Hempsted
Hempsted is a suburban village on the edge of Gloucester, in Gloucestershire, England. The parish was abolished in 1966 and absorbed into the parish and city of Gloucester. The current estimated population based on small area data of the 2021 ONS census is 2715.
History
An ancient area of Gloucester, Hempsted was just outside the city. The fine Norman church of St. Swithun was built and paid for by Norman noblemen. The churchyard contains the chest tomb of John Freeman, a Royalist officer, shot at the siege of Gloucester in 1643. During the Middle Ages a persecuted Augustinian monastic order came out of Wales and settled at Hempsted with the blessing of the City authorities. They founded Llanthony Secunda Priory and Hempsted became an estate of the priory. The church was extended with a new vestry and a west gallery was added as well as new pews and re-roofing to the design of G.V.Maddox of Monmouth in 1839. Maddox died at the rectory in Hempsted on 27 February 1864.In 1961 the civil parish had a population of 508. On 1 April 1966 the parish was abolished to become part of Gloucester, except small parts of the former parish which went instead to neighbouring Highnam and Minsterworth.