Belbins, Romsey, Hampshire, England

Some notes on the small rural hamlet at Romsey known as Belbins

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Since my (Terry BELBIN‘s) earliest years, I have always known about the Romsey BELBINs, because that was the name my father’s family gave to the family of my late uncle who lived there for 80 years or so, and still do. My siblings and I, who were the Spiders Island BELBINs, literally grew up with the Romsey BELBINs as we lived so close to them but during those carefree years I never once realised that the BELBIN name has been associated with this small southern Hampshire market town for centuries. When it did eventually dawn on me it piqued my curiosity and so I began to gather what information I could about this place which appears to be the only English community with the BELBIN name.

ROMSEY is a thriving market town in Southern Hampshire approximately 10 miles north-west of the port of Southampton situated on the banks of the River Test and is dominated by its Norman Abbey dating from 1120. The original Abbey was founded by Edward The Elder (son of Alfred The Great) in 907. Important industries such as brewing, tanning and the weaving and finishing of woollen cloth and the ability to export produce through Southampton brought great wealth. The town is closely linked to the 400 acre Broadlands Estate which was the former home of Lord Palmerston and latterly of the cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, LORD MOUNTBATTEN, who was murdered in 1979. As such a prominent figure of the British establishment, Lord Mountbatten’s tomb was aligned north-south as per his wish in the South Transept of ROMSEY ABBEY adjacent to the grave of none other than Sarah BELBIN, the wife of Nicholas BELBIN, who died in 1737.

Sarah Belbin, Nicholas Belbin and Belbins

This following extract is taken from the Romsey Advertiser of 10th March 1916 from an article entitled BY-GONE ROMSEY EXTRA in which the place names of Romsey are discussed:

There still remains one other place name that is reminiscent of bygone Romsonians, and that is BELBINS, which probably acquired its name from NICHOLAS BELBIN, haberdasher of Romsey between 1715 and 1769. His marriage took place at Baddesley Church on the 26th of September 1706, to Sarah WARREN. The aspect of the ruined lodge and entrance gates to BELBINS with its mysterious and overgrown drive, usually attracts the notice of strangers, but we have not been able to discover when the house was built or why it has been suffered to decay. The late Mr. Cornelius Medley said that it was “occupied at one time by a Mr. Clark, a gentleman farmer, who came there from Lockerley Manor where he took farming pupils.”

Sarah BELBIN, wife of Nicholas, died on 16 May 1737 and was interred in the same grave as Thomas WARREN, Vicar of Houghton, and brother of John WARREN, Vicar of Romsey, both of whom were forced to resign in 1666 for refusing to accept the Book of Common Prayer as the norm for Anglican worship after the Restoration of Charles II. Possibly Sarah BELBIN might have been a descendant of one of the Warren brothers but there is no indication on the grave as to why she was interred with Thomas. The only known common factor was that before she married her name was Sarah WARREN.

Incidentally, Nicholas BELBIN issued his own local coin or token when he was a haberdasher in Ringwood, a Hampshire town some 18 miles from Romsey. See the Bits & Pieces article on BELBIN 17th Century Trade Tokens.

Belbins House

Although now seemingly lost in time, the origin of BELBINS is believed to derive from the original large house which dominated the area from about 1700 until World War I when it was blown up. It is possible that this substantial property once belonged to Nicholas BELBIN but no documentary proof has yet been found.

A detailed description of the property is found in the HAMPSHIRE CHRONICLE of 19 May 1883 when it was advertised for auction:

B E L B I N S
One-and-a-half miles from the Market Town of Romsey and nine miles from Southampton.
A very desirable and compact little ESTATE (all Freehold).
Comprising a Farm of upwards of 40 acres (in a good state of cultivation), with convenient Buildings and comfortable old-fashioned Residence, with Gardens, pleasantly and healthily situated in the above excellent district, affording a favourable opportunity to anyone seeking a small Pleasure Farm for occupation, in addition to a safe investment for capital. The land and buildings are let to a yearly tenant. The remainder of the property is in hand, and will be sold with possession. The Estate (which is well timbered) has a good trout stream running through it, and is well placed in a first rate sporting neighbourhood, within a short distance of the Hursley Hounds.
PERKINS and SONS will offer the above for SALE by AUCTION, on Thursday the 7th of June, 1883, at the White Horse Hotel, Romsey, at two for three o’clock, by order of the Trustees and Exors. of the late Mrs. Clark.
A plan of the property may be seen and further particulars obtained on application to Mr. Wm. Perkins, solicitor, Albion-terrace, or the Auctioneers, Southampton.

Here’s a little story that might show the worth of conducting spur of the moment enquiries. Between Christmas and New Year not long after the first incarnation of BelbinMania appeared on the web, Terry BELBIN and his now wife, Gill, decided to get away from family Christmas gatherings for a few hours and visited BELBINS to take some photographs of the area. Much to their surprise, the huge wrought iron gates to BELBINS HOUSE were opening as they approached, and the driver of the car leaving the property invited them into the grounds.  Much to their consternation, the gates shut automatically as the car left, leaving Terry and Gill trapped in the grounds. They had no choice but to march the long driveway to the house to explain themselves to the owners who were, not unsurprisingly, suspicious. After some hasty explanation about surnames and house names and so forth, instead of being escorted off the property they were invited into the house and were shown an 1882 auction document which had been in a frame having been recently discovered during the new owners renovation of the house. The document contained a colourful map showing the extent of the BELBINS property and was a discovery that would not otherwise have been made. It is assumed that the 1882 auction didn’t proceed for some reason as the 1883 auction referenced above was only seven months later.

BELBINS is an area of Romsey that would appear to have acquired its name from a certain Nicholas BELBIN and today boasts a few houses and bungalows. A couple of them have names such as BELBINS HOUSE and BELBINS VALLEY and there is also a small industrial estate by the name of BELBINS BUSINESS PARK. BELBINS HOUSE definitely seems to have some history to it and whilst not much research has found its way to BelbinMania, some notes have been found in The Romsey Advertiser of 10 March 1916 and also some were made by the late Reverend Howard BELBEN in 1939. Details are shown below together with maps and photographs of the area and if you live in that neck of the woods or can add anything which may be of general interest please let Terry Belbin know.

The larger map shows BELBINS in relation to the general area. Just north of Timsbury is Michelmersh which may be easier to find on a map. The smaller map shows a closer view which also includes BELBINS HOUSE.

The Romsey Belbins by Howard Belben

These notes were made by the Late Rev. Howard BELBEN after visiting Romsey on 5th August 1939 and are reproduced exactly as written.

Before 1697 the only reference to a Belbin in the register at Romsey is:

    1651 ATHONY BELDIN m. Edw. Holloway 10 Feb

This however is probably a Belden and so not connected at all.

In 1697 at Kensington, 21st Dec, a warrant was issued for the confirmation of charter to Romsey. Among the names of those members of the corporation who “desire to be inserted in the new charter” is that of “NICHOLAS BELBEN (sic), capital burgess” [Calendar State Papers, Domestic. Wm III 1697]. Since there is no previous reference to a BELBIN at Romsey, Nicholas does not seem to be a native. He was probably the Nicholas of the Portsmouth BELBINS of whom the following particulars are given in the genealogy in Portsmouth Public Library:

    NICHOLAS BELBIN married Sarah daughter of Richard Wilkes of Titchfield who died 1680 aged 23 (buried in St. Thomas) and had issue:-

    MARY BELBIN born 1678

    PETER BELBIN born 1679

He was also probably the NICHOLAS BELBIN, Gent, who on 17th July 1689 appealed to the House of Lords for £100 from Thomas Simpkins, scrivener, of London Historical MSS Commission 12th Report (Appendix VI).

Nicholas seems to have married again. The following is copied from a stone in the floor of the South Transept of Romsey Abbey:

Here lyeth the body of Mr. Tho. Warren, a learned, pious, and faithful minister of Christ, a solid and nervous assertor of discriminating grace and breed well, who died Jan the 27th, 1623/4 aged 77. T’was Christ he preached lord livd but now is gon to live with Christ in the heavenly mansioned. May we Christ love and live, so living dye, so dying live in bliss and (to) eternity.

Here lyeth the body of Mrs. Sarah BELBIN wife of Mr. Nicholas BELBIN who dyed May 16, 1737 aged 55.

Thomas Warren was the well known brother of the incumbent at the Abbey, who himself took Holy Orders but later dissented and joined the Congregational Ministry. There is no indication of the connection between him and SARAH BELBIN. There was about 136 years between the dates of their births. The inscription on this stone is apparently contradicted by the entry in the burial register of the Abbey:

    1737 Mrs. HANNAH BELBIN, widow 22 May

Nicholas may have been married again before he married Sarah (Hannah), as the following entry occurs in the register of Romsey Abbey:

    1704 ANNAH BELLBON (Bellben?) wife of Nicklos, buried 7 Aug

This may well be, as his first wife died in 1680 and Sarah (Hannah) would not have been old enough for him to marry her until about 1700.

The following is also from Romsey Abbey Registers:

    1701 HENRY BELBONE married Hannah Gifford, both of this town 23rd Sept.

The following is from Timsbury 92M72 PRI:

    1716 Robert Read of Southampton married HANNAH BELBEN of Rumsey 21st June

The following is from the Hampshire Allegations of Marriage Licences:

    1732 Robert Newlands of Romsey, baker and JANE BELBIN of the same, spinster, at Romsey, 27th November

The PETER S. NICHOLAS who was born in 1679 may be the PETER BELBIN, schoolmaster of Lymington, who was bondsman at a marriage at Ringwood on 14th October 1726.

Until the 1914-1918 war there was standing at Romsey a house known as BELBINS. It was perhaps 220 years old, and no BELBINS seem to have been living in Romsey within living memory, so the name must have been handed down. The house, which contained about ten rooms, was said to be haunted and had been unoccupied for a long time. It was blown up during the 1914 – 1918 war. It was on the site of some gravel pits on the Cupernham Road outside Romsey and the estate of bungalows that was built on the spot is known as BELBINS. One of the bungalows now has that name. There was also some years ago a BELBINS GRAVEL COMPANY which took its name from the place and not from its owners. (Information given by the verger at Romsey Abbey, 5th August 1939.)

In the Apprentices and Masters Index in the Society of Genealogists Library is an entry referring Henry, son of Henry BELBIN of Romsey, Hants, who was apprenticed to Sam Oliver of Romsey, apothecary (£50).

Some Photographs of Belbins