Charlton-on-Otmoor
Encyclopedia
Charlton-on-Otmoor is a village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Bicester
in Oxfordshire, England. The village is close to the River Ray
on the northern edge of Otmoor
.
of Saint Mary the Virgin
was a 13th century Early English Gothic building but received substantial Decorated Gothic alterations in the 14th century. The east window is slightly later, in the transitional style from Decorated to Perpendicular Gothic. Around the beginning of the 16th century the clerestory
and new roof were added to the nave
and a new window was added to the south aisle.
In the early 16th century the present rood screen
and rood loft (for a crucifix
between the chancel
and nave) were added to the church. During the English Reformation
Edward VI
's injunctions of 1547 instructed that rood screens and lofts be removed be removed from all churches in England and Wales. Charlton's screen and loft survived these injunctions, and in the 20th century the critic Jennifer Sherwood judged them "the finest and most complete in the county". A tradition of garlanding the rood cross with flowers and box
greenery on May Day and carrying it in procession around the parish also survived the Reformation and continues in modern times.
In 1846 the Gothic Revival architect
G.E. Street
re-roofed the church and restored the north wall. In 1889 the rood screen and loft were restored. St. Mary's has never been over-restored, and its Decorated and Perpendicular mediaeval character has survived almost intact.
By 1553 the bell tower
had five bells plus a Sanctus bell, but all have since been recast or replaced. Richard Keene, whose foundries included one at Woodstock, cast the two largest bells in 1681. Thomas Lester of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
cast another bell in 1746 and Matthew II Bagley of Chacombe, Northamptonshire
cast another in 1755. The then treble bell broke in 1789 but John Warner and Sons of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry recast it that same year. In the 19th century the Bagley bell survived for a long time with a fracture, but in 1895 its tongue and head fell out. Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry replaced or recast the broken bell in 1898. In 1998 the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast a new treble bell, making the 1789 bell the second bell and increasing the tower to a ring
of six bells. In 1999 the new bell was hung and the old bells re-hung as a project for the village to celebrate the Millennium. John Warner and Sons cast the present Sanctus bell in 1793.
St. Mary's is now part of the Church of England Benefice of the Ray Valley.
meeting house by 1810 and a new Baptist chapel in 1835. The village had a Methodist
congregation by 1829 which built a new chapel in 1840. The Methodist chapel had ceased to be used by the end of the 19th century and was sold to the Church of England
Rector in 1920 who converted it into a club room.
, The Crown. There was formerly another pub, the George and Dragon, a 17th-century house at the eastern end of the village. This was where locals formed the Otmoor Association in 1830, leading to the Otmoor Riots in opposition to plans to drain and enclose
Otmoor. The rioters achieved their objective, and the villagers continued to farm a four-field open field system
. A subsequent attempt at enclosure in 1858 was successful.
The enclosure of 1858 set aside land for the building of Charlton Parochial School, which opened in 1866. The number of pupils grew and a second classroom was added in 1892. It was reorganised as a junior school in 1937 and became a voluntary controlled school
in 1951. It is now Charlton-on-Otmoor Church of England Primary School.
Otmoor Women's Institute meets in Charlton-on-Otmoor. Charlton United F.C. plays in Oxfordshire Senior Football League
Division One.
between and passes through the parish and was completed in 1851. Tthe London and North Western Railway
took it over in 1879 and opened , 1 miles (1.6 km) north of the village, in 1905. The 1923 Grouping
made the L&NWR part of the new London, Midland and Scottish Railway
, which closed Charlton Halt in 1926. The part of the line between Oxford and Bicester is now the Bicester Link
. The line's nearest station to Charlton is now , 2.5 miles (4 km) away.
A local bus and coach company, Charlton Services, is based in the village. Two of its routes serve Charlton:
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
in Oxfordshire, England. The village is close to the River Ray
River Ray
The River Ray is a river in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England. It rises at Quainton Hill and flows west through a flat countryside for around 25 km or 15 miles. It passes the village of Ambrosden and then flows through Otmoor...
on the northern edge of Otmoor
Otmoor
Otmoor or Ot Moor is an area of wetland and wet grassland in Oxfordshire, England, located halfway between Oxford and Bicester. It is about above sea level, and has an area of approximately ....
.
Church of England
Charlton had a parish church by the 11th century. The present 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 the Virgin
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 a 13th century Early English Gothic building but received substantial Decorated Gothic alterations in the 14th century. The east window is slightly later, in the transitional style from Decorated to Perpendicular Gothic. Around the beginning of the 16th century the clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
and new roof were added to the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and a new window was added to the south aisle.
In the early 16th century the present rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
and rood loft (for a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
between the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and nave) were added to the church. During the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
's injunctions of 1547 instructed that rood screens and lofts be removed be removed from all churches in England and Wales. Charlton's screen and loft survived these injunctions, and in the 20th century the critic Jennifer Sherwood judged them "the finest and most complete in the county". A tradition of garlanding the rood cross with flowers and box
Buxus
Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood ....
greenery on May Day and carrying it in procession around the parish also survived the Reformation and continues in modern times.
In 1846 the Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
G.E. Street
George Edmund Street
George Edmund Street was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex.- Life :Street was the third son of Thomas Street, solicitor, by his second wife, Mary Anne Millington. George went to school at Mitcham in about 1830, and later to the Camberwell collegiate school, which he left in 1839...
re-roofed the church and restored the north wall. In 1889 the rood screen and loft were restored. St. Mary's has never been over-restored, and its Decorated and Perpendicular mediaeval character has survived almost intact.
By 1553 the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
had five bells plus a Sanctus bell, but all have since been recast or replaced. Richard Keene, whose foundries included one at Woodstock, cast the two largest bells in 1681. Thomas Lester of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
cast another bell in 1746 and Matthew II Bagley of Chacombe, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
cast another in 1755. The then treble bell broke in 1789 but John Warner and Sons of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry recast it that same year. In the 19th century the Bagley bell survived for a long time with a fracture, but in 1895 its tongue and head fell out. Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry replaced or recast the broken bell in 1898. In 1998 the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast a new treble bell, making the 1789 bell the second bell and increasing the tower to a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of six bells. In 1999 the new bell was hung and the old bells re-hung as a project for the village to celebrate the Millennium. John Warner and Sons cast the present Sanctus bell in 1793.
St. Mary's is now part of the Church of England Benefice of the Ray Valley.
Baptist and Methodist chapels
Charlton had a BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
meeting house by 1810 and a new Baptist chapel in 1835. The village had a 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...
congregation by 1829 which built a new chapel in 1840. The Methodist chapel had ceased to be used by the end of the 19th century and was sold to the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Rector in 1920 who converted it into a club room.
Amenities
Charlton has one 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 Crown. There was formerly another pub, the George and Dragon, a 17th-century house at the eastern end of the village. This was where locals formed the Otmoor Association in 1830, leading to the Otmoor Riots in opposition to plans to drain and enclose
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
Otmoor. The rioters achieved their objective, and the villagers continued to farm a four-field open field system
Open field system
The open field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to as recently as the 20th century in some places, particularly Russia and Iran. Under this system, each manor or village had several very large fields, farmed in strips by individual families...
. A subsequent attempt at enclosure in 1858 was successful.
The enclosure of 1858 set aside land for the building of Charlton Parochial School, which opened in 1866. The number of pupils grew and a second classroom was added in 1892. It was reorganised as a junior school in 1937 and became a voluntary controlled school
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...
in 1951. It is now Charlton-on-Otmoor Church of England Primary School.
Otmoor Women's Institute meets in Charlton-on-Otmoor. Charlton United F.C. plays in Oxfordshire Senior Football League
Oxfordshire Senior Football League
The Oxfordshire Senior Football League is an association football competition based in Oxfordshire, England. The league has four divisions; the Premier Division and Division One contain clubs' first teams, while Division Two and Division Three are mainly made up entirely of reserve sides...
Division One.
Transport
The Buckinghamshire RailwayBuckinghamshire Railway
The Buckinghamshire Railway was a railway company in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England that constructed railway lines connecting Bletchley, Banbury and Oxford...
between and passes through the parish and was completed in 1851. Tthe London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
took it over in 1879 and opened , 1 miles (1.6 km) north of the village, in 1905. The 1923 Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
made the L&NWR part of the new London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
, which closed Charlton Halt in 1926. The part of the line between Oxford and Bicester is now the Bicester Link
Oxford to Bicester Line
The Oxford to Bicester Line is a branch line linking Oxford and Bicester in Oxfordshire, England.-History:The line was opened in 1850 as part of the Buckinghamshire Railway, which in 1879 became part of the London and North Western Railway...
. The line's nearest station to Charlton is now , 2.5 miles (4 km) away.
A local bus and coach company, Charlton Services, is based in the village. Two of its routes serve Charlton:
- Route 94 which is a Monday to Saturday service between Bicester and Oxford via ArncottArncottArncott or Arncot is a village and civil parish about southeast of Bicester in Oxfordshire. It consists of two neighbourhoods: Lower and Upper Arncott....
and IslipIslip, OxfordshireIslip is a village and civil parish on the River Ray, just above its confluence with the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England. It is about east of Kidlington and about north of Oxford. This village in Oxfordshire is not related to Islip, New York... - Route 95 which runs only on Mondays and Fridays between MurcottMurcott, OxfordshireMurcott is a village between the River Ray and Otmoor in the civil parish of Fencott and Murcott, about south of Bicester in Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
and Oxford.
External links
- Charlton-on-Otmoor page from Otmoor Noticeboard website.