| Lower Swell | |
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Lower Swell
Lower Swell shown within Gloucestershire |
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| Population | 405 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SP173254 |
| District | Cotswold |
| Shire county | Gloucestershire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Stow-on-the-Wold |
| Postcode district | GL54 |
| Dialling code | 01451 |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Gloucestershire | |
Lower Swell is a village and a parish in Gloucestershire. It is located at the River Dikler, one mile from Stow-on-the-Wold.[1] The village has "finest countryside, a tranquil village green and plenty of mellow stone cottages".[2] The village church is dedicated to St. Mary.[1]
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Daniel Henry Haigh, a noted Victorian scholar of Anglo-Saxon history and literature, is certain that "swell" means "burning", or "funeral pile".[3] He says that there was a battle fought by Offa of Mercia in the vicinity of Lower Swell. David Royce, who is the Vicar of Lower Swell, has said that during the reconstruction of the church "a long deep bed of ashes was discovered in his churchyard, and that, of eleven barrows in the parish, the largest is called Picked Morden, a name which seems equivalent to "selected slain".[3] After he heard this testimony, Haigh came to the conclusion that the place where the Lower Swell church stands now was once used to bury "the burnt corpses of the nobles".[3]
According to another theory, the name "Swell" came about from "the protuberant contours on the western side of the [Dikler] river".[4]
In the Middle Ages the village's name was Little Swell. Documents indicate that the village was well developed by the 17th century, but was probably initially developed even earlier.[4] The oldest extant buildings are dated to 17th Century. A notable 18th century building that was built in 1786 is named the "Golden Ball", but locals call it simply "the Ball".[4]
Another interesting building was constructed in Hindu style in 1807. It was formerly a spa because of the mineral rich well that was discovered there, but the well has since become dry.[4]
In 1086 the manor of Lower Swell was owned by Raoul II of Tosny and William II, Count of Eu. In the 13th century the Lower Swell manor was sold to Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall (formally "King of the Romans", from 1257).[4] In the 16th century it was exchanged back and forth between the Crown and the Bishop of London.[4] Other notable owners include Sir Robert Atkyns, who was an English Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, Member of Parliament, and Speaker of the House of Lords. His son Sir Robert Atkyns lived in Lower Swell and wrote Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire.[1][4]
There are a few ancient ancient burial chambers located around Lower Swell. Some of them are/were marked with menhirs - standing stone standing stones. One of this stones is named the Whittlestone, or Whistle stone as it used to be called.[5][6]
There is a local legend that the Whittlestone once belonged to immovable megaliths. The legend also includes the claims that the stones of Zennor Quoit are typically immovable. They cannot be moved by all the King's horses and all the King's men, and that if they are moved they will return to their initial places the morning after they are moved.The Whittlestone was moved, however, and contrary to the legend it remains at the location that it was moved to in the center of Lower Swell.[7]
Another legend states that the Whittlestone is a moving megalith, and every night, "when the Whistlestone hears Stow clock (a mile off) strike 12, it goes down to Lady-well (and the hill’s foot) to drink".[6][7]