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Ampney St Mary
Ampney St Mary maps
Historic maps of Ampney St Mary and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Ampney St Mary maps
Ampney St Mary photos
We have no photos of Ampney St Mary, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Bibury| Ablington| South Cerney| Cirencester| Fairford| Cricklade| Ashton Keynes| Chedworth
Ampney St Mary area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Ampney St Mary and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Ampney St Mary
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Gloucestershire memories
Brownett's of Bibury
My parents Dorothy (Dot - nee Brownett) & Edward King lived in the Mill residence when I was born, staying with my grandparents Mr & Mrs Brownett. Mr Brownett was "Head Gardener" at the Swan Hotel and I understand they were renting the residence. Both parents were in the RAF, married at St Mary's church at the end of the war - I was born in 1949. My Mum - Dot Brownett, had siblings Jack (Air raid warden) and Nelly. A lady called Ethel lived in the adjoining cottage heading up the hill towards Ciren. After we moved up to Crick/Rugby in the Midlands we regularly visited Bibury for long weekends and school holidays thru ~ 1969 when Nan Brownett died in Fairford. Grandad Brownett was killed some years earlier (1955~60) when he was struck by a heavy lorry while delivering "a food hamper" to the "Manor House" from the Swan on his bicycle/trailer combination. I reckon this picture is around 1968-70 ? ... Read more
1906
My great, great grandfather, Frededrick Smith, died at Bibury Mill on 10 December 1906. He was living with his daughter and son-in-law, Thomas Turner, at the time. I visited the Museum almost 20 years ago and seem to remember Frederick Smith written on a wall behind a glass case!!
Apprenticed at Arlington Mill
My great-great-great-grandfather John Luker (1793-1853) was appenticed in 1805, for a period of 9 3/4 years, to Thomas Poole, miller at Arlington by Bibury. He became the first of four generations of millers in Painswick, Stroud and Gloucester. I first visited the mill in the 1950s with my father, when it was said to be in working condition, but had not been used other than as a warehouse for some years. My most recent visit about 1993 found a very different story with it having become a pseudo museum (but really a tea shop)- fortunately a good part of the machinery was still in existance, but certainly no longer viable. I would encourage any 'public' use to include the preservation of the water wheel and the milling machinery, and of course the leat. A wonderful old mill in a beautiful location. Does anyone have any history of its origins? There is nothing to be found in the 'official' History of Gloucestershire, vol. 9.
Family Tree
I have found that two or three generations of the 'Hart' family were born in and around Eastleach, including Coln St Aldwins and Northleach. My curiosity led me to Arlington Mill - it seemed a likely place for work. One address was the village Manor, so I presume they had a tied cottage. What a lovely area to live and work in those early 1840-1870s. Later generations lived in Birmingham. I suspect that when the wool trade moved away from the Cotswolds and farming became more mechanical, they joined the many families moving to nearby cities for work and to raise their children.
I must visit the area and gain more info and see if any Harts are at rest in the local churchyards.
Christobel Knight, nee Salmon. 19/7/09
Family From Bibury
My memories from / about Bibury are: I was born there in Bibury Cotts - 15 April 1947. My parents were married there - George Lacey / Joyce Iles. My grandparents lived at number 8 Arlington Row. My parents marriage was actually a double marriage as my aunt (my mum's sister Josephine) was married at the same time to Jack Causey. My brother was also married in Bibury (reception at the Swan Hotel). My grandfather worked for many years at Bibury farm. My mother worked at the Swan Hotel. My grandmother's maiden name was HOLTHAM - and I would dearly love to obtain ant information about the HOLTHAM family to assist my family tree research. I also know just one member of the WEMBAN family who I met when we were working together in Exeter. His name - Les Wemban. We discovered through working together that we were born in the same village.
The Eliot Arms
The Eliot Arms is the tall building in the background of this photo. My Dad, George Gaunt, took over the licence of the pub in October 1953. During their first winter in the village, Mum and Dad quickly discovered that when the pubs had shut at about 10pm there was virtually no activity in the village, and an eerie silence would descend. Thus any sound carried quite easily, and the noise of the river surging over the weir in the photo could clearly be heard in the Eliot, and both Mum and Dad said the sound could keep them awake at night until they became used to it.
Good Old Days
I was stationed at RAF South Cerney from approx. early 1956 until late 1958. I was just a lowly SAC working in the pay accounting department, but everyone on base thought that a special job! When we could afford to go out on our 5 shillings a day, we usually went into Cirencester by bus, where we were welcome in the pubs and that is about all, they were not ready for rowdy 18 year olds from all over the country. But most of the time when going out we would just walk across our grass runway to the pretty little village of South Cerney and go in the local pub, whose name I have forgotten, for a couple of pints of Scrumpy and a game or two of dominos with the locals.
I have lived in San Diego California for the last 45 years, but when I next return on holiday in September 2008, I plan on revisiting South Cerney some 50 years later. I'm sure it will... Read more
