Hillesley

Hillesley is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It was transferred from the county of Avon in 1991[1] and is now in Stroud District. The village forms part of the civil parish of Hillesley and Tresham. It is close to the Cotswold Edge, near the Cotswold Way and about 2+1⁄2 miles (4.0 km) south of the town of Wotton under Edge (grid reference ST769896).

Hillesley
Hillesley Location within Gloucestershire
Civil parish	Hillesley and Tresham
District	Stroud
Shire county	Gloucestershire
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Wotton-under-Edge
Postcode district	GL12
Police	Gloucestershire
Fire	Gloucestershire
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	The Cotswolds

Until the 1980s the name of the village was spelt Hillsley.

In 972, Hillesley was recorded as Hildeslei (meaning "clearing belonging to Hild"), a tything of the parish of Hawkesbury.[2] The village remained in the parish of Hawkesbury until the boundary changes of 1991. In the Domesday Book of 1086 it is recorded as held by Turstin FitzRolf.[3]

Pevsner notes the following buildings: The local church is St Giles – it was designed in 1851 by the amateur, Rev. Perkins. The farmhouse is from the 17th century, and Yew Tree Cottage is dated 1701. The greyish-white limestone farmhouse known as "Lovettswood," a prominent landmark, takes its name from the Lyvet family, who were lords of the manor of Hillesley in the 12th and 13th centuries.[4]

The local pub is the Fleece Inn. In July 2012, The Fleece Inn, after a short period of closure, was re-opened by the community. It was bought and re-furbished by The Hillesley Community Pub Limited which has over 120 local shareholders.

Village amenities include a primary school, the church, a playing field hosting cricket, a tennis court and club, allotments and a mother and toddler group. Until recent years, the village field hosted a successful football team, competing in local leagues.