Seacourt
Encyclopedia
Seacourt is a deserted medieval village
near Botley
in Oxfordshire
. It was part of Berkshire
until the 1974 boundary changes
transferred it to Oxfordshire.
is derived from the Old English apparently meaning the homestead of an Anglo Saxon man called Seofeca. It evolved from Seofecanwyrthe and Seovecurt in the 10th century, through Sevacoorde and Sevecurt in the 11th century, Sewkeworth and Seuekwrth in the 12th century, Sevecheworda and Sevecowrthe in the 13th century and Sekworth and Sewecourte in the 16th century.
of land at Hinksey
, Seacourt and Wytham
to the Benedictine
Abingdon Abbey
. By the time of the Domesday Book
in 1086 the abbey had let the lordship of the manor
of Seacourt to a lay tenant.
In 1313 one Walter le Poer of Tackley
, Oxfordshire granted the manor
to Sir William Bereford
and his son for the rest of their lives. Subsequently the reversion
of the manor was granted to Isabel de Vesci and her brother Henry de Beaumont. After the deaths of the younger Bereford and Isabel de Vesci, Henry de Beaumont granted Seacourt to his son John Beaumont and daughter-in-law Eleanor Plantaganet
. In 1409 their son Henry Beaumont, 3rd Baron Beaumont sold Seacourt to one William Wilcotes of North Leigh
, Oxfordshire.
The manor then passed through various hands and was broken up into shares until 1469, when Sir Richard Harcourt started buying them up. By the time he died in 1486, Sir Richard owned the whole of the manors of Seacourt and Wytham. Thereafter the two manors stayed together and by 1546 Seacourt was considered part of the manor of Wytham.
by 1200, when Robert de Seacourt (or Seckworth), lord of the manor, granted it to the prioress of the Benedictine Studley Priory, Oxfordshire
. According to a 13th century charter
Seacourt parish church was dedicated to Saint Mary
. In 1439 it was reported that the church building had collapsed. In the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in 1539 Studley Priory surrendered its lands to the Crown
, which sold them in 1540. Studley Priory and its possessions at Seacourt were sold to one John Croke, an ancestor of the John Croke
who was a lawyer, judge, member of Parliament and Speaker of the House of Commons
towards the end of the reign of Elizabeth I
.
s. They were described as corn mills in the 12th century, when William de Seacourt, lord of the manor, granted their tithe
s to the Benedictine Godstow
Abbey. Early in the 13th century his son Robert de Seacourt also granted their tithes to Godstow Abbey, but this time they are described as fulling
mills.
All of Seacourt's original houses were timber-framed. Then in the 13th century a new north-south street was laid out and lined with stone-built houses on both sides.
The old road between Eynsham
and Oxford passed through Seacourt rather than Botley
. In the Middle Ages the treacle (i.e. healing)
well at Binsey
was a place of pilgrimage. Binsey is just on the other side of Seacourt Stream, so some pilgrims used to stay at Seacourt to visit the well. According to tradition, Seacourt had 24 inns to accommodate them. However in 1439 the report that Seacourt parish church had collapsed stated also that all but two of the houses in the village were ruined and uninhabited.
In the time of the antiquarian
Anthony Wood
(1632–95) the ruins of Seacourt were still visible. Today no building survives on the site of the village but there are a few bumps
in the fields. The village site was excavated between 1937 and 1939 and again in 1958 and 1959.
In 1924 there were two farms to the south of the former village. One was Seacourt Farm, which survived until 1963.
By 1831 Seacourt was an extra-parochial area
. In 1900 it was absorbed into the neighbouring parish of Wytham.
The name continues in Seacourt Stream, the Seacourt Bridge public house
by Seacourt Road, Seacourt Tower
and Seacourt Park and Ride
car park.
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...
near Botley
Botley, Oxfordshire
Botley is a village in the civil parish of North Hinksey, just west of the Oxford city boundary in the English county of Oxfordshire. It was in Berkshire until 1974, when it was transferred to Oxfordshire...
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 was part of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
until the 1974 boundary changes
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
transferred it to Oxfordshire.
Toponym
Seacourt'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...
is derived from the Old English apparently meaning the homestead of an Anglo Saxon man called Seofeca. It evolved from Seofecanwyrthe and Seovecurt in the 10th century, through Sevacoorde and Sevecurt in the 11th century, Sewkeworth and Seuekwrth in the 12th century, Sevecheworda and Sevecowrthe in the 13th century and Sekworth and Sewecourte in the 16th century.
Manor
The earliest known record of Seacourt is from 955, when King Eadwig granted 20 hidesHide (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...
of land at Hinksey
Hinksey
Hinksey is a place name associated with Oxford and Oxfordshire. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire.The place name is of Old English origin. It is first mentioned in the 10th century in the form Hengestesige, and probably means "stallion island". It may also mean "island of a man named...
, Seacourt and Wytham
Wytham
Wytham is a village and civil parish on Seacourt Stream, a branch of the River Thames, about northwest of Oxford. It is just west of the Western By-Pass Road, part of the Oxford Ring Road ....
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:...
. By the time of 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...
in 1086 the abbey had let the lordship 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...
of Seacourt to a lay tenant.
In 1313 one Walter le Poer of Tackley
Tackley
Tackley is a village and civil parish beside the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England. It is about west of Bicester and north of Kidlington. The village consists of two neighbourhoods: Tackley itself, and Nethercott.-Archaeology:...
, Oxfordshire granted 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...
to Sir William Bereford
William Bereford
Sir William Bereford was an English justice. He was the son of Walter de Bereford, with the family name coming from the village of Barford, Warwickshire. In 1287 his brother, Osbert de Bereford, a previous High Sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, bought a property in Wishaw, and after his...
and his son for the rest of their lives. Subsequently the reversion
Reversion (law)
A reversion is a type of "remainder" interest created when incomplete ownership in property is alienated subject to a condition subsequent. Upon the fulfillment of the condition subsequent, the incomplete possessory rights cease to exist and exclusive ownership returns to the holder of the...
of the manor was granted to Isabel de Vesci and her brother Henry de Beaumont. After the deaths of the younger Bereford and Isabel de Vesci, Henry de Beaumont granted Seacourt to his son John Beaumont and daughter-in-law Eleanor Plantaganet
Eleanor of Lancaster
Eleanor of Lancaster, Countess of Arundel was the fifth daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and Maud Chaworth.-First marriage and issue:...
. In 1409 their son Henry Beaumont, 3rd Baron Beaumont sold Seacourt to one William Wilcotes of North Leigh
North Leigh
North Leigh is a village and civil parish about northeast of Witney in Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of East End, and since 1932 has also included the hamlet of Wilcote.-Early history:...
, Oxfordshire.
The manor then passed through various hands and was broken up into shares until 1469, when Sir Richard Harcourt started buying them up. By the time he died in 1486, Sir Richard owned the whole of the manors of Seacourt and Wytham. Thereafter the two manors stayed together and by 1546 Seacourt was considered part of the manor of Wytham.
Parish church
Seacourt had a 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 1200, when Robert de Seacourt (or Seckworth), lord of the manor, granted it to the prioress of the Benedictine Studley Priory, Oxfordshire
Studley Priory, Oxfordshire
Studley Priory was a small house of Benedictine nuns ruled by a prioress, founded before 1176 in the hamlet of Studley, in what is now the village of Horton-cum-Studley, seven miles north-east of Oxford, and in the County of Oxfordshire. In that year it received a grant from Bernard of St. Walery...
. According to a 13th century charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
Seacourt parish church was dedicated to 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...
. In 1439 it was reported that the church building had collapsed. 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...
in 1539 Studley Priory surrendered its lands 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...
, which sold them in 1540. Studley Priory and its possessions at Seacourt were sold to one John Croke, an ancestor of the John Croke
John Croke
Sir John Croke was Speaker of the English House of Commons between October–December 1601. He was a lawyer and judge by profession, and was Recorder of London...
who was a lawyer, judge, member of Parliament and Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
towards the end of the reign of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
.
Economic and other history
Seacourt had two 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 :...
s. They were described as corn mills in the 12th century, when William de Seacourt, lord of the manor, granted their tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s to the Benedictine Godstow
Godstow
Godstow is a hamlet on the River Thames about northwest of the centre of Oxford. The ruins of Godstow Abbey, or Godstow Nunnery, are here.-The Abbey:...
Abbey. Early in the 13th century his son Robert de Seacourt also granted their tithes to Godstow Abbey, but this time they are described as fulling
Fulling
Fulling or tucking or walking is a step in woolen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker. The worker who does the job is a fuller, tucker, or walker...
mills.
All of Seacourt's original houses were timber-framed. Then in the 13th century a new north-south street was laid out and lined with stone-built houses on both sides.
The old road between Eynsham
Eynsham
Eynsham is a village and civil parish about east of Witney in Oxfordshire, England.-History:Eynsham grew up near the historically important ford of Swinford on the River Thames flood plain...
and Oxford passed through Seacourt rather than Botley
Botley, Oxfordshire
Botley is a village in the civil parish of North Hinksey, just west of the Oxford city boundary in the English county of Oxfordshire. It was in Berkshire until 1974, when it was transferred to Oxfordshire...
. In the Middle Ages the treacle (i.e. healing)
Theriac
Theriac or theriaca was a medical concoction originally formulated by the Greeks in the 1st century AD and became popular throughout the ancient world as far away as China and India via the trading links of the Silk Route...
well at Binsey
Binsey, Oxfordshire
Binsey is a village by the River Thames about northwest of the centre of Oxford. It is the opposite side of the river from Port Meadow and about southwest of the ruins of Godstow Abbey.-History:...
was a place of pilgrimage. Binsey is just on the other side of Seacourt Stream, so some pilgrims used to stay at Seacourt to visit the well. According to tradition, Seacourt had 24 inns to accommodate them. However in 1439 the report that Seacourt parish church had collapsed stated also that all but two of the houses in the village were ruined and uninhabited.
In the time of the antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood or Anthony à Wood was an English antiquary.-Early life:Anthony Wood was the fourth son of Thomas Wood , BCL of Oxford, where Anthony was born...
(1632–95) the ruins of Seacourt were still visible. Today no building survives on the site of the village but there are a few bumps
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
in the fields. The village site was excavated between 1937 and 1939 and again in 1958 and 1959.
In 1924 there were two farms to the south of the former village. One was Seacourt Farm, which survived until 1963.
By 1831 Seacourt was an extra-parochial area
Extra-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...
. In 1900 it was absorbed into the neighbouring parish of Wytham.
The name continues in Seacourt Stream, the Seacourt Bridge public house
Public 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...
by Seacourt Road, Seacourt Tower
Botley, Oxfordshire
Botley is a village in the civil parish of North Hinksey, just west of the Oxford city boundary in the English county of Oxfordshire. It was in Berkshire until 1974, when it was transferred to Oxfordshire...
and Seacourt Park and Ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
car park.