Pictures of Moyles Court

About Moyles Court

Open forest surrounds this quiet hamlet which is only a few minutes drive from Ringwood, a busy market town at the western end of the New Forest.

The hamlet developed around the manor house from which it takes its name. It is mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086. The house is a wonderful confection of tall gables, even taller chimney pots, and projecting eaves, it dates from early 17th-century. Moyles Court was the ancestral home of the Lisle family, Dame Alice Lisle became one of the first victims of Judge Jeffrey's Bloody Assizes. Her crime was to shelter a fugitive after the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion in 1685. At this time the manor was taken from the Lisle's and given to Lord Faversham. Later on, in the reign of William and Mary, the manor was handed back to Alice's son, John. His two son's died without issue and the house passed to Edward Lisle, a relative by marriage. By the end of the 18th-century the manor had been abandoned and left to
become a ruin. Today, it is restored and operates as a school.

Alice Lisle's body was taken to Ellingham Church for burial. The church lies amongst quiet water-meadows and contains a canopied pew belonging to the Lisle family.

This is a gorgeous forest village, springy turf grows right up to the walls of some of the buildings, there are stately oak trees, a watery ford, and cattle and ponies roaming around. In this idyllic setting there are several farms, one of them offers livery and a stud.

The attractive villages of Harbridge and Harbridge Green lie to the west of the forest, and the River Avon flows close by on its final dash for the open sea at Christchurch Bay. The forest extends across to almost reach Southampton Water, where within this wonderful landscape, apart from the beautiful ponies of the New Forest, there is a bounty of rich and unusual wildlife to explore.

With precious little villages, rivers, lovely coastal waters, cliff walks and the undulating countryside of the densely wooded New Forest, Moyle Court and surrounding villages offer peace and perfection where you can relax away from the demands of modern life.