Westcott Barton
Encyclopedia
Westcott Barton, also spelt Wescot Barton or Wescote Barton, is a village and civil parish on the River Dorn in West Oxfordshire
about 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Chipping Norton
and about 9.5 miles (15 km) south of Banbury
. Westcott Barton's main area of housing is on the eastern boundary of the parish and contiguous with the village of Middle Barton in the neighbouring parish of Steeple Barton
.
The parish is bounded to the north by Cockley Brook, a tributary of the River Dorn. A minor road to Kiddington
forms part of the eastern boundary, another minor road forms part of the western boundary and the remainder of the parish boundaries are field boundaries.
implies, Westcott Barton developed as a secondary settlement of the original village of Barton, which is now called Steeple Barton
. By the time of the Norman Conquest of England
it had its own manor
and parish church
, but it remained the smaller and less populous parish and as a result in the Middle Ages it was occasionally called Little Barton.
Before the Norman conquest of England
, Leofwine of Barton held the manor of Westcott Barton along with those of Dunthrop, Duns Tew
and Little Tew
. The Domesday Book
records that by 1086 Gilbert de Magminot
, Bishop of Lisieux held Westcott Manor. It remained in his family until early in the 12th century when Gilbert's grand-niece Alice Maminot was married to Ralph de Keynes. The manor remained with the same family until at least 1279, when Robert de Keynes held Westcott Barton along with the manor of Tarrant Keyneston in Dorset
.
Thereafter the record of the overlordship of Westcott Barton is largely missing. In 1483 the Crown
held it as part of the earldom of Hereford, whose succession had been disputed since 1373. Early in the 17th century it was part of the Duchy of Lancaster, again via the earldom of Hereford. In 1638 Westcott Barton manor was assessed at 12 yardlands
.
stone church at Westcott Barton, which was originally dedicated to St Edmund the Martyr
. During the 11th century the nave
was extended westwards and in about the middle of the 12th century the south aisle was added. It has a two-bay
arcade
and a tomb recess, both of which are Norman
. The church's dedication was changed from St Edmund to St Edward the Confessor
in 1238. In the 14th and 15th centuries the chancel
and north wall of the nave were rebuilt, the west tower and battlement
ed south porch were built and the wooden rood screen
was installed, all in Perpendicular Gothic style. However, in about 1520 the chancel was reported to be in ruins.
A west gallery
was installed, presumably in the 18th century. In 1855–56 the gallery was removed and the church was restored under the direction of the Oxford Diocesan
Architect G.E. Street
, who also added the battlements to the nave parapet. The current rood
cross is also a 19th century Gothic Revival
addition.
In the churchyard just south of the church are a 15th century tomb chest that has a quatrefoil
at either end, and the base and steps of a late medieval stone cross.
The tower has three bells, which are notable for being moved by half-wheels. The middle bell was cast by John Mitchell of Wokingham
in about 1490. Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
cast the tenor and treble bells in 1904. St Edward's has also a Sanctus bell that was cast by an unknown founder in about 1699.
Between 1180 and 1189 Alexander of Barton gave the church to the Benedictine
Eynsham Abbey
. In 1538, in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, the Abbey surrendered all its property to the Crown, which in 1557 sold the advowson
of Westcott Barton to a secular buyer. In 1960 the benefice was merged with that of Steeple Barton
, and in 1977 this united benefice was combined with the parishes of Duns Tew
and Sandford St. Martin
.
of farming prevailed in the two parishes until an Inclosure Act
for their common land
s was implemented in 1796.
The main road between Bicester
and Enstone traverses the parish east – west. It was turnpiked
in 1793, disturnpiked in 1876 and is now classified the B4030 road.
, the Fox Inn, whose website misdescribes it as being in Middle Barton.
West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney ....
about 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton is a market town in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about southwest of Banbury.-History until the 17th century:...
and about 9.5 miles (15 km) south of Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
. Westcott Barton's main area of housing is on the eastern boundary of the parish and contiguous with the village of Middle Barton in the neighbouring parish of Steeple Barton
Steeple Barton
Steeple Barton is a civil parish and scattered settlement on the River Dorn in West Oxfordshire, about east of Chipping Norton, a similar distance west of Bicester and south of Banbury...
.
The parish is bounded to the north by Cockley Brook, a tributary of the River Dorn. A minor road to Kiddington
Kiddington
Kiddington is a village on the River Glyme in the civil parish of Kiddington with Asterleigh about southeast of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. The village is just north of the A44 road between Woodstock and Chipping Norton.-Manor:...
forms part of the eastern boundary, another minor road forms part of the western boundary and the remainder of the parish boundaries are field boundaries.
Manor
As its 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...
implies, Westcott Barton developed as a secondary settlement of the original village of Barton, which is now called Steeple Barton
Steeple Barton
Steeple Barton is a civil parish and scattered settlement on the River Dorn in West Oxfordshire, about east of Chipping Norton, a similar distance west of Bicester and south of Banbury...
. By the time of the Norman Conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
it had its own 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...
and 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....
, but it remained the smaller and less populous parish and as a result in the Middle Ages it was occasionally called Little Barton.
Before the Norman conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
, Leofwine of Barton held the manor of Westcott Barton along with those of Dunthrop, Duns Tew
Duns Tew
Duns Tew is a village and civil parish about south of Banbury in Oxfordshire. With nearby Great Tew and Little Tew, Duns Tew is one of the three villages known locally as "The Tews".-Origin of the name:...
and Little Tew
Little Tew
Little Tew is a village and civil parish about northeast of Chipping Norton and southwest of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The parish is bounded to the northwest by the River Swere and a road between Little Tew and Hook Norton, to the north by a tributary of the River Cherwell and to the south by an...
. 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 by 1086 Gilbert de Magminot
Gilbert de Magminot
William the Conqueror granted the Manor of Deptford or West Greenwich to Gilbert de Magminot or Maminot, bishop of Lisieux, one of the eight barons associated with John de Fiennes for the defence of Dover Castle. These eight barons had to provide between them 112 soldiers, 25 of whom were always to...
, Bishop of Lisieux held Westcott Manor. It remained in his family until early in the 12th century when Gilbert's grand-niece Alice Maminot was married to Ralph de Keynes. The manor remained with the same family until at least 1279, when Robert de Keynes held Westcott Barton along with the manor of Tarrant Keyneston in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
.
Thereafter the record of the overlordship of Westcott Barton is largely missing. In 1483 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...
held it as part of the earldom of Hereford, whose succession had been disputed since 1373. Early in the 17th century it was part of the Duchy of Lancaster, again via the earldom of Hereford. In 1638 Westcott Barton manor was assessed at 12 yardlands
Virgate
The virgate or yardland was a unit of land area measurement used in medieval England, typically outside the Danelaw, and was held to be the amount of land that a team of two oxen could plough in a single annual season. It was equivalent to a quarter of a hide, so was nominally thirty acres...
.
Parish church
There is archaeological evidence that by at least the 11th century there was an Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
stone church at Westcott Barton, which was originally dedicated to St Edmund the Martyr
Edmund the Martyr
St Edmund the Martyr was a king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.D'Evelyn, Charlotte, and Mill, Anna J., , 1956. Reprinted 1967...
. During the 11th century 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...
was extended westwards and in about the middle of the 12th century the south aisle was added. It has a two-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
and a tomb recess, both of which are 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...
. The church's dedication was changed from St Edmund to St Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
in 1238. In the 14th and 15th centuries 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...
and north wall of the nave were rebuilt, the west tower and battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
ed south porch were built and the wooden rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
was installed, all in Perpendicular Gothic style. However, in about 1520 the chancel was reported to be in ruins.
A west gallery
West gallery music
West Gallery Music, also known as "Georgian psalmody" refers to the sacred music sung and played in English parish churches, as well as nonconformist chapels, from 1700 to around 1850...
was installed, presumably in the 18th century. In 1855–56 the gallery was removed and the church was restored under the direction of the Oxford Diocesan
Diocese of Oxford
-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford...
Architect G.E. Street
George Edmund Street
George Edmund Street was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex.- Life :Street was the third son of Thomas Street, solicitor, by his second wife, Mary Anne Millington. George went to school at Mitcham in about 1830, and later to the Camberwell collegiate school, which he left in 1839...
, who also added the battlements to the nave parapet. The current rood
Rood
A rood is a cross or crucifix, especially a large one in a church; a large sculpture or sometimes painting of the crucifixion of Jesus.Rood is an archaic word for pole, from Old English rōd "pole", specifically "cross", from Proto-Germanic *rodo, cognate to Old Saxon rōda, Old High German ruoda...
cross is also a 19th century Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
addition.
In the churchyard just south of the church are a 15th century tomb chest that has a quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
at either end, and the base and steps of a late medieval stone cross.
The tower has three bells, which are notable for being moved by half-wheels. The middle bell was cast by John Mitchell of Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
in about 1490. Mears and Stainbank 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 tenor and treble bells in 1904. St Edward's has also a Sanctus bell that was cast by an unknown founder in about 1699.
Between 1180 and 1189 Alexander of Barton gave the church 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...
Eynsham Abbey
Eynsham 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...
. In 1538, 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...
, the Abbey surrendered all its property to the Crown, which in 1557 sold the advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
of Westcott Barton to a secular buyer. In 1960 the benefice was merged with that of Steeple Barton
Steeple Barton
Steeple Barton is a civil parish and scattered settlement on the River Dorn in West Oxfordshire, about east of Chipping Norton, a similar distance west of Bicester and south of Banbury...
, and in 1977 this united benefice was combined with the parishes of Duns Tew
Duns Tew
Duns Tew is a village and civil parish about south of Banbury in Oxfordshire. With nearby Great Tew and Little Tew, Duns Tew is one of the three villages known locally as "The Tews".-Origin of the name:...
and Sandford St. Martin
Sandford St. Martin
Sandford St. Martin is a village and civil parish in West Oxfordshire about east of Chipping Norton and about south of Banbury.The village was known as Sandford until about 1884, when the suffix St. Martin was added to distinguish the village from other local settlements with similar names. The...
.
Economic history
The agricultural lands of Steeple Barton and Westcott Barton were worked as a single field system. An open field systemOpen 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 farming prevailed in the two parishes until an Inclosure Act
Inclosure Act
The Inclosure or Enclosure Acts were a series of United Kingdom Acts of Parliament which enclosed open fields and common land in the country. They removed previously existing rights of local people to carry out activities in these areas, such as cultivation, cutting hay, grazing animals or using...
for their common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
s was implemented in 1796.
The main road between 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...
and Enstone traverses the parish east – west. It was turnpiked
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
in 1793, disturnpiked in 1876 and is now classified the B4030 road.
Amenities
Westcott Barton has a 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...
, the Fox Inn, whose website misdescribes it as being in Middle Barton.