TINGEWICK
Tedinwiche (xi cent.); Tengewicha (xii cent.);
Tingewic, Tyngwyk (xiii–xvi cent.).
This parish covers nearly 2,178 acres, of which
1,215 are pasture, 530 arable, and 181 woods and
plantations. (fn. 1) The soil is principally gravelly loam
with the subsoil various. The general level of the
land is well over 300 ft. above the ordnance datum,
and reaches 392 ft. on the borders of Oxfordshire.
The land falls towards the north and east, where it
is liable to floods from the River Ouse and its tributaries.
The village lies along the road from Buckingham to
Deddington (Oxon.) and is of a fair size, the irregularly built houses standing on both sides of the High
Street. Several of the houses in the village are of the
17th century, and have thatched roofs. At the east
entrance to the village a lane leads north to the church,
which stands on a slight hill, with the rectory, built in
1854. to the north-west of the churchyard. Browne
Willis, the antiquary, writing in 1735, speaks of an
arched gateway leading to the rectory-house, conjectured by him to have been built by William of
Wykeham, and used by the Oxford scholars in times
of pestilence. (fn. 2) The rectory-house to which he
alludes may be identical with the one described in
a terrier dated 22 September 1607, during the incumbency of Erasmus Williams. (fn. 3) The house consisted of fifteen bays, ten tiled and five thatched, and
among the lands attached to it were Northam and
Stratford Howes Meadows, an orchard, two gardens,
and Bull Hook Meadow, which was charged with
keeping a bull for the use of the parishioners. (fn. 4)
Slightly to the north-east of the church is the
Manor Farm, lately the residence of Mr. H. Arnatt,
J.P., members of whose family were lessees under
New College for a considerable period. Sheahan,
about 1860, spoke of it as an ancient building with
a mullioned window of four lights in the east front. (fn. 5)
Tingewick House, the residence of Mr. G. Robarts,
is south of the High Street.
There is a Wesleyan chapel, built in 1863, and a
Congregational chapel, dating from 1875.
Little Tingewick, a settlement of a few houses on
the Oxfordshire border, is about three-quarters of a
mile west of the village on the Buckingham road,
which here passes over Sand Pit Hill.
In 1860–2 the remains of a Roman villa were found
in Stollidge Field, (fn. 6) about a quarter of a mile northeast of the village, and below Tingewick Mill.
The parish was inclosed under an Act of 1773,
which included the neighbouring parish of Radclive. (fn. 7)
The inhabitants of another adjacent parish, Preston
Bissett, put in a claim to right of common for sheep
and cattle on Preston Hill and Behind Wood in
Tingewick. (fn. 8) A similar claim on Tingewick Wild or
Common, a space of 500 acres, had been made in
the early years of the 18th century by the freeholders
of Preston Bissett. (fn. 9)
Manor
Ten hides in TINGEWICK, assessed
as a manor in 1086 among the lands of
the Bishop of Bayeux, had been held
before the Conquest by Alnod, a man of King Edward,
who could sell. (fn. 10) Ilbert de Laci, the bishop's undertenant in 1086, shortly afterwards bestowed the
manor on the abbey of the Holy Trinity on Mount
St. Catherine, above Rouen, (fn. 11) and an entry on the
Pipe Rolls for 1165 to the effect that 'Tengewicha
Abbotis' rendered account of half a mark (fn. 12) refers to
the abbey's tenancy. Thirty years later the abbot was
sued by William son of Gregory for land in Tingewick, (fn. 13) and in 1209 he received a quitclaim from
Gilbert de Finmere, who claimed to hold Tingewick
Manor of the abbey in fee farm, (fn. 14) a further renunciation of rights in 2 carucates of land taking place in
1224. (fn. 15) Ralf Dungun, who held the manor in
1254–5, (fn. 16) was probably lessee or bailiff of the abbot,
to whom John de Littlehill gave some lands in
Tingewick in 1268. (fn. 17) John de Walemond, keeper
of the manor in 1276, was fined £20 for the death
of Richard le Tailor, and the goods of the abbot seized
for that death were restored by the king. (fn. 18) Notwithstanding this pardon, the chests of the abbot at
Harmondsworth, a Middlesex manor, were broken
into and the deeds carried away. (fn. 19) The abbey of
the Holy Trinity had a cell at Harmondsworth, (fn. 20) and
the priors of that house are often returned as lords of
Tingewick Manor, (fn. 21) Richard, the prior in 1279, complaining that houses and lands in Tingewick, demised
to John his predecessor for nine years by Robert de
Gibervill, had been re-entered by the said Robert,
who broke the locks of the doors and carried away
the goods. (fn. 22) In 1291 the lands, rents, &c., of the
abbot in Tingewick were assessed at £14 10s. 6d.,
and the fruits, flocks and animals at £1. (fn. 23) The trees
on the estate were felled and carried away by malefactors in 1316, when the abbot's servants were also
assaulted. (fn. 24) Roger Sorel, procurator of the abbey of
the Holy Trinity, was in possession of the manor in
1340, when an extent was taken. There was then
a capital messuage with other hourses, old and in bad
condition, a garden, dovecote and a water-mill, (fn. 25)
which had been included in the valuation of 1291, (fn. 26)
and was perhaps identical with the building assessed
at 4s. in 1086. (fn. 27) In 1391 licence was obtained by
the abbey to alienate Tingewick Manor and other
possessions to William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, for the use of Winchester College, Oxford. (fn. 28)
Ever since that date the manorial rights of Tingewick
have been vested in the Warden and Fellows of New
College, as it was afterwards called. (fn. 29)
Church
The church of ST. MARY MAGDALENE consists of a chancel measuring
internally 30 ft. by 16 ft., nave 46 ft. by
18 ft., north aisle 8 ft. wide, south aisle, west tower
12 ft. by 11 ft. and a south porch.
The three eastern bays of the north arcade of the
nave are probably pierced in the wall of a 12thcentury church, the nave of which was lengthened
westwards and the north aisle added about 1200.
This aisle appears to have been considerably altered
and perhaps widened at a later period, possibly in the
17th century. The present chancel and west tower
were built in the late 15th century, and the south
aisle was added in 1830 and the south porch in 1867.
The walling is of rubble, and the roofs are covered with slate.
In the east wall of the chancel is a late 15th-century window of three cinquefoiled lights with vertical
tracery in a four-centred head. The two windows in
each side wall are square-headed and of two lights; the
western window on the north side is rather smaller
than the others and has tracery, while the eastern
window on the south side has its sill brought down
to form a sedile. In the normal position is a piscina
with a cinquefoiled head and projecting basin, contemporary, like the windows, with the 15th-century
rebuilding of the chancel. The chancel arch, which
is the whole width of the chancel, is four-centred
and of two chamfered orders springing from corbels.
Above it were formerly painted the arms of William and Mary.
The north arcade of the nave is of four bays, the
three eastern arches being round-headed, while the
westernmost arch is pointed; each is of a single
order with chamfered angles, and is inclosed by a
label with a serrated moulding on the underside.
The east respond has a small impost moulding, and
the angles are chamfered. The two eastern piers
are round, and have shallow bell capitals with square
moulded abaci truncated at the angles; both
originally had moulded bases, but that of the second
pier has been cut away. The third pier, which
probably marks the extent of the original nave, is
rectangular, and has a moulded abacus. The modern
south arcade has pointed arches supported by octagonal columns.
In the east wall of the north aisle, placed a little
to the south of the centre of the wall, is a pointed
window of two plain lights with a pierced spandrel
in the head. The position of the window suggests
that the aisle may have been widened, perhaps in
1634, the date inscribed on a stone now set in the
south wall of the modern south aisle, and probably
recording some repair or alteration to the fabric. The
easternmost window in the north wall is a single
light, with a round head inclosed by a roughly pointed
label; the window has been made up of fragments
from elsewhere, the jambs being of 12th-century
moulded stones. The window to the west of this
is formed in the pointed head of the blocked north
doorway. In the west wall is a window like that at
the north-east, but renewed externally. At the east
end of the aisle are traces of a former rood doorway.
The details of the south aisle are modern.
The 15th-century tower is of three stages, with
western diagonal buttresses, a vice turret at the southeast rising only to the intermediate stage, and an
embattled parapet. Below the parapet is a moulded
cornice, with plain gargoyles at the angles and a
grotesque boss in the centre of each face. The tower
arch is of two pointed and chamfered orders. In the
west wall of the ground stage is a pointed doorway
with an outer square inclosing order and unfinished spandrels; above it is a restored window of
two lights with tracery in a pointed head. At the
south-east is a pointed doorway opening to the vice.
The intermediate stage is lighted by a single cinquefoiled light in the south wall, and the bell-chamber
has pointed windows of two trefoiled lights on all four sides.
The font is modern. The altar table is of the late 16th century.
On the north wall of the chancel is an elaborate
brass, set in a frame of stone, to Erasmus Williams, a
former rector (d. 1608). Upon the brass is his halffigure with a design symbolical of his attainments in
music, painting, astronomy and geometry, and below
is an epitaph signed by 'R. Haydock.' On the same
wall is a monument to Anna, the wife of Thomas
Oldys, rector of the parish (d. 1696).
There is a ring of five bells and a sanctus bell:
the treble, fourth and sanctus are by Robert Atton,
and are dated 1627, 1623 and 1622 respectively;
the second is by Bartholomew Atton, 1591; the third
is of the 15th century, and is inscribed 'Nomen
Magdalene Campana Gerit Melodie'; and the tenor
is by Henry Bagley, 1721.
The plate consists of a silver chalice and flagon, a
silver paten inscribed E. O., and an electro-plated paten.
The registers begin in 1560.
Advowson
The church of Tingewick, valued
at £7 6s. 8d. in 1291, (fn. 30) and
£13 6s. 8d. in 1535, (fn. 31) has always
descended with the manor, (fn. 32) the patronage being now
vested in New College, Oxford.
Charities
Charles Longland, by his will proved
in the P.C.C., in 1688 directed his trustees to purchase a parcel of land
called Yard-land, containing about 4½a., the rent
thereof to be distributed among poor widows,
possessing certain qualifications. The land is let at
£7 12s. 6d. a year, which is distributed among about
twenty recipients.
Elizabeth North, by her will, date unknown, bequeathed £40, the trust of which is believed to have
been intended for poor maids. The legacy is now
represented by £40 11s. 2d. consols with the official
trustees, producing £1 a year, which is distributed equally among five poor people.
In 1751 the Rev. Francis Edmonds, a former
rector, by deed founded a charity for the education
and clothing of six boys and six girls. The endowment consists of a rent-charge of £15 issuing out of
lands in the town of Buckingham, which is applied for educational purposes.
The Poor's Plot consists of 22 a., awarded in 1775
for the use of the poor. The land is let in allotments, producing about £13 yearly, which is distributed in money gifts.