Hampnett is a small village and civil parish in

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 Gl ...

, England, just west of the

Fosse Way The Fosse Way was a Roman road built in Britain during the first and second centuries AD that linked Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter) in the southwest and Lindum Colonia ( Lincoln) to the northeast, via Lindinis (Ilchester), Aquae Sulis (Bath), C ...

. It is situated west of the junction of the A40 and A429 roads in the Cotswolds

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of th ...

. A number of springs in the village form the source of the

River Leach The River Leach is a river tributary to the River Thames, in England which runs mostly in Gloucestershire. It is approximately 18 miles (29 km) long, springing from the limestone uplands of the Cotswolds. In parts of its course it becomes a ...

.Carol Davidson Cragoe, A R J Jurica and Elizabeth Williamson, 'Parishes: Hampnett', in A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 9, Bradley Hundred. The Northleach Area of the Cotswolds, ed. N M Herbert (London, 2001), pp. 81-91. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/glos/vol9/pp81-91 ccessed 9 September 2018

Etymology

The name ''Hampnett'' is first attested in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 as ''Hantone''. This name derives from the Old English words ''hēah'' ('high') and ''tūn'' ('estate, farmstead'), and thus meant 'high farmstead'. The name is first attested with the addition of the Anglo-Norman

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A ( abbreviated ) is a word-form ...

suffix ''-et'' in 1213, as ''Hamtonett''.

History

There is some evidence of Roman settlement in the area: a bronze statue of

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted th ...

, now in the Cheltenham museum, was found during excavations in the parish. In 1086,

listed 25 tenants in the parish including a priest, at which time it was held by Eldred, Archbishop of York, who had bought it from

Earl Godwin Godwin of Wessex ( ang, Godwine; – 15 April 1053) was an English nobleman who became one of the most powerful earls in England under the Danish king Cnut the Great (King of England from 1016 to 1035) and his successors. Cnut made Godwin the ...

in 1061.

St George's Church

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activitie ...

St George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

is a 12th century Norman church built around 1125. Until around 1740 it was dedicated to St Matthew. Between 1868 and 1871, the incumbent, Rev W Wiggins, had the interior walls stencilled in a colourful medieval style. This was not appreciated by the parishioners who attempted to raise money to have it whitewashed but failed to raise the required amount. It is a Grade I listed building.

Amenities

The nearest shops are in the market town of

Northleach Northleach is a market town and former civil parish, now in parish Northleach with Eastington, in the Cotswold district, in Gloucestershire, England. The town is in the valley of the River Leach in the Cotswolds, about northeast of Cirenceste ...

, to the south-east. A once-a-week bus service runs to a supermarket in

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

References

{{authority control Villages in Gloucestershire Civil parishes in Gloucestershire Cotswold District Cotswolds