Hasfield is a civil parish in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, England, and lies south-west of

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a medieval market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town has significant history in the Wars of the Roses and grew since the building of Tewkesbury Abbey. It stands at the confluence of the Riv ...

and north of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

. It is situated on the west bank of the

River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

; as much of its land resides below the 50-foot contour, it is subject to regular flooding. Hasfield is represented by the county councillor for Severn Vale division and the two borough councillors for Highnam with Haw Bridge ward on Tewkesbury Borough Council. Hasfield parish is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086, noting it had 59 villagers, 54 smallholders and 51 slaves while in 2010 the Gloucestershire County council estimated there were 111 residents. The parish became the seat of the Pauncefootes of Pauncefoote Court in 1199 and remained in their hands until 1598. All that remains of the original manor house appears to be an ancient gateway with several blank escutcheons found near the parish church.

Hasfield Court Hasfield Court is a Grade II* listed building in Hasfield, Gloucestershire, England. Hasfield Court was the site of a medieval manor house, the home of the Pauncefoot family from about 1200. It includes Tudor panelling with the initials of Ric ...

is built on the same site and it is a heritage building, listed by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

as a Grade II* building. The manor house changed hands several times and once belonged (1847–63) to the architect

Thomas Fulljames Thomas Fulljames FRIBA (4 March 1808 – 24 April 1874) was an architect active in Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the ...

. The house was sold in 1863 to William Baker, a bachelor, of Fenton House, Staffs. He owned a pottery at Fenton where he built several municipal buildings and Christ Church. His nephew, William Meath Baker, was a patron and friend of Sir

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

, who based his ''Enigma Variation no. 4'' on him, and nos. 3 and 10, respectively, on WMB's brother-in-law and niece. Hasfield Court remains in the ownership of the Meath Baker family.

Notable structures

The Parish Church, called St. Peter's when it was established in the 14th century, is now dedicated to St. Mary. It has a square tower which still retains the earlier dedication to St Peter. The tower, which houses the church's four bells, is decorated with crenellations and gargoyle-like figures that double as waterspouts. Inside the church are numerous notable artifacts, including several stained glass windows, a Norman font, and a monument to lady Pauncefort for sending her "right hand" to Palestine to ransom her lord from the infidels. English Heritage has listed St Mary's as a Grade I heritage building. The Old Rectory as it is now called, situated next to St Mary's, was constructed in 1837 and retains much of its original character. The rather grand and large Tudor-Gothic building, in private hands since 1957, is constructed of yellow limestone and adorned with several gables and bay windows. The Old Rectory is an English Heritage Grade II listed building. A new rectory was built off-site. The Great House of Hasfield is an English Heritage Grade I listed building. The exterior presents rather unusually in that it is constructed in three styles, with various sections being primarily of brick, or of stone, and yet others of timber-framing. The yellow-sandstone centre part of the house was the earliest constructed (late 16th century). The north side is mostly reddish brick and some stone. It was reported the timber-framed west wing was added in the 19th century to improve the sight view from Hasfield Court, with which it shares ownership. Hasfield Court Gloucestershire.jpg, Hasfield Court Old Rectory Hasfield.jpg, The Old Rectory Hasfield Great House.jpg, The Great House

Notable people

*William Meath Baker of Hasfield Court -

High Sheriff of Gloucestershire This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire, who should not be confused with the Sheriffs of the City of Gloucester. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (in England and Wales the office previously kn ...

in 1896.

References

{{authority control Villages in Gloucestershire Borough of Tewkesbury

Notable structures

Notable people

See also

References