Farrington Gurney

Farrington Gurney
Gray stone building with square tower at far end. Grass and gravestones in the foreground.
Church of St John the Baptist
Farrington Gurney
Farrington Gurney shown within Somerset
Population 901 (2011)[1]
OS grid reference ST629556
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BATH
Postcode district BS39 6
Dialling code 01761
Police Avon and Somerset
Fire Avon
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England
UK Parliament
Website www.farringtongurney.org

Farrington Gurney is an English village and civil parish situated in Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority. The village lies on the junction of the A37 and the A362 in Somerset. The parish has a population of 901.[1]

History

In the Domesday book the village was known as Ferentone.[2] The second part of the name is believed to come from the Gournays, its ancient possessors, including Robert de Gournay in 1225. Sir Thomas de Gournay was concerned in the murder of Edward II at Berkeley Castle, for which his estates were confiscated, and Farrington was later annexed to the Duchy of Cornwall.

The parish was part of the hundred of Chewton.[3]

The manor house is believed to date from 1637 and the old parsonage from around 1700.[4]

Industry included coal mining on the Somerset coalfield from about 1780 but the local pits closed in the 1920s.[5]

There used to be an unmanned railway station or "halt" between 11 July 1927 and 2 November 1959, when the Bristol and North Somerset Railway line closed.

Governance

The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, such as the village hall or community centre, playing fields and playgrounds, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also of interest to the council.

The parish falls within the unitary authority of Bath and North East 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 its 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. It is 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.

Bath and North East Somerset's area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in Bath. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996, it was the Wansdyke district and the City of Bath of the county of Avon.[6] Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Clutton Rural District.[7]

The parish is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of North East Somerset.[8] 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.

Education

There is a primary school in the village, Farrington Gurney Church of England Primary School.

Religious sites

The parish church is a small stone edifice dedicated to St John the Baptist, originally of Norman architecture, rebuilt in Gothic style by John Pinch the younger in 1843.[4] The stump of the medieval cross and a carving over the door survive from an earlier building.[9] The church is set away from the main village in a picturesque location in the middle of a field, originally in order to protect the villagers from the plague.

The Methodist Church situated on the main A37/39 Road is part of the North East Somerset and Bath Circuit of Methodist Churches. Methodism started in the village around 1823, and the first building was near the site of the old village hall. The present church was built during 1880-1881 at a cost of £485, with a further £129 spent on furnishings. The land was negotiated from the Duchy of Cornwall by Colonol Mogg from Manor House. Mogg was an Anglican and this was a good early example of Ecumenism. The building was extended with the schoolrooms added in 1909, with the new electric light installed in 1931. The last significant addition was the toilet and kitchen extension added in 1971. The building is used extensively during the week by the Little Stars Nursery, church members and friends meet for Coffee and Chat on a Wednesday morning, and Morning Worship is held in the church every Sunday.[10]

Mineral Resources

Farrington Gurney Colliery operated from around 1738 until 1921.[11]

Sport

Farrington Gurney FC was founded in 1901 and it officially joined the Somerset FA in that year. Farrington joined the Mid-Somerset Football League in 1961/62 season and stayed with the league for four seasons before moving into the Bristol League. The 1975/76 season saw Farrington Gurney switch back to the Mid-Somerset League from the Bristol Suburban League going straight into Division 2. After winning promotion in style the next few seasons saw Farrington Gurney struggle in the Premier Division finishing 7th (1976/77), bottom (1977/78) and again bottom (1978/79). They were relegated to the First Division in 1979 and finished 4th that season.The early 90’s started promisingly for Farrington Gurney, in 1990 finished the season well by getting promoted back to the First Division. Farrington Gurney Football Club play in Division 2 East of the Somerset County League.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 "Farrington Gurney Parish". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Mason, Edmund J.; Mason, Doreen (1982). Avon Villages. Robert Hale Ltd. ISBN 0-7091-9585-0.
  3. ↑ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  4. 1 2 Pevsner, Nikolaus (1958). The Buildings of England: North Somerset and Bristol. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-071013-2.
  5. ↑ Down, C.G.; A.J. Warrington (2005). The history of the Somerset coalfield. Radstock: Radstock Museum. ISBN 0-9551684-0-6.
  6. ↑ "The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995". HMSO. Archived from the original on 30 January 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
  7. ↑ "Clutton RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  8. ↑ "Somerset North East: New Boundaries Calculation". Electoral Calculus: General Election Prediction. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
  9. ↑ Atthill, Robin (1976). Mendip: A new study. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-7297-1.
  10. ↑ North East Somerset and Bath Circuit News Magazine September 2011
  11. ↑ "Farrington Colliery". Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  12. ↑ "Farrington Gurney FC". Retrieved 29 November 2009.
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