Glympton
Encyclopedia
Glympton is a village and civil parish on the River Glyme
about 3 miles (5 km) north of Woodstock, Oxfordshire
.
in the southern part of the parish, just north of Grim's Dyke Farm, was dug in the 1st century. The surviving section is about 550 yard long.
, Wulfward the White, a thegn
of Edward's consort Queen Edith
, held the manor
of Glympton. Wulfward survived the Norman conquest of England
but by 1086 King William I
had granted the manor to Geoffrey de Montbray
, Bishop of Coutances. By 1122 Geoffrey de Clinton
, chamberlain of Henry I of England
held the manor.
From about 1585 Thomas Tesdale
of Abingdon
leased the manor from the Cupper family to whom the manor had belonged since John Cupper purchased it in 1547. Tesdale was a malt
ster, but at Glympton he raised cattle and grew woad for dyeing. Tesdale died in 1610 leaving £5,000 for scholarships and fellowships from Abingdon School
to Balliol College, Oxford
. His widow Maud Tesdale died in 1616. Thomas is commemorated by a brass memorial
on the chancel floor in St. Nicholas' parish church. He and Maud are also commemorated by an alabaster double monument set into the north wall of the chancel, in which almost life-size effigies of the couple kneel opposite each other at a prayer desk.
In 1633 the manor was bought by William Wheate, whose grandson Thomas Wheate
was created a baronet
in 1696. The Wheate Baronetcy
became extinct on the death of the 6th Baronet in 1816, but the family and their descendants continued to hold the estate until 1944. In the Second World War
Major Frank Wheate Barnett (1906–40) was a staff officer in the King's Royal Rifle Corps
and died of wounds at the Battle of Dunkirk
on 2 June 1940.
Glympton Park
is a country house
that was built for the Wheate family in the 18th century. At the same time the River Glyme was dammed to form the lake in the park. The house was remodelled in 1846.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan
of Saudi Arabia
has owned Glympton Park and its estate since 1992.
of Saint Mary
was originally Norman
and still has its Norman font
. The nave
was rebuilt in the later Middle Ages. The bell tower
was added in the 16th or 17th century. The chancel
was rebuilt and the nave was rebuilt again in the 1730s. In 1872 the Gothic Revival
architect G.E. Street
rebuilt the chancel, enlarged the Norman chancel arch, inserted new windows in the nave
, and added a porch and a vestry
.
The tower has a chime
of five bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1784. The building has also a Sanctus bell that was cast in 1705.
St. Mary's is now part of a single benefice with Asterleigh
, Kiddington
and Wootton
.
of 1086 and the Hundred Rolls
of 1279 record Glympton as having a watermill
. The mill was rebuilt in 1292 and 1326, but by 1362 was i such disrepair as to be worthless. In 1632 Glympton was said to have two mills but in 1659 there was only one. It was last recorded in 1724 and had gone by 1767.
In 1154 woodland in the south of the parish was taken into the royal forest of Wychwood
. To some extent this was disafforested in about 1300. At about the same time villagers expanded their fields by assarting
, which is the process of clearing woodland for cultivation. At least 23 acres (9.3 ha) of assart land changed hands in 1322, by 1426 one of the manors had 46 acres (18.6 ha) of assart land, and in 1631 the paris's assarts were estimated at 500 acres (202.3 ha). Fields or furlong
s with names ending in "-ley" suggest an origin as assarts, including Lutches Ley, Edamesley, and Bradeley. The name of Glympton Assarts Farm, about 1 miles (1.6 km) south of the village, is further evidence that villagers assarted southwards into the Wychwood.
Glympton village used to be grouped around the parish church. However, William Wheate moved the entire village about 400 yards (365.8 m) southeast to make way for the landscaping of Glympton Park, apparently in the 1630's or 1640's, leaving the parish church isolated in its original position. The gate lodge to Glympton Park was probably built at this time, and despite a restoration in 1880 the lodge remains essentially a 17th century house.
Apart from the parish church, no trace remains of the original village. Of the relocated 17th century village none of the original houses survives either. One 18th century inn survives as a private house. All the remaining houses in the relocated village were either remodelled in the 19th century or built new in the 20th century.
Glympton's farmland was enclosed
earlier than that of many other parishes. There were records of some enclosures having taken place by the early parts of the 14th, 15th and 17th centuries. After William Wheate bought the manor in 1633 he began enclosing the remainder, and after 1690 Sir Thomas Wheate, 1st Baronet
completed the process by agreement with his tenants.
The main road through Glympton was once part of the main road between London
and Aberystwyth
. It and the Oxford - Stratford-upon-Avon
main road through the parish were made into turnpikes
in 1729. Both roads ceased to be turnpikes in 1878. Since the 1920's the road has been classified as the B4027 and the Oxford - Stratford road has been the A44
.
Glympton's first record of a public house
is from 1648. By 1780 it had two inns, the Pole Axe and the Swan, presumably deriving some of their trade from the then turnpike roads passing through the parish. The Pole Axe had closed by 1784 and The Swan in about 1853.
The village school was built in 1849 and became a Church of England School
in 1903. It was reorganised as a junior school in 1922 and closed in 1932. In 1950 the building was converted into the village hall
.
By 1869 Glympton had 22 cottages. A government report found them to be soundly built, let at a rent of 30 shillings per year, and "often paid for by selling the product of the apricot tree planted against the side of their houses".
The village post office was opened in 1887 and continues to serve the village.
In 1949 the owner of Glympton Park had a row of four almshouse
s built at Glympton. When their site was being prepared, a hoard of coins from the reigns of James I
and Charles I
was found, possibly dating from the English Civil War
. In 1646 Royalist
troops requisitioned food and carts from the village and in 1648 up to 50 Parliamentarian
soldiers were billeted here.
River Glyme
The River Glyme is a river in Oxfordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Evenlode. It rises about east of Chipping Norton, and flows south east past Old Chalford, Enstone, Kiddington, Glympton and Wootton, Woodstock and through Blenheim Park. At Wootton the Glyme is joined by a...
about 3 miles (5 km) north of Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Woodstock is a small town northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. It is the location of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon....
.
Prehistory
Grim's DitchGrim's Ditch
Grim's Ditch, Grim's Dyke or Grim's Bank is a name shared by a number of prehistoric bank and ditch earthworks...
in the southern part of the parish, just north of Grim's Dyke Farm, was dug in the 1st century. The surviving section is about 550 yard long.
Manor
The first known record of Glympton's existence is a charter from about AD 1050 in which it is given as a witness's address. In the reign of King Edward the ConfessorEdward 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....
, Wulfward the White, 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's consort Queen Edith
Edith of Wessex
Edith of Wessex married King Edward the Confessor of England on 23 January 1045. Unlike most wives of kings of England in the tenth and eleventh centuries, she was crowned queen, but the marriage produced no children...
, 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 Glympton. Wulfward survived 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...
but by 1086 King William I
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
had granted the manor to Geoffrey de Montbray
Geoffrey de Montbray
Geoffrey de Montbray , bishop of Coutances , a right-hand man of William the Conqueror, was a type of the great feudal prelate, warrior and administrator at need....
, Bishop of Coutances. By 1122 Geoffrey de Clinton
Geoffrey de Clinton
Geoffrey de Clinton was an Anglo-Norman noble, chamberlain and treasurer to King Henry I of England. He was foremost amongst the men king Henry "raised from the dust". He married Lescelina.-Life:Clinton's family origins are a little obscure...
, chamberlain of Henry I of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
held the manor.
From about 1585 Thomas Tesdale
Thomas Tesdale
Thomas Tesdale was an English maltster, benefactor of the town of Abingdon in the English county of Berkshire and the primary founding benefactor of Pembroke College, Oxford.-Life and career:...
of Abingdon
Abingdon
Abingdon may refer to the following places:In Australia :* Abingdon, Queensland, a place in Northern QueenslandIn Britain:*Abingdon, Oxfordshire**Abingdon School**Abingdon Abbey**Abingdon Lock**Abingdon Bridge**Abingdon Air & Country Show...
leased the manor from the Cupper family to whom the manor had belonged since John Cupper purchased it in 1547. Tesdale was a malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
ster, but at Glympton he raised cattle and grew woad for dyeing. Tesdale died in 1610 leaving £5,000 for scholarships and fellowships from 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...
to Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. His widow Maud Tesdale died in 1616. Thomas is commemorated by a brass memorial
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
on the chancel floor in St. Nicholas' parish church. He and Maud are also commemorated by an alabaster double monument set into the north wall of the chancel, in which almost life-size effigies of the couple kneel opposite each other at a prayer desk.
In 1633 the manor was bought by William Wheate, whose grandson Thomas Wheate
Sir Thomas Wheate, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Wheate, 1st Baronet was an English politician who was the Member of Parliament for Woodstock from 1690 to 1695 and from 1708 to 1721.He lived at Glympton Park, near Woodstock...
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...
in 1696. The Wheate Baronetcy
Wheate Baronets
The Wheate Baronetcy, of Glympton in the County of Oxford, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 2 May 1696 for Thomas Wheate, Member of Parliament for Woodstock. The second Baronet also represented this constituency in Parliament...
became extinct on the death of the 6th Baronet in 1816, but the family and their descendants continued to hold the estate until 1944. In the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Major Frank Wheate Barnett (1906–40) was a staff officer in the King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
and died of wounds at the Battle of Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
on 2 June 1940.
Glympton Park
Glympton Park
Glympton Park is a former deer park at Glympton, north of Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It includes Glympton House and has a estate including the village of Glympton, its Norman parish church of St...
is a country house
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
that was built for the Wheate family in the 18th century. At the same time the River Glyme was dammed to form the lake in the park. The house was remodelled in 1846.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan
Bandar bin Sultan
Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud is a prince of the Saudi royal family and was Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005. He was appointed Secretary-General of the National Security Council by King Abdullah on 16 October 2005...
of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
has owned Glympton Park and its estate since 1992.
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
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 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...
and still has its Norman font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
. 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...
was rebuilt in the later Middle Ages. The bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
was added in the 16th or 17th century. 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 and the nave was rebuilt again in the 1730s. In 1872 the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
architect G.E. Street
George Edmund Street
George Edmund Street was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex.- Life :Street was the third son of Thomas Street, solicitor, by his second wife, Mary Anne Millington. George went to school at Mitcham in about 1830, and later to the Camberwell collegiate school, which he left in 1839...
rebuilt the chancel, enlarged the Norman chancel arch, inserted new windows in 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...
, and added a porch and a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
.
The tower has a chime
Chime (bell instrument)
A carillon-like instrument with fewer than 23 bells is called a chime.American chimes usually have one to one and a half diatonic octaves. Many chimes play an automated piece of music. Prior to 1900, chime bells typically lacked dynamic variation and the inner tuning required to permit the use of...
of five bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1784. The building has also a Sanctus bell that was cast in 1705.
St. Mary's is now part of a single benefice with Asterleigh
Asterleigh
Asterleigh, sometimes in the past called Esterley, is a farm and deserted medieval village about northeast of Charlbury in Oxfordshire. The site of the former village is about west of the present farm.-Manor:...
, Kiddington
Kiddington
Kiddington is a village on the River Glyme in the civil parish of Kiddington with Asterleigh about southeast of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. The village is just north of the A44 road between Woodstock and Chipping Norton.-Manor:...
and Wootton
Wootton, West Oxfordshire
Wootton is a village and civil parish on the River Glyme about north of Woodstock, Oxfordshire. The village is sometimes referred to as Wootton-by-Woodstock to distinguish it from Wootton, Vale of White Horse, which was in Berkshire but was transferred to Oxfordshire in the 1974 local authority...
.
Economic and social history
Both the Domesday BookDomesday 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 and the Hundred Rolls
Hundred Rolls
The Hundred Rolls are a census of England and parts of what is now Wales taken in the late thirteenth century. Often considered an attempt to produce a second Domesday Book, they are named for the hundreds by which most returns were recorded....
of 1279 record Glympton as having a watermill
Watermill
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 :...
. The mill was rebuilt in 1292 and 1326, but by 1362 was i such disrepair as to be worthless. In 1632 Glympton was said to have two mills but in 1659 there was only one. It was last recorded in 1724 and had gone by 1767.
In 1154 woodland in the south of the parish was taken into the royal forest of Wychwood
Wychwood
The Wychwood, or Wychwood Forest, is an area now covering a small part of rural Oxfordshire. In past centuries the forest covered a much larger area, since cleared in favour of agriculture, villages and towns. However, the forest's area has fluctuated...
. To some extent this was disafforested in about 1300. At about the same time villagers expanded their fields by assarting
Assarting
Assarting is the act of clearing forested lands for use in agriculture or other purposes. In English law, it was illegal to assart any part of a Royal forest...
, which is the process of clearing woodland for cultivation. At least 23 acres (9.3 ha) of assart land changed hands in 1322, by 1426 one of the manors had 46 acres (18.6 ha) of assart land, and in 1631 the paris's assarts were estimated at 500 acres (202.3 ha). Fields or furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s with names ending in "-ley" suggest an origin as assarts, including Lutches Ley, Edamesley, and Bradeley. The name of Glympton Assarts Farm, about 1 miles (1.6 km) south of the village, is further evidence that villagers assarted southwards into the Wychwood.
Glympton village used to be grouped around the parish church. However, William Wheate moved the entire village about 400 yards (365.8 m) southeast to make way for the landscaping of Glympton Park, apparently in the 1630's or 1640's, leaving the parish church isolated in its original position. The gate lodge to Glympton Park was probably built at this time, and despite a restoration in 1880 the lodge remains essentially a 17th century house.
Apart from the parish church, no trace remains of the original village. Of the relocated 17th century village none of the original houses survives either. One 18th century inn survives as a private house. All the remaining houses in the relocated village were either remodelled in the 19th century or built new in the 20th century.
Glympton's farmland was enclosed
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
earlier than that of many other parishes. There were records of some enclosures having taken place by the early parts of the 14th, 15th and 17th centuries. After William Wheate bought the manor in 1633 he began enclosing the remainder, and after 1690 Sir Thomas Wheate, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Wheate, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Wheate, 1st Baronet was an English politician who was the Member of Parliament for Woodstock from 1690 to 1695 and from 1708 to 1721.He lived at Glympton Park, near Woodstock...
completed the process by agreement with his tenants.
The main road through Glympton was once part of the main road between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
. It and the Oxford - Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
main road through the parish were made into turnpikes
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...
in 1729. Both roads ceased to be turnpikes in 1878. Since the 1920's the road has been classified as the B4027 and the Oxford - Stratford road has been the A44
A44 road
The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales.-History:The original route of the A44 was Chipping Norton to Aberystwyth. No changes were made to the route of the A44 in the early years...
.
Glympton's first record of a 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...
is from 1648. By 1780 it had two inns, the Pole Axe and the Swan, presumably deriving some of their trade from the then turnpike roads passing through the parish. The Pole Axe had closed by 1784 and The Swan in about 1853.
Voluntary aided school
A voluntary aided school is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust owns the school buildings, contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school...
in 1903. It was reorganised as a junior school in 1922 and closed in 1932. In 1950 the building was converted into the village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
.
By 1869 Glympton had 22 cottages. A government report found them to be soundly built, let at a rent of 30 shillings per year, and "often paid for by selling the product of the apricot tree planted against the side of their houses".
The village post office was opened in 1887 and continues to serve the village.
In 1949 the owner of Glympton Park had a row of four almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s built at Glympton. When their site was being prepared, a hoard of coins from the reigns of James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
and Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
was found, possibly dating from the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. In 1646 Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
troops requisitioned food and carts from the village and in 1648 up to 50 Parliamentarian
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
soldiers were billeted here.