Little Faringdon
Encyclopedia
Little Faringdon is a village and civil parish in West Oxfordshire
, about 1 miles (1.6 km) north of Lechlade
in neighbouring Gloucestershire
.
Little Faringdon was part of a large estate that included Faringdon
(formally Great Faringdon), from which it took its name. From 1204 until 1538 the manor was held by the Cistercian Beaulieu Abbey
as part of its larger Faringdon estate. The manor was then held by the Bourchier and Perrott families. In about 1860 it was sold to Charles Ponsonby, 2nd Baron de Mauley
, whose descendants hold it today.
Until the 20th century Little Faringdon was an estate village. In 1910 almost all the houses were owned by the lord of the manor.
, which until the 13th century was in Oxfordshire. For the next six centuries it was an exclave
of Berkshire
, until the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 returned it to Oxfordshire. In 1864 Little Faringdon was made a separate ecclesiastical parish and in 1866 a separate civil parish. Since the 1974 boundary changes
it has been part of West Oxfordshire
District.
in the 12th century as a chapel-of-ease of the parish of Langford.. It has Norman lancet window
s in the chancel
. In about 1200 the church was enlarged with the addition of a north aisle. The arcade
between the nave
and north aisle is in a transitional style between Norman and Early English Gothic. In the 14th century the porch and south door were added. A south aisle seems to have been added at about the same time but has since been lost. In about 1500 two Perpendicular Gothic clerestorey windows were added to south side of the nave. The west window of the nave is also a late Medieval Perpendicular Gothic addition.
The church became the parish church when Little Faringdon became a separate parish in 1864. The vicarage to the south of the church was designed by the Gothic Revival architect
William Butterfield
and completed in 1867.
The church's original dedication is unknown. In 2000 it was dedicated to St Margaret of England. The church is a Grade II* listed building.
West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney ....
, about 1 miles (1.6 km) north of Lechlade
Lechlade
Lechlade, or Lechlade-on-Thames, is a town at the southern edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. It is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable. The town is named after the River Leach that joins the Thames near here....
in neighbouring Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
.
History
In the late Anglo-Saxon periodHistory of Anglo-Saxon England
Anglo-Saxon England refers to the period of the history of that part of Britain, that became known as England, lasting from the end of Roman occupation and establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 5th century until the Norman conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror...
Little Faringdon was part of a large estate that included Faringdon
Faringdon
Faringdon is a market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. It is on the edge of the Thames Valley, between the River Thames and the Ridgeway...
(formally Great Faringdon), from which it took its name. From 1204 until 1538 the manor was held by the Cistercian Beaulieu Abbey
Beaulieu Abbey
Beaulieu Abbey, , was a Cistercian abbey located in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1203-1204 by King John and peopled by 30 monks sent from the abbey of Cîteaux in France, the mother house of the Cistercian order...
as part of its larger Faringdon estate. The manor was then held by the Bourchier and Perrott families. In about 1860 it was sold to Charles Ponsonby, 2nd Baron de Mauley
Charles Ponsonby, 2nd Baron de Mauley
Charles Frederick Ashley Cooper Ponsonby, 2nd Baron de Mauley of Canford was a British peer and Liberal politician....
, whose descendants hold it today.
Until the 20th century Little Faringdon was an estate village. In 1910 almost all the houses were owned by the lord of the manor.
Local government
Little Faringdon was historically a township of the parish of LangfordLangford, Oxfordshire
Langford is a village and civil parish in West Oxfordshire, about northeast of Lechlade in neighbouring Gloucestershire.-Manor:The Domesday Book of 1086 records that a Saxon, Ælfsige of Faringdon, held the manor. In the reign of Edward the Confessor Ælfsige had been a minor landholder, holding two...
, which until the 13th century was in Oxfordshire. For the next six centuries it was an exclave
Enclave and exclave
In political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
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 Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 returned it to Oxfordshire. In 1864 Little Faringdon was made a separate ecclesiastical parish and in 1866 a separate civil parish. Since 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....
it has been part of West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney ....
District.
Parish church
The parish church was built in the Norman styleNorman 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...
in the 12th century as a chapel-of-ease of the parish of Langford.. It has Norman lancet window
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...
s in 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...
. In about 1200 the church was enlarged with the addition of a north aisle. The arcade
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....
between 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 north aisle is in a transitional style between Norman and Early English Gothic. In the 14th century the porch and south door were added. A south aisle seems to have been added at about the same time but has since been lost. In about 1500 two Perpendicular Gothic clerestorey windows were added to south side of the nave. The west window of the nave is also a late Medieval Perpendicular Gothic addition.
The church became the parish church when Little Faringdon became a separate parish in 1864. The vicarage to the south of the church was designed by the Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
and completed in 1867.
The church's original dedication is unknown. In 2000 it was dedicated to St Margaret of England. The church is a Grade II* listed building.