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 Jur ...

local authority area of the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

county 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 ...

. It is about five 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 ...

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 Churn may refer to: * Churn drill, large-diameter drilling machine large holes appropriate for holes in the ground Dairy-product terms * Butter churn, device for churning butter * Churning (butter), the process of creating butter out of mil ...

, 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 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 ...

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. Sir Richard Berkley was the owner in 1564 who invited

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

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, MP for

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spell ...

. Soon after 1914, the estate had multiple owners and had essentially disintegrated.

St Peter's church St. Peter's Church, Old St. Peter's Church, or other variations may refer to: * St. Peter's Basilica in Rome Australia * St Peter's, Eastern Hill, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia * St Peters Church, St Peters, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ...

dates from the 16th century. It was restored by Frederick R. Kempson in 1895. The diplomat

Thomas Roe Sir Thomas Roe ( 1581 – 6 November 1644) was an English diplomat of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Roe's voyages ranged from Central America to India; as ambassador, he represented England in the Mughal Empire, the Ottoman Empire ...

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 The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

, 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 Ba ...

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.

Philip Hardwick Philip Hardwick (15 June 1792 in London – 28 December 1870) was an English architect, particularly associated with railway stations and warehouses in London and elsewhere. Hardwick is probably best known for London's demolished Euston Arch ...

was the architect commissioned to undertake the improvements.

Education

A free school was established in 1808, supported by

. 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 parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of "biological ch ...

who won the

Nobel Prize in Chemistry ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...

twice, in 1958 and 1980; the fourth person to win two Nobel Prizes * R. N. D. Wilson (1899–1953),

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

who taught at Rendcomb College from 1934 to 1944

References

Villages in Gloucestershire Cotswold District {{Gloucestershire-geo-stub

History

Etymology

History

Education

Notable residents

See also

References