Ozleworth Church Tower (The Gatehouse Record)

In the civil parish of Ozleworth.
In the historic county of Gloucestershire.
Modern Authority of Gloucestershire.
1974 county of Gloucestershire.
Medieval County of Gloucestershire.

OS Map Grid Reference: ST79429328
Latitude 51.63801° Longitude -2.29862°

Ozleworth Church Tower has been described as a Fortified Manor House although is doubtful that it was such.

There are uncertain remains.

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*.

Description

The hexagonal tower of Ozleworth church was believed by one incumbent to be of Saxon origin though most authorities regard it as 12th century. The shape is almost unique and St Clair Baddeley suggests that it may have been a mural tower of a fortified manor-house formerly occupying this position. The graveyard is circular and Mrs Crook mentioning a canon of AD994 considers the church may occupy a pagan site taken over for Christian purposes (OS record).
Church shown in aerial photographs A1077 Ozleworth from south, A1078 Ozleworth from southwest, and A1079 Ozleworth from west close up including the west end of the church. No earthworks are visible. Two fragments of Medieval tiles found in churchyard. Eight loose tiles in private collection at Newark Park. (Gloucestershire HER)

Redundant small Anglican church. Probably mid C12 foundation, chancel extended in C14, nave lengthened and whole restored in 1873 by Rev. W.H. Lowder. Random coursed stone, stone slate roof sprocketed to tower and with coped end verges, partly removed for repair at time of survey (April 1986). Central hexagonal tower with chancel and nave, and south porch. Tower has 2-light window to each face on upper section with central shaft with voluted capital and cable-mould necking within an arched recess with chamfered abaci. North side of chancel has 2 cusped single lights and central trefoil head priest's door, and nave has 2 single lights and blocked chamfered round headed doorway in early section. Similar fenestration to south side. Two-light ogee head east window. Gabled south porch has inner doorway of 2 orders, inner similar to north, outer with shafts with stiff leaf capitals and additional decorative work probably of C19. Church now vested in Redundant Churches Fund and under repair at time of survey. (Listed Building Report)

Comments

St Clair Baddeley was aware that the standing remains were Norman but though the unusual hexagonal ground plan was evidence of an Anglo-Saxon manorial tower. He seems to have though that the old manorial tower was given to the church for use as a church. This is an idea that lay dormant but Michael Shapland has revived this idea although he argues for a number of Saxon Tower-Naves being a more combined manorial lordship symbol and a chapel. This is an interesting idea worth exploring but for this church the evidence is slight.

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1265165
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 205329.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 2883.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Wikipedia entry
  The Churches Conservation Trust
  Britannia
Books
- Michael G Shapland, 2017, 'Anglo-Saxon towers of lordship and the origins of the castle in England' in Dawn M Hadley and Christopher Dyer, The Archaeology of the 11th Century Continuities and Transformations (Routledge) p. 104-119
  Bettey, J.H., 2000, The Church of St Nicholas of Myra, Ozleworth, Gloucestershire (London: Churches Conservation Trust)
  Verey, D., 1970, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire Vol. 1 The Cotswolds
Periodical Articles
- Kellock, A., 1987, 'Mecieval Floor Tiles in Gloucestershire' Glevensis Vol. 21 p. 25-8 online copy
  Wilkinson, Leonard, Overbury, Thomas and Baddeley, W. St. Clair, 1926, 'The Church of St. Nicholas of Myra' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol. 48 p. 355–378 online copy
  1912, 'Proceedings at the Annual Spring Meeting at Dursley' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol. 35.1 p. 146-7 online copy
  Maclean, J., 1886, 'Transcations at Dursley' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol. 11 p. 213-17 online copy
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Shapland, Michael, 2012, Buildings of Secular and Religious Lordship: Anglo-Saxon Tower-nave Churches (PhD Thesis University College London) p. 82 (For discussion on Tower Naves) online via UCL Discovery

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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