Is Minchinhampton a town or village? This question was prompted by an appeal to the district council to review how much housing growth it has in store for Minchinhampton.

Stroud District Council is looking at sites for new homes in light of higher targets from the government (more here: bit.ly/2QeGPEN) and at the moment it has identified Minchinhampton as 'tier two' - the second highest kind of settlement in the housebuilding hierarchy.

Parish councillors, however, have written to the district council in the hope of downgrading Minchinhampton to tier three.

All of the other towns in the Stroud district in the plan are either tier one or two and only villages feature in the lower tiers.

The SNJ asked Minchinhampton's local history group to weigh in on the town vs village debate.

"Way back in the 13th Century, when the manor of Minchinhampton belonged to the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen, Normandy, charters were passed elevating Minchinhampton to the status of a town, giving the right to hold a market and extract tolls," said Diana Wall from the group.

"The first was probably in 1213. This was when it first became known as Minchin-Hampton, from the old word mycenen, meaning nun.

"A later charter was granted by Henry III, which, when confirmed at Winchester on September 29, 1269, stated 'our beloved in Christ the Abbess and Nuns of Caen that they and their successors should forever be permitted to have a weekly market on Tuesday at their manor of Hampton Monialium (Minchinhampton) in the County of Gloucester and a yearly fair there lasting five days namely on the Eve and Feast of Holy Trinity and the three days following'.

"It was, of course, the income from the tolls that was of interest to the absentee landlords at Caen, and it was a jealously guarded right, as another market opening close by would affect trade.

"These markets and fairs were held up until late Victorian times, and, of course, the charters still exist."