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PROCEEDINGS COTTESWOLD CLUB 
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DEERHURST AND TEWKESBURY MEETING 
June 5TH, 1917. 
The second meeting included visits to two of the most notable buildings 
in the Severn Vale — Deerhurst Church and Tewkesbury Abbey — and the 
journey thence on the river added to the pleasure of the day. The Members 
travelling from Gloucester were The President, F. H Bretherton, O. A. 
Brown, J. M. Collett, F. J. Cullis, F. W. Duart-Smith, E. W. Fyffe, J. N. Hobbs, 
W. C. Lucy, A. S. Montgomrey, Rev. H. Moxon, J. F. Muir, Surgeon-Major 
Newton, C. Upton, J. A. Smithin, and Roland Austin (Secretary), who were 
joined later by Colonel Duke, F. J. Mylius, A. J. Stephens, G. Embrey and 
J.W. Gray. 
At Deerhurst, the Vicar (Rev. J. Griffin) welcomed his visitors, who 
assembled in the churchyard, where the President outlined the early history 
of the village, the antiquity of which is assured, a monastery (traditionally) 
having been founded there some time in the 7th century. Bede knew of it, 
and the Danes destroyed it. The present church may be dated for the main 
part as of the reign of Edgar (959-975). The so-called stone dragon above 
the west door was explained to have been a Saxon arite-fixa, or decorative 
finial to the ridge-roof, as is to be noticed in the Bayeux tapestry of West- 
minster Church. St. Alphege (Archbishop of Canterbury, d. loii) took the 
monastic habit at Deerhurst. There is also the historic incident of Cnut’s 
pledge with Edmund Ironside, the Alney of the A. S. Chronicle being 
therein stated to be at Deerhurst. The early connection of Deerhurst with 
the Abbey of S. Denis, near Paris, was also referred to. Edward the 
Confessor had deprived it of its possessions in order to endow S. Denis, 
reserving some of them, however, for Westminster. Hence, he was no 
benefactor to Deerhurst. In the time of Edward IV. (1469) there remained 
but two monks in this sadly-impoverished cell. 
In late-Saxon times the church consisted of N, and S. aisles, with a 
double western porch under the remaining tower ; but the idea of a former 
central tower (suggested by some arclneologists) is not favoured by Mr 
Baddeley, though there was most probably another storey to the present 
elevation. In many of the very early churches the Baptistery was situated 
at the west end, and passages—called respectively the Narthex and ^so- 
narthex— crossed the west front, this being the locality where penitents were 
alone permitted to hear .certain parts of the services. There was such a 
double porch at Deerhurst, though the character of the inner chamber (as 
such) has long been destroyed. Passing to the north side (external) the 
President drew attention to the interesting features of the three decorated 
windows, each distinct in design, which he dated as the work of the early 
14th century, there being a few years between the building of each of the 
three. 
