Frampton on Severn is a village and civil parish in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) 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 county town is the city of Gl ...

, England. The population is 1,432.

Geography

The village is approximately south of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

, at . It lies on the east bank of the

River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

, and on the west bank of the River Frome, from which it takes its name. The village is linked by footpath to the Sharpness Canal. There is a large

village green A village green is a common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for gathering cattle t ...

, in size and reputedly the longest in England. The green was known as Rosamund's Green by the mid-17th century, apparently from the village's association with

Fair Rosamund Rosamund Clifford (before 1150 – ), often called "The Fair Rosamund" or "Rose of the World" (Latin: ''rosa mundi''), was a medieval English noblewoman and mistress of Henry II, King of England, who became famous in English folklore. Life ...

. There is a designated Conservation Area around the green, including Tudor and

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

houses, and the village also has a Site of Special Scientific Interest,

Frampton Pools Frampton Pools () is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1974. The pools are on the edge of the village of Frampton on Severn. The site is in the Severn Vale and consists of a number of lakes create ...

. Much of the village forms part of the Frampton Court Estate, owned by the Clifford family. The

Gloucester and Sharpness Canal The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal (also known as the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal) is a ship canal in the west of England, between Gloucester and Sharpness; for much of its length it runs close to the tidal River Severn, but cuts off a sign ...

runs to the west side of the village and the green has three ponds. There are two pubs on The Green: The Bell Inn and The Three Horseshoes.

Governance

There is a parish council, consisting of nine members. The village falls in the 'Severn' electoral ward. This ward starts in the north east at Moreton Valence then follows 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 ...

south west to Slimbridge. The total ward population at the 2011 census was 4,760.

History

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 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

mentioned the manor of Frampton in 1089. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of St Mary the Virgin was consecrated in 1315 but partly dates from the 12th century, while the congregational church was built in 1769. The Elver Eating World Championships have been held annually at Frampton since 2015; an earlier elver eating competition had ended by 1990.

Hock Crib

Hock Crib is a breakwater on the banks of the

River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

near Frampton on Severn. Built by

Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley, KT (18 February 1715 – 9 January 1755) was the son of Vice-Admiral James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley, and the former Lady Louisa Lennox. Biography He was made an ensign in the ...

, in 1739 to defend nearby farmlands from

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...

and

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

, the breakwater's existence is acknowledged in numerous archives and records during the 18th century, including tidal defence plans in 1845 and redevelopment plans dating from 1877. The breakwater was an often-used point of reference for navigation of the river; however, it fell into disrepair and disappeared beneath the sandbanks. In December 2013, however, it emerged, and local historians were granted funds from the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society to photograph and study it.

References

External links

Village website

Parish council

Three Horseshoes Pub, Frampton on Severn

Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin

Victoria County History of GloucestershireBBC archive film of Frampton from 1978
{{authority control Villages in Gloucestershire Populated places on the River Severn Stroud District Civil parishes in Gloucestershire