Alresford: The Collapse of Anglican Hegemony in Rural Hampshire, c.1914–1939

At the time of the religious census in March 1851 the registration district of Alresford in Hampshire, dominated in size and influence by the market town of New Alresford, was undeniably an Anglican stronghold. Despite gentle decline, this continued to be the case until the First World War. But in the interwar period the Anglican church lost its central place in society as the twin forces of secularisation and indifference took hold. After reflection on the original basis for Anglican strength, the chapter considers how this dominance was eroded by the effects of competition for Sunday worship, state encroachment in welfare and education, the withdrawal of clergy from local government and the reassessment of voluntary activity. For many the church had lost its social relevance by the start of the Second World War. Alresford supports the view, articulated by Simon Green, that the fundamental marginalisation of the established church started in the 1920s.