Woolstone, Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Woolstone is a village and civil parish about 4.5 miles (7 km) south of Faringdon
in the Vale of White Horse
. Woolstone was part of Berkshire
until the 1974 boundary changes
transferred it to Oxfordshire
.
The village is a spring line settlement
at the foot of the Berkshire Downs
. Woolstone Wells are a group of springs in the chalk escarpment
less than 1/2 mi south of the village. A stream flows north from the springs past the village of Uffington
and joins the River Ock
about 2 miles (3 km) north of Woolstone village.
Woolstone parish is long and thin, embracing both low-lying land in the vale and upland pasture on the downs. The parish extends just over 4 miles (6.4 km) north – south but is slightly less than 1 miles (1.6 km) wide at its widest point.
runs east-west through the parish along the top of the chalk escarpment just over 1 miles (1.6 km) south of the village. On Woolstone Down about 2 miles (3 km) south of the village are a disc barrow
about 50 feet (15.2 m) in diameter and two bowl barrow
s. About 1/2 mi south of the barrows is an ancient field system. Iron age
pottery has been found just west of Woolstone village.
Steam ploughing in 1884 revealed remains of a Roman villa
built of clunch
in a field just west of Woolstone village. Members of the Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society
visited the site in 1884, found the south wall of the villa was at least 110 feet (33.5 m) long and there were Roman mosaic
s in two central rooms of the villa. The villa was excavated again in 1955. No permanent marker of the site was left after either excavation, but a geophysical survey tentatively identified what may be the site in 2007.
The 1884 excavation found three human skeletons in the corridor of the Roman villa. The OAHS archaeologists took these to be Saxon burials.
was Olvrichestone. In the 13th century its forms included Wulwricheston, Wluricheston and Wulevycheston. It evolved into Wlfricheston and Woulricheston in the 14th century and Wolierston and Wolston in the 16th century before reaching its present form.
of 1086 records that the Bishop of Winchester held an estate at Woolstone assessed at ten hides
. Its income was used to support the Benedictine
St. Swithun's Priory
at Winchester
. The manor
of Woolstone was a property of the Priory by the 13th century and in 1308–09 it had a capital messuage
that included a lord's chamber, kitchen, stable, garden and dovecot.
The Priory surrendered its all property to the Crown
in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in 1539. The Crown granted Woolstone to Sir Thomas Seymour
, who after the death of Henry VIII
was created 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley. However, in 1549 Seymour was executed for treason and attainted
so all his properties reverted to the Crown.
In 1551 the Crown granted Woolstone to the courtier Thomas Weldon
, who in 1566 or 1567 left it to his son William. In about 1583 the manor passed from William Weldon to Edmund Wiseman, and it descended in the Wiseman family for several generations until some time after 1694. By 1712 the Wisemans had sold Woolstone to Bartholomew Tipping IV
, a former High Sheriff of Berkshire
. In 1798 Bartholomew Tipping VII
, also a former High Sheriff of Berkshire, died childless and left the manor to his niece Mary Anne Wroughton and her husband Rev. Philip Wroughton.
In 1814 the Wroughtons sold Woolstone to Viscount Uffington
, who in 1825 succeeded as 2nd Earl of Craven. In 1921 William Craven, 5th Earl of Craven
inherited the manor.
South-east of All Saints' parish church are Manor Farm and a Georgian
house of six bays
with a hipped roof
.
of All Saints was built in about 1195 as a dependent chapel of Uffington
. The building is of chalk and clunch, with stone quoins
. The north doorway is original late Norman
, as are two lancet window
s, one each on the north and south sides of the nave towards the west end.
The chancel
arch looks early 13th century. There is a south transept
, whose arch and south window look late 13th century. Two north windows of the chancel are Decorated Gothic and one north window in the nave
also appears to be early 14th century. The font
is 14th century or later and is unusual in being a lead
bowl mounted on a stone pillar.
In the 18th century the east wall of the chancel was rebuilt in brick with a single-light east window, and the west window of the nave was altered. In 1914 the east window was replaced with a new one of two lights.
In 1783 the church had one bell. In the 19th or early in the 20th century the bellcote
was replaced with the present one on the west gable of the nave.
Woolstone was made an ecclesiastical parish separate from Uffington in 1846. All Saints' is now once again part of the Uffington Benefice, along with the parishes of Baulking
and Shellingford
.
at Woolstone is recorded in 1325. It was demolished in about 1850 and replaced with a house, Woolstone Lodge.
The common land
s of Uffington, Baulking and Woolstone were enclosed
in 1776.
In 1805–07 the Wilts & Berks Canal was extended eastwards from Longcot
to Challow, passing through Woolstone parish about 1/2 mi north of the village. The canal had a wharf at Uffington 1 miles (1.6 km) north of Woolstone. The Great Western Main Line
was built through the northernmost part of the parish and opened in 1840. The canal declined until 1901, when the Stanley Aqueduct over the River Marden
in Wiltshire collapsed and the little remaining traffic virtually ceased. The route was formally abandoned in 1914. The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust
is currently restoring the canal.
public house
, the White Horse, controlled by Arkell's Brewery
.
Faringdon
Faringdon is a market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. It is on the edge of the Thames Valley, between the River Thames and the Ridgeway...
in the Vale of White Horse
Vale of White Horse
The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. The main town is Abingdon, other places include Faringdon and Wantage. There are 68 parishes within the district...
. Woolstone 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
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
The village is a spring line settlement
Spring line settlement
Spring line settlements occur where a ridge of permeable rock lies over impermeable rock and there will be a line of springs along the boundary between the two layers....
at the foot of the Berkshire Downs
Berkshire Downs
The Berkshire Downs are a range of chalk downland hills in southern England, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
. Woolstone Wells are a group of springs in the chalk escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
less than 1/2 mi south of the village. A stream flows north from the springs past the village of Uffington
Uffington
Uffington is the name of several places in England:*Uffington, Lincolnshire*Uffington, Oxfordshire*Uffington, Shropshire...
and joins the River Ock
River Ock
The River Ock is a small English river which is a tributary of the River Thames. It has as its catchment area the Vale of White Horse, a low-lying and wide valley in South Oxfordshire and flows into the River Thames, at Abingdon on the reach above Culham Lock.-Course:The River Ock rises near the...
about 2 miles (3 km) north of Woolstone village.
Woolstone parish is long and thin, embracing both low-lying land in the vale and upland pasture on the downs. The parish extends just over 4 miles (6.4 km) north – south but is slightly less than 1 miles (1.6 km) wide at its widest point.
Archaeology
The RidgewayThe Ridgeway
thumb|right|thumb|The ancient tree-lined path winds over the downs countrysideThe Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road...
runs east-west through the parish along the top of the chalk escarpment just over 1 miles (1.6 km) south of the village. On Woolstone Down about 2 miles (3 km) south of the village are a disc barrow
Disc barrow
A disc barrow is a type of tumulus or round barrow, a variety of fancy barrow identified in English Heritage's Monument Class Descriptions.A disc barrow comprises a circular or oval-shaped flat platform, defined by a continuous earthen bank and inner ditch; sometimes the platform is raised above...
about 50 feet (15.2 m) in diameter and two bowl barrow
Bowl barrow
Bowl Barrow is the name for a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from the fact that it looks like an upturned bowl...
s. About 1/2 mi south of the barrows is an ancient field system. Iron age
British Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
pottery has been found just west of Woolstone village.
Steam ploughing in 1884 revealed remains of a Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
built of clunch
Clunch
Clunch is a term for traditional building material used mainly in eastern England and Normandy. It is a term which encompasses a wide variety of materials, often locally variable....
in a field just west of Woolstone village. Members of the Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society
Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society
The Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society has existed in one form or another since at least 1839, although with its current name only since 1972. Its annual publication Oxoniensia has been produced since 1936.-Overview:...
visited the site in 1884, found the south wall of the villa was at least 110 feet (33.5 m) long and there were Roman mosaic
Roman mosaic
A Roman mosaic is any mosaic, made in Ancient Rome or by Roman artists outside of Roman frontiers. The Romans introduced exquisite mosaics in their domestic architecture and in the places of worship. The earliest examples of Roman floor mosaics are dated to the late Republican period and are...
s in two central rooms of the villa. The villa was excavated again in 1955. No permanent marker of the site was left after either excavation, but a geophysical survey tentatively identified what may be the site in 2007.
The 1884 excavation found three human skeletons in the corridor of the Roman villa. The OAHS archaeologists took these to be Saxon burials.
Toponym
In the 11th century the village'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...
was Olvrichestone. In the 13th century its forms included Wulwricheston, Wluricheston and Wulevycheston. It evolved into Wlfricheston and Woulricheston in the 14th century and Wolierston and Wolston in the 16th century before reaching its present form.
Manor
The Domesday BookDomesday 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 Bishop of Winchester held an estate at Woolstone assessed at ten hides
Hide (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...
. Its income was used to support 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...
St. Swithun's Priory
Winchester Cathedral Priory
Winchester Cathedral Priory was a cathedral monastery attached to Winchester Cathedral, providing the clergy for the church. Cenwealh son of Cynegils is credited with constructing the Old Minster of Winchester in the 640s, and a new bishopric was created in the 660s with Wine as the first bishop...
at Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course 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 Woolstone was a property of the Priory by the 13th century and in 1308–09 it had a capital messuage
Messuage
In law, the term messuage equates to a dwelling-house and includes outbuildings, orchard, curtilage or court-yard and garden. At one time messuage supposedly had a more extensive meaning than that conveyed by the words house or site, but such distinction no longer survives.A capital messuage is the...
that included a lord's chamber, kitchen, stable, garden and dovecot.
The Priory surrendered its all property 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...
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. The Crown granted Woolstone to Sir Thomas Seymour
Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley
Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, KG was an English politician.Thomas spent his childhood in Wulfhall, outside Savernake Forest, in Wiltshire. Historian David Starkey describes Thomas thus: 'tall, well-built and with a dashing beard and auburn hair, he was irresistible to women'...
, who after the death of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
was created 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley. However, in 1549 Seymour was executed for treason and attainted
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
so all his properties reverted to the Crown.
In 1551 the Crown granted Woolstone to the courtier Thomas Weldon
Thomas Weldon
Thomas Weldon was an English politician and member of the Royal household during the Tudor period.Thomas was the son of Hugh Weldon, Sewer to King Henry VIII. He lived at Cannon Court at Cookham in Berkshire. He married twice and had seven children. He was the uncle of Edward Weldon MP. Thomas was...
, who in 1566 or 1567 left it to his son William. In about 1583 the manor passed from William Weldon to Edmund Wiseman, and it descended in the Wiseman family for several generations until some time after 1694. By 1712 the Wisemans had sold Woolstone to Bartholomew Tipping IV
Bartholomew Tipping IV
Bartholomew Tipping was the High Sheriff of Berkshire in England.Bartholomew was the son of John Tipping of Chequers at Stokenchurch in Oxfordshire and Woolley Park at Chaddleworth in Berkshire and his wife, Mary Spire. John Tipping was the son of Eternity Tipping's first cousin...
, a former High Sheriff of Berkshire
High Sheriff of Berkshire
The High Sheriff of Berkshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'....
. In 1798 Bartholomew Tipping VII
Bartholomew Tipping VII
Bartholomew Tipping was the High Sheriff of Berkshire in England.Bartholomew was the son of Bartholomew Tipping VI of Woolley Park at Chaddleworth in Berkshire and his wife, Anne Henshaw. He inherited the family estate in 1757 and became High Sheriff in 1798, the year before his death. He was...
, also a former High Sheriff of Berkshire, died childless and left the manor to his niece Mary Anne Wroughton and her husband Rev. Philip Wroughton.
In 1814 the Wroughtons sold Woolstone to Viscount Uffington
William Craven, 2nd Earl of Craven
William Craven, 2nd Earl of Craven , styled Viscount Uffington until 1825, was a British peer.He inherited the earldom in 1825 from his father, William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven...
, who in 1825 succeeded as 2nd Earl of Craven. In 1921 William Craven, 5th Earl of Craven
William Craven, 5th Earl of Craven
William George Bradley Craven, 5th Earl of Craven was a British peer and Member of Parliament.He was born 31 July 1897 at Combe Abbey, co. Warwick, England and baptised 26 August 1897 at Binley, near Coventry, co...
inherited the manor.
South-east of All Saints' parish church are Manor Farm and a Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
house of six bays
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:...
with a hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
.
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 All Saints was built in about 1195 as a dependent chapel of Uffington
Uffington, Oxfordshire
Uffington is a village and civil parish about south of Faringdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. Uffington is most commonly known as the location of the Uffington White Horse hill figure....
. The building is of chalk and clunch, with stone quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
. The north doorway is original late 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...
, as are two lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s, one each on the north and south sides of the nave towards the west end.
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...
arch looks early 13th century. There is a south 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...
, whose arch and south window look late 13th century. Two north windows of the chancel are Decorated Gothic and one north window 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...
also appears to be early 14th century. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is 14th century or later and is unusual in being a lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
bowl mounted on a stone pillar.
In the 18th century the east wall of the chancel was rebuilt in brick with a single-light east window, and the west window of the nave was altered. In 1914 the east window was replaced with a new one of two lights.
In 1783 the church had one bell. In the 19th or early in the 20th century the bellcote
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
was replaced with the present one on the west gable of the nave.
Woolstone was made an ecclesiastical parish separate from Uffington in 1846. All Saints' is now once again part of the Uffington Benefice, along with the parishes of Baulking
Baulking
Baulking or Balking is a village and civil parish about southeast of Faringdon in the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 Boundary Changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....
and Shellingford
Shellingford
Shellingford, historically also spelt Shillingford is a village and civil parish about south-east of Faringdon in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 Local Government Act transferred it to Oxfordshire....
.
Economic and social history
A 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 :...
at Woolstone is recorded in 1325. It was demolished in about 1850 and replaced with a house, Woolstone Lodge.
The 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 of Uffington, Baulking and Woolstone were enclosed
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
in 1776.
In 1805–07 the Wilts & Berks Canal was extended eastwards from Longcot
Longcot
Longcot is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse District. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The village is about south of Faringdon and about northeast of Shrivenham. The A420 road between Swindon and Oxford passes through the...
to Challow, passing through Woolstone parish about 1/2 mi north of the village. The canal had a wharf at Uffington 1 miles (1.6 km) north of Woolstone. The Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
was built through the northernmost part of the parish and opened in 1840. The canal declined until 1901, when the Stanley Aqueduct over the River Marden
River Marden
The River Marden is a small tributary of the River Avon in England. It flows from the hills surrounding Calne and meets the River Avon about a mile upstream of Chippenham. The river has a mean flow of .-Course:...
in Wiltshire collapsed and the little remaining traffic virtually ceased. The route was formally abandoned in 1914. The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust
Wilts & Berks Canal Trust
The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is a registered charity no. 299595, and a waterway society based in Wiltshire, England, concerned with the restoration of the Wilts & Berks Canal....
is currently restoring the canal.
Amenities
Woolstone has a timber framedTimber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
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 White Horse, controlled by Arkell's Brewery
Arkell's Brewery
Arkell's is an English brewery located in the town of Swindon, Wiltshire. The brewery has been owned by members of the Arkell family since its establishment in 1843. It is Swindon's oldest established company...
.