Up Hatherley Explained

Official Name:Up Hatherley
Country:England
Region:South West England
Os Grid Reference:SO914204
Coordinates:51.8853°N -2.1245°W
Label Position:left
Population:6,072
Population Ref:(2011)[1]
Post Town:CHELTENHAM
Postcode Area:GL
Postcode District:GL51
Dial Code:01242
Civil Parish:Up Hatherley

Up Hatherley is a civil parish and a suburb of the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Formerly a hamlet in the parish of Shurdington, it became a parish in 1887 and became a part of Cheltenham in 1991.[2]

History

The village was recorded (combined with Down Hatherley) as Hegberleo in 1022. It was listed as Athelai in the Domesday Book of 1086.[3] [4] In 1273 it was known as Dunheytherleye and in 1221, Hupheberleg. The name derived from the Old English hagu-thorn + lēah meaning "hawthorn clearing". the distinguishing affixes "Up" and "Down" derived from the Old English upp meaning "higher upstream" and dūne meaning "lower downstream". Down Hatherley is a separate parish three miles (5 km) downstream on the Hatherley Brook.

The parish of Up Hatherley was formed from a small settlement of scattered farms in 1887 and remained little changed until 1945. Prior to that it had been considered a hamlet in the parish of Shurdington. Along with Swindon Village, Leckhampton and Prestbury, the parish was added to the borough of Cheltenham in 1991.[5] Part of the parish was transferred to the parish of Shurdington.

Governance

Up Hatherley, with a small part of the parish of Leckhampton, forms the ward of Up Hatherley, represented by two councillors on Cheltenham Borough Council.[6] It is part of the Cheltenham constituency and is represented in parliament by Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson.

Church

There was a church at Up Hatherley from at least 1022.[7] The original church was destroyed in a fire in about 1640 and Up Hatherley parishioners had to use the north aisle of the church of the nearby village of Shurdington.[8] The church of St. Philip and St. James was built between 1885 and 1886. It cost £2,000 and was paid for by Rev. W. H. Gretton and Mrs Gretton. The late Rev. Gretton had donated the land and his widow had intended to have a chapel built since her failing health made it difficult for her to travel as far as Badgeworth to attend church. When residents asked her if they could attend the proposed chapel, she decided to have a village church built. The new church, seating approximately 150 parishioners, was consecrated in 1886 by the Lord Bishop of Gloucester. The first vicar of the new parish was Rev. E. L. Jennings.

Notable residents

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Civil parish population 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  2. Web site: Up Hatherley, Warden Hill and Surrounding Areas . Cheltenham4U.co.uk . 24 January 2010 .
  3. Web site: Down Hatherley, Gloucestershire . . . 1086 . 24 January 2010 .
  4. Book: Mills , A. D. . Dictionary of English Place-Names . . 1998 . 170 . 0-19-280074-4 .
  5. Web site: The Gloucestershire (District Boundaries) Order 1991 . . 1991 . 24 January 2010 .
  6. Web site: Up Hatherley ward . . 8 June 2009 . 24 January 2010 .
  7. Web site: History of Saints Philip & James . Saints Philip & James Church, Up Hatherley . 24 January 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090507191627/http://www.saintsphilipandjames.org.uk/history.html . 7 May 2009 .
  8. Web site: Extract From National Gazetteer, 1868 . . 24 January 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060704030712/http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/GLS/UpHatherley/Gaz1868.html . 4 July 2006 .