Twigworth is a small village near

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

in the Borough of Tewkesbury,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, England. The population of Twigworth Parish was 340 people in mid-2014 in 170 households. A planning application for 725 new homes in the parish of Twigworth was approved in December 2017. The place-name 'Twigworth' is first attested in 1220, as 'Twigeworth', and is thought to mean 'enclosure made of twigs'.

Parish church

Twigworth parish church, consecrated in 1844, is dedicated to St Matthew. The poet and composer

Ivor Gurney Ivor Bertie Gurney (28 August 1890 – 26 December 1937) was an English poet and composer, particularly of songs. He was born and raised in Gloucester. He suffered from bipolar disorder through much of his life and spent his last 15 years in ps ...

is buried in the churchyard. Next to Gurney's grave is that of Michael Howells, son of the composer

Herbert Howells Herbert Norman Howells (17 October 1892 – 23 February 1983) was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music. Life Background and early education Howells was born in Lydney, Gloucest ...

, who died in 1935 of

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

aged nine. Howells later wrote a hymn tune entitled ''Twigworth'' for the hymn "God is love, let heaven adore him", one of two hymn tunes he composed in memory of his son (the other being ''Michael'' — "All my hope on God is founded"). In 2019, following a decision by 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 ...

, St Matthew's Church was closed for public worship and the ecclesiastical parish of Twigworth was dissolved and merged into the parish of Sandhirst.

References

Villages in Gloucestershire Borough of Tewkesbury {{Gloucestershire-geo-stub