ECONOMIC HISTORY
Agriculture
Open Fields and Commons
By the early 13th century until inclosure in 1814 Asthall
parish contained four open fields, two south of Asthall
village and two to the north-east (Fig. 18). In 1814 they
totalled c. 1,120 a., about half the parish; 490 a. lay in the
southern fields and 630 a. in the other two. (fn. 1) The former
pair extended north—south across the Witney-Burford
road to the parish boundary, and were divided by the
road southwards from Asthall village. (fn. 2) In the early 13th
century and c. 1810 they were called West and East
field, (fn. 3) though the former was noted as Barrow field in
1602. (fn. 4) In 1814 they covered respectively c. 255 a. and c.
235 acres. (fn. 5) The north-eastern fields were apparently
associated with Asthall Leigh by the early 13th century, (fn. 6)
and lay respectively between Kitesbridge farm and
Asthall Leigh village, and between Worsham mill and
Standridge copse. (fn. 7) They were called Leigh and Mead
field in 1627, (fn. 8) the former being renamed Wood field by
1644. (fn. 9) The names survived in 1798, (fn. 10) but in 1796 and c.
1810 the fields were designated North and South field. (fn. 11)
Part of their common boundary, demarcated by a hedge,
probably followed the line of the former Akeman Street. (fn. 12)
In 1814 they covered c. 275 a. and c. 355 acres. (fn. 13) Between
1627 and 1771 the Queen's College lands in Wood field
were re-allotted from six to eight furlongs, most with
new names, implying a reorganization of at least that
field. (fn. 14) By 1796 each field had been subdivided into three
areas variously called 'quarters' or fields, (fn. 15) probably to
facilitate hitching. (fn. 16)
Most meadow lay in a continuous band along one or
other side of the river Windrush, occupying c. 169 a. in
1814, about 7½ per cent of the ancient parish (fn. 17) and 32 a.
more than the 137 a. recorded in 1086. (fn. 18) References to
meadow belonging to Asthall Leigh in the 15th century
suggest that a separate area was associated with each pair
of fields. (fn. 19) Lot meadow was recorded in the 13th and 15th
centuries, (fn. 20) but was only a small proportion of the total
by 1757; (fn. 21) in the early 17th century it comprised only 3 a.
out of c. 35 a. belonging to the Queen's College. (fn. 22) At least
some meadow was then apparently commonable. (fn. 23) In
1304 customary yardlanders on Asthall manor each held
3 a. of meadow, (fn. 24) but in 1757 individuals held between 1
a. and 15 acres. (fn. 25) By 1799 at least 88 a. of tithable
meadow had been inclosed, 46½ a. in Asthall and 41½ a.
in Asthall Leigh (presumably east of Worsham mill). (fn. 26)
An irrigated meadow controlled by floodgates, called
'Inmead' (presumably former demesne meadow), was
mentioned in 1688, and lay probably below Asthall
manor house. (fn. 27) Earthworks south-west of Worsham mill
imply the existence of another irrigated meadow, (fn. 28)
which in 1814 was also called 'In meadow', (fn. 29) indicating
former demesne.
18. Asthall parish c. 1810, showing approximate location of open fields (subdivisions omitted)
In 1279 and 1304 each demesne yardland may have
contained 40 a., (fn. 30) and in the latter year a customary
yardland contained 38 a. of arable and 3 a. of meadow. (fn. 31)
Each yardland of arable belonging to the Peacock estate
c. 1734 was reckoned as 40 acres. (fn. 32) In 1799 three
customary acres were reckoned equivalent to two statute
acres, (fn. 33) though in reality their area varied. (fn. 34)
In the early 19th century common pasture totalled
probably about 176 a., almost 8 per cent of the parish.
Around 21–26 a. were in Leigh Hale Plain in the northwest, west of Stockley copse; (fn. 35) another 35 a. south of the
Plain, called 'the heath' before inclosure in 1814, (fn. 36) had
presumably also been common pasture. The latter land
was probably the surviving part of an area diminished by
assarting: in the early 17th century adjacent land to the
east, then apparently arable, was also referred to as the
heath. (fn. 37) In the north-east of the parish, Field Assarts
Green, Dicks Heath, and Dodds Plain, apparently the
area described in 1609 as 'one great common or waste
called Asthall Assart Green', (fn. 38) provided c. 120 a. of
pasture in the early and mid 19th century. (fn. 39) Most of the
pastures were commonable by cattle from other parishes
with grazing rights in Wychwood Forest, (fn. 40) and until
1862, when grazing rights were extinguished by
inclosure, (fn. 41) the Batemans were entitled to grow furze on
Dicks Heath, (fn. 42) perhaps in succession to a furze coppice
mentioned c. 1734. (fn. 43) Temporary pasture for Asthall
animals was presumably available on the stubble and
fallow until inclosure of the open fields in 1814, and
there was periodic grazing in coppices until c. 1862. (fn. 44)
Asthall's landholders also possessed pasture rights for
horses and cattle in the coppices, open forest, and
purlieus of the western part of Wychwood Forest (fn. 45) until
disafforestation in 1857, when Asthall was awarded c.
109 a. north-west of Asthall Leigh in lieu as pasture for
commonable cattle; (fn. 46) that land was inclosed in 1862. (fn. 47) In
1673 and 1796 the customary stint per yardland appears
to have been 8 beasts and 40 sheep. (fn. 48)
In 1799 inclosed arable or pasture totalled 265 a., (fn. 49)
about 12 per cent of the parish. Sixty-four acres associated with Asthall village comprised closes by the village
itself and probably Stonelands (35 a.). (fn. 50) Closes associated
with Asthall Leigh (261 a.) presumably included those
east of Salter's Lane and the Minster Lovell road, (fn. 51)
perhaps assarted when Asthall Leigh was established,
together with closes at Field Assarts; (fn. 52) a few closes west of
Asthall Leigh (fn. 53) may have been taken from Leigh field in
the late Middle Ages. Small closes totalling c. 8 a. around
Kitesbridge farm were presumably also medieval. (fn. 54)
Woodland
In 1086 woodland measuring 13 by 10 furlongs was
recorded, (fn. 55) which was reduced by small-scale assarting
in the 12th century, (fn. 56) and presumably by the clearance of
Field Assarts. (fn. 57) From at least the late 13th century areas
of manorial woodland, ranging from 6 a. to 60 a., were
enclosed for management as coppices. (fn. 58) In the early 19th
century the parish's woodland consisted chiefly of five
adjacent coppices in the north-east (fn. 59) covering c. 325 a.,
about 14 per cent of the parish: Baggs, Hicks, and
Wisdoms coppices (209 a.), Lowbarrow (73 a.), and
Standridge (43 a.) (see Fig. 18). (fn. 60) All except Standridge
were in the purlieus of Wychwood Forest in 1609 and
probably earlier until disafforestation in 1857. (fn. 61) Baggs,
Hicks, and Wisdoms coppices occupied a woodland area
which belonged to Asthall manor until 1563; at that date
it consisted of two coppices called Ash and Durnewater, (fn. 62) which in 1598 were estimated at 190 acres. (fn. 63)
They were apparently reorganised after a sale in 1605: (fn. 64)
in 1609 the area consisted of three closes of 'woodland
ground' reckoned at 208 acres. (fn. 65) The three new coppice
names were first recorded during the 17th century. (fn. 66)
Standridge was a separate wood probably by 1421, and
was so called by 1448; (fn. 67) it was first mentioned as a
coppice in 1637. (fn. 68) Lowbarrow was first recorded, as a
coppice, in 1609. (fn. 69)
Sales of 400 and 200 oak trees from Hicks coppice and
elsewhere were advertised in 1783 and 1784 respectively. (fn. 70) Timber was also available from closes and
smaller woods: Queen's College sold trees from Elm
Close (4 a.) in 1638, (fn. 71) and 100 trees probably from small
woods in 1649. (fn. 72) In 1814 there were also five small
woods, each less than 5 a., near Asthall Leigh. (fn. 73) Most
woodland was apparently cleared after the 1862
inclosure: in 1884 only remnants of Wisdoms and
Standridge coppices survived, together with the Grove,
Short Hazel, and the Cleve. (fn. 74) New plantations of 1 or 2 a.,
totalling about 25 a. in all, were made in the 1990s
around Asthall Leigh, partly for nesting of game birds.
Species planted included hazel and oak. A 4-a. wood was
also planned to mark the new millennium. (fn. 75)
The woodland recorded in 1086 belonged to Asthall
manor. (fn. 76) By the late 15th century Standridge was part of
the Harcourts' Asthall Leigh manor, with which it
descended until the 20th century. (fn. 77) In 1563 the new lord
of Asthall manor, John Andrews, sold Ash and
Durnewater coppices to Simon Wisdom of Burford. (fn. 78)
They were re-sold in 1593, perhaps by Wisdom's
trustees or executors, to Edward Dodge (d. 1597) of
London, Lechlade (Glos.), and Kent. (fn. 79) His nephew
Robert Bathhurst of Lechlade sold the coppices to the
lawyer Sir Edward Coke in 1605, (fn. 80) whose family apparently retained them (with nearby woods in Minster
Lovell) in 1831. (fn. 81) Lowbarrow copse was owned in 1609
by Sir Rowland Lacy, (fn. 82) and in the early 18th century by
Henry Hyde (d. 1753), 2nd earl of Rochester, who sold it
before 1758 to either John Churchill (d. 1722), 1st duke
of Marlborough, or Charles Spencer (d. 1758), the 3rd
duke. (fn. 83) Around 1824 it was transferred to Francis
Spencer, 1st Lord Churchill of Whichwood (d. 1886), (fn. 84)
and the land was probably sold in 1897 by Victor
Spencer, 3rd Lord Whichwood. (fn. 85)
In the 18th century coppices were managed on the
21-year cycle conventional in the private woods of
Wychwood Forest, (fn. 86) with inclosure for seven years and
common grazing for 14 years before cutting. (fn. 87) In 1771,
however, Standridge copse was said to be cut after only
two years' common, (fn. 88) despite being held on a 21-year
lease (fn. 89) (customary since at least 1637). (fn. 90) Standridge was
surrounded by a mound and hedge, (fn. 91) the south-eastern
section of which was probably replaced by a wall in
1742. (fn. 92) The owner reserved the timber and the lopping,
topping, and shredding of trees, (fn. 93) but at each cutting
provided timber trees to maintain gates and stiles, two
in 1637 and four from 1651 until 1777 and possibly
later. (fn. 94)
Tenants and Holdings to the 18th Century
In 1086 there was land for 15 ploughs. The lord's
demesne contained 4 ploughteams worked by 5 servi,
and 9 teams were held by 35 tenants (24 villani and 11
bordarii). The estate's value had recently increased from
£11 to £12. (fn. 95) By 1279 grants of land had reduced Asthall
manor's demesne to 2 ploughlands and manorial
customary land to fewer than 4 ploughlands, comprising
13 villein yardlands, one half-yardland, and 5 cottager
holdings each of 6 a. with a house. Yardlanders each
owed 3s. 9d. a year, and services valued at 10s. 5½d.;
cottagers owed 3s. 1d. and services valued at 4s. 2½d. (fn. 96) In
1304 the rents and services of the 13 yardlanders were
similar, but those of 6 cottagers were worth 3s. 6d. each
(total 21s.), and between them they also owed 24 cocks
and hens worth 2s. in all. Bondmen were liable to tallage
of 60s. a year. (fn. 97) In 1279 customary tenants were noted
only at Asthall (i.e. there were none at Asthall Leigh). (fn. 98)
Freehold land in 1279 totalled 5½ ploughlands,
almost half the total land, with individual holdings
ranging from 3 a. to 2 ploughlands. (fn. 99) Eight freeholders
held of Asthall manor, of whom Walter of Asthall and
his two sons also held freehold land outside the manor;
by 1304, however, there were apparently only 3 manorial freeholders. (fn. 100) Of the freeholds in 1279, 3½ ploughlands held of Asthall manor were probably at Asthall,
including the large holdings of Walter of Asthall (2
ploughlands) and William Galard (5½ yardlands). Freeholds associated with Asthall Leigh totalled almost 2
ploughlands, of which fewer than 3 yardlands were held
of Asthall manor. The remaining 5 yardlands or so
belonged to Walter of Asthall or his sons John and
Thomas, who let them to 7 tenants, mostly as yardlands,
for rents ranging from 3s. to 13s. 3½d.
Total taxed wealth rose from c. £85 in 1306 to c. £116
in 1316, falling slightly to c. £112 in 1327. In 1316 and
1327 average personalty at Asthall (c. £4 3s.) was almost
twice that at Asthall Leigh, and a higher proportion of
Asthall taxpayers was assessed for above average
amounts. The wealthiest, Joan of Cornwall and Robert
of Asthall, paid on £19 4s. each; the wealthiest at Asthall
Leigh, Hugh of Standlake, paid on £10 2s. 8d., (fn. 101) though
he had greater wealth elsewhere and was almost certainly
non-resident. (fn. 102)
By the 16th century the parish was dominated by a few
prominent farmers and landholders. Out of 15 taxpayers
in Asthall and Asthall Leigh who paid a total of £2 16s. 8d.
to the subsidy of 1523, William Sampson contributed
almost half (26s. 7d.), the next wealthiest paying 12s. and
the rest (including 4 servants who paid 4d. each) less than
4s. (fn. 103) Sampson remained the wealthiest at his death in
1544, leaving livestock in several parishes. (fn. 104) His position
was filled by John Andrews (d. 1589), apparently a
newcomer, (fn. 105) who bought Asthall manor in 1562 (fn. 106) and was
lessee of the Harcourt manor of Asthall Leigh. (fn. 107) In 1581 he
was taxed on land valued at £10, (fn. 108) much of which he probably farmed directly; (fn. 109) 11 others paid on land or goods
valued at between £1 and £7. (fn. 110) Other wealthy yeomen
included members of the Cockerell family, of whom
William (d. 1600) and Henry (d. 1602) were tenants of
the More manor of Asthall Leigh; (fn. 111) their successor
Thomas Kenyon (d. 1616) also leased Kitesbridge farm
and left goods worth some £831. (fn. 112) By contrast, most
testators in Asthall parish between 1600 and 1640
bequeathed goods valued at under £25. (fn. 113)
From 1616 to 1673 the principal members of the
gentry family of Jones were presumably the wealthiest
inhabitants, (fn. 114) with probably a home farm centred on
Asthall manor house (fn. 115) and, from 1618 to 1690, additional land at Asthall Leigh held of the Queen's College. (fn. 116)
A few moderately prosperous farmers included William
Hichman, a tenant of 2¼ yardlands held of Asthall
manor, with possessions in 1636 worth c. £118 including
farming and malting equipment, 7 pigs, and 59 sheep, (fn. 117)
while William Bradley (d. 1694) of Kitesbridge had goods
worth c. £337 including corn and peas (worth £110), 23
cows, 209 sheep, and 13 pigs. (fn. 118) Most testators had less,
and in 1662 the majority of inhabitants in both Asthall
and Asthall Leigh were taxed on only 1 or 2 hearths or
were exonerated; only 7 paid on 3 or more hearths in
Asthall, and 4 in Asthall Leigh. (fn. 119) Similarly on Asthall
manor in 1673 only 8 out of 30 leaseholders held a
yardland or more, and 15 held 10 a. or fewer. (fn. 120)
From 1607 or earlier customary holdings on Asthall
manor were leased for three lives or 99 years, presumably replacing copyholds. By 1673 all tenancies on the
manor were apparently leaseholds, held mostly for
customary rents of between 2s. and £1 6s. 8d., though
Stonelands (60 customary acres) was let for £5. Eight
tenants still owed heriots. (fn. 121) The Queen's College's
Asthall Leigh manor (without Standridge copse) was let
usually for three lives as a single estate from 1599 until c.
1883, part of the rent payable in wheat and malt under
the Corn Rent Act of 1576. (fn. 122) The More manor was probably let as a single farm in the late 16th and early 17th
century, (fn. 123) though a copyhold attached to the manor was
recorded in the late 18th century. (fn. 124)
Farming to the 18th Century
Medieval farming was presumably mixed, as later,
perhaps with an emphasis on arable: in 1194–5 stock
purchased for the demesne comprised 24 oxen, 2 horses,
and 2 cows, (fn. 125) and in the late 13th century wheat, malt,
and oats were prominent among demesne produce sold
on the market. (fn. 126) Peas were mentioned in 1406. (fn. 127) In the
16th and 17th centuries barley was the chief crop, (fn. 128) and
malting was widely undertaken: many testators left malt
mills and other equipment, (fn. 129) and a malting chamber was
mentioned in 1688. (fn. 130) Wheat, rye, and oats were also
grown, (fn. 131) as well as pulses including some peas. (fn. 132) Most
testators left sheep, many owned cattle, oxen, and pigs, (fn. 133)
and a few left bees. (fn. 134) Some testators left cheeses and
cheese presses, (fn. 135) and a mustard mill was mentioned in
1634. (fn. 136) Sainfoin was introduced at Stonelands before
1687. (fn. 137)
Consolidation and Inclosure
Probably during the 18th century all but two leaseholds
of Asthall manor were taken into the lord's hands, so
that in 1810 c. 279 a. out of c. 330 a. were held by one
man as tenant at will, with probably Kitesbridge Farm as
the homestead. (fn. 138) In 1785 (fn. 139) the principal farmers were the
three tenants of, respectively, the Grandison (Asthall
manor house) estate, Asthall manor, and the Queen's
College estate, headed by Elizabeth Bateman whose
holdings were probably centred on Asthall manor
house. (fn. 140) Next came two holdings based on large freeholds, the first including c. 130 a. attached to a farmstead
north-east of Asthall village (called Asthall Farm in
1999), (fn. 141) and the other, the Adams estate, including c. 180
a. attached to the later College Farm at Asthall Leigh. (fn. 142)
Excepting the major copses, five other holdings were
probably 33 a. or larger, (fn. 143) and eight were smaller. The
chief development before inclosure was Robert Bateman's accumulation of freehold land in 1807–10, (fn. 144) and
his acquisition of the lease of the Queen's College estate
in 1812. (fn. 145)
Inclosure of the open fields and remaining open
meadow, under an Act of 1812, (fn. 146) was largely complete
by December 1814. (fn. 147) Eton College received c. 360 a. for
tithes, making it the largest landowner; its land was
consolidated in the former East field and north-east of
Worsham mill, and was leased as farms of c. 142 a. (in
Asthall) and c. 218 a. (in Asthall Leigh), the latter divided
in 1821. (fn. 148) Robert Bateman received c. 353 a. mainly in
West field, Lord Redesdale received c. 282 a. north and
east of Kitesbridge farm, and Queen's College received c.
167 a. (excluding Standridge copse), located around
Asthall Leigh village. Other large freeholds were those of
Richard Howse, deceased (c. 90 a., later Tocques farm),
John Leake (c. 78 a.), Edward and Frances Towerzey (c.
71 a.), and John Bishop (52 a.), and there were two freeholds of c. 30 a. and twelve of between 1 and 29 acres.
Around ¾ a. near Asthall village and ½ a. near Asthall
Leigh, together with a garden and cottage at Asthall
Leigh, were allotted to the churchwardens and overseers
in lieu of furze-cutting rights in the open fields. By 1824
those lands, known as the Poor's Allotments, were
divided into 21 gardens, (fn. 149) most of which remained
charity allotments in the early 21st century. (fn. 150)
Until the 1870s the Batemans, based at Asthall
Manor, were the principal farmers: Robert Bateman
managed at least 660 a. including Eton College's farm at
Asthall, (fn. 151) and his sons Charles and Henry held another
Eton College farm at Asthall Leigh from 1838. (fn. 152) In 1861
Charles farmed 395 a., and Henry 398 a. with 100 a. of
woodland and waste. (fn. 153) Both were commended as
high-class farmers. (fn. 154) Three other farms in 1861
contained between 80 and 200 a., and Kitesbridge Farm
was 320 acres. (fn. 155) By 1881 George Timms (d. 1907) of
Kitesbridge Farm had amassed 1,100 a. as freeholder and
leaseholder, and Arthur Bateman, a brewer and farmer,
farmed 485 acres. (fn. 156) The parish's chief farmers apparently survived the depression of the 1880s and 1890s, (fn. 157)
aided by substantial rent reductions: the Queen's
College lowered its rent between 1883 and 1895 by
almost 50 per cent, (fn. 158) and in 1899 Eton let its Asthall farm
for less than half the estimated rental value in 1876. (fn. 159)
Nineteenth- and Early 20th-Century Farming
Farmers pursued predominantly arable-based mixed
farming throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.
In 1826 all three Eton College farms were chiefly
arable, (fn. 160) while in 1914 arable accounted for 60–70 per
cent of the parish's cultivated area, relatively high for
Oxfordshire. (fn. 161) In 1826 turnips, sainfoin, wheat, oats,
and barley were grown on one Eton farm in Asthall
Leigh, (fn. 162) implying a 5-course rotation similar to that
reported in 1917 (wheat, oats, clover, barley, roots). (fn. 163) In
1914 barley occupied 21–24 per cent of the cultivated
area, wheat 15–18 per cent, and swedes and turnips
11–13 per cent. Between 30 and 40 per cent of the cultivated area was permanent pasture, sheep and pigs being
kept in relatively large numbers, though the number of
cattle was relatively low. (fn. 164) Before 1917 several fields in
Asthall Leigh were converted to permanent pasture,
though the land did 'not take kindly to grass'. (fn. 165)
Farms and Farming from c. 1920
From the 1920s there were four main farms, three of
which became owner-occupied. (fn. 166) Manor or Asthall farm
(c. 250 a.) was bought by the occupier in 1927, and was
combined with Tocques farm (127 a.) in 1928 and with
Eton College land (142 a.) from c. 1939. College farm,
comprising former Queen's and Eton College lands, was
increased from 500 a. in 1920 to 553 a. by 1960 (fn. 167) and
became owner-occupied in the early 1970s. It was
further expanded to c. 750 a. by 1999. Dodd's farm,
south-east of Field Assarts, a tenanted farm of 132 a. in
1913, (fn. 168) was bought by the lessee in the 1960s, when it was
farmed with land outside the parish. Kitesbridge farm
remained leasehold and from 1948 was run from
Swinbrook.
Both arable and pastoral farming were practised until
the later 20th century when there was a shift towards
arable. In 1929 College farm included 340 a. of pasture
and 134 a. of arable, and accommodated 49 cows. (fn. 169) In the
1930s there was also a small dairy farm at Asthall Leigh
and the parish contained two poultry farms, one of them
at Field Assarts. (fn. 170) Beef cattle grazed on College and
Kitesbridge farms until the early 1970s and early 1980s,
and dairy herds were retained on College and Asthall
farms until the early 1970s and 1997. (fn. 171) Milk produced on
Asthall farm was used for butter-making until the mid
1930s, when it was exported for bottling following the
introduction of the Milk Marketing Board. Wheat
replaced barley as the principal corn crop on Kitesbridge
and College farms in the early 1980s, as part of a new
six-course rotation of oil-seed rape, two courses of
wheat, peas or beans, wheat, and barley; a similar rotation was adopted on Asthall farm from the late 1990s,
though the farm remained partly pastoral with beef
cattle and 300 breeding ewes. After the extension of the
European Community's set-aside scheme in 1992,
pheasants, partridges, and other game birds were reared
on College farm and commercial shoots were held. (fn. 172)
Trade and Industry
Craftsmen and Shopkeepers
By-names in the 13th and early 14th century included
Miller, Smith, Tailor (Souter), Baker, Potter, and
Fuller. (fn. 173) Thereafter only millers and two tailors (fn. 174) were
recorded until the later 17th and earlier 18th century,
when there were a baker, blacksmith, two tailors, and a
weaver in Asthall, (fn. 175) and a carpenter, maltster, and
weaver in Asthall Leigh. (fn. 176) A malthouse in Asthall Leigh
was mentioned in 1716 and again in 1772. (fn. 177) During the
18th century only a few blacksmiths, (fn. 178) victuallers, (fn. 179) a
maltster, (fn. 180) and a linen weaver (fn. 181) were noted, and in the
early 19th century 5–7 families were supported by
non-agricultural occupations. (fn. 182) From c. 1830 a mop and
blanket manufactory at Worsham employed weavers,
spinners, and other textile workers, some of whom lived
in the parish, and from c. 1841 women at Field Assarts
and later at Asthall Leigh and Fordwells worked as
domestic gloveresses or as dress-makers and seamstresses. (fn. 183) In 1881 there were 32 gloveresses in the parish
and at Fordwells. (fn. 184) A shopkeeper was recorded at Asthall
Leigh and another at Asthall from 1853 to 1895 and to
1915 respectively. (fn. 185) Other tradesmen in the mid 19th
century included shoemakers and masons, and in 1861
there were five carters and two woodmen, presumably
engaged on clearance of woodland and waste. (fn. 186) A cooper
was noted at Stonelands in the 1860s, and a stonemason
and blacksmith at Fordwells and a limeburner at Field
Assarts until the 1920s or 1930s. (fn. 187)
Quarries and Quarrying
A quarry on Asthall manor was recorded in the late 14th
century, (fn. 188) and in 1409–10 a thousand stone slates were
acquired from Asthall for the lodge at Witney park. (fn. 189)
Around 1734 there were several quarries on the Manor
House freehold estate. (fn. 190) The parish highway surveyors
sold an exhausted quarry in 1853, (fn. 191) and two old quarries
at Stonelands were recorded in 1881. (fn. 192)
19. Worsham Mill from the south-east, showing ranges of c. 1830 (centre) and 1902 (right)
By 1926 Asthall Barrow quarry, about 800 m. west of
the barrow, and Worsham quarry, west of the turning
from the Witney—Burford road to Worsham mill, were
being worked on behalf of Oxfordshire County
Council. (fn. 193) The latter remained in production under Eton
College ownership until 1964, (fn. 194) and in 1999 produced
crushed stone for building. A quarry on Worsham Lane
served in the early 1940s as the main source for crushed
stone for the new runways at Brize Norton airbase. At
Stonelands quarrying expanded from the late 1950s with
the introduction of machinery for producing crushed
limestone for agriculture. By 1999 agricultural limestone accounted for 20–30 per cent of output, the rest
being sold for reconstitution as Cotswold stone blocks. (fn. 195)
Mills and Fisheries
Asthall and Worsham Mills
Two mills belonged to Asthall manor in 1086, (fn. 196) and were
probably on the sites of Asthall mill and Worsham mill.
Between 1205 and 1219 the latter was granted by
Thomas of St Valery to Biddlesden abbey, (fn. 197) which may
have built more mills at the site: in 1272 it sold several
with its Asthall Leigh lands, (fn. 198) and in 1279 two-thirds of
three mills belonged to John and Thomas of Asthall. (fn. 199)
Another mill, probably Asthall mill, then belonged to
Walter of Asthall's freehold. (fn. 200) In 1331 Master Robert of
Stratford conveyed probably Asthall mill and two parts
of two other mills, (fn. 201) which descended to members of the
More family. (fn. 202)
Asthall mill may have been reunited after 1564 with
Asthall manor, which certainly included a mill by
1612. (fn. 203) In 1665 it was described as 'new', (fn. 204) presumably
rebuilt. It was possibly among manorial lands sold in
1687 or 1688 to Robert Harris of Minster Lovell, (fn. 205)
though in 1693 it was apparently referred to as Jonathan
Harris's mill. (fn. 206) Later owners included Giles Harris (d.
1758) in 1752, (fn. 207) John Mulcock in 1785, Richard Harris
in 1805, and members of the Bishop family in 1813 and
1830. (fn. 208) Standing immediately east of Asthall bridge on
the southern branch of the Windrush in 1767 and still in
1824, (fn. 209) the mill adjoined a house in 1809 and later. (fn. 210) In
1852 its mechanism drove two pairs of stones. (fn. 211) The mill
ceased to operate probably by 1861, (fn. 212) and by c. 1890 the
building was derelict, though the wheel survived nearby
until at least the 1940s. (fn. 213)
Worsham Factory
Worsham mill remained part of the More manor of
Asthall Leigh until 1725 or later. (fn. 214) In 1767, and probably
earlier, it stood on a leet across a shallow loop in the
Windrush. (fn. 215) In 1785 it belonged to Asthall manor, (fn. 216)
with which it descended until 1810 when it was allotted
to Diana Gorges. (fn. 217) She sold the premises in 1815, and in
1819 they were bought by Robert Collier, a blanketmanufacturer of Witney and Crawley, (fn. 218) who probably
around 1830 built a blanket and mop factory (fn. 219) comprising a stock house, fulling mill, and spinning sheds
together with a corn mill. The mills were said to be the
most powerful on the Windrush. Collier was bankrupted in 1833 (fn. 220) and the factory apparently passed to
mortgagors, one of whom sold it to a group of new
owners in 1847. (fn. 221) They leased the premises from 1851 to
the Witney blanket manufacturer Richard Early the
younger (d. 1874), (fn. 222) who bought them in 1864. (fn. 223) They
passed to his (imbecile) son Arthur Richard Early, whose
representative leased them in 1877 to Henry Early of
Witney, Richard's younger brother. (fn. 224) In the mid 1890s
bicycles were also manufactured on the premises. (fn. 225)
Pritchett and Webley of Witney bought the factory
and land in 1896, replaced the waterwheel with a water
turbine, and in 1902 added a new block. (fn. 226) About then
there were 50 looms, 15 in the main building and 35
probably in the new shed. During this period additional
power was supplied by a traction engine and later a gas
engine. Many workers came from Minster Lovell. By
1913 the company had failed and Worsham was owned
by George Howitt, previously the owner of a partinterest in the factory which his father-in-law, Edward
Cadbury of Bourneville (formerly Warws.), had
acquired in 1903. The factory was soon purchased by
Norman Minty, who made tents there during the First
World War and afterwards attempted to revive blanket-making as the Worsham Blanket Company. In
1924 Marriott and Sons of Witney bought the factory
and made improvements, introducing electric power in
1947. (fn. 227) They merged in 1960 to form Charles Early and
Marriott (Witney) Ltd, which closed Worsham in 1965.
After a brief occupation by a motor cycle company, the
Worsham factory was bought about 1970 by Johnstone
Safety Products (later JSP Ltd), which used it for the
manufacture of protective clothing and, from the
1980s, injection-moulded plastic products such as hard
hats. (fn. 228)
Two ranges of Worsham mill, orientated north-east
to south-west, date from the redevelopment of c. 1830: a
central range over the Windrush, and an adjoining
narrower, lower range to the south-west. Both are of
three storeys and six bays, with segmental brick heads to
the windows and a timber internal structure. The
south-west range was probably the stock house (warehouse), as it retains former hatch openings now
converted into windows. The central range has remains
of drive shafts for the machinery and on the north-west
side a wheel pit with three arches, perhaps evidence that
there were once three wheels. A cast-iron bridge
south-east of the main range is possibly contemporaneous. A two-storeyed range adjoining the main range to
the north-east is of 1902 and has an open-truss roof on
cast-iron columns. In 1881 there was also a freestanding block south-east of the factory, (fn. 229) and soon
afterwards a gatehouse and a pair of cottages were built.
The free-standing block was replaced in the late 20th
century, and Johnstone's put up other buildings.
Windmill and Fisheries
A stone windmill at Stonelands was described as 'new' in
1781. It was depicted on a map in 1797, but not
recorded thereafter. (fn. 230)
Asthall manor included a fishery in the late 13th
century, (fn. 231) worth 1 mark in 1279 and 10s. in 1304. (fn. 232) In
1370 it was claimed that the fishery extended downstream from Swinbrook to a bridge. (fn. 233) This was probably
Worsham bridge, because in 1279 fishing rights east of
Worsham were shared between the lords of Asthall and
Minster Lovell. (fn. 234) Fishing rights were sold with the manor
in 1688 and 1810, (fn. 235) but in 1926 were retained by Lord
Redesdale. (fn. 236) Fisheries or fishing rights were claimed for
the Harcourts' Asthall Leigh manor in 1587 and 1598, (fn. 237)
for the former More manor in 1725, (fn. 238) and for the
Grandisons' Asthall estate in 1791. (fn. 239) Fishing rights were
sold with College farm in 1929. (fn. 240)