Ashbury, Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Ashbury is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse
. It was part of Berkshire
until the 1974 boundary changes
transferred it to Oxfordshire. The village is about 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Swindon
in neighbouring Wiltshire
. The parish includes the hamlets
of Idstone
and Kingstone Winslow.
is in the parish 1 miles (1.6 km) east of the village.
evolved as Æcesbyrig in AD 856, Aysshedoune in AD 947, Æcesburuh in AD 953 and 960 and Eissesberie in the 11th century.
After AD 953 the manor
of Ashbury was granted to Glastonbury Abbey
, which then held it until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in 1539. A deer park
was established for the Abbey in the south of the parish. It is bounded by an ancient embankment enclosing a rounded area characteristic of Medieval parks. It may equate to the Aysshen Wood recorded in a terrier
of the parish in 1519 as covering 415 acres (167.9 ha). The former deer park is now the Upper Wood of Ashdown Park
.
Ashbury Manor House was built in the 15th century. The brick upper storey of its porch was added in 1697, which is also the likely date that the chimneys were added.
Ashdown House
, built in about 1660, is in the parish about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the village.
of Saint Mary
was originally Norman
but was rebuilt in the 13th century. In the 20th century the artist Martin Travers
converted the north transept
into a chapel of Saint Hubert
in memory of Evelyn, Countess Craven
who had lived at Ashdown House
in the parish.
Ashbury has a former Methodist
chapel in Chapel Lane. It is now a private home.
Ashbury Mission Hall was a "tin tabernacle
" building of corrugated iron opened in 1908. The building was replaced in 1972-73 with the present Ashbury Evangelical Free Church
.
, the Rose and Crown Hotel, controlled by Arkell's Brewery
. The village has a sub-Post Office.
The Church of England
primary school in Ashbury serves both Ashbury and Compton Beauchamp
. The present school was built in the latter part of the 20th century. The previous school building is now the village hall
.
Ashbury has a cricket club.
Vale of White Horse
The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. The main town is Abingdon, other places include Faringdon and Wantage. There are 68 parishes within the district...
. It was part of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
until the 1974 boundary changes
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
transferred it to Oxfordshire. The village is about 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
in neighbouring Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. The parish includes the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Idstone
Idstone
Idstone is a hamlet in the civil parish of Ashbury in the Vale of White Horse. Idstone was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire...
and Kingstone Winslow.
Archaeology
The neolithic burial site of Wayland's SmithyWayland's Smithy
Wayland's Smithy is a Neolithic long barrow and chamber tomb site located near the Uffington White Horse and Uffington Castle, at Ashbury in the English county of Oxfordshire ....
is in the parish 1 miles (1.6 km) east of the village.
History
The earliest known record of Ashbury is from AD 840, when King Æthelwulf of Wessex granted land at Aisshedoune to his minister Duda. In subsequent charters the toponymToponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
evolved as Æcesbyrig in AD 856, Aysshedoune in AD 947, Æcesburuh in AD 953 and 960 and Eissesberie in the 11th century.
After AD 953 the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Ashbury was granted to Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The ruins are now a grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are open as a visitor attraction....
, which then held it until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1539. A deer park
Medieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
was established for the Abbey in the south of the parish. It is bounded by an ancient embankment enclosing a rounded area characteristic of Medieval parks. It may equate to the Aysshen Wood recorded in a terrier
Inventory
Inventory means a list compiled for some formal purpose, such as the details of an estate going to probate, or the contents of a house let furnished. This remains the prime meaning in British English...
of the parish in 1519 as covering 415 acres (167.9 ha). The former deer park is now the Upper Wood of Ashdown Park
Ashdown House, Oxfordshire
Ashdown House is a 17th century country house in the civil parish of Ashbury in the English county of Oxfordshire. Until 1974 the house was in the county of Berkshire, and the nearby village of Lambourn remains in that county....
.
Ashbury Manor House was built in the 15th century. The brick upper storey of its porch was added in 1697, which is also the likely date that the chimneys were added.
Ashdown House
Ashdown House, Oxfordshire
Ashdown House is a 17th century country house in the civil parish of Ashbury in the English county of Oxfordshire. Until 1974 the house was in the county of Berkshire, and the nearby village of Lambourn remains in that county....
, built in about 1660, is in the parish about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the village.
Churches
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
was originally Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
but was rebuilt in the 13th century. In the 20th century the artist Martin Travers
Martin Travers
Martin Travers was an English church artist and designer, whose name is often connected with the Anglo-Catholic movement in the Church of England, especially that part of the movement which favoured a return to the Baroque style of church furnishing...
converted the north transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
into a chapel of Saint Hubert
Hubertus
Saint Hubertus or Hubert , called the "Apostle of the Ardennes" was the first Bishop of Liège...
in memory of Evelyn, Countess Craven
William Craven, 4th Earl of Craven
William George Robert Craven, 4th Earl of Craven OBE , styled as Viscount Uffington from 1868 to 1883, was a British peer and Liberal politician....
who had lived at Ashdown House
Ashdown House, Oxfordshire
Ashdown House is a 17th century country house in the civil parish of Ashbury in the English county of Oxfordshire. Until 1974 the house was in the county of Berkshire, and the nearby village of Lambourn remains in that county....
in the parish.
Ashbury has a former Methodist
Methodist Church of Great Britain
The Methodist Church of Great Britain is the largest Wesleyan Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain . It is the United Kingdom's fourth largest Christian denomination, with around 300,000 members and 6,000 churches...
chapel in Chapel Lane. It is now a private home.
Ashbury Mission Hall was a "tin tabernacle
Tin tabernacle
Tin tabernacles were a type of prefabricated building made from corrugated iron developed in the mid 19th century initially in Great Britain. Corrugated iron was first used for roofing in London in 1829 by Henry Robinson Palmer and the patent sold to Richard Walker who advertised "portable...
" building of corrugated iron opened in 1908. The building was replaced in 1972-73 with the present Ashbury Evangelical Free Church
Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches
The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches is a network of over 500 independent, evangelical churches mainly in the United Kingdom that preach an evangelical faith...
.
Amenities
Ashbury has a public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, the Rose and Crown Hotel, controlled by Arkell's Brewery
Arkell's Brewery
Arkell's is an English brewery located in the town of Swindon, Wiltshire. The brewery has been owned by members of the Arkell family since its establishment in 1843. It is Swindon's oldest established company...
. The village has a sub-Post Office.
The Church of England
Voluntary controlled school
A voluntary controlled school is a state-funded school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in which a foundation or trust has some formal influence in the running of the school...
primary school in Ashbury serves both Ashbury and Compton Beauchamp
Compton Beauchamp
Compton Beauchamp is a hamlet and civil parish southeast of Shrivenham in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Location:...
. The present school was built in the latter part of the 20th century. The previous school building is now the village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
.
Ashbury has a cricket club.