Minster Lovell | |
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St Kenelm's parish church | |
Location within Oxfordshire | |
Population | 1,409 (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | SP3110 |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Witney |
Postcode district | OX29 |
Dialling code | 01993 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Oxfordshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
UK Parliament | |
Website | Minster Lovell Parish Council |
Minster Lovell is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush about 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) west of Witney in Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,409. [1] Minster Lovell village has three parts: Old Minster, Little Minster and New Minster. Old Minster includes the parish church, Minster Lovell Hall and the Old Swan Inn and Minster Mill Hotel. A large part of New Minster is the Charterville Allotments, which were founded by the Chartists in 1846–50. [2]
In 1952 a Neolithic stone hand axe was found at Minster Lovell. It is unusually large: 13 inches (324 mm) long by 4 inches (101 mm) wide. The geologist Professor K.C. Dunham identified it as epidotised tuff from Stake Pass in the Lake District, [3] 230 miles (370 km) to the north. Stone axes from the same source have been found at Alvescot, Kencot, Abingdon and Sutton Courtenay. [4]
The village was named Minstre, situated in the ancient hundred of Bampton in 1086. [5] The dedication of the Church of England parish church to the Saxon Saint Kenelm and the name "Minster" in the toponym suggest that the village may have had a Saxon minster, possibly associated with a Mercian royal vill. [6] However, the earliest known documentary record of the church is from 1183 and the present St. Kenelm's Church is the product of complete rebuilding in the 15th century. [6] The suffix "Lovell", from the main landholding family, was added to the name from the 13th century. [7] In 1197 a William Lovel (died 1213) held land here, probably granted in 1124 to his father William by Henry I. [8]
The Norman Ivry Abbey had a priory at Minster Lovell by 1226. [6] Because it was an alien priory, the Crown repeatedly seized its property between 1330 and 1441, until in the latter year Henry VI granted reversion of the priory's possessions to Eton College. [6] Minster Lovell Hall and Dovecote are extensive ruins of a 15th-century manor house, once belonging to William Lovel's descendant, Lord Lovell. There is a medieval dovecote nearby. There is a legend that in 1708 the skeletal remains of Lord Lovell were discovered in a secret chamber in the manor house. Lord Lovell had fought in the Battle of Stoke in 1487, and had been seen escaping from the battle, but was never afterwards heard of. It is supposed that he had hidden himself there and died of starvation. [9]
Lord Lovell forfeited his lands to the Crown in 1485, and the property passed through several owners until it was bought in 1603 by Sir Edward Coke. The manor remained in the Coke family for several generations, and Thomas Coke, created Baron Lovel in 1728, abandoned Minster Lovell Hall in 1747 and partially dismantled it. [8] Charterville is the third and largest of the Chartist estates. 300 acres (120 ha) were divided into 80 smallholdings with model cottages. 40 oxen and 18 pigs were provided to the winners of the plots, drawn by lot from the shareholders of the National Land Company, along with manure, firewood and seed. The area is still called Charterville Allotments, and the original plots still survive as freehold bungalows set in large gardens.
Minster Lovell has three public houses: the Old Swan, [10] the White Hart and The Horse & Radish. The River Windrush supports species including trout, chub and crayfish. Only Minster Lovell residents may fish the river at Wash Meadow, and only with a permit issued by the Water Bailiff, whose contact details are available from the Parish Council. [11] Wash Meadow is an amenity for Minster Lovell residents and sport clubs users only. A public footpath crosses the field to the parish church.
Minster Lovell Cricket Club was founded in 1896. [12] Its teams play in the Cherwell Cricket League after the club's first team won a treble of OCA League Division 1, Airey Cup and Tony Pullinger T20 Cup in 2016. Minster Lovell won Cherwell League Division 4 at the first attempt in 2017. The first team subsequently gained promotion to Division 2 the following season, but were relegated back to Division 3 in 2019. [13] The club has a second ground 3 miles (5 km) away at Brize Norton. [12]
Stanford in the Vale is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse about 3+1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) southeast of Faringdon and 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Wantage. It is part of the historic county of Berkshire, however since 1974, it has been administered as a part of Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population 2,093.
Littlemore is a district and civil parish in Oxford, England. The civil parish includes part of Rose Hill. It is about 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) southeast of the city centre of Oxford, between Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys, Cowley, and Sandford-on-Thames. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 5,646, with the electoral ward having a total population of 6,441.
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Alvescot is a village and civil parish about 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) south of Carterton, Oxfordshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 472.
Asthall or Asthal is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush in Oxfordshire, about 6 miles (10 km) west of Witney. It includes the hamlets of Asthall Leigh, Field Assarts, Stonelands, Worsham and part of Fordwells. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 252. Asthall village is just south of the River Windrush, which also forms the south-eastern part of its boundary. The remainder of the parish including all of its hamlets lie north of the river. A minor road through Fordwells forms most of the parish's northern boundary. Most of the remainder of the parish's boundary is formed by field boundaries.
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Bix is a village in the civil parish of Bix and Assendon in South Oxfordshire, about 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Henley-on-Thames. The village is about 130 metres (430 ft) above sea level in the Chiltern Hills.
Cogges is an area beside the River Windrush in Witney, Oxfordshire, 0.5 miles (800 m) east of the town centre. It had been a separate village and until 1932 it was a separate civil parish.
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 centuries. The site is a Scheduled Historic Monument.
Brighthampton is a hamlet about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Witney in West Oxfordshire and contiguous with the village of Standlake.
Lewknor is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) south of Thame in Oxfordshire.The civil parish includes the villages of Postcombe and South Weston. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 663.
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 (10 km) south of Witney.
Somerton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, in the Cherwell valley about 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Bicester. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 305.
Widford is a deserted medieval village on the River Windrush about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Burford in West Oxfordshire. The village was an exclave of Gloucestershire until 1844.
Minster Lovell Hall is a ruin in Minster Lovell, an English village in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. The ruins are situated by the River Windrush.
Hailey is a village and civil parish about 2 miles (3 km) north of Witney, Oxfordshire. The village comprises three neighbourhoods: Middletown on the main road between Witney and Charlbury, Poffley End on the minor road to Ramsden and Delly End on Whiting's Lane. The parish extends from the River Windrush in the south, almost to the village of Ramsden and the hamlet of Wilcote in the north, and it includes the hamlet of New Yatt. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,208.
Crawley is a village and civil parish beside the River Windrush about 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) north of Witney, Oxfordshire. The parish extends from the Windrush in the south almost to village of Leafield in the northwest. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 155.
Kencot is a village and civil parish about 2 miles (3 km) south-west of Carterton in West Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 101.
William Wilkinson (1819–1901) was a British Gothic Revival architect who practised in Oxford, England.
Minster Lovell Priory was a priory in Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire, England. Its current site is lost, though it is thought to have been west of St Kenelm's parish church and Minster Lovell Hall.
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