Kempsford

Coordinates: 51°40′08″N 1°46′12″W / 51.669°N 1.770°W / 51.669; -1.770
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Kempsford
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townFAIRFORD
Postcode districtGL7
Dialling code01285
PoliceGloucestershire
FireGloucestershire
AmbulanceSouth Western
Cotswold
WebsiteParish Council
List of places
UK
England
Gloucestershire
51°40′08″N 1°46′12″W / 51.669°N 1.770°W / 51.669; -1.770

Kempsford is a village and

civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, about 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Fairford. RAF Fairford is immediately north of the village. The parish, which includes the hamlets of Whelford, Horcott, and Dunfield,[2] had a population around 1,120 at the 2011 census.[1]

History

The village was known as Kynemereforde, which translates as the Ford of the Great Marsh.[3]

The Battle of Kempsford occurred on 16 January 800 AD when Æthelmund led a group of Hwiccians from Mercia in a raid against the Wiltsaetas people of Wessex. However Weoxtan led the Wiltsaetas against them, driving them back across the river. Both leaders were slain. There is a field on the banks of the Thames called Battlefield where spearheads were dug up in 1670, encouraging the view that this is where the battle took place.[4][5]

Sir Thomas Thynne (died 1639) built a new country house at Kempsford, demolishing an important fortified house which in the Middle Ages had defended a crossing of the River Thames.[6]

A wharf on the Thames and Severn Canal was built in the 1780s, from which the Wharf House still exists.[7]

The Hannington Bridge over the River Thames was built in 1841.[8] Much of the canal in the parish has been filled in but restoration is being planned.[9]

Airfield

In 1944

TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK. As well as having a sufficiently long runway for a shuttle landing (the runway is 3,046 m (9,993 ft) long), it also had NASA-trained fire and medical crews stationed on the airfield.[11] RAF Fairford has been the home of the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), an annual air display, since 1985.[12]

Geography

The Thames and River Coln have deposited alluvial soil on the underlying Oxford Clay. Some of the land was drained with drains being dug possibly starting in the 12th century.[2]

southern marsh orchid. Adder's tongue flourishes on this site. The meadow supports fritillary which is nationally rare.[13] The margins of the meadow are scrubland and this area provides cover for breeding birds such as warblers.[13]

Religious sites

The Anglican

wagon roof and three-stage tower supported by diagonal buttresses.[15]

Many of the monuments in the churchyard are also listed.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

References

  1. ^ a b "Parish population 2011". Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Kempsford in A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 7 pp96-105". British History Online. Victoria County History. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Kempsford". Visit Thames. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Kempsford, Gloucestershire Heritage Guide". Britain Express. Britain Express. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  5. ^ Mynors, A. B. "Kempsford" (PDF). The Kempsford Website. Kempsford Parish Council. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  6. ^ Anthony Emery, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300-1500: Southern England, p. 132
  7. ^ "Wharf House". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Hannington Bridge". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Cotswold Canals Restoration - Phase 2". Cotswold Canals. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  10. ^ USAF Yearbook 2000 p.13
  11. ^ "Key Facts About Defence: Did You Know..." Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  12. ^ "Looking Back". Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d Natural England SSSI information on the citation
  14. ^ "Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 1, Sites of Special Scientific Interest". Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Church of St Mary the Virgin". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  16. ^ "Group of ten monuments about 5m north of chancel in churchyard of Church of St. Mary the Virgin". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  17. ^ "King monument, about 8m north of north porch in churchyard of Church of St. Mary the Virgin". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Dadge monument, about 5m west of west end in churchyard of Church of St. Mary the Virgin". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  19. ^ "Unidentified monument, about 6.5m west of west end in churchyard of Church of St. Mary the Virgin". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  20. ^ "Packer monument, about 2.5m west of west end, in churchyard of Church of st. Mary the Virgin". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  21. ^ "Group of 7 monuments to Iles and Arkell families, immediately south of south nave wall in church- yard of St. Mary the Virgin". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  22. ^ "Pair of Pope monuments, about 8m north-east of Couling monument, in churchyard of Church of St. Mary the Virgin". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  23. ^ "Couling monument, about 8m north- east of north porch in churchyard of Church of St. Mary the Virgin". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.

External links

Media related to Kempsford at Wikimedia Commons

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