Cumnor
Encyclopedia
Cumnor is a village and civil parish 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of the centre of Oxford
, England
. The parish of Cumnor includes Cumnor Hill
, (a ribbon development
between Cumnor village and Botley
), Chawley (at the top of Cumnor Hill), the Dean Court
area on the edge of Botley and the outlying settlements of Chilswell
, Farmoor
and Swinford
. The parish was part of Berkshire
until the 1974 local government boundary changes
transferred it to Oxfordshire.
The village is about 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of Botley and its centre is west of the A420 road
to Swindon
.
s, the Vine and the Bear and Ragged Staff. It also has a newsagent, a butcher, a hairdresser and a post office/greengrocery. There are three churches: the Church of England parish church
of Saint Michael
in the centre of the village, Cumnor United Reformed Church
in Leys Road and Living Stones Christian Fellowship that meets in the Primary School.
The village has football and cricket
clubs, both located on Appleton Road.
Cumnor Primary School has produced many distinguished pupils who have attended schools such as Abingdon School
, Magdalen College School, Oxford High School for Girls, Our Lady's Abingdon and the School of St Helen and St Katharine
in Abingdon
. The local county secondary school is Matthew Arnold School
. Oxford School of Music is based in Cumnor Hill.
Notable residents, as of October 2008, included novelist Philip Pullman
and celebrity chef
Sophie Grigson
.
In Saxon and medieval times the parish was one of the largest in Berkshire, and included Wytham
, Seacourt
, North Hinksey
, South Hinksey
and Wootton
.
In 1560 Cumnor Place was the scene of the death and suspected murder of Amy Robsart
, the wife of Lord Robert Dudley
. The house was pulled down in 1810, it is said because her ghost gave the locals so much trouble.
Cumnor is the basis for Lumsdon in Thomas Hardy
's novel Jude The Obscure
.
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, 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...
. The parish of Cumnor includes Cumnor Hill
Cumnor Hill
Cumnor Hill is a hill in the civil parish of Cumnor, to the west of the city of Oxford in the English county of Oxfordshire. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire...
, (a ribbon development
Ribbon development
Ribbon development means building houses along the routes of communications radiating from a human settlement. Such development generated great concern in the United Kingdom during the 1920s and the 1930s, as well as in numerous other countries....
between Cumnor village and Botley
Botley, Oxfordshire
Botley is a village in the civil parish of North Hinksey, just west of the Oxford city boundary in the English county of Oxfordshire. It was in Berkshire until 1974, when it was transferred to Oxfordshire...
), Chawley (at the top of Cumnor Hill), the Dean Court
Dean Court, Oxfordshire
Dean Court is a suburb west of the centre of Oxford, England. Dean Court was part of Berkshire until the 1974 local government boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-History:...
area on the edge of Botley and the outlying settlements of Chilswell
Chilswell
Chilswell is a small settlement in the parish of Cumnor, Oxfordshire. It lies between the village of South Hinksey and Boars Hill. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire....
, Farmoor
Farmoor
Farmoor is a village west of the centre of Oxford, England. The village was part of Berkshire until the 1974 local government boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....
and Swinford
Swinford, Oxfordshire
Swinford in the English county of Oxfordshire is a small settlement in the civil parish of Cumnor. It lies on the road between Eynsham and Farmoor on the south bank of the River Thames near Swinford Toll Bridge. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire....
. The parish 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 local government 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 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of Botley and its centre is west of the A420 road
A420 road
The A420 is a road between Bristol and Oxford in England. Between Swindon and Oxford it is a primary route.-Present route:Since the opening of the M4 motorway, the road is in two sections. The first section begins on Old Market Street near the centre of Bristol, it passes through Kingswood before...
to 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...
.
Amenities
Cumnor has two 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...
s, the Vine and the Bear and Ragged Staff. It also has a newsagent, a butcher, a hairdresser and a post office/greengrocery. There are three churches: the Church of England parish church
Church 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 Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
in the centre of the village, Cumnor United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
in Leys Road and Living Stones Christian Fellowship that meets in the Primary School.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
clubs, both located on Appleton Road.
Cumnor Primary School has produced many distinguished pupils who have attended schools such as Abingdon School
Abingdon School
Abingdon School is a British day and boarding independent school for boys situated in Abingdon, Oxfordshire , previously known as Roysse's School. In 1998 a formal merger took place between Abingdon School and Josca's, a preparatory school four miles to the west at Frilford...
, Magdalen College School, Oxford High School for Girls, Our Lady's Abingdon and the School of St Helen and St Katharine
School of St Helen and St Katharine
The School of St Helen & St Katharine is an English independent girls' school, located in Abingdon.- History :The School of St Helen & St Katharine was originally two separate girls' schools, St Helen's School and St Katharine's School, founded in the early years of the twentieth century...
in Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
. The local county secondary school is Matthew Arnold School
Matthew Arnold School (Oxford)
Matthew Arnold School is a comprehensive secondary coeducational school, for pupils aged 11 to 18, with specialist status in science and mathematics. It is located just west of Oxford near Cumnor Hill and Botley and is named after 19th century poet Matthew Arnold.The school contains around 1,300...
. Oxford School of Music is based in Cumnor Hill.
Notable residents, as of October 2008, included novelist Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...
and celebrity chef
Celebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become famous and well known. Today celebrity chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television. Historically, celebrity chefs have included Antoine Carême and Martino da Como.-External...
Sophie Grigson
Sophie Grigson
Hester Sophia Frances Grigson is an English cookery writer and celebrity chef known as Sophie Grigson. She has followed the same path and career as her mother, Jane Grigson. Her father was the poet and writer Geoffrey Grigson.-Life:...
.
History
Cumnor was first mentioned in 931 as Cumanoran. The name is of Old English origin, and appears to mean 'Hillside of a man named Cuma'.In Saxon and medieval times the parish was one of the largest in Berkshire, and included Wytham
Wytham
Wytham is a village and civil parish on Seacourt Stream, a branch of the River Thames, about northwest of Oxford. It is just west of the Western By-Pass Road, part of the Oxford Ring Road ....
, Seacourt
Seacourt
Seacourt is a deserted medieval village near Botley in Oxfordshire. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Toponym:...
, North Hinksey
North Hinksey
North Hinksey , is a small civil parish in county Berkshire, 2 miles west of Oxford, and 5 miles north of of Abingdon,situated on the right bank of the Isis...
, South Hinksey
South Hinksey
South Hinksey is a village and civil parish just over south of the centre of Oxford. The parish includes the residential area of Hinksey Hill about south of the village....
and Wootton
Wootton, Vale of White Horse
Wootton is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse about north-west of Abingdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire...
.
In 1560 Cumnor Place was the scene of the death and suspected murder of Amy Robsart
Amy Robsart
Amy Dudley was the first wife of Lord Robert Dudley, favourite of Elizabeth I of England. She is primarily known for her death by falling down a flight of stairs, the circumstances of which have often been regarded as suspicious...
, the wife of Lord Robert Dudley
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
. The house was pulled down in 1810, it is said because her ghost gave the locals so much trouble.
Cumnor is the basis for Lumsdon in Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
's novel Jude The Obscure
Jude the Obscure
Jude the Obscure, the last of Thomas Hardy's novels, began as a magazine serial and was first published in book form in 1895. The book was burned publicly by William Walsham How, Bishop of Wakefield, in that same year. Its hero, Jude Fawley, is a working-class young man who dreams of becoming a...
.
See also
- Henry Brooke, Baron Brooke of CumnorHenry Brooke, Baron Brooke of CumnorHenry Brooke, Baron Brooke of Cumnor CH, PC was a British Conservative Party politician.-Political career:...
(1903–1984) - Ruth Deech, Baroness DeechRuth Deech, Baroness DeechRuth Lynn Deech, Baroness Deech, DBE is a British academic, lawyer and bioethicist, most noted for chairing the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority , from 1994 to 2002...
of Cumnor (born 1943) - Cumnor HurstCumnor HurstCumnor Hurst, also known as Hurst Hill, is a wooded hill in the neighbourhood of the village of Cumnor, Oxfordshire, England. It lies to the north of Boars Hill. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire....
External links
- Cumnor Parish Record from the Bodleian LibraryBodleian LibraryThe Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
, Oxford University - Victoria County History of Berkshire