Asterleigh
Encyclopedia
Asterleigh, sometimes in the past called Esterley, is a farm and deserted medieval village
about 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Charlbury
in Oxfordshire
. The site of the former village is about 0.25 miles (402.3 m) west of the present farm.
indicates that it was created by woodland clearance on what would then have been the edge of Wychwood
Forest.
The Domesday Book
of 1086 does not record Asterleigh as a separate settlement. Medieval pottery found in 1948 suggests that Asterleigh was inhabited by the 12th century. Also in 1948, squared stones were found along with limestone roofing slates that had medieval-style drilled nail-holes.
The earliest known documentary record of Asterleigh is from early in the 13th century. At the time of the Hundred Rolls
in 1279 it had 20 farms. However, the village declined and its landowning family decided to leave the village and move to Nether Kiddington.
by 1216. However, in 1466 John Chedworth, Bishop of Lincoln
absorbed Asterleigh into the ecclesiastical parish of Kiddington
, declaring:
In 1783 the Reverend Thomas Warton
reported that "pieces of moulded stone and other antique masonry" had been found at Asterleigh. In 1960 the footings of the church porch were unearthed and reburied.
of 300 acres (121.4 ha) until 1858 when it was made a civil parish. In 1895 it was combined with the civil parish of Kiddington.
The site of the medieval village and church is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument
.
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...
about 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Charlbury
Charlbury
Charlbury is a small town and civil parish in the Evenlode valley, about north of Witney in West Oxfordshire. It is on the edge of the Wychwood forest and the Cotswolds.-Place name:The origin of the town's toponym is obscure...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. The site of the former village is about 0.25 miles (402.3 m) west of the present farm.
Manor
Asterleigh'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...
indicates that it was created by woodland clearance on what would then have been the edge of Wychwood
Wychwood
The Wychwood, or Wychwood Forest, is an area now covering a small part of rural Oxfordshire. In past centuries the forest covered a much larger area, since cleared in favour of agriculture, villages and towns. However, the forest's area has fluctuated...
Forest.
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...
of 1086 does not record Asterleigh as a separate settlement. Medieval pottery found in 1948 suggests that Asterleigh was inhabited by the 12th century. Also in 1948, squared stones were found along with limestone roofing slates that had medieval-style drilled nail-holes.
The earliest known documentary record of Asterleigh is from early in the 13th century. At the time of the Hundred Rolls
Hundred 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 it had 20 farms. However, the village declined and its landowning family decided to leave the village and move to Nether Kiddington.
Church
Asterleigh was an ecclesiastical parish that had its own parish churchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
by 1216. However, in 1466 John Chedworth, Bishop of Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
absorbed Asterleigh into the ecclesiastical parish of 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:...
, declaring:
the tenths, oblationOblationOblation, an offering , a term, particularly in ecclesiastical usage, for a solemn offering or presentation to God.-Bible usage:...
s, rents and emolumentsRemunerationRemuneration is the total compensation that an employee receives in exchange for the service they perform for their employer. Typically, this consists of monetary rewards, also referred to as wage or salary...
of the rectory of Asterleigh were so diminished as to be insufficient to support a rector, or even a competent parochial chaplain, on account of the paucity of parishioners, the barrenness of land, defects of husbandry, and an unusual prevalence of pestilences and epidemic sicknesses.
In 1783 the Reverend Thomas Warton
Thomas Warton
Thomas Warton was an English literary historian, critic, and poet. From 1785 to 1790 he was the Poet Laureate of England...
reported that "pieces of moulded stone and other antique masonry" had been found at Asterleigh. In 1960 the footings of the church porch were unearthed and reburied.
Farm and civil parish
By the 18th century Asterleigh was no more than a farmhouse. Asterleigh Farm was an extra-parochial areaExtra-parochial area
In the United Kingdom, an extra-parochial area or extra-parochial place was an area considered to be outside any parish. They were therefore exempt from payment of any poor or church rate and usually tithe...
of 300 acres (121.4 ha) until 1858 when it was made a civil parish. In 1895 it was combined with the civil parish of Kiddington.
The site of the medieval village and church is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
.