Hinxworth
Encyclopedia
Hinxworth is a village
and civil parish in North Hertfordshire
, England
. It sits just off the Great North Road between Baldock
and Biggleswade
. It has just over 100 inhabitants, a village hall
, a park, a pub, a small church, a bus stop
and a post box
.
The name of the village has variously been recorded as Haingesteworde, Hainsteworde, Hamsteworde (in the 11th century); Hingslewurd (12th century); Hengsteworth, Hyngstrigge, Heynceworth (13th century); Hangteworth, Hynxworth (14th century); Hyggextworth, Hyngxtworth (15th century); and Henxworth (16th century).
The parish of Hinxworth is in the extreme north of the county on the borders of Cambridgeshire
and Bedfordshire
. It lies low, the ground nowhere rising more than 172 ft (52.4 m) above mean sea level. The ancient track called the Ridgeway
crosses the low land to the east of the parish, running parallel with the River Rhee, which forms the north-east boundary. The area of the parish is 1463 acres (5.9 km²), most of which is arable land, the remainder woodland and pasture. The soil is loam
and blue clay
, the subsoil varies. The chief crops are wheat
, barley
, field beans and oilseed rape. Coprolites have been dug in the parish and are still to be found. An Act authorizing enclosure of the common fields was passed in 1802 and the award was made in 1806.
The nearest railway stations are Baldock
, 5 miles (8 km) to the south and Ashwell
6 miles (9.7 km) to the southeast, both on the Hitchin and Cambridge branch of the Great Northern Railway
.
The Great North Road skirts the parish on the west and forms its south-west boundary. Not far from this road, on the borders of Hinxworth and Caldecote
, Roman remains were discovered in about 1720 by workmen who were digging there for gravel with which to repair the road. These included several human bodies, urns, paterae and other objects, with a Danish or Dutch coin. In 1810 a further find of great interest was made in the parish of two rare Greek coins or medals, one of Mithridates
King of Pontus
, and the other of Perseus
King of Macedon
ia, both very well preserved. Near the River Rhee in the north of the parish and not far from the camp at Arbury Banks or Harboro, and near the Ridgeway, a hoard of more than 500 Roman coins was discovered. Near them were found other Roman remains.
The village of Hinxworth lies a mile and a half to the east of the Roman road, with which it is connected by roads leading northwest and southwest, the former continuing to Ashwell. The church and former rectory stand on the southeast of the angle formed by the road to Ashwell and that leading southwest to the Roman road, and the village lies a little to the northwest of the church.
At the beginning of the 18th century it had only thirty-five houses, of which three were almshouses.
Hinxworth is home to 'Hinxworth Archers', one of the few Archery
clubs in the area.
The medieval manor house
Hinxworth Place
is about half a mile southwest of the village.
lived in a cottage in the village for four years from 1947 to 1951. Here she wrote her novel
s Flowers on the Grass (1949) and My Turn to Make the Tea (1951), the latter based on her experiences as a reporter working on the Herts Express in Hitchin
. While there she was the Treasurer of the annual Ashwell
Horse Show and President of the Hinxworth Cricket Club, having bought maroon blazers for all the team, the umpire
and the Club Secretary.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in North Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
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...
. It sits just off the Great North Road between Baldock
Baldock
Baldock is a historic market town in the local government district of North Hertfordshire in the ceremonial county of Hertfordshire, England where the River Ivel rises. It lies north of London, southeast of Bedford, and north northwest of the county town of Hertford...
and Biggleswade
Biggleswade
Biggleswade is a market town and civil parish located on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England. It is well served by transport routes, being close to the A1 road between London and the North, as well as having a railway station on the main rail link North from London .-Geography:Located about 40...
. It has just over 100 inhabitants, a village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
, a park, a pub, a small church, a bus stop
Bus stop
A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...
and a post box
Post box
A post box is a physical box into which members of the public can deposit outgoing mail intended for collection by the agents of a country's postal service...
.
The name of the village has variously been recorded as Haingesteworde, Hainsteworde, Hamsteworde (in the 11th century); Hingslewurd (12th century); Hengsteworth, Hyngstrigge, Heynceworth (13th century); Hangteworth, Hynxworth (14th century); Hyggextworth, Hyngxtworth (15th century); and Henxworth (16th century).
The parish of Hinxworth is in the extreme north of the county on the borders of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
and Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. It lies low, the ground nowhere rising more than 172 ft (52.4 m) above mean sea level. The ancient track called the Ridgeway
Ridgeway
A ridgeway is a road or path that follows a ridge, or the highest part of the landscape.-Roads and pathways:*The Ridgeway, an ancient track in southern England, which now forms part of the Ridgeway Path or National Trail...
crosses the low land to the east of the parish, running parallel with the River Rhee, which forms the north-east boundary. The area of the parish is 1463 acres (5.9 km²), most of which is arable land, the remainder woodland and pasture. The soil is loam
Loam
Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
and blue clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, the subsoil varies. The chief crops are wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, field beans and oilseed rape. Coprolites have been dug in the parish and are still to be found. An Act authorizing enclosure of the common fields was passed in 1802 and the award was made in 1806.
The nearest railway stations are Baldock
Baldock railway station
Baldock railway station serves the town of Baldock in Hertfordshire, England. It is on the Hitchin-Cambridge Line and is located on the outskirts of Baldock on Station Road.-History:...
, 5 miles (8 km) to the south and Ashwell
Ashwell and Morden railway station
Ashwell and Morden railway station is a wayside railway station in Cambridgeshire, England.Close to the border with Hertfordshire, it is located in the hamlet of Odsey, slightly north of the Icknield Way, a Roman Road that is now the A505. The station is served by trains between Cambridge and...
6 miles (9.7 km) to the southeast, both on the Hitchin and Cambridge branch of the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
.
The Great North Road skirts the parish on the west and forms its south-west boundary. Not far from this road, on the borders of Hinxworth and Caldecote
Caldecote, Hertfordshire
Caldecote is one of the smallest civil parishes in Hertfordshire, England. It covers only .Situated to the west of Ashwell. Caldecote consists of a cluster of cottages around the redundant Church of St. Mary Magdalene...
, Roman remains were discovered in about 1720 by workmen who were digging there for gravel with which to repair the road. These included several human bodies, urns, paterae and other objects, with a Danish or Dutch coin. In 1810 a further find of great interest was made in the parish of two rare Greek coins or medals, one of Mithridates
Mithridates
Mithridates or Mithradates is the Hellenistic form of an Iranian theophoric name, meaning "given by the deity Mithra". It may refer to:Rulers*Mithridates I of Parthia *Mithridates II of Parthia...
King of Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
, and the other of Perseus
Perseus
Perseus ,Perseos and Perseas are not used in English. the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty of Danaans there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths of the Twelve Olympians...
King of Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
ia, both very well preserved. Near the River Rhee in the north of the parish and not far from the camp at Arbury Banks or Harboro, and near the Ridgeway, a hoard of more than 500 Roman coins was discovered. Near them were found other Roman remains.
The village of Hinxworth lies a mile and a half to the east of the Roman road, with which it is connected by roads leading northwest and southwest, the former continuing to Ashwell. The church and former rectory stand on the southeast of the angle formed by the road to Ashwell and that leading southwest to the Roman road, and the village lies a little to the northwest of the church.
At the beginning of the 18th century it had only thirty-five houses, of which three were almshouses.
Hinxworth is home to 'Hinxworth Archers', one of the few Archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
clubs in the area.
The medieval manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
Hinxworth Place
Hinxworth Place
Hinxworth Place is a medieval manor house near Hinxworth, Hertfordshire England.Formerly the Manor of Pulters, building was started circa 1390. The construction is of clunch with loose flint filling cavities in the lower part of the walls...
is about half a mile southwest of the village.
Notable residents
The author Monica DickensMonica Dickens
Monica Enid Dickens, MBE was an English writer, the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens.-Biography:...
lived in a cottage in the village for four years from 1947 to 1951. Here she wrote her novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s Flowers on the Grass (1949) and My Turn to Make the Tea (1951), the latter based on her experiences as a reporter working on the Herts Express in Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
. While there she was the Treasurer of the annual Ashwell
Ashwell, Hertfordshire
Ashwell is a village and civil parish situated about four miles north of Baldock in Hertfordshire.It has a wealth of architecture spanning several centuries. The dates almost entirely from the 14th century and is renowned for its ornate church tower which stands at , and is crowned by an...
Horse Show and President of the Hinxworth Cricket Club, having bought maroon blazers for all the team, the umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
and the Club Secretary.