Talk:History of Christchurch, Dorset

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was: page moved. No need for discussion Crouch, Swale   talk to me   My contribs  20:29, 30 November 2010 (UTC)

History of Christchurch, Dorset → History of Christchurch — There is clearly no reason for the disambiguation. Crouch, Swale  talk to me   My contribs  20:27, 30 November 2010 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

First paragraph
I'm just curious, the first paragraph of this article begins by stating that "around 650 AD, St Birinus, the first Bishop of Dorchester (Oxford), sent his missionaries into Wessex" apparently implying that this missionary expedition had something to do with Christchurch. The paragraph then goes on to explain that there was a small settlement on Hengistbury Head at this time which "proved unsuitable for the purpose of spreading the word of God" and that the area between the two rivers was "far more useful". It's a nice story, but other than the bare fact of Birinus proselytizing in Wessex, is there actually any evidence for any of this? Pasicles (talk) 17:12, 27 May 2012 (UTC)


 * According to Stannard's book, some of those missionaries sent out by St. Birinus settled between the rivers for the reasons outlined. I can't remember whether he (Stannard) mentioned any written or archaeological evidence, or whether this is speculation. I will re-read it next time I'm in the library and let you know. Perhaps it should be rewritten to say, "It has been suggested by Stannard....." or similar.--Ykraps (talk) 07:31, 28 May 2012 (UTC)


 * Well my concern was triggered when I added the bit about the early Anglo-Saxon cemetary: the fact is that (a) the cemetary is certainly of an early c. 600 AD date, and (b) it seems to be totally pagan. All this suggest a pagan Saxon settlement nearby. More likely is that Christchurch/Twynham began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement established during the expansion of Wessex in the 6th century, and then later on in the 7th century Christian missionaries arrived. We can certainly mention Birinus or his missionaries in that context, and we can mention the strategic value of Christchurch situated between the two rivers, but that is as far as I would go. The earliest documentary reference to Twynham seems to be the brief mention in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 901. The line about the "number of wells in the area now known as Purewell" also sounds a little odd. The suffix "well" in a place-name can mean "spring" or "stream", and in the case of Purewell (not recorded as a place-name before 1300: ) the name probably refers to the streams in the area. Anyway, I'll see if I can find some other sources which might give some more information on Christchurch's origins. Pasicles (talk) 17:06, 29 May 2012 (UTC)


 * Okay, but I can't see how that contradicts the article. We know St. Birinus sent missionaries into Wessex in around 650 AD and we know there was a Saxon Christian church built around that time on the site now occupied by the Priory. The Saxon graveyard proves that there were Pagans in the area before 600 AD, and probably after, otherwise why send missionaries there? I'm not sure about the wells, Stannard definitely used the word and I assumed he meant what is commonly taken to be a well. I know it is in Stanpit, but there is Tutton's Well.--Ykraps (talk) 07:12, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

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Changes to History of Christchurch
Kia ora, editors in New Zealand are currently in the process of improving articles about the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. As part of this, we are planning to create a dedicated article for the History of Christchurch, New Zealand. It has been suggested that we name that article "History of Christchurch" to replace the current disambiguation page History of Christchurch. We would of course then include a hatnote to this article for readers that have ended up in the wrong Christchurch somehow. The main reason for taking this approach would be that the city in NZ already occupies the Christchurch page, so History of Christchurch would be consistent with this. David Palmer// cloventt (talk) 08:16, 2 May 2024 (UTC)