East Woodhay
Encyclopedia
East Woodhay is a village and civil parish in Hampshire
, England, situated approximately 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Newbury
in Berkshire
. At the 2001 census
it had a population of 2,794.
The parish of East Woodhay contains a number of villages and hamlets; Ball Hill, Heath End
, Hatt Common, Woolton Hill
and East End. The last two contain schools; Woolton Hill Junior School and St Thomas's Church of England Infant School, and St. Martin
's Church of England Primary School. The parish also has a small, triangular village green containing a war memorial and was once the site of the village stocks
.
Woolton Hill also has a local village shop and Post Office and has "The Chase" which is administered by The National Trust
.
The dialling code is 01635, the postcode is RG20 part of the postal district of Reading also in Berkshire. The district council, Basingstoke and Deane
, is in Hampshire.
The name may possibly be from the Old English "Wudeuhege" or "Wudeugehaeg" meaning "Wood enclosure" (using artificial fences), or more likely from the earlier "widu" meaning "broad enclosure".
(1637-1711) was briefly chaplain
to Princess Mary
, and later to the British Fleet. In 1685 he became Bishop of Bath and Wells
.
He was one of several bishops imprisoned in the Tower of London
for refusing to sign King James II
’s "Declaration of Indulgence
" (hoping to restore Catholicism in England).
In 1669 he resigned from his post of Bishop
of Brightstone in the Isle of Wight in order to become Prebendary of Winchester and incumbent of East Woodhay in Hampshire
.
"It was dark by the time that we got to a village, called EAST WOODHAY. Sunday evening is the time for courting, in the country. It not convenient to carry this on before faces, and, at farm-houses and cottages, there are no spare apartments; so that the pairs turn out, and pitch up, to carry on their negotiations, by the side of stile or a gate. The evening was auspicious; it was pretty dark, the weather mild, and Old Michaelmas
(when yearly services end) was fast approaching; and, accordingly, I do not recollect ever having before seen so many negotiations going on, within so short a distance. At WEST WOODHAY my horse [had] cast a shoe, and, as the road was abominably flinty, we were compelled to go at a snail's pace; and I should have gone crazy with impatience, had it not been for these ambassadors and ambassadresses of Cupid
, to every pair of whom I said something or other. I began by asking the fellow my road; and, from the tone and manner of his answer, I could tell pretty nearly what prospect he had of success, and knew what to say to draw something from him. I had some famous sport with them, saying to them more than I should have said by day-light, and a great deal less than I should have said, if my horse had been in a condition to carry me away as swiftly as ..."
"WOODHAY (East), a parish, with numerous hamlets
and with Woolton-Hill
chapelry
, in Kingsclere
district, Hants; 4½ miles [7 km] SSE of Kintbury
r. station, and 4½ [miles (7 km)] SW of Newbury
. Post town, Newbury. Acres, 4,966 [20 km²]. Real property, £6,795. Pop., 1,533. Houses, 346. The property is much subdivided. A palace of the Bishop
s of Winchester
was here. The living is a rectory
, united with Ashmansworth
, in the diocese of Winchester. Value, £1,078.* Patron, the Bishop of W. The church's chancel was rebuilt in 1850. The vicarage of Woolton-Hill is a separate benefice. There are Baptist and Wesleyan
chapels, national schools, and charities £16. Bishops Hooper, Ken, and Lowth were rectors."
Afterwards the ladies met, and corresponded with every sign of mutual liking, a regards evidently not extended to Miss Pokckie; "such a low-bred, narrow-spirited woman", Dean Lyttleton wrote to Mrs Montagu, that she "would disgrace an episcopal
house." The highly classical education on which her brother throve, appears to have had unhappy results for the sister!
To appreciate Highclere
one should not come down by the path of the downs but alight from a railway train and drive from Woodhay Station
up the gravel road, by the fine timber, and through the large village of trim villas in a station cab! Wild spaces and dreams of primitive men accord but ill with orderly parterres and velvet lawns, and in the country along the Berkshire
border we find again a modern England
we all know and some us do not care about, the England of "desirable residences within easy reach of the railway station", and "on gravel
soil," not forgetting "with fine views"; and the sport if the "sport" of syndicates. But as the railway line is left behind the country grows wilder, and the Downs are again approached; the rough lanes twine and tumble in and over the spurs and valleys that run up the dominating heights of Walbury and Inkpen
. On one such rise stands the church of East Woodhay , well above that village. The grey, ivy-covered stones in the graveyard
look venerable enough, but the church, as a table on the tower announces, was rebuilt in 1823, and the only possible word in its favour is that the brick of which its partly composed gives a touch of colour among the elms of the litten, where the rook
s caw evident approval of the water-wheel that protrudes itself within a few feet of the tower. But if the church belongs to the genteel age of architecture, the yew by the rectory is said to have been planted by Bishop Ken
, when that old friend of Rector Isaac Mills held the living.
Until 7 March 1960 the village was served by East Woodhay railway station.
story called the Pyramids of Mars
(featuring Tom Baker
) was filmed at Stargroves
, a large estate at the top of East End. Tom Baker visited the children of St. Martins and donated a large pyramid from the set to the school
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England, situated approximately 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. At the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
it had a population of 2,794.
Heath End, Hampshire
Heath End is a small village in Hampshire between Tadley and Baughurst.-Governance:The village is part of the civil parish of Baughurst and is part of the Baughurst and Tadley North ward of Basingstoke and Deane borough council. The borough council is a Non-metropolitan district of Hampshire County...
, Hatt Common, Woolton Hill
Woolton Hill
Woolton Hill is a village in Hampshire, England, within the civil parish of East Woodhay.The village is situated approximately south-west of Newbury and encompasses the smaller hamlet of Broad Layings within its Northern borders...
and East End. The last two contain schools; Woolton Hill Junior School and St Thomas's Church of England Infant School, and St. Martin
Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
's Church of England Primary School. The parish also has a small, triangular village green containing a war memorial and was once the site of the village stocks
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
.
Woolton Hill also has a local village shop and Post Office and has "The Chase" which is administered by The National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
.
The dialling code is 01635, the postcode is RG20 part of the postal district of Reading also in Berkshire. The district council, Basingstoke and Deane
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 hamlet of Deane, some from Basingstoke....
, is in Hampshire.
Meaning of name East Woodhay
The name East Woodhay has changed over the years.- 1144: Wydenhaya
- 1150: Wideheia
- 1171: Wydenhaye
- 1351: Estwydehay
The name may possibly be from the Old English "Wudeuhege" or "Wudeugehaeg" meaning "Wood enclosure" (using artificial fences), or more likely from the earlier "widu" meaning "broad enclosure".
East Woodhay: 1669
Thomas KenThomas Ken
Thomas Ken was an English cleric who was considered the most eminent of the English non-juring bishops, and one of the fathers of modern English hymnology.-Early life:...
(1637-1711) was briefly chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to Princess Mary
Mary II of England
Mary II was joint Sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, from 1689 until her death. William and Mary, both Protestants, became king and queen regnant, respectively, following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of...
, and later to the British Fleet. In 1685 he became Bishop of Bath and Wells
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
.
He was one of several bishops imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
for refusing to sign King James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
’s "Declaration of Indulgence
Declaration of Indulgence
The Declaration of Indulgence was two proclamations made by James II of England and VII of Scotland in 1687. The Indulgence was first issued for Scotland on 12 February, and then for England on 4 April 1687...
" (hoping to restore Catholicism in England).
In 1669 he resigned from his post of Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Brightstone in the Isle of Wight in order to become Prebendary of Winchester and incumbent of East Woodhay in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
East Woodhay: 1830
East Woodhay as described in "Rural rides" (1830) by William CobbettWilliam Cobbett
William Cobbett was an English pamphleteer, farmer and journalist, who was born in Farnham, Surrey. He believed that reforming Parliament and abolishing the rotten boroughs would help to end the poverty of farm labourers, and he attacked the borough-mongers, sinecurists and "tax-eaters" relentlessly...
"It was dark by the time that we got to a village, called EAST WOODHAY. Sunday evening is the time for courting, in the country. It not convenient to carry this on before faces, and, at farm-houses and cottages, there are no spare apartments; so that the pairs turn out, and pitch up, to carry on their negotiations, by the side of stile or a gate. The evening was auspicious; it was pretty dark, the weather mild, and Old Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
(when yearly services end) was fast approaching; and, accordingly, I do not recollect ever having before seen so many negotiations going on, within so short a distance. At WEST WOODHAY my horse [had] cast a shoe, and, as the road was abominably flinty, we were compelled to go at a snail's pace; and I should have gone crazy with impatience, had it not been for these ambassadors and ambassadresses of Cupid
Cupid
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...
, to every pair of whom I said something or other. I began by asking the fellow my road; and, from the tone and manner of his answer, I could tell pretty nearly what prospect he had of success, and knew what to say to draw something from him. I had some famous sport with them, saying to them more than I should have said by day-light, and a great deal less than I should have said, if my horse had been in a condition to carry me away as swiftly as ..."
East Woodhay: 1870-1872
East Woodhay as described in John Goring's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales" (1870-72)Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
and with Woolton-Hill
Woolton Hill
Woolton Hill is a village in Hampshire, England, within the civil parish of East Woodhay.The village is situated approximately south-west of Newbury and encompasses the smaller hamlet of Broad Layings within its Northern borders...
chapelry
Chapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England, and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. It had a similar status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel which acted as a subsidiary place of worship to the main parish church...
, in Kingsclere
Kingsclere
Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire, England. Kingsclere is located near to Watership Down, the setting of Richard Adams' 1972 novel Watership Down.-Geography:...
district, Hants; 4½ miles [7 km] SSE of Kintbury
Kintbury
Kintbury is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England, between the towns of Newbury and Hungerford.-Amenities:In Kintbury there is the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary, Church of England primary school, post office, corner shop, and a butcher...
r. station, and 4½ [miles (7 km)] SW of Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
. Post town, Newbury. Acres, 4,966 [20 km²]. Real property, £6,795. Pop., 1,533. Houses, 346. The property is much subdivided. A palace of the Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s of Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
was here. The living is a rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
, united with Ashmansworth
Ashmansworth
Ashmansworth is a village and civil parish in the Basingstoke and Deane district of the English county of Hampshire.-Location:It is about south of Newbury in Berkshire, and from Andover in Hampshire. The village has the distinction of being not only one of the highest villages in Hampshire, but...
, in the diocese of Winchester. Value, £1,078.* Patron, the Bishop of W. The church's chancel was rebuilt in 1850. The vicarage of Woolton-Hill is a separate benefice. There are Baptist and Wesleyan
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
chapels, national schools, and charities £16. Bishops Hooper, Ken, and Lowth were rectors."
East Woodhay: 1900 (circa)
East Woodhay as mentioned in "Highways and Byways in Hampshire" (1908) by H Moutray ReadAfterwards the ladies met, and corresponded with every sign of mutual liking, a regards evidently not extended to Miss Pokckie; "such a low-bred, narrow-spirited woman", Dean Lyttleton wrote to Mrs Montagu, that she "would disgrace an episcopal
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
house." The highly classical education on which her brother throve, appears to have had unhappy results for the sister!
Highclere
Highclere is a village and civil parish situated in the North Wessex Downs in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. It lies in the northern part of the county, near the Berkshire border. It is most famous for being the location of Highclere Castle....
one should not come down by the path of the downs but alight from a railway train and drive from Woodhay Station
Woodhay railway station
Woodhay railway station served the villages of Enborne Row and Broad Laying in Hampshire, England.The station closed in the 1960s.-History:...
up the gravel road, by the fine timber, and through the large village of trim villas in a station cab! Wild spaces and dreams of primitive men accord but ill with orderly parterres and velvet lawns, and in the country along the Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
border we find again a modern 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...
we all know and some us do not care about, the England of "desirable residences within easy reach of the railway station", and "on gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
soil," not forgetting "with fine views"; and the sport if the "sport" of syndicates. But as the railway line is left behind the country grows wilder, and the Downs are again approached; the rough lanes twine and tumble in and over the spurs and valleys that run up the dominating heights of Walbury and Inkpen
Inkpen
Inkpen is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire about southeast of Hungerford, close to the county boundaries with Wiltshire and Hampshire.-Amenities and landmarks:...
. On one such rise stands the church of East Woodhay , well above that village. The grey, ivy-covered stones in the graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
look venerable enough, but the church, as a table on the tower announces, was rebuilt in 1823, and the only possible word in its favour is that the brick of which its partly composed gives a touch of colour among the elms of the litten, where the rook
Rook (bird)
The Rook is a member of the Corvidae family in the passerine order of birds. Named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, the species name frugilegus is Latin for "food-gathering"....
s caw evident approval of the water-wheel that protrudes itself within a few feet of the tower. But if the church belongs to the genteel age of architecture, the yew by the rectory is said to have been planted by Bishop Ken
Thomas Ken
Thomas Ken was an English cleric who was considered the most eminent of the English non-juring bishops, and one of the fathers of modern English hymnology.-Early life:...
, when that old friend of Rector Isaac Mills held the living.
Until 7 March 1960 the village was served by East Woodhay railway station.
Filmography
A Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
story called the Pyramids of Mars
Pyramids of Mars
Pyramids of Mars is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 25 October to 15 November 1975.-Synopsis:...
(featuring Tom Baker
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
) was filmed at Stargroves
Stargroves
Stargroves is a manor house and associated estate at East Woodhay in the English county of Hampshire. It best known for being the home of Mick Jagger during the 1970s and a recording venue for The Rolling Stones and various other rock bands.-History:...
, a large estate at the top of East End. Tom Baker visited the children of St. Martins and donated a large pyramid from the set to the school