Hampton Gay

In this instance the name Hampton derives from Old English hām and tūn – "village with a home farm". The name Gay derives from the de Gay family. The toponym for Hampton Gay might be: • Home farm of the "de Gay" manor. • Village of the "de Gay" Manor Farm. ==Archaeology==

In 1972 a cast bronze clasp was found at Hampton Gay near St Giles' parish church. It is decorated with stylised Acanthus leaves and may be late Saxon, from the 10th or 11th century. ==Manor==

After the Norman Conquest of England Robert D'Oyly gave an estate of three hides at Hampton Gay to his brother in arms Roger d'Ivry, while a second estate of two hides at Hampton Gay belonged to the Crown. D'Ivry's holding became part of the Honour of St. Valery, which in the 13th century was owned by Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall. Under his successor Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall towards the end of the 13th century the d'Ivry holding was merged with the Duchy of Cornwall. The royal estate at Hampton Gay became part of the honour of Gloucester and thereby followed the same descent as the manor of Finmere. The Domesday Book of 1086 records that one Rainald was the tenant of both the d'Ivry and the royal estate. The de Gay family were tenants of both estates by about 1137 and remained so until 1222. Hampton Gay's toponym combines their surname with the Old English for a village or farm. ==Parish church==

Tithe records show that Hampton Gay had a parish church by 1074. The Church of england parish church of Saint Giles had included features from at least as early as the 13th century, but in 1767–72 the Rev. Thomas Hindes, a member of the family that then owned the manor, had it completely rebuilt. ==Economic and social history==

Hampton Gay had a water mill on the River Cherwell by 1219, when it became the property of Osney Abbey. It was a grist mill until 1681, when Vincent Barry leased it In 1684 Hutton took over the corn mill at Adderbury Grounds, upstream of Hampton Gay, and converted that into a paper mill. British Railways closed Kidlington station in 1964 but the railway remains open as part of the Cherwell Valley Line. Hampton Gay was a separate civil parish until 1932 when it was merged with the adjacent parish of Hampton Poyle. The population of Hampton Gay continued to dwindle from the closing of the mill to the 1990's and is classified as a hamlet. From 2002 there has been something of a resurgence of activity, with new farming families joining the community increasing the population considerably. Willowbrook Farm has attracted a lot of media attention through its educational and charitable work. It was established in 2003 and has been a pioneer of tayib (natural) farming based on principles of traditional regenerative agriculture, combining environmental and social sustainability. The founders, Dr Lutfi Radwan and Ruby Radwan were the subjects of a 2022 episode of the popular TV series "New Lives in the Wild". ==References==