Chalgrove
Encyclopedia
Chalgrove is a village and civil parish of some 2750 acres (1,112.9 ha). It is in South Oxfordshire
about 10 miles (16.1 km) southeast of Oxford
. The parish includes the hamlet
of Rofford and the former parish of Warpsgrove with which it merged in 1932.
Chalgrove is the site of a small Civil War
battle, the Battle of Chalgrove Field
, in which John Hampden
was wounded. He died of his wounds six days later.
.
A very rare silver Roman coin
(c.271 AD) was discovered at Chalgrove: a base silver Roman coin known as a radiate
of Emperor Domitian II. This was the first such coin found in Britain. The only other was found in France and was thought to be a forgery until the discovery of the British coin proved the existence of the short-lived emperor.
During the 1976 drought, aerial archaeology
found cropmark
s of filled-in moats and earthworks beside Back Brook. Subsequent archaeological excavation at this location revealed the remains of a 13th century moated manor house
.
of 1086 the village is called Celgrave which may be derived from the Old English for "at the chalk or limestone pit".
The manor house
is the second-oldest building in Chalgrove. Standing partially on the site of an earlier building, originally the de Plessis manor and manorial court-house, this late 14th or early 15th century manor-house was repaired and restored during the 1980s. The central hall, which was horizontally subdivided in the 16th century, contains a medieval oak screen on the ground floor, possibly from the 13th century house, late 16th century painted grey studding on the first floor and a finely-detailed arch-braced collar roof with double purlins with seating for a louvre. The carpentry in the roof is of exceptionally high quality and it is possible that the carpenters were the same as those who had been employed to construct the Royal Palace at nearby Ewelme
around the same time. The south wing parlour has 17th-century painted grained panels and the north wing contains a medieval annexe and garderobe
chute outlet. The rear extensions are early 16th century.
of Saint Mary
dates from the 12th century. It was begun by monks from the Abbey of Bec, an important Benedictine
abbey in Normandy
. The interior comprises a wide nave with two aisles separated by transitional Norman arcades with carved capitals and a chancel. The church is thought to remain substantially as it was in 1500, although some records state that there was a spire on top of the tower until it came down in a violent storm in 1727. The tower contains a single-handed turret clock dated in part from 1699.
In the 13th century the chancel was decorated with a series of wall paintings
showing a Tree of Jesse
, the Last Judgement and the medieval legend of the Assumption of Mary
. Historians believe these wall-paintings were completed around 1320 possibly at the request of the de Barantyn family, who lived in one of the two manors in Chalgrove at the time. The paintings were limewashed over at the time of the English Reformation
and rediscovered in 1858 during renovation work commissioned by the Reverend Robert French Laurence. Some of the paintings on the north wall are a little indistinct now due to their age and two of the paintings on the south wall were covered by marble memorials while the paintings lay hidden under the lime wash.
St. Mary's has been made a Grade I listed building because of the paintings.
surrounded by open fields occupying a site on the banks of the stream. Early houses were built along the sides of the original road to Oxford.
In 1086 the Domesday Book counted five mills operating on Chalgrove Brook. Today there is only one mill, at the western end of the village on the appropriately-named 'Mill Lane' opposite The Manor
. The mill was restored to working condition in 1998 - including turning the overshot water wheel
around to become a high-breast one - and was used to grind corn on an open day in 1999. After Chalgrove, the Brook flows through Stadhampton
and then Chiselhampton
where it joins the River Thame
, a tributary of the River Thames
.
Flooding was a problem historically, with 22 houses seriously flooded during 1879. During the 19th century a sluice gate was constructed at the eastern end of the village and from the original Chalgrove Stream (now known as the 'Back Brook') some of the water was diverted to run alongside the current High Street. This artificial loop (the 'Front Brook') has become an attractive feature. The brook's flow is now much reduced and the risk of flooding has declined: only a small section of the High Street is now deemed to be at occasional risk.
After a long period of stagnation, the village's population grew very rapidly from under 1,000 in 1961 to just over 3,000 by 1996 mainly due to a new housing estate being developed in the area known as 'Sixpenny Fields' between the village core and the more recent bypass, the B480. The road into this development is named after the most famous former vicar of the parish, Robert French Laurence.
Parts of Chalgrove, and its airfield, featured in the episode 'Many Happy Returns' of the television series 'The Prisoner'
.
the government needed level ground for airfields. The standard three-runway Chalgrove Airfield
was constructed in 1943, and in February 1944 the United States Army Air Forces
moved in with a photo reconnaissance squadron of Lockheed P-38 Lightning
aircraft. Three more squadrons joined in March to bring the station to full strength. These squadrons performed many low-level operations over France to provide valuable information prior to, and shortly after, the Normandy landings in June 1944. In March 1945 the USAAF PR squadrons from nearby RAF Mount Farm
moved to Chalgrove with their P-51 Mustang
and P-38 Lightning
aircraft. Reconnaissance work continued over peacetime Europe in order to assess damage. The USAAF left at the end of 1945.
After the airfield reverted to the RAF and became a satellite of RAF Benson
, until an agreement was reached with the Martin-Baker
Aircraft Company to use the airfield to test ejection seats. The first live ejection from a Martin-Baker seat, fitted to a Gloster Meteor
, was made over Chalgrove airfield in July 1946. Martin-Baker still occupies the airfield. It is mostly used for ejection seat testing and very few aircraft now use the airfield.
, which was formed toward the end of the 19th century, initially as Chalgrove Temperance Band. The earliest photograph of the band is dated 1906. At that time, band practices were held in the top room of the Red Lion pub. Following a break in its history, the band was reformed in 1972 by three local enthusiasts.
In 2007, the band won the London and Southern Counties Fourth Section Championship, and were promoted to the Third Section. In 2011, the band won promotion to the Second Section of the British Brass Band Association.
The band performs regularly in the village, including the May Day
Parade, the Remembrance Sunday
service and concerts in the Village Hall
, which also serves as the band's rehearsal venue.
The village has three public houses: The Lamb at the northern end of the village, The Red Lion and The Crown both at the centre, on the High Street. The Red Lion is owned by St. Mary's church and is vested in the Trustees of the Church Estate, but is leased out. There is a post office and five other shops including two grocers, a florist, pharmacy, newsagent and a garage. The village has a General Practitioner
's practice, The Brook Surgery.
The village has a primary school, with a Foundation Class for younger children. The local authority provides a bus service for older children to travel to local secondary schools.
Monument Park business park, opposite the airfield and away from the main village, supports a diverse range of businesses.
Chalgrove has a Women's Institute. Chalgrove Cricket Club plays in Oxfordshire Cricket Association League Division Five.
Chalgrove Cavaliers Football Club organises football for boys and girls between the ages of five and 16.
Regular local events include the May Day Festival and the annual Chalgrove Live Music Festival, held every year since 1988. Chalgrove Midsummer Ball is held every alternate year in the grounds of Chalgrove Manor.
South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire is a local government district in Oxfordshire, England. Its council is based in Crowmarsh Gifford, just outside Wallingford....
about 10 miles (16.1 km) southeast 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...
. The parish includes the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Rofford and the former parish of Warpsgrove with which it merged in 1932.
Chalgrove is the site of a small Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
battle, the Battle of Chalgrove Field
Battle of Chalgrove Field
The Battle of Chalgrove was a small battle during the English Civil War in the county of Oxfordshire. It took place around 09:00 hours on the morning of 18 June 1643 in Chalgrove Field, northeast of Chalgrove in Oxfordshire...
, in which John Hampden
John Hampden
John Hampden was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643) was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643)...
was wounded. He died of his wounds six days later.
Archaeology
It is now believed that Chalgrove settlement may pre-date the Roman occupationRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
.
A very rare silver Roman coin
Roman currency
The Roman currency during most of the Roman Republic and the western half of the Roman Empire consisted of coins including the aureus , the denarius , the sestertius , the dupondius , and the as...
(c.271 AD) was discovered at Chalgrove: a base silver Roman coin known as a radiate
Antoninianus
The antoninianus was a coin used during the Roman Empire thought to have been valued at 2 denarii. It was initially silver, but was slowly debased to bronze. The coin was introduced by Caracalla in early 215 and was a silver coin similar to the denarius except that it was slightly larger and...
of Emperor Domitian II. This was the first such coin found in Britain. The only other was found in France and was thought to be a forgery until the discovery of the British coin proved the existence of the short-lived emperor.
During the 1976 drought, aerial archaeology
Aerial archaeology
Aerial archaeology is the study of archaeological remains by examining them from altitude.The advantages of gaining a good aerial view of the ground had been long appreciated by archaeologists as a high viewpoint permits a better appreciation of fine details and their relationships within the wider...
found cropmark
Cropmark
Cropmarks or Crop marks are a means through which sub-surface archaeological, natural and recent features may be visible from the air or a vantage point on higher ground or a temporary platform...
s of filled-in moats and earthworks beside Back Brook. Subsequent archaeological excavation at this location revealed the remains of a 13th century moated manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
.
Manor
In 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...
of 1086 the village is called Celgrave which may be derived from the Old English for "at the chalk or limestone pit".
The manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
is the second-oldest building in Chalgrove. Standing partially on the site of an earlier building, originally the de Plessis manor and manorial court-house, this late 14th or early 15th century manor-house was repaired and restored during the 1980s. The central hall, which was horizontally subdivided in the 16th century, contains a medieval oak screen on the ground floor, possibly from the 13th century house, late 16th century painted grey studding on the first floor and a finely-detailed arch-braced collar roof with double purlins with seating for a louvre. The carpentry in the roof is of exceptionally high quality and it is possible that the carpenters were the same as those who had been employed to construct the Royal Palace at nearby Ewelme
Ewelme
Ewelme is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire, northeast of the market town of Wallingford.To the east of the village is Cow Common and to the west, Benson Airfield, the north-eastern corner of which is within the parish boundary.The solid geology is chalk...
around the same time. The south wing parlour has 17th-century painted grained panels and the north wing contains a medieval annexe and garderobe
Garderobe
The term garderobe describes a place where clothes and other items are stored, and also a medieval toilet. In European public places, a garderobe denotes the cloakroom, wardrobe, alcove or an armoire. In Danish, Dutch, German and Spanish garderobe can mean a cloakroom. In Latvian it means checkroom...
chute outlet. The rear extensions are early 16th century.
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 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...
dates from the 12th century. It was begun by monks from the Abbey of Bec, an important Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbey in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. The interior comprises a wide nave with two aisles separated by transitional Norman arcades with carved capitals and a chancel. The church is thought to remain substantially as it was in 1500, although some records state that there was a spire on top of the tower until it came down in a violent storm in 1727. The tower contains a single-handed turret clock dated in part from 1699.
In the 13th century the chancel was decorated with a series of wall paintings
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
showing a Tree of Jesse
Tree of Jesse
The Tree of Jesse is a depiction in art of the Ancestors of Christ, shown in a tree which rises from Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of King David; the original use of the family tree as a schematic representation of a genealogy...
, the Last Judgement and the medieval legend of the Assumption of Mary
Assumption of Mary
According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
. Historians believe these wall-paintings were completed around 1320 possibly at the request of the de Barantyn family, who lived in one of the two manors in Chalgrove at the time. The paintings were limewashed over at the time of the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
and rediscovered in 1858 during renovation work commissioned by the Reverend Robert French Laurence. Some of the paintings on the north wall are a little indistinct now due to their age and two of the paintings on the south wall were covered by marble memorials while the paintings lay hidden under the lime wash.
St. Mary's has been made a Grade I listed building because of the paintings.
Economic and social history
Chalgrove originated as a linear villageLinear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
surrounded by open fields occupying a site on the banks of the stream. Early houses were built along the sides of the original road to Oxford.
In 1086 the Domesday Book counted five mills operating on Chalgrove Brook. Today there is only one mill, at the western end of the village on the appropriately-named 'Mill Lane' opposite The Manor
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
. The mill was restored to working condition in 1998 - including turning the overshot water wheel
Water wheel
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power. A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface...
around to become a high-breast one - and was used to grind corn on an open day in 1999. After Chalgrove, the Brook flows through Stadhampton
Stadhampton
Stadhampton is a village and civil parish north of Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire, England. Stadhampton village is on the A329 road and close to the River Thame.-Location:...
and then Chiselhampton
Chiselhampton
Chiselhampton is a village on the River Thame about southeast of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.-Toponym:"Chisel" is derived from the old English ceosel or cisel meaning "gravel" or "shingle", referring to the river gravel beside the Thame on which some of the village is built. In a document dated...
where it joins the River Thame
River Thame
The River Thame is a river in Southern England. It is a tributary of the larger and better-known River Thames.The general course of the River Thame is north-east to south-west and the distance from its source to the River Thames is about 40 miles...
, a tributary of the River Thames
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,...
.
Flooding was a problem historically, with 22 houses seriously flooded during 1879. During the 19th century a sluice gate was constructed at the eastern end of the village and from the original Chalgrove Stream (now known as the 'Back Brook') some of the water was diverted to run alongside the current High Street. This artificial loop (the 'Front Brook') has become an attractive feature. The brook's flow is now much reduced and the risk of flooding has declined: only a small section of the High Street is now deemed to be at occasional risk.
After a long period of stagnation, the village's population grew very rapidly from under 1,000 in 1961 to just over 3,000 by 1996 mainly due to a new housing estate being developed in the area known as 'Sixpenny Fields' between the village core and the more recent bypass, the B480. The road into this development is named after the most famous former vicar of the parish, Robert French Laurence.
Parts of Chalgrove, and its airfield, featured in the episode 'Many Happy Returns' of the television series 'The Prisoner'
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
.
RAF Chalgrove
During 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...
the government needed level ground for airfields. The standard three-runway Chalgrove Airfield
Chalgrove Airfield
Chalgrove Airfield is a former World War II airfield in Oxfordshire, England. The airfield is located approximately north-northeast of Benson; about north-northwest of London....
was constructed in 1943, and in February 1944 the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
moved in with a photo reconnaissance squadron of Lockheed P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
aircraft. Three more squadrons joined in March to bring the station to full strength. These squadrons performed many low-level operations over France to provide valuable information prior to, and shortly after, the Normandy landings in June 1944. In March 1945 the USAAF PR squadrons from nearby RAF Mount Farm
RAF Mount Farm
RAF Mount Farm is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located three miles north of Dorchester, Oxfordshire.-USAAF use:Mount Farm was originally a satellite airfield for the RAF Photographic Reconnaissance Unit at RAF Benson. The airfield was originally a grass field, but...
moved to Chalgrove with their P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
and P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
aircraft. Reconnaissance work continued over peacetime Europe in order to assess damage. The USAAF left at the end of 1945.
After the airfield reverted to the RAF and became a satellite of RAF Benson
RAF Benson
RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force station near Benson in South Oxfordshire, England. It is home to the Royal Air Force's support helicopters, the Aérospatiale Puma and the EH-101 Merlin, known as the Puma HC.Mk 1 and the Merlin HC.Mk 3 and Mk 3a....
, until an agreement was reached with the Martin-Baker
Martin-Baker
Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd. is a manufacturer of ejection seats and safety related equipment for aviation. The company origins were as an aircraft manufacturer before becoming a pioneer in the field of ejection seats...
Aircraft Company to use the airfield to test ejection seats. The first live ejection from a Martin-Baker seat, fitted to a Gloster Meteor
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
, was made over Chalgrove airfield in July 1946. Martin-Baker still occupies the airfield. It is mostly used for ejection seat testing and very few aircraft now use the airfield.
Chalgrove Band
Chalgrove Band is an amateur brass bandBrass band (British style)
A British-style brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardised range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around local industry and communities...
, which was formed toward the end of the 19th century, initially as Chalgrove Temperance Band. The earliest photograph of the band is dated 1906. At that time, band practices were held in the top room of the Red Lion pub. Following a break in its history, the band was reformed in 1972 by three local enthusiasts.
In 2007, the band won the London and Southern Counties Fourth Section Championship, and were promoted to the Third Section. In 2011, the band won promotion to the Second Section of the British Brass Band Association.
The band performs regularly in the village, including the May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
Parade, the Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday
In the United Kingdom, 'Remembrance Sunday' is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day. It is the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m...
service and concerts in the Village Hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
, which also serves as the band's rehearsal venue.
Amenities
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
's practice, The Brook Surgery.
The village has a primary school, with a Foundation Class for younger children. The local authority provides a bus service for older children to travel to local secondary schools.
Monument Park business park, opposite the airfield and away from the main village, supports a diverse range of businesses.
Chalgrove has a Women's Institute. Chalgrove Cricket Club plays in Oxfordshire Cricket Association League Division Five.
Chalgrove Cavaliers Football Club organises football for boys and girls between the ages of five and 16.
Regular local events include the May Day Festival and the annual Chalgrove Live Music Festival, held every year since 1988. Chalgrove Midsummer Ball is held every alternate year in the grounds of Chalgrove Manor.
External links
- Category:Villages in Oxfordshire