Culworth
Encyclopedia
Culworth is a village and civil parish about 7 miles (11.3 km) north of Brackley
in South Northamptonshire
, England. Culworth is also about 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of the north Oxfordshire
town of Banbury
.
The village stands on the brow of a hill about 540 feet (164.6 m) above sea level. The 2001 Census
recorded a parish population of 488.
enclosure and dry ditch.
William de Culworth was sheriff
of Hertfordshire
and Constable of Hertford Castle
in 1230 and 1234.
The Danvers family held the manor
of Culworth by 1643, when Samuel Danvers (1611–1683) was created a Baronet
. The Danvers baronetcy
became extinct with the death of Sir Michael Danvers, 5th Baronet, in 1776.
The Old Manor is a 17th century courtyard house
. Sir John Danvers, 3rd Baronet (1673–1744) had a large mansion built, but it has not survived. There is a newer Danvers House that is reputed to include materials from the mansion, and certainly includes window frames that may date from about 1700.
of Saint Mary the Virgin
has north and south aisles with three-bay
Norman
arcades
dating from about 1200. Late in the 13th century the arcades were lengthened and the lower part of the west tower was built. The upper part of the tower is Perpendicular Gothic and therefore was built later.
By 1254 the Augustinian
Canons Ashby Priory
held "the spiritualities" of St. Mary's parish. Early in the 14th century there was a dispute between Roger de Mussynden and Prior Adam of the Priory for possession of the advowson
, which was settled in 1325 in favour of the Priory.
Marble monuments to the Danvers family inside the church were erected in 1790. of Northampton. The chancel
was rebuilt in 1840 and the building was altered and refitted in 1880 to designs by the architect E.F. Law of Northampton.
The tower has a ring
of five bells. One of the Newcombe family of bell-founders
of Leicester
cast the oldest bell in 1612. Henry I Bagley of Chacombe
cast the tenor bell in 1636. Other bells were cast by Edward Hemins of Bicester
in 1741 and John Briant of Hertford
in 1806. John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
cast the treble bell in 1931. St. Mary's has also a sanctus bell that was cast by an unidentified founder in about 1700.
St. Mary's parish is a member of the Benefice of Culworth with Sulgrave
and Thorpe Mandeville
and Chipping Warden
with Edgcote
and Moreton Pinkney
.
The Rectory
is a Gothic Revival
house built in 1854. It was enlarged and altered in 1869 to designs by E.F. Law.
East of Danvers House is a Moravian Chapel that was built in 1810.
Westhill House is 17th century with 18th century additions, and has a 17th century barn and granary.
The Great Central Main Line
to London was built through the neighbouring parish of Moreton Pinkney
. In 1899 a station was opened in Moreton Pinkney parish, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Culworth and only 3/4 mi from Moreton Pinkney village. However, there was already a Morton Pinkney railway station
so the Great Central Railway
called the new one Culworth railway station
.
In 1900 the GCR opened a branch from Culworth Junction on the main line just over a mile north of the station to Banbury
. It passed through Culworth parish just west of the village and in 1913 the GCR opened a halt for the village. As the company already had a Culworth railway station it called the new halt Eydon Road Halt
.
British Rail
ways closed the halt in 1956 and Culworth station in 1958, closed the line through Eydon Road in 1966 and subsequently had both railways dismantled.
Brackley
Brackley is a town in south Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Oxford and miles form Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the intersecting trade routes between London, Birmingham and the English Midlands and between Cambridge and Oxford...
in South Northamptonshire
South Northamptonshire
South Northamptonshire is a local government district in Northamptonshire, England. Its council is based in Towcester.The district is rural and sparsely populated with just over 79,293 people in 2000 and 91,000 in 2008, a 14.8% increase. The largest town in the district is Brackley, which has a...
, England. Culworth is also about 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of the north Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
town of Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
.
The village stands on the brow of a hill about 540 feet (164.6 m) above sea level. The 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
recorded a parish population of 488.
Manor
Culworth castle was built probably late in the 11th century. All that remains is a circular ringworkRingwork
A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles minus the motte...
enclosure and dry ditch.
William de Culworth was sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and Constable of Hertford Castle
Hertford Castle
Hertford Castle was a Norman castle situated by the River Lea in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire, England.-Early history:Hertford Castle was built on a site first fortified by Edward the Elder around 911. By the time of the Norman Invasion in 1066, a motte and bailey were on the site...
in 1230 and 1234.
The Danvers family held 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 Culworth by 1643, when Samuel Danvers (1611–1683) was created a Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
. The Danvers baronetcy
Danvers Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Danvers, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of Great Britain. Both creations are extinct....
became extinct with the death of Sir Michael Danvers, 5th Baronet, in 1776.
The Old Manor is a 17th century courtyard house
Courtyard house
A courtyard house is a type of house — often a large house — where the main part of the building is disposed around a central courtyard. Many houses that have courtyards are not courtyard houses of the type covered by this article. For example, large houses often have small courtyards surrounded by...
. Sir John Danvers, 3rd Baronet (1673–1744) had a large mansion built, but it has not survived. There is a newer Danvers House that is reputed to include materials from the mansion, and certainly includes window frames that may date from about 1700.
Church and chapel
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...
has north and south aisles with three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
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...
arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
dating from about 1200. Late in the 13th century the arcades were lengthened and the lower part of the west tower was built. The upper part of the tower is Perpendicular Gothic and therefore was built later.
By 1254 the Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
Canons Ashby Priory
Canons Ashby Priory
Canons Ashby Priory was an Augustinian monastic establishment in Northamptonshire, England.The Priory was founded by Stephen La Leye on a site to the south of the present church between 1147 and 1151, during the reign of Henry II....
held "the spiritualities" of St. Mary's parish. Early in the 14th century there was a dispute between Roger de Mussynden and Prior Adam of the Priory for possession of the advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
, which was settled in 1325 in favour of the Priory.
Marble monuments to the Danvers family inside the church were erected in 1790. of Northampton. 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...
was rebuilt in 1840 and the building was altered and refitted in 1880 to designs by the architect E.F. Law of Northampton.
The tower has 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 five bells. One of the Newcombe family of bell-founders
Bellfounding
Bellfounding is the casting of bells in a foundry for use in churches, clocks, and public buildings. A practitioner of the craft is called a bellmaker or bellfounder. The process in Europe dates to the 4th or 5th century. In early times, when a town produced a bell it was a momentous occasion in...
of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
cast the oldest bell in 1612. Henry I Bagley of Chacombe
Chacombe
Chacombe is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, about northeast of Banbury in neighbouring Oxfordshire. It has sometimes been spelt Chalcombe...
cast the tenor bell in 1636. Other bells were cast by Edward Hemins of Bicester
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 1741 and John Briant of Hertford
Hertford
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000...
in 1806. John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
cast the treble bell in 1931. St. Mary's has also a sanctus bell that was cast by an unidentified founder in about 1700.
St. Mary's parish is a member of the Benefice of Culworth with Sulgrave
Sulgrave
Sulgrave is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England, about north of Brackley.-Parish church:The Church of England parish Church of St James the Less is part of the benefice of Culworth with Sulgrave and Thorpe Mandeville and Chipping Warden with Edgcote and Moreton Pinkney.By...
and Thorpe Mandeville
Thorpe Mandeville
Thorpe Mandeville is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England about northeast of Banbury in neighbouring Oxfordshire. The hamlet of Lower Thorpe lies just north of the village....
and Chipping Warden
Chipping Warden
Chipping Warden is a village in Northamptonshire, England about northeast of the Oxfordshire town of Banbury. The parish is bounded to the east and south by the River Cherwell, to the west by the boundary with Oxfordshire and to the north by field boundaries....
with Edgcote
Edgcote
Edgcote is a village and civil parish on the River Cherwell in south-west Northamptonshire. The parish is bounded by the river to the north and by one of its tributaries to the east...
and Moreton Pinkney
Moreton Pinkney
Moreton Pinkney is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, about north of Brackley.-Parish church:The earliest evidence of Christianity in the parish is a fragment of an Anglo-Saxon stone cross in the churchyard of the Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin...
.
The Rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
is a Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
house built in 1854. It was enlarged and altered in 1869 to designs by E.F. Law.
East of Danvers House is a Moravian Chapel that was built in 1810.
Social and economic history
After the extinction of the Danvers baronetcy Meriel Danvers, a spinster of the family, endowed Danvers Free School in 1789 and it was built in about 1795. It is now Culworth Church of England Primary School.Westhill House is 17th century with 18th century additions, and has a 17th century barn and granary.
The Great Central Main Line
Great Central Main Line
The Great Central Main Line , also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , is a former railway line which opened in 1899 linking Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester.The GCML was the last main line railway built in...
to London was built through the neighbouring parish of Moreton Pinkney
Moreton Pinkney
Moreton Pinkney is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, about north of Brackley.-Parish church:The earliest evidence of Christianity in the parish is a fragment of an Anglo-Saxon stone cross in the churchyard of the Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin...
. In 1899 a station was opened in Moreton Pinkney parish, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Culworth and only 3/4 mi from Moreton Pinkney village. However, there was already a Morton Pinkney railway station
Morton Pinkney railway station
Morton Pinkney was a railway station on the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway which served the Northamptonshire village of Moreton Pinkney between 1873 and 1952...
so the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
called the new one Culworth railway station
Culworth railway station
Culworth was a railway station near the village of Moreton Pinkney in Northamptonshire. The station was on the former Great Central main line, the last main line to be constructed from the north of England to London which opened in March 1899.- History :...
.
In 1900 the GCR opened a branch from Culworth Junction on the main line just over a mile north of the station to Banbury
Banbury railway station
Banbury railway station serves the town of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. The station is currently operated by Chiltern Railways, on the Chiltern Main Line, and has four platforms in use.-History:...
. It passed through Culworth parish just west of the village and in 1913 the GCR opened a halt for the village. As the company already had a Culworth railway station it called the new halt Eydon Road Halt
Eydon Road Halt railway station
Eydon Road Halt was a railway station on the link line between the Great Central Railway and the Great Western Railway's Birmingham - London line, leaving the Great Central at Culworth Junction to connect with Banbury Junction...
.
British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways closed the halt in 1956 and Culworth station in 1958, closed the line through Eydon Road in 1966 and subsequently had both railways dismantled.