Portbury
Encyclopedia
Portbury is a village and civil parish
in Somerset
, England within the Unitary Authority
of North Somerset
.The parish includes the hamlet of Sheepway which is situated on the moorland at the northern edge of the Gordano
valley, between the Gordano services
on the M5 motorway
and Portishead
, near the Royal Portbury Dock
. The parish has a population of 830.
.
Portbury is mentioned in the Liber Exoniensis
and was given by William the Conqueror to one of his favourites, Bishop Geoffrey de Montbray
of Coutances — the 'battling bishop' - sword in one hand and crook in the other! It had previously been held by the Godwin family who were the most powerful family in the whole country. Godwin
was Earl of Wessex, Harold, his son, was the loser at Hastings
in 1066. His daughter was queen to Edward the Confessor
. So in Saxon times Portbury must have been an important place but no pre-1066 record or trace exists. So it first appears in written history in the Domesday Book which was for taxation of the Hundred of Portbury
- the sub-division of the shire of Somerset for justice, defence and revenue purposes. There would have existed in Portbury itself a substantial manor house within defensive boundaries that would have held the court and storehouses for grain. The village itself is small but in former times ruled over most of the Gordano valley and the remote satellite enclave of Hamgreen.
In later Norman times Robert Fitzharding
, the Reeve of Bristol, (the King's local representative) was rewarded with the Manor of Portbury. He purchased other local manors and moves between them with his entourage of upwards of 200 people, so the manor house complex yet to be found must be substantial. He was made the first Earl of Berkeley. It is said that his wife Eva never left Portbury after moving there and subsequent Berkeley heirs were brought up there before Berkeley Castle
was made a comfortable home. She founded the 'Whiteladies' convent of St. Mary Magdalene
- 'Maudlin' - hence giving Bristol two of its street names. He founded St. Augustine's Abbey now the Bristol Cathedral
. It is recorded that the Berkeley family preferred to spend Christmas at Portbury.
Descendants of the Berkeley family married into the family of Coke of Holcombe, Norfolk who held the manor until 1784 when it was sold to James Gordon and inherited by William Abdy. On his death in 1870 it was sold to Sir Greville Smyth of Long Ashton
.
Portbury did have its own railway station on the Portishead line until the Beeching axe fell and then the village main street was cut through by the M5 motorway opened in February 1973. Although the M5 is close it has actually made the village much less busy as it was on the main through route from Bristol to Portishead, from St. Georges, Easton in Gordano and on through Sheepway to Old Bristol Road in Portishead. The Rudgleigh — Easton Bypass and the Portbury Hundred either side of the Motorway junction isolated Portbury from through traffic.
groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, such as the village hall
or community centre
, playing field
s and playground
s, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also of interest to the council.
The parish falls within the unitary authority
of North Somerset
which was created in 1996, as established by the Local Government Act 1992. It provides a single tier of local government
with responsibility for almost all local government functions within its area including local planning
and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health
, market
s and fairs, refuse collection, recycling
, cemeteries, crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism
. They are also responsible for education
, social services, libraries
, main roads, public transport
, trading standards
, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service
, Avon and Somerset Constabulary
and the Great Western Ambulance Service
.
North Somerset's area covers part of the ceremonial county
of Somerset
but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters are in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare
. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996, it was the Woodspring district of the county of Avon. Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Long Ashton Rural District
.
The parish is represented in the House of Commons
as part of the Woodspring
county constituency which is to become North Somerset
at next general election. It is also part of the South West England constituency
of the European Parliament
.
Portbury is well served by roads given the nearby M5 and A369 which links to Bristol and Portishead. Part of Royal Portbury Dock
is within the parish.
The parish used to have a railway station
on the Portishead Railway
. The station was closed with the line in the 1960s, though there are efforts to have it reopened, as the track is still present, just overgrown.
The Anglican parish St Mary's Church
dates from the 12th century, with alteration and extension in the 13th and restoration
between 1870 and 1875. It has a Norman doorway and grand fifteenth century porch. Inside there are early Berkeley burials. It is a Grade I listed building.
and Portishead Times
newspapers are delivered to residents free of charge usually by Saturday morning.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England within the Unitary Authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of North Somerset
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....
.The parish includes the hamlet of Sheepway which is situated on the moorland at the northern edge of the Gordano
Gordano Valley
Gordano is an area of North Somerset, in England. It has been designated as a National Nature Reserve.The name Gordano comes from Old English and is descriptive of the triangular shape of the whole valley from Clevedon to Portishead, being the ablative singular of the Latinised form of Gorden...
valley, between the Gordano services
Gordano services
Gordano services is a motorway service station located at junction 19 of the M5 motorway south of Bristol, England. It is owned by Welcome Break. It offers KFC and Burger King food outlets, a general shop, a cafe, toilets and shower facilities....
on the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
and Portishead
Portishead, Somerset
Portishead is a coastal town on the Severn Estuary within the unitary authority of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset England. It has a population of 22,000, an increase of over 3,000 since the 2001 census, with a growth rate of 40 per cent, considerably in excess...
, near the Royal Portbury Dock
Royal Portbury Dock
The Royal Portbury Dock is part of the Port of Bristol, in England. It is situated near the village of Portbury on the southern side of the mouth of the Avon, where the river joins the Severn estuary — the Avonmouth Docks are on the opposite side of the Avon, within Avonmouth...
. The parish has a population of 830.
History
The Romans built a wharf at Portbury for the export of lead and tin from mines on the Mendip HillsMendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
.
Portbury is mentioned in the Liber Exoniensis
Liber Exoniensis
The Liber Exoniensis or Exon Domesday is a composite land and tax register associated with the Domesday Survey of 1086, covering much of Southwest England. It contains a variety of administrative materials concerning the shires of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire...
and was given by William the Conqueror to one of his favourites, Bishop Geoffrey de Montbray
Geoffrey de Montbray
Geoffrey de Montbray , bishop of Coutances , a right-hand man of William the Conqueror, was a type of the great feudal prelate, warrior and administrator at need....
of Coutances — the 'battling bishop' - sword in one hand and crook in the other! It had previously been held by the Godwin family who were the most powerful family in the whole country. Godwin
Godwin, Earl of Wessex
Godwin of Wessex , was one of the most powerful lords in England under the Danish king Cnut the Great and his successors. Cnut made him the first Earl of Wessex...
was Earl of Wessex, Harold, his son, was the loser at Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
in 1066. His daughter was queen to Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
. So in Saxon times Portbury must have been an important place but no pre-1066 record or trace exists. So it first appears in written history in the Domesday Book which was for taxation of the Hundred of Portbury
Portbury (hundred)
The Hundred of Portbury is one of the 40 historical Hundreds in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, dating from before the Norman conquest during the Anglo-Saxon era although exact dates are unknown. Each hundred had a 'fyrd', which acted as the local defence force and a court which was...
- the sub-division of the shire of Somerset for justice, defence and revenue purposes. There would have existed in Portbury itself a substantial manor house within defensive boundaries that would have held the court and storehouses for grain. The village itself is small but in former times ruled over most of the Gordano valley and the remote satellite enclave of Hamgreen.
In later Norman times Robert Fitzharding
Robert Fitzharding
Robert Fitzharding was an Englishman from Bristol who rose to the feudal barony of Berkeley and founded the family which still holds Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, the castle whose construction he started...
, the Reeve of Bristol, (the King's local representative) was rewarded with the Manor of Portbury. He purchased other local manors and moves between them with his entourage of upwards of 200 people, so the manor house complex yet to be found must be substantial. He was made the first Earl of Berkeley. It is said that his wife Eva never left Portbury after moving there and subsequent Berkeley heirs were brought up there before Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK . The castle's origins date back to the 11th century and it has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.The castle has remained within the Berkeley family since they reconstructed it in the...
was made a comfortable home. She founded the 'Whiteladies' convent of St. Mary Magdalene
St Mary Magdalen Nunnery, Bristol
St Mary Magdalen Nunnery was a priory of Augustinian canonesses in Kingsdown, Bristol, England. It was founded c. 1173 and dissolved in 1536...
- 'Maudlin' - hence giving Bristol two of its street names. He founded St. Augustine's Abbey now the Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known as Bristol Cathedral...
. It is recorded that the Berkeley family preferred to spend Christmas at Portbury.
Descendants of the Berkeley family married into the family of Coke of Holcombe, Norfolk who held the manor until 1784 when it was sold to James Gordon and inherited by William Abdy. On his death in 1870 it was sold to Sir Greville Smyth of Long Ashton
Long Ashton
Long Ashton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It falls within the Unitary Authority of North Somerset, a few miles south west of the city of Bristol. The parish has a population of 4,981...
.
Portbury did have its own railway station on the Portishead line until the Beeching axe fell and then the village main street was cut through by the M5 motorway opened in February 1973. Although the M5 is close it has actually made the village much less busy as it was on the main through route from Bristol to Portishead, from St. Georges, Easton in Gordano and on through Sheepway to Old Bristol Road in Portishead. The Rudgleigh — Easton Bypass and the Portbury Hundred either side of the Motorway junction isolated Portbury from through traffic.
Governance
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watchNeighbourhood Watch (UK)
The Neighbourhood Watch scheme in the United Kingdom is a partnership where people come together to make their communities safer. It involves the Police, Community Safety departments of local authorities, other voluntary organisations and, above all, individuals and families who want to make their...
groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, such as the village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
or community centre
Community centre
Community centres or community centers or jumping recreation centers are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole community or for a specialised group within...
, playing field
Playing field
A playing field is a field used for playing sports or games. They are generally outdoors, but many large structures exist to enclose playing fields from bad weather. Generally, playing fields are wide expanses of grass, dirt or sand without many obstructions...
s and playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
s, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also of interest to the council.
The parish falls within the unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of North Somerset
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....
which was created in 1996, as established by the Local Government Act 1992. It provides a single tier of local government
Local government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
with responsibility for almost all local government functions within its area including local planning
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health
Environmental health
Environmental health is the branch of public health that is concerned with all aspects of the natural and built environment that may affect human health...
, market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
s and fairs, refuse collection, recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
, cemeteries, crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. They are also responsible for education
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
, social services, libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, main roads, public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
, trading standards
Trading Standards
Trading Standards is the name given to local authority departments in the UK formerly known as Weights and Measures. These departments investigate commercial organisations that carry out trade in unethical ways or outside the scope of the law.-History:...
, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service
Avon Fire and Rescue Service
Avon Fire & Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service covering the unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire in South West England.-History:...
, Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Avon & Somerset Constabulary is the territorial police force in England responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of Somerset, the city & county of Bristol and the unitary authorities of South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset; before 1996 these districts...
and the Great Western Ambulance Service
Great Western Ambulance Service
The Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust is a UK National Health Service trust providing emergency and non emergency patient transport services to Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire in the South West England region...
.
North Somerset's area covers part of the ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters are in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996, it was the Woodspring district of the county of Avon. Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Long Ashton Rural District
Long Ashton Rural District
Long Ashton was a rural district in Somerset, England, from 1894 to 1974.It was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894.In 1974 it was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 to become part of North Somerset....
.
The parish is represented in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
as part of the Woodspring
Woodspring (UK Parliament constituency)
Woodspring was, from 1983 until 2010, a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
county constituency which is to become North Somerset
North Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)
North Somerset is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
at next general election. It is also part of the South West England constituency
South West England (European Parliament constituency)
South West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation, reduced from 7 in 2004.-Boundaries:...
of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Transport
Royal Portbury Dock
The Royal Portbury Dock is part of the Port of Bristol, in England. It is situated near the village of Portbury on the southern side of the mouth of the Avon, where the river joins the Severn estuary — the Avonmouth Docks are on the opposite side of the Avon, within Avonmouth...
is within the parish.
The parish used to have a railway station
Portbury railway station
Portbury railway station was a railway station serving the village and shipyard of Portbury in Somerset, near Bristol, England. It opened in 1867 and closed in 1962....
on the Portishead Railway
Portishead Railway
The Portishead Railway was a branch line railway running from Portishead in Somerset to the Great Western Main Line in Bristol, England. It was constructed in the 1860s by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway, which was incorporated to build a pier and a broad gauge link to the Bristol and...
. The station was closed with the line in the 1960s, though there are efforts to have it reopened, as the track is still present, just overgrown.
Religious sites
There was a small Augustinian Priory founded in Portbury on land donated by Isabella, Countess of Albemarle in the twelfth century of which there is still a substantial part remaining in the centre of the village.The Anglican parish St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church, Portbury
St Mary's Church in Portbury, Somerset, England is an Anglican parish church close to the M5 motorway. It is a Grade I listed building.It dates from the 12th century, with alteration and extension in the 13th and restoration between 1870 and 1875. It has a Norman doorway and grand fifteenth century...
dates from the 12th century, with alteration and extension in the 13th and restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
between 1870 and 1875. It has a Norman doorway and grand fifteenth century porch. Inside there are early Berkeley burials. It is a Grade I listed building.
Local Newspapers
The local Clevedon MercuryClevedon Mercury
The Clevedon Mercury is a weekly free newspaper delivered to homes in the North Somerset area of south westernEngland. The Clevedon Mercury was set up in 1863 to communicate national news and local happenings. It continues to record the story of the town....
and Portishead Times
Portishead Times
The Portishead Times is a weekly free newspaper delivered to homes in the Portishead and surrounding villages area of North Somerset, England.It can also be bought in local news agents....
newspapers are delivered to residents free of charge usually by Saturday morning.