| Kingswood | |
  Kingswood shown within Gloucestershire |
|
| Population | 1,290 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Stroud |
| Shire county | Gloucestershire |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE |
| Postcode district | GL12 |
| Dialling code | 01453 |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| UK Parliament | Stroud |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Gloucestershire | |
Kingswood is a village and civil parish within the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England. It is southwest of Wotton-under-Edge and has a population of 1,290. Kingswood should not be confused with the town within South Gloucestershire, also named Kingswood. (Note however, that this larger Kingswood, sometimes called Kingswood, Bristol, was also in Gloucestershire prior to the 1974 Local Government re-reorganisation - see talk page) Kingswood Abbey was a Cistercian abbey, located within the village of Kingswood; the abbey was founded in the year 1169 by William of Berkeley in accordance with the wishes of his uncle, Roger II of ; Berkeley, and colonised from the Cistercian house at Tintern.(Archives Hub, 2006) All that survives today is the 16th century gatehouse, which is under the care of English Heritage. Other vicinity medieval buildings include Malmesbury Abbey and Beverston Castle. Due to frequent floods at Kingswood, the monks colonised a nearby site that became known as Calcot Manor, where the Kingswood monks built an auxiliary tithe barn facility.(Lumina Technologies, 2006) The original Calcot datestone is extant within the porch of the tithe barn interior and reads: "ANNOGRE MOCC HENRICI ABBATIS XXIX FAI DOM H EDIFICATA", verifying founding by Abbot Henry in the year 1300 during the period of King Edward I.
