Hook Norton

Hook Norton News and Information

  • Home
  • Village History
  • Services
    • Bus Timetable
    • Village Shop
    • Hook Norton Pre-School Playgroup
    • Crime and Punishment
    • Local links
    • Oil Syndicate
    • Report a pothole
    • Report a footpath issue
  • Village Life
    • St Peter’s
    • Village Museum and Archive
    • Beer Festival
    • Baptist Church
    • The Brewery
    • Pubs of Hook Norton
    • Hook Norton School
    • Map of Hook Norton
    • Local Attractions
    • Low Carbon Living
    • Community Housing in Hook Norton
    • Incredible Edible Hooky
    • Walking In and Around Hook Norton
  • Groups & Clubs
  • Superfast Broadband?
  • Parish Council
    • Minutes
  • Directory Of Services
  • Village Diary
    • Add an event
  • Village Newsletter
  • Weather
You are here: Home / The Village History Website / Health, Education & Welfare

Health, Education & Welfare

Health, Education & Welfare

In This Section

  • Health
    • Health and Disease
    • The Growth of our Health Services
    • Mental Health and Mad Houses, 1720-1854
  • Education
    • Education – Early Years
    • Education Since 1900
    • Adult Education
  • Welfare
    • Looking After The Poor

Before the nineteenth century voluntary organisations contributed hugely toward both helping the less well-off avoid the disastrous consequences of unemployment and illness, and assisting talented youth to secure some sort of education. Increasingly, however, the growing complexity of modern life necessitated the expansion of public provision through government action. Building on an awareness of traditional practice, this section focuses on how the greatest needs – for health (both physical and mental), education and welfare – have been catered for in Hook Norton over the last two hundred years.

In the process this section has stimulated some of the most interesting and arresting writing in the whole history website. The two other editors particularly recommend the authoritative and original articles by Roy Meadow which serve to broaden and deepen our understanding of serious problems relating to both health and education. Hook Norton, it transpires, was for a long time disadvantaged by its isolation and governmental neglect, but since the 1950s it has gradually managed to overcome those disadvantages. Concerned local residents worked to bring about those improvements – but some were not at all helpful!

The problems in health and education were exacerbated by the worsening poverty of many residents in the nineteenth century. For over two centuries local government had taken its responsibility to assist the poor of the parish very seriously, but the growing financial burden brought about a reform in the 1830s that shifted responsibility from local to regional level, though the parish still had to contribute to the costs of running the new large “union” workhouse in Banbury that served a “union” of neighbouring parishes. The harshness of the new regime encouraged local self-help and charitable societies which helped to keep many poor people out of the workhouse and prepared the way for a proper national welfare system in the twentieth century.

The health and welfare of the parish’s inhabitants has also been furthered in other ways not (as yet) considered here. Animals have benefitted from the parish’s veterinary services: some insights into equine services may be found in Alan Walker’s autobiography, Four Legs and a Tale (Banbury: Live Wire Books, 2014). The fire brigade is one of the village’s oldest established public-service institutions, dating from the eighteenth-century hand-pumped fire engine which is now kept in the parish church. It was replaced in 1896 when the village brigade was founded, and finally resulted in the building of the present fire station in 1952. The story is well told in James Clarke, ed., Hook Norton Fire Brigade: A Celebration [Hook Norton, 1996], available from the HNLHG. Appropriately, one urgent editorial meeting for the booklet was disrupted when the editor had to rush out to attend a severe fire in a neighbouring village!

Donald Ratcliffe

29/09/15

Help us to help you – report any road problems you see.

The roads around Hook Norton are in a particularly poor state of repair at the moment. Help us to report these issues to the County Council by clicking the sign to the right, and see which problems have already been reported below.

RSS Latest road problems in Hook Norton

  • Large Pothole, 13th May May 13, 2022
    In middle of road Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): Bridge House Brick Hill, Hook Norton Report on FixMyStreet
  • Large pothole, 13th May May 13, 2022
    In middle of the road, been here a while. Hard to avoid with cars parked either side. Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): Bridge House Brick Hill, Hook Norton Report on FixMyStreet

Report a problem with the roads

Report a pothole or a road problem to the council by clicking here.


Search this site

Parish Warden

If you spot any issues around the village please email warden@hnpc.org.uk

Search the Business Directory

Useful links

Contact the web team
Privacy policy

Copyright © 2022