Population 81 (2001 census) Civil parish Eaton Hastings Country England Shire county Oxfordshire Dialling code 01367 | OS grid reference SU260982 Region South East Sovereign state United Kingdom District Vale of White Horse UK parliament constituency Wantage | |
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Eaton Hastings is a village and civil parish beside the River Thames about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northwest of Faringdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. Eaton Hastings was formerly considerably larger than it is today, and is regarded as a deserted medieval village.
Contents
Map of Eaton Hastings, Faringdon, UK
History
The original village developed around the parish church. Today all that remains are a few scattered dwellings and the church. The population started to decline after 1349, until by the 19th century it consisted only of a few scattered farmhouses. The depopulation has been attributed to bubonic plague, emparking and sheep farming. Late in the 19th century a group of houses was built on the Lechlade to Faringdon road, designed by the architect Ernest George for Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon as part of a social improvement project. Many people now regard this as being Eaton Hastings, but the remaining buildings of the original settlement are down a single lane road and not visible from the main road.
Parish church
The Church of England parish church of Saint Michael and All Angels is the most prominent surviving building of the original settlement. The earliest parts of the church date from the 11th century. It is constructed of rubblestone and consists of a simple nave, chancel and bellcote. The chancel largely dates from the 13th century. Between 1870-73 the church underwent Victorian restoration.
The west window has a stained glass depicting archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel. The window was installed in 1935 by Morris & Co. The designs date from 1860 and were created by William Morris and Ford Madox Brown. The north side of the chancel contains another Morris & Co. stained-glass window depicting St. Matthew. This was installed in 1872–74, having been designed by Edward Burne-Jones.
Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon is buried in the churchyard; the angel on his tomb was sculpted by George Frampton. Next to the church is the former rectory, which dates from the 19th century.