HAMPTON
Hamptone (xi cent.); Hamtonet (xiii cent.).
Hampton is a large parish on the banks of the
Thames, which forms its southern and western
boundaries and divides it from the neighbouring
county of Survey. It is a low-lying district, nowhere rising over 50 ft. above the Ordnance datum,
and was formerly open country, part of which now
remains as Hounslow Heath. The soil is light
and gravelly, and there is little indigenous timber. (fn. 1)
There is still some pasture land, but most of it has
been built over, except in the royal demesne of
Hampton Court, which forms a considerable
proportion of the parish. (fn. 2) The area, including
the ecclesiastical district of Hampton Hill, is
about 7,036 acres of land and 62 acres of water.
The district called Hampton Wick (fn. 3) on the east,
which was made a civil parish in 1831, contains
1,235 acres of land and 69 acres of water. An
ancient British canoe made of the trunk of a tree
was found in the Thames opposite the palace, and
is now in the British Museum. A row of oak piles
also found in the river has been considered Roman,
but is probably the remains of an old weir of later
date.
The main road to Kingston-on-Thames is a
branch from the Portsmouth Road, which it leaves
at Esher, passes through East Molesey, crosses the
river at Hampton Court by an iron bridge erected
in 1865, (fn. 4) and proceeds outside the wall of
the 'Tilt Yard,' and between the Home Park and
Bushey Park to Kingston, whence it continues to
Richmond and London. Another road branches
from the Kingston road opposite the 'Lion Gates,'
to the north of the palace, and goes through the
chestnut avenue of Bushey Park to Teddington,
Twickenham, and Brentford. (fn. 5) It is well known
that these roads and all the district surrounding
Hounslow Heath were once infested with thieves
and footpads. In 1667 Lord Bridgman's children were robbed going from Teddington to Tunbridge, and the Dowager Lady Portland between
Twickenham and Hampton. (fn. 6) The Staines road,
which leads north-west from Hampton Court
Bridge to Hampton town, following the course
of the river, passes several interesting houses;
opposite them lie 'the Green' and Bushey Park.
At the foot of the bridge is an old hotel, 'The
Mitre,' probably the successor of 'The Toy,' (fn. 7)
which originally stood on the opposite side of the
road, near the 'Trophy Gates' of the palace. It
was built in the time of Henry VIII, and is mentioned in 1653 in the Parliamentary Survey of
Hampton Court as a 'Victualling house, worth by
the yeare seaven pounds.' (fn. 8) This house was famous
for the convivial meetings held there by the 'Toy
Club,' of which William IV, then Duke of Clarence,
was president. The club included many wellknown names among its members. (fn. 9)
The first house on the road to Hampton is said
to have been occupied by Sir Andrew Halliday, kt.,
the famous physician, and the second, known as
'Old Court House,' is that which Sir Christopher
Wren rented of the Crown for £10 a year in 1708
and almost entirely rebuilt. (fn. 10) It was originally
only of timber and plaster, but is now a solid brick
house, and remains very much as it was when the
great architect died there in his sleep after dinner
on 25 February 1723, in the panelled room on the
east side of the house. (fn. 11) There is a garden going
down to the river, and the old tree under which
Wren used to sit is still there, and so is the
tool-house he built. After his death the house
became the property of his son and grandson successively, and after passing through many hands (fn. 12)
was eventually leased to Mr. James Fletcher, a
well-known inhabitant of Hampton Court, who
held it for many years and died in 1907.
The next house but one was occupied by Professor Faraday the scientist, to whom it was given
in 1858. He died there in 1867, (fn. 13) and the house
was afterwards granted to Lady MacGregor, widow
of Sir John Atholl Bannatyne MacGregor, bart.,
and daughter of Sir Thomas Hardy, Nelson's flagcaptain at Trafalgar. (fn. 14) It is now the residence
of the Princesses Dhuleep Singh. Several houses
on this side of the Green are probably of about
the period of Wren, if he was not actually concerned in building them, and they have charming
slips of old-fashioned garden going down to the
river. They are all Crown property; some are
occupied by tenants and some held by 'grace and
favour.' A little further up the road, beyond a
large new private hotel, is the range of low Tudor
buildings surrounding a square courtyard, which
constituted the 'Royal Mews,' built by Wolsey
and enlarged by Henry VIII. (fn. 15) These buildings,
it is said, were at one time used as an inn, called
'The Chequers.' (fn. 16) They are now granted by the
king to private individuals; one suite of apartments was occupied by the late Mr. Charles
Maude, Assistant Paymaster-General, (fn. 17) others of
smaller size being allotted to pensioners of Queen
Victoria's household. The adjoining building
to the west is Queen Elizabeth's stables, built in
1570. (fn. 18) Some of the remaining stables are made
use of by the ladies of the palace. There are one
or two more modern houses, and to the right, on
the Green, just before the paling of Bushey Park
commences, is a square building of the time of
William III, now used as supplementary barracks. (fn. 19)
From this point the road used to be a pretty
one, lying between the river and Bushey Park.
The electric tramway now spoils its picturesque
appearance. Nearer to Hampton, on the river
side, is a large, comparatively modern house called
the Cedars, which it appears that David Garrick,
the actor, bought and bequeathed to his nephew. (fn. 20)
It is now the property of Mr. J. W. Clayton, one
of the partners in the firm of Messrs. Day &Martin. (fn. 21) It has a pretty terraced garden on the
bank of the river. The next house is a picturesque
building called 'St. Albans.' It was originally built
for Nell Gwyn by Charles II. The local tradition
is that it was occupied at a later period by
George Fitzclarence, 1st Earl of Munster, son of
William IV, who, with his wife, is buried in
Hampton Church. (fn. 22) One of his children, a boy,
was drowned by falling into the river from the
lawn of St. Albans. Lytton Bulwer, afterwards
Lord Lytton, lived there for a time, (fn. 23) and after
him Sir William Wightman, (fn. 24) who married a niece
of John Beard the singer, (fn. 25) an old resident of
Hampton, who is also buried in the church. The
present tenant is Mr. Robert Graham.
Beyond this house, but on the opposite side of
the road, is 'Garrick's Villa,' formerly called
'Hampton House,' which David Garrick bought
in 1754 (fn. 26) from Mr. Lacy Primatt. The portico
was built on to the original house by Garrick, from
a design by Robert Adam. (fn. 27) In the garden is a small
brick building with a dome and a porch, supported
by four pillars from the Adelphi Theatre. This
used to be called the 'Temple of Shakespeare,' and
a life-sized statue of the poet by Roubiliac stood in
it. (fn. 28) Part of the garden is divided from the house
by the road, but can be reached by a passage underground. The river side of the garden, where the
'temple' stands, is well known to frequenters of
the Molesey Regatta, which takes place opposite
the lawn. Horace Walpole wrote of Garrick's
entertainments at the house, and mentioned on one
occasion that he met there at dinner the Duke of
Grafton, Lord and Lady Rochford, Lady Holderness, 'Crooked' Mostyn, and the Spanish Ambassador. (fn. 29) In the Rambler of 1797 is an account of
Garrick's charity and generosity to the poor people
of Hampton. On 1 May he always opened his
grounds to the children of the parish, and entertained them with 'cake, buns and wine.' Both
he and his wife were fond of planting trees about
their property ; Mrs. Garrick lived there for
many years after her husband's death, until she died
at the age of ninety-nine in 1822. Mrs. Hannah
More used to visit her there. (fn. 29a) All Garrick's
collections, furniture, and pictures were sold after
Mrs. Garrick's death. (fn. 30) In 1869 the house
became the property of Mr. Grove, a retired
tradesman, and his widow lived there till 1905,
when the place was sold to the London United
Electric Tramway Company, and was until recently occupied by Sir E. Clifton Robinson, the
manager.
There are several houses in Hampton which
claim to have been designed by Wren: among
them Walton House, near the church, at
present occupied by Colonel George Stevens.
Beveree is also a good house of that period
standing in a charming garden, occupied by
Captain Christie-Crawford, J.P. Castle House is
one of the oldest houses in Hampton, the tenant
is Colonel Graham, late 16th Lancers. The
Elms is another of the Wren houses, now tenanted
by Dr. Tristram, K.C., Chancellor of the Diocese
of London. Opposite the Elms is one of the
largest houses in the parish, Grove House, surrounded by a high wall and with fine trees in
the garden, which extends to Bushey Park. It is
now the property of Mr. Stretfield. The Manor
House (so-called) stands back from the road in
wooded grounds, on which small houses have lately
begun to encroach. It was the property of the
late Mr. James Kitchin, and is now untenanted.
The vicarage is a modern house, built within
the last thirty years on the site of an older
one ; the present vicar is the Rev. Digby Ram,
rural dean and Prebendary of St. Paul's. Hill
House, near the station, was originally a private
school, at which the late Lord Dufferin and FieldMarshal Earl Roberts were educated ; but it has
now been demolished, with other good houses in
the district, to make room for the Grand Junction Waterworks, which monopolize a considerable acreage on the road from Hampton to
Sunbury. There was a picturesque Tudor
building used as an inn, called The Red Lion,
almost opposite the church, but it was demolished
in 1908.
The district of Hampton Hill contains no
houses of any historical interest. Bushey House,
Bushey Lodge, the Stud House, the Pavilion, the
Banqueting House, and Wilderness House are all
in the precincts of Hampton Court, and will be
dealt with under 'Parks and Gardens.' (fn. 31) There
is one other large house on the north side of the
Green called Hampton Court House, overlooking
Bushey Park, of which a wing is said to have been
designed by Wren. It was at one time the
property of the late J. E. Sampson, City editor of
the Times, (fn. 32) and at a later period of Mr. James
Campbell, who added a large room as a picture
gallery. It was afterwards bought by Mr. A. de
Wette, and is now for sale. The Ivy House,
which is practically in the palace gardens, with a
terrace overlooking the Broad Walk, is a picturesque building of uncertain date: part of it is
probably old, like the house next to it, which
belongs to the King's Arms Hotel. The Ivy House
is the property of Colonel Walter Campbell, son
of Mr. James Campbell, who formerly owned
Hampton Court House. There are various
houses, some of them fairly old, and others new
and uninteresting, on the Kingston Road looking
into the Paddocks and Bushey Park. Most of
them are Crown property. In 1707 Steele either
rented or built himself a house called The Hovel
at Hampton Wick, (fn. 33) to which there are numerous
allusions in his letters to his wife, but the house
has probably been pulled down, as it is not possible
to identify it now. (fn. 33a)
Besides the River Thames there is a considerable
amount of ornamental water in the parks and
gardens of the palace, and the Longford or King's
River (now known according to the Ordnance
map as the 'Queen's or Cardinal's River') which
was cut in the reign of Charles I (fn. 34) for bringing a
better water supply to the palace.
The ferry from the Surrey side of the river to
Hampton Court (fn. 35) used to be an important holding, farmed out on lease with the ferry opposite
Hampton Church. The office of ferryman was
looked upon as a lucrative appointment, though
10s. a quarter for ferrying over all the workmen
and labourers to the palace does not seem a great
sum ; (fn. 36) but the 'fines due (to the king) for leasing
the manor of East Molesey, Surrey, the two ferries
called Hampton Court ferry and Hampton ferry
and the fishing in Cobham River,' amounted in
the 17th century to £448. (fn. 37) It was not till 1750
that a petition was presented to the House of
Commons for permission to build a bridge across
the Thames at Hampton Court. A Bill was
passed in April 1750, (fn. 38) and the bridge was built
and opened for the use of the public in December
1753. (fn. 39) There are two prints, published in 1753
and 1754, which show the picturesque structure
of the first bridge, composed of seven wooden
arches, but it seems to have been extremely defective and unpractical, and in 1778 it was replaced
by a more solid though equally picturesque erection which consisted of eleven arches, (fn. 40) also of
wood, standing on piles and surmounted by a low
parapet. It remained till 1865, when it was removed, and the present inartistic iron bridge was
erected in its place. (fn. 41) The tolls levied were on an
exorbitant scale, and brought the owners a yearly
income of about £3,000. In 1876 the Metropolitan Board of Works purchased the bridge for
£50,000, and on 8 July 1876 it was declared
'free for ever.'
Hampton Court Station (London and South
Western Railway) is on the Surrey side of the river
near the bridge, in the parish of East Molesey.
Hampton Station (Thames Valley line) is on the
west side of the parish, beyond Hampton Church.
There is also a station at Hampton Wick (London
and South Western Railway branch line).
The Wesleyan chapel in Hampton was built in
1880, and will hold about 400 people. In
Hampton Hill are Congregational and Primitive
Methodist chapels.
HONOUR OF HAMPTON COURT.
-In
1539 Hampton Court was created an 'Honour'
by Act of Parliament. (fn. 42) It was among the
'statutory' as opposed to 'feudal' honours (fn. 43)
created by Henry VIII. (fn. 44) The lands annexed to
Hampton Court were partly confiscated monastic
property, but some of them were obtained by
purchase or attaint.
The following are the manors and lands annexed
to the manor of Hampton Court by the Act
creating the honour. In Surrey the manors of
Walton on Thames, Walton Leghe, Oatlands (with
lands in Weybridge, Walton, and Chertsey); the
manors of Byfleet and Weybridge (with lands and
tenements in Walton); East Molesey, West
Molesey, Sandown, Weston, Imworth (or Imber
Court), and Esher ; (fn. 45) lands at Heywood and the
fee-farm of the borough of Kingston-on-Thames.
In Middlesex the manors of Hanworth and Kempton, Feltham, and Teddington, with the parks of
Hanworth and Kempton, and lands in Hampton,
Kempton, Feltham, and Teddington. (fn. 46)
In the following year further manors were
attached to the honour, i.e. Nonsuch, Ewell, East
and West Cheam with lands in Coddington,
Ewell, and Maldon ; the manors of Banstead, Walton on the Hill, Sutton, Epsom, Beddington and
Coulsdon, Wimbledon with its members, Dunsford, Balham, Wandsworth, and Battersea, all in
Surrey ; and in Middlesex, Haliford, Ashford,
Laleham, Isleworth with its members, the site of
the late monastery of Syon, and other lands in
Hampton, Sunbury, Walton, Hanworth, Shepperton, Feltham, Kingston on Thames, Brentford,
Hounslow, and Hanworth. (fn. 47) At later dates additional manors and lands were annexed, such as
Norbury Manor in Croydon, (fn. 48) Rockingham Forest
in Northamptonshire, (fn. 49) the manor of Billets in
Laleham. (fn. 50) There is also mention of a mill called
'Stentemyll,' and a ferry over the Thames to Hampton Court from East Molesey. (fn. 51)
The original statute creating the honour provided also for the making of a new forest or chase
for the king, to be called 'Hampton Court Chase,'
'for the nourishing, generation, and feeding of
beasts of venery and fowls of warren,' in which
the king was to have 'free chase and warren.' (fn. 52) It
was also enacted that the same liberties, jurisdictions, privileges and laws, that belonged to the
ancient forests of the kingdom, should also apply to
this 'the newest forest in England.' (fn. 53) The limits
of the chase were clearly defined in the Act, and
were to extend from the River Thames on the
south side of the manor of Hampton Court to
Cobham and Weybridge, thus including all the
Surrey lands originally annexed to the honour. (fn. 54)
The chase was to be surrounded by a wooden
fence, and there is an early grant of £600 to Sir
Anthony Browne, for 'paling, ditching, and quicksetting of the King's chase of Hampton Court,' (fn. 55)
besides payments for stocking the chase with deer, (fn. 56)
and precautions to be taken for preserving them
there. (fn. 57)
Sir Anthony Browne was the first 'Lieutenant
and Keeper of the Chase,' an office held always
with that of 'Chief Steward of the Honour and
Manor of Hampton Court and Feodary of the
Honour.' (fn. 58) With these offices were also generally
held that of Housekeeper of the Palace and the
rangerships of Bushey Park, the Middle Park, and
the Hare-Warren Park. The rangership of the
'House' or 'Home' Park was usually separate.
The last holder of that appointment was the Duke
of Gloucester. (fn. 59) Sir Anthony Browne (fn. 60) died in
1548, and was succeeded by Sir Michael Stanhope,
who was also Keeper of Windsor Forest and
Lieutenant of Kingston on Hull. He was implicated in the affairs of the Protector Somerset, and
was beheaded in 1552. (fn. 61) Successive holders of
the office were William Parr, Marquis of Northampton; (fn. 62) Charles, the famous Lord Howard of
Effingham, afterwards Earl of Nottingham ; (fn. 63)
James, second Marquis of Hamilton ; (fn. 64) George
Villiers, first Duke of Buckingham, (fn. 65) the favourite
of both James I and Charles I ; and Christopher
Villiers, first Earl of Anglesey. (fn. 66) During the
Commonwealth the office appears to have been in
abeyance, but on Cromwell's death in 1658
George Monk, afterwards first Duke of Albemarle,
the celebrated Parliamentarian general, (fn. 67) was appointed, and his appointment was confirmed by
Charles II on his restoration. Monk held it till
his death, and in April 1677 the stewardship
of Hampton Court and rangership of Bushey Park
were given to Barbara Palmer, Duchess of Cleveland, (fn. 68) who held them for her life in the name
of her trustee, William Young.
In June 1709 Charles Montague first Earl of
Halifax (fn. 69) was made keeper, and was afterwards
succeeded by his nephew George Montague, also
Earl of Halifax (fn. 70) by a later creation, and his son
George Montague Dank second earl of the later
creation. (fn. 71) On his death Anne, Lady North,
afterwards Countess of Guildford, (fn. 72) was granted the
offices, which she held for her life. In 1797 they
were granted to H.R.H. William, Duke of
Clarence, (fn. 73) and from the time of his accession
to the throne in 1830 they have remained in
abeyance. (fn. 74)
The chase seems to have been very unpopular
from the beginning, and as early as September
1545, the 'men of Molsey and other towns in the
chace of Hampton Court' were emboldened to lay
a complaint before the Privy Council when it met
at Oatlands, asking for redress on account of damage
done by the deer, and other losses incurred by
commons and pastures being inclosed. (fn. 75) Their
petition was referred to Sir Nicholas Hare, (fn. 76) witnesses were allowed to appear before the Council,
and were 'generally examined of their losses,' but
no reparation seems to have been made at the time.
In 1548, soon after the death of Henry VIII, a
further petition was brought before the Lord Protector and Council, by 'many poor men' of the
parishes of Walton, Weybridge, East and West
Molesey, Cobham, Esher, Byfleet, Thames Ditton,
Wisley, Chesham and Shepperton, complaining
that 'their commons, meadowes and pastures be
taken in, and that all the said parishes are overlayd
with the deer now increasing largely upon them,
very many Households of the same Parishes be lett
fall down, the Families decayed, and the King's
liege people much diminished, the country thereabout in manner made desolate, over and besides
that his Majesty loseth yearly, diminished in his
Yearly Revenues and Rents to a great Summe.'
The Lord Protector and Council examined
twenty-four men of the parishes, and they were
also interrogated by Sir Anthony Browne,
Master of the Horse and Chief Keeper of the
Chase, and it was decided that after Michaelmas
that year the deer should be put into the Forest of
Windsor, the pale round the chase taken away, and
the land restored to the old tenants, to pay again
their former rents. (fn. 77) A proviso was however
entered 'that if it shall please his Majesty to use
the same as a chase again,' the order was not to be
taken as prejudicial to the sovereign's rights. These
lands are therefore still technically a royal chase,
and the paramount authority over all game within
its limits is vested in the Crown.
In 1639 Charles I appears to have wished to
make a new 'forest' by inclosing a tract of about
10 miles of country between Hampton Court and
Richmond as a 'hunting ground for red as well as
fallow deer.' (fn. 78) He even began building the wall
to make this inclosure, but so much indignation
was aroused among the people at the idea of their
commons and pasture lands being taken from them
that Archbishop Laud is said to have dissuaded the
king ; and a new 'Hampton Court Chase' was
not made. (fn. 79)