Somerton, Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Somerton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire
, England
, in the Cherwell valley
about 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Bicester
.
The Domesday Book
records that in 1086 William the Conqueror
's step-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, held most of the manor
of Somerton.
of Saint James is known to have existed by 1074. A Norman
carved doorway in the nave
dates from this period. Much of the building, however, including the bell tower
, is in the Decorated Gothic style of the first half of the 14th century. St. James' also has features from the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries.
In 1635 John and Isabel Aston gave a bell to St James' church.
In 1827 St. James' tower had five bells. Since 1974 the bells have been rehung and their number has been increased to make a ring
of eight bells.
St. James' parish is now part of the Cherwell Valley Benefice along with five other parishes: Ardley
, Fritwell
, Lower Heyford
, Souldern
and Upper Heyford
.
es. In 1245 Walter de Grey
, Archbishop of York
, granted one of the halves to his nephew, also called Walter de Grey. The de Grey manor house seems to have been on low-lying land near the Cherwell. By 1295 it had a court, dovecote
and fishponds. By 1300 Somerton had a watermill
. Remains of the fishponds survive today.
The manor was passed down through the de Grey family, and then to their descendants the Deincourts and then the Lovells of Minster Lovell
. In 1485 Francis Lovell
was created 1st Viscount
Lovell. Francis is believed to have been killed in 1487 in the Battle of Stoke Field
at the end of the Wars of the Roses
. Thereafter the Crown held the manor for the next 25 years.
. William built a new manor house
, above the village in contrast with the de Grey manor house that had been close to the Cherwell. It remained the Fermor home until about 1625 when Richard Fermor made Tusmore
the family's principal home. In the 18th century most of Somerton manor house was demolished, but part of the hall wall still remains.
In the 16th century the south aisle of St. James' church was converted into the Fermor family chapel
. However after the English Reformation
the Fermors were Recusants and had a private Roman Catholic
chapel
at the manor house.
When Thomas Fermor died in 1580 his will
provided for the founding of a "free school" for Somerton boys to be instructed in "virtue and learning". Somerton's present school building dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, but includes a late 16th century window which may be from the original building.
During the English Civil War
of 1642–51 Henry Fermor stayed neutral but his kinsman by marriage Henry Arundell, 3rd Baron Arundell of Wardour
, another Recusant, was a Royalist
who fought for King Charles I
. As a result in 1646 the Commonwealth
sequestered
Arundell's estates, including Somerton. However a relative bought Somerton from the sequestrators and in the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy
in 1660 the manor was restored to the Fermors.
The villagers of Somerton farmed in an open field system
of four fields until William Fermor secured an enclosure act from Parliament
in 1765. Thereafter Somerton's population grew, reaching 400 in the 1821 census.
continued to be celebrated at the Somerton manor house chapel. In 1738 St. James' Church of England rector reported that 47 Roman Catholics attended Mass at the manor house chapel once a month. Somerton's Roman Catholics were respectful to the Anglican
rector, good farmers, and so neighbourly to Anglican fellow-villagers that there were numerous intermarriages between the two denominations. The rector concluded that the two denominations "are so blended and united together" that it would be inadvisable to enforce the laws against Roman Catholicism
that made it an offence to celebrate the Mass or for anyone to harbour Roman Catholic clergy.
between Banbury and Tackley
was completed in 1787. It runs along the Cherwell valley, and at Somerton it passes between the river and the village. Somerton lock
was built 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) north of the village.
Construction of the Oxford and Rugby Railway between and began in 1845. By the time the line opened the Great Western Railway
had taken it over. In Somerton the railway threads along the valley between the Oxford Canal and the foot of the hill on which the village stands, and a bridge carries it over the road to North Aston
. The GWR opened a station just south of the bridge in 1855; originally named Somerton, it was renamed in 1907, although Fritwell is 2 miles (3 km) away. The station attracted the opening of a public house
, the Railway Inn. British Rail
ways closed the station in 1964. The Railway Inn has since followed suit.
Some of the land on which the railway was built belonged to the Free School, some of the money that the GWR paid to in compenstation was spent on repairs to the school. In the 19th century the village population grew and the school population grew with it. In a reorganisation of schools in 1930 the Free School became a junior school and senior pupils from Somerton had to go to Fritwell. The school was still open in the 1950s but has since closed.
is the centre of Somerton's social life and activity. It recently suffered from subsidence
and a leaking roof, but in December 2008 the Big Lottery Fund
granted its trustees £311,000 to rebuild the hall for the village. This has now been completed.
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in the Cherwell valley
River Cherwell
The River Cherwell is a river which flows through the Midlands of England. It is a major tributary of the River Thames.The general course of the River Cherwell is north to south and the 'straight-line' distance from its source to the Thames is about...
about 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Bicester
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...
.
Early history
More than a dozen Saxon or early Mediaeval graves have been discovered in the yard of Somerton's former Free School.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...
records that in 1086 William the Conqueror
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...
's step-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, held most of 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 Somerton.
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 James is known to have existed by 1074. A Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
carved doorway in 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...
dates from this period. Much of the building, however, including 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...
, is in the Decorated Gothic style of the first half of the 14th century. St. James' also has features from the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries.
In 1635 John and Isabel Aston gave a bell to St James' church.
In 1827 St. James' tower had five bells. Since 1974 the bells have been rehung and their number has been increased to make 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 eight bells.
St. James' parish is now part of the Cherwell Valley Benefice along with five other parishes: Ardley
Ardley
Ardley is a village in Ardley with Fewcott civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, about northwest of Bicester. The parish includes the village of Fewcott that is now contiguous with Ardley.-History:...
, Fritwell
Fritwell
Fritwell is a village and civil parish about northwest of Bicester in Oxfordshire. The parish's southern boundary is a stream that flows eastwards through Fewcott and past the villages of Fringford and Godington before entering Buckinghamshire where it becomes part of Padbury Brook, a tributary of...
, Lower Heyford
Lower Heyford
Lower Heyford is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, beside the River Cherwell about west of Bicester.-Prehistory:Aves ditch is pre-Anglo-Saxon and may have been dug as a boundary ditch...
, Souldern
Souldern
Souldern is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about northwest of Bicester and a similar distance southeast of Banbury. The parish is bounded to the west by the River Cherwell and to the east by field boundaries. Its northern boundary is Ockley Brook, a tributary of the Cherwell that forms...
and Upper Heyford
Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire
Upper Heyford is a village and civil parish about northwest of Bicester in Oxfordshire, England.-Location:Upper Heyford is on the east bank of the River Cherwell. "Upper" distinguishes it from Lower Heyford which is about "lower", downstream along the Cherwell valley...
.
The de Grey family and their heirs
In 1230 the manor of Somerton was divided between two heiressBeneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
es. In 1245 Walter de Grey
Walter de Gray
Walter de Gray was an English prelate and statesman who rose to be Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor.-Life:Gray was the son of John de Gray the Elder of Eaton in Norfolk and nephew of John de Gray , Bishop of Norwich. His sister, Hawise, married the Justiciar of England, Philip Basset...
, Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
, granted one of the halves to his nephew, also called Walter de Grey. The de Grey manor house seems to have been on low-lying land near the Cherwell. By 1295 it had a court, 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...
and fishponds. By 1300 Somerton had a watermill
Watermill
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 :...
. Remains of the fishponds survive today.
The manor was passed down through the de Grey family, and then to their descendants the Deincourts and then the Lovells of Minster Lovell
Minster Lovell
Minster Lovell is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush about west of Witney in Oxfordshire.Minster Lovell village has three parts: Old Minster, Little Minster and New Minster. Old Minster includes St. Kenelm's Parish Church, Minster Lovell Hall and the Old Swan Inn and Minster Mill Hotel...
. In 1485 Francis Lovell
Francis Lovell, 1st Viscount Lovell
Francis Lovell, 9th Baron Lovell, 6th Baron Holand, later 1st Viscount Lovell was an English nobleman. He probably knew the later King Richard III of England from a young age, and was to become his lifelong friend and staunch ally....
was created 1st Viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
Lovell. Francis is believed to have been killed in 1487 in the Battle of Stoke Field
Battle of Stoke Field
The Battle of Stoke Field may be considered the last battle of the Wars of the Roses, since it was to be the last engagement in which a Lancastrian king faced an army of Yorkist supporters, under the pretender Lambert Simnel...
at the end of the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
. Thereafter the Crown held the manor for the next 25 years.
The Fermor family
In 1512 the Crown granted the manor to William Fermor of WitneyWitney
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'....
. William built a new 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...
, above the village in contrast with the de Grey manor house that had been close to the Cherwell. It remained the Fermor home until about 1625 when Richard Fermor made Tusmore
Tusmore, Oxfordshire
Tusmore is a settlement about north of Bicester in Oxfordshire. It is the location of the Tusmore Park country house and estate.-Manor:Tusmore was settled in Saxon times...
the family's principal home. In the 18th century most of Somerton manor house was demolished, but part of the hall wall still remains.
In the 16th century the south aisle of St. James' church was converted into the Fermor family chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
. However after 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....
the Fermors were Recusants and had a private Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
at the manor house.
When Thomas Fermor died in 1580 his will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
provided for the founding of a "free school" for Somerton boys to be instructed in "virtue and learning". Somerton's present school building dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, but includes a late 16th century window which may be from the original building.
During the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
of 1642–51 Henry Fermor stayed neutral but his kinsman by marriage Henry Arundell, 3rd Baron Arundell of Wardour
Henry Arundell, 3rd Baron Arundell of Wardour
Henry Arundell, 3rd Baron Arundell of Wardour, PC was a Peer of England during the 17th century, and the most famous of the Lords Arundell of Wardour. He served as Lord Privy Seal and Lord High Steward, and was appointed to the Privy Council...
, another Recusant, was a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
who fought for King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. As a result in 1646 the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
sequestered
Sequestration (law)
Sequestration is the act of removing, separating, or seizing anything from the possession of its owner under process of law for the benefit of creditors or the state.-Etymology:...
Arundell's estates, including Somerton. However a relative bought Somerton from the sequestrators and in the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
in 1660 the manor was restored to the Fermors.
The villagers of Somerton farmed in an 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...
of four fields until William Fermor secured an enclosure act from Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in 1765. Thereafter Somerton's population grew, reaching 400 in the 1821 census.
Roman Catholicism in Somerton
Even after the Fermors moved to Tusmore, the Roman Catholic MassMass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
continued to be celebrated at the Somerton manor house chapel. In 1738 St. James' Church of England rector reported that 47 Roman Catholics attended Mass at the manor house chapel once a month. Somerton's Roman Catholics were respectful to the Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
rector, good farmers, and so neighbourly to Anglican fellow-villagers that there were numerous intermarriages between the two denominations. The rector concluded that the two denominations "are so blended and united together" that it would be inadvisable to enforce the laws against Roman Catholicism
Popery Act 1698
The Popery Act 1698 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of England passed in 1700. The long title of the Act is "An Act for the further preventing the Growth of Popery."...
that made it an offence to celebrate the Mass or for anyone to harbour Roman Catholic clergy.
The Villiers family
In 1815 William Fermor sold the manor to George Villiers, 6th Earl Jersey. As the Free School accepted only boys, Julia, Lady Jersey opened a girl's school in Somerton. Lady Jersey was the daughter of Sir Robert Peel. A century later George's son Victor Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey died and the Somerton estate was sold.The Industrial Revolution
The stretch of the Oxford CanalOxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
between Banbury and 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:...
was completed in 1787. It runs along the Cherwell valley, and at Somerton it passes between the river and the village. Somerton lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
was built 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) north of the village.
Construction of the Oxford and Rugby Railway between and began in 1845. By the time the line opened the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
had taken it over. In Somerton the railway threads along the valley between the Oxford Canal and the foot of the hill on which the village stands, and a bridge carries it over the road to 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,...
. The GWR opened a station just south of the bridge in 1855; originally named Somerton, it was renamed in 1907, although Fritwell is 2 miles (3 km) away. The station attracted the opening of a 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...
, the Railway Inn. British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways closed the station in 1964. The Railway Inn has since followed suit.
Some of the land on which the railway was built belonged to the Free School, some of the money that the GWR paid to in compenstation was spent on repairs to the school. In the 19th century the village population grew and the school population grew with it. In a reorganisation of schools in 1930 the Free School became a junior school and senior pupils from Somerton had to go to Fritwell. The school was still open in the 1950s but has since closed.
Barnes Memorial Hall
The village hallVillage 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...
is the centre of Somerton's social life and activity. It recently suffered from subsidence
Subsidence
Subsidence is the motion of a surface as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level. The opposite of subsidence is uplift, which results in an increase in elevation...
and a leaking roof, but in December 2008 the Big Lottery Fund
Big Lottery Fund
The Big Lottery Fund is a grant-making non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom created by the Government to administer the funding of "good causes" following the creation of the National Lottery. It has an annual expenditure of £630 million...
granted its trustees £311,000 to rebuild the hall for the village. This has now been completed.