Maude's Cottage

Maude’s Cottage, which is also called Church Cottage because it is situated just next to St. Lawrence’s Church, was built some time in the 17th century. It is a timber framed structure with painted white brickwork and thatched roof, and these materials would have been available locally at the time of construction.

According to a legend this picturesque cottage was once a home to Maude Bowen, a local girl who was wrongly accused of her uncle’s murder and her own suicide. She lived in the cottage with her mother Margaret, both working as spinners. One day she carried the results of her work to Cheltenham market and she never returned. Her body was discovered face down in the stream and another body was found, that of Maude’s uncle Geoffrey, with an arrow through his heart. The coroner decided that the unfortunate girl first murdered her uncle and then committed suicide by drowning in the stream. She was buried as the custom of the time required on non-consecrated grounds at the nearest crossroads with an elm stake driven through her remains.

Her mother was evicted from the cottage. She spent most of her time sitting beside her daughter’s grave. One day, the lord of the manor was passing by to attend the baptism of his first-born son and he ordered Margaret to move out of the way. As his attendant attempted to move her, he was struck by an arrow. As nobody was found in the vicinity, the act was considered to be supernatural and Margaret was put in Gloucester jail as a murderer and witch. At her trial she was found guilty and ordered to be burnt at her daughter’s grave. As the fire was lit, a crash rent the air and when the smoke cleared, Margaret disappeared and the lord was dead on the ground with arrow in his heart.

Maude's elm

In years’ time, an old man moved into Maude’s cottage and used to sit by Maude’s grave. His name was Walter Baldwin and later he revealed that he was Maude’s lover. The Lord of the Manor took a liking to Maude and with the help of her uncle wanted to abduct her. Walter rushed to help Maud and managed to kill her uncle, but Maud herself perished in the struggle. He was the mysterious archer who killed the attendant when he was trying to move Maude’s mother out of the way, as well as the one who in the end killed the Lord of the Manor.

The elm stake driven through the remains of Maude at her burial site grew into a tree and whether the legend is true or doubtful the tree certainly existed. It was 80 feet tall and 21 feet in diameter when it was felled in 1907, when it was struck by lightning and was declared unsafe. It stood at the crossroads where Swindon Road bends north. Historical references show the more original name as Mowles Elm (in 1777) or Maule's Elm (in 1845) and therefore it is more than likely that it is not marking a grave of the unfortunate Maude.