Garford
Encyclopedia
Garford is a village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Abingdon
. It was part of Berkshire
until the 1974 boundary changes
transferred it to Oxfordshire. The parish is bounded by the River Ock
to the north, by two tributaries of the Ock to the south (Childrey Brook and Nor Brook), and by field boundaries and the road between Kingston Bagpuize
and West Hanney
to the west.
passes through the parish about 0.5 miles (804.7 m) east of the village.
evolved from Garanford in the 10th century to Wareford in the 11th century before reaching its current form.
In AD 940 Edmund I
gave 15 houses at Garford to his thegn
Wulfric, and in 960 Edmund's son Edgar the Peaceful confirmed the grant. The Benedictine
Abingdon Abbey
held two hides
of land at Garford by the time of the Norman Conquest of England
in 1066. Apart from brief interruptions during the reign of William II
the Abbey retained Garford until 1538, when it surrendered its lands to the Crown
in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
. Elizabeth I
sold Garford in 1576, after which it changed hands a number of times.
In 1624 Garford was bought jointly by Elizabeth Craven (née Whitmore), widow of William Craven
, by Sir William Whitmore and by Elizabeth's son Thomas Craven. By the time of the English Civil War
Garford was among the estates of William, Baron Craven, who supported the Royalists. When the Parliamentarians won the civil war the Commonwealth of England
's treason trustees confiscated all of the Baron's estates. After the restoration of the English monarchy Craven's estates were restored to him and in 1664 he was created 1st Earl of Craven
. Garford remained among the estates of the Barons Craven until 1821, when it was sold by another William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven.
.
The Church of England
chapel of Saint Luke dates from the 13th century, but was largely rebuilt in 1880 by Gothic Revival architect
Edwin Dolby
. The east window of the chancel
is a pair of 13th century lancets
and the south doorway of the nave
is also largely 13th century. There is a 14th century window in the south wall of the nave, and a 16th or 17th century window on the south side of the chancel. The chapel's other windows are largely Victorian
. The ancient windows seem to occupy roughly the same positions in the rebuilt chapel as they did in the original building. There is a wooden bell-turret
with one bell.
by 1086, when it was noted in the Domesday Book. There is a record of Garford having a watermill in the 16th century. The present Venn Mill, on Childrey Brook where the Roman road between Besselsleigh
and Wantage
crosses the stream, was built in about 1800 but may occupy the same site as the ancient mill. It is in full working order but for insurance reasons is open to the public only occasionally.
Under an Act of Parliament of 1771 the Besselsleigh Turnpike
Trust took over management of the road between Hungerford
and Wantage and the Roman road between Wantage and Besselsleigh. The road ceased to be a turnpike in 1878.
An open field system
of farming prevailed in the parish until the beginning of the 19th century. Unusually, Parliament
passed two Inclosure Acts for Garford: the first taking effect in 1814-15 and the second being passed in 1825.
Farming is still to this day the predominant industry in the village itself; however the village also has two areas of industry that are based on disused farm sites around the village. The offices for the Millets farm Garden Centre (based in Frilford
) and Chadwick Farm is home to Garden Games Limited a company who offer a drop shipping service of Games to internet based retailers all across the UK continuing the economic prosperity of the village into the 21st century.
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...
. It 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 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 parish is bounded by the River Ock
River Ock
The River Ock is a small English river which is a tributary of the River Thames. It has as its catchment area the Vale of White Horse, a low-lying and wide valley in South Oxfordshire and flows into the River Thames, at Abingdon on the reach above Culham Lock.-Course:The River Ock rises near the...
to the north, by two tributaries of the Ock to the south (Childrey Brook and Nor Brook), and by field boundaries and the road between Kingston Bagpuize
Kingston Bagpuize
Kingston Bagpuize is a village in the civil parish of Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor, about west of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes.-Geography:...
and West Hanney
West Hanney
West Hanney is a village and civil parish about north of Wantage. Historically West and East Hanney were formerly a single ecclesiastical parish of Hanney. East Hanney was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire.-Archaeology:In September...
to the west.
Archaeology
The course of a Roman roadRoman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
passes through the parish about 0.5 miles (804.7 m) east of the village.
Manor
Garford's 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...
evolved from Garanford in the 10th century to Wareford in the 11th century before reaching its current form.
In AD 940 Edmund I
Edmund I of England
Edmund I , called the Elder, the Deed-doer, the Just, or the Magnificent, was King of England from 939 until his death. He was a son of Edward the Elder and half-brother of Athelstan. Athelstan died on 27 October 939, and Edmund succeeded him as king.-Military threats:Shortly after his...
gave 15 houses at Garford to his 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...
Wulfric, and in 960 Edmund's son Edgar the Peaceful confirmed the grant. The Benedictine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
Abingdon Abbey
Abingdon Abbey
Abingdon Abbey was a Benedictine monastery also known as St Mary's Abbey located in Abingdon, historically in the county of Berkshire but now in Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
held two hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
of land at Garford by the time of 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...
in 1066. Apart from brief interruptions during the reign of William II
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...
the Abbey retained Garford until 1538, when it surrendered its lands to the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
. Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
sold Garford in 1576, after which it changed hands a number of times.
In 1624 Garford was bought jointly by Elizabeth Craven (née Whitmore), widow of William Craven
William Craven (Lord Mayor of London)
Sir William Craven was an English merchant, Lord Mayor of London in 1610 . It has been suggested that the story of Dick Whittington is based on Craven's career, and he is sometime referred to as "Aptrick's Dick Whittington".-Life:He was the second son of William Craven and Beatrix, daughter of...
, by Sir William Whitmore and by Elizabeth's son Thomas Craven. By the time of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
Garford was among the estates of William, Baron Craven, who supported the Royalists. When the Parliamentarians won the civil war the Commonwealth of England
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
's treason trustees confiscated all of the Baron's estates. After the restoration of the English monarchy Craven's estates were restored to him and in 1664 he was created 1st Earl of Craven
Earl of Craven
Earl of Craven, in the County of York, is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1664 in favour of the soldier William Craven, the eldest son of Sir William Craven, Lord...
. Garford remained among the estates of the Barons Craven until 1821, when it was sold by another William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven.
Chapel
Since at least the 13th century Garford has been part of the ancient ecclesiastical parish of MarchamMarcham
Marcham is a village and civil parish about west of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Archaeology:...
.
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...
chapel of Saint Luke dates from the 13th century, but was largely rebuilt in 1880 by Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Edwin Dolby
Edwin Dolby
Edwin Dolby was a Victorian architect who practised in Abingdon, England.-Career:Dolby's works span the period 1863–1888. He altered, rebuilt or restored a number of Church of England parish churches, most of them in the Vale of White Horse and Oxfordshire. In 1869–70, he built Abingdon Grammar...
. The east window of 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...
is a pair of 13th century lancets
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
and the south doorway of 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...
is also largely 13th century. There is a 14th century window in the south wall of the nave, and a 16th or 17th century window on the south side of the chancel. The chapel's other windows are largely Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
. The ancient windows seem to occupy roughly the same positions in the rebuilt chapel as they did in the original building. There is a wooden bell-turret
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
with one bell.
Economic history
Garford had a watermillWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
by 1086, when it was noted in the Domesday Book. There is a record of Garford having a watermill in the 16th century. The present Venn Mill, on Childrey Brook where the Roman road between Besselsleigh
Besselsleigh
Besselsleigh or Bessels Leigh is a village and civil parish about south-west of Oxford. Besselsleigh was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred to Oxfordshire.The village is just off the A420 road between Oxford and Swindon....
and Wantage
Wantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
crosses the stream, was built in about 1800 but may occupy the same site as the ancient mill. It is in full working order but for insurance reasons is open to the public only occasionally.
Under an Act of Parliament of 1771 the Besselsleigh Turnpike
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
Trust took over management of the road between Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
and Wantage and the Roman road between Wantage and Besselsleigh. The road ceased to be a turnpike in 1878.
An 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...
of farming prevailed in the parish until the beginning of the 19th century. Unusually, Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
passed two Inclosure Acts for Garford: the first taking effect in 1814-15 and the second being passed in 1825.
Farming is still to this day the predominant industry in the village itself; however the village also has two areas of industry that are based on disused farm sites around the village. The offices for the Millets farm Garden Centre (based in Frilford
Frilford
Frilford is a hamlet and civil parish about west of Abingdon, at the junction of the A415 and A338 roads. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 Boundary Changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Archaeology:...
) and Chadwick Farm is home to Garden Games Limited a company who offer a drop shipping service of Games to internet based retailers all across the UK continuing the economic prosperity of the village into the 21st century.