Hankerton
| Hankerton | |
|---|---|
 Holy Cross church |
|
 Hankerton
|
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| Hankerton shown within Wiltshire | |
| Population | 280 (in 2011) |
| OS grid reference | ST970907 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Malmesbury |
| Postcode district | SN16 |
| Dialling code | 01666 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Hankerton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Malmesbury. The parish includes the hamlets of Cloatley, Cloatley End and Bullock's Horn.
Streams which form the Braydon Brook, which becomes the Swill Brook further downstream, flow east and north in the parish. Some of these streams form parts of the northern parish boundary. Cloatley Manor Farm Meadows, a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, is within the parish.
In 1377 Hankerton had 61 poll-tax payers and Cloatley 33, with a further 20 at Moredon, which was probably a hamlet within the parish. The population of the parish peaked in the 1830s or 1840s, with 417 recorded at the 1841 census, then declined to 252 in 1901 and has since remained near that level.
Until the Dissolution, Hankerton and Cloatley were probably part of the Crudwell estate which belonged to Malmesbury Abbey.
In 1553 Hankerton manor was bought by James Stumpe of Malmesbury and Bromham, who also owned Charlton manor. Hankerton and Charlton descended into the Howard family and the Earls of Suffolk, who continued to hold land in Hankerton in the 20th century. Cloatley manor was held separately, being bought in 1706 by Giles Earle of Eastcourt, Crudwell; his grandson divided the manor c. 1806.
Cloatley Manor Farmhouse has a 15th century core and a wing of c. 1600, with additions in the 19th century. Until the early 17th century it was the seat of the Earle family, who moved to Eastcourt, Crudwell. The house and certain associated buildings are Grade II* listed.
The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) said of Hankerton:
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Wikipedia