TIDMARSH
Tedmers, Thedmerse, Edmers, Tedmershe, Thydemers, Tudemershe (xiii cent.); Thudmers, Tydmerssh (xiv cent.).
The parish of Tidmarsh, containing nearly 785 acres
of land, of which 294 are arable, 240 permanent
grass and 100 woods and plantations, (fn. 1) lies immediately
to the south of Pangbourne; its eastern and southern
boundaries are formed by Sulham Brook and other
small water-courses. The parish is very well wooded,
especially in the eastern part adjoining Sulham. The
names of several copses recall the stretches of moor-land which were the cause of so much litigation in
the 13th century. (fn. 2)
The village, which is approached at either end
through an avenue of trees, stands in a pretty valley
at the centre of the parish on the main road to
Basingstoke and close to the River Pang, which flows
northwards through the parish. The village is comparatively modern, the brick cottages being generally
roofed with tiles. The church of St. Lawrence stands
in a churchyard inclosed by a brick and flint wall
between the river and the high road about 100 yards
south of the cross-roads. The old manor-house, which
was partially pulled down in 1878, was on a hill about
a mile from the church. The present house stands
about a quarter of a mile south-west of the church.
By the river on the south side of the road to Sulham
is a water-mill. The nearest station is on the Great
Western railway at Pangbourne, about a mile north.
The soil is alluvium and chalk, the subsoil chalk.
The chief crops are cereals and roots.
The following place-names occur in local records:
Morpitecroft, Heilegh Wood, (fn. 3) Levedifield, le Hok, (fn. 4)
Trescoteslese, the water-course called Pang burne (fn. 5)
(xiii cent.); Rackeclose Field, (fn. 6) Harecroftes, (fn. 7) Asshengarden (fn. 8) (xvi cent.).
MANOR
The earliest mention of the manor of
TIDMARSH occurs in 1239, when the
estate was the subject of a dispute between
Geoffrey the son of John de Thedmers or Tidmarsh
and his half-sister Juliane the wife of Adam the son
of Hervey. (fn. 9) The manor was held by service of
finding one knight to guard the castle of Wallingford
for forty days in time of war, by scutage and by suit
of court at Wallingford. (fn. 10) The overlordship continued to form part of the honour of Wallingford
(q.v.) until 1500, when it is last mentioned. (fn. 11)
The manor probably belonged towards the end
of the 12th century to Hugh de Tidmarsh, (fn. 12) whose
son John died seised of 2 carucates of land there
before 1222. (fn. 13) The custody of this land and of
John's son Geoffrey was granted to Piers the son of
Herbert, (fn. 14) one-third of the estate being assigned in
dower to Geoffrey's mother, Maud de Berners. (fn. 15)
Early in 1223, however, a certain Gunnora de Bendenges appeared and claimed dower out of the manor
as the widow of John; whereupon Piers, not unnaturally, sought judgement in the king's court
whether he were bound to assign dower to two
widows of the same man. (fn. 16) A suit then took place
between Gunnora and Maud, who was at that time
the wife of Ellis de Pokeslegh. (fn. 17) Maud at first
pleaded that Gunnora had never been lawfully married
to John, but on the second day she and her husband
did not appear in court, and judgement was given in
favour of Gunnora, who had apparently been able to
prove her marriage in the ecclesiastical court. (fn. 18) As,
however, Geoffrey received the inheritance the dispute
was revived on his coming of age in 1236, for
Gunnora maintained that the true heir of John was
her daughter Juliane. (fn. 19)
It was eventually agreed that the inheritance should
be divided, and in 1239 Geoffrey granted to Juliane
and her husband, Adam the son of Hervey, a moiety
of two-thirds of the manor and mill of Tidmarsh,
together with certain lands and the whole of the
advowson, in return for a quitclaim from Juliane of
all her right in this property. (fn. 20) The remaining
third, which was still held in dower by Gunnora, (fn. 21)
was to be divided on her death, (fn. 22) when Adam and
Juliane were to receive for themselves and the heirs
of Juliane two messuages, one of which stood at the
end of the vineyard in Tidmarsh and had a garden
attached to it, together with one-third of the vineyard and a moiety of the remaining property; the
rest of the estate, together with the reversion of the
whole should Adam and Juliane die without children,
was to remain to Geoffrey and his heirs. (fn. 23)
Geoffrey was succeeded before 1273 by another
John de Tidmarsh, (fn. 24) probably his son, who was
afterwards Sheriff of Oxfordshire and Berkshire and
constable of Oxford Castle. (fn. 25) He died about 1300,
leaving as his heir his son, a third John. (fn. 26) This John
died before June 1305, being seised at the time of
his death of the whole manor of Tidmarsh, including
'a messuage with a garden without the court which
is called Wynhird and used to be assigned to the
lady there after the death of her husband.' (fn. 27) This
seems to show that Juliane de Bendenges had died
childless, and that her share of the property had
passed, in accordance with the settlement of 1239, to
the heirs of Geoffrey.
The heir of the third John de Tidmarsh was his
son and namesake, (fn. 28) whose wardship was granted to
Richard de Abingdon (fn. 29) ; he came of age in 1317. (fn. 30)
He married Margery de Sunninghill, and in 1329
settled the manor of Tidmarsh on himself and her,
with reversion to his son John and contingent remainders to his younger sons Gilbert, William and
Nicholas successively. (fn. 31) The date at which the fifth
John succeeded to the manor is uncertain, but he
died seised of it in 1382, leaving as his heir his
youngest brother Nicholas. (fn. 32) Nicholas died before
1407, in which year Alice de Tidmarsh, then the
wife of John Adam, held one-third of the estate in
dower. (fn. 33)
The history of the manor becomes at this point
extremely difficult to trace. In 1407 it was in the
hands of William Walsingham 'of the Saucerie,' who
granted it to John Golafre, (fn. 34) from whom it passed
before 1428 to Thomas Rothwell. (fn. 35) Isabel, the
widow of Thomas Rothwell, died in 1477 seised of
the estate, which had been settled upon her and her
second husband, John Lawley, for their lives. (fn. 36) Her
heir was Robert Lenham, great-grandson of Margaret
sister of Thomas Rothwell. (fn. 37)
Robert Lenham died in
1491 (fn. 38) ; his wife Margaret
survived him, and held the
manor till her death in 1498, (fn. 39)
when she was succeeded by
her son Henry Lenham, (fn. 40) who
died in 1517. (fn. 41) In 1522
Margaret Warren, widow,
sister and heir of William
Lenham, Henry's heir, sold the
manor to Thomas Englefield, (fn. 42)
and the property then followed
the descent of Englefield (q.v.)
until 1585, (fn. 43) when it was forfeited to the Crown on
the attainder of Sir Francis Englefield. After this date
successive leases were granted to Humphrey Foster and
George Fytton in 1586 (fn. 44) and to Robert Earl of
Essex in 1592, (fn. 45) but there seems to have been no
grant in fee of the manor until 1616, when James I
gave it to Thomas Emerson. (fn. 46) Emerson sold the
estate in 1617 to Sir Peter Vanlore, (fn. 47) and it subsequently followed the descent of Tilehurst (q.v.) until
1683, (fn. 48) when it was sold by John Curtis and Richard
Anderson (fn. 49) to Hercules Whiteing, (fn. 50) whose co-heirs
sold it in 1714 to Samuel Lynne, (fn. 51) who died before
1739. (fn. 52)
Lenham. Sable six fleurs de lis argent.
Richard Lynne, who seems to have been the son
and heir of Samuel, was in possession of the manor
in 1746, (fn. 53) but it was bought before 1758 by General
the Hon. Robert Dalzell. (fn. 54) General Dalzell was
succeeded by his grandson, Mr. Robert Dalzell, (fn. 55)
who in 1762 married Miss Jane Dodd, 'an agreeable
young lady of large fortune, and with every other
accomplishment necessary to adorn the marriage
state.' (fn. 56) He appears to be the Robert Dalzell who
together with John Thomas Robert Dalzell dealt with
the manor in 1785. (fn. 57) The estate passed to Mr. Charles
Butler, who sold it in 1798 to Mr. John Hopkins. (fn. 58)
Mr. John Edric Murray Hopkins, the great-grandson
of Mr. John Hopkins, is the present lord of the manor.
There was a mill in Tidmarsh in 1239, a third of
which seems to have been held in dower by Gunnora
de Bendenges, while the remainder was held in
equal parts by Geoffrey de Tidmarsh and by Juliane de
Bendenges and Adam the son
of Hervey for their lives, with
reversion to Geoffrey. (fn. 59) This
mill, which is described in
1305 as a water corn-mill, (fn. 60)
worth 30s., and held of the
Abbot of Reading by a rent
of 20s., seems to have followed throughout the descent
of the manor of Tidmarsh. (fn. 61)
It was said in 1500 to be
situated on the Pang burn, (fn. 62)
and probably stood on the
site of the present mill.
Hopkins of Tidmarsh. Sable a cheveron between three pistols or with three roses gules on the cheveron.
A fulling-mill is first mentioned in connexion with
the manor of Tidmarsh in 1592, (fn. 63) when it was
included in the lease of the estate to the Earl of
Essex. It was granted in 1609 to Edward Ferrers
and Frank Philipps, (fn. 64) but its history after this date
becomes obscure.
A fishery worth 6d. was among the appurtenances
of the manor of Tidmarsh in 1305 (fn. 65) and continued
to belong to that estate until it came into the
hands of the Englefields. (fn. 66) The fisheries in the
Kennet and Farley in Englefield and Tidmarsh
were attached to Englefield Manor. These
were excepted from the lease to Humphrey
Foster and George Fytton on the plea that they
belonged to Englefield House. (fn. 67) There was
also a fishery in the 'water called Rockclose.' (fn. 68)
'A warren of conys' was mentioned in
connexion with the manor of Tidmarsh in
1544, (fn. 69) and in 1618 James I granted to
Peter Vanlore the right of free warren there,
to keep deer, rabbits and pheasants. (fn. 70) This
right continued to be one of the appurtenances of the manor at least as late as
1656. (fn. 71) Free warren in Tidmarsh belonged
to the lords of Englefield Manor, (fn. 72) who also
retained a right of view of frankpledge in Tidmarsh. (fn. 73)
A dove-house was attached to the manor of Tidmarsh
in 1785. (fn. 74)
Rights of common of pasture in Peatmore in Tidmarsh were leased in the 13th century to the lord of
Englefield. (fn. 75) Common of pasture was successfully
claimed also by Aimery de Mulsho in 1241, (fn. 76) and by
William of Sulham and Sara his wife in 1242, against
Geoffrey de Tidmarsh and Gunnora and Juliane de
Bendenges. (fn. 77)
CHURCH
The church of ST. LAWRENCE
consists of an apsidal chancel of semioctagonal form measuring internally
12 ft. 6 in. in diameter, an aisleless nave 67 ft. 9 in.
by 17 ft. 9 in. with a modern north vestry and south
porch and a wooden bell-turret at the west end.
The nave is that of a late 12th-century church,
the eastern part of which was replaced about 1220
by the present chancel arch and apsidal chancel. A
little later in the century windows were inserted in
the nave. The vestry was added in 1879 and in
1897 the church was completely restored, when
buttresses were built at the ends of the nave walls.
The semi-octagonal chancel, which is designed
with all the grace and elegance of the early 13th
century, is lighted by five lancet windows—one in
each side—having splayed outer jambs of two orders
and wide internal splays. The sills of the north-west
and south-west windows were originally carried down
to a lower level than the others, but, although the
north light is in its original state, the sill of the south
window has been raised and a modern piscina is
inserted in it. Of the other windows only the inner
order of the east window and the sill and west jamb
of the south-east light have been at all restored. In
the angles of the semi-octagon are groups of triple
clustered shafts having stiff-leaved capitals with
moulded abaci and bases and in the angle formed
with the west wall are single shafts of a similar description. Over the apse is a vault carried on richly moulded
ribs which spring from the shafted angle piers and
meet in a central foliated boss. This is apparently a
restoration in plaster. The pointed chancel arch is
of two chamfered orders with a moulded label towards
the nave terminating in foliated stops. The responds,
which are of the same section as the arch, have
moulded abaci. The walls are covered externally
with rough-cast and at the sill level is a string-course
of the same section.
Plan of Tidmarsh Church
In the north wall of the nave are three windows,
the easternmost being a small lancet with grooves for
an external shutter, wide inner splays and a modern
sill. The two western windows, which are modern
copies of the originals, are each of two pointed lights
with a pierced spandrel under a pointed head with
an external hood mould. A little further west is a
modern pointed doorway opening into the vestry.
The south wall of the nave has exactly similar lighting. Opposite to the vestry door is the elaborate
late 12th-century south doorway of three continuous
round-arched orders. The inner order is enriched
with cheveron ornament and leaf enrichment and
the intermediate order by a chain design with studs
in the links, while the outer order has a smaller
variant of the same design intermixed with scrollwork
and an outer band of spear-head ornament. It is
broken at the springing level by semicircular foils,
and there is a trefoiled panel at the apex, probably a
13th-century insertion, carved with a bearded face.
In the west wall are three modern lancets. The walls
inside are plastered and externally are covered with
rough-cast. At the line of the chancel arch are two
modern buttresses, and at the western angles of the
nave are diagonal buttresses, also modern. The stringcourse under the windows in the west wall is modern.
The porch and vestry are built of brick faced with
flint with stone dressings, the latter having an east
window of one light and a north window of two
lights.
Tidmarsh Church: 12th-Century Font
At the west end of the nave is the oak framing
carrying the bell-turret. The timbers are original,
but have been carved in recent years with a design
copied from the ornament round the south doorway.
The turret is covered with shingles and is surmounted
by a small spire of the same material. The bell-chamber is lighted by two ogee-headed openings on
each side. Over the nave is an open trussed rafter
roof, divided into four bays by tie-beams, with kingposts which support a longitudinal tie. The font,
which was found some eighty years ago buried in
the churchyard, is of the late 12th century. It is
circular and stands on a plinth, while round the bowl
is carved an arcade of interlacing arches supported on
small shafts with crude capitals and bases. The pulpit,
although considerably restored, is of 15th-century
date. It is hexagonal and the corner posts are carried
down to the ground and have moulded bases, the
lower part being open and the upper part panelled.
In five of the sides are foliated and cusped ogeeheaded cinquefoiled panels, with foliated and cusped
quatrefoils within circles in the spandrels, but in the
sixth side is a square-headed mitred panel. The
18th-century altar rail has turned balusters with
intermediate diminutive Doric columns supporting
the rail.
During a 'restoration' which took place about
sixty years ago many early wall paintings were discovered, but, being imperfect, they were again
plastered over, with the exception of those on the
jambs of the north-east window of the nave, which
were apparently more complete than the others. On
the east jamb is the figure of a saint, his left hand
uplifted in benediction and holding a book in his
right. The face has been restored. On the opposite
jamb is a bearded figure of St. Bartholomew with
knife and book. They are probably of 13th-century
date and are painted in red and yellow ochre, which
is now very faint, and outlined with a dark brown
colour. Each figure stands on a low painted base,
with an arcade, and the workmanship in both cases
is crude.
In the floor at the east end of the nave are three
tomb slabs, in which are set brasses. The middle one
is of Purbeck marble and in the centre is the brass
of a knight in armour of 16th-century character and
a tabard with the six fleurs de lis of Lenham quartering a bend lozengy and a chief. The upper part
of his head has been broken off, and of the inscription below him only the matrix is left. Let into the
top dexter and bottom sinister corners of the slab are
small brass shields charged with his arms as on the
tabard; in the top sinister corner is a shield charged
with the arms of (1) Lenham quartering (2) Englefield, (3) a bend lozengy and a chief, (4) a fesse
between six martlets for Russell. In the bottom
dexter shield the arms are quartered, 1 and 4 as (2)
above, and 2 and 3 as (4) above. In the slab to the
north (which is also of Purbeck marble) is the brass
of a lady in late 15th-century costume. Below is an
inscription to Margaret wife of Thomas Wode, a
justice of Common Pleas, and formerly wife of
Robert Lenham, lord of the manor of Tidmarsh.
She died 5 December 1499. Above were originally
three shields, but only the centre one with the arms
of Lenham is left. The brass in the third slab is
to William Dale and his wife Elizabeth, who died
21 October 1533. Above the inscription are the
matrices for the brasses of the man and his wife
and of a shield above them, while below the
inscription are two indents for the brasses of his
children.
There are three bells: the treble inscribed 'John
Knight, Samuel Knight, 1687'; the second 'Love
God, 1649'; and the third in black letters, 'Sit
nomen dñi benedictum,' with the mark of John
Saunders. (fn. 78)
The plate includes a cup with mark for 1749, an
unstamped paten with feet, and a modern flagon.
The registers previous to 1813 are as follows:
(i) baptisms and burials 1730 to 1812, marriages
1731 to 1789; (ii) marriages 1755 to 1812. The
earlier registers were burnt with those of Sulham in
a fire at Sulham rectory in the early 19th century.
ADVOWSON
There was a church in Tidmarsh
before 1239, in which year the
advowson was granted by Geoffrey
de Tidmarsh to Juliane de Bendenges and her husband
Adam the son of Hervey. (fn. 79) In 1257 Juliane sold
1½ virgates of land in Tidmarsh and three messuages
there to Laurence Osperun for 100s. and 2d. yearly
at Easter for all service. (fn. 80) This Laurence Osperun
was afterwards rector of Tidmarsh. He probably
needed the land for his own support, as he obtained
licence from the pope to hold this living together
with that of Heyford Warren because their joint
value hardly exceeded 11 marks. (fn. 81) The rectory was
not included in the Taxation of Pope Nicholas
in 1291.
By the agreement of 1239 (q.v. supra) the advowson of Tidmarsh ought to have reverted on the death
without issue of Adam and Juliane to Geoffrey, (fn. 82) but
it is not mentioned in the extremely detailed extent
of the manor in 1305, (fn. 83) and had probably, therefore,
been granted away for one or more turns by the third
John de Tidmarsh. It was certainly in the possession
of his son and namesake before 1329, (fn. 84) and has since
that date followed the descent of the manor. (fn. 85) The
present patron is Mr. John Edric Murray Hopkins,
whose grandfather built the present rectory.
CHARITIES
In 1674 Lady Levingstone, by
will, charged her estate with an annuity of £6 for the benefit of the
poor. The rent-charge was redeemed in 1863 by a
transfer of £200 consols to the official trustees, and
the income of £5 is distributed among the poor.
In 1827 Robert Hopkins, by will, bequeathed the
sum of £400 consols, the interest to be expended in
the distribution of blankets, coals or wood. The
sum of £400 consols is held by the official trustees,
and the income of £10 is distributed according to
the donor's directions.