Summary of Oldbury on the Hill

The Parish of Oldbury on the Hill or Oldbury sur la mont as it was called in 1600(probably a hang over from the Norman period) is situated in the Hundred of Grumbolds Ash and in the Deanery of St Mary’s Hawkesbury, Since 25 March 1883 Oldbury on the Hill was combined with the parish of Didmarton by act of parliament under the local government act, although the two Church’s St Arild’s and St Lawrence were joined in 1735 ecclesiastically they were once part of Hawkesbury Parish this we know because in 972 King Edgar confirms to the monks of Pershore Abbey their possession of 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 were two independent parish’s.

Oldbury On The Hill St Arilds was reputed to had been built abt AD 1150 but was probably started before this time as a wooden structure with a thatched roof probably dating from the late Saxon period. The name of St Arild occurs at only two Churches the other being Oldbury on Severn 20 miles to the west. A modern traveler would pass along the A433 road (the old Roman Bath to Cirencester road) and not realize Oldbury on Hill was there yet three hundred years ago it was the dominant of the two having about three times the population, nowadays all that one can see is a small church a farm a couple of houses and a large house which was the manor house even getting to the church is difficult as there is no direct access, what is not at first apparent is that the field on the south side of the church once housed a village with streets long gone now, all that remains are the level house floors and the street plan and then only visible in the right light conditions, these houses were probably built from wood with thatched roofs, The original doorway into the church can still be seen now bricked up (see picture of St Arild’s) I don’t know the reason for Oldbury’s rapid decline perhaps it was the expansion of Didmarton or diseases although its more likely to be changes brought about by the enclosures act and the demise of the Agricultural labourer with farms becoming more mechanized what ever the reason people seem to have deserted the place in a very short period indeed Chappells from my own family that left in 1798 for Hawkesbury, other villages close by are not even aware of its existence, If you take a closer look at the Church the old entrance was facing south toward the now empty field the later entrance is on the North side toward the Manor house. Just across the fields to the North West is Saddlewood another ancient settlement that until very recent times came under Hawkesbury but is now with Tresham.