CHARLTON-ON-OTMOOR
The ancient parish consisted of 1,961 acres and was
roughly two miles wide and one mile long. In the
19th century Charlton civil parish had an area of 822
acres and the hamlets of Fencott and Murcott formed
a separate civil parish of 1,139 acres. (fn. 1) In 1932 Fencott and Murcott parish was enlarged to 3,333 acres,
when 2,194 acres of Otmoor were transferred from
Beckley. Thus the ecclesiastical parish of Charlton
(which still included Fencott and Murcott) was
increased to 4,155 acres. (fn. 2) Most of the northern
boundary of the ancient parish followed the River
Ray and one of its feeders; the southern boundary
skirted the northern edge of Otmoor. (fn. 3) The southern
part of the eastern boundary, along Boarstall Lane,
was also the county boundary between Oxfordshire
and Buckinghamshire. In the 18th century the
parish's circumference was said to be six miles. (fn. 4)
The major part of the ancient parish lies on the
Oxford Clay, though Charlton village, like the nearby Ambrosden and Merton, lies on a domed 'island'
of Cornbrash with the Forest Marble outcropping in
the centre. (fn. 5) The whole parish is low-lying, only
rising much above 200 feet above sea-level at Charlton village. The main arm of the River Ray runs
through the centre of the parish, between Charlton
and Fencott villages; part of the New River Ray,
dug in 1815 to drain Otmoor, runs parallel with the
parish's southern boundary. The Islip-Merton road
crosses the western part of the parish and has a
branch to Charlton village. A road skirting the edge
of Otmoor connects Oddington, Charlton, Fencott,
and Murcott. Between Charlton and Fencott this
road follows the line of the Church Way mentioned
in 1469, (fn. 6) and crosses the Ray by a three-arched
bridge built about 1820. (fn. 7) There was a bridge here
in 1483. (fn. 8) Between Fencott and Murcott the present
line of the road was defined by the Otmoor inclosure
award in 1815; a causeway connecting Fencott and
Murcott existed in the 15th century. (fn. 9) The Roman
road which crosses Otmoor passes to the west of
Fencott village and farther north gives its name to
Street Hill. Roman remains have been found just
south of Fencott. (fn. 10)
A branch of the former L.M.S. railway touches
the western end of the parish, but the nearest station
is at Islip three miles away. (fn. 11)
Charlton and its hamlets of Fencott and Murcott
He in the south of the parish, along the northern edge
of Otmoor. Charlton stands on a slight rocky eminence (223 ft.); its church at the western end is a landmark for the surrounding countryside, and a local
poem records how the tolling of the curfew, a custom
which is still kept up, saved a traveller lost on
Otmoor. (fn. 12)
The village, though never a very prosperous one,
was once more populated than it is now. (fn. 13) In the
17th century besides the Rectory there were 24
houses listed for the hearth tax of 1662 and in 1665
there were 16, of which 4 were substantial farm-houses
for which 4 or 3 hearths were returned. (fn. 14) Today
(1956) Charlton consists of one long street with a
loop on the north-west. Apart from the Rectory, the
village (fn. 15) never seems to have had any house of note
and there is no record of the existence of a manorhouse. (fn. 16) It is distinguished by its numerous small
farm-houses—ten in number. A large number of old
farm-houses and cottages, built of the local stone, have
survived: most of the houses are roofed with tiles or
Welsh slate, but owing to the skill of local thatchers,
thatch still predominates among the cottages. (fn. 17)
Among the 17th-century houses is Yew Tree
Farm, a two-storied rectangular house, with twolight casement windows with wooden lintels and
frames. There is a staircase projection at the back,
and a few old ceiling beams with fleur-de-lis stop
chamfers remain inside. The 'George and Dragon'
at the eastern end of the village is a two-storied
house with a stone dated 1691 on the north-east
gable. It originally consisted of one room up and
one down, but two more rooms have been added at
the back. It was here that the moor-men resolved to
form an Otmoor Association in 1830. (fn. 18) There seems
to have been much rebuilding in the 18th century:
Cumberland House has a stone inscribed with the
date 1708 and the initials s.c.e., and a two-storied
cottage is dated 1751. Indeed most of the surviving
ancient cottages probably date from that century or
the first quarter of the 19th century. The local antiquary Dunkin described the village dwellings in the
1820's as 'neat and commodious' and published a
contemporary drawing of the village street showing
the stocks near the church and the Crown Inn standing opposite. (fn. 19) Both the 'Crown' and the 'George
and Dragon' were known by those names in 1785,
but they were probably inns very much earlier. (fn. 20) An
innkeeper of Charlton is mentioned in 1618. (fn. 21)
The most imposing house in the village is the
Rectory, enlarged by the rector John Knipe in about
1805: (fn. 22) it is an L-shaped house of three stories. The
old Rectory, part of which still survives, was also in
its day a substantial 'gentleman's residence'. In
1634 it was described as 'the manor house of the
rectory'. (fn. 23) It then seems to have been a long building of two stories with a cock-loft over two of the
rooms. There were at least thirteen rooms, five of
which are said to have had chimneys. Several rooms
had boarded floors, wainscoted walls and plastered
ceilings. It was separated from the 'comon street' by
a walled garden and had another garden and orchard
to the south-east. The rector returned six hearths
for this house for the hearth tax of 1665. (fn. 24)
Knipe's new house is built of coursed rubble. It
has a pedimented porch on the north front; a high
wall separates it from the street. Dunkin thought it
a pleasant residence 'calculated to convey to posterity
the rector's superior taste and public spirit'. (fn. 25) After
the Second World War it was divided into two: the
older half serves as a Rectory and the newer half as
a private residence. (fn. 26)
Later 19th-century additions to the village were
the Baptist chapel, built in 1835; the school with a
schoolmistress's house, built in 1866; and the parish
room. (fn. 27) The last was a building adjoining the
Rectory, which was converted with the aid of a donation from the Revd. George Hayton, rector 1884–95.
Among the 20th-century additions are eighteen
council houses, fourteen of them built between 1945
and 1954, (fn. 28) a petrol-pump and motor mechanic's
shop. There have been some losses: the windmill,
which lay to the north-east of the village and was at
work about 40 years ago, has gone; (fn. 29) so has the Star
Inn, which went in the early 1920's. (fn. 30) But on the
whole there has been remarkably little change in the
appearance of the village since the early 19th century.
Fencott, a small straggling hamlet on the eastern
side of the Ray, lies less than a mile away from its
parent village. With its neighbour Murcott, over a
mile farther east, it has suffered much from floods.
Fifteenth-century court rolls frequently mention
overflowing ditches and flooded roads. (fn. 31) For the
hearth tax of 1665 three farm-houses returned two
hearths each. (fn. 32) Today Fencott's few farm-houses and
cottages are mostly built of local stone, and one, a
two-storied house with a gabled attic dormer, bears
the date 1737 and the initials TWE. Murcott hamlet
is rather larger than Fencott. Many of its cottages
are stone built and have thatched roofs, but most of
the small farm-houses were rebuilt in red brick or
variegated brick during the 19th century. A Methodist chapel was erected in 1845. (fn. 33) The 'Nut Tree' at
the east end of the hamlet is a one-storied inn with
attics and a thatched roof. There were three inns in
the hamlets in the mid-18th century, of which the
'Black Bull' in Fencott and the 'Marlake House' in
Murcott survived into the 20th century. Both had
closed by 1939. (fn. 34) The 'Marlake House' was near the
site of the house of that name shown on a 17thcentury map of the adjoining manor of Studley. (fn. 35)
The parish has only produced one 'worthy' of note:
Daniel Featley, the celebrated Anglican controversialist and preacher, was born at Charlton in
1582. (fn. 36) The village's other most distinguished residents are to be found among its rectors. (fn. 37)
At the time of the inclosure of Otmoor, it was
alleged that in 1830 two Charlton men led some of the
bands who, believing they had the law on their side,
broke down the fences, and that Charlton men
threatened to 'fetch' the Horton men if they did not
join them voluntarily. (fn. 38) Many of the villagers were
subsequently concerned in the events of St. Giles'
Fair day, and in the formation of the Otmoor
Association. (fn. 39)
Manor.
Before the Conquest Baldwin held freely
10 hides in CHARLTON; (fn. 40) in 1086 Roger d'Ivry
held them of Hugh de Grantmesnil, whose daughter
Adeline he had married. (fn. 41) With Hugh's consent
Adeline and her daughter Adelize granted the manor
to St. Évroul Abbey in Normandy. Between 1190 and
1204 (fn. 42) Robert, Earl of Leicester, son of Pernel, the
great-granddaughter of Hugh de Grantmesnil, (fn. 43) confirmed the grant. The overlordship of Charlton
descended to Margaret, sister and coheiress of
Robert Fitz Pernel, who married Saer de Quincy,
Earl of Winchester, (fn. 44) and to their son Roger. In
1242 10 marks a year from the revenues of Charlton
church were reserved to Roger, son of Earl Roger,
'so long as he should demean himself honestly as
a clerk, not take a wife, nor receive the habit of the
religous nor be endowed with any other ecclesiastical benefice'. (fn. 45) In 1279 the Earl of Leicester was
erroneously said to be overlord. (fn. 46) Earl Roger de
Quincy (d. 1264) left three daughters, one of whom,
Ela, had married Alan la Zouche (d. 1270). (fn. 47) The
overlordship then descended to their grandson Alan,
who died in 1314 leaving three daughters. (fn. 48) One of
them, Maud, married Robert de Holland, (fn. 49) and her
great-granddaughter Maud married Sir John Lovel,
second son of John, Lord Lovel of Titchmarsh, about
1372. (fn. 50) Charlton was included in the possessions of
Sir John's grandson William at his death in 1455, (fn. 51)
the last occasion on which the overlordship was
mentioned.
The alien priory of Ware, a cell of St. Évroul and
a foundation of Hugh de Grantmesnil, held Charlton
until it was suppressed in 1414. (fn. 52) The manor was
granted by Henry V to his new foundation at Sheen
(Surr.) in the following year, (fn. 53) and Sheen held it
until the Dissolution. (fn. 54) The Poure family (fn. 55) were
tenants of Charlton under Ware from the 12th to
the 15th century. Walter Poure, a brother of William
Poure of Oddington, was alive about 1175, and his
son Hugh granted his meadow of 'Le Dene' in
Charlton to Thame Abbey about 1190. (fn. 56) Hugh was
succeeded by his son John, who also held land at
Garford (Berks.), and his grandson Richard, who
held Charlton, (fn. 57) Garford, and Wendlebury in 1279.
Richard's son William had succeeded him by 1284.
He died in 1316 or 1317, leaving a son Richard, (fn. 58)
who was dead by 1338, when another William Poure
held Charlton. (fn. 59) William was succeeded by Sir Thomas Poure of Black Bourton, who was dead by 1398,
leaving as his heir a son Thomas. (fn. 60) Thomas died
a minor in 1407, (fn. 61) and was succeeded by his sister
Agnes, who married firstly William Winslow of
Ramsbury (Wilts.), who died in 1414, and secondly
Robert Andrew, who died in 1437. (fn. 62)
Sheen Priory was dissolved in 1539 and in 1552
Charlton manor was still in the king's hands. (fn. 63) In
1558 (fn. 64) and again in 1560 it was conveyed to groups
of London citizens as security for loans to Elizabeth I, who recovered it in 1562. (fn. 65) . In 1574 Charlton
manor was granted to Lord Cheney of Toddington, (fn. 66) at whose request it passed in 1575 to Sir John
Dudley and John Ayscough. (fn. 67) They sold it in the
following year to William Shillingford alias Izard, (fn. 68)
who died in 1589. The manor was granted by letters
patent to his son Edmund in 1612, (fn. 69) but it was
charged with so many legacies by him that his son
John was forced to mortgage it in 1668 to Mary
Hatton, widow of Sir Thomas Hatton. In 1671 she
claimed that she had lent John Shillingford £1,500
on the security of Charlton and half the manor and
rectory of Beckley. The money had not been repaid,
but Francis Hall of Noke claimed an earlier title to
the manor. John Shillingford, then a prisoner in the
Fleet, replied that there were numerous other
mortgages and securities and that he had been imprisoned just when he was about to make a good
marriage. Francis Hall had assigned a judgement for
£400 that he had received against Shillingford in
1670 to George Scudamore, (fn. 70) and in 1680 Hatton's
mortgage of Charlton was assigned to Hall and
Scudamore. The manor was afterwards sold to
Gregory Geering, who in 1688 sold it to John Pope
of East Ginge (Berks.). (fn. 71) In 1717 the latter gave it
to his son Gregory Pope.
In 1732 Gregory Pope's widow and son sold
Charlton to Thomas Cooper, who also secured from
Matthew Biggs, John Shillingford's heir, his reversionary interest in the estate. Cooper at once mortgaged the manor to John Coker of Bicester and finally
sold it in 1753 to Sir Edward Turner of Ambrosden, (fn. 72)
whose descendants remained lords of the manor until
1874. (fn. 73) The new lords owned very little land in Charlton, but they were still holding manorial courts there
in the 1820's. (fn. 74) Soon after the death of Sir Edward
Page-Turner in 1874, (fn. 75) the family lands in Charlton
were purchased by John Rowland, who was described
as lord of the manor in 1887. (fn. 76) Any claim to manorial rights seems to have lapsed after another sale
of the former Turner property in 1902. (fn. 77)
Lesser Estates.
Westminster Abbey held almost all the land in the hamlets of Fencott and
Murcott as part of its Islip manor. (fn. 78) The estate was
granted to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster in
1542, and save for the years 1556–60 when the abbey,
refounded by Queen Mary, was lord of the manor, (fn. 79)
it was held by them until the end of the 19th century.
The Ecclesiastical Commissioners were lords of the
manor in 1939. (fn. 80) Between 1786 and 1845 the estate
was leased to the Queen's College, Oxford, at a rent
of 7s. a year. (fn. 81)
On her deathbed, Adeline d'Ivry granted a hide
in Charlton to Abingdon Abbey. (fn. 82) In about 1180
Abbot Roger granted this land, which was in Fencott township, to William Turpin, camerarius
regis, in exchange for lands in Dumbleton
(Berks.): it was to be held for a quit-rent of 2s. (fn. 83)
About 1200 William granted the land to his son
Geoffrey, subject to the quit-rent, (fn. 84) and by 1218 it
had passed to Osbert Turpin, (fn. 85) who also held land
at North Moreton (Berks.). (fn. 86) About 1230 Osbert
sold the hide in Fencott to Godstow Abbey for
£176s. 8d., still subject to the 2s. quit-rent: Abingdon
Abbey confirmed the grant, but increased the quitrent to 5s. (fn. 87) The hide was held of Godstow in 1247
by John Bereworth (fn. 88) and in 1279 by John 'Berewike', (fn. 89) perhaps the same man or his son. In 1314
the tenant of Godstow was William de la Hide (fn. 90) and
in 1318 it was granted to Sir Richard Bere for a quitrent of 8s. a year and a casualty of 50s. for heriot and
relief. (fn. 91) Sir Richard, who appears to have been in
possession two years earlier, (fn. 92) was Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1318, (fn. 93) and the Ralph de la Bere said to hold
½ knight's fee in Fencott and Murcott in 1455 may
perhaps have been his descendant. (fn. 94) At the Dissolution the Fencott property yielded to Godstow
£1 17s. 4d. a year, and the abbey still paid the 5s.
quit-rent to Abingdon. (fn. 95) In 1553 the estate was
granted to George Owen, the king's physician, and
to William Martyn together with other Godstow
lands. (fn. 96) In 1645 it was being held in fee farm of the
Crown by Sir William Spencer and others for
£2 13s. 10d. a year. (fn. 97)
In the 13th century two virgates in Charlton were
granted to Catesby Priory (Northants) by Hugh
Russel and the grant was confirmed by Gilbert de
Hyda. (fn. 98) In 1283 Hugh son of Margery de Hynton
granted to the priory all the land in Charlton that
he had acquired from Hugh Russel for a rent of 2s.
a year, and agreed to pay a similar sum in settlement
of a rent granted to the priory by Nicholas de
Crevleton. (fn. 99) At the Dissolution the priory was
receiving 14s. a year in rents from Charlton. (fn. 100) In
1540 its lands were granted by Henry VIII to Sir
Michael Dormer, who in 1543 conveyed them to his
brother Peter Dormer of Shipton Lee (Bucks.). (fn. 101)
Economic History.
Early settlement of the
parish is unlikely since most of it lies either on the
Oxford Clay, which carried thick oak forest, or on
the alluvial deposits of Otmoor. (fn. 102) There is no evidence of Roman settlement, and the place-names
Charlton, the tun of the ceorls', and Fencott and
Murcott, both meaning 'cottages on marshy ground'.
are all of Anglo-Saxon origin. (fn. 103) In 1086 Roger d'Ivry's
estate in Charlton probably included the hamlets.
All the available arable, land for 15 ploughs, was
probably under cultivation, for Roger's tenants had
11 ploughs and there were 4 on the demesne. There
was meadow-land (4×2 furls.) and pasture (3×2
furls.), and a rise in the value of the estate from £8
to £10 since 1066 may indicate that woodland had
recently been cleared. The peasant population possibly numbered 32 families, for there were 15
villeins (villani), 11 bordars, and 6 serfs. (fn. 104)
The Hundred Rolls of 1279 show considerable
changes: in Charlton the Prior of Ware had 3 virgates in demesne, while under him Richard Poure
held 4 virgates for 6d. a year and another free tenant,
whose servants had to do 2 precaria in autumn on the
prior's demesne, held 1 virgate. Of the 26 villeins
on the manor 6 held half-virgates of Richard for
6s. 8d. a year. Under the prior 20 half-virgaters
paid 2s. 6d. and 6¾d. in lieu of works, 1 virgater paid
5s. and 1s. 2½d. and 2 cottagers paid 2s. 4½d. each. In
all there were about 22 virgates of arable land, each
consisting, in Charlton, of 30 customary acres. (fn. 105) In
1294 the 3 virgates of arable in the prior's demesne
were worth £1 2s. 6d. a year and his 15 acres of
meadow £1 10s. The whole demesne was then worth
£9 4s. 4d. a year, including 10s. for the common oven
and £2 6s. 8d. for the windmill. (fn. 106)
On the Abbot of Westminster's estates in Fencott
and Murcott, which formed part of his manor of
Islip, there were in 1279 27 half-virgaters rendering
2s. 6d. a year and 1s. in lieu of works. Five cottars
paid a total of 4s. 7d., and the only free tenant paid
11s. 8d. for a virgate and a quarter share of a cottage.
Of the Abbess of Godstow's lands in Fencott a free
tenant held 1 virgate for 8s. 4d. a year and 3 villeins
paying 5s. each held half a virgate. (fn. 107) Altogether about
20 virgates in the hamlets were cultivated by 2 free
tenants and 35 villeins and cottars. A total of 61
villeins and cottars in Charlton and its hamlets shows
that the population may perhaps have doubled since
1086, and a possible increase in the extent of arable
land is suggested by the mention about 1230 of a
'Newebreche' in Charlton. (fn. 108)
In the early 14th century Charlton was both more
populous and more prosperous than its hamlets.
Charlton's assessment for the 15th from 1334 onwards was £6 10s. 7d., the highest in Ploughley
hundred except Bicester, while the hamlets' joint
assessment was £5 7s. 2d. (fn. 109) The decrease in the
Prior of Ware's annual revenue from Charlton to
£5 0s. 6d. by 1324 is largely accounted for by the
leasing of the demesne. Week-works had already
been commuted by 1279, and a subsequent commutation of boon-works may be indicated by a slight
rise in rents of customary lands by 1324. (fn. 110) At the
Dissolution Charlton manor was worth £15 2s. 3d.
a year. (fn. 111) In 1551 there were 21 copyholders holding
some 14¼ virgates for rents which averaged 12s. a
virgate and which totalled £10 7s. 3½d. a year. The
demesnes, 4 virgates and 6 acres of meadow, (fn. 112) were
leased for £4 a year, and the mill and the common
bakehouse brought in 15s. There was very little
good timber available, for of about 350 trees on the
manor all but a few were 'dotterells', 'wranglinges',
and 'slyppes'. (fn. 113) In relative prosperity Charlton had
declined greatly in 200 years: its assessment for the
lay subsidy of 1523 was 10s. 6d., nearly the lowest in
Ploughley hundred, while Fencott and Murcott were
each to pay as much. (fn. 114) The reason for its decline
may well be that after 1300 further extension of
tillage was not possible save on to unrewarding
Otmoor. In fact the area under cultivation in 1551
was much the same as it had been in 1279.
In 1390 in Fencott and Murcott Westminster's
customary tenants were cultivating one more virgate
than in 1279. In 1390 there were 11 half-virgaters
and 1 tenant with 11 acres in Fencott, and 1 virgater,
18 half-virgaters, 5 cottagers, and 1 small freeholder
in Murcott. All the half-virgaters owed heriot,
merchet, and tallage. Most of them paid 4s. 6d. a
year, rents having risen through the 14th century,
and owed 3 days' autumn works and 2 boon-works,
while some of the cottagers owed a boon-work. (fn. 115)
Week-works had been commuted in the hamlets by
1279 and were not reimposed in the 14th century,
whereas in the parent manor of Islip they were
exacted till 1349. (fn. 116) The earlier commutation of works
in Fencott and Murcott may be accounted for by
the distance of the hamlets from Islip and the smallness of the demesne lands. (fn. 117) There is evidence that
in the late 14th and early 15th centuries the lord
was finding it difficult to enforce services in the
hamlets, and in 1433 all labour services were finally
commuted. (fn. 118)
The population of Fencott and Murcott may have
remained much the same between 1279 when there
were 35 half-virgaters and cottars and 1390 when
there were 36. The Black Death took a much lighter
toll than it did at Islip, and when holdings did fall
into the lord's hands they were quickly taken up
by new tenants. (fn. 119) A fall in population in the 15th
century, however, may be indicated by a decrease
in the number of tithings in the hamlets from 7 in
1387 to 5 in 1438. The flight of villeins is first mentioned in 1430, (fn. 120) and a number of customary tenants
abandoned their holdings after 1450. The lord's
grant in 1463 of a joint lease of their lands to all his
customary tenants failed to check the exodus from
the manor. (fn. 121) The number of tithings fell to 3 by
1482, one each for Fencott, Murcott, and Godstow's
lands. (fn. 122) This decline may have been partly caused
by the rise of some tenants from villein status and by
evasion of the system of frankpledge.
The acreage of arable at Fencott and Murcott
increased slightly between 1279 and 1540, for in the
latter year Godstow's estate in Fencott comprised
at least 6 virgates—compared with 4 at the earlier
date—held by 5 customary tenants. (fn. 123) Nevertheless
by 1523 the hamlets were among the poorest places
in the hundred. (fn. 124)
There were four open fields in Charlton in 1622 (fn. 125)
and these remained virtually unchanged until their
inclosure in 1858. The distribution of the glebe
arable in 1634 was: North Field 14 lands, Middle
Field 13 lands, Field next Fencott 17 lands, and
Field next Oddington 20 lands. (fn. 126) In 1844 the distribution in statute acres in the same fields was
10:9:11:12. (fn. 127) A belt of old inclosures, the Woodside
and Mansmoor Closes, occupied about 160 acres, a
fifth of the township; their shape suggests that they
had once been arable land. In 1622 they are called
the closes 'in North Field', and in 1634 the rector
held one (11 a.) 'in leewe of soe many acres in Northfield'. (fn. 128) The artificial appearance of Close Hedge
and Middle Fields on the map may be explained by
the drastic rearrangement of furlongs which must
have followed the inclosure, perhaps not long before
1622, of much of North Field. (fn. 129) It is likely that there
were originally only two fields, North and South. (fn. 130)
The lot meadows of Charlton lay in two groups—to
the east and west of the township. There were also
the Lammas lands.
It is uncertain how many open fields Fencott and
Murcott had originally. Campus vocatus Corneffeld
is mentioned in 1419 and 'le stubblefyld' in 1539.
But, also in 1419, there is a reference to Campi
bladales. (fn. 131) In the 15th century there were occasional
attempts by tenants to consolidate holdings, and
there are numerous references to Westcroft as a
close and to 'le lunge close'. (fn. 132) By 1844 there were
five open fields, but it is possible that there was only
a four-course rotation, the furlongs of the small
Fencott Field being worked in groups with the four
larger fields. A study of the field boundaries and
furlong names of 1844 rather suggests that the four
fields had once been three. The meadow and pasture
lands were nearly all beside the River Ray, and in
1844 the only inclosures of any size were four in the
Croft, about 33 acres in all. (fn. 133)
SKETCH MAP OF CHARLTON BEFORE THE INCLOSURE 1858
The above map is based on documents cited in the text, and the tithe and inclosure awars maps of 1844 and 1857 respectively
Whereas the land of Fencott and Murcott was
still predominantly held by copyholders at the
beginning of the 19th century, Charlton's land was
largely freehold. In the course of the 17th century
the Shillingford family had sold much of their lands
to their tenants: (fn. 134) the demesne lands which had been
leased in the late 16th century were a freehold estate
by the end of the 17th century. (fn. 135) Thirty Charlton
freeholders voted in the county election of 1754, (fn. 136)
and 27 received awards under the Otmoor inclosure
of 1815—though perhaps only a third of these was
then resident in Charlton. In Fencott and Murcott
in 1815 there were only 5 entirely freehold estates to
23 copyholds. (fn. 137)
A slight increase in prosperity in Charlton in the
late 16th and early 17th centuries may have been
the result of the rise of a few yeoman families; (fn. 138) in the
17th and 18th centuries the Alley or Leveret family,
the Kirbys, Coopers, and Priests were particularly
prominent in the life of the parish. They were already established in Charlton in the 16th century
and were still there in the 19th. (fn. 139)
To the cottagers and even to many of the parish's
small farmers their rights of common on Otmoor
were important. (fn. 140) The parish, like others, suffered
from the effects of the Napoleonic Wars. The burden
of the poor rates increased by about eight times between 1776 and 1815. (fn. 141) Distress was increased after
1815 by the inclosure of Otmoor, which deprived
the poorer cottagers of their livelihood and involved
many of the smaller farmers in losses. (fn. 142) By the award
of 1815, 214 acres were allotted to Charlton township and 266 acres to the hamlets; about 138 acres
of Otmoor adjoining these allotments were purchased by a few rich landowners. (fn. 143) Many of the
smaller proprietors out of the 59 to receive awards
were too poor to fence them and sold them, some
for as little as £5. (fn. 144) After the floods of 1829, nineteen farmers from the parish were among those who
cut the banks of the New River Ray and flooded
Otmoor to save their own lands. (fn. 145)
By 1830 the formation of larger farms in Charlton
had begun, and by 1844 out of 62 holdings, 6 were
of over 50 acres. (fn. 146) Oriel College had acquired about
140 acres by 1850, lands which the Alleys and
Coopers had once held. (fn. 147) In Fencott and Murcott
the small copyholder had virtually disappeared by
1849, when of 980 acres allotted under the inclosure
award five farms occupied about 700 acres. There
were ten small farms of between 15 and 50 acres and
only six smallholdings. (fn. 148) Evidently through the
poverty of the old tenants' families many small copyholds had fallen in to the lords of the manor in the
past quarter-century and had been granted to comparatively few new tenants. Charlton fields were
finally inclosed in 1858. A total of 585 acres was inclosed, the largest allotment (147 a.) going to Oriel
College. The amalgamation of estates was still going on: the three largest proprietors between them
held what had been eight separate holdings. Twentytwo proprietors received awards, fourteen of them
freeholders, but perhaps twice that number of cottagers got nothing. (fn. 149) Inclosure led to better drainage
and better cultivation. (fn. 150)
In the second half of the 19th century the number
of farms continued to decrease: there were 33
farmers in Charlton and the hamlets in 1864, and
17 in 1903. By 1887 John Rowland had become the
principal landowner, (fn. 151) and Oriel College, which
added some small purchases to its estate after 1850,
remained a prominent landowner until 1921–2 when
the college estates were sold. (fn. 152) In 1844 there had
been over 1,500 acres of arable land in the parish, (fn. 153)
but by 1914 the farms had gone over to dairying, a
change confirmed by the increased demand for milk
in the present century. By 1939 most of the land was
permanent grass and there were only two small
patches of arable left—one of them on and around
the Cornbrash 'island'. (fn. 154)
The population figures recorded in the census of
1676 and in 18th-century visitation returns are for
the parish as a whole, apparently, and so no precise
picture of the growth of each place can be obtained.
The hearth-tax returns of 1662, however, listed 24
householders in Charlton and 29 in the hamlets. (fn. 155)
In 1676 there were said to be 228 adults altogether. (fn. 156)
In 1738 it was estimated that there were 99 houses
and 450 persons including children, 'which are very
numerous', but later 18th-century estimates sometimes put the houses at 80. (fn. 157) The first official census
of 1801 gave the population as 478; it reached its
peak of 687 in 1861, and thereafter declined, particularly at Fencott and Murcott, and by 1901 the
figure was 464 for the whole parish. The trend continued in the 20th century, and in 1951 there were
424 inhabitants. (fn. 158)
SKETCH MAP OF FENCOTT AND MURCOTT BEFORE THE INCLOSURE 1849
The above map is based on documents cited in the text, and the tithe and inclosure awars maps of 1844 and 1857 respectively
In 1811 57 families out of 75 in Charlton and 55
out of 59 in Fencott and Murcott had been engaged
in agriculture. (fn. 159) There were about 20 tradesmen in
the parish in the 1850's. (fn. 160) Population declined in the
second half of the century; (fn. 161) inclosure and the adoption of a more economic system of husbandry no
doubt contributed to the decline, which, like inclosure, came later at Charlton than in the hamlets.
The traditional trades of the parish were closely
connected with agriculture, and the millers and innkeepers had often been farmers as well. Charlton
windmill is first mentioned in 1294, when it was
worth £2 6s. 8d. a year. (fn. 162) In 1551, however, it was
'cleane downe' and worth but 5s., though it had been
working as recently as 1545. (fn. 163) Fencott and Murcott
probably had their own mill up to the 16th century
at least. (fn. 164) In the early 19th century the Charlton
millers ran a meal and bakery business. (fn. 165) The mill
had ceased working by 1920. (fn. 166) Good barley can be
grown on the Cornbrash and the descent of a
maltster's business in Charlton can be traced from
1737 into the second half of the 19th century. (fn. 167)
There were stonemasons in the village into the 20th
century, but nothing is known of the later history of
a quarry of lapis vermiculatus noted by Plot in 1673. (fn. 168)
A brickworks using local clay was disused by 1876. (fn. 169)
Other village craftsmen in the mid-19th century
were carpenters, wheelwrights, blacksmiths, shoemakers and tailors, and in 1864 there were two
carriers. The number of tradesmen did not fall off
noticeably until the 20th century. A significant newcomer in 1903 was the 'threshing machine owner'. (fn. 170)
Church.
There was an 11th-century church at
Charlton: after the Conquest Hugh de Grantmesnil
granted the advowson with the tithes, 5 virgates of
land and a villein to the Benedictine monastery of
St. Évroul in Normandy. His grant was confirmed
by the king in 1081. (fn. 171) The abbey never appropriated
the church and it left the right of presentation in the
hands of the Prior of Ware. (fn. 172) This alien priory in
Hertfordshire did all St. Évroul's English business
and is consequently found in 1291 with a pension of
£2 from Charlton living. (fn. 173) From 1324 it was in
difficulties with its property, which was subsequently taken into the king's hands. In 1348, at the
queen's request, the king returned its advowsons on
payment of 100 marks. Thus, the prior was able to
present to Charlton in 1349. The presentation by the
king in 1351 is probably to be explained by the
prior's death from the plague, (fn. 174) and royal presentations between 1369 and 1451 by the wars with
France.
In 1398, after the confiscation of alien priories,
the king granted Charlton's advowson with licence
to appropriate the revenues to Henwood Nunnery
(Warws.). (fn. 175) The grant was made on condition that
the nunnery allowed suitable maintenance for a
priest and for the poor; although confirmed by
the pope, and by the king in 1403, (fn. 176) it never came
into effect. In 1405 (fn. 177) the king granted Ware Priory
with its lands and advowsons to the queen, and
she consequently presented to Charlton in 1406 and
1408.
In 1409 there is evidence that the Prioress of
Henwood did not abandon her claim without a
struggle. (fn. 178) A Walter Walkstede, clerk, then gave a
recognizance to the prioress to abide by an award
made in a dispute over the possession of Charlton.
However, the matter was settled in 1414, when the
king gave the advowson with the manor and the rest
of the possessions of Ware Priory to his new foundations at Sheen in Surrey. (fn. 179) In 1416 the Abbot of St.
Évroul begged Sheen for the return of his property,
and after years of struggle the abbey carried the case
in 1427 to the papal court, where it was defeated.
Sheen Priory retained the advowson and received
the pension formerly paid to Ware until its dissolution in 1539. (fn. 180) In 1535 the prior granted the
right of patronage and first voidance of the church
to William Parre and others. (fn. 181) In 1543 the king
granted the advowson, subject to the annual payment of £2, formerly due to Sheen and now to the
patron, to the agents of the Queen's College, Oxford. (fn. 182) The feoffees presented the Provest, William
Dennyson, in 1543; (fn. 183) he held the living until his
death in 1559. The next incumbent, Alan Scot, was
presented by the college and not by the surviving
feoffee. (fn. 184) The college still (1955) holds the advowson,
and the living is held with Wood Eaton.
The rectory was one of the richest in Bicester
deanery, valued at £13 6s. 8d. in 1254 (fn. 185) and at £20
in 1291. (fn. 186) By 1535 its net value was £21 9s. 4d., not
as great an increase in value as was usual. The benefice was charged with a pension of £2, payable first
to Ware Priory and then to Sheen Priory. (fn. 187)
The rectory was impoverished in the second half
of the 16th century by a lease for 81 years at £20 or
£30 a year, which Provost Scot of the Queen's College
and rector from 1559 to 1578 made to William Izard
of Beckley for £280. (fn. 188) Even at the time this lease
appears to have been injudicious—a later provost
said that Scot should have been hanged for it—and
rising prices made it increasingly so. It is probable
that attempts to break the lease were made as early as
1579, when a rector was paid £6 13s. 4d. by the
college 'ad prosecucionem circa rectoriam de Charlton'. (fn. 189) Finally in 1606 Provost Airay, then ViceChancellor, accepted the living in order to restore
the church's rights. (fn. 190) After failing to get the lessor to
accept an independent arbitration, Airay, supported
by the college, went to law. (fn. 191) The suit proved extremely costly, being heard intermittently from 1609
to 1615. (fn. 192) In the end it was ruled in the King's Bench
that the lease was invalid, (fn. 193) the decision being based
on a law of 1571, which declared such leases illegal
for more than 21 years. (fn. 194)
About this time the rectory was worth £200 a
year. (fn. 195) It was entitled to tithe from the whole parish,
except for 44 acres in Fencott and Murcott belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, and it
had 66 field acres of glebe. (fn. 196) In 1844 the tithe was
commuted for £603, (fn. 197) and in 1858 at the inclosure
award the rectory was allotted 49 statute acres in
four lots. (fn. 198) On the inclosure of Otmoor the rector
had received another 11 acres of glebe. (fn. 199) In 1956 no
glebe was left. (fn. 200) The parish was in Bicester deanery
until the 19th century, but by 1854 it had been
transferred to the new deanery of Islip. (fn. 201)
In spite of the richness of the living, the rectors
were not usually university graduates until after
Sheen Priory obtained the advowson. The priory
presented a series of distinguished academic rectors:
Master Robert Thwaites, Master of Balliol and a
former Chancellor of the University; (fn. 202) Thomas Key,
who was a canon of Lincoln; (fn. 203) and Master Martin
Joyner, once prominent in Oxford University, who
became Chancellor of Lincoln Cathedral in 1481. (fn. 204)
How much of their time, if any, these men spent in
the parish, it is impossible to say. The highly connected Master James Fitzjames, who was a canon of
St. Paul's and a pluralist, (fn. 205) was certainly non-resident
in the early 16th century and his church in consequence was somewhat neglected. It was reported in
about 1520 that the door of the chancel (ostium
concelli) was insufficient, the windows and sedilia
in both chancel and nave dilapidated, the Rectory
out of repair, and the cemetery not enclosed. (fn. 206)
In 1522, when a Fellow of Queen's became rector,
began the close connexion between Charlton and the
college. There were initial troubles, but on the whole
it had the beneficial result of the parish's having
rectors of more than average ability and often men
of considerable eminence, for example, Master Edward Hilton (1522–?) (fn. 207) and Provost Dennyson (see
above). Provost Scot, the first rector to be presented
by the college, though able, impoverished the living
by leasing the rectory on a long lease. By its terms no
more than a room in the parsonage house was reserved to the rector and £20 a year, or £30 if he
should serve the cure. (fn. 208) If he did not, the lessor was
to hire a curate. One rector, John Sheppard (1581–
1605), who resided with his family for part of the
year, condemned the lease as wholly detrimental to
the parish, particularly as the glebe was being alienated and exchanged on inclosure. (fn. 209) In the circumstances, though many contemporaries criticized
Provost Airay for the years of litigation, it is difficult
not to recognize the justice of the arguments advanced
in the Just and Necessary Apologie of Henry Airay
...touching his suite in law for the rectorie of Charleton. (fn. 210) It was argued that not only had a rich living
been bringing in only about a fifth of its value to the
rector, but that the needs of the parish, 'where there
are three villages and much people', were being
completely disregarded. The allowance of £30,
specified in the lease, had been insufficient to maintain 'any fit Minister' for the instruction of so many
people.
Unfortunately Thomas Garth (1615–43), who
reaped the financial reward of the recent years of
struggle, was at best an unsuccessful pastor. (fn. 211) In
1618 he was summoned before the church court on
various charges, one of which was clearly malicious,
and several of his parishioners were witnesses against
him. (fn. 212) One yeoman witness said he was 'exceedingly
negligent in the discharge of his cure here' and had
read no prayers in the church on fourteen Sundays
in the last year; another witness remembered occasions when there were no prayers except for twice
in the evening. It was also alleged that one of the
parishioners had brought a child to be christened,
but there being no minister had taken it to another
church, and all were said to be 'offended at being
disappointed of their prayers' and at the minister's
refusal to christen, church, and bury. On the other
hand, it was stated that once during morning prayers
the rector left the church in his surplice, to the
'admiration of all or most of the congregation', and
went from house to house to collect absent parishioners, among them the ale-house keeper. It seems
clear from this case and from the fact that Garth
leased the Rectory house that he was non-resident
and served the church from Oxford. His lease led
him into further trouble with the parish: in 1634 he
accused Allen Roberts, a husbandman of Fencott
and for many years the lessee of the rectory, of
neglecting to keep the house in repair. He described
it as gone 'to decaye, the outhouses quite ruined,
the gardens layde open and other edifices...
demolished'. (fn. 213) Two years later Garth was in prison
for a debt to another lessee of the rectory, who he
alleged had a 'pretended lease', and he petitioned
both the king and the archbishop on the matter. (fn. 214)
During the second half of the 17th century Charlton had two other distinguished rectors. One, Thomas
Lamplugh (c. 1658–85), was a future Bishop of Exeter
and Archbishop of York. (fn. 215) After 1664, when he became Principal of Alban Hall in Oxford, he seems to
have lived for a part of the year at the Rectory and
to have occupied himself with his charge. (fn. 216) Although
appointed to Charlton under the Commonwealth,
he survived the Restoration, having, as Wood puts
it, 'cringed' to the Presbyterians and then to the
Royalists. (fn. 217) He was succeeded in 1685 by Provost
Halton of the Queen's College, who spent 'near
£2,000' on rebuilding 'a noble parsonage' for his
own and the church's benefit. (fn. 218)
Eighteenth-century rectors were all Fellows of
Queen's and except for John Hill (1721–45) and
John Lowry (1753–84), who lived in the parish out
of term until 1768, did not reside. Some, however,
it may be noted, remembered the parish in their
wills, (fn. 219) and at least some kept a resident curate. One
curate, a Fellow of Queen's, at a salary of 40 guineas,
did good work in the 1730's. (fn. 220) He held two services
on Sundays, read daily prayers in Passion Week, and
administered the sacrament five times a year: his
zeal was reflected in the very fair number of communicants, 150 at Easter and 80 at other times. (fn. 221)
By 1759 the number had dropped to between 40 and
80, but attendance at church was considered good
and few persons of the 'lower rank' were reported
absent. (fn. 222) Towards the end of the century conditions
worsened. Elderly and sick non-resident rectors (fn. 223)
could do little for the parish, and curates were badly
paid. The number of communicants fell from about
40 in 1778 to between six and eight in 1805; (fn. 224) the
contrast with the figures in the early 18th century is
still sharper.
A change took place with the arrival of the energetic
John Knipe, a former chaplain to the British Embassy in Hamburg. (fn. 225) He found the people 'sunk into
a strange state of demoralization', but about 1823
he told the local historian Dunkin that he considered
them then 'as orderly and devout as any in the
county'. (fn. 226) He had not been afraid to fight the prevailing vice of drunkenness and to use his powers as
magistrate to prevent the renewal of the licence to
the local innkeeper, whom he considered unsuitable. (fn. 227) By 1830, however, he was over £2,000 in
debt as a result of rebuilding the Rectory and was
given two years' leave of absence by the bishop, on
condition that he hired a resident curate. (fn. 228)
The backward moral and spiritual state of the
parish caused general concern for the rest of the
century. It was unfortunate that for many years it
was without an able rector. Knipe never returned to
Charlton, and until his death in 1845 the parish was
in charge of a curate. He was followed by George
Riggs (1846–55), whom Bishop Wilberforce summed
up in the words 'inactive—drone—bee in a bottle'. (fn. 229)
It is therefore not surprising to find that congregations were small and had diminished since the
institution of two sermons, and that the bishop found
'no warmth or enthusiasm' when he confirmed at
Charlton in 1855. (fn. 230) Henry Gough, who became
rector in 1856, was so depressed by the lamentable
state of the parish with its 'drunkenness, indifference
and dissent', that he thought the institution of
monthly communions would be welcomed by none
and that the great majority of communicants would
be absent. (fn. 231) Thomas Falcon (1862–83) was the first
to make much impression. He was active, an excellent scholar, and he greatly improved the Rectory. (fn. 232)
He built the school (fn. 233) and doubled the numbers of his
congregations and communicants. Considering the
wide prevalence of nonconformity in the parish,
he thought that church members bore a fair proportion to the population. (fn. 234) The mission room built
at Murcott in about 1890 in his successor's time is
a witness to the increasing activity of the church. (fn. 235)
The church of ST. MARY THE VIRGIN is a
stone building, dating mainly from the 13th and 14th
centuries and comprising a chancel, clerestoried
nave, north and south aisles, western tower, and
south porch. (fn. 236) The 13th-century nave is separated
from the aisles by arcades of three arches. The
northern arcade has remains of contemporary painted
decoration on both arches and pillars. The three
windows with quatrefoil tracery on the north side
of the clerestory are probably of the same date. The
tower arch is a good example of early-13th-century
work. Also of the 13th century is the lower part of
the tower with a lancet window in the west wall, the
south aisle with its plain doorway and porch, and
the walls of the north aisle.
The church was extensively altered in the 14th
century. New windows were inserted in the north
aisle and on the west and south sides of the south
aisle. In both aisles traces of an altar and piscina are
to be found. An embattled upper story with crocketed
pinnacles at the angles was added to the tower. The
chancel was rebuilt towards the end of the 14th
century, perhaps by the rector John de Craneforde
(see below). The east window has four lights and
reticulated tracery; the three sedilia and piscina on
the south side are 14th-century as well as the plain
recess opposite, which was perhaps an Easter sepulchre. In the 15th or early 16th century a new window
was inserted in the south aisle, and the two-light
clerestory windows on the south side may be also
16th-century.
The church has been little restored. In 1757 the
roof was repaired, in 1771 a gallery was erected
(since removed), and in 1807 the roof was again
repaired. (fn. 237) In 1857 the roof and north wall, then in
a bad state, were restored (architect G. E. Street);
the flat plaster ceiling in the chancel, there in 1846,
may have been removed then, and the rafters of the
nave partially uncovered. (fn. 238) New seats and flooring
were also installed. (fn. 239) The tower was repaired in
1954, and in 1955 the church was reroofed and the
plaster ceiling of the nave was totally removed so as
to expose the medieval roof-timbers.
The chief glory of the church is the richly carved
rood-loft and screen, dating probably from the
beginning of the 16th century and thoroughly
restored in 1889. (fn. 240) The gallery (about 3 ft. wide)
rises from slender carved pillars and is supported by
intersecting ribs with elaborate tracery. The screen
is surmounted by a cross, which stands some 3 feet
high, and is decorated with box shrub and flowers on
1 May, the feast of the dedication of the church, and
again for the harvest festival. It is an immemorial
custom to carry it round the parish in a May-day
procession. (fn. 241)
There are some fragments of glass in the chancel
windows, including a medieval figure of the Virgin
and child, and a shield to Joseph Williamson of the
Queen's College in the east window. (fn. 242) There are
still some medieval tiles. (fn. 243) During the 1955 restoration some wall-paintings were uncovered on the
north and south walls of the nave.
The stone font is plain and round with a pyramidshaped cover of wood. (fn. 244) The 17th-century oak altar
rails are carved in the style of Grinling Gibbons, and
the pulpit of panelled oak is dated 1616.
In the chancel there are stone slabs to John de
Craneforde, rector (1369–?), with fleurie cross and
an indecipherable inscription, to Adam Airay, to
K. L. (Katherine Lamplugh), and Thomas Yates,
rector (d. 1721). There are a brass with the figure of
a priest in a cope to Thomas Key, rector (1467–75);
monuments to Adam Airay, rector (d. 1658);
Katherine (d. 1671), wife of Thomas Lamplugh,
rector; Robert Benn, rector (d. 1752); and tablets
to William Westcar (d. 1806); to John Knipe, rector
(d. 1845), and to George Riggs, rector (d. 1855). (fn. 245)
It is recorded in 1552 that the church owned among
other things one silver and one gilt chalice, and
there were four great bells and a sanctus bell. (fn. 246) The
plate now (1956) includes a large gilt chalice and
paten cover (1670) given by Thomas Lamplugh. (fn. 247)
The present tower has a ring of five bells, of which
two are 17th-century and two 18th-century. The
sanctus bell is dated 1793. (fn. 248)
The registers date from 1577. There are churchwardens' accounts from 1747.
In the churchyard are the pediment and shaft of
an early cross, raised on three steps. (fn. 249)
Nonconformity.
No record has been found
of Roman Catholicism.
No Protestant dissenters are recorded in the
Compton Census of 1676, although in 1668 the
rector, Thomas Lamplugh, had written that there
was scarcely a parish around Charlton which was not
infected by the sectarian influence from Bicester.
'Unless speedily suppressed', dissenters would grow
so numerous 'that I dread the event'. (fn. 250)
There is no further record of dissent until the
beginning of the 19th century, when both the
Baptists and the Methodists acquired a considerable
following. In 1802 the Methodists had a meetingplace at Fencott; there was no resident teacher, but
some 'low mechanic' was reported to come and
'arayne men', and sometimes the meetings were addressed by James Hinton, the well-known preacher
who was descended from a family long established
in Charlton, which had turned to dissent in the
mid-18th century. (fn. 251)
The Baptists opened their first meeting-house in
1810, (fn. 252) and the present stone chapel in the village
street was built in 1835; by 1851 the congregation
numbered 55. (fn. 253) The chapel is still in use and is a
member of the Oxford Fellowship. (fn. 254)
The Methodists registered a meeting-place in
Charlton in 1829 (fn. 255) and in 1840 a chapel was built.
The congregation was small, only about 30 in 1851,
and the chapel ceased being used towards the end
of the century. (fn. 256) In 1920 it was sold for £30 to the
rector for a club room. It is still standing, but now
unused. (fn. 257)
In 1829 a barn in Murcott and in 1834 a barn in
Fencott, the latter belonging to Thomas Wainwright, publican, were registered for worship. (fn. 258) In
1845 a Primitive Methodist chapel was built in
Murcott. (fn. 259) The trust deeds date from 1843, and the
trustees included a shoemaker and three Murcott
labourers. (fn. 260) This chapel, now Methodist, is in the
Oxford Circuit and has twenty members. (fn. 261)
With these three chapels, in the mid-19th century
Charlton was a nonconformist centre, and people
from other parishes, such as Oddington, used to
come there. Towards the end of the century there
was still a fairly large nonconformist community. (fn. 262)
Schools.
In 1759 it was reported that the rector
was teaching a few children reading and writing at
his own expense, but no further teaching is recorded
until 1815, when about fifteen children were taught
reading during the winter months, and when the
farmers were said to be too poor to pay for a school. (fn. 263)
There was no elementary school in 1819, (fn. 264) but by
1833 there were four day schools with 70 pupils in
all, paid for by their parents. (fn. 265) In 1854 the rector
reported that he supported two dame schools, but
that the parish was unwilling to pay for a proper
school: some farmers sent their sons to Dr. South's
School at Islip. (fn. 266)
The inclosure award of 1858 set aside a plot of
land for a school, (fn. 267) and in 1866 Charlton Parochial
School and a master's house were built, mainly at
the expense of the rector. (fn. 268) In 1871 there were 55
children attending, drawn from Fencott and Murcott
as well as Charlton. (fn. 269) Numbers had risen to 81 by
1889, and in 1892 an additional classroom was
built. (fn. 270) Occasional grants were received from the
National Society. The school had 133 pupils in
1906, (fn. 271) and in 1937, after its reorganization as a
junior school, 46. It became a controlled school in
1951, and had 60 pupils in 1954. (fn. 272)
Charities.
Alice Coales (d. 1616) left by her will
£1 for the poor of Charlton: of the annual interest
1s. 6d. was to be given to the poor, and 6d. to the
bellringers on Coronation Day. John Poole (d. 1688)
bequeathed £5, the interest on which was to be distributed to the poor on St. Thomas's Day.
By his will, of unknown date, William Halton,
Vicar of Probus (Cornw.) from 1679, (fn. 273) left £20 as a
poor stock. Thomas Lamplugh, Archbishop of York
and a former Rector of Charlton, by will dated 1691,
left £5 to the poor of Charlton. Dr. Thomas Yates,
Rector of Charlton, by will dated 1721 left £10, the
interest on which was to be distributed to the poor of
Charlton each Ascension Day. These bequests were
held as a poor stock of £41 until 1724, when £38 was
spent on the purchase of property, which later appears as three cottages. They were occupied rentfree by poor people until about 1810, when a rent of
£5 5s. was paid out of the poor rates. (fn. 274)
To the £3 left in 1724 was added £10 left by Dr.
Yates's widow, by a will dated 1746, and £10 left by
John Lowry, Rector of Charlton, by his will dated
1784. Of this £23 all but 10s.—which was unaccounted for—was spent on road repairs at some
time after 1786. In 1810 it was acknowledged that
the parish owed the poor £22 10s., and in the following year £3 10s. 7d. was paid for repairs to the cottages and £18 11s. 5d. was put to pay for the erection
of a coal-house for the poor—the parish paying
18s. 9d. interest each year to the charity funds.
Between 1811 and 1817 the rent of the cottages
and the interest on the £18 11s. 5d., together with
liberal contributions from the rector, John Knipe,
were used to supply the poor with cheap coal. Under
the Otmoor inclosure award of 1815 an allotment of
about ¾ acre was made to the poor of Charlton in
right of the cottages. The draining and fencing of
the allotment cost nearly £30, paid off by 1824, and
the funds were thereafter again used to provide
cheap coal. The allotment was let at £1 10s. a year. (fn. 275)
In the late 19th century there were four cottages,
and the rents paid into the fuel fund amounted to
about £8 a year. (fn. 276)
Besides their bequests to the poor of Charlton,
Archbishop Lamplugh left £5 and Dr. Yates, Mrs.
Yates, and John Lowry left £10 each to the poor of
Fencott and Murcott. Richard Phillips, by will dated
1781, bequeathed £3, and before 1786 further sums
of £10 and £7 10s. came from unknown donors. By
1824, however, £23 15s. had been lost. In 1818 an
acre of land on Otmoor costing £60 was bought and
later paid for out of the charity money. The acre
was let at £2 10s. a year, which was spent on coal for
the poor at Christmas. (fn. 277)
George Hayton, rector 1884–95, is said to have
augmented the parish charities. By 1954 the poor's
cottages were under a demolition order. The poor's
field was let annually by auction at the parish meeting. The annual income of all the charities, now
united as 'the charity of Hayton and others', was
about £10, which was distributed from time to time
at the discretion of the trustees. (fn. 278)