Cotswold seats of power history book (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Cotswold seats of power history book

MORE often than not history is told through the lives of the rich.

The biographies of kings and queens, aristocrats and clergymen, form the bedrock sources from which we come to understand the past.

'Delineations of Gloucestershire' was first published in 1825 and focuses on the homes of the gentry and nobility throughout the county.

Cirencester and its hinterland feature heavily and each chapter has an engraving of the mansion house under investigation.

Author James Brewer's history is a contemporary work which has been preserved in its original form. Some of the houses no longer exist, but the illustrations remind readers just how much our landscape has changed since the 19th century.

The "handsome" Abbey House, once owed by Queen Elizabeth's physician Dr Richard Master, was knocked down in 1776, making way for the "very genteel and commodious" building that was to last until the 1960s. Of course, Cirencester's Abbey Grounds now look quite different, surrounded by less impressive housing.

The book also features a brief but informative history of Cirencester since the Romans, with an engraving of Market Place full of cattle rather than cars.

Two large houses also dominate the current site of our twice-weekly market, although the shop fronts and parish church, the history of which is also touched upon, define the space as much as they do in the 21st century.

Their respective lineages of Duntesbourne (sic) Abbots, Cerney House, Barnsley Park are all documented, while the more famous Gatcombe Park and High Grove (sic), where Prince Charles currently resides, are also described by the author.

Of High Grove, he writes: "It is a substantial and spacious family residence and the design is entirely free from ostentation, although some ornamental particulars are introduced. The principal efforts of the architect have been directed towards the interior, which presents many good apartments of accurate proportions suited to the domestic purposes of a family of high respectability."

'Delineations of Gloucestershire's' engravings are beautiful and as intriguing as any 19th century photographs.

The book itself may not be a page-turner for a GCSE history student, but anyone interested in local history should look out for the new edition. It is piquant and easy-to-read, even if it does leave you thirsty for more historical detail.

'Delineations of Gloucestershire - View of the Principal Seats of Nobility and Gentry' by James Norris Brewer is priced at £16 and published by Nonsuch Publishing Limited. Call 01453 883300.