Baunton 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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the

Cotswold 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 ...

district of

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 ...

, England, located about two miles north of

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

on the

River Churn The River Churn is a tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises at Seven Springs in Gloucestershire and flows south for approximately to meet the Thames at Cricklade in Wiltshire. Its length from its source to the confluence wi ...

. There is archaeological evidence of human habitation around the village in Prehistoric and Roman times. The village is recorded in

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 ...

in 1086 under the name of Baudintone which means an estate associated with a man called Balda. The Norman church of St Mary Magdalene was built by the Augustinian monks of Cirencester Abbey as a Chapel of Ease in about 1150. Inside there is large wall painting, probably dating from the 14th century, which depicts St Christopher carrying the Christ Child across a stream. It became the parish church in 1551. The village contains a number of Grade II listed buildings including the 16th century Manor House, and Baunton Mill. The village is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and much of it is classified a Conservation Area. The Manor of Baunton belonged to a succession of families including the George and Chester Master families.

John George John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

of Baunton was MP for Cirencester at the time of the Civil War. He was initially a Parliamentarian, but when his life was spared by the Royalists who had captured him, he converted to the King's side.W R Williams ''Parliamentary History of the County of Gloucester''
/ref> According to the 2001 census it had a population of 290, increasing to 299 at the 2011 census. The village is at the southern edge of the Churn Valley

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

, which stretches up the valley to

Coberley Coberley is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire in England, south of Cheltenham. It lies at the confluence of several streams ( Seven Springs) that form the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. The m ...

. The total ward population taken at the 2011 census was 1,970.

References

External links

Baunton village website
Villages in Gloucestershire Cotswold District {{Gloucestershire-geo-stub