Snowshill, in Gloucestershire, England.
Why not take a walk, around Snowshill, if you have time, please click
"here"!
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Snowshill is a small rural settlement in the north of the borough of Gloucestershire which lies on a ridgeway, with the villages of Broadway, Buckland and Laverton nearby. The village offers panoramic views from certain vantage points within the conservation area boundary, while surrounding landscapes, including the Cotswold Ridge and Avon Valley, offer limited views into the village. Snowshill is a small, remote upland settlement situated in the Cotswold Hills in the Cotswold Area of Natural Beauty (AONB). It is one of the highest villages in Gloucestershire at 1,000 feet above sea level. The village of Snowshill is on a small unclassified road which runs from Broadway to Bourton on the Water. It is a nucleated village – one where the houses are located round a focal point such as a church or village green. Historically Snowshill developed as a farming village with the main industry being wool production. Local stone quarries provided the primary building materials for the village; stone slate roofs and stone walls The topography of Snowshill and the surrounding landscape means that the village remains sheltered from external views. However from the outskirts of Snowshill, from higher land and within Snowshill, there are glimpses of the village. Over time Snowshill has had many variations in name, including Snawesill in the 1087 Domesday Book, Snausilla in 1227, and Snoweshulle in 1360. The name Snowshill appears for the first time in the Valuation of Crown Lands of 1570. Derived from the old English, snaw for snow and hyll for hill, the name of the village refers to its topographical meaning i.e. “Hill of Snow”. It is often said that snow remains in the folds of the hill long after it has melted in the Vale. Despite being a relatively small village with a little over 200 inhabitants, Snowshill has a long history. The settlement sits near a large amount of spring water; it is also positioned close to the path taken by two prehistoric trackways. In the early ninth century King Kenulf gave the manor of Snowshill and the tithes and chaplaincy together with those for Stanton to St Mary’s Abbey, Winchcombe which had been founded in approximately 798 AD Following the Norman invasion of England, the whole land was claimed by William the Conqueror who granted lands to his followers, including the abbey at Winchcombe which still had control of Snowshill and Stanton. The Domesday entry for Snowshill states: “The church of St. Mary of Wincelcumbe holds Snawesill, in Holfordes hundred. There are seven hides taxed. In demean are three plowtillages, and twelve villeins, and two bordars, with fixed plow-tillages. There are six servi. It is worth and was worth 100 sol”. Carolyn Mason in her book Snowshill; A Gloucestershire Village says this equates to the manor having 840 acres and the population of the village being about 802 . Rudder, in his book A New History of Gloucestershire says that Winchcombe Abbey assigned the manor of Snowshill to the monastery of St Ebrulf in Normandy in the twelfth year of Edward II’s reign (1296) but that the manor returned to the abbey in 1415 when foreign onasteries were divested of their land in England. Snowshill remained in the ownership of the abbey until the Dissolution when it became the property of Henry VIII. Rudder says that Henry assigned the manor of Snowshill to Queen Catherine as part of her dower. This is confusing as three of his six wives were called Catherine. It seems likely that it was Catherine Parr as following the death of Catherine Edward VI granted it to John, Earl of Warwick. Catherine Parr was the only one alive in 1547 when Edward became king. Following the execution of the Earl of Warwick in the reign of Queen Mary the manor of Snowshill reverted to the possession of the Crown until it was given to Francis Bulstrode according to Carolyn Mason although Rudder makes no mention of this. At the time of Rudder’s history the population of Snowshill was 236 (more than today) and he states that at the beginning of the 18th century the population was about 190 and that there were 38 houses. The chapel is described as small with a tower at the west end ornamented with pinnacles and battlements. The chapel, together with the manor of Stanton was granted by the Crown to John Elliott. When the lands around Snowshill were enclosed in 1761 by Act of Parliament 202 acres were given to the rector to replace the tithes. The English Heritage register entry for the gardens of Snowshill Manor states that it was sold in 1572 to John and Thomas Warne (or Warren)
and that it remained in that family until around 1645 when it was sold to Will Wall. Between 1712 and 1743, the Manor was owned by the Sanbach family (Carolyn Mason and Rudder give the family name as Sambach) and, during that time, there were some additions to the house. William Sambach the younger died without issue in 1759 and Samuel Blackwell purchased the estate. He sold to John Small of Clapham in Surrey (d 1779). From 1759 to 1919 the Manor was owned by landlords who were largely absent. In the 17th century the manor and some of the cottages were built. The Rose cottage and The Old Shop, Manor Cottages and Green Close, all date to this time. The brewhouse and dovecote within the grounds of the manor are possible earlier from the 16th century. Part of Tower Close dates to the early 18th century and the two garden houses within the manor grounds are late 18th century. The chapel was rebuilt in 1864 but very little of it survives in the new church.
Snowshill, in Gloucestershire, England.
Why not take a walk, around Snowshill, if you have time, please click
"here"!
Please do not insert images, or group invites, thank you!
Snowshill is a small rural settlement in the north of the borough of Gloucestershire which lies on a ridgeway, with the villages of Broadway, Buckland and Laverton nearby. The village offers panoramic views from certain vantage points within the conservation area boundary, while surrounding landscapes, including the Cotswold Ridge and Avon Valley, offer limited views into the village. Snowshill is a small, remote upland settlement situated in the Cotswold Hills in the Cotswold Area of Natural Beauty (AONB). It is one of the highest villages in Gloucestershire at 1,000 feet above sea level. The village of Snowshill is on a small unclassified road which runs from Broadway to Bourton on the Water. It is a nucleated village – one where the houses are located round a focal point such as a church or village green. Historically Snowshill developed as a farming village with the main industry being wool production. Local stone quarries provided the primary building materials for the village; stone slate roofs and stone walls The topography of Snowshill and the surrounding landscape means that the village remains sheltered from external views. However from the outskirts of Snowshill, from higher land and within Snowshill, there are glimpses of the village. Over time Snowshill has had many variations in name, including Snawesill in the 1087 Domesday Book, Snausilla in 1227, and Snoweshulle in 1360. The name Snowshill appears for the first time in the Valuation of Crown Lands of 1570. Derived from the old English, snaw for snow and hyll for hill, the name of the village refers to its topographical meaning i.e. “Hill of Snow”. It is often said that snow remains in the folds of the hill long after it has melted in the Vale. Despite being a relatively small village with a little over 200 inhabitants, Snowshill has a long history. The settlement sits near a large amount of spring water; it is also positioned close to the path taken by two prehistoric trackways. In the early ninth century King Kenulf gave the manor of Snowshill and the tithes and chaplaincy together with those for Stanton to St Mary’s Abbey, Winchcombe which had been founded in approximately 798 AD Following the Norman invasion of England, the whole land was claimed by William the Conqueror who granted lands to his followers, including the abbey at Winchcombe which still had control of Snowshill and Stanton. The Domesday entry for Snowshill states: “The church of St. Mary of Wincelcumbe holds Snawesill, in Holfordes hundred. There are seven hides taxed. In demean are three plowtillages, and twelve villeins, and two bordars, with fixed plow-tillages. There are six servi. It is worth and was worth 100 sol”. Carolyn Mason in her book Snowshill; A Gloucestershire Village says this equates to the manor having 840 acres and the population of the village being about 802 . Rudder, in his book A New History of Gloucestershire says that Winchcombe Abbey assigned the manor of Snowshill to the monastery of St Ebrulf in Normandy in the twelfth year of Edward II’s reign (1296) but that the manor returned to the abbey in 1415 when foreign onasteries were divested of their land in England. Snowshill remained in the ownership of the abbey until the Dissolution when it became the property of Henry VIII. Rudder says that Henry assigned the manor of Snowshill to Queen Catherine as part of her dower. This is confusing as three of his six wives were called Catherine. It seems likely that it was Catherine Parr as following the death of Catherine Edward VI granted it to John, Earl of Warwick. Catherine Parr was the only one alive in 1547 when Edward became king. Following the execution of the Earl of Warwick in the reign of Queen Mary the manor of Snowshill reverted to the possession of the Crown until it was given to Francis Bulstrode according to Carolyn Mason although Rudder makes no mention of this. At the time of Rudder’s history the population of Snowshill was 236 (more than today) and he states that at the beginning of the 18th century the population was about 190 and that there were 38 houses. The chapel is described as small with a tower at the west end ornamented with pinnacles and battlements. The chapel, together with the manor of Stanton was granted by the Crown to John Elliott. When the lands around Snowshill were enclosed in 1761 by Act of Parliament 202 acres were given to the rector to replace the tithes. The English Heritage register entry for the gardens of Snowshill Manor states that it was sold in 1572 to John and Thomas Warne (or Warren)
and that it remained in that family until around 1645 when it was sold to Will Wall. Between 1712 and 1743, the Manor was owned by the Sanbach family (Carolyn Mason and Rudder give the family name as Sambach) and, during that time, there were some additions to the house. William Sambach the younger died without issue in 1759 and Samuel Blackwell purchased the estate. He sold to John Small of Clapham in Surrey (d 1779). From 1759 to 1919 the Manor was owned by landlords who were largely absent. In the 17th century the manor and some of the cottages were built. The Rose cottage and The Old Shop, Manor Cottages and Green Close, all date to this time. The brewhouse and dovecote within the grounds of the manor are possible earlier from the 16th century. Part of Tower Close dates to the early 18th century and the two garden houses within the manor grounds are late 18th century. The chapel was rebuilt in 1864 but very little of it survives in the new church.