Hampshire is filled to the brim with lovable market towns and enjoyable little villages that boast the best that England has to offer in terms of friendliness and comfort. Few of these cities, however, compare to Alton when it comes to all these amenities and much more. The beauty of Alton has been spoken of widely. The famous author Jane Austen, lived in Alton and the lush scenery to be found in the city quickly grabbed her imagination and filled her with the desire to encapsulate in words the wonder that her eyes beheld.
Like many towns in the surrounding area, Alton was originally a Saxon settlement from the early eleventh century that quickly sprung up into a market town, which was generally how most of England's cities came into being. Alton was notorious for having the largest and most lucrative market, however, and it quickly dwarfed many of its competitors. By the 1500s Alton was most assuredly a force to be reckoned with and it rose even higher in prominence as its Saturday market reinvigorated the economy to previously unimagined heights.
Interestingly enough, Alton's scenic beauty seemed to be at odds with the foreboding past history of violence that happened to permeate the city from time to time. While it is true that no European city really had it very easy in those days, Alton seemed to be particularly plagued by quite a few incidences of brutality that quickly sent chills up even the bravest spines. During the English Civil War, in 1643, Alton was the site of a rather gruesome battle wherein a small cadre of Royalist troops were ambushed by over five thousand Parliamentary fighters. The outnumbered Royalists were pushed into the St. Lawrence Church where they were effectively butchered. Visitors to the church can see the bullet holes and knife marks on the walls to this day.
One of the oldest and most popular murder stories also has its roots in Alton. Fanny Adams, who was killed by Frederick Baker in 1867, still has her grave in Alton and the notice of Baker's execution still stands posted on the Crown Public House. Curiously, the death of Adams happed to occur at the same time that tinned meat became introduced into the Royal Navy. Sailors would joke that the meat tasted like Sweet Fanny Adams and, as etymology is wont to do, the Sweet Fanny Adams line was shortened to Sweet F A. This later became a shortened form of a dirty word but we'll leave the rest of the sordid tale to your imagination. The long and short of it, though, is that Alton is most definitely a city that inspires the imagination and thrills the senses. Its beauty and its fascinating history ensure that there is always something to love and learn in Alton. If you have yet to visit this gorgeous little burg, see to it that you put aside time for a trek to Alton sometime soon. You'll regret it if you don't.
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