The Corpus of ROMANESQUE SCULPTURE in Britain & Ireland
Wiltshire (formerly)
Parish church
The tiny village of Shorncote lies about four and a half miles S of Cirencester. Its name derives from the Old English for ‘cottage in a mucky spot’ (Pike, 2005). The church, which is built of stone rubble with stone slate roofs, consists of a nave, a chancel, a N chapel and a S porch. It dates from the late 12thc with later modifications, including the porch and chapel, made in 14thc. The church was restored by William Butterfield in 1883 and has been in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust since 1987. The chancel arch, the font, and the N and S nave doorways are Romanesque. There is also a blocked Norman window on the N wall of the chancel which was modified in 15thc probably to serve as an Easter sepulchre.
Parish church
The village of Ashley lies some 8 miles SW of Cirencester. The Fosse Way forms part of the parish boundary and also the county boundary with Wiltshire. Ashley was one of several parishes that were transferred from Wiltshire to Gloucestershire in 1930. The church is built of coursed rubble and consists of a W tower, nave with narrow S aisle, S porch and chancel that was rebuilt in 1848. The S doorway and chancel arch are Romanesque.