Bagpath
Encyclopedia
Newington Bagpath is a hamlet
in Gloucestershire
, England
, set in the Ozleworth
valley, near the village of Kingscote
and forms part of its Civil Parish. The hamlet consists of two separate settlements of Bagpath and Newington Bagpath, although residents of both frequently refer to both as 'Bagpath'.
The hamlet falls under the authority of Cotswold District Council and is represented by the Conservative MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.
The hamlet is sparsely populated with a population of around 100 people, with a small number of farms. The vast majority of the area is pasture or woodland.
Although the population is now only around 100 Census
, records from the 1900s show it was once populated by around 1000 people. The parish once had its own church and school; however, the old school house is now occupied as a private home and, although in private ownership, the church now lies abandoned. The parish Church of St Bartholomew was united with the neighbouring parish of Owlpen
from medieval times to the late 19th century. The west tower is Norman work and the nave is medieval, with a chancel added by Samuel Sanders Teulon
in 1858. The church was declared redundant in about 1973.
The parish has the site of a Motte-and-Bailey
castle dating to the Norman
era which is situated close to the church. The earthworks have an overall diameter of 150 ft. The mound rises to 4 ft above ground level and is surrounded by a ditch 5 ft below which fades out on the scarp side. There were indications of an entrance ramp on the north side. A pit dug into the top displayed rubble and possible vaulting. There is a rectangular building platform immediately to the north of the motte.
The Rev. Alan Gardner Cornwall of Ashcroft was rector of Bagpath in the early nineteenth century and published a standard account of life in this rural area at that time. His sons emigrated to British Columbia
, Canada while it was still a British colony during the gold rush. There they founded the small town of Ashcroft (see Ashcroft, British Columbia), built for travellers in search of gold, giving them a place to stay and saddle their horses. Links to Bagpath have travelled this far and photographs and maps of Bagpath and the surrounding area are held in the town's museum.
It is rumoured that King Charles II of England
passed through Bagpath whilst on the run after defeat at the Battle of Worcester
and the naming of a nearby path as Monarch's Way
plays testimony to this.
The local community were recently united in opposition to a PPG7 planning application for a large country house in the valley which they argued would spoil the unique countryside in the area. Since this event in 2003, a number of community events have taken place, including what are intended to become annual events: the Bagpath street party and a fireworks display for local residents.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in 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...
, set in the Ozleworth
Ozleworth
Ozleworth is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, approximately south of Gloucester. It lies in the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History:...
valley, near the village of Kingscote
Kingscote, Gloucestershire
Kingscote is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, set on the uplands near the south western edge of the Cotswold hills. It is situated about two miles east of Uley, five miles east of Dursley and four miles west of Tetbury. The landscape is designated...
and forms part of its Civil Parish. The hamlet consists of two separate settlements of Bagpath and Newington Bagpath, although residents of both frequently refer to both as 'Bagpath'.
The hamlet falls under the authority of Cotswold District Council and is represented by the Conservative MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.
The hamlet is sparsely populated with a population of around 100 people, with a small number of farms. The vast majority of the area is pasture or woodland.
Although the population is now only around 100 Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, records from the 1900s show it was once populated by around 1000 people. The parish once had its own church and school; however, the old school house is now occupied as a private home and, although in private ownership, the church now lies abandoned. The parish Church of St Bartholomew was united with the neighbouring parish of Owlpen
Owlpen
Owlpen is a small village and civil parish in the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England, set in a picturesque valley in the Cotswold hills. It is about one mile east of Uley, and three miles east of Dursley. The Owlpen valley is set around the settlement like an amphitheatre of wooded hills...
from medieval times to the late 19th century. The west tower is Norman work and the nave is medieval, with a chancel added by Samuel Sanders Teulon
Samuel Sanders Teulon
Samuel Sanders Teulon was a notable 19th century English Gothic Revival architect.-Family:Teulon was born in Greenwich in south-east London, the son of a cabinet-maker from a French Huguenot family. His younger brother William Milford Teulon also became an architect...
in 1858. The church was declared redundant in about 1973.
The parish has the site of a Motte-and-Bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castle dating to the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
era which is situated close to the church. The earthworks have an overall diameter of 150 ft. The mound rises to 4 ft above ground level and is surrounded by a ditch 5 ft below which fades out on the scarp side. There were indications of an entrance ramp on the north side. A pit dug into the top displayed rubble and possible vaulting. There is a rectangular building platform immediately to the north of the motte.
The Rev. Alan Gardner Cornwall of Ashcroft was rector of Bagpath in the early nineteenth century and published a standard account of life in this rural area at that time. His sons emigrated to British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada while it was still a British colony during the gold rush. There they founded the small town of Ashcroft (see Ashcroft, British Columbia), built for travellers in search of gold, giving them a place to stay and saddle their horses. Links to Bagpath have travelled this far and photographs and maps of Bagpath and the surrounding area are held in the town's museum.
It is rumoured that King Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
passed through Bagpath whilst on the run after defeat at the Battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
and the naming of a nearby path as Monarch's Way
Monarch's Way
The Monarch's Way is a long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester.Most of the footpath is waymarked...
plays testimony to this.
The local community were recently united in opposition to a PPG7 planning application for a large country house in the valley which they argued would spoil the unique countryside in the area. Since this event in 2003, a number of community events have taken place, including what are intended to become annual events: the Bagpath street party and a fireworks display for local residents.