UFTON
Offetune (xi cent.); Offinton or Uffintone (xiii
cent.); Uftone or Ofton (xiv cent.).
Ufton is a small parish covering an area of 2,188
acres, of which 939 acres are arable land, 506 acres
permanent grass and 604 acres woodland. (fn. 1) The
soil is sand and gravel with a subsoil of clay, and
there are several gravel-pits in the district. The
principal occupation of the inhabitants is agriculture,
wheat, oats and roots being cultivated. The land
falls from a height of 317 ft. in the south to 165 ft.
above the ordnance datum near the River Kennet.
The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through Ufton.
Part of the ancient dyke known as Grims Dyke can
be traced through Ufton Wood. (fn. 2) The Roman road
from Silchester to Dorchester is thought to have passed
through Ufton. (fn. 3)
The parish was inclosed in 1805. (fn. 4) The village
lies 2½ miles from Theale station on the Great
Western railway, and consists of two or three farms,
an inn and a group of cottages, all of brick; one or
two of the cottages are thatched, the rest are tiled or
slated. Below the village on the north side is the
site of the former church of Ufton Richard, the
gabled west wall of which still stands; it is of flint
intermixed with a little brick and has been refaced
with brickwork at its ends; no windows or architectural details survive to mark its date. There are a
few other brick cottages scattered about the parish;
a farm and the rectory stand next the church of
St. Peter, the site of which is at the narrow neck of
land between two roads running north and south. A
graveyard surrounds the church, between which and
the rectory garden on the north side is a tall thick
yew hedge; there is also a fine old yew to the south
of the building.
Ufton Court stands in a secluded position about
three-quarters of a mile north-east of Padworth and
about the same distance south-west of Ufton. The
house, which faces north-east, has a frontage of some
130 ft., and is approached by a fine avenue of oaks.
The nucleus of the present building dates probably
from the late 15th century, but subsequent alterations and additions have almost completely disguised
its mediaeval origin. Little of the original plan
now remains, and while the entrance front with
its many gabled dormers is of a decided Elizabethan
character, the back elevations are the work of the
late 17th or early 18th century. The plan of the
present building roughly assumes the shape of an E
with the projecting wings on the north-east front.
It is two stories high with attics in the roof. The
older parts are of half-timbered construction plastered
both inside and out, while the later work is faced
with brick.
The original 15th-century plan is now quite a
matter of conjecture, though from the disposition of
the kitchen with its servery and the screens—all of
which have survived—the internal arrangements could
not have been very dissimilar from those at present
existing. All north of the screens appears to have
been rebuilt late in the 16th century, when a large
amount of work was done, including the addition of
the south-east wing and the refronting of the greater
part of the earlier work. In two diamond-shaped
panels worked in the plaster on the north wall of
the hall are the initials P/RE and M/IE, the former no
doubt standing for Perkyns, Richard and Elizabeth,
the latter for Marvyn, John and Elizabeth, this
Elizabeth being Lady Marvyn, who died in 1581,
and whose first husband was Richard Perkyns. From
the general character of the work it is not improbable
that the whole of the Elizabethan rebuilding was
carried out during the second widowhood of Lady
Marvyn, whose second husband died in 1566.
Considerable alterations seem to have been made
early in the 18th century, when the whole of the
back elevation, as already mentioned, was remodelled.
There is a tradition that this work was done by
Francis Perkyns for the reception of his bride, the
beautiful Arabella Fermor (the Belinda of 'The Rape
of the Lock'), whom he married in 1715. (fn. 5)
Drawings of the house made by J. C. Buckler in
the first part of the last century show an extension at
the southern corner of the house, which is said to
have accommodated (fn. 6) a steward's house, brew-house,
and other offices, but these have since been pulled
down. The building was in 1838 converted into
dwellings for labourers by Mr. Benyon de Beauvoir,
and the northern end and the hall were so used until
a few years ago. The whole house was then thoroughly
repaired, mullioned windows again inserted in the
east wall of the hall, and the northern end of the
principal front cleared of its 18th and 19th-century embellishments and restored to its Elizabethan
appearance.
Plan of Ufton Court
The principal entrance is through a projecting two-storied porch in the centre of the north-east front,
which originally extended only to the east wall of
the living room on the south, but was enlarged to
its present size when the outer 16th-century alterations were made. The two posts on either side of
the central opening take the form of narrow Ionic
pilasters, carved with arabesques, and support carved
consoles which carry the moulded sill of the projecting upper floor. The lower part of the inclosing walls
is of brick, stopping on a wood sill, above which is a
row of turned balusters. The walls of the room
above are rough-casted, and the whole is roofed with
a gabled roof having projecting barge-boards.
The porch opens immediately into the screens at
the south end of the hall. The partition separating
them from the hall appears to have been rebuilt in
the 18th century, but the wall on the south belongs
to the 15th-century house. In it are the two doorways which originally communicated with the buttery
and kitchen; the easternmost one is now blocked up,
though both still retain their nail-studded doors, each
hung on two iron hinges. The door frames are cut
out of solid timbers and have four-centred heads with
tracery in the spandrels.
The hall, which is a lofty apartment, the ceiling
being at the level of the ceilings of the first-floor
rooms, measures 22 ft. 6 in. by 18 ft. 6 in. The
walls are panelled with 18th-century panelling for
the greater part of their height, the upper portion
being plastered. A cove with an enriched plaster
frieze connects the side walls with the ceiling, a fine
example of 16th-century plaster-work, divided into
geometric panels by narrow ribs, which at intervals
gracefully fall into low-hanging pendants of varied
design. Over the screens is a gallery separated from
the hall by a small modern arcade. The black and
white marble pavement is no doubt of the same date
as the ceiling.
On the north side of the hall is the 16th-century withdrawing room; this is entered either through
an ante-room, which has recently been panelled
with panelling similar to that in the hall, or through
a panelled passage on the west side of it. The
room is now divided by a partition, this portion of
the house being used for the gardener's dwelling.
The walls are panelled with 18th-century panelling,
and the original plaster ceiling, which is divided
into enriched panels by beams encased with carved
woodwork, still remains. A good 16th-century staircase, entered through a doorway of contemporary
date, opens out of the passage connecting the with-drawing room with the hall. In the northern projecting wing are two rooms lined with 18th-century
panelling, the easternmost of which has a good ceiling
of the same period, while opening off the western
one is a lobby in which is a 16th-century central
newel staircase.
The westernmost doorway on the south side of the
screens opens into a small hall containing the principal
staircase, a fine piece of Elizabethan joinery. It is of
oak with heavily moulded strings and handrails,
turned balusters, and massive newels with shaped
finials. In the south wall of this hall is four-centred
doorway with carved spandrels, still retaining its
original door. It opens into the servery, where the
15th-century serving hatch between it and the kitchen
still survives. In the east wall of the staircase hall is
another four-centred doorway opening into a living
room behind the screens. The room, which is otherwise of no particular interest, is divided into two bays
by moulded posts supporting a ceiling beam of the
same section.
Ufton Court: North-east Front
The kitchen was originally open to the roof, but an
upper floor has since been inserted dividing it into
two, the room above being now used as a bedroom.
It had a trussed rafter roof divided into three bays by
two simple trusses having curved braces supporting a
collar, the trusses being further strengthened by
curved wind-braces. There is a large stack in the
west wall, but the old opening has been filled in
and a modern grate inserted in its stead. From
the kitchen the eastern projecting wing is reached
through the butler's room, one of the original rooms,
though now divided up by brick partitions. The
two rooms on the ground floor of this wing have
been considerably modernized, but still retain some
of their 16th-century windows. Rising out of a
small vestibule between them is another staircase
to the first floor. The offices behind the kitchen
on the south are late 17th or early 18th-century
additions.
The upper part of the south wall of the hall and
the southern end of the east wall are of half-timbered
construction, as can be seen from the gallery above the
screens. Built into the east wall here is a 15th-century moulded beam, and on one of the uprights is
carved a shield charged with a merchant's mark. The
old nursery, which is situated behind the gallery on
the south, like the room below, is divided into two
bays by a moulded beam, carried on the south by
one of the Doric pilasters which are placed on either
side of the fireplace. These pilasters, which are of
17th-century date, were placed in their present position only a few years back. The chimneypiece is of
stone and has continuously moulded jambs and a
shouldered head, on which has been scratched the
name of William Perkins, with the date 1534. The
timbers forming the framing round the top of the
room project slightly and are moulded. Leading out
of the old nursery on the south is the old library, in
the north wall of which is a late Elizabethan chimneypiece of oak flanked by Ionic pilasters and enriched
with inlaid work. The marble architrave of the fireplace opening is an 18th-century addition. From the
south-east corner of this room access is gained to the
eastern wing. The staircase from the centre of the
ground floor of this wing stops on the first floor;
another staircase of 16th-century date against the west
wall gives access to the long room or chapel formed
in the roof above. It is in this wing that the priest
is said to have resided, and the tradition is no doubt
correct, and is fully substantiated by the character of
the architecture. The easternmost room on the first
floor is known as the priest's room, while behind the
staircase from the ground floor, entered through a
small closet, is the oratory—a small room, the walls
of which are covered with rough painted boarding.
The colouring is very much faded, but the ground
appears to have been black and divided into squares
containing alternately the monograms 'I.H.S.' in
white and 'M.R.' in red, while the rails and styles
were enriched with red and white stems and flowers.
On the narrow panels forming a frieze near the ceiling
can still just be seen the initials 'A.P.,' which probably
refer to Anna (fn. 7) Perkins, who died in 1635. The
painting appears to be 17th-century work.
As already stated, the chapel occupies the whole of
the roof space of the east wing not taken up by the
staircase, but it is not in the chapel but in the ingeniously designed hiding holes that the chief interest of
the attics lies. The most artfully contrived of these
hiding places is entered by pushing inwards what is
apparently part of a solid plastered wall, the opening
being large enough for a man to get through, while
the hole itself goes down to the floor below. The
pivoted part of the walling could easily be secured
from the inside. Another hole which runs down
by the side of a chimney stack is entered by taking
up part of the flooring in a passage. It was discovered
early in the last century, and in it were found a
ladder and a bronze crucifix; the ladder is still preserved there. A third hiding hole by the side of the
chimney stack at the north-west of the house descends
to the ground floor; it is now partly blocked up.
Ufton Court: The Tefrace Steps
The front elevation with its oversailing floors and
crowning row of gables is extremely picturesque. All
on the north side of the porch is modern, though
skilfully designed to harmonize with the earlier
portion, which is almost entirely Elizabethan. All the
windows are oak mullioned and the larger ones are
also transomed, while a few on the first floor have their
projecting sills supported on shaped brackets. With
the exception of the porch, all the walls to the elevation are covered with rough-cast. At the meeting
of the gables are triangular lead rain-water heads
with the date '1664,' the initials 'F.P.,' and a small
cherub's face cast upon them.
Though somewhat less ornate than the front, the
back of the Court, with its tiled roofs, gabled red
brick walls and many chimney stacks, has a pleasing
effect. The terrace runs round the house on the
north-west and south-west, a
brick retaining wall separating
it from the garden below,
which is reached by a flight
of stone steps opposite the
westernmost corner of the
north wing. Surmounting the
low brick piers at the head
of these steps are the stone
copings to a small classic
pedestal, each supporting the
attic base of a column, said
to have been brought from
Silchester.
It is said that Prince Charles
Edward stayed (fn. 8) a short time
at Ufton Court on a visit to
England subsequent to the
rising of 1745. (fn. 9)
Four fisheries in Ufton are
mentioned in the 16th century:
Rockmore, Tydney, Crandalls
and Redings. (fn. 10)
The foundations of the
manor-house of Ufton Robert
could formerly be seen on
the hill halfway between
the Court and St. Peter's
Church. (fn. 11)
A distinguished visitor to
the parish was Joseph Blanco
White, who wrote Doblado's
Letters at Ufton Rectory. (fn. 12)
MANORS
The manor
of UFTON
ROBERT, at the
date of the Survey, formed
part of the vast possessions of
William Fitz Ansculf. (fn. 13) His
lands passed to Fulk Paynell.
By the marriage of Hawise
Paynell to John de Somery (fn. 14) the overlordship passed
into that family. (fn. 15) John de Somery, the last male
heir, died in 1322, leaving two daughters as coheirs, (fn. 16) one of whom, Margaret, the wife of John de
Sutton, held the overlordship in 1323. (fn. 17) John son
of John de Sutton conveyed his knights' fees here
and elsewhere in 1340 to Nicholas de la Beche. (fn. 18)
Sir Thomas Langford (fn. 19) succeeded him in the overlordship, the manor being held as of the manor of
Bradfield. (fn. 20) In the following century the manor of
Ufton Robert was said to be held of Sir Thomas
Englefield (fn. 21) as of his manor of Tidmarsh, and in 1617
it was similarly returned as held of Peter Vanlore,
then lord of the manor of Tidmarsh. (fn. 22)
The manor at the date of the Survey was held
under Fitz Ansulf by an unnamed knight, (fn. 23) the first
under-tenant of whom we have record being Ralph
de Ufton, who was followed by a grandson William.
A William de Ufton died before 1225 (fn. 24) and his son
and heir Robert was lord of the manor in the 13th
century. (fn. 25) It descended to William de Ufton, who
was holding in 1316, (fn. 26) 1321 (fn. 27) and 1324. (fn. 28) The
latter had a son of the same name, who died without
issue. His kinsman Peter claimed the manor under
a fine of 1321 from John Paynell, who had entered
into possession, and the case was tried in the court
of the Abbot of Reading. (fn. 29) John Paynell evidently made good his claim, since Richard Paynell
was holding in 1338, in which year he received a
licence to inclose 300 acres of pasture and wood
and to make a park at Ufton. (fn. 30) Richard left a
son Thomas, and from the history of the advowson
it seems that Thomas held the manor until his death,
between 1406 and 1410, when he was followed by
Alice Paynell, (fn. 31) who was either his widow or his
daughter. In the following year the advowson was
in the possession of William Perkyns, who was
returned as lord of the manor in 1428. (fn. 32) He was
succeeded by his son Thomas, (fn. 33) who left a son and
heir John, and Thomas Perkyns, the son of the latter,
dying seised of the manor in
1524, was followed by his son
Richard. (fn. 34) The latter held
the manor during the reign
of Philip and Mary, (fn. 35) and
died childless in 1560. (fn. 36) By
his will, dated 1559, he left a
tenement which he had built
for a poor man to live in
and pray for his soul, this
being one of the last records
of the foundation of a hermitage. (fn. 37) His nephew and
heir Francis Perkyns, a recusant, whose manor-house at
Ufton was a place of concealment for priests (fn. 38) and
treasure, (fn. 39) followed him, and, dying in 1616, was
succeeded by his son of the same name. (fn. 40) This Francis
Perkyns being also a recusant, two-thirds of his estate
was sequestrated. His brother-in-law, William Eyston
of East Hendred, though a well-known Roman Catholic,
obtained a lease of the manor for twenty-one years. (fn. 41)
Francis had recovered possession by 1630, (fn. 42) but
apparently was again in trouble in 1637. (fn. 43) In 1650,
being then eighty years old, he made a final appeal
for a seven years' lease of two-thirds of his estate. (fn. 44)
He died in 1661, his son Francis having predeceased
him, (fn. 45) and was succeeded by his grandson of the same
name, (fn. 46) who was dealing with the manor by fine
and recovery in 1674. (fn. 47) His son, another Francis,
who died in 1736, married the celebrated beauty,
Arabella Fermor, the heroine of Pope's 'Rape of the
Lock,' (fn. 48) and in her day Pope, Steele, Arbuthnot,
Bolingbroke, and other men of letter are said to have
been guests at Ufton Count. (fn. 49) Their sons Francis,
Charles and John successively inherited the estate,
which, on the death of the last-named in 1769, (fn. 50)
devolved upon his distant cousin John Jones, the greatgrandson of the Francis Perkyns who died in 1694. (fn. 51)
He was holding in 1782, (fn. 52) and sold the property in
1802 to Mr. Congreve of Aldermaston, (fn. 53) from whom
it was purchased by Mr. Richard Benyon of Englefield.
The latter died in 1854, and bequeathed the manor
to his nephew Richard Fellowes, who assumed the
name of Benyon. He was succeeded in 1897 by his
nephew, Mr. James Herbert Fellowes Benyon, the
present lord of the manor.
Perkyns. Or billety and a fesse dancetty erminees.
The manor of UFTON NERVET (Uffinton
Richer, xiii cent.; Uphton Nervite, Nervitt, Nervett,
Nerwite alias Ermite, xvii cent.) was held in 1086
by Giles, the brother of Ansculf de Pinkeney. (fn. 54) The
overlordship had passed by the beginning of the 13th
century into the hands of Henry de Pinkeney, (fn. 55) whose
descendants held it of the king in chief. (fn. 56) It was
surrendered into the king's hands with the manor
of Weedon Pinkeney by Henry de Pinkeney in
1301. (fn. 57)
The first recorded under-tenant, Richard Neyrvut,
who held in the 13th century, (fn. 58) gave his name to the
manor, which was later called Ufton Richard or
Ufton Nervet. John Neyrvut sold the property
before 1274 to the Abbot of Reading, (fn. 59) and it
remained with the abbey until the Dissolution. (fn. 60) It
was granted in 1544 to Sir John Williams of Thame, (fn. 61)
whose daughter and heir Margery, by her marriage
to Henry Lord Norreys, (fn. 62) took it into that family.
It remained in the hands of their descendants until
the death of Francis Norreys Earl of Berkshire in
1623, (fn. 63) descending like the manor of Aldworth (q.v.)
to the Earls of Abingdon. (fn. 64) In 1709 it was sold by
Montagu Lord Abingdon to the trustees of Francis
Perkyns, (fn. 65) and from this date it follows the descent
of Ufton Robert (q.v.).
An estate known as Rockmore and Crandalls,
formerly belonging to Reading Abbey and held by
the Norreys family, was included in this sale. It
may perhaps be identified with the land called
Wroukeshulle granted by Ralph de Uffinton to
Reading Abbey in the 12th century and confirmed
to the abbey by his grandson William. (fn. 66)
The manor of UFTON POLE, though not known
by this name until the 14th century, is possibly
identical with the 3 virgates in Ufton held by a
second knight of William Fitz Ansculf in 1086. (fn. 67)
The earliest reference which has been found to its
tenure occurs in the reign of Henry IV, when it
was said to be held of the manor of Ufton Robert, (fn. 68)
and it continued to be so held in the following
reign. (fn. 69)
Ufton Court: South-west Front
There are no records of its history until 1396,
when Sir Thomas Ipre conveyed it to John Lord
Lovel, (fn. 70) describing it in this deed as the manor of
Pole in Ufton Robert and Ufton Richard. (fn. 71) Lord
Lovel died in 1408. (fn. 72) From his son John, who died
in 1414, it passed to his son and heir William Lord
Lovel. The latter, dying in 1455, left a son John,
who died in 1465. (fn. 73) His widow Joan died seised
in 1466, (fn. 74) his son Francis being then a minor.
The latter was attainted in
1485 after fighting at the
battle of Bosworth. (fn. 75) Around
his name clings a tragic legend.
Fleeing after the battle of
Stoke he was never heard of
again, and the discovery about
200 years later in a secret
chamber at Minster Lovell of
the skeleton of a man who had
evidently died seated at a small
table before some writing
materials gave rise to the theory
that Lord Lovel had taken
refuge there and been allowed to starve. (fn. 76) The forfeited
lands were granted in 1510 to Richard Weston, (fn. 77) who
died seised of them in 1541, leaving a widow Anne and
a grandson and heir Henry, then aged six. (fn. 78) In 1567
Henry Weston conveyed the manor to Richard Brunynge, (fn. 79) who was evidently acting for Elizabeth widow of
Richard Perkyns, (fn. 80) who had married Sir John Marvyn
as her second husband. (fn. 81) On her death in 1581 the
manor passed to her nephew Francis Perkyns, (fn. 82)
and from this date it follows the descent of Ufton
Robert (q.v.).
Lovel. Barry wavy or and gules.
Goring Priory (co. Oxon.) held lands in Ufton as
parcel of Sulham Nunhide Manor at the date of the
Dissolution. (fn. 83) The fisheries in this parish (see above)
were leased in 1542 to Ralph Yerle. (fn. 84)
CHURCH
The church of ST. PETER was
erected in 1862 and consists of a
chancel, north chapel (used as an organ
chamber), nave of three bays, west tower and south
porch. There are no remains of the earlier fabric
save some of the furniture and monuments. The
design is in the style of the 14th century and the
walling is of a dark grey ragstone interspersed with a
few pieces of ironstone with white stone dressings.
The tower has a tall octagonal shingled spire.
The altar table dates from the 17th century and
has carved legs and rails. The stone font is modern;
the other furniture is all modern except a plain 17th-century chest by the organ. An older font lies under
the yew tree in the churchyard.
In the north chapel are several ancient tombs, brasses
and gravestones. The most elaborate is an altar tomb
to Francis Perkyns, who died in January 1615–16,
and Anna his wife, who died in 1635; upon it are
their recumbent effigies, that of the man in halfarmour; the feet and hands are broken, as are also
the hands of the woman. In the front of the face
of the base are kneeling figures of their two sons, and
on either side of them is an oval cartouche with a
coat of arms, one of Perkyns, the other of Plowden.
The tomb is set in a modern recess with a pointed
arch; at the back is the inscription on a brass tablet.
To the eastward of it are the remains of the tomb
of an earlier member of the same family, Richard
Perkyns, lord of the manor of Ufton Robert in the
middle of the 16th century; this was erected by his
widow Elizabeth afterwards Lady Marvyn, but only
the stone jambs and head of a square inclosure remain,
the middle part or monument proper being missing.
In the jambs are fluted Corinthian capitals supporting
an enriched entablature, and in the middle of the
frieze are the intials R and EP joined by a lover's
knot. Over the west column are the Perkyns arms
with a crescent in chief, impaling two bars between
nine martlets; over the eastern column is the coat
with a label impaling a cheveron between three hunting horns. A small brass insciption in Latin affixed
to the east wall of the chapel commemorates Margaret
Perkyns, the wife of Francis Perkyns, who died in
1641; it seems that her exact age was unknown at
the time she died, and only the first numeral 5 is
engraved, but under the altar table is a black marble
slab to Francis Perkyns, who died in 1661, aged
seventy-nine, and at the foot of the slab a copy of
the Latin inscription on the brass is cut, wherein her
age appears as fifty-five.
On the floor are several slabs, one to Katherine
wife of Francis Perkyns and daughter of Augustus
Belson, who died in 1690, and others to members
of the same family. There is also a brass inscription
to Francis son of Henry Winchcombe of Bucklebury,
1686. In the tower is a brass to William Smith, who
died in 1627, aged seventy, and his wife Constantia,
daughter of George Tettersale, who died in 1610,
with their effigies. Over them is a shield with the
arms, a bend with three lozenges thereon between
two unicorns' heads razed, and above is a mantled
helm with the crest, a unicorn's head. The shield
over the man bears the same coat, and that over the
lady is charged with a cheveron between three tigers.
There are several other monuments of later date.
There are four bells, none of which bears the
founder's name or initials; the treble is inscribed
'Love the Lord, 1650' ; the second 'Feare God,
1650'; the third 'Love God, 1642'; and the
tenor 'Feare God, 1633.'
The communion plate includes a silver cup without
any mark, mentioned in an inventory of 1784, and
probably of 18th-century date, a chalice and paten of
1858, a standing paten of 1846, and a flagon of 1859.
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i)
baptisms 1636 to 1729, marriages 1637 to 1731
and burials 1636 to 1736; (ii) baptisms 1743 to
1812, marriages 1737 to 1753 and burials 1737 to
1812; (iii) marriages 1754 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
There were originally two churches
in Ufton. Of these the church of
St. Peter belonged to the manor of
Ufton Robert after 1222, in which year the Prior
of Sherborne quitclaimed the advowson to Robert
de Ufton in return for an acre of meadow in Westmead near the Kennet. (fn. 85) The advowson of St. John
Baptist in Ufton Richard was held from an early
period by the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, (fn. 86) the
earliest presentation recorded being in 1297. (fn. 87)
References to rectors of Ufton are found in the
13th-century charters of Reading Abbey, but the
earliest official record still existing of a presentation
to the church of Ufton Robert occurs in 1305. (fn. 88)
In 1434–5, by an arrangement between William
Perkyns, then lord of the manor of Ufton Robert, the
Bishop of Salisbury and the Prior of the Knights of
St. John, the two parishes were united. (fn. 89) It was
then decided that the church of Ufton Robert was
to be the parish church and the other a chapel
dependent on it. It was stipulated, however, that
Ufton Richard Church and burying-ground should
be kept decently and mass said there three times a
week by the rector of Ufton Robert and a yearly
pension of 8s. paid to the Hospitallers in London.
The church was assessed in 1535 at £11 2s. 8d. (fn. 90)
and the descent of the advowson follows that of the
manor of Ufton Robert. (fn. 91)
During the 16th and 17th centuries, however, the
Perkyns, being Roman Catholics, could not present.
Before 1721 the advowson became the property of
Oriel College, which holds it to the present day. (fn. 92)
It is curious to note that, although it was Ufton
Robert Church which remained parochial, it was
nevertheless the other parish, which ceased to exist
in 1434–5, which eventually gave its name to the
joint living, now known as the rectory of Ufton
Nervet. (fn. 93)
The land in Ufton on which the chapel of Ufton
Richard stood and the chapel building appear to
have passed later to Goring Priory. After the
Dissolution the manor of Sulham (Nunhide), lately
belonging to Goring, included among its appurtenances 'that parcel of meadow in Ufton, Berks.,
containing by estimation two acres lying and being
in a certain meade there called Westmead …
and also all that close called the Chappell close
and the Chappell thereupon standing.' (fn. 94) The
chapel, which stood in a churchyard near the Kennet,
was afterwards desecrated by conversion into two
cottages which were not pulled down until 1886;
the site is still marked by a fragment of the western
wall. (fn. 95)
James Fraser (1818–85), Bishop of Manchester,
was from 1860 to 1870 rector of Ufton, which came
in for a large share of his many charities. (fn. 96)
CHARITIES
In 1581 Dame Elizabeth Marvyn
gave, according to the table of benefactions, 10 bushels of wheat to be
made into bread, 12½ ells of canvas for shirts and
smocks and 12½ yards of narrow blue cloth for coats
and cassocks, to be annually distributed about the
middle of Lent. The owner of the Ufton estate
fixed the present equivalent of these articles to be
164 loaves, 14 yards of woollen cloth and 19 yards of
linen, which are distributed among the poor on the
Friday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent.
Fuel Allotment—By an Award dated 3 June
1805 (fn. 97) an allotment of 31 a. 2 r. 24 p. on Sulhamstead Common was acquired, the rent to be laid
out in purchasing fuel to be distributed amongst the
poor inhabitants of the parish legally settled and
resident therein, any part not let to be used as a
common of pasture or turbary. The land is let at
£10 a year.
The Rev. William Bishop, vicar of Ufton, by deed
dated 25 March 1846, gave £1,000 consols to trustees to pay the income to the rector for the maintenance of a school. In 1862 the stock was transferred to the Provost and scholars of Oriel College,
Oxford, by whom the dividends are remitted to the
rector and carried by him to the general account of
the school built by the Right Rev. James Fraser, D.D.,
Bishop of Manchester, being then the rector of this
parish.
The Provost and scholars of Oriel College also
hold a sum of £666 13s. 4d. London and NorthWestern Railway Company 3 per cent. Debenture
Stock, being the gift in 1884 by the aforesaid Bishop
of Manchester in trust that the dividends should be
paid to the rector of Ufton and applied by him in
distributing warm winter clothing among twenty poor
and respectable inhabitants of the parish not later than
the first day of December in each year. The distribution is made about the middle of November
yearly.