Dean is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
in
Spelsbury civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
, about north of
Charlbury and southeast of
Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. Its
toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...
derives from the fact that it is between the valleys of the Coldron Brook and one of its tributaries.
History
The
Hawk Stone, about north of Dean, is a
Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
standing stone
A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright rock (geology), stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the Eur ...
. At a junction of two lanes in the centre of Dean is the base of a medieval
preaching cross. Spelsburydown is a 17th-century house that was re-fronted in the 18th century.
It is of coursed squared limestone with
ashlar
Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones.
Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...
dressings and has a
Stonesfield slate roof.
[ About northeast of Spelsburydown is a six- bay barn built of coursed limestone rubble that dates from the late 17th or early 18th century.
Dean Mill is a ]watermill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...
on Coldron Brook. It was probably built in the 18th century and altered probably in the 20th century.[ Dean ]Manor House
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
was built early in the 18th century, reputedly in 1702 for Thomas Rowney, MP for Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
.[ Pear Tree Cottage is a mid-18th century small house built of coursed limestone rubble.
]
Notable people
Dean is the home of Peter Gummer, Baron Chadlington and the constituency home of the former UK Prime Minister David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
. It was also the home of the family of Ronnie Barker
Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', ...
.
References
Hamlets in Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire District
{{Oxfordshire-geo-stub