England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Hampnett St George

The Parish

The parish of Hampnett lies in eastern Gloucestershire, high on the Cotswold Hills and adjacent to the ancient Roman route of the Fosse Way. The parish is sited just south of the junction of the busy A40 (Oxford to Cheltenham) and the the A429 (Cirencester to Stow on the Wold, built on the line of the Fosse Way). The village is sited in the upper valley, here dry, of what will become the River Leach, one of the many tributaries of the Thames. The parish is in rolling agricultural land on the limestone with relatively small arable fields bounded by limestone walls, a most attractive area of the Cotswolds. The houses are clustered along a narrow lane which cuts the corner between the two major roads and is quiet as a consequence. The parish is compact with approximately 1.350 acres mostly of downland with a mixture of lime and clay soils supporting a relatively small population of almost 200 parishioners. Given its proximity to the Fosse Way one would expect Hampnett to have a long history, it merits a small mention in Domesday Book as held by Roger D'Ivry from the King and supporting 8 ploughs.

The Church

St George's church is sited at the heart of the village adjacent to the narrow lane on which most of the properties are situated. The church is an ancient one befitting an area rich with Roman remains. The building carries two distinct phases, the early one is Norman and probably dates from the 11th century, the second comes from the wave of building that forms the Perpendicular period of the 15th century which widened the nave and added porch and western tower. As with most churches the Victorian period was one of restoration and rebuild but fortunately that of 1868 left much of the original intact. The churchyard is enclosed by a typical Cotswold limestone wall and while the church is well-screened to the north by trees only a couple of ancient yews decorate the southern aspect.