Bothampstead is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
in the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
county of
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
, and within the
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Hampstead Norreys
Hampstead Norreys (alternatively spelt ''Hampstead Norris'' as it is pronounced) is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is centred on the River Pang, north of Newbury. As well as the nucleus of Hampstead Norreys, the parish i ...
.
It consists of several houses and a farm. The word Bothampstead means - of 2 parts. Therefore, there is an upper and lower Bothampstead containing a few houses respectively.
The manor of Bodenhampstead was owned in succession by the De la Beches and the Langfords, and later by the families of
Norris and Bertie. Subsequent owners included the Gallinis, Mathews and Pocock families. In the 19th Century Mr I.H Pocock sold the manor to
George Palmer, MP for Reading.
The Malthouse, Bothampstead was the site of ''Music Camp'', an influential annual gathering of amateur musicians who tackled challenging repertoire with the aid of many professional (or future professional) musicians - including
Dennis Brain
Dennis Brain (17 May 19211 September 1957) was a British French horn, horn player. From a musical family – his father and grandfather were horn players – he attended the Royal Academy of Music in London. During the Second World War he served ...
,
Colin Davis
Sir Colin Rex Davis (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013) was an English conductor, known for his association with the London Symphony Orchestra, having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom ...
,
John Gardner,
Peter Pears
Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears ( ; 22 June 19103 April 1986) was an English tenor. His career was closely associated with the composer Benjamin Britten, his personal and professional partner for nearly forty years.
Pears' musical career started ...
and many more. It was founded by the physicist
Bernard Robinson in 1935. Two camps of 10 days each summer took place there most years before the event moved to Pigotts in
Speen, Buckinghamshire in 1966. His son Nicholas Wheeler Robinson (1937-2022), was a teacher who carried on Music Camp activities in Buckinghamshire. Nick Robinson wrote a memoir of his father's life.
BWR: An Adequate Life
', reviewed by Christopher Boyce in ''The Speen and North Dean News'', Issue 67, Autumn 2016, p. 25
References
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Hamlets in Berkshire