Redmarley D'Abitot is a civil parish and village in the Forest of Dean district, Gloucestershire, South West England. In addition to the village of Redmarley, the civil parish also includes the settlements of Lowbands, Haw Cross, Playley Green, Kings Green and Durbridge. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 705, increasing to 756 at the 2011 census. Although now in Gloucestershire, Redmarley was in Worcestershire until 1931.

History

The name Redmarley comes from 'woodland clearing with a reedy pond', from the Old English words hrëod and lëah. An alternative cod-derivation has been suggested as from the local red heavy clay or

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...

. The difficulty with this explanation is that the word marl entered the language many centuries later. D'Abitot is thought to come from Urse d'Abetot, who was

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

of Worcestershire and who held the manor in 1086. Sometimes a circumflex is placed on the 'o' of d'Abitot, but this usage has been criticised. As Eric Smith says: "It is to be regretted that the Gloucestershire County Council placed a circumflex in the signs on the

A417 The A417 is a main road in England running from Streatley, Berkshire to Hope under Dinmore, Herefordshire. It is best known for its section between Cirencester and Gloucester where it has primary status and forms part of the link between the m ...

. This is emphatically incorrect, both historically and linguistically, Abitot is a word of (Germanic) Anglo-Saxon origin."

Great Domesday

The King, William the Conqueror, received a report on Redmarley D'Abitot in the Domesday Book of 1086 though it would have been a very small part of his nationwide review of tax assessments. People mentioned include: Aethelric; Alvred; Alweard; Ansgot; Azur; Beorhtric son of Aelfgar; Beorhtwine; Cyneweard daughter of Sigrefr; Dodda; Durand; Ealdraed, etc.

''Battle of Redmarley''

Redmarley's fields were the site of a battle in 1644 during the Civil War. About 2000 to 3000 troops were involved and Royalist leader General Mynn was killed.

Governance

The village falls in the 'Redmarley'

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 to t ...

. This ward stretches south to Pauntley. The total ward population taken at the 2011 census was 1,856.

Famous residents

* Alice Roberts was living with her widowed mother, Julia, at Hazeldine House in Redmarley at the time of her engagement to the composer

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

. * Barbara Cartland's mother, Polly Scobell, grew up at the Down House and as a small girl Barbara was a regular visitor from Pershore.John Pearson (Henry Cloud), ''Barbara Cartland: Crusader in Pink'', Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1979 * Corporal Thomas Priday, the first British soldier to lose his life in the Second World War, lived here.

Distances from Redmarley

*3 miles north of Newent *5 miles south of

Ledbury Ledbury is a market town and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and west of the Malvern Hills. It has a significant number of timber-framed structures, in particular along Church Lane and High Street ...

*10 miles north west of Gloucester *16 miles south-east of

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

File:The Causeway, Redmarley D'Abitot - geograph.org.uk - 850481.jpg, The Causeway File:Redmarley D'Abitot, Old house opposite the church.jpg, Old building File:The Village Hall, Redmarley D'Abitot - geograph.org.uk - 368591.jpg, Village hall File:Redmarley D'Abitot War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 886929.jpg, War memorial File:Fine-looking house, Redmarley - geograph.org.uk - 849716.jpg, Once an inn File:Market gardening land near Redmarley - 1 - geograph.org.uk - 1711539.jpg File:Snow covered farmland, near Redmarley - geograph.org.uk - 1726381.jpg File:Exit from Pauntley Court - geograph.org.uk - 850781.jpg File:Poppy invasion, Ryton - geograph.org.uk - 1335295.jpg File:Meadow cranesbill - geograph.org.uk - 1335397.jpg

References

External links

Redmarley D'Abitot village website"A History of the County of Worcester: volume 3" at british-history.ac.uk
{{authority control Forest of Dean Villages in Gloucestershire