common area where the townspeople had the right to graze their cattle. Part of this land however was boggy and some animals drowned in it. The citizens however came together and dredged the bog, creating Petersfield Pond.
7. By the time, of the first census in 1801, Petersfield’s population was 2100. While its importance had declined, there were still 27 stagecoaches passing through Petersfield providing prosperity to the residents of the town.
8. In 1859 the railway reaches Petersfield, connecting it to London and Portsmouth.
9. A lot happened between 1852 and 1884, with gas street lighting arriving in 1852, a police station being opened in 1858, a corn exchange was built in 1866 and a cottage hospital opened in 1871. In 1884 a system of sewers and drains were built.
10. In 1901, the very first festival of music was held, and the two fairs that were held in Petersfield since the middle ages were closed.
11. During the depression in 1933, citizens formed the Petersfield Community Service Committee, they provided land, tools and seeds for the unemployed to grow food.
12. In the 1960’s, the centre of Petersfield was redeveloped with many historical buildings being torn down and replaced. And in 1963, the cattle market which had met since the 17 th century came to an end.