Wytham
Encyclopedia
Wytham is a village and civil parish on Seacourt Stream, a branch of the River Thames
, about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Oxford
. It is just west of the Western By-Pass Road, part of the Oxford Ring Road
(A34).
Wytham was part of Berkshire
until the 1974 boundary changes
transferred it to Oxfordshire. The toponym
is first recorded as Wihtham around AD 957, and comes from the Old English for a homestead or village in a river-bend.
The manor of Wytham along with Wytham Abbey (not a religious foundation but the manor house) and much of the village was formerly owned by the Earls of Abingdon
. The Church of England parish church
of All Saints is a medieval building extensively rebuilt between 1811 and 1812 by Montagu Bertie, 5th Earl of Abingdon
.
Wytham Woods is an area of long-established mixed woodland
noted for their high population of badger
s and long-term monitoring of great tit
s. The woods are a Site of Special Scientific Interest
. The University of Oxford
owns the woods and uses them for research in zoology
and climate change
. The University also has a field station north of the village.
Wytham village and Wytham Woods have frequently featured in the "Inspector Morse
" detective novels by Colin Dexter
.
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. It is just west of the Western By-Pass Road, part of the Oxford Ring Road
Oxford Ring Road
The Oxford ring road is a ring road around the city of Oxford, England. It is a dual carriageway for most of its length apart from a short section to the North between the Woodstock and Banbury Roads....
(A34).
Wytham 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 toponym
Toponymy
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...
is first recorded as Wihtham around AD 957, and comes from the Old English for a homestead or village in a river-bend.
The manor of Wytham along with Wytham Abbey (not a religious foundation but the manor house) and much of the village was formerly owned by the Earls of Abingdon
Earl of Abingdon
Earl of Abingdon is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 30 November 1682 for James Bertie, 5th Baron Norreys of Rycote. He was the eldest son of Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey by his second marriage to Bridget, 4th Baroness Norreys de Rycote, and the younger half-brother of...
. The Church of England parish church
Church 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 All Saints is a medieval building extensively rebuilt between 1811 and 1812 by Montagu Bertie, 5th Earl of Abingdon
Montagu Bertie, 5th Earl of Abingdon
Montagu Bertie, 5th Earl of Abingdon was an English peer.-Career:He was the third son of Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon and Anna Maria Collins. As his two elder brothers predeceased their father, on the latter's death on 26 September 1799 he succeeded him as 5th Earl of Abingdon...
.
Wytham Woods is an area of long-established mixed woodland
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
Mixed forests are a temperate and humid biome. The typical structure of these forests includes four layers. The uppermost layer is the canopy composed of tall mature trees ranging from 33 to 66 m high. Below the canopy is the three-layered, shade-tolerant understory that is roughly 9 to...
noted for their high population of badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
s and long-term monitoring of great tit
Great Tit
The Great Tit is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central and Northern Asia, and parts of North Africa in any sort of woodland. It is generally resident, and most Great Tits do not migrate except in extremely...
s. The woods are a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. The University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
owns the woods and uses them for research in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
and climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. The University also has a field station north of the village.
Wytham village and Wytham Woods have frequently featured in the "Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID officer with the Thames Valley...
" detective novels by Colin Dexter
Colin Dexter
Norman Colin Dexter, OBE, is an English crime writer, known for his Inspector Morse novels which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as a television series from 1987 to 2000.-Early life and career:...
.