West Hanney
Encyclopedia
West Hanney is a village and civil parish about 3 miles (5 km) north of Wantage
. Historically West and East Hanney
were formerly a single ecclesiastical parish of Hanney
. East Hanney was part of Berkshire
until the 1974 boundary changes
transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire
.
including one spindle whorl
, two iron knives and two ceramic pots that may have contained food.
Near the grave the detectorist found an ornate circular Saxon metal brooch inlaid with gold, garnets and coral. This type of brooch was previously known from Kent
, East Anglia, Essex
and Bedfordshire
but the one from West Hanney is further west than all previously found examples, making it "a find described as of national importance". It has yet to be determined where the brooch may have been made.
Also yet to be determined is whether the young woman belonged to the local Saxon Gewisse tribe. She was about 25 years old when she died, and shortly after her grave was discovered an osteologist
said that her skeleton would be examined to try to determine her cause of death.
in 1086 but the earliest part of the present Church of England parish church
of Saint James the Great dates from about 1150.
The tower has a ring
of six bells. Abraham I Rudhall of Gloucester
cast five of them in 1702, but Charles and George Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
cast the other in 1856. St. James' has a Sanctus bell that Robert I Wells of Aldbourne cast in about 1760. There is another small bell that Charles and George Mears cast in 1858, but this is currently unused.
A Georgian
rectory was completed in 1724. It is now West Hanney House.
, the Plough Inn free house
. It had another called The Lamb, until it closed in 2008.
Wantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
. Historically West and East Hanney
East Hanney
East Hanney is a village and civil parish on Letcombe Brook about north of Wantage. Historically East and West Hanney were formerly a single ecclesiastical parish of Hanney...
were formerly a single ecclesiastical parish of Hanney
Hanney
Hanney was an ancient ecclesiastical parish about north of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse. It included the villages of East Hanney and West Hanney and Lyford...
. East Hanney 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 ....
.
Archaeology
In September 2009 a metal detecting club held its annual rally at a site in the parish. One detectorist found a Saxon grave from early in the 7th century AD containing the skeleton of a young woman with grave goodsGrave goods
Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body.They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods are a type of votive deposit...
including one spindle whorl
Spindle (textiles)
A spindle is a wooden spike used for spinning wool, flax, hemp, cotton, and other fibres into thread. It is commonly weighted at either the bottom middle or top, most commonly by a circular or spherical object called a whorl, and may also have a hook, groove or notch, though spindles without...
, two iron knives and two ceramic pots that may have contained food.
Near the grave the detectorist found an ornate circular Saxon metal brooch inlaid with gold, garnets and coral. This type of brooch was previously known from Kent
Kingdom of Kent
The Kingdom of Kent was a Jutish colony and later independent kingdom in what is now south east England. It was founded at an unknown date in the 5th century by Jutes, members of a Germanic people from continental Europe, some of whom settled in Britain after the withdrawal of the Romans...
, East Anglia, Essex
Kingdom of Essex
The Kingdom of Essex or Kingdom of the East Saxons was one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the so-called Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was founded in the 6th century and covered the territory later occupied by the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and Kent. Kings of Essex were...
and Bedfordshire
Middle Angles
The Middle Angles were an important ethnic or cultural group within the larger kingdom of Mercia in England in the Anglo-Saxon period.-Origins and territory:...
but the one from West Hanney is further west than all previously found examples, making it "a find described as of national importance". It has yet to be determined where the brooch may have been made.
Also yet to be determined is whether the young woman belonged to the local Saxon Gewisse tribe. She was about 25 years old when she died, and shortly after her grave was discovered an osteologist
Osteology
Osteology is the scientific study of bones. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and archeology, osteology is a detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, morphology, function, disease, pathology, the process of ossification , the resistance and hardness of bones , etc...
said that her skeleton would be examined to try to determine her cause of death.
Parish church
The village had a parish church by the time of the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
in 1086 but the earliest part of the present Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint James the Great dates from about 1150.
The tower has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of six bells. Abraham I Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 produced over 5,000 bells. The business was founded by Abraham Rudhall and the earliest ring of bells he cast was for St Nicholas' Church, Oddington in 1684. He came to be...
cast five of them in 1702, but Charles and George Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
cast the other in 1856. St. James' has a Sanctus bell that Robert I Wells of Aldbourne cast in about 1760. There is another small bell that Charles and George Mears cast in 1858, but this is currently unused.
A Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
rectory was completed in 1724. It is now West Hanney House.
Amenities
West Hanney has a public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, the Plough Inn free house
Free House
Free House may refer to:*Free House , an American Thoroughbred racehorse.*Free house , a British pub that is owned independently of the breweries that supply it....
. It had another called The Lamb, until it closed in 2008.