Grittleton
Grittleton | |
---|---|
Grittleton village (westwards) | |
Location within Wiltshire | |
Population | 539 (in 2011)[1] |
OS grid reference | ST860800 |
Civil parish |
|
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Chippenham |
Postcode district | SN14 |
Dialling code | 01249 |
Police | Wiltshire |
Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
Website | Community site |
Grittleton is a village and
The
History
The Fosse Way Roman road crosses the parish from north to southwest. The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded settlements of 23 households at Gretelintone,[3] 15 at Sevamentone (Sevington)[4] and 16 at Liteltone (Littleton Drew).[5]
The Grittleton estate was bought in 1828 by Joseph Neeld, a London lawyer who had inherited a considerable sum. Over time he replaced the manor house with a much larger building, and built lodges and extensive stables. His philanthropy in the parish included the rebuilding of the near-derelict church at Leigh Delamere and construction of a row of six almshouses nearby; farms were improved and houses were built for estate workers, together with a small private school at Sevington. After Joseph's death in 1856 the estate passed to his brother John.[6]
Schools were built at Grittleton in 1858 (closed 1975) and Littleton Drew in 1850 (closed 1926).[7][8]
Notable buildings
Grittleton House, a large Grade II* listed country house across the road from St Mary's Church, was built between 1832 and 1856 for Joseph Neeld, replacing a 17th-century house.[9] Architects were James Thomson and (later) Henry Clutton. Neeld also built lodges and an extensive stables complex (c. 1835).[10] Between 1951 and 2016 the house was the home of an independent school.
In 1848, Joseph Neeld built a small private school for the children of estate workers at Sevington. Thomson was again the architect, and he re-used stonework, including the bell tower, from the Church of St Margaret of Antioch at Leigh Delamere, which had been rebuilt in 1846.[11] The school closed in 1913 but the schoolroom remained largely unchanged; the schoolroom and schoolteacher's house were designated as Grade II* listed in 1988.[11] Since 1991 the schoolroom has been used as a re-enactment centre for primary school children.[12]
Religious sites
Church of England
All three Church of England parish churches within the modern civil parish are Grade II* listed.
Lands in the Grittleton area were owned in
The tower has six bells, two of them from the late 15th century.[15] Today the church is part of the Bybrook Team Ministry.[16]
All Saints' Church, Littleton Drew, was rebuilt (except for its 15th-century central tower) by T.H. Wyatt in 1856.[17] The date of the previous church is uncertain; the font is from the 13th century and an incumbent was recorded in 1318.[18] The three bells in the tower are from the late 15th and early 16th centuries.[19] A medieval stone cross, found in the church in 1848, was restored and erected in the churchyard north of the church.[20] Stained glass in the east window, 1856, is by C. and A. Gibbs.[17] The benefice of Littleton Drew was united with Nettleton in 1960;[21] today the church is part of the Bybrook Team Ministry.[22]
St Margaret's Church, Leigh Delamere, was built in 1846 at the expense of Joseph Neeld on the site of a 12th-century church; the architect was James Thompson.[23] The benefices of Leigh Delamere and Grittleton were united in 1924.[24] The church was declared redundant in 1992 and is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[25]
Non-conformist
Littleton Drew had a
A Baptist chapel was built at Grittleton c. 1720 and is Grade II* listed.[28] The chapel closed in 1982 and was acquired by the Historic Chapels Trust in 2011.[29]
Local government
The civil parish elects a
Leigh Delamere and Littleton Drew were separate civil parishes until 1934; at the 1841 census their populations were 113 and 251.[30] The parishes included the hamlets of Sevington and The Gibb respectively.[31][32]
The parish is represented in parliament by James Gray and on Wiltshire Council by Jane Scott, both Conservatives.
Notable people
Catherine Stepney, novelist, was born here in 1778.[33] Notable rectors include George Bancroft (translator, 16th century); and Thomas Tully (theologian and writer, 1620–1676).
Amenities
Grittleton has a pub, the Neeld Arms, a 19th-century building with a 17th-century core.[34] The Salutation Inn at The Gibb is immediately outside the parish boundary.[35]
Grittleton village hall is a modern building.[36] The small school at Littleton Drew, once used as a village hall, is now a private house.[37]
References
- ^ "Wiltshire Community History – Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ "Election Maps: Great Britain". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ a b Grittleton in the Domesday Book
- ^ Sevington in the Domesday Book
- ^ Littleton Drew in the Domesday Book
- ^ "Grittleton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ "Grittleton Church of England School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ "Littleton Drew Church of England School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Grittleton House (1022310)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Grittleton Stables (1022312)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ a b Historic England. "Former School and School House (1022297)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ "Sevington Victorian School". Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Mary (1198617)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "St Mary, Grittleton". Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture. King's College London. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "Grittleton". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "All Saints, Littleton Drew". Bybrook Team Ministry. March 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ a b Historic England. "Church of All Saints (1022294)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "Church of All Saints, Littleton Drew". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "Littleton Drew". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Churchyard Cross in churchyard north of Church of All Saints (1198492)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "No. 42032". The London Gazette. 13 May 1960. p. 3370.
- ^ "All Saints, Littleton Drew". Bybrook Team Ministry. March 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Margaret (1022289)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "No. 32964". The London Gazette. 12 August 1924. pp. 6045–6046.
- ^ "Church of St Margaret of Antioch, Leigh Delamere, Wiltshire". The Churches Conservation Trust. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Congregational Church (1198483)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "Littleton Drew Independent Chapel – church meeting minutes with membership lists and register of baptisms". The National Archives. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Grittleton Baptist Chapel (1363850)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "Grittleton Baptist Chapel". Historic Chapels Trust. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ Crittall, Elizabeth, ed. (1959). "Victoria County History: Wiltshire: Vol 4 pp315-361 – Table of population, 1801–1951". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ "Kelly's Directory Extract 1915: Leigh Delamere" (PDF). Wiltshire OPC. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ "Kelly's Directory Extract 1915: Littleton Drew" (PDF). Wiltshire OPC. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ Elizabeth Lee, Stepney, Catherine, Lady Stepney (1778–1845), rev. Rebecca Mills, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Sept 2010 accessed 25 January 2017
- ^ Historic England. "The Neeld Arms (1198639)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "The Salutation Inn (1199018)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ "Village Hall". Grittleton Village Info. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "The Village Hall, Littleton Drew (1363880)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 January 2017.