East Hendred
Encyclopedia
East Hendred is a village and civil parish in the English
county of Oxfordshire
, about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Wantage
in the Vale of White Horse
and a similar distance west of Didcot
. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire.
The East Hendred Brook
flows through the parish which spreads from the Vale of the White Horse up onto the Berkshire Downs
. The western extremities of the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus
are in the parish. The Ridgeway and Icknield Way
pass through the parish.
where King Edwin of Northumbria
is said to have killed Cwichelm of Wessex
in the 7th century. Scutchamer Knob is the site of an Iron Age burial chamber (long barrow
) and was the meeting point of the Shire Moot
in medieval times. It is located on the Ridgeway National Trail at the southern end of the village.
The parish consists of five manors: King's Manor, Abbey Manor, Frampton's Manor, New College Manor and Arches Manor. Abbey Manor was a grange of Reading Abbey
. Hendred House is the manor house of Arches. It is the home of the Eystons, the oldest family in old Berkshire to have continuously held the same manor
. One of the local public house
s is named after them. There is a small museum in an old 15th century wayside chapel (Champs' Chapel).
The village is unusual in having a manor, Hendred House, which has been in the occupation of a single family for over six hundred years. The Eyston family first acquired the property in the mid-fifteenth century and remain lords of the manor to this day.
The Eyston family were recusants
who remained Roman Catholic following the English Reformation
, and this has had a strong influence on the history and development of the village. The medieval chapel of Saint Amand
, a private chapel attached to the manor house, remained in Catholic use during penal times and is still used for occasional services today. The family was also responsible for the building of St. Mary's Church and the establishment of St Amand's School during the nineteenth century,
Notable members of the Eyston family include Charles Eyston
, a seventeenth century antiquarian, and Captain George Eyston
, who held the world land speed record
during the 1930s.
of Saint Augustine of Canterbury dates from late in the twelfth century. It contains a rare working example of a sixteenth century faceless clock by John Seymour of Wantage, which as well as chiming and striking plays the Angel's Hymn by Orlando Gibbons
every three hours.
The church has a perpendicular style square west tower, displaying the put-log holes of its construction.
David Cameron
, current prime minister of the United Kingdom, married his wife Samantha
at the church on 1 June 1996 - five years before he entered parliament and 14 years before becoming prime minister.
, a community of contemplative Benedictine nuns, the first to be founded in this country for more than half a century.
East Hendred has 3 public house
s, The Wheatsheaf., Eyston Arms and The Plough.
The Champs Chapel Museum of East Hendred houses artefacts, archives and photographs from the village's history. The collection of the museum can be viewed online.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Wantage
Wantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
in the Vale of White Horse
Vale of White Horse
The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. The main town is Abingdon, other places include Faringdon and Wantage. There are 68 parishes within the district...
and a similar distance west of Didcot
Didcot
Didcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...
. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire.
The East Hendred Brook
East Hendred Brook
The East Hendred Brook is a small tributary of the River Thames which starts on the springline at the base of the Berkshire Downs, and joins the Thames between Abingdon and Wallingford....
flows through the parish which spreads from the Vale of the White Horse up onto the Berkshire Downs
Berkshire Downs
The Berkshire Downs are a range of chalk downland hills in southern England, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
. The western extremities of the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus
Harwell Science and Innovation Campus
The Harwell Science and Innovation Campus is a science and technology campus near the villages of Harwell and Chilton, Oxfordshire, England. The site is about south of Oxford...
are in the parish. The Ridgeway and Icknield Way
Icknield Way
The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern England. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.-Background:...
pass through the parish.
History
East Hendred is the location of Scutchamer KnobScutchamer Knob
Scutchamer Knob, also known as Cuckhamsley Hill and occasionally as Scotsman's Knob or Beacon Hill, is an early Iron Age round barrow on the Ridgeway National Trail at East Hendred Down in the English county of Oxfordshire .Originally called Cwichelmeshlaew or Cwichelm's Barrow, it is recorded as...
where King Edwin of Northumbria
Edwin of Northumbria
Edwin , also known as Eadwine or Æduini, was the King of Deira and Bernicia – which later became known as Northumbria – from about 616 until his death. He converted to Christianity and was baptised in 627; after he fell at the Battle of Hatfield Chase, he was venerated as a saint.Edwin was the son...
is said to have killed Cwichelm of Wessex
Cwichelm of Wessex
Cwichelm was an Anglo-Saxon king of the Gewisse, a people in the upper Thames area who later created the kingdom of Wessex. He is usually counted among the Kings of Wessex....
in the 7th century. Scutchamer Knob is the site of an Iron Age burial chamber (long barrow
Long barrow
A long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period. They are rectangular or trapezoidal tumuli or earth mounds traditionally interpreted as collective tombs...
) and was the meeting point of the Shire Moot
Shire Court
Shire Court or Shire Moot was an Anglo-Saxon institution dating back to the earliest days of English society. The Shire Court referred to the magnates, both lay and spiritual, who were entitled to sit in council for the shire and was a very early form of representative democracy. The practice of...
in medieval times. It is located on the Ridgeway National Trail at the southern end of the village.
The parish consists of five manors: King's Manor, Abbey Manor, Frampton's Manor, New College Manor and Arches Manor. Abbey Manor was a grange of Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors...
. Hendred House is the manor house of Arches. It is the home of the Eystons, the oldest family in old Berkshire to have continuously held the same manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
. One of the local public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s is named after them. There is a small museum in an old 15th century wayside chapel (Champs' Chapel).
Hendred House and the Eyston Family
The Eyston family were recusants
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
who remained Roman Catholic following the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, and this has had a strong influence on the history and development of the village. The medieval chapel of Saint Amand
Saint Amand
Saint Amand or Amandus was a French Christian saint, one of the great Christian Saints of Flanders.-Biography:...
, a private chapel attached to the manor house, remained in Catholic use during penal times and is still used for occasional services today. The family was also responsible for the building of St. Mary's Church and the establishment of St Amand's School during the nineteenth century,
Notable members of the Eyston family include Charles Eyston
Charles Eyston
Charles Eyston was an English antiquary.As a scholar he became a friend of Thomas Hearne, who wrote of him: "He was a Roman Catholick and so charitable to the poor that he is lamented by all who knew anything of him . .....
, a seventeenth century antiquarian, and Captain George Eyston
George Eyston
- References :*...
, who held the world land speed record
Land speed record
The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
during the 1930s.
Parish church
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Augustine of Canterbury dates from late in the twelfth century. It contains a rare working example of a sixteenth century faceless clock by John Seymour of Wantage, which as well as chiming and striking plays the Angel's Hymn by Orlando Gibbons
Orlando Gibbons
Orlando Gibbons was an English composer, virginalist and organist of the late Tudor and early Jacobean periods...
every three hours.
The church has a perpendicular style square west tower, displaying the put-log holes of its construction.
David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, current prime minister of the United Kingdom, married his wife Samantha
Samantha Cameron
Samantha Gwendoline Cameron , often known simply as "Sam Cam", is a British business executive and wife of David Cameron, the current Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom....
at the church on 1 June 1996 - five years before he entered parliament and 14 years before becoming prime minister.
Monastery
Adjoining the Catholic parish church of St Mary is Holy Trinity Monastery, East HendredHoly Trinity Monastery, East Hendred
Holy Trinity Monastery, East Hendred is a monastery of contemplative Benedictine nuns situated in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth.-History:...
, a community of contemplative Benedictine nuns, the first to be founded in this country for more than half a century.
Amenities
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s, The Wheatsheaf., Eyston Arms and The Plough.
The Champs Chapel Museum of East Hendred houses artefacts, archives and photographs from the village's history. The collection of the museum can be viewed online.
External links
- Royal Berkshire History: East Hendred
- Royal Berkshire History: St. Augustine's Church, East Hendred
- Royal Berkshire History: The Chapel of Jesus of Bethlehem, East Hendred
- East Hendred Museum at Champs Chapel (The Chapel of Jesus of Bethlehem) in East Hendred - a village museum's website
- Holy Trinity Monastery official web site