Hampshire (redirected from Hampshires)

Hampshire, county (1991 pop. 1,511,900), 1,503 sq mi (3,893 sq km), S central England. Winchester is the county town. The terrain is undulating and is crossed by two chalk downs, rising in places to more than 800 ft (244 m). The principal rivers are the Test, the Itchen, and the Avon. Hampshire is an agricultural county, devoted to corn production and dairy farming. Market gardening is also significant. There is oil refining at Fawley and aircraft engineering at Farnborough. Gosport, Southampton, and Portsmouth are three of Britain's leading ports. Evidence of prehistoric and Roman settlement is found in the county. Hampshire was once part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex and has numerous historical and literary associations.

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Hampshire

Administrative (pop., 2001: 1,240,032), geographic, and historic county, south-central England. It lies on the English Channel; Winchester is the county's administrative centre. The Test and Avon are major rivers. Evidence of prehistoric settlement ranging from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age exists in the area. Towns developed at Silchester and Winchester during the Roman occupation. The region suffered from attacks by the Norse, but during the Middle Ages it was comparatively peaceful and came to be known for its woolens. Portsmouth and Gosport form one of Britain's principal naval centres, and Southampton is a major passenger port.

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Hampshire¹

Sir Stuart. 1914--2004, British philosopher: his publications include Thought and Action (1959), Two Theories of Morality (1977), and Innocence and Experience (1989)

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Hampshire²

a county of S England, on the English Channel: crossed by the Hampshire Downs and the South Downs, with the New Forest in the southwest and many prehistoric and Roman remains: the geographical and ceremonial county includes Portsmouth and Southampton, which became independent unitary authorities in 1997. Administrative centre: Winchester. Pop. (excluding unitary authorities): 1 251 000 (2003 est.). Area (excluding unitary authorities): 3679 sq. km (1420 sq. miles)