Sapperton, Gloucestershire
Encyclopedia
Sapperton is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold District
of Gloucestershire
in England
, about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west of Cirencester
. It is most famous for Sapperton canal tunnel
and its connection with the Cotswold
Arts and Crafts Movement
in the early 20th century. It has a population of 424.
The parish includes the villages of Sapperton and Frampton Mansell
. The outlying hamlet of Daneway lies in the parish of Bisley
, but is nearer to the village of Sapperton and often considered a part of it.
of 1086 lists the village as Sapleton.
There are many interesting buildings in Sapperton associated with the leading designers of the Arts and Crafts movement
in the area, as well as the church, primary school, and a pub.
Sir Robert Atkyns
, the county historian and author of The Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire (1712), lived in the manor house
of the village, now demolished, in the early 18th century. The manor was later acquired by the Bathurst
family, who still own most of the village and land.
Most of the buildings in the eastern part of the village
were built (or rebuilt) under the patronage of the Bathurst family in the Cotswold Arts and Crafts style. Upper Dorvel House and Beechanger, designed and built by the brothers Ernest (died 1925) and Sidney Barnsley (died 1926)
, and the Leasowes, built by their colleague Ernest Gimson
(d. 1919) are to the north-east of the Church.
Norman Jewson
(1884-1975), friend and associate of Gimson, and son-in-law to Ernest Barnsley, lived at Bachelors' Court. His memoir, By Chance I did Rove (1952; twice reprinted) of village life and his association with the Gimson circle at the turn of the twentieth century is recognised as a minor classic of Cotswold literature.
St Kenelm is the parish church. It was last rebuilt during Queen Anne's
reign. It contains a monument
to Sir Robert Atkyns
and another to Sir Henry and Lady Anne Poole.
Cotswold (district)
Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire in England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region. Its main town is Cirencester....
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....
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west of 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...
. It is most famous for Sapperton canal tunnel
Sapperton Canal Tunnel
The Sapperton Canal Tunnel is a tunnel on the Thames and Severn Canal near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, England. It was the longest canal tunnel, and the longest tunnel of any kind, in England from 1789 to 1811....
and its connection with the Cotswold
Cotswold
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in central England that give their name to:*Cotswold *Cotswold *Cotswold Chase, a horse race*Cotswold Games, annual games in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire...
Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
in the early 20th century. It has a population of 424.
The parish includes the villages of Sapperton and Frampton Mansell
Frampton Mansell
Frampton Mansell is a small settlement 5 miles ESE of Stroud, in the parish of Sapperton. It is situated off the A419 road from Cirencester to Stroud. In the village there is a church, St Luke's which was built in 1843 by the then Lord Bathurst....
. The outlying hamlet of Daneway lies in the parish of Bisley
Bisley, Gloucestershire
Bisley is a village in Gloucestershire, England, approximately east of Stroud. The parish is today united administratively with the adjoining parish of Lypiatt and the two are usually referred to as Bisley-with-Lypiatt...
, but is nearer to the village of Sapperton and often considered a part of it.
History and architecture
The Domesday BookDomesday 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...
of 1086 lists the village as Sapleton.
There are many interesting buildings in Sapperton associated with the leading designers of the Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
in the area, as well as the church, primary school, and a pub.
Sir Robert Atkyns
Robert Atkyns (topographer)
Sir Robert Atkyns was a topographer, antiquary, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his county history, the Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire.-Life:...
, the county historian and author of The Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire (1712), lived in the manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of the village, now demolished, in the early 18th century. The manor was later acquired by the Bathurst
Earl Bathurst
Earl Bathurst, of Bathurst in the County of Sussex, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1772 for Allen Bathurst, 1st Baron Bathurst. He was a politician and an opponent of Sir Robert Walpole...
family, who still own most of the village and land.
Most of the buildings in the eastern part of the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
were built (or rebuilt) under the patronage of the Bathurst family in the Cotswold Arts and Crafts style. Upper Dorvel House and Beechanger, designed and built by the brothers Ernest (died 1925) and Sidney Barnsley (died 1926)
Barnsley brothers
Ernest and Sidney Barnsley were Arts and Crafts movement furniture designers and makers associated with Ernest Gimson. In the early 20th century they had workshops at Sapperton, Gloucestershire....
, and the Leasowes, built by their colleague Ernest Gimson
Ernest Gimson
Ernest William Gimson was an English furniture designer and architect. Gimson was described by the art critic Nikolaus Pevsner as "the greatest of the English architect-designers"...
(d. 1919) are to the north-east of the Church.
Norman Jewson
Norman Jewson
Norman Jewson was an English architect-craftsman of the Arts and Crafts movement, who practiced in the Cotswolds. He was a distinguished, younger member of the group which had settled in Sapperton, Gloucestershire, a feudal village in rural southwest England, under the influence of Ernest Gimson...
(1884-1975), friend and associate of Gimson, and son-in-law to Ernest Barnsley, lived at Bachelors' Court. His memoir, By Chance I did Rove (1952; twice reprinted) of village life and his association with the Gimson circle at the turn of the twentieth century is recognised as a minor classic of Cotswold literature.
St Kenelm is the parish church. It was last rebuilt during Queen Anne's
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
reign. It contains a monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
to Sir Robert Atkyns
Robert Atkyns (topographer)
Sir Robert Atkyns was a topographer, antiquary, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his county history, the Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire.-Life:...
and another to Sir Henry and Lady Anne Poole.
Population
- 1086 - 39 tenants (parish)
- 1801 - 351
- 1901 - 422
- 1961 - 377
Famous people
- Charles ICharles I of EnglandCharles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
stayed at Sapperton House on 13 July 1644. - George III came here to view the making of the Sapperton TunnelSapperton TunnelThe Sapperton Tunnels are located about seven miles East South East of Stroud in Gloucestershire, England.-History:The railway tunnel was begun by the Cheltenham and Great Western Union railway in 1839 and taken over by the Great Western Railway in 1843, being completed in 1845.There are three in...
in 1788. - Sir Richard Stafford CrippsStafford CrippsSir Richard Stafford Cripps was a British Labour politician of the first half of the 20th century. During World War II he served in a number of positions in the wartime coalition, including Ambassador to the Soviet Union and Minister of Aircraft Production...
is buried here.
See also
- Sapperton TunnelSapperton TunnelThe Sapperton Tunnels are located about seven miles East South East of Stroud in Gloucestershire, England.-History:The railway tunnel was begun by the Cheltenham and Great Western Union railway in 1839 and taken over by the Great Western Railway in 1843, being completed in 1845.There are three in...
- Sapperton Canal TunnelSapperton Canal TunnelThe Sapperton Canal Tunnel is a tunnel on the Thames and Severn Canal near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, England. It was the longest canal tunnel, and the longest tunnel of any kind, in England from 1789 to 1811....
- Frampton MansellFrampton MansellFrampton Mansell is a small settlement 5 miles ESE of Stroud, in the parish of Sapperton. It is situated off the A419 road from Cirencester to Stroud. In the village there is a church, St Luke's which was built in 1843 by the then Lord Bathurst....
- Ernest GimsonErnest GimsonErnest William Gimson was an English furniture designer and architect. Gimson was described by the art critic Nikolaus Pevsner as "the greatest of the English architect-designers"...
- Norman JewsonNorman JewsonNorman Jewson was an English architect-craftsman of the Arts and Crafts movement, who practiced in the Cotswolds. He was a distinguished, younger member of the group which had settled in Sapperton, Gloucestershire, a feudal village in rural southwest England, under the influence of Ernest Gimson...
- Peter WaalsPeter WaalsPeter Waals , also known as Peter van der Waals, was a Dutch cabinet maker associated with the Arts and Crafts movement.-Arts and Crafts:...
- Cirencester HouseCirencester HouseCirencester House , at Cirencester in Gloucestershire, England, is the seat of the Bathurst family, Earls Bathurst. Allen Bathurst, the first Earl Bathurst , inherited the estate on the death of his father, Sir Benjamin Bathurst, in 1704...
- Earl BathurstEarl BathurstEarl Bathurst, of Bathurst in the County of Sussex, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1772 for Allen Bathurst, 1st Baron Bathurst. He was a politician and an opponent of Sir Robert Walpole...