Hewelsfield
| Hewelsfield | |
|---|---|
 Hewelsfield Parish Church |
|
 Hewelsfield
|
|
| Hewelsfield shown within Gloucestershire | |
| Population | 484 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SO567020 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LYDNEY |
| Postcode district | GL15 |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
Hewelsfield is a village and parish in the Forest of Dean District of Gloucestershire, England. It is located 6 miles south of Coleford and 5 miles north-east of Chepstow, close to the Wye valley and partly within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The parish also includes the separate village of Brockweir.
The area was known in the Anglo-Saxon period as Hiwoldestone. It was included by William the Conqueror in the Royal Forest of Dean, but by the 12th century was established as a village with church. Ancient routes running up from the River Severn at Alvington and Woolaston met at Hewelsfield village and continued to the nearby village of St. Briavels. In 1266 the manor of Hewelsfield was granted to Tintern Abbey, which retained it until the Dissolution in 1536. Together with the abbey grange at Brockweir, the manor was then granted to Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester.
The parish church of St. Mary Magdalen has a Norman nave; an Early English chancel; and a north transept enlarged in the 16th century. The churchyard is circular in form, which is often taken to suggest a pagan site or Celtic foundation. There is evidence of a small motte and bailey castle close to the church, and earthworks close to the castle suggest either a deserted medieval village or field boundaries. A separate ancient field system exists close to Hewelsfield Court.
...
Wikipedia