Bathingbourne

Bathingbourne is a farming hamlet in the southeastern part of the Isle of Wight. It is located on Bathingbourne Lane, northwest of Apse Heath and southwest of Hale Common. Bathingbourne is on the boundary of Godshill, Arreton and Newchurch civil parishes.

Name

Its name means 'the stream of the family or followers of a man called Beadda', from Old English Beadda with -inga- and burna.
~953: Beaddingaburna
1086: Bedingeborne
1235: Baddingeburne
1346: Bathyngbourne
1577: Bangborne
The 1577 spelling reflects the local pronunciation of the name.

Amenities

Several businesses, holiday accommodations and farms are present in Bathingbourne. Bathingbourne farms produce livestock and garlic.

History

Bathingbourne was the name of a manor in the ancient parish of Godshill. It was alternatively known as "Baddingbourne" and "Bangbourne" in the 16th century, but before that it was earlier known as Beaddingaburn, Baddingebourne, and Bathyngbourne. Bathingbourne was one of five manors granted by King Eadwig to members of his thegn, although a previous charter of King Edred also parcelled out this land, but Edred's charter divided the land along different boundaries. The Domesday Book in 1086 listed Bathingbourne in its records of English settlements.
On 16 August 1940, a damaged plane incorrectly identified as a plane manufactured by Dornier Flugzeugwerke, later correctly as a Messerschmitt Bf 109e from Rennes, was struck by a 234 Squadron Supermarine Spitfire and crashed at Bathingbourne Farm. The pilot, Feldwebel Christian Hansen, was taken into police custody, after having a drink at the Fighting Cocks Inn, and driven to Newport. His plane was relatively undamaged, with locals paying to sit in the cockpit. Some mock In Memorium cards were sold, with the text: