THE 



NATURAL HISTORY 



OF 



SELBORNE. 



LETTER I. 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQUIKE. 



THE parish of SELBOKNE * lies in the extreme eastern corner 

 of the county of Hampshire, bordering on the county of Sussex, 

 and not far from the county of Surrey ; is about fifty miles 

 south-west of London, in latitude 51, and near midway between 

 the towns of Alton and Petersfield. Being very large and 

 extensive it abuts on twelve parishes, two of which are in 

 Sussex, viz. Trotton and Rogate. If you begin from the south 

 and proceed westward the adjacent parishes are Emshoff, New- 



* [Selborne. For etymology &c. see Antiquities, Letter II. T. B.] 

 t [Empshott. The etymology of this name is very obscure. In Domes- 

 day Book it is spelt Hibisete. The terminal sete, the meaning of which 

 is tolerably clear, occurs in the names of many other places, in which it 

 has become changed, as in the present instance, to shott j thus Brenbresete 

 becomes Bramshott, Campessete Kempshott, Lidessete Lidshott, &o. ; 

 but how the ancient name became changed to the modern orthography, or 

 what is the meaning of the first portion of it, I have failed to discover. 

 T.B.] 



B 



