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

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

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 1974 in the United Kingdom, and became a registered charity in 1978. Its primary objective is to act as an umbrella organisation for local groups involved in the planting, care and conservation of trees throughout ...

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

St Leonard's church Tortworth - geograph

The civil parish contains Tortworth Court. It was formerly the home of the Earls of Ducie, but is now run as a hotel. Tortworth Rectory, was part of Oriel College. 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 Tortworth in Gloucestershire, England. Leyhill Prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History Leyhill Prison was originally a United States military hospital ...

, 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