Hempsted is a suburban village and former
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
, now in the
unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unpa ...
of
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...
, in the
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...
district, in the county of
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of ...
, England. In 1961 the parish had a population of 508.
History
An ancient area of Gloucester, Hempsted was just outside the City. The fine Norman church of St. Swithun was built and paid for by Norman noblemen. The churchyard contains the chest tomb of John Freeman, a Royalist officer, shot at the
siege of Gloucester in 1643. During the Middle Ages a persecuted Augustinian monastic order came out of Wales and settled at Hempsted with the blessing of the City authorities. They founded
Llanthony Secunda
Llanthony Secunda Priory was a house of Augustinian canons in the parish of Hempsted, Gloucestershire, England, situated about 1/2 a mile south-west of Gloucester Castle in the City of Gloucester. It was founded in 1136 by Miles de Gloucester, ...
Priory and Hempsted became an estate of the priory. The church was extended with a new vestry and a west gallery was added as well as new pews and re-roofing to the design of
G.V.Maddox of
Monmouth
Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...
in 1839. Maddox died at the rectory in Hempsted on 27 February 1864.
On 1 April 1966 the parish was abolished and became part of Gloucester,
Highnam
Highnam is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of the city of Gloucester. It is three miles northwest of the city on the A40, on the way to Ross, west of Alney Island and Over Bridge. It is connected by Segregated Bicycle Paths via Ove ...
and
Minsterworth.
Transport
Some areas of the village are connected to Gloucester and
Alney Island
Alney Island is an island in the River Severn near Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. The Severn splits into two channels (known as East Channel and West Channel) at Upper Parting (the northernmost tip of Alney), and merges again at Lower ...
, as well as
Quedgeley by
Segregated Bicycle Path.
Sport
From 1986 until 2007, Hempsted was home to
Gloucester City A.F.C.
Gloucester City Association Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Hempsted, Gloucester, England. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County Football Association and, as of the 2021–22 season, plays ...
at their Meadow Park Ground. The club were forced to leave by the
2007 United Kingdom floods
A series of large floods occurred in parts of the United Kingdom during the summer of 2007. The worst of the flooding occurred across Scotland on 14 June; East Yorkshire and the Midlands on 15 June; Yorkshire, the Midlands, Gloucestershire, Here ...
before a return home in 2020 to a new Meadow Park stadium. Gordon League Rugby Club bought an area of land in 1932 and have been based in Hempsted since then. Gloucester Rowing Club is also based in Hempsted, on the
Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.
See also
*
Hempsted Court
Hempsted Court was a country house at Hempsted near Gloucester in England. It was the home of the Lysons family.
*
Our Lady's Well, Hempsted
Our Lady's Well (also known as Saint Anne's Well) is a holy well house in Hempsted, Gloucester. It was designated as a Grade I listed building in January 1955.
History
The well house was built in the 14th century for the Manor of Hempsted, which ...
References
Areas of Gloucester
Former civil parishes in Gloucestershire
{{Gloucestershire-geo-stub