Hamptonne Country Life Museum allows visitors to explore the house and farm which date back to the 15th century, they give an insight into the rural history of Jersey. You can walk through the houses getting to learn about how people lived, you can also walk through the apple orchard and the cider barn which tells you about the history of cider making. You can also meet the Hamptonne claves, lambs, piglets and chickens.

The History

The farm gets its name from Laurens Hamptonne who purchased it in 1633. The property is also known as ‘La Patente’, as is the name of one of the roads that passes it, after the Grants by Letters Patent received by its owner Richard Langlois in 1445, and by King Charles II to Laurens Hamptonne in 1649. The farm has medieval origins and consecutive owners have made marked improvements to the living accommodation. The main buildings are therefore named after the Langlois, Hamptonne and Syvret families, who lived here between the 15th and 19th centuries.

The Characters (Living History)

While visiting Hamptonne you could meet one of the characters who roam around and tell you some of the histories of the farm. You could meet the Goodwyf who can tell you about Hamptonne’s royal connections and give you an insight into her day to day life, including cooking on the open fire, making soap and candles, and preparing herbal remedies and makeup. You might also meet the wool spinners, knitters and dyers who recreate the historic art of hand spinning yarn on a wheel, natural dyeing and the knitting of the fashionable stockings, which formed a mainstay of rural life in Jersey for some 200 years. Or you could meet the blacksmith The blacksmith was an important man on the farm in the 19th century, as he shaped and repaired all things made of metal.

Tom Kennedy

Tom Kennedy is a freelance photographer and filmmaker from Jersey CI, working in the U.K and worldwide. He co-runs the creative photography and film production company Little River Pictures with his wife Annigna Kennedy who frequently stars in his pictures. He works with living history and photographs many characters in their natural environments from their time periods. He uses soft natural lighting and sometimes artificial lighting to capture these moments of ‘living history’

Tom is influenced by “painting with light” and the Dutch Masters paintings of the 17th Century including such masters as Rembrandt and Vermeer.