Marston Meysey
Encyclopedia
Marston Meysey, pronounced and sometimes also spelt Marston Maisey, is a village in Wiltshire
, England
, lying three miles north east of Cricklade
on the county boundary with Gloucestershire
.
The village has a pub
called the Old Spotted Cow, and not far away is RAF Fairford
. The nearest major town is Swindon
.
, Cricklade and Staple and of the diocese of Gloucester
.
The population was 240 in 1831, but only 185 in 1951.
A chapel of ease
was built by the de Meysey family in the late 13th century, and a new chapel in 1648, which was in disrepair by the 1870s. In 1869 the Rev. W. H. Ranken became Rector
of St Mary's
in Meysey Hampton
and Vicar
of Marston Meysey and soon mounted a public appeal for funds for new buildings. Money collected mainly within Marston Meysey paid for a new church, a vicarage and a Church of England
school. The school was closed in 1924, as the number of children had fallen to eighteen, and since then the old school building has been used as a village hall. It is now a grade 2 listed building and is owned by the village.
The 19th century parish church
is called St James's.
services are provided by Wiltshire
unitary council. At the parliamentary level, the parish is part of the North Wiltshire
county constituency and its current member of parliament
is James Gray
(Conservative
).
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...
, lying three miles north east 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...
on the county boundary 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....
.
The village has a pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
called the Old Spotted Cow, and not far away is RAF Fairford
RAF Fairford
RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England. It is a standby airfield, not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an airfield for United States Air Force B-52s during the 2003 Iraq War, Operation Allied Force in 1999, and the first Gulf War in...
. The nearest major town is Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
.
History
Marston Meysey was part of the hundreds of HighworthHighworth
Highworth is a market town in the unitary authority of Swindon in Wiltshire, England, located about north-east of Swindon town centre. At the 2001 census it had a population of 7,996...
, Cricklade and Staple and of the diocese of Gloucester
Diocese of Gloucester
The Diocese of Gloucester is a Church of England diocese based in Gloucester, covering the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire. The cathedral is Gloucester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Gloucester...
.
The population was 240 in 1831, but only 185 in 1951.
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....
was built by the de Meysey family in the late 13th century, and a new chapel in 1648, which was in disrepair by the 1870s. In 1869 the Rev. W. H. Ranken became Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of St Mary's
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Meysey Hampton
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is an Anglican church in Meysey Hampton, a Cotswolds village in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Gloucester and the archdeaconry of Cheltenham...
in Meysey Hampton
Meysey Hampton
Meysey Hampton is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, approximately 30 miles to the south-east of Gloucester...
and Vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Marston Meysey and soon mounted a public appeal for funds for new buildings. Money collected mainly within Marston Meysey paid for a new church, a vicarage and a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
school. The school was closed in 1924, as the number of children had fallen to eighteen, and since then the old school building has been used as a village hall. It is now a grade 2 listed building and is owned by the village.
The 19th century parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
is called St James's.
Governance
Most significant local governmentLocal government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
services are provided by Wiltshire
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
unitary council. At the parliamentary level, the parish is part of the North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North Wiltshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was known as Chippenham.- Boundaries :As the name suggests, the constituency covers most of north Wiltshire...
county constituency and its current member of parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
is James Gray
James Gray
James Gray may refer to:* Sir James Gray, 1st Baronet , armiger and merchant-Burgess of Edinburgh* Sir James Gray, 2nd Baronet , diplomat and antiquary* The male pseudonym of Hannah Snell...
(Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
).
External links
- village web site, marston-meysey.info
- The Manor, Marston Meysey, at geograph.org.uk
- Wiltshire and Swindon Sites and Monument Record for Marston Meysey, at wiltshire.gov.uk