Hopesay is a small village

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 parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

, in Shropshire

Shropshire

Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...

, 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...

.

The name 'Hopesay' derives from "Hope de Say", the valley of Picot de Say, a Norman

Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 baron who held the 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...

 of neighbouring Sibdon Carwood

Sibdon Carwood

Sibdon Carwood is a hamlet and small parish in Shropshire, England. To its east is the small market town of Craven Arms.-The hamlet:The community is quite dispersed, though there is a core hamlet at the heart of the Sibdon Castle estate...

 and whose power base was the nearby Clun Castle

Clun Castle

Clun Castle is a ruined castle in the small town of Clun, Shropshire. Clun Castle was established by the Norman lord Robert de Say after the invasion and went on to become an important Marcher lord castle in the 12th century, with an extensive castle-guard system...

. Though most of the Norman influence has been lost, the church tower does date back to Norman times.

The village has an active community though in recent decades has suffered from depopulation, leading to the closure of both the village shop and Post office, and the school (closed in 1989). Within the parish lies the larger village of Aston on Clun

Aston on Clun

Aston on Clun is a village in Shropshire, England. Population: 253.It lies near to the River Clun, on the B4368, in between the towns of Clun and Craven Arms. The village of Broome, which has a railway station, is also close by. It is in the parish of Hopesay....

, and the village of Broome

Broome, Shropshire

Broome is a small village in the parish of Hopesay, Shropshire, England.It has a railway station and is near to Aston on Clun, Clungunford and Craven Arms. There is a pub - the Engine and Tender the heart and soul to broome is this pub and you can visit the pubs webpage on...

 which has a railway station

Broome railway station

Broome railway station is a railway station serving the villages of Broome and Aston on Clun, in Shropshire, England. It is situated on the Heart of Wales Line, 22¾ miles south west of...

 on the Heart of Wales Line

Heart of Wales Line

The Heart of Wales Line is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in South Wales. It runs, as the name suggests, through some of the heartlands of Wales. It serves a number of rural centres en route, including several once fashionable spa towns, including Llandrindod Wells...

.

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