Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire
Encyclopedia
Eaton Bray is a village
and civil parish in the English
county of Bedfordshire
. It is part of a semi-rural area which crosses into the parish of Edlesborough
in Buckinghamshire
and is around one mile from the Bedfordshire
village of Totternhoe
.
The village name Eaton is a common one in England, coming from the old English eitone, meaning "farm by a river". It was listed in the Domesday Book
of 1086 as Eitone. In 1205 the manor of Eaton was granted to William I de Cantilupe
(d.1239), steward of King John
(1199-1216). Eaton became the caput
of the Cantilupe feudal barony
known by modern historians as "Eaton Bray". The grant, for knight-service
of one knight, was in exchange for the manor of Coxwell
, Berkshire, which had been previously granted to him. Eaton had been held at the time of William the Conqueror by the latter's brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux & Earl of Kent, but later escheated to the crown. At Eaton Cantilupe built a castle, the only remains of which is the moat at Park Farm, which is open to the public for fishing. The suffix Bray refers to Sir Reginald Bray
(d. 1503) and the family that once owned the manor
in this village, which was located at present-day Park Farm.
In Victorian
times Arthur Macnamara
(the "Mad Squire
" of Billington
) planned to build a mansion
on the site of the castle, but ran out of money after completing the lodge at the entrance to Park Farm.
One of the more distinctive Victorian buildings near the church, is the Coffee Tavern built by a teetotal vicar
of the parish to encourage the villagers out of the local public house
s. This building was financed by the Wallace family who owned much of the land in the area as well as the famous Wallace Nurseries known for their carnations. The drawings and construction were carried out by some local builders, the Sharratts, who omitted to put a staircase in the original plans!
Today the site of Wallace Nurseries is a housing estate and most of the roads take their name from this and some of the plant varieties they created, for example Saffron Rise and Coral Close.
using stone from nearby Totternhoe
. The organ there was refurbished after a local fundraising campaign in the 1980s.
The fine arcades of the nave and the font date from the Early English period. There is a 16th century communion table.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the English
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...
county of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. It is part of a semi-rural area which crosses into the parish of Edlesborough
Edlesborough
Edlesborough is a village and is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is adjacent to the village of Eaton Bray over the county boundary in Bedfordshire, about three miles WSW of Dunstable....
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....
and is around one mile from the Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
village of Totternhoe
Totternhoe
Totternhoe is a village and civil parish in the Manshead hundred of the county of Bedfordshire, England.-Overview:Totternhoe is an ancient village in southern Bedfordshire, near Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard. Totternhoe Knolls has been a fort for many peoples including Romans and Normans...
.
The village name Eaton is a common one in England, coming from the old English eitone, meaning "farm by a river". It was listed in 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 as Eitone. In 1205 the manor of Eaton was granted to William I de Cantilupe
William I de Cantilupe
William I de Cantilupe was an Anglo-Norman baron and royal administrator.-Origins:...
(d.1239), steward of King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
(1199-1216). Eaton became the caput
Caput
The Latin word caput, meaning literally "head" and by metonymy "top", has been borrowed in a variety of English words, including capital, captain, and decapitate...
of the Cantilupe feudal barony
English feudal barony
In England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was a form of Feudal land tenure, namely per baroniam under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. It must be distinguished from a barony, also feudal, but which existed within a county palatine, such as the Barony...
known by modern historians as "Eaton Bray". The grant, for knight-service
Knight-service
Knight-service was a form of Feudal land tenure under which a knight held a fief or estate of land termed a knight's fee from an overlord conditional on him as tenant performing military service for his overlord....
of one knight, was in exchange for the manor of Coxwell
Coxwell
- Places :*Coxwell Avenue, a street in Toronto, Canada**Coxwell , a subway station in Toronto*Great Coxwell, a village in Oxfordshire, England**Great Coxwell Barn*Little Coxwell, a village in Oxfordshire, England...
, Berkshire, which had been previously granted to him. Eaton had been held at the time of William the Conqueror by the latter's brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux & Earl of Kent, but later escheated to the crown. At Eaton Cantilupe built a castle, the only remains of which is the moat at Park Farm, which is open to the public for fishing. The suffix Bray refers to Sir Reginald Bray
Reginald Bray
Sir Reginald Bray KG the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster under Henry VII, English courtier, and architect of the Henry VII Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey.-Early life:...
(d. 1503) and the family that once owned 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...
in this village, which was located at present-day Park Farm.
In Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
times Arthur Macnamara
Arthur Macnamara
Arthur Macnamara was squire of Billington near Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, where he turned a ruinous village into a model Victorian Estate. Today Billington is a small village with no facilities straddling a busy main road...
(the "Mad Squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
" of Billington
Billington, Bedfordshire
Billington is a civil parish in Bedfordshire about three miles south of Leighton Buzzard. There are two settlements: Little Billington and one that is now called Great Billington . Its name is recorded in 1196 as Billendon and may come from Anglo-Saxon language Billan dūn = "hill of a man named...
) planned to build a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
on the site of the castle, but ran out of money after completing the lodge at the entrance to Park Farm.
One of the more distinctive Victorian buildings near the church, is the Coffee Tavern built by a teetotal vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of the parish to encourage the villagers out of the local public house
Public 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. This building was financed by the Wallace family who owned much of the land in the area as well as the famous Wallace Nurseries known for their carnations. The drawings and construction were carried out by some local builders, the Sharratts, who omitted to put a staircase in the original plans!
Today the site of Wallace Nurseries is a housing estate and most of the roads take their name from this and some of the plant varieties they created, for example Saffron Rise and Coral Close.
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Eaton Bray with Edlesborough
The church was built soon after 1205 by William I de CantilupeWilliam I de Cantilupe
William I de Cantilupe was an Anglo-Norman baron and royal administrator.-Origins:...
using stone from nearby Totternhoe
Totternhoe
Totternhoe is a village and civil parish in the Manshead hundred of the county of Bedfordshire, England.-Overview:Totternhoe is an ancient village in southern Bedfordshire, near Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard. Totternhoe Knolls has been a fort for many peoples including Romans and Normans...
. The organ there was refurbished after a local fundraising campaign in the 1980s.
The fine arcades of the nave and the font date from the Early English period. There is a 16th century communion table.