Eaton Hastings


Eaton Hastings is a village and civil parish beside the River Thames about two-and-a-half miles north-west of Faringdon. It was in Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. Eaton Hastings was once much larger than it is today, when it is regarded as a deserted medieval village. The 2001 Census gave the parish population as 81.

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of Saint Michael and All Angels is the most prominent surviving building of the original settlement. The earliest parts of the church were built in the 11th century. It is built of rubblestone and consists of a simple nave, chancel and bellcote. The chancel is largely 13th century. In 1870–1873 the church underwent Victorian restoration. St Michael's is a Grade II* listed building.
The west window has a stained glass depicting archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel. The window was installed in 1935 by Morris & Co. The designs date from 1860 and were created by William Morris and Ford Madox Brown. The north side of the chancel contains another Morris & Co. stained glass window representing St Matthew. This was installed in 1872–1874, having been designed by Edward Burne-Jones.
Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon is buried in the churchyard; the angel on his tomb was sculpted by George Frampton. Next to the church is the former rectory, which was built in the 19th century.

Economic and social history

The original village developed around the parish church. Today all that remains are a few scattered dwellings and the church. The population started to decline after 1349, until by the 19th century it consisted only of a few scattered farmhouses. The depopulation has been attributed to bubonic plague, emparking and sheep farming.
Late in the 19th century, a group of houses was built on the Lechlade to Faringdon road. They were designed by the architect Ernest George for Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon, as part of a social improvement project. Many people now regard this as Eaton Hastings, but the remaining buildings of the original settlement are hidden down a single-lane road.