Wootton, West Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Wootton is a village and civil parish on the River Glyme
about 2 miles (3 km) 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 boundary changes
.
The parish is bounded to the west partly by the River Glyme, to the north partly by a stream that joins the River Dorn, to the south-east by the course of Akeman Street
Roman road
, to the south-west by the pale of Blenheim Great Park
and on other sides by field boundaries.
The parish includes two deserted medieval village
s: Dornford on the River Dorn, and Hordley on the River Glyme just downstream of the confluence of the Dorn and Glyme.
of Saint Mary
are the nave
, north aisle and lower part of the tower, all of which date from the first half of the 13th century. In the 14th century the chancel
and chancel arch were rebuilt and most of the windows in the building were replaced, all in the Decorated style. The upper part of the bell tower
was added in the 15th century and the clerestory
was added to the nave in the 16th century, both in the Perpendicular Gothic style.
The tower has a ring
of six bells. Edward Hemins of Bicester
cast three of the bells in 1732 plus the tenor bell in 1739. Abel Rudhall of Gloucester
cast a further bell in 1749 and Mears & Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
cast the present treble bell in 1923. St. Mary's has also a Sanctus bell that Thomas Rudhall cast in 1778.
The parish is now part of the benefice of Wootton with Glympton
and Kiddington
.
in 1279 Hordley was recorded as having 19 households and 150 acres (60.7 ha) of land. By the early part of the 16th century this had declined to only five (adult) residents. The Gregory family had converted most of the farmland from arable to pasture which would have done much to reduce the village population. The house at Hordley Farm, about 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) southeast of Wootton, was built for the Gregory family in about 1500. It is arranged around three and a half sides of a quadrangle, possibly following the plan of an earlier medieval house on the same site. The kitchen fireplace and two of the doorways have four-centred arches that date from about 1500, and the north wing has two square-headed windows from the later 16th century. The ground-floor rooms have some 17th century panelling. In 1750 the house was remodelled and a gazebo
was built in the garden.
In 1787 the Rev. Charles Parrott, sometime vicar of Saham Toney
in Norfolk
, died leaving a bequest for a school to be founded and run in Wootton. Early in the 19th century further schools were added in Wootton, including one run by the rector
. In 1836 a new building was completed to merge all education in the village into a single institution. The rector, Rev. L.C. Lee, paid towards the cost of the site and gave capital and the income from several cottages to fund the new school. In 1942 it was reorganised as a junior school. It is now Wootton-by-Woodstock Church of England
Primary School.
Wootton had two public house
s until 2008, when the King's Head closed.
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 2 miles (3 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....
. The village is sometimes referred to as Wootton-by-Woodstock to distinguish it from Wootton, Vale of White Horse
Wootton, Vale of White Horse
Wootton is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse about north-west of Abingdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire...
, which was in 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...
but was transferred to Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
in the 1974 local authority 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....
.
The parish is bounded to the west partly by the River Glyme, to the north partly by a stream that joins the River Dorn, to the south-east by the course of Akeman Street
Akeman Street
Akeman Street was a major Roman road in England that linked Watling Street with the Fosse Way. Its junction with Watling Steet was just north of Verulamium and that with the Fosse Way was at Corinium Dobunnorum...
Roman road
Roman 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...
, to the south-west by the pale of Blenheim Great Park
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, residence of the dukes of Marlborough. It is the only non-royal non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between...
and on other sides by field boundaries.
The parish includes two deserted medieval village
Deserted medieval village
In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the convention is to regard the site as deserted; if there are more...
s: Dornford on the River Dorn, and Hordley on the River Glyme just downstream of the confluence of the Dorn and Glyme.
Parish church
The earliest parts of 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...
are 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...
, north aisle and lower part of the tower, all of which date from the first half of the 13th century. In the 14th 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...
and chancel arch were rebuilt and most of the windows in the building were replaced, all in the Decorated style. The upper part of 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 15th century and the clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
was added to the nave in the 16th century, both in the Perpendicular Gothic style.
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 six bells. Edward Hemins of Bicester
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
cast three of the bells in 1732 plus the tenor bell in 1739. Abel Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 produced over 5,000 bells. The business was founded by Abraham Rudhall and the earliest ring of bells he cast was for St Nicholas' Church, Oddington in 1684. He came to be...
cast a further bell in 1749 and Mears & Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
cast the present treble bell in 1923. St. Mary's has also a Sanctus bell that Thomas Rudhall cast in 1778.
The parish is now part of the benefice of Wootton with Glympton
Glympton
Glympton is a village and civil parish on the River Glyme about north of Woodstock, Oxfordshire.-Prehistory:Grim's Ditch 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 long....
and 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:...
.
Economic and social history
At the time of the Hundred RollsHundred 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....
in 1279 Hordley was recorded as having 19 households and 150 acres (60.7 ha) of land. By the early part of the 16th century this had declined to only five (adult) residents. The Gregory family had converted most of the farmland from arable to pasture which would have done much to reduce the village population. The house at Hordley Farm, about 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) southeast of Wootton, was built for the Gregory family in about 1500. It is arranged around three and a half sides of a quadrangle, possibly following the plan of an earlier medieval house on the same site. The kitchen fireplace and two of the doorways have four-centred arches that date from about 1500, and the north wing has two square-headed windows from the later 16th century. The ground-floor rooms have some 17th century panelling. In 1750 the house was remodelled and a gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
was built in the garden.
In 1787 the Rev. Charles Parrott, sometime vicar of Saham Toney
Saham Toney
Saham Toney is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is North of Thetford, west of Norwich and north-east of London. The village lies west of the town of Attleborough.The nearest railway station is at Attleborough for the Breckland Line which runs between...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, died leaving a bequest for a school to be founded and run in Wootton. Early in the 19th century further schools were added in Wootton, including one run by the rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
. In 1836 a new building was completed to merge all education in the village into a single institution. The rector, Rev. L.C. Lee, paid towards the cost of the site and gave capital and the income from several cottages to fund the new school. In 1942 it was reorganised as a junior school. It is now Wootton-by-Woodstock Church of England
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...
Primary School.
Wootton had two 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 until 2008, when the King's Head closed.