St. Nicholas Church, Standish
Standish was once a much larger parish than it is today, stretching from the Cotswolds near Whiteshill to Epney on the River Severn, and included Hardwicke, Randwick, Saul, Colethrop, a portion of Pitchcombe village and a small detached piece between Moreton Valence and Whitminster. The complexities appear to have resulted from the ownership of the land, and of the great tithes by the medieval lords of Standish,
You can read more about the parish of Standish here: A History of Standish
As the mother church of such a large parish, Standish church is likely to have been built many years before the first known reference to it c. 1188.
You can read more about the History of the Church here: Standish Church History
The link to Edward II
There is a tradition that after Edward II was murdered at Berkeley Castle in 1327 his body rested overnight in Standish Church on the way to his burial in Gloucester Cathedral, but documentary support for this cannot be found earlier than 1889. However it does not seem unreasonable that a slow-moving cortege would find itself at Putloe, near Standish, as the day came to a close. Standish Lane, leading to the church from the main road to Gloucester (now the A38) would have provided a short detour. You can read an analysis of the claim – and the alleged planting of several oak trees (“The “Royal Oaks”) to commemorate the event HERE.
One of the surviving alleged “Royal Oaks”, in the field across the Arlebrook behind Devonia Cottage in Standish Lane
The link with Sir Winston Churchill and The Winston memorial
In the late 16th century the Lord of the Manor of Standish was Sir Henry Winston (1560-1609). His daughter Sarah Winston married John Churchill in 1618, bringing the Winston name into the Churchill family. Their son Sir Winston Churchill was the father of the great Duke of Marlborough and ancestor of the more famous, war-time Prime Minister Sir Winston Spencer-Churchill
To commemorate the link between Standish and the Churchill family a splendid memorial to Sir Henry Winston incorporating the Winston and Churchill coat of arms was erected on the east wall of the nave of Standish Church. After a restoration in 1965 it was unveiled almost a year after the death of Sir Winston by his grandson Mr Winston Churchill MP, at a service on January 11th 1966.
The Winston memorial with inscription below
A booklet written by Standish resident Bonham Bazeley describing the history of the church and the Winston Memorial in more detail can be read HERE