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| History of Gretton Village |
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The Iron Age
There is evidence that there was an Iron Age settlement situated on
the summit of Langley Hill. Locally, this was one of many such
sites on prominent hilltops – Nottingham, Dixton, and Woolstone being other immediate
examples.
The Romans
A number of settlements eg. Spoonley Villa indicate that the
Romans lived in this area. A fine copper coin in excellent condition
was found in Gretton which dates from the time of Cominius III, Governor
of
Britain in AD70. A stone pipe, discovered during
the laying of the sewage system in the late 1930’s, also suggests that there was a
Roman settlement at Gretton. The number of natural springs
issuing forth from the hillside would have been significant to any Romans
looking for a place in which to settle.
The Saxons
During this era the neighbouring town of Winchcombe developed
into a substantial and important Saxon settlement, capital of the Mercian
kingdom. It was at this time that Gretton derived its name probably from its
location ‘a farmstead near Greet’. In early written accounts it is referred to
as ‘Greeton’ or ‘Grettun’. The location of a settlement here was in many ways
ideal as it was in a sheltered, horseshoe shaped valley at the foot of Langley
Hill, at a point where natural springs produced a ready made water supply.
Medieval times
At a time of great turbulence due to invasion, civil war,
plague, and yet more civil war, pilgrims were often seen passing through
Gretton. It became fashionable to visit the shrines erected to the memory
of saints such as Kenelm. Those travelling from the west would
spend the night in one of two pilgrim rest houses situated at Stanley Pontlarge
before heading further east towards either Hailes Abbey or Winchcombe. Gretton was not substantial enough to warrant a mention in the
Domesday Book. It was situated within the Hundred of Greston although this
name has no connection with Gretton itself.During the reign of King Henry III (1216-1272) the king rewarded
the Knights Templar for their services by giving a grant of ‘a courtleet, with
waifs and felons’ goods’ and land situated at Gretton. Later, during the early
fourteenth century, after the Knights Templar were disbanded, it was owned by a
succession of prominent people. Both Tewkesbury and Winchcombe Abbeys claimed ownership
at one time or another. This sometimes led to disputes between the two. On
one occasion an agreement was reached that Winchcombe Abbey could claim the
Chapel and half the tithes whilst Tewkesbury Abbey received the other half of
the tithes.As early as the 13th century a Chapel of Ease was
built thereby becoming the central focus of the village. This chapel was
extended in the mid 15th century with the addition of a tower paid
for by Ralph Boteler, Lord Sudeley. The bell hung within this tower was
inscribed ‘Ave Maria Gracia Plena Dominus Tecum’ and is thought to have been
struck in about 1400. Several of the letters are reversed or upside down
implying a certain degree of ignorance or carelessness on the part of the
moulder. The bell was eventually transferred to the new church when that was
erected during the Victorian era as a line of continuity between the old and
the new.‘Abbotswyck’, now the oldest house in the village, was also built
during this period. It was originally constructed as a hall house, a communal
dining room that would have fulfilled many different purposes. Several other
dwellings (now listed) were also built at this time implying a period of
relative prosperity. At some point a tunnel
was built between the Chapel of Ease and Abbotswyck but this has
yet to be explained.The local economy depended heavily upon agriculture. In the 13th>century the inhabitants of Gretton paid an annual tithe to
Winchcombe Abbey of 66 sheaves of corn. Both men and womenworked in the fields, cutting the wheat some 6 inches above the ground.
The poor of the area, of which there were many, took advantage of this and collected any wheat ears left over in the
fields.
The Tudors
Gretton, now owned by the Crown, was by this time becoming a
more substantial settlement. One of the last acts of King Henry VII, only a
month before he died in 1509, was to grant the manor to Winchcombe Abbey for an
annual rent of £60. Most of the dwellings were still the humble abodes of farm
workers built of wattle and daub but local stone was also quarried in order to
provide housing of a more substantial nature. At this time, local men were
expected to practise their archery skills in preparation for any war that might
break out; to this end a field was set aside at Manor Farm where archery could
be practised every Sunday after church. This field then became known as ‘The
Butts’.Henry VII’s granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth, continued to issue grants of land and messuages in the area. On one occasion the
Queen actually rode through Gretton, the local inhabitants
apparently pausing from their daily chores to cheer her and her retinue as
they travelled by. She had spent the night at Dixton Manor as the guest of
Lord Higham and was on her way to stay at Sudeley Castle, a place she had
frequently stayed at in the past, when her stepmother Queen Katherine Parr lived there.
The Stuarts
Gretton finally split from the Crown during the reign of King
James I. A deed bearing his seal shows that the manor then became the property of Lord Sudeley of Toddington.
A militia list of 1608 records that there were 33 able bodied
men living in the parish ready to be called up for active service when and
if needed. At this time Gretton was a hub of activity. Not only were
people employed on the land but travellers passing through also left
their mark. Many horseshoes, the design of which date from the 16th
and 17th centuries, have been found and indicate how
important horses were, not just in terms of agriculture, but also as a mode of
transport as people passed through the village on their way to Tewkesbury or Winchcombe. The turbulence of the civil war would also have had an effect as
loyalties were put to the test. During this time the Tythe Farmhouse (1635,
now Gretton Farm), a dwelling in Gopshill Lane (1647), and what was then known
as Gretton Farm (1656) were all built, reflecting a strong upturn in the local
economy.
The Georgian era
By the eighteenth century land was now partially enclosed. A swing
plough called a ‘Smalls’ was used to turn the soil as it was more suitable for
the types of farming in this area. When cut the local wheat was collected by a
‘lodder’ (often nicknamed ‘John the Lodder’) and taken to one of three local
mills: Greet Mill, Town Flour Mill, and Coates Mill, all of which were situated
on the River Isbourne. It was necessary for everyone to be involved at harvest
time. The Dixton paintings of 1730 capture this yearly event in remarkable
detail. One of the two pictures that were painted at this time depicts the
harvest in fields to the south west of Gretton. After the harvest the workers
would return to the village farmhouses and sit around the big hearth fireplaces
smoking from pipes made of clay as they reflected on the progress that had been
made that day. There were four main farms in Gretton during this period: Tythe
Farm, Chestnut Farm, Gretton Farm, and Manor Farm. Bark from local oak trees was also in demand. Stripped off, it was
transported to Winchcombe for use in the leather tanning industry.In 1816 the land was redistributed between local landowners when the
Enclosure Award was granted. An important occasion for the villagers occurred in 1779 when John Wesley was expected to preach at the Chapel of Ease. This became
even more memorable when the local vicar at the time had second thoughts about
allowing such a prominent but controversial figure to speak within the church
itself. At the last minute he changed his mind and John Wesley was forced to
speak to the gathering in a local orchard instead. Later, in 1812, a Methodist
chapel opened. The Sunday School which was based there became very popular
partly due to the outings that were organised. It closed in 1953 and was
converted into a house in 1974. The passage of travellers through the area
over the centuries eventually turned the local roads into such a bad state of
repair that a toll gate was installed. However, even this had limited effect.
As late as 1856 James Agg, a rural messenger, reported that he’d trudged knee
deep in mud along ‘Dirty Lane’ in Gretton.
Victorian times
By 1851 the population of Gretton was 395 inhabitants. The
census of that year tells us that the main occupations for men were, as they
had always been, predominantly agricultural in nature; a blend of crops, dairy,
and fruit growing. The sheltered nature of the village gave rise to many
orchards, providing perry and cider for the workers as well as for sale. All
the farms nurtured their own herd of dairy cows and one day every week was
spent making butter. However, there is also evidence of the local influence
that the Dent family of Sudeley Castle had over employment. Several women and
girls worked as glove makers, an industry in which the Dents had made their
fortune. Dressmaking was another source of income which allowed women to work
from home whilst still bringing up the children. There was also employment in
the fields planting beans for one shilling a day. The arrival of Mrs Emma Dent at the castle in 1856 brought about
influential changes in Gretton. Her philanthropic approach gave rise to the
establishment of a school in 1862 and the building of a new church in 1868. In
the decades that followed the people of Gretton always remembered how Mrs Dent
had endeavoured to make a positive difference to their lives.The actions of Colonel the Honorable E.J. Forster of Gretton
House also had a huge impact on the lives of the villagers. Traditionally, the
local inhabitants had drawn water by hand or windlass from wells. It didn’t help that some of this water such as that at the
blacksmiths and post office was salty due to a layer of rock salt in the
geology. During the early 1880’s Col. Forster gave the order for a spring
fed reservoir to be constructed above the village. This piped fresh water down
into the village, accessible via 9 standpipes and an ornamental drinking
fountain. At the official turning on ceremony Mr. A.H. Smith of Cheltenham commented that villagers would not be so ready to adjourn to the public house to
quench their thirst, now that they had such an excellent supply of water at
hand. Later, in 1894, further improvements were made, this time by using the
skills of a water diviner, found to be a ‘very satisfactory’ way of pinpointing
fresh sources. Conditions for villagers improved still further in 1892 when a
brand new purpose built school opened. Parents had petitioned the authorities
for several years about the appalling conditions the children were being taught
in at the original school.
The 20th century
A major development at the start of the century was the arrival
of the railway in 1906 which linked Winchcombe with Cheltenham and beyond.
Part of this development included a halt at Gretton. This opened up employment
opportunities in all sorts of ways. At the cost of one shilling per ticket
children were able to attend secondary school in Cheltenham, and their parents
were able to seek work there too. Perishable produce such as fruit from the
local orchards and hedgerows could now be transported to the jam factories or
to Cheltenham and beyond for sale.All modes of transport became so popular that by 1920 Con New,Headteacher of the village school, decided to open a garage. He
had always had a passion for all things mechanical and saw an opportunity to
extend this hobby into a business. The garage remained a going concern for
decades until finally closing in the 1990’s. Life in this period was tough for the local residents, many
living on the breadline.The world wars had their impact on Gretton as they did
everywhere. After World War I the decision was made to convert the water
fountain into a war memorial. After four years of conflict the names of nine
local men were inscribed on it. Later, after the Second World War three more
names were added. Originally enclosed by two iron gates and railings these
were later removed during World War II to aid the war effort.In 1939 work commenced on constructing a public sewer throughout
the village. What we now take for granted was seen then as a huge milestone,
making a marked improvement on people’s lives. World War Two brought an influx of evacuees, mostly from Birmingham. Some were official but others sought refuge
in the village with relatives. None tended to stay for very long.The 1950’s and 60’s were another turning point in the history of
the village as the young moved away in search of employment as horizons
broadened. In the 1960’s there were two pubs – the Royal Oak and the New Inn, formerly the Horse and Cart but now known
as the Bugatti. There was a shop, a post office with adjacent craft shop, a
furniture restoration business, a garage, and four working farms. There was
also a very successful football team that won Division 2 of the Cheltenham
Football League. A surge of housing development changed the village’s appearance
forever. Houses were selling for £26,000, a price too high for local people to
afford. It became a very attractive place in which to live. Indeed, Phyllis
Hall, onetime Olympian athlete, chose to make her home here. Gradually, any long term newcomers became integrated into the
community. Gretton became substantial enough to warrant its own parish
council. This was formed in 1994. Today, Gretton is an active community, aware of its past but
conscious of the need to prepare for the future. The latest development in the
form of the newly renovated and extended village hall should ensure this.
Mrs Caroline Meller
History Co-ordinator
Gretton Primary School
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