Botley is a historic village in Hampshire, England,[1] approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Southampton.

It was developed as a natural crossing point for the River Hamble, and received its first market charter from Henry III in 1267.

Some time prior to the Norman conquest, a gradual rise in sea level meant that travellers found the river easier to ford further north of the original Roman crossing, this new crossing place provided a new focal point for the village, which in 1086 was listed in the Domesday book as "Botelie" and included two water-powered mills and had a population of less than 100.

[4] During the dissolution of the monasteries (1536-1539), the manor and mills were given to Thomas Wriothesly, a commissioner of Henry VIII and later Earl of Southampton.

[4] In 1267 John of Botley, Lord of the Manor, obtained a royal charter from Henry III for holding an annual fair and weekly market in the town.

[5] During the 18th century, Botley functioned as a small inland port with barges transporting coal, grain, timber and flour along the river.

During the early 19th century, the radical journalist and political reformer William Cobbett lived in Botley and called it "the most delightful village in the world".

The early church, commonly called St Bartholomew's, adjacent to the old village of Boteleigh, was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.