[[File:Lincolnshire_UK_parish_map_(blank).svg|thumb|[[List of civil parishes in Lincolnshire|Lincolnshire]] has many clearly visible strip parishes.]] A '''strip parish''' is a [[parish]] with a narrow, elongated shape, formed typically during the [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] and [[early medieval]] period. The shape is influenced by [[landscape]] and political and [[economic]] factors. Evidence of such parishes can be found throughout England, although they seem to have been more common in a number of southern counties, particularly but not exclusively associated with locations including both [[lowland]] and [[Highland (geography)|upland]] [[landscape]]s or alternatively [[coastal]] communities.
==Origins of strip parishes== A number of common factors influenced the creation of strip parishes: the establishment of the parish unit, the [[topography]] of the landscape and the scarcity of valuable resources.
With the fragmentation of the [[Hundred (country subdivision)|hundreds]] in England during the [[8th century|8th]] and [[9th century|9th centuries]], due to the division of larger estates and the transfer of land, smaller [[manorialism|manor]]ial estates gradually emerged. Other reasons for this were the endowment of lands for newly-established churches; the patronage of the lower levels of [[nobility]]; the legal inheritance of land within families; and the beginning of [[Normans|Norman]] rule. These resulted in the creation of a patchwork of parish units, the administrative boundaries of which were formalised alongside the re-assembling of manorial lands.
In places like the [[Chilterns]], the [[South Downs]] and coastal areas of [[Devon]] and [[Cornwall]], where resources were limited, there were more developments. For example, parish settlements in the lowland areas of the [[Vale of Aylesbury]] ([[Buckinghamshire]]) and the [[Thames Valley]] ([[Oxfordshire]]), bordering the [[Chiltern Hills]], expanded by adding land in the adjoining largely uninhabited hillside, [[escarpment|scarp]] and hilltop areas to exploit scarce resources such as [[woodland]] and upland summer [[pasture]] (by [[transhumance]]). This resulted in estates and parishes which were narrow elongated strips with a mix of land types, ensuring a greater availability of resources.
==Development of autonomous manors and parishes== Subsequent expansion of the temporary summer settlements resulted in the establishment of permanent communities, including the formation of autonomous manors or [[hamlet (place)|hamlet]]s with their own, initially modest, [[Chapel-of-ease|chapels-of-ease]], which later became churches. Where topography did not allow a parish to expand uphill in one contiguous strip, it might acquire an exclave of upland territory: for example, [[Marsworth]] and its detached manor of [[Hawridge]]. Usually, such an exclave was within the same [[Hundred (county division)|hundred]] and [[Counties of the United Kingdom|county]]; but occasionally, as in [[Tring]], Hertfordshire and its detached upland hamlet [[Coleshill, Buckinghamshire|Coleshill]] several miles away and in [[Buckinghamshire]], such detached communities could cross county boundaries.
As early as the late [[Middle Ages]] and as late as the 20th century, some of these "offspring" communities separated completely from their longer-established parent village miles away. Such separation sometimes caused the lowland community to relocate to a new village location. The upland communities sometimes became parishes in their own right, or amalgamated with other hilltop villages to create one or more new parishes.
A detailed account of the development of strip parishes in the Chiltern Hills can be found in ''The Chilterns'' by Leslie Hepple and Alison Doggett.
The parishes of [[Westerham]], [[Brasted]], and [[Sundridge with Ide Hill|Sundridge]] in the [[Vale of Holmesdale]], [[North West Kent]] are examples of strip parishes that are large enough to have a detached hamlet. [[Chartwell]] is the detached hamlet of Westerham; [[Brasted Chart]] is the detached hamlet for Brasted, and [[Ide Hill]] is the detached hamlet for Sundridge.
==Geological features== The geological structure of the underlying rock found in a strip parish can sometimes be indicated by the variety of local rock used to build the parish church: for example the rocks found in the church buildings in Westerham and Brasted are [[sandstone]], Melbourne rock (hard chalk), [[flint]], and [[chert]]. Details of the local geology can be found in local geological maps: for example the rocks cited above are indicated on the Dartford geological survey.
==Agricultural influences== The combination of soils that form as a result of this variety of underlying bedrock promotes prosperity because it allows several different types of agriculture in a small area: [[alluvium]] (holding water, promoting lush pastures for feeding cattle), chalk (well drained, dry for sheep), sandstone ridge (infertile, but still suitable for woodland to provide charcoal and fuel for cooking and heating).
The benefits can be enhanced if the local land profile is sloping, because the washdown from the valley sides transports the base minerals to the shelter of the valley, where they are mixed to form a fertile soil suitable for growing cereals and root crops.
== Some strip parishes in England == {{Incomplete list|date=July 2022}} {| class="wikitable sortable" !Parish !County !Detached hamlets/parishes |- |[[Eaton Bray]] |[[Bedfordshire]] |Formerly Boston Rural District |- |[[Toddington, Bedfordshire|Toddington]] |[[Bedfordshire]] | |- |[[Totternhoe]] |[[Bedfordshire]] | |- |[[Boxford, Berkshire|Boxford]] |[[Berkshire]] | |- |[[East Garston]] |[[Berkshire]] | |- |[[East Shefford]] |[[Berkshire]] | |- |[[Welford, Berkshire|Welford]] |[[Berkshire]] | |- |[[Aston Clinton]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] |[[St Leonards, Buckinghamshire|St Leonards]] |- |[[Bledlow]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] | |- |[[Buckland, Buckinghamshire|Buckland]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] |[[Buckland Common]] |- |[[Drayton Beauchamp]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] |[[Cholesbury]] |- |[[Great Kimble]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] |[[Little Kimble]], [[Ellesborough]] |- |[[Horsenden]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] | |- |[[Marsworth]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] |[[Hawridge]] |- |[[Monks Risborough]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] | |- |[[Pitstone]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] | |- |[[Princes Risborough]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] | |- |[[Saunderton]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] | |- |[[Stoke Mandeville]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] |[[Great Hampden|The Hampdens]], part of |- |[[Taplow]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] |[[Penn, Buckinghamshire|Penn]] |- |[[Weston Turville]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] | |- |[[The Lee]] |[[Buckinghamshire]] | |- |[[Lympstone]] |[[Devon]] | |- |[[Ridge, Hertfordshire|Ridge]] |[[Hertfordshire]] | |- |[[Shenley]] |[[Hertfordshire]] | |- |[[Tring]] |[[Hertfordshire]] |[[Coleshill, Buckinghamshire|Coleshill]] (Bucks) |- |[[Wigginton, Hertfordshire|Wigginton]] |[[Hertfordshire]] | |- |[[Aisthorpe]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Barkston]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Barlings]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Bishop Norton]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Blankney]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Blyborough]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Bonby]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Brattleby]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Burton, Lincolnshire|Burton]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Caenby]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Cammeringham]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Caythorpe, Lincolnshire|Caythorpe]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Dunsby]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Dunston, Lincolnshire|Dunston]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Fillingham]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Fulbeck]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Glentham]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Glentworth, Lincolnshire|Glentworth]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Grayingham]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Haconby|Hacconby]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Normanby by Spital]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[North Carlton, Lincolnshire|North Carlton]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[North Cotes|North Coates]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Nocton]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Marshchapel]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Martin, North Kesteven|Martin]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Metheringham]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Marton, Lincolnshire|Morton]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Owmby-by-Spital]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Potterhanworth]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Saxby, Lincolnshire|Saxby]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Saxby All Saints]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Scampton]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Scotter]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Snitterby]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Somerby (Juxta Bigby)|Somerby]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[South Carlton]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Spridlington]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Stallingborough]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Syston, Lincolnshire|Syston]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Timberland, Lincolnshire|Timberland]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Waddingham]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Welton, Lincolnshire|Welton]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[West Firsby]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Willoughton]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Winterton, Lincolnshire|Winterton]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Worlaby]] |[[Lincolnshire]] | |- |[[Aston Rowant]] |[[Oxfordshire]] |[[Stokenchurch]] |- |[[Checkendon]] |[[Oxfordshire]] | |- |[[Chinnor]] |[[Oxfordshire]] | |- |[[Ipsden]] |[[Oxfordshire]] | |- |[[Kingston Bagpuize]] |[[Oxfordshire]] | |- |[[Lewknor]] |[[Oxfordshire]] |[[Ackhampstead]], Bucks |- |[[Mongewell]] |[[Oxfordshire]] | |- |[[Newnham Murren]] |[[Oxfordshire]] | |- |[[Nuffield, Oxfordshire|Nuffield]] |[[Oxfordshire]] | |- |[[Pyrton]] |[[Oxfordshire]] |[[Stonor]] |- |[[Shirburn]] |[[Oxfordshire]] | |- |[[South Stoke, Oxfordshire|South Stoke]] |[[Oxfordshire]] |[[Woodcote]] |- |[[Watlington, Oxfordshire|Watlington]] |[[Oxfordshire]] |[[Warmscombe]] |- |[[Ewell]] |[[Surrey]] | |- |[[Leigh, Surrey|Leigh]] |[[Surrey]] |[[Banstead]] |- |[[Oxted]] |[[Surrey]] | |- |[[Staines-upon-Thames|Staines]] |[[Surrey]] | |- |[[Arundel]] |[[Sussex]] | |- |[[Ditchling]] |[[Sussex]] | |- |[[Lewes]] |[[Sussex]] | |- |[[Lodsworth]] |[[Sussex]] | |- |[[Midhurst]] |[[Sussex]] | |- |[[Petworth]] |[[Sussex]] | |- |[[Steyning]] |[[Sussex]] | |- |[[Charlton, Brinkworth|Charlton]] |[[Wiltshire]] | |- |[[Fittleton cum Haxton]] |[[Wiltshire]] | |}
==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last=Hepple & Doggett |first=Leslie & Alison |title=The Chilterns |year=1971 |publisher=Phillimore & Co Ltd |location=England |isbn=0-85033-833-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/chilterns0000hepp }}
[[Category:Civil parishes in England]] [[Category:Types of subdivision in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Rural geography]]