Acton Turville is a parish in the Cotswold Edge ward within
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming part ...
, England. It lies 17 miles (27 km) east-northeast of
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
and 93 miles (150 km) due west of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, with the M4 south of the parish. Acton Turville consists of a cluster of households across 1,009 acres, with a total population of 370 people. Acton Turville is also listed as "Achetone" in the ''
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
''.
According to John Marius in 1870, From the imperial gazetteer of England and Wales - Acton Turville is: "a parish in
Chipping Sodbury
Chipping Sodbury is a market town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sodbury, in the unitary authority area of South Gloucestershire, in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. It was founded in the 12th century by William ...
district, Gloucester; near the Fosse way and under the
Cotswold Hills
The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale.
The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...
. It lies 5.5 miles east of Chipping Sodbury, and 7.5 miles east of
Yate railway station
Yate railway station serves the town of Yate in South Gloucestershire, in south west England. The station is located on the main Bristol to Birmingham line between Bristol Parkway and Cam & Dursley, and is operated by Great Western Railway.
...
".
Geography
The source of the
Avon is just north of the village.
History
The Parish Church
The Parish Church St, Mary's is dated back to the 12th century and is
Grade II* listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. According to the Church of England, in the
Diocese of Gloucester
The Diocese of Gloucester is a Church of England diocese based in Gloucester, covering the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire. The cathedral is Gloucester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Gloucester. It is part of the Province ...
"minor alterations were made in the 13th century and again in the 15th century".
And, in 1853 with the help of architect T,H Wyatt, enlarged the parish church that was so central to the parish, due to a population increase within the parish.
The church's stained glass windows were "due to the generosity of a few local benefactors", which were finely designed by some of the "leading studios of the day".
[ The most notable benefactor in the parish - Reverend R H Mullens, who was appointed vicar in 1869, made a very generous donation to St Mary's Church in his retirement in 1911. One stained glass window was presented in memory of his wife.
As the monarchy was restored, the presentation of a Royal Coat of Arms was made compulsory, asserting a royal "supremacy" within the church. St Mary's Church coat of arms reflects ]George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
monarchy, dated 1801-1816.[
]
Population
From the 1800s, population evidently began to rise until it reached a total of 175 residents in 1850. This can be explained by the events occurring in Gloucester in the 1800s, where city boundaries were beginning to be breached, and a population increase was beginning to take place in surrounding rural areas. Evidently, in 1852 suburbs were reported to be "extending" a considerable distance and villages and parish's such as Acton Turville, were beginning to increase up to six times more than the population a hundred years ago. Acton Turville's sudden increase in population can also be explained by the introduction of industry in the area, where new canals and railways were promoted. Following this, there was a significant decrease in population around the 1900s, where population was 20% lower than it was in 1850, possibly due to expansion in other surrounding areas. However, we see an exponential increase from 1950 to 2000, where population peaks at 370 residents, which to date, is the current population of Acton Turville.
Religion and ethnicity
The 2001 Census data, show Acton Turville to have a population of 328 British/Irish, and very small number of other ethnicity groups. The ward of Cotswold Edge
The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale.
The area is defined by the bedrock of Juras ...
however, presents a much more diverse range of results with a total of 78 residents from other ethnic groups such as; Irish, "other" White, "other" Mixed, Caribbean and Chinese.
According to the 2011 census data, 72% are Christian, 18% have no specified religion and the remaining 8% state no religion at all.
Economy
In the first census in 1801, Britain saw a great increase in international trade. A global introduction to trading is a fact that reflects on occupational change in such small villages such as Acton Turville.
In the 1831 occupational statistics, where industrialisation is beginning, 0 residents were employed in the manufacturing industry, whereas 44 were employed in the agricultural sector. Women however, were extremely domesticated or under an "unspecified" occupation. In the following census data, 50 years later in 1881, more industrialised sectors appeared. The transport and communications sector had a total of 3 residents, where occupations such as "dress", "professionals", "domestic service and offices", and "workers in house, furniture and decorations" had increased with both male and female employees. In this 50 year difference, those employed in agriculture had decreased by 5, showing a progressive shift in industry. Evidence for this can also be reflected in the decline of servants which could explain the rising affluence within Acton Turville. Presently, a total of 6 residents are in the agricultural field, and a high number in education, real estate, manufacturing and retail in accordance with the 2001 census data.
Transport
Public transport in Acton Turville is limited, with the main transport link being the local bus service. The local bus service is named "Coachstyle", with a total of 12 bus links between locations such as: Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
, Bathwick
Bathwick is an electoral ward in the City of Bath, England, on the opposite bank of the River Avon to the historic city centre.
Bathwick was part of the hundred of Bath Forum.
The district became part of the Bath urban area with the 18th cent ...
, Yate
Yate is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It lies just to the southwest of the Cotswolds, Cotswold Hills and is northeast of Bristol city centre and from the centre of Bath, Somerset, Bath, with regular rail services ...
, Malmesbury
Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the up ...
, Chippenham
Chippenham is a market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village ...
, Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
and Hullavington
Hullavington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, just to the north of the M4 motorway. The village lies about southwest of Malmesbury and north of Chippenham.
The Fosse Way, a Roman road, forms the western boundary of the par ...
. The nearest train stations are Yate and Chippenham which are around 7–8 miles away from the parish.
According to the 2001 census data, only 6% of households in the parish are without a car/van. This shows evidence for the lack of reliance on public transport, whereas the result of those reliant on personal transport is a high result of 88.6%.
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Villages in South Gloucestershire District
Civil parishes in Gloucestershire
River Avon, Bristol