Shifford
Encyclopedia
Shifford is a hamlet in the civil parish of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney in Oxfordshire
, England. It is on the north bank of the River Thames
about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Witney
.
. A 17th century tradition that Alfred the Great
held a council at Shifford arose from a reference to Sifford in the 12th or 13th century poem The Proverbs of Alfred
, now thought not to refer to this place.
In the 17th century Shifford had between 15 and 23 houses. By 1881 the population had risen to 70 but by 1951, the last year for which separate figures are available, it had fallen to 27.
Until the 19th century Shifford was a township in the parish of Bampton
.. It became a separate civil parish
in 1866. In 1954 the parish was united with Aston Bampton to form the parish of Aston Bampton and Shifford, later renamed Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney.
Joseph Clarke
built a new chapel of Saint Mary
in the Gothic Revival style. It is a Grade II listed building.
, but not directly from Shifford.
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England. It is on the north bank 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,...
about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
.
History
The settlement arose by a ford across the Thames, from which it took its name ("sheep ford"). It was mentioned in a charter of 1005, when the estate was granted to Eynsham AbbeyEynsham Abbey
Eynsham Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, in England between 1005 and 1538. King Æthelred allowed Æthelmær the Stout to found the abbey in 1005. There is some evidence that the abbey was built on the site of an earlier minster, probably founded in the 7th or 8th...
. A 17th century tradition that Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
held a council at Shifford arose from a reference to Sifford in the 12th or 13th century poem The Proverbs of Alfred
The Proverbs of Alfred
The Proverbs of Alfred is a collection of early Middle English sayings ascribed to King Alfred the Great , said to have been uttered at an assembly in Seaford, East Sussex.-Transmission:...
, now thought not to refer to this place.
In the 17th century Shifford had between 15 and 23 houses. By 1881 the population had risen to 70 but by 1951, the last year for which separate figures are available, it had fallen to 27.
Until the 19th century Shifford was a township in the parish of Bampton
Bampton, Oxfordshire
Bampton, also called Bampton-in-the-Bush, is a village and civil parish in the Thames Valley about southwest of Witney in Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Weald....
.. It became a separate civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in 1866. In 1954 the parish was united with Aston Bampton to form the parish of Aston Bampton and Shifford, later renamed Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney.
Chapel
Shifford was never an ecclesiastical parish but in medieval times had a chapel-of-ease to Bampton. The chapel became derelict by the 19th century, and in 1863 the Gothic Revival architectGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Joseph Clarke
Joseph Clarke (architect)
Joseph Clarke, FRIBA was a British Gothic Revival architect who practised in London, England.-Career:In 1839 Clarke exhibited an antiquarian drawing with the Oxford Society for Promoting the Study of Gothic Architecture. Clarke was made an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in...
built a new chapel 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...
in the Gothic Revival style. It is a Grade II listed building.
Shifford Lock
A lock was built in 1898 half a mile upstream from Shifford. It is accessible on foot from ChimneyChimney, Oxfordshire
Chimney is a hamlet on the River Thames near Shifford Lock, south of Witney in Oxfordshire. It is part of the civil parish of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney....
, but not directly from Shifford.