Ashton Keynes
Encyclopedia
Ashton Keynes is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire
, England
, near the border with Gloucestershire
, about 6 miles south of Cirencester
and 4 miles north of Cricklade
. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,420. The village lies within the Cotswold Water Park
and is situated on the River Thames
about 7 miles from its source near Kemble (Thames Head
). In the late 1980s a large Romano-British
settlement was excavated on the edge of the village, in advance of extensive gravel extraction.
The village has many clubs and societies, many centered on the village hall. Sports clubs include the cricket, tennis, badminton and football clubs. Musical groups include two choirs, an orchestra and a jazz band. There is also a Women's Institute, a Brownie Pack, and a Golden Years Club.
Ashton Keynes has been a community down the ages and has seen Ancient British tribes, Roman invaders and subsequent periods of English history.
The village was known as Aesctun in 800 AD and appeared in the Domesday book as Essitone in 1086 and changed its name 10 times in the next 800 years until its present name was recorded.
From Mediaeval times when this whole area was a Royal Forest, through the Civil War when Cirencester was held by Parliamentarians, through to modern times ordinary people have lived out their lives in Gosditch.
In 1851 in the 35 homes in Gosditch were living a tailor, saddler, tallow chandler, stonemason, many glove makers and a cobbler. The School was built in this street in 1870 and a Primitive Methodist chapel was opened in 1840, but became a baker's shop later.
The Horse and Jockey was a "scrumpy house", selling cider made from the apples from the orchards in the village. The Inn was the social centre of the community where dominoes were laid and gossip exchanged, and the hard times debated.
"Sweet Thames run softly" - this has not always been the case. Ashton Keynes has always suffered from flooding, and the River Thames that flows along beside High Road and crosses under Gosditch by the little bridge was prone to washing down to the School and beyond.
Villagers expected to be flooded every winter although the water could be controlled and directed to some extent by opening and closing 'hatches' on the river. People talked of keeping their back door and front door open so the water flowed straight through, and of a foot of water standing indoors for weeks.
As late as 1924 there were 23 children absent from school in June when the houses in the Derry just south of the Horse and Jockey were marooned in their bedrooms after a night of storms.
Ditches all round the village helped to channel the water, but as these were also used as a place to tip household rubbish and the privies drained into them - there was always a serious public health problem in Gosditch.
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...
, 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...
, near the border with 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....
, about 6 miles south of 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...
and 4 miles north of Cricklade
Cricklade
Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire in England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester.On 25 September 2011 Cricklade was awarded The Royal Horticultural Society's 'Champion of Champions' award in the Britain in Bloom competition.Cricklade is twinned with...
. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,420. The village lies within the Cotswold Water Park
Cotswold Water Park
The Cotswold Water Park is the United Kingdom's largest water park. It consists of 147 numbered lakeswhich were formed by allowing old gravel quarries to become filled with water.-Location:...
and is situated on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
about 7 miles from its source near Kemble (Thames Head
Thames Head
Thames Head is a site in Gloucestershire, traditionally identified as the source of the River Thames, a major river which runs through the centre of London. It lies near the village of Kemble and the town of Cirencester....
). In the late 1980s a large Romano-British
Romano-British
Romano-British culture describes the culture that arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest of AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a people of Celtic language and...
settlement was excavated on the edge of the village, in advance of extensive gravel extraction.
Village Culture
Ashton Keynes is twinned with the French village of Grandchamp Des Fontaines. There is a very active Twinning Association in the village, which organises regular exchange trips and other activities between the village communities.The village has many clubs and societies, many centered on the village hall. Sports clubs include the cricket, tennis, badminton and football clubs. Musical groups include two choirs, an orchestra and a jazz band. There is also a Women's Institute, a Brownie Pack, and a Golden Years Club.
Village History
The village was known as Aesctun in 800 AD and appeared in the Domesday book as Essitone in 1086 and changed its name 10 times in the next 800 years until its present name was recorded.
From Mediaeval times when this whole area was a Royal Forest, through the Civil War when Cirencester was held by Parliamentarians, through to modern times ordinary people have lived out their lives in Gosditch.
In 1851 in the 35 homes in Gosditch were living a tailor, saddler, tallow chandler, stonemason, many glove makers and a cobbler. The School was built in this street in 1870 and a Primitive Methodist chapel was opened in 1840, but became a baker's shop later.
The Horse and Jockey was a "scrumpy house", selling cider made from the apples from the orchards in the village. The Inn was the social centre of the community where dominoes were laid and gossip exchanged, and the hard times debated.
Life By The River
Villagers expected to be flooded every winter although the water could be controlled and directed to some extent by opening and closing 'hatches' on the river. People talked of keeping their back door and front door open so the water flowed straight through, and of a foot of water standing indoors for weeks.
As late as 1924 there were 23 children absent from school in June when the houses in the Derry just south of the Horse and Jockey were marooned in their bedrooms after a night of storms.
Ditches all round the village helped to channel the water, but as these were also used as a place to tip household rubbish and the privies drained into them - there was always a serious public health problem in Gosditch.