Tortworth is a small village and civil parish, near Thornbury in

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. It has a population of 147 as of 2011. It lies on the B4509 road, which crosses the

M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...

to the west of Tortworth.

History

In the

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 ...

of 1086 the manor is recorded as held by

Turstin FitzRolf Turstin fitz Rolf, also known as Turstin le Blanc and Tustein fitz Rou (Old Norse: ''Þorsteinn Hrólfsson'') played a prominent role in the Norman Conquest of England and is regarded as one of the few proven companions of William the Conqueror ...

. Tortworth is noted for its ancient chestnut tree in St. Leonard's churchyard, which became known as the "Great Chestnut of Tortworth" as early as 1150. This tree measured 51 feet in circumference at 6 feet from the ground in 1720. The tree is one of fifty

Great British Trees The Great British Trees were 50 trees selected by The Tree Council in 2002 to spotlight trees in the United Kingdom in honour of the Queen's Golden Jubilee. England Western England * Tortworth Chestnut in Tortworth, Gloucestershire * W ...

, selected in 2002 by

The Tree Council The Tree Council was founded in 1973 in the United Kingdom, and became a Charitable organization#Registration, registered charity in 1978. Its primary objective is to act as an umbrella organisation for local groups involved in the planting, car ...

to commemorate the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

Geography

The Tortworth inlier is the most complete section of "Silurian" rocks in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire area. Old red sandstone is most dominant.

Notable landmarks

The civil parish contains

Tortworth Court Tortworth Court is a Victorian architecture, Victorian mansion in Tortworth near Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, Thornbury, South Gloucestershire. England. It was built in Tudor Style architecture, Tudor style for the Henry Reynolds-Moreton, 2n ...

. It was formerly the home of the Earls of Ducie, but is now run as a hotel. Tortworth Rectory belonged to

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...

. It was renowned for its library collection, which was eventually purchased by the Earls of Ducie. There is a national prison nearby,

HM Prison Leyhill HM Prison Leyhill is a category D men's prison located in the parish of Cromhall in Gloucestershire, England. His Majesty's Prison Service operates Leyhill Prison. History Leyhill Prison was originally a United States military hospital built f ...

, which was converted into a prison from an army hospital in the post-war period. In 1985 the prison won the Windlesham Trophy for the best-kept prison gardens.

References

External links

Tortworth village website

Tortworth
Andrew Plaster, Bristol & Avon Family History Society Journal, June 2007
Tortworth Chestnut on FlickrSt. Leonard's Church, Tortworth
CRoFTT benefice Villages in South Gloucestershire District Civil parishes in Gloucestershire {{SouthGloucestershire-geo-stub