Upper Slaughter is a village in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, 4 miles (6.4 km) south west of Stow-on-the-Wold. The village lies off the A429, which is known as the Fosse Way,[2] and is located one mile away from its twin village Lower Slaughter, as well as being near the villages Bourton-on-the-Water, Daylesford, Upper Swell and Lower Swell. It is built on both banks of the River Eye. The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter.[3][4]

Upper Slaughter is one of a handful of the Thankful Villages,[5] amongst the small number in England which lost no men in World War I.[6] The village also lost no men in World War II, additionally making the village a Doubly Thankful Village!

HISTORY

The name of the village derives from the Old English word "slohtre" meaning "wet land".[11][12]

In the past, some Roman burial mounds have found on the nearby Copse Hill.[13] Thus, it is very possible that Upper Slaughter was a settlement up to 2,000 years ago. More certainly, the manor of Upper Slaughter is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086; the Slaughter family acquired it in the late 12th century.[14] The current building, on the site of an ancient building, was constructed over many years, starting in the Tudor era. Its crypt is estimated to be from the 14th century.[15] Moreover, Upper Slaughter was the site of a Norman adulterine castle, built by supporters of the Empress Matilda during The Anarchy of the 12th century. The remains of the castle are marked by the Castle Mound on the north edge of the village.

The largest business in the village is the Lords of the Manor Hotel. The building dates from 1649 since it separated from the Upper Slaughter Manor and has been a hotel since 1960s, furnished with portraits and antiques belonging to its former owner.[16] Other hotels serving the two Slaughter villages include The Slaughters Country Inn and Lower Slaughter Manor. In 1906, the cottages around the square were reconstructed by architect Sir Edward Lutyens.[17]