The name Stonesfield seems appropriate for this lovely village, as it is the source of the exquisite thin stone slates that adorn the rooves of so many buildings in the area. By a strange coincidence however the name actually derives from Stunsfeld, The name given to the settlement in the Doomsday Book, meaning “fool’s field” because of the difficult stony ground surrounding it.

Stonesfield is that rare thing in the Cotswolds, a mining village.

The whole of the area in and around the village is pitted with mines and shafts from which the stone, or pendle, was hauled up and covered with earth to await a frost. When one was expected the whole village would turn out to uncover the stone and allow the frost to split it into slates which would then be trimmed and shaped for roofing. If the frost was at night, the church bells would be rung to wake the village up. 

The legacy of the mines is still felt in the village as many of the buildings have suffered settlement in varying degrees of severity.

The same geological history makes this village the source of some of the most spectacular fossil finds in England. Dinosaurs and other vertebrates have been found here and are displayed in museums around the country.

The western end of the village retains its old character with winding lanes and rows of Slatter’s cottages on the side of the hill, but during the 20th century the village has expanded considerably. It is always the case where hard manual work was the lifeblood of a village that several pubs would open up to satisfy the thirst of the workers. When industry declines, so does the number of drinking establishments.