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| Alveston is a parish in Warwickshire, England, to the east of
Stratford-Upon-Avon. Its present boundaries seem to be approximately
those given in a Saxon charter of 985. The suffix of “ton” in the names
Alveston and Tiddington means a farmstead or settlement of Saxon
origin. Alveston is believed to be named after Aenulf, a Saxon chief.
The site of the Old Church also indicates that the original Saxon
settlement was along Mill Lane leading to a ford across the river.
Little is known of the early history of the village, except the
granting of a Charter in 955 AD, although it is clearly an earlier
settlement than the later and larger development of
Stratford-upon-Avon. The origins of the name Tiddington are less clear.
Possibly named after Tidda or Tilda. The earliest spelling was
“Tidinctune” in 969. The parish includes the two separate villages of
Alveston and Tiddington and part of the hamlet of Bridgetown. The Avon
is crossed by a ferry at Alveston village and a ford near the mill, the
'Doddanford' of 985. Lower down the stream opposite Cliffe Cottage is
the probable site of Welcombe Ford. There was an Iron Age settlement in
Tiddington as shown by crop marks near the river. Tiddington has
yielded abundant evidence both of Roman and Saxon occupation. A Roman
industrial settlement yielded remains including a tile kiln, furnaces
and coins indicating a prolonged occupation, which may even have
survived the withdrawal of the legions. A Saxon cemetery, dating to the
8th and 9th centuries, was discovered in 1935. The Manor House, just
east of Clopton Bridge, is mostly a timber-framed two story building,
parts of which date to c.1500 or earlier. The Old Rectory, south-east
of the church, with walls almost completely of close-set studding,
dates to the early 1500s. The brick facing is somewhat more recent.
Alveston Lodge, next to the rectory, is traditionally said to have been
the residence of William More, Prior of Worcester, 1518–1535. In the
Domesday Book Alveston parish was occupied by 43 families, about 200
people, larger than Stratford-upon-Avon at the time. The village lies
chiefly east of the churches, and few of the houses are old. One
noticeable house fairly near the ferry is of 17th-century
timber-framing in two stories above a high stone basement. The mill at
Alveston is mentioned as early as 966. Domesday records three mills
here, worth 40s. In 1240 there were two corn mills in Alveston and a
corn mill and fulling mill in Tiddington. Two watermills and a fishery
were included with the site of the manor in 1570. In 1650 there were
three water mills and a fulling mill near the manor-house. Alveston
throughout its history has been essentially a freeholders' village. In
1240 the free tenements comprised more than one-third of the manor. The
demesne in 1240 consisted of 4 carucates of land 'with the new
addition'. By 1699 the heath was being ploughed and fenced in for corn,
and a part of the Black Ground Field was hitched for feeding horses. A
part of the heath was ordered to be laid down with grass seeds in 1704,
and within the next 30 years these new crops, among which clover is
first specifically mentioned in 1719, were introduced into four of the
common fields, being generally sown together with oats or barley. The
cultivation of turnips for sheep feed began on the heath in 1729. A
petition for inclosure was approved by the House of Commons in 1771.
The inclosure established 6 large farms ranging from 142 to 407 acres,
and 5 others of between 50 and 100 acres. Smaller allotments were made
to 9 other proprietors. The largest holdings were those of Newsham
Peers, Lord Lifford (300 acres, now Alveston Pasture Farm), and Thomas
Hiron (now Alveston Hill Farm, 275 acres). The great majority of the
individual proprietors came of families which had been settled in the
parish since before 1600. Tiddington, although from earliest times a
separate township from Alveston, has never been a separate manor.
Although the first major battle of the English civil war was fought at
Edgehill, only 14 miles away, Alveston, largely escaped the full force
of war with only minor threats, thefts and skirmishes. In 1744 Alveston
was lauded as a health spa. On Alveston Hill there was a spring and a
pool where the sick bathed in hope of a cure. "Alveston, a village and a parish in Stratford on Avon district,
Warwick. The village stands near the Avon, under Welcombe hills, amid
charming environs, 2.5 miles ENE of Stratford-on-Avon; was pronounced
by Dr. Parry the Montpelier of England; and has a post office under
Stratford-on-Avon. The parish contains also the pleasant village of
Tiddington. Acres, 4,300. Real property, £8,531. Pop., 844. Houses,
191. The property is much subdivided. A chief residence is Alveston
House. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Worcester. Value,
£220. Patron, the Rector of Hampton-Lucy. The church contains some fine
tombs of the Lucys, and is very good. Charities, £46."[1872 Imperial
Gazetteer of England and Wales] The
parish church is dedicated to St James. In 1837 it was resolved to
build a new Church and on the 1/8/1837 the foundation stone of the
present St James’ was laid by Mrs Fortescue-Knottesford of Alveston
Manor. The completed building was consecrated on 16/5/1839 by the
Bishop of Worcester. The present church of St James consists of a
chancel with north and south chapels, a broad nave, south porch, and
west tower. There are four bells, one modern, the others are dated
1658, 1616 inscribed 'god save noble king James and Thomas Townsend'
and 1729. The architect for the new church, William Walker, reputedly
designed the church based on Westminster Abbey. It has an imposing
structure with a high roof space and impressive hammer beams and is
considerably larger than its predecessor. The new building had seating
for 570 people, 316 of which were declared to be “free and
unappropriated for ever” (ie not assigned to a particular family). The
construction costs were small, even for the time, just £2,640, much of
the materials having been recycled from the old church. By 1871 the
population of the Parish of Alveston had risen to almost 1,000. St
James was considered too small and the east end of the church was
enlarged in 1875. The tower was restored in 1945. The walls of the Lady
Chapel are lined with seventeenth century panelling. The remains of the
old parish church stand about 1/4 mile north and consist of the almost
derelict chancel, built of 18th-century red brick with rusticated angle
dressings, and covered with rough-cast cement; the roof is tiled. The
east window is unglazed. In the south wall was a doorway, now blocked
to form an external recess. In this is reset the elaborately carved
tympanum of a 12th-century doorway, and two carved capitals. There are
eight funeral monuments inside, the oldest and most interesting of
which is that of Nicholas Lane, who died 1595. There is no mention of a
priest at Alveston in the Domesday Survey. In 1240 the church was a
chapelry of Hampton Lucy, remaining such until 1858. Although the old
church fell into disuse it was not totally demolished, the chancel was
left intact. The Old Church was restored in 1945 and again between
2000-2005. In 2006 it was rededicated by the Bishop and it remains in
use as a church today, with a weekly service in Summer.[Alveston Parish History, Parish of Alveston, British History Online]"Alveston, a village and a parish in Warwickshire. The village stands near the Avon, under Welcombe Hills, amid charming environs, 2 1/2 miles ENE of Stratford-on-Avon. It has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Stratford-on-Avon. The parish contains also the hamlets of Tiddington and Bridgetown. Acreage, 2886; population, 954. There are several gentlemen's residences in the village. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Worcester; value, £190. Patron, the rector of Hampton Lucy. The church formerly belonged to the abbey of Tewkesbury, and is an ancient stone edifice with transepts and a pinnacled western tower. It was restored in 1876, at a cost of £4000."[1895 Comprehensive Gazetteer of England and Wales] "The
old church, dedicated to St James, which adjoins the park of Alveston
House, and in which most of the members of the family of Peers lie
buried, is now but a ruin. The chancel, with a bellcote, is all that
remains of the original structure, the nave having been pulled down
when the present church was built, about a quarter of a mile distant,
in 1839. Beyond the monuments and two carvings in stone of the
thirteenth century there is nothing of interest in this church, which
is now used for funeral services for the members of such families as
have vaults in the churchyard.'[Miscellanea genealogica et heraldica, 1906] |
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| Loxley was originally settled by the Romans. Loxley probably began as a clearing in the woodland near the bottom of the hill that runs west from Wellesbourne. In the late 8th century King Offa of Mercia gave the settlement of Loxley to the Cathedral at Worcester. By 1086 the Domesday Book records a thriving agricultural community with a resident priest. After 1066 the village came into the possession of the Count of Meulan. Later, ownership of much of the Parish passed to Kenilworth Abbey. The village has retained its rural character and historic feel. When Henry VIII ordered the confiscation of the property of the abbeys and monasteries in 1538, Robert Croft was the tenant of Loxley Manor. Ownership of the manor soon passed to the Underhill family and then in 1664 to Edward Nash of East Greenwich. The medieval village in the valley was later abandoned and new houses built on higher ground. By the 1850s the former parish lands were divided between 7 farms which produced wheat, beans and peas and raised sheep and other livestock. A school was built in the 1830s. In 2001 the Parish had 338 residents. The parish church is dedicated to St Nicholas & has a history dating back to the 8th century. The church still stands on the site given by King Offa. In 1253 the church was granted to Kenilworth Priory which retained it until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Red sandstone from Kenilworth was used in the construction of the present building on the foundations of the earlier Anglo-Saxon Church. Bishop Godfrey Giffard consecrated the new building 7/7/1286. The northern wall of the Chancel incorporates Saxon work from c.950. The lower parts of the tower are probably part of the 1286 church. The pillar piscina on the south wall of the chancel, the nearby lancet window, and the small coffin lid on the west wall are also 13th century. The church was almost entirely rebuilt in the 18th century, the tower alone remaining unaltered. The south aisle was removed and the small vestry was built. This work gave the Church the Georgian character that remains evident today. In 1923 another restoration was carried out, including the removal of the gallery. The church stands within the grounds of the Loxley House.[West Gallery Churches, Loxley Village] |
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| Little Tower Hill is
now an open expanse in the centre of London, immediately to the east
& north-east of the Tower of London. At various times called
'Little Tower Hill' and 'Tower Hill'. Originally extended south from
the Minories to Little Thames Street. Tower Hill today is an elevated
spot northwest of the Tower of London, formerly it was part of the
Tower Liberty under the direct administrative control of Tower, it is
now part of Tower Hamlets. Tower Hill is one of the oldest parts of
London, archeological evidence shows that there was a settlement on the
hill in the Bronze Age and much later a Roman village that was burnt
down during the Boudica uprising. A nearby church, All
Hallows-by-the-Tower, is known for fragments of Romanesque architecture
dating back to AD 680. Public executions of high-profile criminals were
often carried out on Tower Hill. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and
Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic
castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London,
England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated
from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space known as
Tower Hill.[Wikipedia, Dictionary of London (1918)] The Collegiate Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon is the parish church for Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. It is often known simply as Shakespeare's Church, due to its fame as the place of baptism and burial of William Shakespeare. The present building dates from 1210 and is built on the site of a Saxon monastery. It is Stratford's oldest building, in a striking position on the banks of the River Avon, and has long been England's most visited parish church. A Church on the banks of the Avon in Stratford is first mentioned in the charter of 845, signed by Beorhtwulf, King of Mercia. This would have been a wooden construction. It is very likely that the Normans replaced this with a stone building in the 11th century but no trace of either remains. The present limestone building was begun in 1210 and was built in the shape of a cross. The Church is approached along an avenue of lime trees, said to represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve Apostles. The porch is one of the more recent additions to the building (c.1500) and has a room above it reached by narrow spiral stone staircase. There is a small door let into the massive 15th century doors, just big enough to let one person through at a time. On this is a sanctuary knocker. Fugitives from justice (or lynch-mobs) could grab the ring and claim 37 days safety before facing trial. The Crossing is the oldest surviving part of the building. The massive pillars which cut the church in four support the tower. The south transept is the Saint Peter Chapel. In 1331 John, Bishop of Winchester, founded a chantry for five priests in the Thomas Becket Chapel in the south aisle. A 'good stone house' was built close by the Church to accommodate this College of Priests. In 1451 Henry V confirmed the privileges of the College and the Church became styled Collegiate. The Guild of the Holy Cross, a mediaeval trade guild with religious and charitable aims, was formed in 1269 and between 1280 and 1330 provided funds to build the tower and clerestory, and to rebuild the nave with side-aisles. The roof was raised and the clerestory added by the College (see chancel). The Guild was dissolved by Henry VIII, with responsibility for the upkeep of the church falling on the townsfolk. On the closure of the College & Guild by Henry VIII, the church tithes were sold off, which included the responsibility of employing a Priest and looking after the Chancel. In 1605 a share in tithes was purchased by William Shakespeare, which gave him the right of burial in the sanctuary. From the outside, the Church building has changed little from Shakespeare's time: a wooden spire was added in 1675, which was replaced with the present stone one in 1763. Until last century there stood a charnel house to the south of the chancel, where the bones of those exhumed to make room for new graves were laid to rest. The charnel-house, like the College building, has since been demolished.[Wikipedia, Holy Trinity] |
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| "...crossing the rush-fringed stream, now overhung with osiers, wreathed too with the flowering branches of the sweet rose briar, and leaving the ferry boat we land in the broad pasture grounds of Alveston. We see a tower in front, reminding us of a trim, modern gothic church. But that seemed to stare coldly toward the road, and far away from the houses of the village. We therefore naturally enquire, as we approach those nestling dwellings, - Where the old church stood? and find, in out way, the original church-yard, with its graves and gravestones, far from the modem structure, and wholly undisturbed. Not so the church which hallowed it. Of that we find only the lettered floor, now grass-grown ; beyond which occurs a plaistered remnant, newly-tiled and glazed, embodying all that now remains of the original chancel. A curious bas-relief, some three feet long, cut in hard freestone, is preserved among this plaistering at the west; its execution is inexpressibly rude, and the subject, for aught we know, ante-dilurial. For the two fighting monsters moat conspicuous, resemble no class with which we are acquainted in later zoology. Another curious relic is also preserved on the south side. This is semi-circular, of the same material as the last, and rests upon two capitals divested of their pillars ; having originally formed the head of a small doorway. The subjects here are in relief, but the workmanship is somewhat better. There are two strange quadrupeds, gardent as the heralds say, in the upper part ; and below is a female figure, habited in a rich costume, surrounded by rows of bow-knots in conjunction with very involved lacing or cordage."[Illustrated Guide to Stratford-on-Avon (May, 1847)] |
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| Stratford-upon-Avon
is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It
lies on the River Avon, 35km south east of Birmingham. The town is
near the south-west border of the county of Warwick, on a gentle ascent
from the banks of the river Avon, which approaches Stratford in a broad
and stream. The town is a popular tourist destination owing to its
status as birthplace of the playwright and poet William Shakespeare.
The Royal Shakespeare Company resides in Stratford's Royal Shakespeare
Theatre, one of Britain's most important cultural venues. The
name of Stratford is derived from its situation on the great north
road, leading from London to Worcester, being a fusion of the Old
English stræt, meaning "street", and ford, meaning
that a Roman road forded the River Avon at the site of the town. The
name of the river on which it stands, Avon, is Celtic, and in Welsh,
spelt Afon, still denotes river. By the
late 7th century a monastry was located on the site that would later
become Stratford, possibly on the site of the present day church.
In 815 the monastry was granted to Heabert, bishop of Worcester.
By 872 the monastry had been abandoned, probably due to oppression from
non-Christian authorities. A
settlement, which had sprung up around the monastery, remained in the
possession of the bishops of Worcester throughout the Saxon
era. The Doomsday-book rated Stratford at 'fourteen hides and a
half' (about 1500 acres) and was possessed by the bishop of Worcester
There was a
church, a mill yielding ten shillings per annum, and a thousand eels,
but the value of the whole manor was calculated to amount to
£25, a not inconsiderable sum. On 25/1/1197 King
Richard the First granted a charter for a weekly market to be held in
Stratford, from which point Stratford grew as a market town. By 1291
the parish had 140 acres of arable land and many trades were
represented, including weavers, tanners, tailors, carpenters, dyers,
white-smiths, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, flesh mongers, shoemakers and
coopers. The town was formerly under the jurisdiction of a Bailiff, fourteen Aldermen,
and fourteen Burgesses, and incorporated in 1553: at which time the
ancient Guild of the Holy Cross was dissolved, its possessions, then
valued at £46 3s 2.5d per annum, together with tithes of £34, which was
used to maintain a vicar, curate and xchool-master, to pay the
alms-people their weekly stipend, and repair the Chapel, Bridge, and
other public structures. In 1664 the charter was reaffirmed and
governance vested in the Corporation, consisting of a Mayor, 12
Aldermen and 12 burgesses, chosen from the principal inhabitants of the
borough. The town of Stratford probably grew around the monastery of
St. Egwin, on the river bank, and the houses immediately about the
church are still known as Old Town. About 1540 John Leland described
the town, "the Towne of Stratford standeth upon a plaine Ground on the
right Hand or Ripe of the Avon as the Water descendeth. The Bishop of
Worcester is Lord of Stratford. It hath 2 or 3 very large Streetes,
besides backe lanes. One of the principall Streets leadeth from East to
West, another from South to North. There is once a yeare a great Fayre
on Holy Rood Daye, 14 of Sept. The Towne is reasonably well builded of
Tymbre. The Paroch church is a fayre large Peice of Worke, and standeth
at the South Ende of the Towne." During the reign of Elizabeth I,
Stratford suffered severely from two destructive fires ; one of which
occurred in 1593, and the other in the year following. Destruction was
extensive since buildings in the town were chiefly composed of wood,
and in many instances roofed with straw or rushes, as many as 200
dwellings were consumed the fires, and losses totalled £20,000, "and so
reduced the inhabitants, that the Corporation petitioned Elizabeth, not
only for a remission of certain subsidies and taxes granted in her last
Parliament, but also to partake of the benefit arising from £30,000
which had been granted by parliament for the relief of decayed cities
and towns ... the Queen remitted their subsidies, and granted briefs,
impowering them to collect contributions from many of the counties and
cities in this kingdom." In 1614 another fire threatened the
town, "within the space of less than two hours consumed & burnt
fifty
& four dwelling houses, many of them being very fine houses,
besides barnes, stables & other houses of office, together with
great store of corn, hay, straw, wood & timber therein, amounting
to the value of eight thousand pounds & upwards: the force of which
fire was so great (the wind sitting ful upon the towwne) that is
dispersed into so many places thereof, whereby the whole towne was in
very great danger to have been utterly consumed." By 1765 the town
still only had a population of 2287, rising to 6022 by 1841. The Town
Hall, as distinct from the gild-hall, which stands at some distance,
was originally erected in 1633, standing on stone pillars with the
lower portion occupied as a market, having a gaol at one end, and a
pillory at the other. In 1767 it was replaced by the present day
building or stone. The present Market-House stands near the site of the
old Market Cross. A market House seems to have been first established
during the reign of Elizabeth I. The present structure was erected in
1820. The market-place of Stratford still retains its old Saxon name of
Rother, or cattle market. The parish of Old Stratford is about fifteen
miles
in circumfercnce, and includes the villages and hamlets of Welcombe,
Clopton, Ingon, Bishopton, Drayton, Dodwell, Shottery, Luddington,
Rhyne-Clifford, Little Wilmcote and Bridgetown.[Wikipedia, History and antiquities of Stratford-upon-Avon (Wheler, 1806), Illustrated Guide to Stratford-on-Avon (May, 1847), The Collegiate Church of Stratford-on-Avon (Baker, 1902)] Clifford Chambers is a village two miles south of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. It consists of some 150 houses and the population of the parish in the 2001 census was 418. Until 2004 the village was in its own parish but it is now part of the parish of Clifford Chambers and Milcote. The village was in Gloucestershire until 1931. The River Stour runs along the north-eastern edge of the village. The village claims to be the real birthplace of William Shakespeare as the bubonic plague was rife in Stratford-upon-Avon at the time of the bard's birth and during times of plague Clifford Chambers rectory was used as a refuge. Shakespeare's father's legal advisor also lived in the village. The parish church, St Helens, was built in 1308.[Wikipedia, A Church Near You] |
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| Halford is a small
village and civil parish in the English county of Warwickshire, 11 km
south-east of Stratford-on-Avon. By the River Stour are the earthworks
and buried remains of Halford Castle, a motte castle believed to be the
predecessor of the present manor house.[Wikipedia] "Halford,
or Halford-Bridge, a parish and a subdistrict in Shipston-on-Stour
district, Warwick. The parish lies on the river Stour, 4 miles north of
Shipston-on-Stour, and 8 NE of Moreton-on-the-Marsh railway station;
and its post town is Shipston-on-Stour. Acres, 1, 010. Real property,
£1, 698. Pop., 314. Houses, 77. The property is subdivided. The name
was originally Aldford, meaning Oldford; and alluded to a ford here
over the Stour. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Worcester..
Value, £240. Patron, the Bishop of Worcester. The church was recently
restored.[Imperial Gazetteer, 1872] St
Mary's, Halford, comprises a 12th century nave, with a chancel, aisle
& tower dating to the 13th century. There is extensive use of grey
lias rubble work, also some shell bearing limestone and red sandstone.
The church was restored in 1862 and again in 1883. The Romanesque north
doorway is said to be the finest in Warwickshire.
Halford is not mentioned in the Domesday Survey, however Kenilworth
Priory has some rights - in 1247 the Bishop of Worcester obtained the
right of advowson, with the consent of Kenilworth, in return for a
pension. The church continued with Worcester until 1919 when it was
transferred to the new diocese of Coventry.[Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture, British Listed Buildings]
The Halford Manor House dates to the 16th century, with 17th & 20th
century additions. Built of timber-frame and finely regular jointed
coursed limestone rubble with a steeply pitched red tile and stone
slate roof. The early part of the building consists of a ground floor
of regular coursed limestone rubble and an upper floor of close studded
timber-frame and plaster.[British Listed Buildings] |
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| Mickleton, with a
population of 1551 in 1991, is the northernmost village in Co
Gloucestershire, and lies close to the county border with
Worcestershire and Warwickshire, 8 miles south of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Meon Hill, scene of the so called 'witchcraft' murder of Charles
Walton, lies to the north of the village. Meon Hill is said to have
provided inspiration for Tolkien's 'Weathertop' from The Lord of the
Rings. Mickleton is at the far northern end of the steep scarp which
marks the western edge of the Cotswold Hills. The village is at the
foot of the scarp, where the hills fall away into the Vale of Evesham.
Mickleton was the scene of Brunel’s infamous ‘Battle of Mickleton
Tunnel' (1852), considered the last pitched battle to be fought between
private armies in England. The village still has a Post Office, general
food store, traditional butcher, garage and farm shops: it has two
pubs, The King’s Arms (right) and The Butcher’s Arms. The Three Ways
House Hotel is home of the world famous Pudding Club. The parish church
of St Lawrence stands on gently rising ground near the center of the
village and at the edge of the fields which sweep up the scarp of the
Cotswold Hills. There has been a church on the site since at least 960
when King Edgar gave the patronage of Mickleton to Brithnotus. The
oldest parts of the present church are Norman, dating to the 12th
century: It has been considerably altered since then.[Wikipedia, Mickleton] Idlicote is a village in Warwickshire. The Domesday Book records that there were 29 "Heads of Families", indicating a population of perhaps 120-150. Before the Norman Conquest the Manor belonged to the Saxon families of Anegrin and Ordec. William I accepted the surrendered lands and gave them to Robert de Stafford. Ownership the lands eventually passed to the Canons of Kenilworth Priory, who in turn had to surrender them to Henry VIII at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. By 1567 it has passed into the hands of the Underhill family, where it remained until 1755. The parish church, St James the Great, is Norman and Early English, with later additions. It is located away from the village, in the grounds of the manor house. The list of Rectors goes back to1301, and there has been a church on this site since at least 1200. Inside the church remains almost the same as it did in the eighteenth century. The walls of the nave are 12th Century, with a Norman doorway which dates from around 1200. The chancel was rebuilt in the second half of the 13th century and the south aisle was added at the same time. The west gallery was inserted in the seventeenth century, and the south chapel was built in the latter part of the same century as a mortuary chapel for the Underhill family.[West Gallery Churches, Geograph] |
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| Harnhill. St.
Michael's is a small church of Norman origin, dating from the late 13th
century. Above the south doorway still exist remnants of a sculptured
Norman tympanum depicting St. Michael fighting the Dragon. The chancel
is early 14th Century with a plain double-chamfered chancel arch. 14th
Century angle buttresses support the east wall. The small west tower
has stone-slated sides apart from the west wall. It was possibly a
bellcote originally and was altered in the 18th Century. The church was
restored in 1909. Inside the church is a list of rectors of the church
from 1302 to 1969. Not all the rectors were pillars of rectitude - one
was described as “a suttel man, an untrew man, a craftye fellow and a
perjured man” before being unfrocked.[Geograph, Rootsweb] "Harnhill,
a parish in Cirencester district, Gloucester; near the Thames and
Severn canal, 3½ miles ESE of Cirencester railway station. It has a
post-office under Cirencester. Acres, 689. Real property, £1,343. Pop.,
88. Houses, 17. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Gloucester
and Bristol. Value, £155. Patron, G. Bengough, Esq. The church is early
English.[Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer 1872] |
