Sydmonton is a small village and estate in the

Basingstoke and Deane Basingstoke and Deane is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its primary settlement is Basingstoke. Other settlements include Bramley, Tadley, Kingsclere, Overton, Oakley, Whitchurch and the village of Deane, s ...

district of

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, England. Its nearest town is Newbury, which lies approximately north-west from the village.

Governance

The village is now part of the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

of Ecchinswell, Sydmonton and Bishops Green, historically having been within the parish of

Kingsclere Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. Geography Kingsclere is approximately equidistant ) from the towns of Basingstoke and Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury on the A339 road. History Kingsclere can trace back ...

. It is part of the Burghclere, Highclere and St Mary Bourne

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

of Basingstoke and Deane borough council. The borough council is a

Non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially ''shire counties'') in a two-tier arrangement. Non ...

Hampshire County Council Hampshire County Council (HCC) is an English council that governs eleven of the thirteen districts geographically located within the ceremonial county of Hampshire. As one of twenty-four county councils in England, it acts as the upper tier of ...

History

File:Circle of William Segar Sir Henry Kingsmill.jpg, Portrait by

William Segar Sir William Segar (c. 1554–1633) was a portrait painter and officer of arms to the court of Elizabeth I of England; he became Garter Principal King of Arms, Garter King of Arms under James I of England, James I. Like other artists of the Tudo ...

of Sir Henry Kingsmill (1587-1625), (knighted, 1611), of Sydmonton, son of Sir William Kingsmill (d. 1600), by Anne, daughter of William Wilkes of

Middleton Cheney Middleton Cheney is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. The village is about east of Banbury in Oxfordshire and about west-northwest of Brackley. The A422 road between Banbury and Brackley used to pass through Mi ...

. His wife was Bridget daughter and co-heir of John White of

Southwick, Hampshire Southwick is a village in Hampshire, England. north of the Portsmouth boundary measured from Portsea Island. Homes and farms in the village are influenced by the style of the Middle Ages apart from Church Lodge. History Southwick was i ...

. File:Portrait of Sir Henry Kingsmill (1587-1625) by William Larkin. oil on panel, 23 x 17 inches.jpg, Portrait of Sir Henry Kingsmill (1587-1625) by William Larkin. (Oil on panel, 23 x 17 inches). Sir Henry lived at Sydmonton from 1619 until his death in 1625. File:Portrait of Bridget White, Lady Kingsmill (died 1670) by William Larkin. oil on panel, 23 x 17 inches.jpg, Portrait of Bridget White, Lady Kingsmill (died 1670) by William Larkin. Buried

. (Oil on panel, 23 x 17 inches). File:Gilbert Jackson portrait of Sir William Kingsmill (1613-1661) in 1642, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches.jpg,

Gilbert Jackson Gilbert Jackson (c.1595/1600 – after 1648) was an English portrait painter active ca. 1621–1640s. Never associated with the court, Jackson primarily painted portraits of provincial gentry and members of the professions. His work period is ...

's portrait of Sir William Kingsmill (1613-1661), of Sydmonton, 1642.

Sydmonton Court

Sydmonton is the home of the 5000 acre Sydmonton Court estate, formerly the seat of the Kingsmill Family, including Admiral Sir Robert Kingsmill. The estate is currently owned by

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musica ...

, Baron Lloyd-Webber, and is home to the annual Sydmonton Festival. The house is a grade II* listed Tudor manor house originally built to an E-shaped floor plan in the 16th century, but modified several times since then. The estate came into the hands of the Kingsmill family after the Dissolution of the Monasteries when it was granted by Henry VIII to John Kingsmill. It passed down in the family to Elizabeth Corry, daughter of Frances Kingsmill and Hugh Corry, who married Robert Brice.

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...

took the name of Kingsmill in 1766, became an admiral and was created Baronet Kingsmill in 1800. He left Sydmonton to the Rev. John Stephens, vicar of Chewton Mendip, Somerset, who also took the name of Kingsmill in 1806. Anne Kingsmill (1661–1720), daughter of Sir William Kingsmill, married Heneage Finch and became Lady Winchilsea and a well-known poet. The Sydmonton Festival is a summer arts festival presented in a deconsecrated 16th century chapel in the grounds of the estate.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Hampshire Basingstoke and Deane