HAWKESBURY & HORTONHISTORY WALK

A 6 mile/9.6 km (3 hour) walk from Hawkesbury Uptonwith fine views and detailed notes on the historicfeatures of the parishes such as Hawkesbury and

Horton Churches, The Somerset Monument, HortonCourt, ‘The Roman Camp’ and much else besides.

OS Explorer Map167Thornbury, Dursley & Yate

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History inspired walk inHawkesbury and Horton parishes

This 6 mile (9.6 km walk) includessome outstanding Cotswold andSevern Vale views as well as passingby many historic features andassociations in the parishes of bothHawkesbury and Horton. It startsfrom Hawkesbury Village Hall carpark (honesty box for contributions),but, before you turn right out of thecar park, look at the large house onthe left. Formerly a doctor's surgery,this was, for a time, Hawkesbury'sVicarage

.Having turned right out of the carpark continue on the pavement for550yds (500m) until you see theancient Drover’s Pool on the left handside of the road.

In past times this provided a wateringplace for cattle and sheep beingdriven along Bath Lane (originally aprincipal route to Bath and part of theancient Ridgeway)

Staying on the right hand side of theroad, and just after the junction withStarveall Lane, pass through thekissing gate into a field. Follow thepermissive path along the hedgewhich runs parallel to the main roaduntil you arrive at the large monumenttower.

H a w k e s b u ry Monument, pro p e r l yknown as The Somerset Monument,was completed in 1846 on the site ofthe earlier bowling green dating from1669. It was erected to commemorateGeneral Lord Robert Edward HenrySomerset who died in 1842; he was amember of the Beaufort family ofBadminton, and a campaigner withWellington in the Napoleonic wars. AtWaterloo he was in command of theHousehold Cavalry Brigade, whichdistinguished itself not less by itsstern and patient endurance of the

Published by the Hawkesbury Upton Rights of Way Group, July 2020

enemy’s fire than by its celebratedcharge on the cuirassiers of Milhaud’scorps. The brigadier was particularlymentioned in Wellington’s despatches,and received the thanks of parliament,as well as the Maria-Theresa andother much-prized foreign orders. Hedied a general and G.C.B. in 1842.The monument, Grade II* listed, is aslightly tapering square stone towerapproximately 100 feet/30 metres highwith an entrance on the north-eastside. It is hoped that one day it will bemade safe again for public access.

Go through the kissing gate andimmediately left through anotherkissing gate and up to the road whereyou turn right and cross over beforedescending the steep hill (14%gradient signed to Wickwar).

The route now takes us left downColdchange Hill which is immediatelyopposite the tower.Earlier names for this hill includeTytherlie Hill (1622) and TitterleyesAsh (1669). Maybe now calledColdchange due to the change intemperature as you ascend the hill!

As you descend the hill after 325yds(300m) views to the left are glimpsedthrough the hedges and the trees.

After a further 430yds (400m) turn leftthrough the gate opposite the cottageand opposite the turning toHillesley/Alderley and proceed alongold Hawkesbury Road. This lane runsbetween hedges at first and thenthrough a gate into open countryside.

This huge pastoral amphitheatre ofbanks and ridges is known as TheSands or The Great Sands. Each ofHawkesbury’s several tithings had twoopen or common fields in whichmedieval tenants held strips of landwithin furlongs (the longest stretch ateam of oxen could plough beforecoming to a rest). On slopes theplough ridges tended to form thecurved terraces which are clearly seenin this relict landscape. On the hillslopes these terraces were known as‘ l y n c h e s ’ or ‘lynchets'. The soil,although not a true sand, is morefriable than that of the clay vale or thestony plateau and the name wasprobably descriptive.

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At the far end of the track across TheSands (just before the exit gate) thereis a sign indicating an optionalpermissive route to the top of TheKnoll.

An interesting diversion for theenergetic is to climb the steep-sidedKnoll which has been used since pre-historic times for ritual andcelebratory occasions. The view fromthe Knoll opens out over the SevernVale. To w a rds the south-west theexpanse of Lower Woods can be seenbeyond segments of Inglestone andHawkesbury commons, whilst to then o rth the scarp edge continuesaround, sheltering Hillesley, Alderleyand Wotton-under-Edge.

Back at track level again, to the rightis a pond which is the remnant of amediaeval series of fishponds. Thefarm beyond the pond is Court Farm

and it was from here that offenders inpast times might be ‘frog-marched’(our guess!) along Frog Lane to thetop of Gallows Hill which was on theelevated area at the top ofColdchange Hill. The right ofmaintaining a private gallows (and ofhanging thereon those felons caught& tried in their jurisdiction) was oftengranted to Lords of the Manor. In the‘hundred of ‘Grimbaldesesse’ theseincluded Hawkesbury, Hort o n ,Wickwar, & Alderley.

Pass through the gate at the end ofThe Sands and immediately in front ofyou is St Mary’s Church. But beforeentering the churchyard, walk alongthe road to the left a little way and youwill see in the field on your left twolarge walnut trees (there were threeand a small replacement can be seento their left).

This field was the site of HawkesburyManor House. Abandonment of themanor house was soon after 1770when Amelia, the wife of Sir CharlesJenkinson, died, soon after the birth oftheir first and only son, later LordLiverpool, prime minister 1812-1821.

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The only pictorial evidence so fardiscovered of the manor house site is ofthe doorway between the manor houseand church as a sketch and also in anearly photograph, probably takenaround 1900, and again in a paintingfrom 1885.

However there is a another sad talewhich may or may not be related to thefinal abandonment of the Manor Houseand runs thus.The Paston - Jenkinson legenddescribed in 1845 by one R.W.Huntley runs as follows:“A melancholy accident is said to haveoccurred there something more than acentury ago, in consequence of whichthe family deserted it, and it hassubsequently been taken down. SirRobert Jenkinson, then in possession ofHawkesbury, learnt that his favouritedaughter had admitted the addresses ofMr Paston, lord of the adjoining parishof Horton, who was a strictcommunicant of the Church of Rome,and a warm adherent of the royal lineof Stuart, while Sir Robert was a firmsupporter of the House of Hanover,and a determined Protestant: hetherefore took the earliest occasion,when Mr Paston visited atHawkesbury, of dismissing him as asuitor, and forbidding him his house.The young lover, on leaving the place,cast a look towards the building andperceived the lady at an upper window;

he kissed his hand as a parting salute;when she, leaning forward to return it,fell together with a part of the window,which was extremely ancient, into thecourt-yard below, and perished in thesight of her father, who was also awitness of the catastrophe.”

Having mused on this sad story, retraceyour steps and have a look at ChurchFarm House (1506) on your right.

To d a y, church houses might beconsidered the forgotten buildings ofa rchitectural, church and parishhistory. Few remain in recognizableform, those that do being mainly in theWest Country, particularly in Devonand Somerset. In other cases survivingexamples may go unrecognised forwhat they once were. Gloucestershirehad its fair share of church houses andone of the best still to survive is that atHawkesbury Church Farm.

For a period of about two hundredyears from the mid 15th to the early17thC the most important building in a

community after the parish churchwas the church house. It provided avenue for those secular events andentertainments which, by the middleof the 15thC, were considered bychurch authorities inappropriate forthe nave of the church.

Responsibility for maintaining thefabric of the nave fell on theparishioners and traditionally moneyfor this had been raised by holding theso-called Church Ales within thec h u rch or churc h y a rd. These weregreat occasions of eating, drinkingand merry-making when parishionerswould gather, often with visitors fromneighbouring parishes, to spend theirmoney.

As a result of the growing disapprovalby the church hierarchy it becamenecessary for parishioners to find a‘place of their own’; so church housescame into being. Most church houseswere built with a large upper roomopen to the rafters, often having aseparate entrance with an externalstaircase.

The fireplace for baking, and thebrewing areas, would be downstairs.In addition the Hawkesbury churchhouse also stored corn & grain to besold for church funds and 'tymbre &other necessaries’ things for repairingthe church fabric. It also served, whennecessary, as a ‘dwelling house for

the pore men of the seid p’ishe’. Amulti-purpose building.

Time now to visit The Parish Churchof St Mary the Vi rgin, tranquillylocated beneath the historic Knoll andone of the highlights of this walk.

It’s worth taking a walk around the oldgraveyard and (if it is open) at thebeautiful simple interior of the church.

The present St. Mary's Church, ofNorman origins, was built on the siteof an earlier Saxon church whichp robably had a thatched roof andconsisted of a single stone built hallwith outbuildings to house the clergy.One of its illustrious incumbents wasWulfstan who was born around 1008and who eventually became prior ofWo rcester Cathedral. He wascanonized in 1203 and his remainsw e re re i n t e rred in Wo rc e s t e rCathedral in the presence of KingH e n ry III. He allegedly became avegetarian after over-indulging on awell-fattened goose and is noted for

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his attempts to stop the slave tradebetween Britain and Ireland. Most of themore elaborate memorial tablets in thechurch are to members of the Jenkinsonfamily who were Lords Of the Manorfrom 1618 until recently.

The present church consists of a chancelwith a south chapel, a nave with southaisle, a tower to the west, north andsouth porches with chambers over bothporches. From east to west the length is120 feet (36.5m) with a width of 70 feet(21.3m) including the two porches.It was described by Arthur Mee in hisbook on Gloucestershire as “Thechurchyard filled with hoary altar tombs,the fine topiary hedge of clipped yews,which encompassed them on three sidesand is shaped into 34 arches, the oldvicarage with its many gables, and thefarm buildings about it, make amemorable group”.

Wulfstan and the Roasted GooseThe duration of Wulfstan's stay atHawkesbury is uncertain, but in Williamof Malmesbury’s Vita Wulfstani, writtenin about 1125, is related the incident of aroasting goose:

“Bishop Brihtheah, as I have told you,had advanced him [Wulfstan] from minororders to the priesthood, and thereon hadcommitted to him the church ofHawkesbury. Wulfstan was then barelycome to manhood, yet he did not givethought to the pleasures of the world as a

young man might. Meanwhile he did notaltogether eschew savoury meats, andone day he ordered a goose to be roasted.

The fowl was spitted and ro a s t i n g ,carefully tended by the scullion. In theheat of the fire the dripping began to runfrom it. Some of the servants were puttinghot coals under. Some were making readythe sauce. The savoury smell made theirmouths run with water; they could notrefrain from saying how good it was.Even Wulfstan was ensnared, and hissoul melted in delight, as it wereforetasting the goose.

And now the table was all but laid, whenhe and his steward were called forth fromthe house on a business which cameuntimely but could not be delayed. So hewent empty away, and began to find faultin his lust of a moment. How weak wasthe flesh that could so be tempted to evil.The pleasure passed quickly away: thesin remained. He exacted from himselfthis penalty: that he should pay for thei n o rdinate desire of one hour byperpetual abstinence. He made a vow,and kept it, that he would never again eatthat kind of food.”

After leaving Hawkesbury, Wu l f s t a nreturns to Wo rc e s t e r, later becomingschoolmaster, precentor, sacristan, prior,and eventually bishop.

Turn left out of the churchyard, (or, if notvisiting the church, turn right along the

road) with Church Farm House onyour right to the junction (220 yds,200 m).

At this point you may wish to take ashort (175yds/150m) deviation byfollowing the road bearing right at thejunction to have a look at Pound Farmon the left and Court Farm on theright. The big ash tree on the right bythe entrance to Court Farm is the siteof the old pound (for ‘empounding’straying animals). Court Farm as thename implies was where wrongdoerswere tried and, if sufficiently heinousa crime (like stealing a sheep!), theaccused was taken along Frog Lane toGallows Hill.

If you have taken this detour, return tothe junction and turn right, signpostedto Horton, (a left turn if you haveomitted the deviation!). We now havea stretch of minor road walking butthere are good views of the Cotswoldescarpment to the left and of openfields and Hawkesbury Common andLower Woods Nature Reserve to theright The road dips and twists for 0.6

miles (1km) until you arrive at UpperChalkley Farm on the right.

There are still some remnants ofmedieval fish ponds here and you canglimpse one next to the road just afterthe farmhouse.

Fishponds, designed for the breedingand stocking of fresh-water fish, werea normal feature of most manorialestates during the Middle Ages, likedovecotes and rabbit warrens theyseem to have been a manorialprivilege and an important statussymbol providing a readily obtainablealternative to red meat for the lord’sdining table during Lent and othertimes.

Privately owned, they were usuallysited close to the domestic buildings ofthe manor where there was suitabledrainage. Most fishponds were ofsimple construction, consisting of twoor three small rectangular flat-bottomed basins formed by dammingan existing watercourse. A series ofsluices would have controlled the flow

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of water from the supplying stream to theindividual ponds. Sometimes, as atUpper Chalkley, an additional leat wasbuilt which would have carr i e dfloodwater around the ponds.

Continue for a further 975 yds (900m)until you arrive at Horton Church andHorton Court. The attractive façade ofHorton Court has been used in a numberof films including Poldark and Wo l fHall. It has been recently renovated bythe National Trust and the Norman Hall,Tudor Ambulatory and much of thegardens are now open to the public atcertain times. (it is well worth a visit socheckhttps://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/p l a c e - p a g e s / 1 8 0 / p a g e s / o p e n i n g - t i m e s -calendar for opening times)

Horton Court which is a Grade I listedbuilding includes a rare 12th CenturyNorman Hall and the hall in the mainhouse has been dated to between 1482and 1519 by analysing tree rings in thetimbers.

The house was rebuilt by Rev. WilliamKnight in about 1521 and still contains a1520s fireplace, a survivor from theperiod when the house underw e n tsignificant development. Between 1519 and 1521 Rev. Knight(who was later sent to Rome by HenryVIII to negotiate his divorce fro mCatherine of Aragon) expanded thehouse, adding a new well-glazed eastfaçade, but also incorporating much ofthe original historic buildings, whichhave left Horton Court with a mix ofstyles and periods.

The final development of the house camein the early 1920s when the owner -restoring the house which had lain emptyduring World War I - built inward intothe courtyard, making some parts of thehouse quite dark.

Horton Court was bought in 1937 byHilda Wills, a daughter of the Bristoltobacco family, who donated it to theNational Trust in 1946.

The Anglican church of St James theElder is also a Grade I listed building,

originally built in the twelfth centuryand rebuilt in the fourteenth century,with alterations in the fifteenth andsixteenth centuries and restorations in1865.

Now continue along the road for a325yds/300m ignoring the firstkissing gate on the left (marked‘Monarch’s Way/ Court To Fort’) untilyou reach a gate and stile withfootpath sign on the left.

Pass over this stile and bear slight;lyleft up the hill a short distance to thekissing gate marked ‘Cotswold Way/Court To Fort’ leading into a woodedarea.

A short zig-zag up the path throughthe trees takes you to to a kissing gateat the top. Follow along the field edgeon the right with extensive and

outstanding views across the SevernVale. After 215yds/200m or so thepath leads into the National Tr u s tmanaged area of Horton Camp.

The earthworks are known locally as‘The Roman Camp’ but is really anI ron Age hillfort. It covers 4.4h e c t a res on the edge of theescarpment, which forms a naturaldefence. The remainder of the area issurrounded by a double rampart andditches rising to 4m. The outerrampart is less sharp than the inner,and appears either to be unfinished,or to have been deliberatelydemolished.

The Camp has another significanthistorical connection in that 1471saw Edward IV driven into exile inFlanders, and Henry VI resumes thethrone.

E d w a rd IV returns and defeatsLancastrian forces at Barnet;meanwhile Margaret, wife of HenryVI, raises forces in the south-west andm a rches to Bristol. In re s p o n s e ,

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Edward advances to Malmesbury, andon Thursday 2nd May passes throughSherston and Badminton, and occupiesthe Roman camp. The opposing armiesfinally meet at Te w k e s b u ry, whereMargaret’s forces are defeated. Henry VIis later murdered in the Tower of Londonand Edward is restored.

After viewing the earthworks, you couldmake a short diversion to the interestingMillennium Owl and Swallow Towerand view from afar the attractive gardensand Widdenhill House (originally guttedby fire in 1928) plus splendid views.

Pass through the kissing gate at the farside of the earthworks and take a look atthe tower and view before retracing yoursteps to the earthworks.

The way-marked route at the right handedge of the mounds is stepped and verysteep. Take the easier route diagonally upthe ridge and down the other side. Exitthe Camp by the kissing gate in the righthand corner of the field. Turn left alongthe road known as Highfield Lane

You are now on the high plateau andviews from here are extensive across theSevern Vale. You can see both SevernBridges and the mountains of SouthWales.

Continue along Highfield Lane for about450yds (415m) up the incline to thecorner where the lane bears left and takethe footpath on the left steeply downt h rough the trees way-markedMonarch’s Way.

Continue down this attractive path forabout 300yds (275m) to a pathjunction where you turn right.

This is now the Cotswold Way whichwe follow for most of the remainderof the walk. The large beeches in thispart of the wood are ancient andspectacular and the garlic flowers inspring are equally so.

The path leaves the wood through akissing gate with a commemorativeplaque on the post naming the wood“ J a n e ’s Magic Wood”. A w e l ldeserved epithet!

Follow Cotswold Way signs throughattractive open countryside for about350 yards (320m) where the pathbears right ( i g n o re left path) a n dheads diagonally across the openfield.

Turn left along the path running nextto the hedgeline and parallel to theroad for about 600 yds (540m)

This is now both the Coswold Way andthe Monarch’s Way, the latter sonamed in memory of the escape routeof Charles II and his supporters whoallegedly passed through Hawkesburyparish.

It is reported that: ‘after the battle ofWorcester, on 3rd September 1651,many of the fleeing Royalist troopspassed this way, and that the skeletonof a Highlander, still clutching hisclaymore, had been found in LowerWoods, and that quantities of arms ofthe period, some richly wrought, havebeen discovered in the thatch of oldhouses’. This refers to events in theCivil War (1643-51).

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ignore left path,follow walker toright

The Monarch’s Way/Cotswold Way nowjoins the yellow dust track known asBath Lane (bridle way sign) where youturn left along the track.

Stay on this yellow track until you seefootpath signs in the hedge on the left.I g n o re these but shortly after t h i s ,turn right along the clear t r a c krunning along the right hand side ofthe next hedge (you will have passedtwo right hand hedges running at rightangles to the track before this).

This leads you through a kissing gateinto the sports field. Go diagonally leftacross the field to the right of thepavilion and through the small grove oftrees to another kissing gate where youturn left.

This leads you into the car park of TheBeaufort Arms (which is well worth avisit as is The Fox Inn across the road tothe right!), turn left and cross over theroad to return to the Village Hall.

Walk devised by Gef Lucena

Photos: Gef & Genny Lucena

Map: Terry Truebody

Route description checker: Liz Howard

The Hawkesbury Upton Rights ofWay Group would like to dedicatethis walk to the memory of the late

Jill Martin who provided thehistorical notes,

Also thanks to Barrie Hope and theHawkesbury Historical Society for

additional information and assistance

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Follow track running along theright hand side of hedge (houses

visible in distance)

The Hawkesbury Upton Rights of Way Group has published a booklet of 10 localwalks which is available in printed form from local outlets or downloadable from

the village website as below.

http://www.hawkesburyupton.com/index.html (see rights of way section fordownloadable versions of our 10 Walks Around Hawkesbury)