Gunstone is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

in the

South Staffordshire South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. The district lies to the north and west of the West Midlands county, bordering Shropshire to the west and Worcestershire to the south. It contains notable settleme ...

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

Codsall Codsall is a large village in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated 4.5 miles northwest of the city of Wolverhampton and 13 miles east-southeast of Telford. It forms part of the boundary of the Staffordshire ...

Place name and location

The place-name 'Gunstone' was first recorded in 1186 as ''Gonestona''. Toponymists have the name coming from a combination of an

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is 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 of Scandinavia and t ...

personal name - ''Gunni'' or ''Gunnr'', with Old English ''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 (, also known as the Danelagh; ang, Dena lagu; da, Danelagen) was the part of England in which the laws of the Danes held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. The Danelaw contrasts with the West Saxon law and the Mercia ...

Watling Street Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main ...

- 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. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is situated north-north-west of the city centre, within the Oxley ward of Wolverhampton City Council. At the 2011 Census, the population o ...

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 United ...

to the east and

Codsall Wood Codsall is a large village in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated 4.5 miles northwest of the city of Wolverhampton and 13 miles east-southeast of Telford. It forms part of the boundary of the Staffordshire ...

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, Wo ...

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

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

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 mentio ...

in the direction of Greensforge.

Today

Gunstone hasn't changed much in the 20th century and is still very much a rural hamlet flanked by fields and farms despite its proximity to nearby

(2 miles from the city's north western border)
Gunstone Hall Equestrian is a livery yard
is based here, ran by husband and wife team, Samantha and William Fish. Alongside the Staffordshire Way 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 r ...

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