Miscellaneous - Stonehouse (Eng)
Stonehouse, Gloucester
The Two Stonehouses and the
Downfall of Edward II
Stonehouse,
Gloucester
To the best of my knowledge there are at least
four, possibly six villages by the name of Stonehouse,
throughout
Britain. When Stonehouse in Gloucester is mentioned
locally, the
conversation will probably be in relation to misdirected
mail. I was
the witness of such, in 1996, when my first book after
being printed
was sent to Stonehouse, Gloucester, the day before it
was due to be
launched.
Stonehouse, Gloucester is a small town in
the Severn
Vale, 9 miles South of Gloucester, 30 miles North of
Bristol and 4
miles West of Stroud, just off the M5 motorway. Like our
own village,
Stonehouse, Gloucester has a long and eventful history
dating back to
the Norman period. The origin of the name Stonehouse
(Gloucester),
appears to date to William the Conquerors Domesday Book
of 1086, in
which it states, ‘Stanhus’ was a place where the Manor
House was built
of stone, as opposed to the usual wattle and daub.
Historically, in the industrial sense, we both possessed
prominent
textile industries, with our southerly neighbour having
a strong
heritage in cotton mills. Agriculturally, we have little
in common, as
Stonehouse, Gloucester retains only a few farms, whilst
we have a large
farming community of over 50 farms. This is reflected in
the
considerably larger acreage of the two parishes.
In 1986 the two communities were brought together, when
outbreaks of
meningitis plagued the counties of Lanarkshire and
Gloucester. As a
result Stonehouse
Community Council
and Stonehouse Parish Council
(Gloucester) established regular correspondence in
sympathising and
supporting one another during the health scare.
Some 340 miles from our own village, Stonehouse,
Gloucester bears many
similarities to Stonehouse, Lanarkshire. Geographically
both
Stonehouses are situated in similar landscape, both
adjacent to
motorways, with rivers flowing through the parish. The
river Avon and
the river Frome adjoin the more prominent rivers of the
Clyde and the
Severn. Both Stonehouses have acknowledged areas of
outstanding
natural beauty and geological interest. Equally
significant are the
great number of public footpaths throughout the
countryside in both
locations.
With populations not dissimilar, our villages are
predominantly commuter based with large ongoing
residential
developments. However, in seeking employment, transport
to such
outlying towns varies considerably between the two
villages.
Stonehouse, Gloucester enjoys several regular bus
services and a
railway station with access to Gloucester and London,
whilst here we
have a limited bus service to Hamilton and Strathaven
and the London
Midland and Scottish Railway line closed in 1965. This
line formerly
went through Stonehouse, Gloucester and was closed here
in the same
year.
Despite its relatively small population, Stonehouse,
Gloucester, is
fortunate in possessing excellent recreational
facilities and public
amenities. The town of only 7000 inhabitants retain a
community centre,
recreational walking grounds, 20 acre playing fields,
including cricket
pitches, a basketball court, a skateboard ramp, football
pitches, a
youth centre and several children’s play areas
throughout the village.
Other services include seven churches, a citizens advice
bureau, seven
schools, two tourist information offices, a hospital and
a ‘manned’
police station.
Our villages are very much ‘communities’ in the purest
sense of the
word, with many long established voluntary organisations
working for
the benefit of all.
The Two
Stonehouses
and the Downfall of Edward II
An interesting link between Stonehouse (Lanarkshire) and
Stonehouse
(Gloucester) occurred between 1296 and 1328, during a
period known in
Scotland as the Wars for Independence.
The direct line from the first proprietor of the
Scottish Stonehouse
was Sir William Douglas, a friend and companion of Sir
William Wallace.
Douglas’s son, known in history as “The Good Sir James”
Douglas, was
the right hand of King Robert the Bruce and was
instrumental in
hastening the return South of Edward II of England after
the Battle of
Bannockburn in 1314. Thirteen years later, Edward II
visited Berkley
Castle, Gloucester, and met an untimely end at the hands
of four
people, one of whom was John Maltravers, the proprietor
of Stonehouse,
Gloucester.
Walter Fitzgilbert (ancestor of the Dukes of Hamilton)
who fought with
Bruce at Bannockburn was granted the barony of Cadzow in
1315. Before
the Treaty of Union in 1707 the Duke of Hamilton (leader
of the country
party) was a strong believer in an independent Scotland
and had
expectations himself of one day becoming King when Queen
Anne was
unable to provide an heir to the throne.
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