Baunton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

Cotswold The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the be ...

district of

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, England, located about two miles north of

Cirencester Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...

on the

River Churn The River Churn is a tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises at Seven Springs, Gloucestershire, Seven Springs in Gloucestershire and flows south for approximately to meet the Thames at Cricklade in Wiltshire. Its length from ...

. There is archaeological evidence of human habitation around the village in Prehistoric and Roman times. The village is recorded in

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

in 1086 under the name of Baudintone which means an estate associated with a man called Balda. The Norman church of St Mary Magdalene was built by the Augustinian monks of Cirencester Abbey as a

Chapel of Ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, 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, generally due to trav ...

in about 1150. Inside there is large wall painting, probably dating from the 14th century, which depicts St Christopher carrying the Christ Child across a stream. It became the parish church in 1551. The village contains a number of Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

s including the 16th century Manor House and Baunton Mill. The village is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and much of it is classified a Conservation Area. The Manor of Baunton belonged to a succession of families including the George and Chester Master families. John George of Baunton was MP for Cirencester at the time of the Civil War. He was initially a Parliamentarian, but when his life was spared by the Royalists who had captured him, he converted to the King's side.W R Williams ''Parliamentary History of the County of Gloucester''
/ref> According to the 2001 census it had a population of 290, increasing to 299 at the 2011 census. The village is at the southern edge of the

Churn Valley The Churn Valley is a valley in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England that extends from Seven Springs, Gloucestershire, Seven Springs to Cirencester. It runs along the River Churn and the A435. Settlements along the upper valley i ...

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

, which stretches up the valley to

Coberley Coberley is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire in England, south of Cheltenham. It lies at the confluence of several streams ( Seven Springs) that form the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. The me ...

. The total ward population taken at the 2011 census was 1,970.

References

External links

Baunton village website
Villages in Gloucestershire Cotswold District {{Gloucestershire-geo-stub