Rockbourne is a village on the NW edge of the New Forest, 3 miles N of Fordingbridge and 7 miles S of Salisbury. The village extends along a minor road linking Fordingbridge and the A354, with the church and manor house at the N end. St Andrew’s was a cruciform church in the 12thc, and of this the early-12thc arch into the former N transept (now a vestry) survives, along with the lower courses of the jambs of a W doorway. A S aisle was added to the nave at the end of the 13thc, and in the 15thc the S transept was joined to the nave aisle, the chancel was rebuilt and a S chapel was added. A tiled and weatherboarded bell-turret was added in 1613. In a restoration of 1893, C. F. Ponting added a S porch. The only Romanesque feature described here is the arch to the N transept.

Rockbourne was held by the king in demesne in 1066 and in 1086. It never paid geld nor was it assessed in hides, but in 1086 it was home to 4 villans and 20 bordars, and had 5 acres of meadow. The manor of Breamore (qv) also belonged to Rockbourne. A second manor in Rockbourne was held by Wulfgeat in 1066 and by Alwig in 1086, and was assessed at 1 hide.

By 1156 the manor had been granted to the king’s sewer, Manser Bisset. The manor continued in this line until the death of John Bisset in 1241, when it passed to his daughter Ela who married John de Wotton. Their son, another John, took his mother’s surname and succeeded to the manor in 1300.

The church was granted by Manser Bisset to the Prior of Maiden Bradley, who sold the advowson to Breamore Priory for the annual fee of 100s. The advowson remained with Breamore until the Dissolution.

Pevsner and Lloyd describe the transept arch as early Norman.