Chilton, Buckinghamshire
Encyclopedia
Chilton is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale
district in Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is in the west of the county, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Thame
in Oxfordshire
. Chilton parish includes the hamlet
of Easington
(not to be confused with the Oxfordshire village of Easington).
"Chilton" is derived from the Old English for "young man's farm". The Domesday Book
of 1086 records it as Ciltone. It evolved via the forms Chiltone in the 12th century and Schelton in the 18th century before reaching its present form.
Before the Norman conquest of England
Alric, son of Goding, a thegn
of Edward the Confessor
, held the manors
of Chilton and Easington. However, the Domesday Book records that by 1086 the Norman baron Walter Giffard
held the two manors.
of Saint Mary the Virgin
was originally a 12th century Norman
building but few details survive from that period. The chancel
and south transept
are 13th century, the Decorated Gothic tower forms the north transept and is mid-14th century. The nave, chancel arch and chancel roof were renewed in the 15th century. The Perpendicular Gothic south chapel was added in about 1520.
Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.The vale is named after Aylesbury, the...
district in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is in the west of the county, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Thame
Thame
Thame is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about southwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury. It derives its toponym from the River Thame which flows past the north side of the town....
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. Chilton parish includes the hamlet
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 Easington
Easington, Buckinghamshire
Easington is a hamlet in the civil parish of Chilton, Buckinghamshire, about north of the Oxfordshire market town of Thame. The hamlet is between the villages of Chilton and Long Crendon and consists of around 30 houses....
(not to be confused with the Oxfordshire village of Easington).
Manor
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...
"Chilton" is derived from the Old English for "young man's farm". The Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 records it as Ciltone. It evolved via the forms Chiltone in the 12th century and Schelton in the 18th century before reaching its present form.
Before the Norman conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
Alric, son of Goding, a thegn
Thegn
The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...
of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
, held the manors
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 Chilton and Easington. However, the Domesday Book records that by 1086 the Norman baron Walter Giffard
Walter Giffard, 1st Earl of Buckingham
Walter Giffard, Lord of Longueville, 1st Earl of Buckingham was a Norman magnate and one of the few proven Companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The caput of his feudal honour was at Crendon, Buckinghamshire....
held the two manors.
Parish church
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 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 originally a 12th century 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...
building but few details survive from that period. 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 south 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...
are 13th century, the Decorated Gothic tower forms the north transept and is mid-14th century. The nave, chancel arch and chancel roof were renewed in the 15th century. The Perpendicular Gothic south chapel was added in about 1520.