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Great Hampden Church

Great Hampden and Little Hampden are two villages in Buckinghamshire, England, about three miles south-east of Princes Risborough. The former is the ancestral home of the Hobart-Hampden family, the most famous of whom was the English Civil War hero John Hampden.

The villages were first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, when they were jointly called Hamdena after the owners of the local manor. This shows how long the same family had been in possession of land in Buckinghamshire (the Hobart part of the family name came later).

By the 14th century 'Hamdena' was split into the two villages, Great Hampden at the top of one hill and Little Hampden on the next hill, with the lush arable land forming the rest of the two parishes spread out in the valley between them. It was also at about this time that Hampden House, the house belonging to the Hobart-Hampden family was rebuilt.

After the death of John Hampden, a cross was erected just above the lane that leads from Hampden House to the nearby village of Prestwood. Where the cross stands is reputed to be the spot where John Hampden stood when he first refused to pay the Ship Money tax in 1636. However the nearby village of Great Kimble also claims to be the place where he refused to pay the tax. From the cross there is a splendid view of the Chiltern Hills.

Cottages in Great Hampden

Hampden himself is buried at the church in Great Hampden, in an unmarked grave. His first wife had a stone tablet in her honour erected in the chancel. In the 19th century the floor below this tablet was lifted and a body exhumed which was missing its hand and had had its shoulder dislocated. Due to the nature of Hampden's death at the Battle of Chalgrove Field near Thame (he died as a result of an injury to his arm and shoulder) this was assumed to be the body of Hampden himself, however this assumption has since been challenged by other historians.

Great Hampden church stands a mile or so from the village. Its isolation made it an attractive location for some scenes in the 1970 film Cromwell. In more modern times Hampden House was used extensively by the Hammer film studios as the perfect gothic backdrop for many of their films.

The Hampden villages remain in a beautiful part of the countryside, and are well worth a visit at any time of the year.

• Great Hampden grid reference SP845015
• Little Hampden SP859037