[4] The earliest references to Hursley date from the late 12th century; Bishop of Winchester Henry de Blois built a manor house called Merdon Castle, within the parish, in 1138.

The buildings had become ruinous by the 16th century, when Edward Vl granted the manor and park at Hursley to Sir Philip Hoby.

[7] In 2023 work was completed to have its loose stonework repointed and a layer of earth and grass added to its walls to protect it.

During the reign of Queen Mary the manor was briefly restored to the church but given back to the Hoby family by Elizabeth I.

The lodge and park at Hursley were leased separately at this time, but the two estates were brought together again in 1630 and sold in 1639 to Richard Major, High Sheriff of Hampshire for 1639–40.

Richard Cromwell lived with his wife in Hursley from 1649 until 1658 when he was proclaimed Lord Protector following the death of his father.

?-1705) took over the Hursley estate, and the tenants claimed their ancient rights and customs (including pasturage and felling trees) in a lengthy legal battle.

Between the years of 1721 and 1724 he built a red brick Queen Anne style mansion (now known as Hursley House) on the site of the original hunting lodge.

In 1888 Selina Heathcote sold the estate after her husband's death for £150,000 to Joseph William Baxendale, of the Pickfords family.

The MP Paulet St John raised an obelisk monument at Farley Chamberlayne to honour a favourite horse.

It is nowadays primarily a software development laboratory, specialising in transaction and message processing (CICS, MQ), Information Management, and Java.

Additionally there are three Scheduled Ancient Monuments: Merdon Castle, a Camp west of Farley Mount and a Length of deer-park boundary bank, Hursley Park.