Churcham
A very small, peaceful and secluded village on the
very edge of the Forest of Dean district, just south
of the A40 Gloucester to Ross-on-Wye road, and just
a few miles from Gloucester. The ancient name of the
parish was Hamme, which then included the hamlets of
Highnam, Linton and Over, extending into three "hundreds",
namely those of Westbury, Dalstone and Kings Barton.
The registers state that the parish was also known as
Churchill. There are two Hammes in the Domesday Book,
but the distiction of these as Churcham and Highnam
does not occur until 1281. In the days of King Canute,
who died in 1035, Wolphin de Rue was Governor of Gloucester
and Lord of the Manors of Hamme, but having slain seven
monks in the Abbey of Gloucester, he gave the Manors
to the Abbey in expiation of the crime. [ Photographs
of the Village ] .
The main attractionof the village is the church of
St Andrew, which is one of the most distinctive churches
in the area, thanks to its unusual Rhenish Helm Tower.
This is not original however but was erected when the
church was rebuilt in 1878 after a devastating fire
destroyed the towers timber spire, the church bells
and the wooden roof. Apart from this re-working, the
church itself is early Norman and retains original masonry,
large chancel arch, doorways and a window. The church
also contains two features of historical and archaeological
interest, notably a small Roman-British figure-sculpture
set above the north doorway which probably dates from
the 3rd century AD and the south doorway arch, on which
are the remains of 12th /13th century wall paintings.
In the churchyard is the grave of Henry Hooke, one of
the soldiers who was awarded the Victoria Cross at the
heroic battle of Rooke's Drift in the 1879 Zulu War
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Churches
The church dates from 1050 A.D., before the coming
of the Normans. The nave, the chancel arch and the lower
part of the tower being the original pre-Norman work.
The windows are early English and Perpendicular, but
the stonework of the old Norman windows is visible on
the outside walls. The present spire and nave roof were
built after the fire of 26 October 1875, during the
incumbency of the Rev. G. C. HALL M.A. Marks of the
fire are visible in the present east window of the chancel.
The piscina in the south wall of the nave was discovered
during some restoration in 1914. The panelling in the
chancel, probably Flemish, though not ecclesiastical,
is of good workmanship. The font was destroyed in the
fire, but part of the stone-work remains. The small
carved stone over the outside of the north door is older
than the church itself, having been incorporated into
the church when it was built.
Photographs
of the church
Old
Church Records - for family historians
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