The Swainswick squire.

Today brings you a quick look inside St Mary’s Church at Upper Swainswick – on the A46 outskirts of Bath – as l illustrate some visual aspects of its past and its future.

I welcomed more information and Fred Edwards from the Friends of Swainswick Church offers the following!

“Another interesting piece inside the church above the door is the Royal Arms – called “A Swainswick Puzzle”.

There is a full article on this online but I precised this onto a postcard some time ago and attach this below:

Another fascinating fact. Thank you Fred. You can review the fuller, online article here http://historyofbath.org/images/documents/df60f8a3-74c9-4f55-8297-f2ab3f70978d.pdf

Meanwhile, Patrick Smith writes from Corsham:

“I have very much enjoyed your interior and exterior tours of St Mary’s Swainswick, especially because my great, great grandparents were married there in 1829.

They both originated from adjacent villages in north Hampshire but I don’t yet know how they came to Swainswick / Batheaston.

It’s possible they were in service as domestic / gardeners at somewhere like Bailbrook House as in the 1841 census they (William & Frances Smith, nee Legrove) were “Market Gardeners” living and working at Cliffe Cottage, Bailbrook, which is adjacent to the “Tin Tabernacle” to the north of Bailbrook Lane.

Many thanks for your excellent local news & views service.”

Thank you Patrick – and thanks for coming back with a bit extra!

“Further to our exchange earlier I should point out that William Smith and Frances Legrove married at St Mary’s Swainswick in March 1830, not 1829.

Dave Pearce in his wonderful Bailbrook history, “An Unsatisfactory and Disorderly Set”, confirms on page 16 that William Smith was the occupier of plot 36 on the 1840 Tithe Map of Batheaston. Plot 36, described as a “Market Garden”, was part of “Pigacre”.

I was in contact with Dave about 8 years ago when he confirmed that Cliffe Cottage still exists but is much altered and is now called The Vine House.”