Taynton 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

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the Counties of England, county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangle, triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and no ...

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. It lies about south-east of

Newent Newent (; originally called "Noent") is a market town and civil parish in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The town is north-west of Gloucester. Its population was 5,073 at the 2001 census, rising to 5,207 in 2011, The population ...

, about north-east of

Mitcheldean Mitcheldean is a market town in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. History Mitcheldean was a thriving community for many centuries due to the town's proximity to iron ore deposits. During the 19th century, the town grew due to rev ...

and west of

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

. The parish covers At the time of the 2011 Census, the population of the parish was 438.

History

Taynton is listed in the 1086

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 ...

as being a manor of 6 hides, previously held by the Saxon lord Alwin and since the Norman Conquest by William Goizenboded. The manor then passed to the Du Boys family and then, by marriage, to the Ferrers family (later

Viscount Hereford Viscount Hereford is the oldest extant viscountcy in the Peerage of England, making the holder the Premier Viscount of England. The title was created in 1550 for Walter Devereux, 10th Baron Ferrers of Chartley. History The Devereux () fam ...

). In 1601, the Crown reclaimed the manor, following the execution of

Sir Christopher Blount Sir Christopher Blount (1555/1556Hammer 2008 – 18 March 1601) was an English soldier, secret agent, and rebel. He served as a leading household officer of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester. A Catholic, Blount corresponded with Mary, Queen of ...

. The manor was later sold to a succession of owners, including Sir Robert Parkhurst (d.1636) and Thomas Pury MP (d.1693). The first village school was founded in 1712, and a dedicated school building was erected in 1883. In 1870–72,

John Marius Wilson John Marius Wilson (c. 1805–1885) was a British writer and an editor, most notable for his gazetteers. The '' Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' (published 1870–1872), was a substantial topographical dictionary in six volumes. It was ...

recorded the population as 689;

Parish

The present-day parish of Taynton was formed of the manors of Great and Little Taynton. As well as Taynton itself, there are several hamlets and scattered farmsteads in the parish. They include Glasshouse, Hownhall, Kent's Green, Little Taynton and Moorend Green. Glasshouse is on the site of a 16th-century glassworks. The parish has a public house, The Glasshouse Inn.

Parish church

The original

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

was recorded in the mid-12th century; along with the nearby rectory it was destroyed during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

forces after the siege of Gloucester in 1643. The site is visible as earthen mounds and a moat at Little Taynton, about north-east of the centre of Taynton village. Today's parish church of

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, persecution of the Christians that the Roman Empire, Rom ...

is located about north-east of the village centre. It is Grade II listed as a rare example of a church built during the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

. Originally constructed as a single room preaching-box by order of

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

in 1650, several 19th century alterations and expansions converted it into a conventionally formed church.

Other historical buildings

There are 31 Grade II listed buildings in the parish. As well as the church and several monuments within it, there are numerous farm buildings, barns and cottages that range between 200 and 400 years old. They include Taynton Court at Kent's Green, and Taynton House in Taynton; both are enlarged buildings with parts that date back to 17th-century farmhouses.

References

External links