Bits & Pieces, Volume 1Darley HouseHave you ever wondered why the Darley house was so called? Well wonder no more it was named after the owner who was also, probably, the builder of it.A reference to Darley appears in WAM which describes an accident and lucky escape he had whilst on the roof of Lord Suffolk’s pile at Charlton in 1773. Darley was surveyor of works and fell from the roof whilst inspecting it. He fell 16 feet before grabbing hold of a window to arrest his fall. In doing so he dislocated his shoulder and sustained a broken leg. But was able to maintain his grip and to scramble back in to the house through the window that had arrested his fall. Mr Dewell the surgeon at Malmesbury attended him. A letter exists from Lord Suffolk, written to a member of the Carter family in 1774 (about 10 months after the fall) asking after Darley and whether he was able to move about now. Hullavington once had 3 pubs:The Star. The existing Star was built in about 1900. It was built on the site of an older pub that was demolished to make way for the new one. The Queens Head. Probably built in the 1700s and re-fronted in 1903. The Plough. Originally it was the Church House built between 1504 and 1535 ( See print below). In the 1800s it was an inn called The Plough, but had closed by 1877 and then demolished in the late 1800s. Church House/The Plough fronted onto the Street and plugged the gap between the vicarage and the Lych Gate. If you look over the cemetery wall you’ll see a small mound just back from the wall. This is all that remains of the Plough
Bradfield ManorBradfield like Surrendell was a separate village/hamlet with its own Lord of the Manor during the medieval period. The manor house dates from the 1300s or maybe even earlier. The sketch below was drawn by John Aubrey from memory of a visit he made there. (I can’t quite see this being right. It just does not seem to fit with what remains. Also J. A. was a notorious toper. PH)
Population of Hullavington over the yearsAt the time of Domesday in 1086 there were circa 100 people in Hullavington: about 20 at Bradfield and about 80 at Surrendell; making around 200 in total. This was quite a large settlement by Domesday measures. At the time of the poll tax in 1377 the population was c 550, which again was comparatively large. In 1801 it had dropped to 395, but by 1851 it had risen to 708. In 1871 it reached its 19th century peak of 734. It then fell to 543 in 1891 In 1901 it had risen again to 823 but this included 275 building the railway. In 1921 it was at its 20th century low of 478 In 1951 it was 600 By 1971 new housing built during the 50s and 60s in the village and on the airfield had swollen the population to 1,123. In 1981 it was 1,021. Hullavington ChurchA church has existed in Hullavington since at least the mid 1100s when either Ralph Mortimer or his son Hugh, gave it and the manor to the Abbey of St Victor tor-en-Caux (Seine Maritime) in France. However, it is likely a church also existed in Hullavington during the latter part of the Saxon period. It would probably have been made of wood. But Saxon features can be seen in a number of local churches, so who knows. The Normans seemed to have had a real dislike of Saxon architecture and demolished most of it, replacing it with classical and then Gothic designs. The church remained with the Abbey of St Victor until the 100 years war with France when it and the manor were suppressed as an alien priory. Below is a picture of the church from 1809 before the Victorians had messed it about, and a recent picture taken in 2000. Can you spot the differences?
This article was written by Paul Hadley <<<<< More Bits & Pieces
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