English villages: history & fun facts
- Laura Mattei
- Jun 18, 2024
- 10 min read
This blog is available in a written and video format. Content is similar in both versions although, to keep the video within approximately 30 minutes, the written text is more extensive and includes additional information and comments.
The written blow is below on this page.
To watch the video version, click on the image below or here
Like most of my videos, this one too is in Italian but has English subtitles.
Enjoy!
Laura
Villages are the beating heart of the English countryside and for centuries have played a vital role in the history, culture and national identity of the United Kingdom.
If you've read one of the great classics of British literature set in rural England or watched a hit TV series such as Downtown Abbey and Midsomer Murders, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about - that unmistakable archetype made of small thatched-roof cottages covered with roses on the façade, cobbled lanes, stone Gothic churches with a pointed steeple and old country pubs with quirky names like Fox & Hounds, Rose & Crown or White Swan.
This iconic and instantly recognisable image of the English village is a relic of a bygone era that has miraculously survived the challenges of modernity and at the same time the beating heart of a traditional way of life proudly defended by millions of English people who in villages continue to live, or aspire to move to.
If you don't live in the UK (and in the UK outside London) it's hard for you to grasp the enduring appeal of villages in the British collective imagination. And it's only natural for you to wonder what makes these small rural communities so special to so many people.
I used to ask myself the same question until, a few years ago, I moved to live into a real village in the English countryside. One of those enchanted places where time seems to stand still and that in the UK are usually referred to as 'quintessentially English'. And there, a whole new world opened up to me!
In this blog, I’ll try to explain what the term 'village' means in the UK and in particular in England, the UK nation I know best, and to explore the historical origins and characteristics of this central institution of rural Britain.
Let's begin by answering the big question: what exactly does the word ‘village’ mean in the UK?
What is an English village?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary,
a village is a group of houses in a rural area, bigger than a hamlet but smaller than a town.
This definition seems quite generic, but it actually covers a lot of the elements that make an English village special and peculiar.
So, what are the elements that make up a typical English village?
To be considered a 'village', a village in England (and probably in most UK nations) must be located in a mainly rural area and clearly separated from other residential settlements. It should also have at least a church, or parish, a pub, possibly a village green, i.e., a public green space managed by the local community usually via the Parish Council, and a village hall, the multi-purpose building used as meeting place for the local community.
Many villages also have other facilities, like the post office, a village shop and tearoom (which are often combined), a nursery or primary school, the cricket ground and, in some cases, a second pub. But
the church, pub, village hall and village green are the things that make an English village what it is.
Without these elements, it's just a hamlet, which is a group of houses without a real identity usually connected to a neighbouring village or town.
Above all, English villages are known for their profound sense of community and identity.
This is evident in many shared moments and is often centred around the two main pillars of every English village: the pub, or local, which is usually the gathering point for the local community, and the parish church, where a range of collective activities, not necessarily religious, are often organised - these include plays, concerts, flower and art exhibitions, and so on.
A sense of community and belonging that has been sadly lost in cities and towns and contributes to making English villages unique and special places to live.
But where do English villages come from? And how did they develop their distinct identity?
A bit of history...
England owes the development of villages as we know them today to the Anglo-Saxons.
These were Germanic peoples who began colonising Britain in the fourth century AD when the Romans were in the process of leaving the island after nearly four centuries of occupation – something that finally happened in 410 AD.
Two of the best books on the history of English villages that support the Anglo-Saxon origin are Martin Wainwright's 'The English Village: History and Traditions' and Ben Robinson's 'England's Villages'.
Ben Robinson points to the development of the 'burhs' (or burgs), the fortified settlements built throughout England by the Angles and Saxons to defend themselves against Danes' raids (AKA the Vikings), as the first structural change in England from the model of social organisation that for centuries was centred on scattered and disconnected farms. These settlements were the forefathers of modern English villages.
Even after the Norman conquest in 1066, the last enduring military invasion of Britain, the village-based model stayed the same across England.
The only difference with the Anglo-Saxon period was the identity of the Lord of the Manor, the local lord who held almost absolute power over the villages and territories under his rule. Following his victory at Hastings, the new King William the Conqueror imposed in fact a traumatic transfer of power from the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy to the Norman nobles who had helped him conquer England and often imposed their lordship with an iron fist.
The village-centred model of organising English society continued pretty much unchanged throughout the Middle Ages.
Its enduring success was probably down to the fact that villages were settlements small enough to be controlled by the local lord with few armed men, but not too small to be socially and economically insignificant. They allowed for an effective social mix, with peasants living alongside artisans such as blacksmiths, carpenters, millers, dyers, weavers, brewers, shoemakers and so on, who were essential to the development of a more sophisticated society. Peasants worked the fields of the local lord and artisans sold their services to the villagers. Their taxes, added to the income generated by the land and export of the English medieval gold, i.e., sheep wool, supported the local lord. The local lord in turn provided the community with armed protection.
Notwithstanding the abuse and exploitation, this proved an effective model because kept people relatively safe and helped maintain a (fragile) social stability in an era with no strong central power and constant threats of violence and looting.
The Industrial Revolution posed the first real challenge to the model of social organisation of the English countryside based on villages.
This challenge came primarily in the form of the infamous 'enclosures'.
Starting from the 16th century, the English countryside underwent an extensive transformation as land started to become increasingly concentrated in the hands of the nobility and the emerging class of the landed gentry, or gentry. As part of this process, traditional rights on common land formerly held in the open field system were removed by the landowners with the erection of fences, edges, and walls.
This momentous social change was driven by two main factors: the desire of the ruling class to increase its wealth through forced crop production and animals grazing on the one hand, but also the need of boosting food production to feed the growing population of industrial cities who had left their traditional self-sustaining work in the fields on the other. The latter goal was in particular unachievable with traditional farming methods based on scattered plots of land managed by individual farmers or local communities but become possible in large estates supported by the new machinery made available by the industrial revolution.
The enclosures, mechanisation of agricultural production, land concentration and digging of navigable canals that still criss-cross many English counties today, were forcibly introduced between 1600s and 1800s with over 5000 acts of Parliament. This heavy-handed, top-down process resulted in a devastating disruption of the traditional social model centred around the village and led in many cases to violent revolts led by dispossessed peasants and farmers that often ended in bloodshed.
Despite this existential threat, English villages managed to survive.
Thanks to the revival of the countryside started in the mid-1800s across England as a reaction to the inequalities of Victorian society and the misery brought about by mass industrialisation, they bounced back, and have recently entered a new Golden Age.
In the last 30 years, English villages have become one of the most exclusive and sought-after places to live in England.
The structure of English villages today
The typical structure of most English villages today is the same as it was during the early Middle Ages.
This means that most modern villages have the same distinctive elements as they did 1000 years ago.
Here are some examples that are repeated in all English villages and often go back to Norman or even Anglo-Saxon times:
The village green (or simply green) is a piece of common land, or common, that was traditionally open to collective use since the Anglo-Saxon period and used for centuries by villagers to graze their flocks, hold meetings, and the famous village fetes that are still popular today. The village green was so important that often the original structure of the village developed around it. In many cases, the green continues to be the centre of the village's layout even today. Sometimes, there is also a pond, or ponds, nearby.
The Manor House was the building where the Lord of the Manor used to live. Many English villages have a Manor House, which can be quite impressive depending on the wealth and importance of the families that held prominent roles in the local area over the years.
Today, these mansions are mostly private homes, but often it is possible to visit them.
The Manor House in our village, called Chawton House, is a notable example of an Elizabethan residence. It is also particularly interesting because, between 1700s and 1800s, was owned by Edward Austen Knight, the brother of the famous English writer Jane Austen. Edward inherited the whole estate, which included Chawton House and the village of Chawton, by accident because as the only living heir to the Knight family despite being only a distant relative.
Chawton House and Jane Austen's house/museum, which are now run by separate foundations, are just a few yards from my cottage and both well worth a visit.
The parish church has been the heart of every English village for centuries. As I said earlier, a village without a church is not a village. This general rule applies everywhere in England.
This unbreakable bond, that can be traced back to the very concept of the village, means that parish churches in English villages are usually old - in many cases very old. Some even date back to the Anglo-Saxon or Norman period and are beautiful.
When I’m out and about exploring new villages, I always make sure to check out the local parish church. I’ve never been disappointed. I'm always fascinated by these silent stone buildings that date back to 1200s, 1100s or even 900s (not 1900s...900s!). They're always surrounded by the typical country cemetery with its worn stone tombstones, illegible inscriptions and centuries-old yew trees. Every time I enter an old parish church, I get a rush of emotions that go way beyond the religious aspect – I truly breath history.
How many villages are there in the UK?
There are thousands of villages in England and across the UK, and this ancient social settlement is not only still going strong, but also becoming increasingly popular with many Brits.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) about 9.7 million people lived in rural areas in England in 2020 – this is about 17% of the total population and 6% more than in 2010.
In the south of England, from Kent in the South East to Cornwall in the South West, there is only one city with more than 300,000 residents – Bristol, about 425,000 – and 15 larger towns with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The rest of the population, about 12 million people in total not considering the London metropolitan area, lives scattered across smaller towns and market towns with a population between 20,000 and 90,000, and thousands of villages, often with a few hundred or even a few dozen residents.
House prices also reflect this trend.
According to The Times, based on similar characteristics, a house in the countryside in England, especially if in a village location, costs on average 18% more than one in an urban area.
This benchmark excludes London of course, although several locations in the most affluent English counties such as Surrey, West Sussex, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire have now prices comparable to, if not higher than, many expensive areas of the capital.
The ‘privilege’ of living in an English village and enjoying the tranquillity, exclusivity and sense of community it offers, comes at a premium. This is especially true if the village is in a National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), or Conservation Area.
It's therefore no surprise that 'escaping to the country' is the hidden dream of many Brits, though one that is often difficult to realise.
My blog ‘Why do the English love the countryside so much?’ delves deeper into the reasons for the enduring connection between millions of English men and women and the countryside, a trend that is unique in the Western world. That blog can help you understand some of the points I mention in this article so don’t forget to read it. The link is here.
A bit of trivia...
The highest village in England is Flash. It is in the Peak District National Park at 1,519 feet (463 metres) above sea level. This is not much by Italian and continental standards, but England is predominantly a flat country...
Riggs More, located in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park in the North East, is the most isolated village in England, with the nearest road (a country lane, really...) 2.4 miles away, and the main road 6 miles away! The people of Riggs More certainly love walking....
Finally, Castle Combe and Bibury usually compete for the title of most beautiful village in England, although these rankings are often subjective.
In my opinion, other candidates for this coveted accolade are Turville in the Chiltern Hills, Amberley in West Sussex, Lower Slaughter and Stanton in the Cotswolds and, of course, 'my' Chawton in Hampshire!
I hope my blog has inspired you to visit an English village.
Which aspects of these quaint places intrigue you the most? Would you like to live in an English village?
Let me know in the comments!
Hozzászólások