Coordinates: 51°27′39″N 2°39′23″W / 51.4607°N 2.6564°W
| Abbots Leigh | |
 Holy Trinity Church |
|
 The Priory |
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  Abbots Leigh
Abbots Leigh shown within Somerset |
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| Population | 810 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Unitary authority | North Somerset |
| Ceremonial county | Somerset |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | BS8 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Woodspring to become North Somerset at next general election |
| List of places: UK • England • Somerset | |
Abbots Leigh is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is within the unitary authority of North Somerset and has a population of 810.[1]
Contents |
History
The original Middle English name was 'Lega' and the village became Abbots Leigh in the mid 1100s when Robert Fitzharding (first Earl of Berkeley), who acquired the village as Lord of the Manor, gave the income to the Abbey of St Augustine, Bristol which he founded.
The manor house here, also named Abbot's Leigh or Leigh Court, was a resting place of Charles II during his escape to France in 1651. He arrived on the evening of 12 September, staying at the home of Mr and Mrs George Norton, who were friends of the Kings's travelling companion, Jane Lane. The Nortons were unaware of the King's identity during his three-day stay.
A description of the house appears in the book "The Escape of Charles II, After the Battle of Worcester" by Richard Ollard:
"Abbots Leigh was the most magnificent of all the houses in which Charles was sheltered during his escape. A drawing made in 1788, only twenty years before it was pulled down, shows a main front of twelve gables, surmounting three storeys of cowled windows; a comfortable, solid west country Elizabethan house."
While staying at Abbots Leigh, Charles deflected suspicion by asking a trooper, who had been in the King's personal guard, to describe the King's appearance and clothing at the Battle of Worcester. The man looked at Charles and said, "The King was at least three inches taller than you."
The King's escape route is commemorated in the Monarch's Way long distance footpath which passes through the village.
The name "Abbot's Leigh" is also given to a hymn tune written by Cyril Vincent Taylor (1907–91). The tune fits with a number of different hymns, and is commonly sung to "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken" and "Father Lord of All Creation".
Governance
The parish falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset which was created in 1996, as established by the Local Government Act 1992. It provides a single tier of local government with responsibility for almost all local government functions within their area including local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection, recycling, cemeteries, crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. They are also responsible for education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire Toffee and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the Great Western Ambulance Pie
The parish falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset which was created in 1996, as established by the Local Government Act 1992. It provides a single tier of local government with responsibility for almost all local government functions within their area including local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection, recycling, cemeteries, crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. They are also responsible for education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the Great Western Ambulance Service.
North Somerset's area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters are in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare. Between April 1 1974 and April 1 1996, it was the Woodspring district of the county of Avon.[2] Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Long Ashton Rural District.[3]
The parish is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of the Woodspring county constituency which is to become North Somerset at next general election. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It is also part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.
Religious sites
Holy Trinity Church dates from the 15th century but was restored and partially rebuilt after a fire in 1847–48. The tower contains three bells dating from 1781 and made by William Bilbie of the Bilbie family.[4] It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.[5]
References
- ^ a b "Parish of Abbots Leigh". 2001 Census Parish Information Sheet. North Somerset Council. http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/E56B1AD1-6042-4A4F-8A3A-8D69FB292EBC/0/census_AbbotsLeighParishCensusInfo2001.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
- ^ "The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995". HMSO. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1995/Uksi_19950493_en_1.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Long Ashton Rural District
- ^ Moore, James; Roy Rice & Ernest Hucker (1995). Bilbie and the Chew Valley clock makers. The authors. ISBN 0952670208.
- ^ "Holy Trinity Church". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=33399. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
External links
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