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A Brief History of Kimpton Page 3 By John Pollington
12th - 17th Century and Variations of
Name By the 12th century, despite the
attractions of the Crusades, the Lord of the Manor became more interested
in his land and the hope of increasing his estates by marriage, than in the
knight service for which the land had originally been granted. From 1159
Scutage was introduced, which was a cash payment in lieu of knights
service, to enable the King to hire soldiers for his army. ·
11th century Kamintone ·
12th century Cumintone ·
13th century Camentone, Cumitone, Cumytone,
Cementone, Kimitone, Kymetone, Kymitone, Kymmetone, Kumyngtone, Kemintone, Kemytone. ·
14th century Kymyntone, Kymyntone, Kemitone,
Kemmyngton, Kemmynton, Kemynton. ·
15th century Kympton ·
16th century Kompton ·
17th century Kempton During the 17th and 18th centuries wealthy
men acquired large country estates, buying up adjacent manors or obtaining
them through marriage. The Hoo family of St. Pauls Walden had purchased the
Manor of Hocknenhanger in 1596, and the land passed by inheritance to Susan
Hoo who married Jonathan Keate. By 1670 he had purchased the manors of
Parkbury with Leggats, and Bibbesworth and almost the whole of the east end
of the Parish had become part of the "Hoo Estate," centred at Hoo
End. In common with the practice of the time, a new grander house was
built: Kimpton Hoo. In 1732 the "Hoo Estate" was
sold to the Brand family, who later through marriage succeeded to the
Baronetcy of Dacre. The 22nd Baron Dacre's brother, Henry Bouverie William
Brand, had a distinguished Parliamentary career, serving for 11 years in
the Treasury, and was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1872 -1884. On
his retirement from the House, he was created 1st Viscount Hampden, and on
his brother's death in 1890 became the 23rd Baron Dacre. The Baronetcy is
at present in abeyance between the two surviving daughters of the 26th Lord
Dacre. (Kimpton Hoo was demolished in the 1950's. For a few years
the outbuildings were used as a chicken farm; today the site is a
small housing estate. - C.T.) The Dacre Rooms, in the High Street
opposite Church Lane was erected in 1879 by Susan Lady Dacre, "for the
benefit of the men of Kimpton". It was later used by the Football Club
for changing facilities and the home of Kimpton Youth Club. It is now a community-run
facility. In 1938 the Hoo Estate of the 4th
Viscount Hampden was purchased by the Oxford University, using money
donated to them by the late Lord Nuffield. ·
Black Horse ·
Two Brewers ·
The Goat ·
The Greyhound ·
The Posting House ·
The White Horse ·
The Boot These last two are the only pubs
remaining in use today.
Gradually the villeins began to pay rent for their strips instead of
working on the Lord's demesne. By the late 14th century due to the
financial burden of the 100 years war with France, the mortality of the
Black Death in 1348 when about one third of the population was wiped out,
and the general agricultural depression, Lords of the Manor began to lease
their demesne for rent to gain financial security. These new tenants formed
a new class in society - the prosperous Yeoman Farmer.
The only documentary information about Kimpton during this period comes
from odd references on exchequer and court rolls regarding payment of taxes
or tithes, and the granting or transfer of property.
The Name "Kimpton'' is derived from the Saxon "Cyma-tun,"
meaning "homestead of a person called Cyma." It is interesting to
see how the original village name, Cyma's tun, changed through the
centuries until reaching its present day form - Kimpton:
The oldest houses in the parish date back to the late 16th and early 17th
century. They include Little Priory, The White House, and the Craft Centre
in the High Street, and the following farmhouses: Tallents, Ramridge,
Stoneheaps, Kimpton Hall and Kimpton Mill.
At the beginning of the century there were many ale houses and pubs in the
village:
More...
The grand house at Kimpton Hoo built by
Thomas Keate. The park was later landscaped
by Capability Brown for the Dacre family
The foundation stone of the Men’s Reading
Room in Kimpton High Street, an example of
the Victorian wish to better the poor and wean
them away from thevillage’s many public houses
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The former Black Horse pub on the village green (now a private
cottage). |
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