Horsley is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

about one and a half miles south-west of the small

Cotswold The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the be ...

market town of

Nailsworth Nailsworth is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Stroud District in Gloucestershire, England, lying in one of the Stroud Valleys in the Cotswolds, on the A46 road, south of Stroud and about north-east of Bristol and Bat ...

. The origins of the name Horsley are much debated, although it is thought to be derived from the pre-7th-century Old English phrase, "horse-lega", meaning "place of horses". A habitation was recorded in 1327 at Barton End, named after a barton on the manor estate. The village sprung from cross-roads east of St Martin Church. The Parish is bisected from south to north by the Bath-Gloucester, built in 1780.

History

Historically Horsley had a prison, part of which is now a house, the exercise yard now a garden. Horsley Court on Narrowcut Lane dates back to c1690. The house was altered and enlarged c1820, with a central tower added in c1850. It was built for the Webb family of clothiers.

Geography

In the parish is the hamlet of

Newmarket, Gloucestershire Newmarket is a hamlet in the Parish (Church of England), parish of Horsley, Gloucestershire, Horsley, Gloucestershire, England. Politics Newmarket is part of the Stroud (UK Parliament constituency), Stroud United Kingdom Parliament constituenci ...

Facilities

Horsley has a

C of E C, or c, is the third letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''cee'' (pronounced ), plural ''cees''. History "C ...

Primary School and church, a community shop,Horsley Community Shop
/ref> a playground and sports field, a village hall, Ruskin Mill College (part of Ruskin Mill Trust), and a pub, The Hog (formerly the Bell & Castle). St Martin's Church also serves as the Primary School hall and a performance space for the community and surrounding area.

Publications

Horsley's monthly newsletter, 'The Horse's Mouth' provides local news and serves as the church's parish magazine.

References

External links

Horsley Village WebsiteRuskin Mill Trust WebsiteHistory of Horsley Website Stroud Voices (Horsley filter) – mid 20th century oral history from Horsley residents
Villages in Gloucestershire Civil parishes in Gloucestershire Stroud District {{Gloucestershire-geo-stub