HAMPTON, a parish in the hundred of SPELTHORNE,
county of MIDDLESEX, 13 miles (W. S. W.)
from London, containing, with the chapelry of Hampton-
Wick, 3549 inhabitants. In the reign of Edward the
Confessor, Hampton belonged to Earl Algar, a powerful
Saxon nobleman, and after the Norman Conquest it was
held by Walter de St. Valeri, who probably gave the advowson
of the living to the priory of Takeley, in Essex,
which was a cell to the abbey of St. Valeri, in Picardy;
but the manor subsequently became the property of Sir
Robert Gray, whose widow, in 1311, left it to the Knights
Hospitallers, and they at one period had an establishment
here for the sisters of that order. Cardinal Wolsey,
when in the height of his power, having determined
on building a palace for his principal residence in the
vicinity of the metropolis, fixed on Hampton for the
site of it, as being one of the healthiest and most pleasant
spots in the south of England. He therefore obtained
from the prior of St. John a lease of the manor and
manor-house, and in 1516 commenced the erection of a
magnificent mansion, which he furnished in a style of corresponding
splendour; and before the structure was
completed, in 1526, he presented it to the king, together
with his interest in the manorial estate. In 1538, an act
of parliament passed for making a royal chase, called
Hampton Court chase, extending over several adjoining
parishes in Middlesex and Surrey. It was enclosed and
stocked with deer, but on the petition of the inhabitants,
after the death of Henry VIII., the enclosure was removed,
though the tract which it comprehended is still
considered as a royal chase, under the superintendence
of an officer called the lieutenant, or keeper of his
majesty's chase of Hampton Court. The order of the
Knights Hospitallers having been suppressed~in England
111 1540, this manor became vested in the crown, and in
the same year a new act was passed creating the manor
of Hampton Court an honour, the office of chief steward
and feodary of which, together with that of lieutenant
and keeper of the chase, has always been conferred on
a personage of high rank.
Hampton Court was completed by Henry VIII.,
according to the design of the architect employed
by Cardinal Wolsey, and being made one of the royal
palaces, was a frequent and favourite residence of his
majesty and the court. Edward VI. was born in it, October
12th, 1537; and at this palace, in 1543, Henry VIII.
was married to his last wife, Catherine Parr. It was
the occasional residence of several of the sovereigns antecedent
to William III., who rebuilt a considerable part
of the palace, and laid out the gas-dens and park in their
present form. Queen Anne resided here before her
accession to the throne, and her son William, Duke
of Gloucester, was born in it, July 24th, 1689.
George II. -was the last sovereign who made Hampton
Court the place of his abode, as his successors have only
been casual visitors. The whole of the buildings, except
the state apartments and a suite of rooms under them,
called the Duke of York's apartments, are now occupied
by private families, who have grants during pleasure from
the Lord Chamberlain; the number of the residents, including
servants, is about seven hundred. The palace,
situated on the north bank of the Thames, comprises
three large quadrangles, with some detached buildings;
but the first quadrangle at the western entrance alone
remains as originally erected by Cardinal Wolsey: it
extends one hundred and sixty-nine feet from north to
south, and one hundred and forty-one from east to west.
The second quadrangle, called the Clock-court, from a
curious astronomical clock over the gateway, has been
partially remodelled from a design by Sir Christopher
Wren, who erected an Ionic colonnade leading to the
grand staircase and the state apartments. On the
north side of this quadrangle is the great hall, built by
Henry VIII., the noble roof of which was restored in.
1820; it was used as a theatre in the reigns of Elizabeth
and George I. and II.; and in 1830 it was fitted
up for divine service while the parish church was being
rebuilt. The Fountain court, or third quadrangle, was
rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, in 1690; it is one
hundred and ten feet from east to west, and one hundred
and seventeen from north to south. On the south
side is the king's staircase, leading to the state apartments,
the walls of which are ornamented with mythological
paintings by Verrio; and on the north side is
the queen's staircase, with paintings on the walls by
Laguerre. Theprincipal state apartments are the guardhall,
decorated with arms and armour; the presencechambers
the audience chamber; the king's drawingroom
and writing closet; Queen. Mary's closet; the
queen's gallery, ornamented with Gobelin tapestry; the
royal bed-rooms and dressing-rooms; and the long
gallery, in which are the Cartoons of Raphael. The
royal chapel, in which is some beautiful carved work
by Grimling Gibbons, is opened for divine service every
Sunday. The gardens, including the site of the palace,
comprise a space of about three miles in circumference.
In a hot house in the private gardens is a vine of the
Black Hamburgh kind, noted for its extraordinary fertility,
often bearing two thousand five hundred bunches
of grapes in a season. There is a fine canal three quarters
of a mile in length; and the gardens are ornamented
with four beautifully sculptured marble vases.
The village of Hampton stands about one mile and a
half from the palace, on the north side of the Thames,
over which there is a wooden bridge at Hampton Court,
and there is also a ferry over the river for carriages and
foot-passengers at Hampton. It contains several handsome
villas, particularly one which belonged to the celebrated
Garrick, on the lawn in front of which is a small
temple dedicated to Shakspeare, with a statue of the great
dramatist, the work of G. Garrard, A.R.A. There are
eight assemblies in the course of the year at the Royal
Hotel at Hampton Court; and Hampton races are held
in June annually, at Moulsey Hurst, on the opposite side
of the Thames. Courts leet and baron for the manor are
held once a year. Hampton is within the jurisdiction
of a court of requests for the recovery of debts under
40s., held at Brentford, during the summer half year,
and at Uxbridge in winter.
The living is a vicarage, in the archdeaconry of
Middlesex, and diocese of London, rated in the king's
books at £ 10, and in the patronage of the Crown. The
church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, having long
been in a dilapidated state, was taken down at the
commencement of 1830, and on the 13th of April,
in that year, the first stone of a new edifice was laid,
intended to contain one thousand four hundred persons,
with four hundred and eighty free sittings: the
estimated expense of the building is about £8000.
Here is a place of worship for Independents. A.
free grammar school was founded in consequence
of the bequest of lands and tenements at Hampton,
by Robert Hamonde, in 1556, and the subsequent benefactions
of Edmund Pigeon,, in 1657, and John Jones,
Esq., in 1691; the entire annual income is £327. 10.
from which the master receives £287. 13. 6., and pays
£60 per annum to an usher, and about £10 per
annum for books, &c. The school is open to the.
children of all the parishioners, and the scholars are
instructed on the National system. There is a National
school for girls, twelve of whom are clothed at
the expense of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of
Clarence, and the remainder, seventy-two in number,
by subscription:  there is also a Sunday school for
boys, on the National plan. The school-house for the
Sunday school arid the school of industry was erected in
1805, on a piece of ground given by the Duke of Clarence,
at the expense of £429.6.4., raised by voluntary
contribution. Queen Anne gave £50 per annum to the
poor of this parish; and there are many other considerable
benefactions, for apprenticing poor children and
other charitable purposes. Among the more distinguished
inhabitants of this  place who have been interred here,
may be mentioned John Beard, patentee- of Covent
Garden theatre, celebrated as a public singer, who died
in 1791.; and Richard Tickell, Esq., author of a popular
pamphlet entitled "Anticipation," containing satirical
sketches of parliamentary debates.