Idstone
Encyclopedia
Idstone is a hamlet
in the civil parish of Ashbury
in the Vale of White Horse
. Idstone was part of Berkshire
until the 1974 boundary changes
transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire
. Idstone is about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Swindon
in neighbouring Wiltshire
.
s on Idstone Down about 2.5 miles (4 km) south-east of the hamlet and about 0.75 miles (1.2 km) south-west of Ashdown House
.
has evolved from the Old English Edwineston in the 12th century through Edyston and Edwiston in the 15th century, Edston in the 16th century and Idston, Hidston, Geston or Jeston in the 17th century. The form Edwinston seems to have been in use until the 19th or 20th century.
In the 12th century the manor
of Edwineston was assessed at three hides
and the Benedictine
Abbot of Glastonbury was the feudal
overlord.
The Trip the Daisey Inn was built late in the 17th century. It is now a private house.
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...
in the civil parish of Ashbury
Ashbury, Oxfordshire
Ashbury is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The village is about east of Swindon in neighbouring Wiltshire...
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...
. Idstone was part of 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...
until the 1974 boundary changes
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. Idstone is about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
in neighbouring Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.
Archaeology
The Three Barrows are bowl barrowBowl barrow
Bowl Barrow is the name for a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from the fact that it looks like an upturned bowl...
s on Idstone Down about 2.5 miles (4 km) south-east of the hamlet and about 0.75 miles (1.2 km) south-west of Ashdown House
Ashdown House, Oxfordshire
Ashdown House is a 17th century country house in the civil parish of Ashbury in the English county of Oxfordshire. Until 1974 the house was in the county of Berkshire, and the nearby village of Lambourn remains in that county....
.
History
Idstone's toponymToponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
has evolved from the Old English Edwineston in the 12th century through Edyston and Edwiston in the 15th century, Edston in the 16th century and Idston, Hidston, Geston or Jeston in the 17th century. The form Edwinston seems to have been in use until the 19th or 20th century.
In the 12th century 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 Edwineston was assessed at three hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
and the Benedictine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
Abbot of Glastonbury was the feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
overlord.
The Trip the Daisey Inn was built late in the 17th century. It is now a private house.