Hodnet ( ) is a village and

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 ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, England. The town of

Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and civil parish on the banks of the River Tern in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is located between the towns of Whitchurch, Shropshire, Wh ...

lies 5.7 miles (9.2 km) north-east of the village. In 2011 the parish had a population of 1534.

History

Evidence of a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

burial site was discovered during construction of the bypass in 2002. The Anglo-Saxon settlement, which had a chapel, was the centre of Odenet, a royal manor belonging to

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

and held by

Roger de Montgomery Roger de Montgomery (died 1094), also known as Roger the Great, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury, and Earl of Arundel, in Sussex. His father was Roger de Montgomery, seigneur of Montgomery, a member of the House of Montgomery, and was probab ...

who supported

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

after 1066. Hodnet was recorded 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

'' as Odenet. Baldwin de Hodenet built a

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

castle in about 1082 possibly on a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

ed mound from earlier times. The timber castle was rebuilt in sandstone around 1196 but was burned down in 1264. Hodnet Castle was mentioned in a document of 1223. Odo de Hodnet was granted the right to hold a weekly fair and an annual market by Henry III in the mid-13th century and the village grew to the north and east of the castle by the 12th-century church. In 1752 the estate passed from the Vernons, who had lived there for 250 years to the Hebers whose descendants still own the property. Hodnet Old Hall was a timber-framed

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

surrounded by the park which was recorded on

Christopher Saxton Christopher Saxton (c. 1540 – c. 1610) was an English cartographer who produced the first county maps of England and Wales. Life and family Saxton was probably born in Sowood, Ossett in the parish of Dewsbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

's Map of Shropshire in the late-16th century. The old hall was demolished in 1870 when a new hall in the neo- Elizabethan style was built. The gardens were developed in the 1920s. In the 20th century the hall was used as a convalescent hospital during the world wars and in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

there was an airfield in the grounds for the storage and dispersal of aircraft from Ternhill and RAF Shawbury.

Governance

Hodnet was the meeting place of an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

which continued to function after the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

. Hodnet is recorded in the ''Domesday Book'' as Odenet, and the village's 17th-century Hundred House was named for this reason. The tenant-in-chief was

. Its hundred court was merged and moved, during the reign of King Henry I (1100–1135), into the Hundred of North Bradford, which was active until the late-19th century. Hodnet was the centre of a large

ecclesiastical parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

containing the hamlets of Little Bolas, Hawkstone, Hopton, Kenstone, Lostford, Marchamley, Peplow, and Wollerton and the chapelries of Weston-under-Redcastle and Wixhill. Under the terms of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, it was part of the Drayton

Poor Law Union A poor law union was a geographical territory, and early local government unit, in Great Britain and Ireland. Poor law unions existed in England and Wales from 1834 to 1930 for the administration of poor relief. Prior to the Poor Law Amendment ...

, electing two members to its Board of Guardians. Hodnet has had a parish council since 1895.

Shropshire Council Shropshire Council, known between 1980 and 2009 as Shropshire County Council and prior to 1980 as Salop County Council, is the Local government in England, local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire (district), Shropshire in t ...

, a

Unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

is responsible for local government services in Hodnet. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 4,429. The village is in the North Shropshire parliamentary constituency.

Geography

Hodnet is on the A53 road from

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...

and the

Staffordshire Potteries The Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Tunstall and Stoke (which is now the city of Stoke-on-Trent) in Staffordshire, England. North Staffordshire became a centre of c ...

. The ancient parish covered 10,700 acres of fertile arable land. The underlying geology consists of red

Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...

Sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

which is covered with

glacial till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...

forming a rolling landscape while the

flood plain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...

of the River Tern is flat.

Marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, Clay minerals, clays, and silt. When Lithification, hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. M ...

deposited by retreating

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s was dug for fertilizer and the resultant marl pits are now wildlife habitats.

Transport

The four-mile Hodnet bypass, the A53 opened in 2003 at a cost £14 million, taking traffic on the old A53 and A442 roads away from the village's narrow streets. It was built by contractors

Alfred McAlpine Alfred McAlpine plc was a British construction firm headquartered in Hooton, Cheshire. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by Carillion in 2008. The origins of Alfred McAlpine are strongly associated with the busine ...

. Hodnet railway station was a stop on the Wellington and Market Drayton Railway, which opened in 1867 and was operated by the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

. Lack of use forced the line to close to passenger traffic on 9 September 1963, and to freight four years later.

Bus Service

Hodnet is served by the 64 route, operated by Arriva Midlands North, which runs between

and

via Shawbury. Once at

, some 64 bus services form a 164 service and continue on to

Hanley Hanley is one of the Federation of Stoke-on-Trent, six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke- ...

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, ...

Landmarks

The motte and bailey castle is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

in the grounds of Hodnet Old Hall surrounded by Hodnet Park which incorporates elements of a

medieval deer park In medieval and Early Modern England, Wales and Ireland, a deer park () was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank, or by a stone or brick wall. The ditch was on the ins ...

. Hawkstone Hall in Hawkstone Park adjoining the village was the seat of the Viscounts Hill.

Religion

St Luke's Church has an early foundation and retains much of its Norman nave. It was extended in the 14th century and its octagonal tower dates from this time. The church was restored in 1846. The church has some notable stained glass windows including one by David Evans depicting the evangelists and is connected with the story of the

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (, , , ) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miraculous healing powers, sometimes providing eternal youth or sustenanc ...

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain (; ; ; ) is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. The 12th-century writer Geoffr ...

Economy

The village also has two shops and the ''Bear at Hodnet'' public house. There is a florist and a crockery shop.

Education

Hodnet Primary School has 177 pupils, and is maintained by Shropshire County Council. There is no provision of secondary education in the village.

Notable people

* Sir Rowland Hill (c.1495–1561) the first Protestant Lord Mayor of London, a merchant, statesman and philanthropist who coordinated the Geneva Bible translation. * Sir Thomas Bromley Tudor lawyer, judge and

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

who rose to prominence during the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

Elizabeth Wriothesley, Countess of Southampton Elizabeth Wriothesley (''née'' Vernon), Countess of Southampton (11 January 1572 – 23 November 1655) was one of the chief ladies-in-waiting to Elizabeth I of England in the later years of her reign. Family Elizabeth Vernon was the grandd ...

(1572–1655) lady-in-waiting of Elizabeth I and wife of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's patron the

Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, (pronunciation uncertain: "Rezley", "Rizely" (archaic), (present-day) and have been suggested; 6 October 1573 – 10 November 1624) was the only son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Sou ...

. She has been identified as possibly the inspiration of the 'Dark Lady' in Shakespeare's

sonnets A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set Rhyme scheme, rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in ...

. Others have linked her to

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist Ro ...

in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

''. *

Reginald Heber Reginald Heber (21 April 1783 – 3 April 1826) was an English Anglicanism, Anglican bishop, a man of letters, and hymn-writer. After 16 years as a country parson, he served as Anglican Diocese of Calcutta, Bishop of Calcutta until his de ...

(1783–1826) hymn writer, Rector of Hodnet 1807–1823 and Bishop of Calcutta *

Reginald Cholmondeley Reginald Cholmondeley (20 April 1826 – 10 February 1896) of Condover Hall, Shropshire, was an English landowner, artist and collector. He was a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant of Shropshire and held the rank of Major (United Kingdo ...

(1826 at Hodnet -1896 at Hodnet), English landowner, artist and art collector, was son of another Rector of Hodnet. * George Campbell Macaulay (1852–1915) a noted English Classical scholar *

William Herrick Macaulay William Herrick Macaulay (16 November 1853 – 28 November 1936) was a People of the United Kingdom, British mathematician, Fellow and Vice-Provost of King's College, Cambridge, and close friend of Karl Pearson. He also corresponded with John Ma ...

(1853–1936) a British mathematician * Reginald Macaulay (1858–1937) a footballer with

Old Etonians F.C. The Old Etonians Association Football Club is an England, English association football club whose players are alumni of Eton College, in Eton, Berkshire. Having been a member of The Football Association and played several editions of the FA Cu ...

who played in three FA Cup Finals * Mary Cholmondeley (1859–1925) an English novelist, lived in Hodnet until about 1896. * Robert Heber-Percy (1911-1987) an English eccentric, grew up at Hodnet Hall. * Tom Bush (1914–1969) an English footballer who played 61 games for Liverpool. * Tim Brookshaw (1929–1981) an English

National Hunt National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches. In ...

champion jockey and horse trainer, who is buried in Hodnet churchyard. * Lou Dalton (1971– ) Menswear designer and senior tutor at the Royal College of Art.

Sport

Hodnet has a

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

club, Hodnet and Peplow CC. Its first eleven play in the Rollinson Smith Shropshire Cricket League Division 3. FC Hodnet, a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club formed for the 2007–08 season, played at the Hodnet Social Club. The club won the Shropshire Alliance football league on 10 May 2008 and then competed in the Shropshire County Premier Football League, which became the Mercian Regional Football League since the 2008–09 season onwards. Starting in Division One, after two seasons the team were promoted to the Premier Division in 2010. The following year FC Hodnet won the Premier Division Cup, beating Haughmond in the final at Ellesmere.The FA
(Full-Time League Websites) Haughmond 1–2 FC Hodnet FC Hodnet folded at the end of the 2016–17 season. Hodnet Social Football Club, originating in the late 1990s, competed in the Telford Sunday League until 2012. Hodnet FC was re-formed in 2018 and currently competes in the new Shropshire County League Premier Division, the 11th tier of the

English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the ...

References

{{authority control Villages in Shropshire Civil parishes in Shropshire