Great Whitcombe, Gloucestershire

Historical Description

Whitcombe or Witcombe, Great, a village and a parish in Gloucestershire. The village is 5 miles SE of Gloucester, and has a post and money order office under Gloucester; telegraph office, Birdlip. The parish comprises 942 acres; population, 123. Witcombe Park is the chief residence. The reservoirs of the Gloucester waterworks are here. Roman pavements, baths, coins, and indications of a villa have been found. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol; net value, £69 with residence. The church is ancient.

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

Church Records

The register dates from the year 1749.

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

Churches

Church of England

St. Mary (parish church)

The church of St. Mary is an ancient building of stone, in the Norman style, consisting of chancel, nave of three bays, north aisle, south porch and an embattled western tower, with pinnacles, containing a clock, provided in 1888, and 6 bells, four of which were presented in 1901 in memory of Mrs. Hicks-Beach: the chancel arch is a fine specimen of Norman work: there is a pre-Reformation rood beam, and two candle coronas of ancient and curious workmanship: the oak altar table bears four inscriptions and is dated 1688: the reredos and altar rails are of old oak: the east window is stained, the west window is a memorial to T. Tyrwhitt Drake, and there are two others in the nave to Annie, wife of Rowland Ticehurst esq. of Badgeworth: in the chancel are memorials to Sir Michael Hickes kt. d. 1710; Howe Hicks esq. d. 1727; two tablets to the late Lady Hicks-Beach and Mrs. Hicks-Beach, and others of recent date to various members of the same family: in 1889 the western gallery was removed and the interior improved: there are 150 sittings.

Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.

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:

Villages, Hamlets, &c

Birdlip

Visitations Heraldic

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