Emsworth is a town[2] in the Borough of Havant in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England near the border with West Sussex.

In geodemographic segmentation the town is the heart of the Emsworth (cross-county) built-up area, the remainder of which is Westbourne, Southbourne and Nutbourne.

[5][6] It is popularly thought that Emsworth derived its name from the River Ems, but this is not true; before the 16th century the stream was actually called the Bourne.

[7] The river was renamed by the 16th century chronicler Raphael Holinshed:[a] The Emille cometh first between Racton and Stansted, then down to Emilswort or Emmesworth, and so into the Ocean.

[8] In prehistoric and early historical times the River Ems was tidal as far as Westbourne and the Westbrook creek reached to Victoria Road, leaving Emsworth almost isolated at high tide.

A coastal route developed that led from Hayling Island through Havant and Rowlands Castle to the Downs.

A part of the coastal route followed the Portsdown ridgeway and from Chichester to Belmont Hill in Bedhampton probably skirted the heads of the various creeks which entered the harbour, passing through country still covered with the original thick forest of oak and beech.

[9] In Roman times a villa existed to the south of the road to Noviomagus Reginorum in the fields of what is now Warblington Castle Farm.

[11] The first recorded mention of Emsworth as a separate entity was in AD 1216, when King John divided the manor of Warblington, accepting annual rent of 'a pair of gilt spurs yearly' from William Aguillon for land at Emelsworth.

In AD 1239, Henry III granted the town a weekly market on Wednesdays and an annual fair on 7 July.

[12] In AD 1341 Emsworth was designated as one of five English towns required to provide a ship for defence of the Channel Islands.

Grain from the area was ground into flour by tidal mills and transported by ship to places such as London and Portsmouth.

In 1906 construction began on the post office, with local cricketer George Wilder laying an inscribed brick.

[16][17] Fishing oysters at Emsworth was subsequently halted until new sewers were dug, though the industry never completely recovered.

However, the Court of Appeal held that Foster had a right to sue, as exclusive occupier of the oyster beds, whether or not he had acquired an interest in the land itself.

[19] During the Second World War, nearby Thorney Island was used as a Royal Air Force station, playing a role in defence in the Battle of Britain.

[20] In the run up to D-Day, the Canadian Army used these woods as one of their pre-invasion assembly points for men and materiel.

[27] 1st Emsworth Scouts meet several times per week with different sections aimed at different age groups and abilities.

[28] In 2014 retired Royal Navy Captain Clifford "John" Caughey drove his car into the clubhouse of Emsworth Sailing Club, causing an explosion and requiring thirty firefighters to put out the fire.