A Companion in a Tour Round Southampton; Comprehending Various Particulars, Ancient and Modern, of New Forest

A Companion In A Tour Round Southampton; Comprehending Various Particulars, Ancient And Modern, Of New Forest by John Bullar. This late 18th-century travelogue combines itineraries with antiquarian observations as it directs readers around Southampton, the New Forest, and the adjacent counties of Hampshire, Lymington, Christchurch, Romsey, and Beaulieu, with an excursion to the Isle of Wight. The book presents routes, mileages, landmarks, and roads from Southampton as a central hub, and describes villages, churches, castles, abbeys, and coastlines encountered along the journey. Interwoven with practical guidance are historical notes on monuments, manors, and family histories, including Redbridge, Lyndhurst, Mottisfont, Netley Abbey, and St. Cross; it also records the evolution of New Forest governance and the region’s feudal tenures. The author draws on Domesday Book, Camden, Warner, and Gilpin, among others, to enrich topographical detail with antiquarian context. The work aims to be a portable directory for travellers and a compendium of local lore, preserving a portrait of late 18th-century southern England’s landscape, architecture, and cultural heritage for general readers.