Didmarton


Didmarton is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It lies in the Cotswold District, about southwest of Tetbury. The parish is on the county borders with South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Since 25 March 1883, the civil parish has included the former parish of Oldbury-on-the-Hill.

History

A military survey of Didmarton in 1522 shows that it was then a very small village, overshadowed by the neighbouring Oldbury-on-the-Hill.
In the 16th century, the manor of Didmarton was owned by the Seacole family. In 1571, Simon Codrington married Agnes, daughter and co-heiress of Richard Seacole, and the estate thus passed to their son Robert Codrington. It was sold to Charles Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort, in about 1750, but has had a succession of other owners since then.
Together with Oldbury, the parish was subject to enclosure in 1829.
According to The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland :

Places of worship

St Laurence's church at Didmarton is an early English building with a later open bell tower, unusual in England. Archaeological work at Didmarton church has suggested an origin in the 12th century. The church's dedication is to St Laurence of Canterbury, whose feast day is on 3 February.
The village's Congregational church is a square stone building with arched sash windows.
Another Anglican church at the western end of the village, once dedicated to St Michael and All Angels, has been converted to a private house, but its churchyard is still consecrated ground.

Public houses

The village's present-day pub, the King's Arms, was first mentioned in 1772. The former George Inn dated from at least 1791, and the former Compasses Inn from 1798.

Local names

s from 1674 to 1991 are held at the Gloucestershire Record Office.
Surnames in the marriages register for 1675 to 1751 are: Acton, Allen, Biggs, Bishop, Brooks, Brush, Burcombe, Byrton, Carey, Chapman, Chappel, Codrington, Collings, Davies, Drew, Emely, Frith, Gingill, Harris, Hatchett, Heaven, Iddols, Kingscott, Lewis, Milsum, Minchin, Porter, Powel, Power, Robbins, Scrope, Shipton, Smart, Sparkes, Taunton, Thompson, Walls, Watts, Weekes, White, and Witchell.
The surnames recorded in the parish graveyard, and in that of the Didmarton Congregational church, include: Baker, Bickerton, Borham, Cox, Gould, Hatherell, Inane, Lucas, Pritchard, Short, Rice, Robbins, Till, and Tuck.