Sevenhampton, Gloucestershire
The Church of St Andrew was built in the 12th century. It is a grade I listed building.
Parish overview
Topography
The landscape is mostly of high limestone plateau that has been bisected by the north – south aligned valley of the River Coln. The river rises from springs to the north of Brockhampton and is fed by more springs along the way. The springs and streams that feed the River Coln in its early stages provide an ideal habitat for sedges and rushes to grow. During the medieval period sedges and rushes were known as "seeves", hence the origin of the name Seven..hampton.
Distances
Place name | OS grid ref | Distance | Direction |
---|---|---|---|
Sevenhampton village | SP 032 217 | 0 | |
Chipping Campden | SP 152 394 | 13.3 miles (21.4 km) | north east |
Stow-on-the-Wold | SP 191 258 | 10.2 miles (16.4 km) | east |
Cirencester | SP 021 021 | 12.2 miles (19.6 km) | south |
Cheltenham | SO 954 224 | 4.9 miles (7.9 km) | west |
Population
Place name | 2001 census | 2011 census | 2021 census |
---|---|---|---|
Sevenhampton | 349. | 333. | 300. |
Name
Name history
The name was recorded as " SEVEN..hā..TONE " in the Domesday Book of 1086 A.D.
Documented name history:
- SEVEN..hā..TONE (1086).
- Seuehamton (1221).
- Sevehampton (1241).
- Seueshampton (1327).
- Sevezhampton (1327).
- Senhampton – Sen(n)yngton (1575).
Parish name
The parish is now known by the village name of Sevenhampton, but during the 16th century it was variously known as Senhampton and Sennington. A house near Brockhampton was known as Sennington, and an old village now deserted was known as Old Sennington.
Village name
The springs and streams that feed the River Coln in its early stages provide an ideal habitat for sedges and rushes to grow. During the medieval period sedges and rushes were known as "seaves".
The name element seve (13th–14th century) is from English dialect seave ( " sedge or rush " ).
The name element Seven arose from a common mistake whereby Anglo-Saxons confused Old Norse sef ( " sedge, rush " ) for Old English seofon ( " seven " ).
The name element hampton is from Old English hām and tūn.
The toponym for Sevenhampton might be:
- Village where seeves grow.
- Village overgrown with seeves.
Related place names
There is a cluster of place names in Gloucestershire that might share a similar etymology:
Place name | OS grid ref | Distance | Direction |
---|---|---|---|
Sevenhampton | SP 032 217 | 0 | |
Seven Springs | SO 965 172 | 5.0 miles (8.0 km) | south-west |
Seven Wells. | SP 119 347 | 9.7 miles (15.6 km) | north-east |
All of the above places provide a wet habitat suitable for sedges and rushes to grow. The name element Seven arose from a common mistake whereby Anglo-Saxons confused Old Norse sef ( " sedge, rush " ) for Old English seofon ( " seven " ).
Compare the etymology of related place names:
- Sevenhampton (Seven..hā..tone 1086); (Seve..hampton 13th–14th century).
- Seven Wells (Seofon Wyllas).
- Seacourt DMV (Seofon..worþ c.957); (Seva..worð 1086).
Natural England maps
Maps showing Administrative, Designations and other criteria from Natural England:
Sevenhampton parish
- MAGiC MaP : Sevenhampton village – St Andrew's Church.
- MAGiC MaP : Sevenhampton parish boundary.
- MAGiC MaP : Cptswolds – Administrative boundaries.
- MAGiC MaP : Cptswolds – Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
- MAGiC MaP : Brockhampton Park – Wood-pasture and parkland.
- MAGiC MaP : Old Sennington ancient village.
- MAGiC MaP : Puckham Woods SSSI.
- MAGiC MaP : Sevenhampton parish – Woodland.
Neighbouring areas
- MAGiC MaP : Seven Springs.
- MAGiC MaP : Seven Wells.
Parish boundary
Neighbouring villages and parishes:
Place name | Direction | Parish | District | Places of interest |
---|---|---|---|---|
Southam | north-east | Southam | Tewkesbury | Cotswold Way; Cleeve Common; |
Charlton Abbots | north | Sudeley | Tewkesbury | Salt Way; Sudeley Castle |
Hawling | east | Hawling | Salt Way | |
Salperton | south-east | Hazleton | Cotswold | Salt Way |
Shipton | south | Cotswold | Gloucestershire Way | |
Whittington | south-west | Whittington | Syreford Mill. | |
Charlton Kings | west | Charlton Kings | Cheltenham | Cotswold Way |
Habitats
Puckham Woods SSSI
Puckham Woods is a large area of ancient woodland in a deep valley on the western fringe of the parish. It is designated as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The woodland consists of a mix of original and managed ancient woodland.
At the time of the Domesday Book (1086), part of the woods were within the bishop of Hereford's Prestbury estate, which presumably included the Queen's Wood area to the west of Cleeve Common.
The Domesday Book entry for SEVENHAMPTON also included PRESTBURY in the ' Land and resources ' totals.
- Ploughland: 5 lord's plough teams. 29 men's plough teams.
- Other resources: Meadow 20 acres. Woodland 1 * 0.5 leagues.
A rabbit warren was established in the woods in the 13th century; however the warren was later destroyed in the 17th century.
During the Middle Ages the woods were of economic importance for the supply of timber and firewood; also for sheep grazing in the wood-pasture's. Parts of the woods were available to local people as common land for the grazing of horses and cattle.
Brockhampton Park
There are fragmented areas designated as ' Woodpasture and Parkland – BAP Priority Habitat ' in and around Brockhampton Park.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Raven_Banner.svg/150px-Raven_Banner.svg.png)
Danish Vikings
The Danish Viking warlord Guthrum based his army at Cirencester for about a year following his defeat at the Battle of Edington. It would be expected that a large army would have needed to spread out across a large area of the surrounding countryside in order to sustain themselves for a long period of time. Sevenhampton village is about 12.2 miles (19.6 km) north of Cirencester. The Salt Way (Salt road) provided an easy walk from Cirencester to Sevenhampton and beyond.
At that time Sevenhampton was in south-west Mercia and ruled by Ceolwulf II of Mercia. It has been suggested that there might have been battles between the Viking's and the Mercian's that worked out to Alfred's advantage – Ceolwulf disappeared about that time.
There are a number of hillfort's along the Salt Way, place name evidence suggests that the Danes either built or reused existing camps, most notably Beckbury near Hailes Abbey and Grims Hill near Roel Gate. Some of those hillfort's might be compared with the D-shaped earthwork discovered at Repton in Derbyshire.
In 879 Guthrum moved his large army from Cirencester to East Anglia, as had been agreed in the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum. It is possible that not all of Guthrum's army recruits regrouped from the surrounding countryside and followed Guthrum to East Anglia. Place name evidence suggests that a population of Danes settled in the local area and integrated with the local population.
In 892 another Viking army arrived in Wessex where they engaged in battles with Alfred for about four years. In 896 the remaining Danes separated and travelled independently to Danish controlled areas such as East Anglia. It is possible that some Danes remained in the local area and integrated with the local population.
Sennington DMV
Old Sennington is a deserted medieval village (DMV) about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) north-west of Sevenhampton village. The site is listed as a Scheduled Monument.
Local place names
Danish place names
Old Norse language
In the North of England place name elements such as dale, beck and side are ubiquitous in those areas most heavily influenced by the Old Norse language, especially the English Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. Many Old Norse words became absorbed into the English language as northern dialect, but are rarely seen in the South of England.
Gloucestershire
Place names in Gloucestershire that might share a Danish Old Norse influence:
Place name | OS grid ref | Listed | Nearest road | Danish Old Norse |
---|---|---|---|---|
Beckbury (univallate hillfort) near Hailes Abbey. | SP 047 301. | Monument | Salt Way | bekkr ( " stream " ) |
Roel Gate on the Salt Way. | SP 055 245. | Salt Way | gata ( " street, road " ) | |
Grim's Hill (univallate hillfort) near Roel Gate. | SP 047 243. | Monument | Salt Way. | Grímr. |
Roelside DMV near Hawling. | SP 069 233. | Monument | Salt Way. | sætr ( " summer pasture " ) |
Compton Abdale on the Salt Way. | SP 061 166. | Salt Way | dalr ( " valley " ) | |
The Haw (Severn bore) near Tewkesbury. | SO 844 278. | River Severn | hár ( " high " ) | |
Hoar Stone (Long barrow). | SO 965 065. | Monument | Ermin Way | haugr ( " burial mound " ) |
Hoarston (hamlet) near Ebrington. | SP 199 408. | Fosse Way | haugr ( " burial mound " ) | |
Daneway (hamlet) near Sapperton. | SO 939 034. | River Frome |
Beckbury
Beckbury hillfort is located high on the Cotswold escarpment above Hailes Abbey. The hillfort is a Scheduled Monument. The name is probably a reference to the stream that flows past Hailes Abbey, and especially to the valley that cuts into the Cotswold escarpment. The name element beck is from Old Norse bekkr – "stream". The Old Norse bekkr became absorbed into the English language, but was mostly used in those areas associated with the Danelaw, especially the North of England and East Anglia. The name element bury is from Old English burg (" fortress ").
Grim's Hill
Grim's Hill is the 10th century name for the earthwork known as Roel Camp near the summit of Bespidge hill. It is a short distance west of Roel Gate on the Salt Way. The hillfort is a Scheduled Monument. The name " Grim " was a common Old Danish personal-name during the Viking Age. The name may have been used by the Anglo-Saxon's as a metaphor and to identify a place that was associated with people of Danish Viking origin.
References
Notes
![]() | This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: Too many explanatory notes; these should be put into the article body where appropriate. Also, the etymologies are mostly irrelevant, and cite Wiktionary which is too self-referential/unreliable. (August 2023) |
- ^ British History Online. . . " The river Coln, rising at springs in Sevenhampton and Charlton Abbots, to the north. . . "
- ^ See (Contents) > Name
- ^ Distance calculated between OS grid references.
- ^ British History Online. . . " The parish name, first recorded in 1086 and with later variants including Senhampton and Sennington. . . "
- ^ British History Online. . . " The south-western corner of Brockhampton Park stands on the site of the house begun by Paul Peart in or soon after 1639. . .In the late 18th century and the early 19th, when it was known as Sennington or Sevenhampton Park. . . "
- ^ See (Contents) > History > Sennington DMV > . . .Old Sennington is a deserted medieval village. . .
- ^ See Rushbearing > Dialect names for rush
- ^ WiKtionary : English dialect < seave > From Old Norse sef, whence also Danish siv, Icelandic sef and Swedish säv (“club-rush”).
- ^ WiKtionary : Old Norse < sef >
- " sedge, rush ".
- ^ WiKtionary : Old Norse < sef >
- " sedge, rush ".
- ^ WiKtionary : Old English < seofon >
- " seven ".
- ^ WiKtionary : Old English < hām >
- " home ".
- " property, estate, farm ".
- " village; community ".
- ^ WiKtionary : Old English < tūn >
- " an enclosed piece of ground "
- " a village or town "
- ^ Distance calculated between OS grid references.
- ^ See also Seven Wells Hill.
- ^ WiKtionary : Old Norse < sef >
- " sedge, rush ".
- ^ WiKtionary : Old English < seofon >
- " seven ".
- ^ Sevenhampton. . . " This name, which finds parallels in the neighbouring counties. . .and Ekwall has therefore proposed that these names embody some older p.n. such as seofon wyllas (seven wells). . . "
- ^ MAGiC MaP: See Table of Contents:
- Administrative Geographies > Parish boundary.
- Designations > Scheduled Monuments.
- Designations > Listed Buildings.
- ^ There might be intermittent problems with the website – if so then try again another time.
- ^ See Grade II* listed buildings in Cotswold (district).
- ^ British History Online . . . " Puckham woods (or wood), which were partly in Prestbury parish, were presumably represented in 1086 by woodland recorded on the bishop of Hereford's Prestbury estate. . . "
- ^ Woodland 3.0 miles (4.8 km) * 1.5 miles (2.4 km)
- ^ British History Online. . . " The bishop had established a warren in the woods by the 1270s. . . "
- ^ See European rabbit > In the British Isles
- ^ WiKtionary : English < cony >
- " A rabbit, especially the European rabbit."
- ^ British History Online. . . " under an agreement of 1657. . .the warren was destroyed . . .the lady of Prestbury had liberty to dispose of the coneys in that part of the woods belonging to her manor. . . "
- ^ British History Online. . . " the episcopal estate derived an income from sales of wood and undergrowth in the later Middle Ages. . . "
- ^ British History Online . . . " In the later 14th century, when the bishop of Hereford wintered sheep at Puckham. . .Llanthony Priory kept a flock in Sevenhampton for at least part of the year. . .The priory reserved the hay from its meadows and tithes as fodder for its sheep . . . "
- ^ British History Online. . . " Puckham woods, which were partly in Prestbury. . .had been used as a common in the 1270s. . .and the tenants of Sevenhampton manor had a customary right to graze horses and cattle but not sheep throughout the year in them in 1503. . . "
- ^ See United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan > Priority habitats
- ^ The Watlington Viking Hoard. . . " following Alfred's defeat of Guthrum's army at Edington in 878, Guthrum's army moved north to Cirencester in Southern Mercia where they based themselves for about a year. . . "
- ^ The Watlington Viking Hoard. . . " Guthrum's army moved north to Cirencester in Southern Mercia where they based themselves for about a year. . .Their prolonged presence in south-west Mercia. . .must have been devasting for Ceolwulf's position. . .there might have been battles between the Viking's and the Mercian's. . .Alfred was the eventual beneficiary of whatever happened there . . . "
- ^ See (Contents) > Local place names > Danish place names.
- ^ See Repton, Derbyshire > History . . .Viking camp with a D-shaped earthwork.
- ^ The Watlington Viking Hoard. . . " Guthrum's army moved in 879 from Cirencester to East Anglia . . . "
- ^ See (Contents) > Local place names > Danish place names.
- ^ Vikings c.825–900 (Martin J. Ryan). . . " In the year following Edington a new Viking army . . .it would eventually return to Wessex in 892. . .For the next four years this army would play a cat-and-mouse game with Alfred. . .by the summer of 896 it was largely a spent force. . . "
- ^ See Battle of Edington > Consequences > . . . By 896 the Vikings had given up, with some going to East Anglia. . .
- ^ British History Online. . . " East of the road 12th- and 13th-century pottery has been recovered at the site of a deserted settlement high above the Coln valley in a place, near the head of a dry side valley. . .known by the mid 16th century as Old Sennington. . . "
- ^ Sennington (University of Hull). . . " The earthwork remains of a settlement known as Old Sennington can still be seen from the air. These include at least two north-south hollow ways, and a number of indistinct croft boundaries. . .A report of coins having been discovered was published in 1889 which also suggested that the original chapel of Sevenhampton may have been located at the settlement (Hall 1889-90) . . .Unpublished excavations at the site in 1936 revealed stone walls as well as twelfth and thirteenth-century pottery (Baldwyn and O’Neil 1958, Dunning 1949). . . "
- ^ See Satterthwaite & Rusland School
- ^ See River Cover > Settlements.
- ^ Chapter Seven THE SCANDINAVIAN ELEMENT (P H Reaney). . . " Old Norse sætr "a mountain pasture, a shieling". . .is common in the mountainous districts of Cumberland and Westmorland. . .Examples in Cumberland:
- Satterlowe
- Satterthwaite
- Seatoller
- Swinside
- Oughterside
- Setmurthy
- Swineside; Arkleside.
- Appersett. . .
- ^ Aelfred's Britain (Max Adams). . . " At least two Scandinavian language traditions arrived in the British Isles during the ninth century:
- Old West Norse from Norway
- Old East Norse from Denmark. . .
- ^ Aelfred's Britain (Max Adams) . . . " Words loaned both ways between Old English and Old Norse. . .
- ^ 0.5 miles (0.8 km) east of the Salt Way.
- ^ Roel Gate – " Road to Roel ".
- ^ British History Online. . . " Near the summit of Bespidge hill, known as Grim's hill in the 10th century. . .Roel Camp is a prehistoric earthwork, probably an Iron-Age hillfort. . . "
- ^ 0.5 miles (0.8 km) west of the Salt Way.
- ^ WiKtionary : Old Norse < Grímr >
- " a male given name, especially one of Óðinn's name ".
- ^ 0.5 miles (0.8 km) east of the Salt Way.
- ^ The Hoar Stone is near Duntisbourne Abbots.
- ^ 2.0 miles (3.2 km) west of the Roman road.
- ^ 2.0 miles (3.2 km) west of the Roman road.
- ^ The Hailes Abbey stream is a tributary of the River Isbourne.
- ^ WiKtionary : Old Norse < bekkr >
- " brook, creek ".
- ^ Aelfred's Britain (Max Adams) . . . " Words loaned both ways between Old English and Old Norse. . . "
- ^ WiKtionary : English < beck >
- " (Norfolk, Northern English dialect) A stream or small river. "
- ^ WiKtionary : Old English < burg >
- " city or town "
- " fortified place: fortress, castle. "
- ^ WiKtionary : Old Norse < Grímr >
- " a male given name, especially one of Óðinn's name ".
- ^ See also Grim's Ditch > Etymology
Citations
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St. Andrew (1341334)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- ^ *"St Andrew's Church, Sevenhampton". Coln River Group of Parishes. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ Cragoe, Jurica & Williamson 2001, pp. 166–187.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Sevenhampton village – St Andrew's Church". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ *"Sevenhampton". CITY POPULATION. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ *"SEVENHAMPTON". Open Domesday. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ *"Survey of English Place-Names: Sevenhampton, Gloucestershire". University of Nottingham. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ The handwritten 'u' is interpretated as 'v'.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Seven Springs". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Seven Wells". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Sevenhampton parish boundary". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Cptswolds – Administrative boundaries". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Cptswolds AONB". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Brockhampton Park – Wood-pasture and parkland". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Sennington DMV". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Puckham Woods SSSI". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Sevenhampton parish – Woodland". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ Williams & Naylor 2016, pp. 29.
- ^ Higham & Ryan 2015, p. 262.
- ^ *"Deserted Villages in Gloucestershire". University of Hull. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Sennington ancient village. (1003335)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ Reaney 1969, pp. 174–175.
- ^ Adams 2017, p. 136.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Beckbury near Hailes Abbey". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ Historic England. "Beckbury camp, Hailes. (1003319)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Roel Gate on the Salt Way". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Grims Hill near Roel Gate". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ Historic England. "Camp S of Bespidge Wood, near Sudeley. (1004838)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ *"Nordic Names – Grim". Nordic Names. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Roelside DMV". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ Historic England. "Medieval and later settlement remains at Hawling. (1405912)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Compton Abdale". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : The Haw, River Severn". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Hoar Stone (Long barrow)". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ Historic England. "Hoar Stone long barrow. (1018161)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Hoarston (hamlet) near Ebrington". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Daneway (hamlet) near Sapperton". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
- The geographic coordinates are from the Ordnance Survey.
Sources
- Adams, Max (2017). Aelfred's Britain: War and Peace in the Viking Age. Head of Zeus. ISBN 9781784080310.
- Cragoe, Carol Davidson; Jurica, A R J; Williamson, Elizabeth (2001). 'Parishes: Sevenhampton', in A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 9, Bradley Hundred. The Northleach Area of the Cotswolds. British History Online. pp. 166–187. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- Higham, Nicholas J.; Ryan, Martin J. (2015). The Anglo-Saxon World. YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS. ISBN 978-0-300-21613-4.
- Reaney, P H (1969). The Origin of English Place Names. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- Williams, Gareth; Naylor, John (2016). King Alfreds Coins, The Watlington Viking Hoard. Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford. ISBN 978-1-910807-13-2.
External links
Media related to Sevenhampton, Gloucestershire at Wikimedia Commons