Marksbury

Marksbury (grid reference ST666623) is a small village in Somerset about 4 miles from Keynsham and 7 from Bath on the A39 where it meets the A368.

The name of the village is thought to come from Old English either as ‘Mǣrec’s or Mearc’s stronghold’ (from an Old English male personal name + burh ‘stronghold’, ‘fortified place’, dative byrig), or as ‘stronghold on a boundary’ (from mearc ‘boundary’, possibly a reference to the Wansdyke, + burh, byrig).

The village has a primary school.

1 Government and politics
2 Demographics
3 Church
4 Other Grade II listed buildings
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Government and politics

Marksbury is part of the Farmborough Ward which is represented by one councillor on the Bath and North East Somerset Unitary Authority which has responsibilities for services such as education, refuse, tourism etc. The village is a part of the Wansdyke constituency which elects one MP to the Westminster Parliament and part of the South West England constituency which elects 7 members to the European Parliament.

[edit] Demographics

According to the 2001 Census the Farmborough Ward (which includes Compton Dando, Woollard, Hunstrete and Chewton Keynsham), had 1,111 residents, living in 428 households, with an average age of 44.5 years. Of these 71% of residents describing their health as 'good', 21% of 16-74 year olds had no qualifications; and the area had an unemployment rate of 1.0% of all economically active people aged 16-74. In the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004, it was ranked at 22,100 out of 32,482 wards in England, where 1 was the most deprived LSOA and 32,482 the least deprived. ^[1]

[edit] Church

St Peter's Church, Marksbury

The church, dedicated to St. Peter, is an ancient structure, with a tower containing six bells. It is believed to be late 12th Century in origin but mainly from the 15th century. The tower of 3 stages, the first stage has diagonal buttresses, a canted stair turret in the return of tower and nave and a very small west door with a canted flat arch under a 2-light, chamfered mullion window dated 1634. The second stage has a cusped 2-light window with heavy louvres to the north, a blocked single light to the east and 2-light chamfered, vaguely pointed windows south and west, contemporary with third stage which has one enormous, round headed window with raised architrave and louvres per side, thin, embattled parapet dominated by 4 pyramidal pinnacles with vanes. The nave has two 2-light windows under hoodmoulds flanking a blocked, moulded round headed door under a plaque dated 1627. The buttressed, off-centre chancel has to north one window as elsewhere, 3-light east window of 1875. There are several monuments in the chancel including those to Counsell, 1671, and Wadden, 1682. In the nave is a monument to Boulter 1782, by Brewer of Box. Reverend William Counsell was the rector (1662-1674). The church is a grade II* listed building (Church of St. Peter at Images of England) An unidentified monument in the churchyard is also listed (Unidentified Monument, in the churchyard and 2 metres south of nave of Church of St. Lawrence at Images of England)

On Wingsbury Hill are remains of an ancient chapel, probably belonging to a monastery, which formerly existed here.