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Hampstead Marshall is a civil parish in the west of West Berkshire District, a unitary authority area, southwest of Newbury, on the Berkshire--Hampshire border. The parish covers 7.78 square kilometres (3.00 sq mi), having lost territory in a boundary change of 1991. The parish contains scattered settlements such as Ash Tree Corner, Chapel Corner, Holtwood and Irish Hill. There is a 12th-century church (St Mary's). William Marshall who became Earl of Pembroke, was a loyal knight to four kings: Henry II, Richard I, King John, and Henry III of England and this is when the "Marshall" suffix was added to the village. The manor continued to be owned and used by kings and queens throughout the centuries, until it was sold in 1613. The village was from 1620 until the 1980s the seat of the Earls of Craven. William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven (1608-1697) built a mansion there, originally intended as a residence for Charles I's sister, Elizabeth of Bohemia, although she died before construction began. The mansion burnt down in 1718. The Cravens later expanded a hunting lodge to live in instead, and this still stands, privately occupied, in the centre of Hamstead Park. The main village in the civil parish is commonly known as Hamstead Marshall rather than Hampstead Marshall. [edit] Research Tips
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