Hampstead Norris, Berkshire

Description
Hampstead Norris, a village and a parish in Berks. The village stands on an affluent of the river Thames, 3 1/2 miles SE by S from East Ilsley, and 7 NE from Newbury, and has a station on the Didcot and Newbury branch of the G.W.R. It has a post office under Newbury; money order office, East Ilsley; telegraph office, railway station. The parish contains also the hamlets of Hermitage, Little Hungerford, Wellhouse, Bottomstead, World's End, and Eling. Acreage, 6047; population of the civil parish, 1204; of the ecclesiastical, with Langley, 849. The manor belonged once to the family of Norris, and took from them the latter part of its name, but belonged at other times to the families of Cifrewast and Ferrars, and took from them temporarily the names Hampstead Cifrewast and Hampstead Ferrars. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Oxford; net value, £313 with residence. The church is ancient, and has a low tower. The vicarage of Hermitage is a separate benefice. There are Primitive Methodist and Wesleyan chapels.