Stanton Harcourt
Encyclopedia
Stanton Harcourt is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire
about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Witney
and 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Oxford
.
and mammoth
during interglacial conditions, disproving the widely-held view that mammoths were an exclusively cold-adapted species.
An episode of the Channel 4
television programme Time Team
featured the excavations at Stanton Harcourt.
, formerly southwest of the village.
The Domesday Book
of 1086 records that the manor
was held by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. It became called Stanton Harcourt after Robert de Harcourt of Bosworth
, Leicestershire
inherited lands of his father-in-law at Stanton in 1191. The manor remains in the Harcourt family
to the present day.
of Saint Michael
dates from 1135, and the Norman
nave
and lower parts of the bell tower are certainly 12th century. In the 13th century the chancel
, chancel arch and tower arches were rebuilt and the transept
s and stair turret were added. In the 15th century the upper part of the belltower was completed, the Perpendicular Gothic west window of the nave and north and south windows of the transepts were inserted and the pitch of the roof was lowered. The Harcourt chapel was added on the south side of the chancel, possibly by tha master mason William Orchard
. Pope's Tower in the grounds of the Manor House was built at around the same time, probably also built by William Orchard.. The tower derives its name from Alexander Pope
who stayed here in 1717-18, when he used the upper room in the tower to translate the fifth volume of Homer's "lliad". In the summer of 1718 Pope also wrote an epitaph to a young couple, John Hewett and Sarah Drew, who were struck by lightning and killed in the parish. This poem is carved into a memorial on outer wall of the naive.
there was a Royal Air Force
airfield at Stanton Harcourt. Amongst other things, it is notable for having been a transit point for Winston Churchill
and for being a starting point for a bomber raid on the German small battleship
(or battlecruiser) Scharnhorst
. The airstrips are, for the most part, now gone, but some of the original buildings remain including a Turret Trainer, crew room and various other miscellaneous buildings. The hangars have been converted into office and industrial units.
s: The Fox and the Harcourt Arms. The parish has a primary school.
Stanton Harcourt has a history of Morris dancing
going back to the 19th century. The traditions are kept up to today.
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast 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'....
and 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
Archaeology
Within the parish of Stanton Harcourt is a series of paleochannel deposits buried beneath the second (Summertown-Radley) gravel terrace of the river Thames. These deposits, which have been attributed to Marine isotope stages, were the subject of archaeological and palaeontological research directed by Kate Scott and Christine Buckingham. Evidence was found for the co-existence of species of elephantElephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
and mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
during interglacial conditions, disproving the widely-held view that mammoths were an exclusively cold-adapted species.
An episode of the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television programme Time Team
Time Team
Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
featured the excavations at Stanton Harcourt.
Manor
Stanton is derived from the Old English for "farmstead by the stones", probably after the prehistoric stone circle known as the Devil's QuoitsDevil's Quoits
The Devil's Quoits is a stone circle near the village of Stanton Harcourt in Oxfordshire, England.The site is believed to be between 4000 and 5000 years old, and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument...
, formerly southwest of the village.
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 that 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...
was held by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. It became called Stanton Harcourt after Robert de Harcourt of Bosworth
Market Bosworth
Market Bosworth is a small market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It formerly formed a district known as the Market Bosworth Rural District. In 1974 it merged with the Hinckley Rural District to form a new district named Hinckley and Bosworth...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
inherited lands of his father-in-law at Stanton in 1191. The manor remains in the Harcourt family
House of Harcourt
The House of Harcourt is a Norman family, descended from the Viking Bernard the Dane and named after its seigneurie of Harcourt in Normandy. Its mottos were "Gesta verbis praeveniant" , "Gesta verbis praevenient" , and "Le bon temps viendra .....
to the present day.
Parish church
The earliest known record of 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 Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
dates from 1135, and the 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...
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...
and lower parts of the bell tower are certainly 12th century. In the 13th century 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...
, chancel arch and tower arches were rebuilt and the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s and stair turret were added. In the 15th century the upper part of the belltower was completed, the Perpendicular Gothic west window of the nave and north and south windows of the transepts were inserted and the pitch of the roof was lowered. The Harcourt chapel was added on the south side of the chancel, possibly by tha master mason William Orchard
William Orchard (architect)
William Orchard was an English gothic architect, responsible for the elaborate pendant vaults of the Divinity School, Oxford and the chancel of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. He worked on the cloister and designed the Great Tower of Magdalen College, Oxford. He also designed the parish church of...
. Pope's Tower in the grounds of the Manor House was built at around the same time, probably also built by William Orchard.. The tower derives its name from Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
who stayed here in 1717-18, when he used the upper room in the tower to translate the fifth volume of Homer's "lliad". In the summer of 1718 Pope also wrote an epitaph to a young couple, John Hewett and Sarah Drew, who were struck by lightning and killed in the parish. This poem is carved into a memorial on outer wall of the naive.
RAF Stanton Harcourt
During the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
there was a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
airfield at Stanton Harcourt. Amongst other things, it is notable for having been a transit point for Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and for being a starting point for a bomber raid on the German small battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
(or battlecruiser) Scharnhorst
German battleship Scharnhorst
Scharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
. The airstrips are, for the most part, now gone, but some of the original buildings remain including a Turret Trainer, crew room and various other miscellaneous buildings. The hangars have been converted into office and industrial units.
Amenities
Stanton Harcourt has two 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...
s: The Fox and the Harcourt Arms. The parish has a primary school.
Stanton Harcourt has a history of Morris dancing
Morris dance
Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers...
going back to the 19th century. The traditions are kept up to today.