Oddington, Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Oddington is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) south of Bicester
in Oxfordshire, England. The village is close to the River Ray
on the northern edge of Otmoor
.
is derived from the Old English for "Ot(t)a's Hill", possibly after the same person who gave his name to Otmoor.
written in AD 1146 suggests that the village had a parish church
by the middle of the 12th century. The present Church of England parish church
of Saint Andrew
was built at the end of the 13th century and beginning of the 14th century. The buttress
es of the nave
are late 13th century, and the font
is probably also from that century. Some features of the chancel
are early 14th century, but in 1821 the chancel was demolished and rebuilt.
Between 1884 and 1886 the church was heavily restored
by the architect E.G. Bruton
. He rebuilt the bell tower
and the north wall of the chancel, and added the vestry, north aisle and several windows. At the west end of the church is a large pietà
decorated with Māori totems, created as a memorial to Māori servicemen killed in the First World War
.
The tower has three bells. The treble was cast in 1609 but the bellfounder
has not been identified. James Keene of Woodstock
cast the tenor in 1626. Thomas I Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
cast the youngest of the three bells in 1804. For technical reasons the bells are currently unringable. There is also a Sanctus bell, cast by an unknown founder in about 1614. Unfortunately this bell is cracked.
Gilbert Sheldon
held the living of the parish from 1636. Sheldon already held the living of Hackney
, received that of Ickford
, Buckinghamshire
at about the same time as that of Oddington, and at some time also the living of Newington, Oxfordshire
. After the Restoration of the Monarchy, Sheldon was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury
in 1663.
The Syriac scholar William Cureton
was curate of Oddington for a time in the 19th century. St. Andrew's is now part of the Church of England Benefice of the Ray Valley.
between and , completed in 1851, passes through the parish. The Buckinghamshire Railway was taken over by the London and North Western Railway
in 1879, which opened at Oddington Crossing, 1 miles (1.6 km) northwest of the village in 1905. The 1923 Grouping
made the L&NWR part of the new London, Midland and Scottish Railway
, which closed Oddington Halt in 1926. The part of the line between Oxford and Bicester is now the Bicester Link
. The line's nearest station to Oddington is now , 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away.
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, England. The village is close to the 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...
on the northern edge of Otmoor
Otmoor
Otmoor or Ot Moor is an area of wetland and wet grassland in Oxfordshire, England, located halfway between Oxford and Bicester. It is about above sea level, and has an area of approximately ....
.
History
The 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...
is derived from the Old English for "Ot(t)a's Hill", possibly after the same person who gave his name to Otmoor.
Parish church
A mention of Oddington in a Papal bullPapal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
written in AD 1146 suggests that the village had a parish church
Parish 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 the middle of the 12th century. The present 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 Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
was built at the end of the 13th century and beginning of the 14th century. The buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es 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...
are late 13th century, and the font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is probably also from that century. Some features of 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...
are early 14th century, but in 1821 the chancel was demolished and rebuilt.
Between 1884 and 1886 the church was heavily restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
by the architect E.G. Bruton
Edward George Bruton
Edward George Bruton was a British Gothic Revival architect who practiced in Oxford. He was made an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1855 and a Fellow of the RIBA in 1861.-Work:...
. He rebuilt the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
and the north wall of the chancel, and added the vestry, north aisle and several windows. At the west end of the church is a large pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
decorated with Māori totems, created as a memorial to Māori servicemen killed in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
The tower has three bells. The treble was cast in 1609 but the bellfounder
Bellfounding
Bellfounding is the casting of bells in a foundry for use in churches, clocks, and public buildings. A practitioner of the craft is called a bellmaker or bellfounder. The process in Europe dates to the 4th or 5th century. In early times, when a town produced a bell it was a momentous occasion in...
has not been identified. James Keene of Woodstock
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Woodstock is a small town northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. It is the location of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon....
cast the tenor in 1626. Thomas I Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
cast the youngest of the three bells in 1804. For technical reasons the bells are currently unringable. There is also a Sanctus bell, cast by an unknown founder in about 1614. Unfortunately this bell is cracked.
Gilbert Sheldon
Gilbert Sheldon
Gilbert Sheldon was an English Archbishop of Canterbury.-Early life:He was born in Stanton, Staffordshire in the parish of Ellastone, on 19 July 1598, the youngest son of Roger Sheldon; his father worked for Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury. He was educated at Trinity College, Oxford; he...
held the living of the parish from 1636. Sheldon already held the living of Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, received that of Ickford
Ickford
Ickford is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is on the boundary with Oxfordshire, about west of the market town of Thame....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
at about the same time as that of Oddington, and at some time also the living of Newington, Oxfordshire
Newington, Oxfordshire
Newington is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, about north of Wallingford.The Church of England parish church of Saint Giles was built in the 12th century, its transepts were added about 1200 and the west tower and spire were added early in the 14th century.Gilbert Sheldon held the...
. After the Restoration of the Monarchy, Sheldon was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
in 1663.
The Syriac scholar William Cureton
William Cureton
-Life:He was born in Westbury, Shropshire. After being educated at the Adams' Grammar School in Newport, Shropshire and at Christ Church, Oxford, he took orders in 1832, became chaplain of Christ Church, sublibrarian of the Bodleian, and, in 1837, assistant keeper of manuscripts in the British Museum...
was curate of Oddington for a time in the 19th century. St. Andrew's is now part of the Church of England Benefice of the Ray Valley.
Railway
The Buckinghamshire RailwayBuckinghamshire Railway
The Buckinghamshire Railway was a railway company in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England that constructed railway lines connecting Bletchley, Banbury and Oxford...
between and , completed in 1851, passes through the parish. The Buckinghamshire Railway was taken over by the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
in 1879, which opened at Oddington Crossing, 1 miles (1.6 km) northwest of the village in 1905. The 1923 Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
made the L&NWR part of the new 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...
, which closed Oddington Halt in 1926. The part of the line between Oxford and Bicester is now the Bicester Link
Oxford to Bicester Line
The Oxford to Bicester Line is a branch line linking Oxford and Bicester in Oxfordshire, England.-History:The line was opened in 1850 as part of the Buckinghamshire Railway, which in 1879 became part of the London and North Western Railway...
. The line's nearest station to Oddington is now , 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away.