Gunstone 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

South Staffordshire South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Codsall. Other notable settlements include Brewood, Cheslyn Hay, Coven, Essington, Featherstone, Four Ashes, Great Wyrley, Huntington, ...

district of

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, England. It is situated north east of the village of

Codsall Codsall is a village and civil parish in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated 5 miles northwest of Wolverhampton and 13 miles east-southeast of Telford. It forms part of the boundary of the Staffordshire-W ...

Place name and location

Gunstone was first recorded in 1186 as ''Gonestona''. Toponymists think that the name comes from a combination of an

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

personal name, ''Gunni'' or ''Gunnr,'' along with the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

word ''tūn'', giving the enclosure or farmstead of Gunni. In early English times, Gunstone sat just a few miles south of border of the

Danelaw The Danelaw (, ; ; ) was the part of History of Anglo-Saxon England, England between the late ninth century and the Norman Conquest under Anglo-Saxon rule in which Danes (tribe), Danish laws applied. The Danelaw originated in the conquest and oc ...

Watling Street Watling Street is a historic route in England, running from Dover and London in the southeast, via St Albans to Wroxeter. The road crosses the River Thames at London and was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the M ...

- the area of England under Danish control. The settlement is based around Whitehouse Lane, with

Pendeford Pendeford is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is situated north-north-west of the city centre, within the Oxley, Wolverhampton, Oxley Ward (politics), ward ...

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

to the east and Codsall Wood to the west. The Moat Brook, a tributary of the

River Penk The River Penk is a small river flowing through Staffordshire, England. Its course is mainly within South Staffordshire, and it drains most of the northern part of that district, together with some adjoining areas of Cannock Chase, Stafford, W ...

, passes through Gunstone, occasionally flooding sections of Whitehouse Lane after a period of sustained rain. A

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

ran south through this area from

Pennocrucium Pennocrucium was a Romano-British settlement and military complex located at present day Water Eaton, just south of Penkridge, Staffordshire, with evidence of occupation from the mid-1st century until the 4th century. The settlement was mentione ...

in the direction of

Greensforge Greensforge is a scattered hamlet on the boundary of Kinver and Swindon parishes, in South Staffordshire, England. It is noted for its Roman associations and its industrial heritage. Etymology The hamlet takes its name from a finery forge esta ...

Today

Gunstone has changed little in the 20th century, and it is still very much a rural hamlet, flanked by fields and farms, despite its proximity to nearby

. (Gunstone is 2 miles from the city's north western border.) Gunstone Hall Equestrian is a livery yard based in Gunstone, run by Samantha and William Fish. Alongside the

Staffordshire Way The Staffordshire Way is a long-distance walk in Staffordshire, England. The path links with the Cheshire Gritstone Trail, the Heart of England Way and the North Worcestershire Path. The Way was opened in three stages by Staffordshire Cou ...

route - a

bridleway A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now serve a wider ...

that passes through the area, is Gunstone Farm. In July 2010 the farm listed traditional farm buildings for sale through Smiths Gore, with full planning consent for conversion to residential dwellings.http://www.smithsgore.co.uk/news-estate-agency/gunstone-farm-buildings-21364 Gunstone Farm buildings

References

{{Reflist South Staffordshire District Hamlets in Staffordshire

Place name and location

Today

Further reading

References