Selborne is the village in the East Hampshire district of the county, 4 miles S of Alton, most famous for its association with the naturalist Rev. Gilbert White (1720-93). It is on the northern boundary of the South Downs National Park, and the church stands on the E side of the main road through the village. St Mary's has a nave with N and S aisles, a S porch, W tower and a chancel with a N organ room and vestry. The S aisle was widened considerably after 1284 to accommodate a chantry at its E end. The N aisle was widened in the E bay in 1305 to form a transeptal chapel (now the Peace Chapel). The nave and the wide S aisle are separately roofed, and the N transept has a gabled roof at right angles to the nave roof. The tower dates from 1781 and the porch is 18thc. Construction is of the pale malmstone common to the east of Hampshire. Romanesque features recorded here are the two nave arcades, the chancel arch and a plain font.

Selborne was held by the king in 1086, and by Queen Edith in 1066. The king gave half a hide with the church to Radfred the Priest. A second manor was held by Herbert the Chamberlain from Walter FitzRoger in 1086, and by Aelward from King Edward before the Conquest. This was assessed at 4 hides. Subsequently the main manor passed to the de Lucy family, and in 1233 it was granted to the Bishop of Winchester for the foundation of Selborne priory. Effectively the manor passed to the Prior and monks of that Austin house as a foundation gift. The advowson of the church was held by the Abbey of Mont-St-Michel as early as 1156. After the foundation of Selborne Priory in 1233, the advowson passed to that house

Given the uniformity of the two nave arcades (and the 19thc. chancel arch) it is something of a shock to notice the spurred bases of the N arcade. VCH dates the arcades between 1170 and 1180, while the List Description has c.1180. It is hard to disagree.