Perhaps, Hengist’s Island is more than just a name. South Hinksey, a village south of Oxford, carries a name that whispers of Anglo-Saxon origins. It probably derives from “Hengestesieg”. This means Hengist’s Island or Stallion’s Island. Let’s explore this village.
South Hinksey’s story stretches back centuries. The first mention of settlement dates back to 685-688. King Caedwalla of the West Saxons gave land to Abingdon Abbey.
By the 11th century, the Earls of Abingdon possessed the land. The Domesday Book notes it as part of the Hundred of Hormer. South Hinksey has been part of Berkshire. Boundary changes in 1974 transferred it to Oxfordshire.
The 13th century saw the construction of St Laurence Church in South Hinksey. Two centuries later, the church gained its tower.
In 1536, the Dissolution of the Monasteries occurred. South Hinksey then passed to the Crown. It was leased to Thomas Peers soon after. By 1553, it belonged to the Lord of the Manor of Cumnor.
South Hinksey saw the construction of old cottages and farm buildings. This happened from the 16th to 17th centuries.
An Enclosure Act occurred in 1814. South Hinksey remained part of Cumnor then.
John Towle married at South Hinksey Church in 1828. He became Mayor of Oxford in 1856. He was a paper-maker. By 1851, he lived in South Hinksey.
The village appears in Matthew Arnold’s The Scholar Gypsy in 1853. The poem helps to capture South Hinksey’s rural charm.
John Marius Wilson described South Hinksey in his Imperial Gazetteer. This was between 1870 and 1872. The village stood near the Oxford railway. A new village arose. It was called New Hinksey. The Happy Valley offered a charming walk.
Tom Besson lived in South Hinksey in 1871. He was the Mayor of Oxford.
A three-lane highway was built in 1938. It ran from Hinksey to Botley. People nicknamed it “the road from nowhere to nowhere”.
The A34 became a dual carriageway in 1973. It connected to the Abingdon bypass.
South Hinksey had two pubs. The Cross Keys closed in 1993. The General Elliot closed in 2016.
Today, South Hinksey offers romantic walking routes. The Devil’s Backbone gives pedestrian access from Oxford. The village maintains its charm. It provides a glimpse into England’s past. South Hinksey’s story continues to evolve.