Shipton Moyne
Encyclopedia
Shipton Moyne is a village
in Cotswold (district)
, Gloucestershire
, England
located approximately 105 miles west of London
. Its nearest towns are Tetbury
(3 miles north), also in Gloucestershire and Malmesbury (3 miles southeast) in Wiltshire
. Map.
British History Online provides a detailed account of the history of the village from the eleventh to the twentieth century.
The village pub's unusual name is said to originate from the book 'Handley Cross or Mr Jorrocks's Hunt' by R S Surtees. The full text of which (including colour prints) may be found here.
The list of rectors goes back to 1297 but there is no trace on record as far as is known of the original church and the reason for its demolition.
was probably a relative of James Wyatt who was born in 1746 and is buried in Westminster Abbey and was responsible for the design of Dodington Park, The Radcliffe Observatory library and the Common Room of Oriel College, Oxford.
T.H. Wyatt
was an eminent architect and his design of St. John the Baptist's Church is considered to be a good example of its type.
One tenor bell was cast in the mid-fifteenth century in London. Weighing fourteen hundred weight it was dedicated to The Virgin Mary.
Two were cast in Bristol by Roger Purden in 1620, on weighing 6cwt. and the other 7cwt.
Two were cast in Gloucester by Abraham Rudhall
in 1704, one weighing 8cwt. and the other 10cwt.
In 1962, at the expense of Col. St. George of Hillcourt, two bells were re-cast by John Taylor of Loughborough; the 1620 bell weighing 7cwt. and the 1704 bell weighing 5cwt. All were rehung on a strengthened frame and re-dedicated. The total weight of the bells being some two and a half tons.
There is also a set of hand bells for use on appropriate occasions.
in Britain to retain its original Latin name - most others having been renamed by the Saxons
- passes through Shipton Moyne. Its route takes it from Exeter
(Isca Dumnoniorum
) in southwest England, to Lincoln
(Lindum) in the East Midlands, via Bath(Aquae Sulis), Cirencester
(Corinium
) and Leicester
(Ratae Coritanorum).
Past
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Cotswold (district)
Cotswold (district)
Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire in England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region. Its main town is Cirencester....
, 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....
, 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...
located approximately 105 miles west of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Its nearest towns are Tetbury
Tetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census.In the Middle Ages,...
(3 miles north), also in Gloucestershire and Malmesbury (3 miles southeast) in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. Map.
History
The name Shipton, recorded in 1086, indicates the early importance of sheep-farming in the parish economy; the affix Moyne, recorded from 1287, was acquired when the manor was owned by the Moyne family.British History Online provides a detailed account of the history of the village from the eleventh to the twentieth century.
Sites of interest
The Cat and Custard Pot (Public House)
In 1661 two parishioners were keeping unlicensed alehouses and in 1755 two victualers were licensed. A beerhouse on the west side of the village street was recorded in the early 19th century and was presumably occupied by the beer-retailers listed in the parish later. Apparently still unnamed in 1891, it was called the Estcourt Arms in 1927 but by 1931 the name had been changed to the Cat and Custard Pot.The village pub's unusual name is said to originate from the book 'Handley Cross or Mr Jorrocks's Hunt' by R S Surtees. The full text of which (including colour prints) may be found here.
- "when they reached the meet—the sign of the “Cat and Custard-pot,” on the Muswell Road, they found an immense assemblage"
History
The present building erected in 1864 replaced a church with a record going back to Norman times. Part of the North aisle and the porch were preserved and the Eastcourt Chapel on the South side and part of the nave, the central tower being demolished and the nave extended to form an enlarged chancel. A South aisle was constructed with a new tower at the South West corner forming a belfry and entrance.The list of rectors goes back to 1297 but there is no trace on record as far as is known of the original church and the reason for its demolition.
Parish records
The records in 1086 tell us that there were 38 inhabitants, with the population gradually increasing to 90 communicants in 1551, 26 families in 1563, a population of 420 in 1881 and finally of 300 in 1983.Architecture
T.H. WyattThomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt was an Irish British architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1870-73 and awarded their Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in 1873...
was probably a relative of James Wyatt who was born in 1746 and is buried in Westminster Abbey and was responsible for the design of Dodington Park, The Radcliffe Observatory library and the Common Room of Oriel College, Oxford.
T.H. Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt was an Irish British architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1870-73 and awarded their Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in 1873...
was an eminent architect and his design of St. John the Baptist's Church is considered to be a good example of its type.
The bells
Five bells were recorded in 1680 and a further bell was added in 1865 - a treble weighing five hundred weight.One tenor bell was cast in the mid-fifteenth century in London. Weighing fourteen hundred weight it was dedicated to The Virgin Mary.
Two were cast in Bristol by Roger Purden in 1620, on weighing 6cwt. and the other 7cwt.
Two were cast in Gloucester by Abraham Rudhall
Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 produced over 5,000 bells. The business was founded by Abraham Rudhall and the earliest ring of bells he cast was for St Nicholas' Church, Oddington in 1684. He came to be...
in 1704, one weighing 8cwt. and the other 10cwt.
In 1962, at the expense of Col. St. George of Hillcourt, two bells were re-cast by John Taylor of Loughborough; the 1620 bell weighing 7cwt. and the 1704 bell weighing 5cwt. All were rehung on a strengthened frame and re-dedicated. The total weight of the bells being some two and a half tons.
There is also a set of hand bells for use on appropriate occasions.
The organ
Built by Broughton and Son of Soho, London and restored by Osmond & Co. of Taunton in 1995, the organ has one manual electrically operated blower. The original handle operated manual blower is still present in the vestry.The clock
Facing West in the tower, the clock was made by John Smith & Sons of Derby in 1887. It strikes on the hour and half hour. The face was restored in memory of Lt. Cmdr. J.T.B. Birch D.S.O., D.S.C., R.N., a past church warden who for several years gave his time to maintaining the church.Decorations, monuments and tombs
- In the Chancel there is a stained glass window in memory of Walter Hodges and his wife Mary and another of Thomas Gildart Golightly and his wife Gertrude. The latter made and designed by Bryams in 1905.
- In the North aisle there is a stained glass window in memory of William Frederic Hamilton Gratman made and designed by Ward Hughes in 1862 and in the West another in memory of Thomas Henry Sutton Sotheron Estcourt by Taylor (late O'Connor) 1877. There is also a small stained glass window in the porch to Major General B.B. Estcourt.
- A large decorated tomb with Thomas Estcourt (1599) and his wife and family and a later tomb of Sir Thomas Estcourt (1624) and his wife. The latter tomb was transferred from Lasborough church in 1825 with two kneeling marble figures sadly lost in the process.
- There are recumbent figures of two knights and a lady believed to be of the Le Moyne family (originally Le Moigne) and dating from the fourteenth century.
- The font is in memory of Edward Dugdale Bucknall Estcourt. There is no trace left of the original Norman octagonal font recorded in 1843.
- On the outside of the South Chapel there is built into the wall a stone carved plaque with the initials of Edmund Estcourt dated 1749.
- A Caen stone and marble Reredos presented by Canon Golightly may be found in the Chancel.
- The pulpit was carved by Barbetti of Florence; it depicts scenes from the life of John the Baptist.
Pictures
Further pictures of the church, taken by John Wilkes of Cam near Dursley, may be found hereThe Fosse Way
The only Roman roadRoman 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...
in Britain to retain its original Latin name - most others having been renamed by the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
- passes through Shipton Moyne. Its route takes it from Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
(Isca Dumnoniorum
Isca Dumnoniorum
Isca Dumnoniorum was a town in the Roman province of Britannia and the capital of Dumnonia in the sub-Roman period. Today it is known as Exeter, located in the English county of Devon.-Fortress:...
) in southwest England, to Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
(Lindum) in the East Midlands, via Bath(Aquae Sulis), Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
(Corinium
Corinium Dobunnorum
Corinium Dobunnorum was the second largest town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Cirencester, located in the English county of Gloucestershire.-Fortress:...
) and Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
(Ratae Coritanorum).
Local personages
Present- HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, lives at Highgrove, near Shipton Moyne
Past
- John Oldham (poet)John Oldham (poet)John Oldham was an English satirical poet and translator.-Life and work:Oldham was born in Shipton Moyne, Gloucestershire, the son of John Oldham, a non-conformist minister, and grandson of John Oldham the staunch anti-papist rector of Shipton Moyne and before that of Long Newton in Wiltshire...
(9 August 1653 – 7 December 1683), the poet was born in Shipton Moyne.- The Careless Good Fellow
- A pox of this fooling, and plotting of late,
- What a pother, and stir has it kept in the state?
- Let the rabble run mad with suspicions, and fears,
- Let them scuffle, and jar, till they go by the ears:
- Their grievances never shall trouble my pate,
- So I can enjoy my dear bottle at quiet.
- What coxcombs were those, who would barter their ease
- And their necks for a toy, a thin wafer and mass?
- At old Tyburn they never had needed to swing,
- Had they been but true subjects to drink, and their king;
- A friend, and a bottle is all my design;
- He has no room for treason, that's top-full of wine.
- I mind not the members and makers of laws,
- Let them sit or prorogue, as his majesty please:
- Let them damn us to woollen, I'll never repine
- At my lodging, when dead, so alive I have wine:
- Yet oft in my drink I can hardly forbear
- To curse them for making my claret so dear.
- I mind not grave asses, who idly debate
- About right and succession, the trifles of state;
- We've a good king already: and he deserves laughter
- That will trouble his head with who shall come after:
- Come, here's to his health, and I wish he may be
- As free from all care, and all trouble, as we.
- What care I how leagues with the Hollander go?
- Or intrigues betwixt Sidney, and Monsieur D'Avaux?
- What concerns it my drinking, if Cassel be sold,
- If the conqueror take it by storming, or gold?
- Good Bordeaux alone is the place that I mind,
- And when the fleet's coming, I pray for a wind.
- The bully of France, that aspires to renown
- By dull cutting of throats, and vent'ring his own;
- Let him fight and be damn'd, and make matches and treat,
- To afford the news-mongers, and coffee-house chat:
- He's but a brave wretch, while I am more free,
- More safe, and a thousand times happier than he.
- Come he, or the Pope, or the Devil to boot,
- Or come faggot, and stake; I care not a groat;
- Never think that in Smithfield I porters will heat:
- No, I swear, Mr. Fox, pray excuse me for that.
- I'll drink in defiance of gibbet, and halter,
- This is the profession, that never will alter.
- Lieutenant Harry Taylor (May 1889 - 18 August 1918), a First World War pilot with both The Australian Flying Corps and The Royal Flying Corps, died in an aerial collision during a training exercise over Shipton Moyne.
External links