Rendcomb is a village 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 Juras ...
local authority area of the
English county of
Gloucestershire. It is about five miles north of
Cirencester in the
Churn valley.
History
Etymology
Remdcomb is thought to get its name from the stream running through the small valley or ''coomb'' which lies south of the village. The stream which flows into the
Churn, was called ''Hrindan Broc'' in 852 AD, with the modern name of Rendcomb deriving from ''Hrindan'' + ''coomb''.
History
In 1086 a total of 39 inhabitants of Rendcomb and Eycot was recorded in the
Domesday Book as part of Rapsgate Hundred. By 1563, there were 12 households in Rendcomb.
The existence of Rendomb Park estate was recorded in 1544, and by the 1670s it consisted of 250 acres.
During the middle ages, Rendcomb manor was the property of the earls of Gloucester and owned by their knights including the de la Mare family. In 1503, the manor was sold to Edmund Tame of
Fairford, son of
John Tame.
was the owner in 1564 who invited
Elizabeth I to the manor house in 1592.
It later came into the possession the MP
Sir Christopher Guise.
In 1864, the manor was sold to
Sir Francis Goldsmid
Sir Francis Henry Goldsmid, 2nd Baronet (1 May 1808 – 2 May 1878) was an Anglo-Jewish barrister and politician.
Early life
The son of Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid and a member of the Goldsmid banking family, Francis was born in London, and private ...
, MP for
Reading. Soon after 1914, the estate had multiple owners and had essentially disintegrated.
dates from the 16th century. It was restored by Frederick R. Kempson in 1895.
The diplomat
Thomas Roe was living at Rendcomb in 1608. In 1641,
Sir Maurice Berkeley and
Richard Berkeley of Rendcomb were fined by Parliament for supporting the Royalist cause in the
English Civil War, but were spared having their estates seized.
About 1773, the lord of the manor,
Sir William Guise, improved access from the village to Cirencester by building a new road.
Sir
Berkeley Guise
Sir Berkeley William Guise, 2nd Baronet (14 July 1775 – 23 July 1834) of Highnam Court in the parish of Churcham, Gloucestershire, was a British landowner and Whig Member of Parliament.
Origins
He was the eldest son of Sir John Guise, 1st Bar ...
funded a charity school at Rendcomb from 1808.
In the mid 1860s, Sir Francis Goldsmid rebuilt the manor-house, Rendcomb Park, and made some improvements to the village, including a new river bridge and funds for the village school which closed in 1930.
was the architect commissioned to undertake the improvements.
Education
A free school was established in 1808, supported by
Berkeley Guise
Sir Berkeley William Guise, 2nd Baronet (14 July 1775 – 23 July 1834) of Highnam Court in the parish of Churcham, Gloucestershire, was a British landowner and Whig Member of Parliament.
Origins
He was the eldest son of Sir John Guise, 1st Bar ...
.
In 1857, a National school was built and supported by Sir Goldsmid. It closed in 1930
In 1920,
Rendcomb College was founded at Rendcomb Park adjacent to the village.
Notable residents
*
Frederick Sanger
Frederick Sanger (; 13 August 1918 – 19 November 2013) was an English biochemist who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry twice.
He won the 1958 Chemistry Prize for determining the amino acid sequence of insulin and numerous other p ...
(1918–2013),
biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...
who won the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry twice, in 1958 and 1980; the fourth person to win two Nobel Prizes
*
R. N. D. Wilson
Robert (or Robin) Noble Denison Wilson, known as R. N. D. Wilson (1899 – January 1953) was an Irish poet.
From 1934 to 1944 he was a teacher at Rendcomb College. His published work includes the collection ''The Holy Wells of Orris and other ...
(1899–1953),
Irish poet who taught at Rendcomb College from 1934 to 1944
See also
*
Rendcomb College
References
Villages in Gloucestershire
Cotswold District
{{Gloucestershire-geo-stub
