Tormarton
| Tormarton | |
| Gloucestershire | |
|---|---|
 Tormarton High Street | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 51°30’25"N, 2°20’6"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 348 (2011) |
| Post town: | Bristol |
| Postcode: | GL9 |
| Dialling code: | 01454 218 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | South Gloucestershire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Thornbury and Yate |
Tormarton is a village in Gloucestershire, in the south of the county one mile north-east of junction 18 of the M4 motorway, with the A46 road and close to the border of Wiltshire. The 2011 census recorded 144 households and the population of 348.
The name of the village might be from the Old English þorn mære tun meaning Thorn (tree) boundary village.[1] Another source suggests the name derives from the church tower (Tor) on the border between Wessex and Mercia.[2]
A National Trail, the Cotswold Way passes through the village.[1] There is a church, a hotel, a pub and also a number of bed and breakfasts in the village. A Highways Agency depot with a salt dome is situated near to the village.[3]
History
In 1968 the bodies of three Bronze Age men were discovered near Tormarton, when a gas pipeline was being installed. Two of the bodies showed combat wounds, they are now located in Bristol City Museum. Further excavations were made in 1999 and 2000, these found remains of two other bodies. They were estimated to be 3,500 years old. They are all thought to have all died at a similar time and were then buried in a ditch.[4] A BBC documentary, Meet The Ancestors, was made that followed the second excavation.[5]
The Romans were here in their age, as a Roman stone coffin was found in nearby Hinton.
The mediæval village was larger than today, extensive earthworks to the north and east of the church suggest that this area may have been settled previously.[1]
Some historic buildings remain in Tormarton; St Mary Magdalene Church, Manor Farm and Tormarton Court.
The Old Manor House, originally home of the St Loe family of Tormarton and Sutton Court at Chew Magna, was later owned by the de la Riviere family; but much of it was demolished in the Civil War between 1642 and 1649, some sections survived and were incorporated into today's Manor Farm. Tormarton Court was constructed in the 18th century.[1] The village became part of the Badminton estate owned by the Duke of Beaufort in 1789.[6] In 1848 the population of the parish was 620.[7]
The M4 motorway to the west of Tormarton opened in 1967 with the section to the east running to Stanton St Quintin (Junction 17) opening four years later.[8] There are plans to open a park and share facility at the motorway junction to allow commuters to park their cars and share lifts to and from Swindon, London, South Wales and Bath.[9]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Tormarton) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Exploring the Cotswold Way National trail". S. Glos Council. http://hosted.southglos.gov.uk/acrobat/Cotswold3.pdf. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ↑ A short history of Tormarton and its Church. Gloucestershire.
- ↑ Agency to trial new 'sticky grit' BBC News 25 February 2004
- ↑ Prehistoric archaeology – the dead of Tormarton. South Gloucestershire Council. 25 May 2009. URL:http://www.southglos.gov.uk/NR/exeres/752627d3-23ca-44d3-94a5-ea11258e05b7. Accessed: 2009-05-25. (Archived by WebCite at https://www.webcitation.org/5h2rTyF5q)
- ↑ Media Collections – Off-air Television Broadcasts (Part 2) – June 2006
- ↑ "The National Archives – The Beaufort Estates". http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/A2A/records.aspx?cat=040-d2700_1&cid=-1&Gsm=2008-06-18#-1. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ "The Motoryway Archive: The M4 London to South Wales Motorway. Holyport to Tormarton". http://www.ciht.org.uk/motorway/m4papers.htm. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
- ↑ Womack, Alexandra (15 January 2010). "Campaigners push on with 'park and share' plans at Tormarton". Gloucestershire Gazette. http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news/4853252.Campaigners_push_on_with__park_and_share__plans/. Retrieved 15 January 2010. archived