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They are boundary stones, unfortunately.
I checked yesterday (21st October 2001) and the stones are marked on the 1:25,000 OS map as 'BSs' (Boundary Stones). They follow some of the parish boundary of Winchfield. I think they may be related to a boundary dispute some time before c.1850. I state this as stones are not normally set up at parish boundaries in these parts (main reason is that such good stone does not occur naturally very often). There had to be some good reason to set up 1/2 ton stones (abount 5 feet high) in a row (I saw 6 but they continue) - and a boundary dispute would be the most obvious reason. I use the date 1850 as there are OS bench marks on some of them - dating to when the OS mappers would have first found them. The Basingstoke canal (completed 1792) is only yards away so the stone could have been transported to here after then.
It would be nice to think they belong to an earlier era but in this case I doubt it. The only factor that could influence an earlier date is their 'antique' appearance - the stones are unworked (to an untrained eye). Something setup between 1792 and 1850 would usually have a more 'finished' appearance... I would say they are mediaeval at earliest.
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