Nympsfield
Encyclopedia
Nympsfield is a village and civil parish in the English county
of Gloucestershire
. It is located around six miles south-west of the town of Stroud
. As well as Nympsfield village, the parish also contains the hamlet
of Cockadilly.
Nympsfield is on the path of a former Roman road
, which ran from Cirencester
to Arlingham
. The village has a pub, the Rose and Crown, a working mans club, both Catholic
and church of England
churches and a Catholic primary school.
Nearby Woodchester Mansion
, an unfinished gothic
mansion, has always been associated with the village, as Nympsfield's history of Catholicism
tied it to the Leigh family, who built the mansion. Parking is just outside the village and a free minibus
to the mansion is operated by volunteers on days when it is open to the public.
Coaley Peak
picnic site is around half a mile from the village. The Tudor
Owlpen Manor
and Hetty Pegler's Tump
(a neolithic long barrow
) are also nearby.
Nympsfield is the home of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Gliding
Club.
and Old English, meaning 'Open land by the holy place'. The Celtic element of the name is nimet (holy place), and the Old English element is feld (field, open space).
The earliest known recording of the village was as Nymdesfelda in 862 AD. In the Domesday Book
, the settlement was recorded as Nimdesfelde.
Counties of England
Counties of England are areas used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. For administrative purposes, England outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly is divided into 83 counties. The counties may consist of a single district or be divided into several...
of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire 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....
. It is located around six miles south-west of the town of Stroud
Stroud, Gloucestershire
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District.Situated below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills at the meeting point of the Five Valleys, the town is noted for its steep streets and cafe culture...
. As well as Nympsfield village, the parish also contains the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Cockadilly.
Nympsfield is on the path of a former Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
, which ran from Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
to Arlingham
Arlingham
Arlingham is a village and civil parish in the Stroud District of Gloucestershire, England. The 200 Census recorded a parish population of 410. The parish occupies a peninsula on a sharp bend in the River Severn. The next parish to the east is Fretherne with Saul.In Passage Road is a fish...
. The village has a pub, the Rose and Crown, a working mans club, both Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
churches and a Catholic primary school.
Nearby Woodchester Mansion
Woodchester Mansion
Woodchester Mansion is an unfinished, Gothic revival mansion house located in Woodchester Park near Nympsfield in Woodchester, Gloucestershire, England...
, an unfinished gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
mansion, has always been associated with the village, as Nympsfield's history of Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
tied it to the Leigh family, who built the mansion. Parking is just outside the village and a free minibus
Minibus
A minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger carrying van. Minibuses have a...
to the mansion is operated by volunteers on days when it is open to the public.
Coaley Peak
Coaley Peak
Coaley Peak is a picnic site and viewpoint in the English county of Gloucestershire.Located about south-west of the town of Stroud overlooking the village of Coaley, Coaley Peak offers of reclaimed farmland with views over the Severn Vale and the Forest of Dean. It is next to a Woodland Trust...
picnic site is around half a mile from the village. The Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
Owlpen Manor
Owlpen Manor
Owlpen Manor is a Tudor Grade I listed manor house of the Mander family, situated in the village of Owlpen in the Stroud district in Gloucestershire, England. There is an associated estate set in a picturesque valley within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
and Hetty Pegler's Tump
Uley Long Barrow
Uley Long Barrow, also known locally as "Hetty Pegler's Tump", is a Neolithic burial mound, near the village of Uley, Gloucestershire, England. Although typically described as a long barrow, the mound is actually a transected gallery grave...
(a neolithic long barrow
Long barrow
A long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period. They are rectangular or trapezoidal tumuli or earth mounds traditionally interpreted as collective tombs...
) are also nearby.
Nympsfield is the home of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
Club.
Etymology
The name 'Nympsfield' is a mix of CelticCeltic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
and Old English, meaning 'Open land by the holy place'. The Celtic element of the name is nimet (holy place), and the Old English element is feld (field, open space).
The earliest known recording of the village was as Nymdesfelda in 862 AD. In the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, the settlement was recorded as Nimdesfelde.