Didmarton Summary

The Parish of Didmarton situated in the Hundred of Grumbolds Ash in the lower right corner of Gloucestershire an Anglo Saxon division of the Shire it was thought to contain about a hundred houses or family groups Grumbolds Ash it situated just south of Hawkesbury near little Sodbury and was thought to be a meeting place for Saxon Hundred administration business, it also within the Deanery of St Mary’s Hawkesbury, since March 25 1883 Didmarton includes the old parish of Oldbury on Hill when they were combined by local government as one Parish, although the two Church’s were ecclesiastically joined in 1735 they were once part of the Parish of Hawkesbury we know this because in 972 King Edgar confirms to the monks of Pershore Abbey that have in their possession the lands and privileges which had been granted to them in the past the Charter includes Upton, Tresham, Hillesley, Badminton Kilcot, Didmarton and Oldbury on Hill which all together contained 40 manses (or hides) by the time of the doomsday book 1086 the two hamlets of Dedmertone and Aldeberie on the Hill were two independent parish’s.

Didmarton this more visible village stretches out along the main road on both sides and has some fine old buildings the old church of St Lawrence was probably built abt AD1250 although it is difficult to determine its age, it probably replaced a wooded thatched Saxon church, there was a later more modern church built which is now converted to a private house there is also a Methodist Chapel it lies to the north of Didmarton and southwest of Oldbury and has burials, the area its in is named Creephole it can be accessed by foot along chapel walk in the center of Didmarton on the north side or pass through village then turn sharp left and left again along the lane you will find it on the left. The village is built mostly of local sandstone either in dressed block or rubble with corner keystone and traditional Cotswold stone roofs the 1832 the tithe map shows the Kings Arms built abt 1652 as a coaching Inn its still there and open, further along the street opposite Chapel walk the Compass Inn once stood the building appears to be now lost. The Manor was once owned by the De Syward family then the Wroston and Wroughton family in 1571 Simon Codrington married Grisel the co-heir of Richard Secole and received the estate in dower his descendants then sold the estate in the 1700’s to Charles Noel forth Duke of Beaufort the manor house was built by the Codringtons abt 1600. The present Duke of Beaufort is the current Lord of the Manor and the village boarders on the Beaufort estate many villagers still work for the estate.