Church Micro 697...St James the Elder, Horton Traditional Geocache

Horton is a small village nestling on a hill overlooking Little Sodbury and, in the distance, Chipping Sodbury.

St James the Elder Church was built in the 14th Century on the site of a Norman church. It was altered in the 15th and 16th Centuries and restored in 1864-65.

The church has a three-stage Perpendicular style West tower, with diagonal buttresses ending in straight quoin strips with pinnacles and embattled parapet. The nave and chancel have parapets. The windows are also in Perpendicular style. The nave and aisle have wagon roofs.

The Baptismal font has a Norman bowl, cut into a panelled octagon in the 17th Century. This bowl is mounted on a round pedestal and has a 17th Century wooden cover.

St James the Elder was an early Christian martyr put to death by the infamous Jewish King Herod around the year 42AD.

Horton Court(NT) located adjacent to the church was built by the Bishop of Bath and Wells (William Knight) who acted as a delegate to the Pope for King Henry VIII when he was trying to divorce Catherine of Aragon.

Horton Court is a Tudor manor house, although the oldest part dates from Norman times.

Despite the proximity of Horton Court to the 'Monarch’s Way', it’s recently researched history has no record of King Charles II visiting the property in his flight from Oliver Cromwell in 1651. It is possible that the residents were anti-Royalists and would have captured him if he had revealed himself.

If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, we would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication

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