Duns Tew
Encyclopedia
Duns Tew is a village and civil parish about 7.5 miles (12 km) south of Banbury
in Oxfordshire
. With nearby Great Tew
and Little Tew
, Duns Tew is one of the three villages known locally as "The Tews".
), meant "ridge". Although the village lies on the North Aston
Fault, separating limestone and sands in the south from the clay of the north, however, there is no visible sign of any geographoc ridge nearby.
Professor Ekwell has suggested this: “The name TEW is of great antiquity and its roots go back to Anglo-Saxon times. According to Professor Ekwell it probably appeared as Old English word Tiewe, which is known to have existed as an element in compound words (e.g. manigtiewe = skilful). He deduces that Tiewe may have meant a lengthy object, and to have been adopted as the name given to a ridge of land in North West Oxfordshire. In time the name would have been transferred from the feature of the landscape itself to the settlements that became established upon it, and which today are the villages of Great Tew, Little Tew and Duns Tew”.
It is supposed that "Duns" might refer to an Anglo-Saxon
person named Dunn, perhaps a landowner, possibly living after the Conquest. The full name of "Duns Tew" does not appear until the 13th century.
, Leofwine of Barton held the manor
of Duns Tew along with those of Dunthrop, Little Tew
and Westcott Barton
.
The Domesday Book
of 1086 records four estates in the parish, of which the two largest belonged to Robert D'Oyly
and Robert de Stafford
. In addition, Gilbert de Magminot
, Bishop of Lisieux held an estate of three hides
and Odo, Bishop of Bayeux and half-brother of William I
held an estate of one hide.
The present manor house
contains 17th century remnants and a wing added in the 19th century, but the main part of the present house is 18th century. The house has a 17th century dovecote
. Priory Court, a 19th century house east of the church, used to be the vicarage.
of St. Mary Magdalene
existed in the 12th century, from which period the font and one lancet window in the chancel
survive. The north aisle was added late in the 13th or early in the 14th century. The tower, south porch and many of the present windows were added late in the 14th or early in the 15th century. The tower collapsed in 1647, damaging the south side of the church. It was rebuilt in 1664-65. In 1861-62 Sir George Gilbert Scott
completely rebuilt the chancel and north aisle and partly rebuilt the south wall of the nave
. The tower has a ring
of five bells.
In 1977 the parishes of Duns Tew and Sandford St. Martin
were merged with the Benefice of Westcott Barton
and Steeple Barton
.
A Baptist
chapel was completed in 1809.
by 1279. It was still recorded in 1618 but seems to have disappeared by 1722.
Most of the parish was farmed under two separate open field system
s until 1794, when the common land
s were enclosed
.
A Sunday School
for the parish was founded in 1798 and a day school had been added by 1808. By 1818 the Sunday school had been converted to the National School system
. Sir George Dashwood
provided and equipped a school building in 1830. The school outgrew its building and in 1874 new premises were completed with capacity for 100 children. In 1928 it was reorganised as a junior school, with senior pupils going to the school at Steeple Aston
. The number of pupils declined and in 1969 Duns Tew school was closed. Since 1970 the building has served as Duns Tew village hall
.
, the White Horse.
Duns Tew has a Community Action Group.
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. With nearby Great Tew
Great Tew
Great Tew is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold Hills in Oxfordshire, England, about northeast of Chipping Norton and southwest of Banbury.-Archaeology:...
and Little Tew
Little Tew
Little Tew is a village and civil parish about northeast of Chipping Norton and southwest of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The parish is bounded to the northwest by the River Swere and a road between Little Tew and Hook Norton, to the north by a tributary of the River Cherwell and to the south by an...
, Duns Tew is one of the three villages known locally as "The Tews".
Origin of the name
It is thought that "Tew", formerly Teowe or Tiewe (as used in 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...
), meant "ridge". Although the village lies on the North Aston
North Aston
North Aston is a village and civil parish about south of Banbury and north of Oxford.The village is mainly situated around a traditional village green, complete with hand-carved sign and drinking fountain – the latter originally installed in 1863 on the orders of the then Lord of the Manor,...
Fault, separating limestone and sands in the south from the clay of the north, however, there is no visible sign of any geographoc ridge nearby.
Professor Ekwell has suggested this: “The name TEW is of great antiquity and its roots go back to Anglo-Saxon times. According to Professor Ekwell it probably appeared as Old English word Tiewe, which is known to have existed as an element in compound words (e.g. manigtiewe = skilful). He deduces that Tiewe may have meant a lengthy object, and to have been adopted as the name given to a ridge of land in North West Oxfordshire. In time the name would have been transferred from the feature of the landscape itself to the settlements that became established upon it, and which today are the villages of Great Tew, Little Tew and Duns Tew”.
It is supposed that "Duns" might refer to an Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
person named Dunn, perhaps a landowner, possibly living after the Conquest. The full name of "Duns Tew" does not appear until the 13th century.
Manor
Before the Norman conquest of EnglandNorman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
, Leofwine of Barton held the manor
Manorialism
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 Duns Tew along with those of Dunthrop, Little Tew
Little Tew
Little Tew is a village and civil parish about northeast of Chipping Norton and southwest of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The parish is bounded to the northwest by the River Swere and a road between Little Tew and Hook Norton, to the north by a tributary of the River Cherwell and to the south by an...
and Westcott Barton
Westcott Barton
Westcott Barton, also spelt Wescot Barton or Wescote Barton, is a village and civil parish on the River Dorn in West Oxfordshire about east of Chipping Norton and about south of Banbury...
.
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 records four estates in the parish, of which the two largest belonged to 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 Robert de Stafford
Robert de Stafford
Robert de Stafford was a Norman nobleman, the builder of Stafford Castle in England. He may or may not be the same as Robert de Tosny Lord of Belvoir or of the Robert de Tosny who was son of Raoul II of Tosny ; primary evidence is lacking to determine his parentage, according to Cawley...
. In addition, Gilbert de Magminot
Gilbert de Magminot
William the Conqueror granted the Manor of Deptford or West Greenwich to Gilbert de Magminot or Maminot, bishop of Lisieux, one of the eight barons associated with John de Fiennes for the defence of Dover Castle. These eight barons had to provide between them 112 soldiers, 25 of whom were always to...
, Bishop of Lisieux held an estate of three hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
and Odo, Bishop of Bayeux and half-brother of William I
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
held an estate of one hide.
The present 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...
contains 17th century remnants and a wing added in the 19th century, but the main part of the present house is 18th century. The house has a 17th century dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
. Priory Court, a 19th century house east of the church, used to be the vicarage.
Churches
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 St. Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
existed in the 12th century, from which period the font and one lancet window in 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...
survive. The north aisle was added late in the 13th or early in the 14th century. The tower, south porch and many of the present windows were added late in the 14th or early in the 15th century. The tower collapsed in 1647, damaging the south side of the church. It was rebuilt in 1664-65. In 1861-62 Sir George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
completely rebuilt the chancel and north aisle and partly rebuilt the south wall of 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...
. 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 five bells.
In 1977 the parishes of Duns Tew and Sandford St. Martin
Sandford St. Martin
Sandford St. Martin is a village and civil parish in West Oxfordshire about east of Chipping Norton and about south of Banbury.The village was known as Sandford until about 1884, when the suffix St. Martin was added to distinguish the village from other local settlements with similar names. The...
were merged with the Benefice of Westcott Barton
Westcott Barton
Westcott Barton, also spelt Wescot Barton or Wescote Barton, is a village and civil parish on the River Dorn in West Oxfordshire about east of Chipping Norton and about south of Banbury...
and Steeple Barton
Steeple Barton
Steeple Barton is a civil parish and scattered settlement on the River Dorn in West Oxfordshire, about east of Chipping Norton, a similar distance west of Bicester and south of Banbury...
.
A Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
chapel was completed in 1809.
Economic and social history
The parish had a watermillWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
by 1279. It was still recorded in 1618 but seems to have disappeared by 1722.
Most of the parish was farmed under two separate 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...
s until 1794, when the common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
s were enclosed
Enclosure
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...
.
A Sunday School
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
for the parish was founded in 1798 and a day school had been added by 1808. By 1818 the Sunday school had been converted to the National School system
National Society for Promoting Religious Education
The National Society for Promoting Religious Education, often just referred to as the National Society, is a Church of England body in England and Wales for the promotion of church schools and Christian education....
. Sir George Dashwood
Sir George Dashwood, 5th Baronet
Sir George Henry Dashwood, 5th Baronet was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1832 and 1865....
provided and equipped a school building in 1830. The school outgrew its building and in 1874 new premises were completed with capacity for 100 children. In 1928 it was reorganised as a junior school, with senior pupils going to the school at Steeple Aston
Steeple Aston
Steeple Aston is a village and civil parish on the edge of the Cherwell Valley in Oxfordshire, England, about west of Bicester and south of Banbury...
. The number of pupils declined and in 1969 Duns Tew school was closed. Since 1970 the building has served as Duns Tew 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...
.
Amenities
Duns Tew has a public housePublic 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...
, the White Horse.
Duns Tew has a Community Action Group.
External links
- The Duns Tew website on About Britain
- North Oxfordshire Village Trail - Duns Tew page
- Cherwell District Council
- Duns Tew Church and family links
- Family History for Oxfordshire villages
- Early photograph of Duns Tew Manor
- Heavy rainfall over Duns Tew Manor in 1960
- A glimpse of Duns Tew: past and present by Jon Baxter & John Green