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Lechlade, Gloucestershire

Historical Description

Lechlade, a small market-town and a parish in Gloucestershire. The town stands on the river Thames, and on the Thames and Severn Canal, at the boundary with Berks, and near the lower part of the river Leach at the boundary with Oxfordshire, and 5¼ miles NW by N of Faringdon. It has been supposed, from the discovery of a hypocaust and tessellated pavements in a meadow near it, to occupy the site of a Roman station; had a Black priory from the time of Henry III. till that of Edward IV.; enjoyed till recently important traffic on the Thames; consists chiefly of two long wide streets; and has a post, money order, and telegraph office (S.O.), a station on the East Gloucestershire branch of the G.W.R., a handsome bridge, a church, and a Baptist chapel. The church is of the time of Henry VII.; had once a chantry, and comprises nave, aisles and chancel, with tower and spire. A small market is held on Friday, a fair for cattle, sheep, and pigs on the last Tuesday in each month, and an annual fair on 9 Sept. Coxeter the antiquary was a native. The parish includes St John's Bridge, Lemhill, Thornhill, Manor Farm, and Butler's Court. Acreage, 3870; population of the civil parish, 1266; of the ecclesiastical, 1240. The manor belonged at Domesday to Henry de Ferrars, passed to the Mortimers, Richard Earl of Cornwall, the Talbots, the Despencers, Queen Catherine of Arragon, and others. The manor house stands at the E end of the town, and is a fine modern mansion. Clayhill House is another principal residence. There is a mineral spring. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol; net value, £450 with residence. Patron, Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Ancient CountyGloucestershire 
Ecclesiastical parishLechlade St. Lawrence 
HundredBrightwells-Barrow 
Poor Law unionFarringdon 

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.


Church Records

The parish register dates from the year 1686.

The Gloucestershire Parish Registers are available online at Ancestry, in association with Gloucestershire Archives.


Churches

Church of England

St. Lawrence (parish church)

The church of St. Lawrence is a handsome edifice of stone in the Perpendicular style, erected towards the end of the 15th century, as is supposed, by Conrad Ney, then vicar, and the inhabitants; it consists of chancel, nave, aisles, north porch and an embattled western tower with pinnacles and spire containing a clock and 6 bells: the church was restored in 1882-8 at a cost of about £1,814, under the direction of Mr. F. Waller, architect, of Gloucester, when the old pews and western gallery were removed and the whole interior re-seated and re-floored and the various monumental slabs re-set: a stained window was inserted in the south aisle in 1882 by Mrs. Budd, in memory of the families of Edmonds and Gearing; there is another in the south aisle to George Milward esq. late of Lechlade Manor: the organ cost £300: the chancel is inclosed with screens of carved oak presented by Mrs. Robbins, in memory of her husband, G. A. Robbins esq. late of Clay Hill House: there are sittings for 500 persons.

Baptist

Baptist Chapel

Methodist

Wesleyan Chapel

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Lechlade from the following:


Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Gloucestershire is available to browse.


Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following newspapers covering Gloucestershire online:


Visitations Heraldic

The Visitation of the county of Gloucester, 1623 is available on the Heraldry page.