Arncott
Encyclopedia
Arncott or Arncot is a village and civil parish about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southeast of Bicester
in Oxfordshire
. It consists of two neighbourhoods: Lower and Upper Arncott
.
Upper Arncott is the larger neighbourhood and includes the village green
, recreation ground
, shop and most of Arncott's housing. Lower Arncott is close to River Ray
and includes the Tally Ho hotel and the Plough public house. Upper and Lower Arncott are separated by the Bicester Military Railway
.
comes from the Old English Earnigcote meaning "Earn's Cottage" (10th century).
of Upper Arncott to the Benedictine
Abingdon Abbey
. As a result it became known as Arncot Abbatis. In 1538 the abbey was suppressed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
and surrendered Upper Arncott to the Crown
. When the church of Osney Abbey
was made the cathedral church of the new Diocese of Oxford
the Crown granted Upper Arncott to it as part of its endowment. However, when the church of the former Priory of St Frideswide, Oxford
replaced Osney as Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
, Upper Arncott reverted to the Crown. The Crown then sold Upper Arncott to a local family, the Martins.
records that in 1086 William son of Mann held Lower Arncott. In the 12th century Roger of Caux
granted Lower Arncott to the Augustinian
Missenden Abbey
to say Mass for his late parents. In 1232 the abbey sold Lower Arncott to another Augustinian house, Bicester Priory. As a result it became known as Arncot Prioris. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries the Crown granted Lower Arncott to Thomas Martin of Ambrosden, a member of the same family that bought Upper Arncott.
The Abingdon Chronicle, a version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
, records that Adelelm of Jumièges, Abbott of Abingdon 1071-1083, let Upper Arncott to the Norman barons Robert D'Oyly
and Roger d'Ivry
. The cartulary of Osney Abbey records that D'Oyly and d'Ivry in turn granted Upper Arncott to Saint George's church in Oxford Castle
. In about 1149 Henry D'Oyly transferred Upper Arncott to Osney Abbey, which remained lord of the manor
until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
congregation developed in Arncott from 1823. A Wesleyan Methodist
chapel was built in Upper Arncott in 1834 and enlarged in 1847. It became Upper Arncott Methodist
church, a member of the Bicester District of the Buckingham
, Bicester and Brackley
Methodist Circuit. It has now closed and in March 2010 Cherwell District Council
granted the local Methodist Circuit planning permission to convert the building from a church into offices.
The Church of England
parish of Ambrosden includes Arncott, which therefore does not have its own Church of England parish church
. Rev. Charles Bagshawe, Vicar of Ambrosden 1866-1884, ran a mission room in Arncott. The mission room has since closed and Arncott is served by the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin
, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away in Ambrosden
, part of the Benefice of the Ray Valley.
some farmland at Lower Arncott. However, an open field system
of farming prevailed in both manors until an inclosure award was made in 1816.
A parish school was opened in Ambrosden in 1818 and Arncott had its own school by 1833. Both seem to have ceased operating by 1854, but temporary schools existed in both Ambrosden and Arncott in 1868. A permanent parish school built in Ambrosden was opened in 1876 and in the same year an infant school was opened in the parish mission room in Arncott. In 1920 Arncott School was closed and the children transferred to Ambrosden.
In 1941 during the Second World War
the Central Ordnance Depot was built along with the Bicester Military Railway to link it with the Varsity Line
of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
west of .
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire 'bus route S5 links Arncott with Ambrosden, Bicester, Gosford
and Oxford
. Buses to and from Arncott run hourly Monday - Saturday. There is no evening service and there are only two buses in each direction on Sunday.
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...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. It consists of two neighbourhoods: Lower and Upper Arncott
Upper Arncott
Upper Arncott is a village in Oxfordshire, England....
.
Upper Arncott is the larger neighbourhood and includes the village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
, recreation ground
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
, shop and most of Arncott's housing. Lower Arncott is close to River Ray
River Ray
The River Ray is a river in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England. It rises at Quainton Hill and flows west through a flat countryside for around 25 km or 15 miles. It passes the village of Ambrosden and then flows through Otmoor...
and includes the Tally Ho hotel and the Plough public house. Upper and Lower Arncott are separated by the Bicester Military Railway
Bicester Military Railway
The Bicester Military Railway is a railway in Oxfordshire, England belonging to the Ministry of Defence. It links military depots at Piddington, Arncott and Graven Hill with the Oxford to Bicester Line.The line has no road bridges...
.
Manors
Arncott's toponymToponymy
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...
comes from the Old English Earnigcote meaning "Earn's Cottage" (10th century).
Upper Arncott
In 983 Æthelred the Unready granted the manorManorialism
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 Upper Arncott to the Benedictine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
Abingdon Abbey
Abingdon Abbey
Abingdon Abbey was a Benedictine monastery also known as St Mary's Abbey located in Abingdon, historically in the county of Berkshire but now in Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
. As a result it became known as Arncot Abbatis. In 1538 the abbey was suppressed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
and surrendered Upper Arncott to the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
. When the church of Osney Abbey
Osney Abbey
Osney Abbey or Oseney Abbey, later Osney Cathedral, was a house of Augustinian canons at Osney in Oxfordshire. The site is south of the modern Botley Road, down Mill Street by Osney Cemetery, next to the railway line just south of Oxford station. It was founded as a priory in 1129, becoming an...
was made the cathedral church of the new Diocese of Oxford
Diocese of Oxford
-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford...
the Crown granted Upper Arncott to it as part of its endowment. However, when the church of the former Priory of St Frideswide, Oxford
Priory of St Frideswide, Oxford
The priory of St Frideswide, Oxford was established as a priory of Augustinian canons regular, in 1122. It was set up by Gwymund, chaplain to Henry I of England. It lasted to the 1520s, when it was dissolved by Cardinal Wolsey so that he could use its premises together with those of other adjacent...
replaced Osney as Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also, uniquely, the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford.-History:...
, Upper Arncott reverted to the Crown. The Crown then sold Upper Arncott to a local family, the Martins.
Lower Arncott
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...
records that in 1086 William son of Mann held Lower Arncott. In the 12th century Roger of Caux
Pays de Caux
The Pays de Caux is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French département of Seine Maritime in Haute-Normandie. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cliffs on the English Channel coast - its coastline is known as the Côte d'Albâtre...
granted Lower Arncott to the Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
Missenden Abbey
Missenden Abbey
Missenden Abbey was an Augustinian monastery founded in 1133 in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. It was ruined in the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the ruins later incorporated into a Georgian mansion.The abbey has been owned by Buckinghamshire New University since the mid...
to say Mass for his late parents. In 1232 the abbey sold Lower Arncott to another Augustinian house, Bicester Priory. As a result it became known as Arncot Prioris. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries the Crown granted Lower Arncott to Thomas Martin of Ambrosden, a member of the same family that bought Upper Arncott.
The Abingdon Chronicle, a version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
, records that Adelelm of Jumièges, Abbott of Abingdon 1071-1083, let Upper Arncott to the Norman barons 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...
and Roger d'Ivry
Roger d'Ivry
Roger d'Ivry or d'Ivri was an 11th century nobleman from Ivry-la-Bataille in Normandy. He took part in William of Normandy's conquest of England in 1066 and founded the Abbey of Notre-Dame-d'Ivry in 1071...
. The cartulary of Osney Abbey records that D'Oyly and d'Ivry in turn granted Upper Arncott to Saint George's church in Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined Norman medieval castle situated on the west edge of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. The original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced with stone in the 11th century and played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy...
. In about 1149 Henry D'Oyly transferred Upper Arncott to Osney Abbey, which remained lord of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Churches
A MethodistMethodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
congregation developed in Arncott from 1823. A Wesleyan Methodist
Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)
The Wesleyan Methodist Church was the name used by the major Methodist movement in Great Britain following its split from the Church of England after the death of John Wesley and the appearance of parallel Methodist movements...
chapel was built in Upper Arncott in 1834 and enlarged in 1847. It became Upper Arncott Methodist
Methodist Church of Great Britain
The Methodist Church of Great Britain is the largest Wesleyan Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain . It is the United Kingdom's fourth largest Christian denomination, with around 300,000 members and 6,000 churches...
church, a member of the Bicester District of the Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
, Bicester and Brackley
Brackley
Brackley is a town in south Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Oxford and miles form Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the intersecting trade routes between London, Birmingham and the English Midlands and between Cambridge and Oxford...
Methodist Circuit. It has now closed and in March 2010 Cherwell District Council
Cherwell (district)
Cherwell is a local government district in northern Oxfordshire, England. The district takes its name from the River Cherwell, which drains south through the region to flow into the River Thames at Oxford....
granted the local Methodist Circuit planning permission to convert the building from a church into offices.
The Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish of Ambrosden includes Arncott, which therefore does not have its own 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:...
. Rev. Charles Bagshawe, Vicar of Ambrosden 1866-1884, ran a mission room in Arncott. The mission room has since closed and Arncott is served by the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin
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...
, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away in Ambrosden
Ambrosden
Ambrosden is a village and civil parish in Cherwell, Oxfordshire, England, southwest of Bicester to which it is linked by the A41 road, and from Oxford. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 1,749 people. The parish is bounded by the River Ray to the south, its tributary the River Bure...
, part of the Benefice of the Ray Valley.
Economic and social history
In 1281 Bicester Priory inclosedEnclosure
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...
some farmland at Lower Arncott. However, an open field system
Open field system
The open field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to as recently as the 20th century in some places, particularly Russia and Iran. Under this system, each manor or village had several very large fields, farmed in strips by individual families...
of farming prevailed in both manors until an inclosure award was made in 1816.
A parish school was opened in Ambrosden in 1818 and Arncott had its own school by 1833. Both seem to have ceased operating by 1854, but temporary schools existed in both Ambrosden and Arncott in 1868. A permanent parish school built in Ambrosden was opened in 1876 and in the same year an infant school was opened in the parish mission room in Arncott. In 1920 Arncott School was closed and the children transferred to Ambrosden.
In 1941 during 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...
the Central Ordnance Depot was built along with the Bicester Military Railway to link it with the Varsity Line
Varsity Line
The Varsity Line is an informal name for the railway route that formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated successively by the London and North Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and British Railways...
of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
west of .
Transport
Arncott Bridge across the River Ray on the road between Arncott and Ambrosden is a five-arched bridge built in the 18th century.Stagecoach in Oxfordshire 'bus route S5 links Arncott with Ambrosden, Bicester, Gosford
Gosford, Oxfordshire
Gosford is a hamlet immediately southeast of Kidlington, Oxfordshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Gosford and Water Eaton.-History:...
and 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...
. Buses to and from Arncott run hourly Monday - Saturday. There is no evening service and there are only two buses in each direction on Sunday.