Shenington
Encyclopedia
Shenington is a village about 5 miles (8 km) west of Banbury
. It was an exclave
of Gloucestershire
until the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
transferred it to Oxfordshire
. Shenington is on Oxfordshire's boundary with Warwickshire
.
in Gloucestershire
. Prior to the Norman Conquest of England
the manor
was held by Brictric, the son of an English thegn
called Algar. After the Norman Conquest Brictric's lands, including Shenington, were granted to Queen Matilda
. When she died in 1083 her husband William the Conqueror
inherited her estates, and the Domesday Book
records that in 1086 Robert D'Oyly
was farming Shenington for the King. In about 1087 William II
granted the honour
of Gloucester
, including Shenington, to a Norman
baron called Robert Fitzhamon
. In 1194 Shenington was amongst lands confiscated for the Crown after Prince John's attempted overthrow of Richard. After 1197 Shenington was again included with Gloucester in lands that King John granted to the 1st Earl of Gloucester
. When the 4th Earl of Gloucester
was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn
in 1314, Shenington was divided between two of his sisters, Margaret de Clare
and Eleanor de Clare
.
Margaret, widow of Piers Gaveston
received three fifths of the manor of Shenington. In 1317 Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester
became Margaret's second husband, and on Audley's death in 1347 their estates passed to their son-in-law Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford
. This part of Shenington remained with the Staffords until at least 1460, when it was among the possessions of Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
.
Eleanor, wife of Hugh Despenser the Younger received the remaining two fifths of Shenington. This part of Shenington remained with their heirs until at least 1420, when part of it was held by Richard de Beauchamp, 1st Earl of Worcester, son-in-law of Isabel le Despenser, Countess of Worcester and Warwick
.
of the Holy Trinity
was in existence by the first quarter of the 12th century. The Norman
chancel
arch survives from this period, but when the Gothic Revival architect
J.L. Pearson
restored the church in 1879 he built a new chancel arch and moved the Norman one to the north side of the chancel. In the 13th century the south aisle was added, linked with the nave
by an arcade
in the Early English style. Early in the 14th century the south aisle was rebuilt and new windows inserted in the chancel, all in the Decorated Gothic style. The Perpendicular Gothic bell tower
was built in 1504. The south porch is also a Perpendicular Gothic addition. The tower has a ring
of five bells cast in 1678 by Henry Bagley of Chacombe and a clock that was installed before 1720. Holy Trinity is now one of eight ecclesiastical parishes in the Ironstone Benefice.
match was staged at Shenington Hollow, exploiting the parish's inaccessibility from Gloucestershire's Justices of the Peace. The pugilists were British champion Tom Cribb
and Virginia
n former slave Tom Molineaux
. Cribb's victory made him World champion.
In 1868 the National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland described Shenington:
A National School
was operating in Shenington by 1868 and a school building for it was completed in 1871. The building was enlarged in 1905 to absorb the children of neighbouring Alkerton
, whose own National School was closed that year. By 1962 Shenington school was a Church of England school
. At some point it must have been reorganised as a junior school, as it is now a primary school.
RAF Edgehill was used for flight tests of experimental jet aircraft. After the war it was decommissioned from RAF use and became Shenington Airfield. Shenington Gliding Club
is based here. Part of the former RAF air station is now Shenington Kart Track, the home of Shenington Kart Racing Club. Shenington KRC was founded in 1959 and is the oldest Kart racing
club in the UK.. Shenington Kart circuit also hosts Pedal Car Racing
and has staged a 24 hour pedal car race since 2008.
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
. 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 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....
until the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
The Counties Act 1844 , which came into effect on 20 October 1844, was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which eliminated many outliers or exclaves of counties in England and Wales for civil purposes....
transferred it to Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. Shenington is on Oxfordshire's boundary with Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.
Manor
By the 11th century Shenington was part of the lordship of TewkesburyTewkesbury
Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
in 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....
. Prior to 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...
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...
was held by Brictric, the son of an English 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...
called Algar. After the Norman Conquest Brictric's lands, including Shenington, were granted to Queen Matilda
Matilda of Flanders
Matilda of Flanders was the wife of William the Conqueror and, as such, Queen consort of the Kingdom of England. She bore William nine/ten children, including two kings, William II and Henry I.-Marriage:...
. When she died in 1083 her husband William the Conqueror
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...
inherited her estates, and 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...
records that in 1086 Robert D'Oyly
Robert D'Oyly
Robert D'Oyly was a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror on the Norman Conquest, his invasion of England. He died in 1091.-Background:Robert was the son of Walter D'Oyly and elder brother to Nigel D'Oyly...
was farming Shenington for the King. In about 1087 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...
granted the honour
Honour (land)
In medieval England, an honour could consist of a great lordship, comprising dozens or hundreds of manors. Holders of honours often attempted to preserve the integrity of an honour over time, administering its properties as a unit, maintaining inheritances together, etc.The typical honour had...
of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, including Shenington, to a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
baron called Robert Fitzhamon
Robert Fitzhamon
Robert Fitzhamon , or Robert FitzHamon, Sieur de Creully in the Calvados region and Torigny in the Manche region of Normandy, was Lord of Gloucester and the Norman conqueror of Glamorgan, southern Wales...
. In 1194 Shenington was amongst lands confiscated for the Crown after Prince John's attempted overthrow of Richard. After 1197 Shenington was again included with Gloucester in lands that King John granted to the 1st Earl of Gloucester
Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford
Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford, 5th Earl of Gloucester was the son of Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford, from whom he inherited the Clare estates. He also inherited from his mother, Amice Fitz William, the estates of Gloucester and the honour of St. Hilary, and from Rohese, an...
. When the 4th Earl of Gloucester
Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Hertford
Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester was a powerful English noble. Also known as "Red" Gilbert de Clare, probably because of his hair colour.- Lineage :...
was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
in 1314, Shenington was divided between two of his sisters, Margaret de Clare
Margaret de Clare
Margaret de Clare, Countess of Cornwall, Countess of Gloucester , was an English noblewoman, heiress, and the second eldest of the three daughters of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and his wife, Joan of Acre, making her a granddaughter of King Edward I of England...
and Eleanor de Clare
Eleanor de Clare
Eleanor de Clare was the wife of the powerful Hugh Despenser the younger. She was born in 1292 at Caerphilly in Glamorgan, Wales. She was the eldest daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and 7th Earl of Gloucester, and Joan of Acre, daughter of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile; thus...
.
Margaret, widow of Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of King Edward II of England. At a young age he made a good impression on King Edward I of England, and was assigned to the household of the King's son, Edward of Carnarvon...
received three fifths of the manor of Shenington. In 1317 Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Hugh II de Audley, 1st Baron Audley and 1st Earl of Gloucester was the English Ambassador to France in 1341.-Family:...
became Margaret's second husband, and on Audley's death in 1347 their estates passed to their son-in-law Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford
Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford
Ralph de Stafford, 2nd Baron Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford, KG was an English nobleman and notable soldier during the Hundred Years War against France.-Early life and family:...
. This part of Shenington remained with the Staffords until at least 1460, when it was among the possessions of Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG , an English nobleman, great grandson of King Edward III on his mother's side, was best known as a military commander in the Hundred Years' War and in the Wars of the Roses....
.
Eleanor, wife of Hugh Despenser the Younger received the remaining two fifths of Shenington. This part of Shenington remained with their heirs until at least 1420, when part of it was held by Richard de Beauchamp, 1st Earl of Worcester, son-in-law of Isabel le Despenser, Countess of Worcester and Warwick
Isabel le Despenser, Countess of Worcester and Warwick
Isabel le Despenser, Countess of Worcester and Warwick was the posthumous daughter and eventually the sole heiress of Thomas le Despenser and his wife, Constance of York...
.
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 the Holy Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
was in existence by the first quarter of the 12th century. The 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...
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...
arch survives from this period, but when the Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
J.L. Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson was a Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency unrivalled in his generation.-Early life and education:Pearson was born in Brussels, Belgium on 5...
restored the church in 1879 he built a new chancel arch and moved the Norman one to the north side of the chancel. In the 13th century the south aisle was added, linked with 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...
by an 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....
in the Early English style. Early in the 14th century the south aisle was rebuilt and new windows inserted in the chancel, all in the Decorated Gothic style. The Perpendicular Gothic 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 built in 1504. The south porch is also a Perpendicular Gothic addition. The tower has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of five bells cast in 1678 by Henry Bagley of Chacombe and a clock that was installed before 1720. Holy Trinity is now one of eight ecclesiastical parishes in the Ironstone Benefice.
Social and economic history
On 3 December 1810 a bare-knuckle boxingBare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing is the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports...
match was staged at Shenington Hollow, exploiting the parish's inaccessibility from Gloucestershire's Justices of the Peace. The pugilists were British champion Tom Cribb
Tom Cribb
Tom Cribb was an English bare-knuckle boxer of the 19th century, so successful that he became world champion. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.-Life:...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
n former slave Tom Molineaux
Tom Molineaux
Tom Molineaux was a African-American bare-knuckle boxer. He spent much of his career in Great Britain and Ireland, where he had some notable successes.-Early life:...
. Cribb's victory made him World champion.
In 1868 the National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland described Shenington:
- "...a parish in the upper division of Tewkesbury hundred, county Oxford, formerly in, Gloucestershire, 6 miles N.W. of Banbury, its post town, and 29 N.W. of Oxford. The village, which is situated on the borders of Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, is wholly agricultural. The surface is hilly, and the land chiefly arable. The soil produces good crops of wheat, barley, and turnips. The living is a rectoryRectoryA rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
in the diocese of WorcesterAnglican Diocese of WorcesterThe Diocese of Worcester forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.The diocese was founded in around 679 by St Theodore of Canterbury at Worcester to minister to the kingdom of the Hwicce, one of the many Anglo Saxon petty-kingdoms of that time...
, value £321. The church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was partially rebuilt in the last century. The parochial charities produce about £6 per annum. The Dissenters have a place of worship. There is a free school."
A National School
National school (England and Wales)
A national school was a school founded in 19th century England and Wales by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education.These schools provided elementary education, in accordance with the teaching of the Church of England, to the children of the poor.Together with the less numerous...
was operating in Shenington by 1868 and a school building for it was completed in 1871. The building was enlarged in 1905 to absorb the children of neighbouring Alkerton
Alkerton
Alkerton is a village in Gloucestershire, England....
, whose own National School was closed that year. By 1962 Shenington school was a Church of England school
Voluntary controlled school
A voluntary controlled school is a state-funded school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in which a foundation or trust has some formal influence in the running of the school...
. At some point it must have been reorganised as a junior school, as it is now a primary school.
RAF Edgehill
In the Second World WarWorld 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...
RAF Edgehill was used for flight tests of experimental jet aircraft. After the war it was decommissioned from RAF use and became Shenington Airfield. Shenington Gliding Club
Shenington Gliding Club
Shenington Gliding Club is a British gliding club near the village of Shenington in the Cotswolds, seven miles north west of Banbury.The present club was founded in 1991, though gliding had been a regular activity at the airfield since 1984...
is based here. Part of the former RAF air station is now Shenington Kart Track, the home of Shenington Kart Racing Club. Shenington KRC was founded in 1959 and is the oldest Kart racing
Kart racing
Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits...
club in the UK.. Shenington Kart circuit also hosts Pedal Car Racing
Pedal Car Racing
Pedal Car Racing is a circuit racing endurance sport where teams of up to six drivers race single-seater human powered sports cars in races of up to twenty-four hours duration...
and has staged a 24 hour pedal car race since 2008.