#bathampton

By Nicolas Winspeare

History- Some of the earliest records are found in a Saxon Charter, dated 956 AD, and in the Doomsday Book The parish of Bathampton is situated in Somerset, to the north-east of the City of Bath, and covers some 932 acres of which approximately 230 are known today as Bathampton Down – the hill which forms the southern most part of the parish. The area has been extensively quarried over many centuries – which has had much influence on the overall landscape and remnants of the quarries often referred to as Hampton Cliffs or Hampton Rocks. The Lord of the Manor who probably had the most impact on the parish was the famous Ralph Allen – business man, entrepreneur and local benefactor. He made his fortune reorganizing the postal service and put it to good use when he became involved in the building of Georgian Bath by opening local quarries and promoting the use of Bath Stone. During the building of the railway, however, four skeletons together with remains of pieces of metal and shot were found to the east of the above site and were believed to date to the Civil War. The line of the road from Bath, along Bathampton Lane, High Street and Tyning Lane is thought to be of Roman origin. Its course then ran on in a straight line from Tyning Lane across the meadows to the river where there was a ford leading to a trackway that passed uphill to Bathford. The Site of a Roman Villa, to the south of today’s High Street, was identified by the Rev. John Skinner in the 19th century and from his plans was believed to be under the present allotments. Geo-physics of the area has been inconclusive and it is now thought to be more to the east, under the adjacent area used as a playing field. The ground here has been greatly ‘made up’ which has prevented further attempts to identify the building by Geo-physics. Numerous archaeological finds have been found throughout the parish, including a Roman coffin and skeleton, silver coins in the vicinity of the Roman Villa and a nearby burial which revealed a brooch now in the Ashmolian Museum, Oxford. Other finds are held by the Roman Baths Museum, Bath. The George Inn is a Grade III Listed Building and was formerly a farmhouse dating to at least the 18th century or late 17th century. During the 18th and 19th century inquiries into unnatural deaths in the village were held here, and there are various reports as to where the body’s were kept, ranging from the cellar to a shed in the garden! Including that of Elsie Adeline Luke, whose skeletal remains were found in a cave at Hampton Rocks in 1893, two years after her disappearance, she was brutally murdered. Her murder remains unsolved to this day, she is buried in the churchyard of St Nicholas in the village. Hauntings - The pub is reputed to be haunted, by the spirit of Jeane Baptiste De Barre, who died in the pub after loosing at a duel, he asked to be taken to a pub for his last drink and died there, he appears occasionally around the bar and is seen in the form of shadows. But as for anywhere else, with such a rich history there could be many unreported hauntings in and around the village.. Source - Bathampton Village History - See links below

http://www.bathampton-village.org.uk/history/?fbclid=IwAR3BgReOF0OUspXcrteJ5zVWn0y8AyyQnxGBvPX34b13kDWekxZY5__vaB8