Moreton-in-Marsh
Encyclopedia
Moreton-in-Marsh is a town and civil parish in northeastern Gloucestershire
, England
. The town is at the crossroads of the Fosse Way
Roman road
(now the A429
) and the A44
. The parish and environs are relatively flat and low-lying compared with the surrounding Cotswold Hills
. Just over 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Moreton, the Four Shire Stone
marks the boundary of the historic counties
of Gloucestershire
, Warwickshire
, Worcestershire
and Oxfordshire
.
is derived from Old English. Moreton means "Farmstead on the Moor" and "in Marsh" is from henne and mersh meaning a marsh used by birds such as moorhen
s.
The Curfew Tower on the corner of Oxford Street is probably 16th century. Its bell was cast in 1633 and its clock was built in 1648.
The Church of England parish church
of Saint David
began as a chapel of ease
for Bourton-on-the-Hill
. The early history of the church in Moreton is not clear, but there is a tradition that it was rebuilt and reconsecrated in the middle of the 16th century. The nave was enlarged in 1790, most of the church was rebuilt in 1858 and the tower was replaced in 1860. The chancel and south aisle were enlarged in 1892 and the east end of the south aisle has been used as a chapel since 1927.
A nonconformist
congregation started meeting in Moreton in 1796, was constituted as a Congregational church
in 1801 and had a chapel built in 1817. In 1860-61 the Congregationalists replaced the chapel with a new one on the same site in a mixed neo-Grecian
and Romanesque
style.
The Stratford and Moreton Tramway
was built between 1821 and 1826, linking Moreton with the Stratford-on-Avon Canal at Stratford. It was horse-drawn until 1859, when the section between Moreton and Shipston-on-Stour
was converted to a branch line railway operated with steam locomotives. The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
, built between 1845 and 1851, passes through Moreton. The railway station
was opened in 1853. The Great Western Railway
(GWR) took over the OW&W Railway in 1862 and the Shipston branch
in 1868. The GWR withdrew passenger trains from the branch in 1929 and British Rail
ways withdrew freight traffic and closed it in 1960. The OW&W Railway is now part of the Cotswold line
.
The Redesdale
Market Hall was designed by the architect Sir Ernest George
and built in 1887.
In 1940 during the Second World War
a large area of level land east of the town was developed as RAF Moreton-in-Marsh
and used by Wellington bombers. The former airfield is now the Fire Service College
where senior fire officers from brigades all over the UK undergo operational, management and leadership training. The same complex is also now the headquarters of the Institution of Fire Engineers
, the professional body for fire fighters, officers and civilians with an interest in fire engineering.
Moreton-in-Marsh and Batsford War Memorial is in the High Street and commemorates the dead of the First and Second World Wars.
In July 2007 Moreton was badly flooded.
Moreton was once the headquarters of the railway spot-hire company Cotswold Rail
.
, numbers of antique shops and several hotels. A Caravan Club
site is a short walk east on the Broadway road (A44), past the Wellington Aviation Museum, a museum of the history of the Vickers Wellington
bomber. Other local attractions include Batsford Arboretum
near Batsford
village and the onion-domed Sezincote house and gardens.
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The town is at the crossroads of the Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
(now the A429
A429 road
The A429 is a main road in England that runs in a north-northeasterly direction from junction 17 of the M4 motorway to Coventry in the West Midlands, by way of Malmesbury, Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh, east of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, and Kenilworth.For much of its length...
) and the A44
A44 road
The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales.-History:The original route of the A44 was Chipping Norton to Aberystwyth. No changes were made to the route of the A44 in the early years...
. The parish and environs are relatively flat and low-lying compared with the surrounding Cotswold Hills
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
. Just over 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Moreton, the Four Shire Stone
Boundary marker
A boundary marker, boundary stone or border stone is a robust physical marker that identifies the start of a land boundary or the change in a boundary, especially a change in a direction of a boundary...
marks the boundary of the historic counties
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
and Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
History
The toponymToponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
is derived from Old English. Moreton means "Farmstead on the Moor" and "in Marsh" is from henne and mersh meaning a marsh used by birds such as moorhen
Moorhen
Moorhens, sometimes called marsh hens, are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Gallinula....
s.
The Curfew Tower on the corner of Oxford Street is probably 16th century. Its bell was cast in 1633 and its clock was built in 1648.
The Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint David
Saint David
Saint David was a Welsh Bishop during the 6th century; he was later regarded as a saint and as the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and a relatively large amount of information is known about his life. However, his birth date is still uncertain, as suggestions range from 462 to...
began as a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
for Bourton-on-the-Hill
Bourton-on-the-Hill
Bourton-on-the-Hill is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, about two miles west of Moreton-in-Marsh. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 309....
. The early history of the church in Moreton is not clear, but there is a tradition that it was rebuilt and reconsecrated in the middle of the 16th century. The nave was enlarged in 1790, most of the church was rebuilt in 1858 and the tower was replaced in 1860. The chancel and south aisle were enlarged in 1892 and the east end of the south aisle has been used as a chapel since 1927.
A nonconformist
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
congregation started meeting in Moreton in 1796, was constituted as a Congregational church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
in 1801 and had a chapel built in 1817. In 1860-61 the Congregationalists replaced the chapel with a new one on the same site in a mixed neo-Grecian
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
and Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
style.
The Stratford and Moreton Tramway
Stratford and Moreton Tramway
The Stratford and Moreton Tramway was a 16-mile long horse-drawn wagonway from the canal basin at Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire to Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, with a branch to Shipston-on-Stour....
was built between 1821 and 1826, linking Moreton with the Stratford-on-Avon Canal at Stratford. It was horse-drawn until 1859, when the section between Moreton and Shipston-on-Stour
Shipston-on-Stour
Shipston-on-Stour is a town and civil parish on the River Stour about south of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. It is in the northern part of the Cotswolds, close to the boundaries with Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire....
was converted to a branch line railway operated with steam locomotives. The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4 August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction to Worcester, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Wolverhampton, with a branch to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury...
, built between 1845 and 1851, passes through Moreton. The railway station
Moreton-in-Marsh railway station
Moreton-in-Marsh railway station is a railway station serving the town of Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, England. It is on the Cotswold Line between and stations....
was opened in 1853. The Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR) took over the OW&W Railway in 1862 and the Shipston branch
Shipston-on-Stour branch
The Shipston-on-Stour branch was a long single track branch railway line that ran between a junction near Moreton-in-Marsh on the present day Cotswold Line to the Shipston-on-Stour via two intermediate stations, , and .-History:...
in 1868. The GWR withdrew passenger trains from the branch in 1929 and British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways withdrew freight traffic and closed it in 1960. The OW&W Railway is now part of the Cotswold line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
.
The Redesdale
John Freeman-Mitford, 1st Earl of Redesdale
John Thomas Freeman-Mitford, 1st Earl of Redesdale, 2nd Baron Redesdale , was the only son and heir of John Freeman-Mitford, 1st Baron Redesdale....
Market Hall was designed by the architect Sir Ernest George
Ernest George
Sir Ernest George RA was an English architect, landscape and architectural watercolour painter, and etcher.-Life and work:...
and built in 1887.
In 1940 during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
a large area of level land east of the town was developed as RAF Moreton-in-Marsh
RAF Moreton-in-Marsh
RAF Moreton-in-Marsh was a Royal Air Force station near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. It was opened in November 1940 and closed for operational flying in early 1948. The base remained in use as a relief runway and for training...
and used by Wellington bombers. The former airfield is now the Fire Service College
Fire Service College
The Fire Service College is responsible for providing leadership, management and advanced operational training courses for senior fire officers from the UK and foreign fire authorities. It is located at Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, England...
where senior fire officers from brigades all over the UK undergo operational, management and leadership training. The same complex is also now the headquarters of the Institution of Fire Engineers
Institution of Fire Engineers
The Institution of Fire Engineers is a worldwide body that provides research, training, conferences and professional qualifications for firefighters and civilians who work in fields related to fire fighting, the science of fire fighting and prevention, and related technology.-Structure:Founded in...
, the professional body for fire fighters, officers and civilians with an interest in fire engineering.
Moreton-in-Marsh and Batsford War Memorial is in the High Street and commemorates the dead of the First and Second World Wars.
In July 2007 Moreton was badly flooded.
Moreton was once the headquarters of the railway spot-hire company Cotswold Rail
Cotswold Rail
thumb|right|[[British Rail Class 47|Class 47]], no. 47316 'Cam Peak', at [[Doncaster railway works|Doncaster Works]] open day on 27th July 2003. This locomotive had recently been returned to traffic after a period in store...
.
Amenities
Moreton has many buildings in characteristic Cotswold stoneCotswold stone
Cotswold stone is a yellow oolitic limestone quarried in many places in the Cotswold Hills in the south midlands of England. When weathered, the colour of buildings made or faced with this stone is often described as 'honey' or 'golden'....
, numbers of antique shops and several hotels. A Caravan Club
Caravan Club
The Caravan Club is an organisation representing caravanners in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and now represents nearly 1 million members.-History:...
site is a short walk east on the Broadway road (A44), past the Wellington Aviation Museum, a museum of the history of the Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
bomber. Other local attractions include Batsford Arboretum
Batsford Arboretum
Batsford Arboretum is a arboretum and botanical garden near Batsford in Gloucestershire, England, about 1½ miles north-west of Moreton-in-Marsh...
near Batsford
Batsford
Batsford is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 99. The village is about 1½ miles north-west of Moreton-in-Marsh...
village and the onion-domed Sezincote house and gardens.