- Castle Hedingham
infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 51.991
longitude= 0.604
official_name= Castle Hedingham
population = 1000
shire_district= Braintree
shire_county =Essex
region= East of England
constituency_westminster= Saffron Walden
post_town=Halstead
postcode_district = CO9
postcode_area= CO
dial_code= 01787
os_grid_reference= TL787357Castle Hedingham is a small village in north-east
Essex ,UK , located four miles west ofHalstead and is situated in the valley of the River Colne on the ancient road from Colchester, Essex, to Cambridge.It developed around
Hedingham Castle , the ancestral seat of the de Veres,Earls of Oxford . The first earl,Aubrey de Vere III , finished the initial building of the keep and established a Benedictine nunnery near the castle gates. Hugh de Vere, fourth earl of Oxford, purchased the right to hold a market in the town of the crown in the mid-13th century. He also founded a hospital just outside the gates of the castle around 1250.The village's main attractions are the well-preserved Norman
castle , theColne Valley Railway and its many timber-framed medieval buildings.The church of
St Nicholas is lateNorman and Gothic, building having commenced around 1180. The fine doublehammer-beam roof is attributed to Thomas Loveday, who was responsible for work onSt John's College, Cambridge . Its Romanesque wheel window and cemetery cross are remnants of the Norman church.Notable residents
*
Aubrey de Vere , holder of the entire manor of Hedingham (later Castle Hedingham) in Domesday Book, 1086
*Aubrey de Vere , 1st Earl of Oxford - completed the stone keep at Hedingham
*Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford - one of the 25 Barons of Magna Carta
*Mark Catesby - English naturalist.
*Edward Bingham - Victorian potter whoseCastle Hedingham Ware has become increasingly sought-after.
*Eric Ravilious - Painter, book illustrator & wood engraver.External links
* [http://unlockingessex.essexcc.gov.uk/content_page.asp?content_page_id=110&content_parents=48,94 SEAX Archaeology - Unlocking Essex's Past] An in-depth essay about Castle Hedingham.
* [http://www.hedinghamschool.co.uk/ Hedingham School]
* [http://castlehedingham.org/castlehedinghaminfo.html A brief history of the village]
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