Stoke Gifford Parish Council
South Gloucestershire
www.stokegifford.org.uk
History of Stoke Gifford
|
|
Stoke Gifford Parish Council |
|
History of Stoke Gifford |
The Village History of Stoke Gifford by Ros Broomhead, is no longer in print but a pdf copy can be downloaded from this page.
A more extensive history of the village will soon be available at www.akk.me.uk
Stoke Gifford took it's name from Osberne Giffard who came from the town of Longueville le Giffard, now called Longueville sur Scie, in Normandy.
Landscape of the Past Available from your local library |
|
|
"The parish of Stoke Giffard lies in the hundred of Henbury, 4 miles distant north of Bristol, 6 miles South West from Sodbury and 32 miles South West from Gloucester. It has the additional name of Giffard from its belonging to the family of Giffards of Brimpsfield. Duns-a-Thane held Stoke in Gedbury hundred in the reign of Edward the Confessor. Osbern Giffard held it in the reign of King William the Conqueror. It was taxed at 5 hides . . . there were 12 plow tillages where 8 were in demean . . . it paid a yearly rent of 6 pounds in King Edward's reign . . . it paid 8 pounds yearly in King William's reign."
Brief History
After 1066 William the Conqueror gave the manor to Osbern Giffard, one of his generals. It remained in the Giffard family until 1337 when it was granted to Maurice de Berkeley. This happened after the death of the widow of Sir John Giffard, who was executed in 1324 after he had raided Edward II's baggage train. The king sent an army to destroy the family seat of Brimpsfield Castle "so that not one stone should stand upon another". Before this he had entered Gloucester by hiding in a bale of wool and captured the city. This was where he was hung, drawn and quartered. There is now no trace of the monument to his memory in Stoke Gifford (mentioned by a l7th century chronicler) but his effigy is in Leckhampton Church. His confiscated manors were given to the king's favourite Hugh Despenser, and after the King's murder to Sir John Matravers who married into the Berkeley family. The Giffard family had an aggressive reputation, having taken part in the Barons' Revolt in King John's time. Other Giffards had defied the abbot and sheriff of Gloucester. One Sir John Giffard-le-Rych was granted Llandovery Castle as a Marcher Lord and married Maud, the widow of the Earl of Salisbury. Their daughter became St. Katherine of Ledbury. There is a St. Katherine's well in nearby Bredon.
The Berkeley family held the manor for four centuries. Their home was Stoke Park, (sometimes called Stoke House) which was rebuilt in 1760 by Norborne Berkeley, Lord Botetourt, the last of the Stoke Gifford Berkeleys. He became the Governor of Virginia, USA and after his death in Williamsburg in 1770 his sister Elizabeth and her husband, the fourth Duke of Beaufort, were granted the Manor.
In 1878 the Duke of Beaufort leased Stoke Park to Admiral Close, a dynamic and controversial war veteran, who with his wife became much involved with the Church and villagers. In 1907 the Duke sold it to the Reverend Harold Nelson Burden and his first wife Katherine who were great philanthropists and founded Stoke Park Colony for children in need of "Care and Control".
The rest of the Duke's property in Stoke Gifford was sold in 1915, mostly to sitting tenants. Although the Duke remained Lay Rector the patronage of the benefice at this time was passed to the Reverend Burden, and after his death to his second wife Gladys.
After her death the Bishop of Bristol became patron.
Although we know that the Romans invaded Britain in AD46 and that Queen Boadicea with the Iceni fought against them in AD61 it was not until the 3rd Century that we know they were in Stoke Gifford. In the 1970's and 1980's excavations of the area between Hatchet Lane and the railway line (Smithy's field) made by Bristol University revealed a Roman settlement with hearths, ovens, nails, coins, etc., and two skeletons facing East. In the Bradley Stoke area a Saxon spear and other artefacts were to be found and a Saxon hedge still grows there. Continuous occupation between the l2th and l8th Centuries was suggested in the Mead Road and Parsonage Field areas. This was the site of the Giffard Manor House, later used as a farmhouse, where a Redcliffe louver and glazed jugs were found. At an earlier time the manor may have been near the church. On North Road 'Silverdale' was one of the Duke of Beaufort's hunting lodges and may have been used by King Edward VII. The grooms slept above the stables. Later on it was the Compass Inn before it became a private house. What is now the Green was once parkland and the village green was in the Rock Lane area A tithe bam and a 17th century farmhouse stood here as recently as the 1980's as did the Smithy opposite the Green, all of which were demolished to make way for housing. The grazing common was at the bottom of Mead Road where ghosts of donkeys, goats and cattle were reputedly seen. After many additions to the old parsonage and gradual disrepair a new vicarage was built in the 1860's when several farms and the Old School on the green were built by the Duke of Beaufort (note the Beaufort B and crown seen on many buildings in the parish).
The parish consists of the main village, Little Stoke, parts of Bradley Stoke, Harry Stoke and Nowhere which is on Hambrook Lane. Its neighbours are Winterbourne, Filton, Hambrook, Patchway, Almondsbury, Frenchay and Stapleton. In the old days the ceremony of "Beating the Bounds" would take place on the nearest quarter day to Ascension Day where the Vicar and parishioners would walk around these boundaries and boys with sticks would beat on the boundary stones.
There was an ancient track way, the Patchway, which would have connected some of these parishes, branching off the Roman road from Gloucester to Sea Mills. It may have followed Stoke Brook from Gypsy Patch Lane towards Coldharbour Lane.
Until the 1930's the Poor Law was administered by the Churchwardens - the peoples warden and the vicars warden - with the help of the vicar and church council. They saw to the welfare of the poor and also to law and order to a certain extent. The Ministry of Health took over health matters in 1918. Parish records in the church-wardens' account book of 1663 showed that Sir Richard Berkeley paid 18s 6d (92 1/2p) a month parish tax and with others this brought the income to £16.6s.1d. (£16.30 1/2p) This covered the rent of 5/- (25p) a quarter to Sir Richard and an extra sum for Christmas. In 1711 warrants were issued for disturbance and bad behaviour. There was an ancient tree near the old entrance to Bailey's Court land near the end of Mead Road called the watch elm where "in former times those met who were appointed to do watch and ward it is so very ancient that no man living can remember it in a sound state. What remains of it now is in a manner dead only that part of which you see represented a flourishing young head which is even now fresh and lively. The circumference of the trunk is forty one feet. Its height at the lowest part where it seems to have broken down is eight feet." It was blown down by the wind in 1760 (written in a 1765 population survey). It disappeared altogether in about 1860.
In this area there was a boundary dispute with Winterbourne over gleaning rights. After the harvest every parishioner had the right to gather left over corn in certain fields. Two women were chosen to fight for each side and Stoke Gifford won. This was when the village was purely agricultural and 50 families were living here.
There were some famous members of the Berkeley family. Sir William who was knighted by William III fled overseas after the battle of Bosworth. His estates were seized by Henry VII but he was later pardoned. Sir Richard who built Stoke Park lived during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth I & James I. Sir Maurice who sat in King Charles I parliament was described as a man who "with much quiet reapeth the fruit of a peaceable country life at Stoke Gifford, ancient and often mentioned seat of his ancestors."
The l0th Duke of Beaufort was host to Queen Mary (widow of George V) during the 2nd world war and was master of the horse to Queen Elizabeth II. He also initiated the Badminton Horse Trials on his estate. The Giffards held the manor for more than 200 years, the Berkeleys for more than 300 years and the Beauforts for 145 years.
There were 3 manors in the parish. The Giffards and Berkeleys held Stoke and Walls. Harry Stoke was a separate manor held by Aldred in Saxon times, Theobald in Norman times and the Blount and De Filton families in mediaeval times. The Berkeleys bought it in the l6th century. With a background of such outstanding people we can well be proud of others - Parson Parker in the l9th century published a little book of letters to his congregation during his illness and opened a library on the proceeds of the sale. Admiral Close, an old seafarer, came to live in Stoke Park until he quarrelled with the Duke of Beaufort over the rights of tenant farmers. Later on he became High Sheriff of Bristol. The Reverend Burden with his first and second wives, Katharine & Gladys did great pioneering and caring work for the handicapped at Stoke Park. In the 20th century many characters can be remembered with affection - Fred Curtis the formidable verger & jolly Charlie Iles, who took the children on his horse and cart to the station for their outings - to name but two.
|
|
|
Reproduced by kind permisssion of Harold A Lane |
As the 21st century approaches Stoke Park is still there. From the M32 the Dower House can be seen in noble splendour looking down on the Star Hill monument and the Duchess's Pond surrounded by grazing sheep in a truly pastoral setting. An old bridge crossing Coldharbour Road by its gates had to be demolished when the motorway was built. It connected the family seat to Berkeley and the Old Gloucester Road.
Stoke Gifford's own University (UWE) stands between here and Hewlett Packard, who sensitively restored Walls Court with its model farm. The DuPont and other buildings are on Coldharbour Farm's land. The Abbeywood (MOD) complex is now where there was open cast mining by the Harry Stoke Fault.
Filton High School and Soundwell College on New Road are on land where there was a lime kiln using marl, limestone and sandstone from the area.
Sun Life and Sainsbury's have been built on the mushroom fields leading from the railway arch to The Paddocks farm (still occupied). Court Farm on the Green was restored by experts and Baileys Court became a public house, but Little Stoke Farm deteriorated so much that it had to be demolished and the land used for housing. As with Harry Stoke, Little Stoke was a hamlet with a farm and a few cottages reached by a very narrow lane where the silence was only disturbed by the birdsong and the twice daily trip to the farm by the cows with their swishy tails on their way to milking.
And still stands St. Michael's Church by Parkway Station and The Green, having survived storm & tempest, Kings & Queens, Oliver Cromwell and the Kensitites, but held in reverence and affection by so many generations - past, present and future.
The Norman font reminds us that for centuries children were of fundamental importance to the growth of the church and countless children have been baptised here. The Sunday School movement inspired by Robert Raikes in the eighteenth century encouraged children to attend church with their parents every Sunday morning (in the old box pews) then on to the new Sunday School building near the green, and in the afternoon to learn the catechism. Perhaps it was compulsory! In living memory they have certainly enjoyed themselves, taking naturally to worshipping as a family in church and later dispersing to their groups. On the brink of the 21st century St Michael's has catered for the spiritual growth of all young people from the babies in the crèche through PowerPoint and Pathfinders to Reflect for 13 - 18 year olds. The times of the two morning services had been adjusted so that the congregation was more evenly distributed, the earlier service being in the traditional theme and the later one being more modern, but both within the Church of England liturgy. Owing to the dedication of willing leaders the young ones could attend either service and still take part in their groups.
The Playgroup flourishes as do the Scout groups with their small Beavers and the Guides with the little Rainbows, and all help to set a pattern for happy and healthy living. Adults are well catered for, with the house and prayer groups, the Link Club, Men's Breakfast, Ladies get- together etc. and the availability of the very wide Pastoral Care team. Young mothers with or without their children are given special attention, having the opportunity to attend various groups - Meeting Point and Beehive with their very young children or Forum for mothers of school age children. There is a Thrift shop and Library in the Old School Rooms on Thursday and Friday mornings.
When the village was smaller social life was centred on the Church and Baptist chapel. Beetle drives, dances, teas and suppers were usually held in the Assembly Room - a simple building at the back of the Beaufort Arms. Skittles were played at the side, at the Rainbow Club and now at the Parkway Inn. For very many years cricket and football had been played in the fields and clubs had been formed with their own plots in the early twentieth century. Young and old enjoyed walking over the fields or down the lanes watching the seasons change. Children went fishing in the brooks and ponds with their jam-jars and nets, and teenagers met under the rail- way bridge. Sewing meetings and bible classes took place in the Vicarage. Some social events took place in the Poplar Rooms, later The Trust Hall, in the mid-1900's and in 1983 the Vicarage Rooms were made available for small meetings. After a new school was built in 1988 the Old School Rooms were converted for use from I989 under the auspices of the trustees of the Stoke Gifford Church of England School Trust. The Trust's function is to manage the land and buildings and to provide facilities for "promoting religious education in accordance with the doc- trines of the Church of England." The old school was a very welcome acquisition but as things still keep moving hopes for extending are high.
Reproduced with the kind permission of the author ©1997 Ros Broomhead
© Stoke Gifford Parish Council.
A
Ring of Rooks by 
