DRAYCOT FOLIAT
The ancient parish of Draycot Foliat lies 1 mile
from Chiseldon village immediately below the scarp
of the Marlborough Downs, and is surrounded on
the east, north, and west by the modern civil parish
of Chiseldon. (fn. 1) The parish was estimated at 706 a. in
1887 and at that time measured 2 miles in length and
¾ mile in width. In 1894 the whole parish became
part of the civil parish of Chiseldon. (fn. 2) It was known
by 1309 as Draycot Foliat, (fn. 3) because of its connexions
with the Foliot family, who held the manor in the
later 13th century. (fn. 4)
Draycot Foliat lies entirely on the Lower Chalk
Terrace (fn. 5) at a height varying between 550 and 575 ft.
and presents an open and treeless landscape. The
soil is on the whole free from flints, while fairly
rapid drainage renders it suitable for arable farming. (fn. 6)
In the 19th century the land was mainly under
arable cultivation, (fn. 7) but in 1967 there was a considerable amount of pasture. (fn. 8) A large bowl barrow
lies within the south-west corner of the ancient
parish north of Gipsy Lane. (fn. 9)
A settlement at Draycot apparently flourished in
the early 14th century when 12 customary tenants
and their families inhabited the parish. (fn. 10) Only a
minimal contribution was made to the 15th of 1334
compared with other parishes in Kingsbridge
hundred, as then constituted. (fn. 11) There were 47 polltax payers in 1377. (fn. 12) In 1523 seven people were
able to contribute to the royal loan of that year, (fn. 13)
while only two were assessed for the Benevolence of
1545. (fn. 14) It is probable that the community had
decayed considerably by the 16th century when the
church was ruinous. (fn. 15) There were 38 inhabitants in
1801. Thereafter the number of those living in
Draycot fluctuated and at the time of the transfer to
Chiseldon in 1894 forty people lived there. (fn. 16)
The ancient track known as the Ridge Way
transects the parish diagonally from north-east to
south-west. The southern boundary of Draycot
Foliat is formed by Gipsy Lane, which runs westwards to Burderop Down. From the Ridge Way
southwards to Gipsy Lane the eastern boundary of
the ancient parish is formed by the secondary road
which runs from Chiseldon to Ogbourne St. George.
In 1967 the site of the former village was marked
by a few buildings grouped round a lane which
followed a semi-circular course to the west of the
road from Chiseldon to Ogbourne St. George. The
church stood to the north of this lane. Existing
buildings include the farm-houses of Sheppard's
Farm and Draycot Farm. The former is a stone
building, probably of 17th-century origin with later
alterations. The latter is a more pretentious house
with a symmetrical brick front of the earlier 18th
century; several windows have been blocked or
altered, but the central doorway, flanked by columns
and surmounted by a scrolled pediment, survives.
In 1967 it was possible to detect, from air photographs, house-sites of the former village on either
side of a short length of disused trackway running
north-eastwards from the bend in the present lane
towards the road from Chiseldon to Ogbourne. (fn. 17)
In 1634 John Evered alias Webb of Draycot Foliat
emigrated to America and in 1659 was granted a
substantial holding on the north bank of the Merrimack river. This settlement became known as
Draycot (later Dracut, Mass.), and gave its name in
American geology to Dracut Diorite. (fn. 18)
Manor and Other Estates.
Before the
Conquest Levenot held an estate at Draycot. (fn. 19) By the
time of the Domesday Survey this estate had passed
to Miles Crispin (fn. 20) together with other estates in Wiltshire held T.R.E. by Levenot. (fn. 21) Miles Crispin later
acquired the honor of Wallingford, as has been
explained elsewhere, (fn. 22) and Draycot was apparently
held of Wallingford from this time, although the first
mention found of it as a fee of the honor does not
occur until 1235–6. (fn. 23) The overlordship is last mentioned in 1477 when the manor was still parcel of
the honor. (fn. 24)
In 1086 Reynold, possibly the son of Croc the
huntsman, (fn. 25) held an estate at Draycot of Miles
Crispin. (fn. 26) Reynold's heirs were his two daughters, (fn. 27)
one of whom may have been the Maud of Chilton,
who held unspecified lands at Draycot in 1194. (fn. 28)
Before 1207 Hawise, wife of Walter Brito, granted to
her nephew by marriage, Walter Croke, 2½ hides in
Draycot. (fn. 29) By 1214 Walter Croke, possibly a collateral descendant of Croc the huntsman, (fn. 30) held land
there assessed at 2 knights' fees, (fn. 31) an estate which
may be identifiable with Reynold's Domesday
holding. Walter Croke became a monk in c. 1219–
1220. (fn. 32) Before then he subinfeudated the manor to
Henry Foliot (see below), but he was succeeded as
mesne lord by his brother Thomas. (fn. 33) In 1241
Thomas had been succeeded as mesne lord in the
manor of DRAYCOT by his nephew Henry, (fn. 34) the
son of his brother Humphrey, who had renounced
his rights in the estate. (fn. 35) Henry still held Draycot
in 1275. (fn. 36) He died at an unknown date and was succeeded by his son Reynold (II) Croke, who died in
1297. (fn. 37) Reynold (II) was succeeded by his son and
heir Richard, who died in 1310. (fn. 38) Richard's heir
was his son Reynold (III) Croke, (fn. 39) who died
apparently before 1350, by which date he had been
succeeded by his son John. (fn. 40) Hereafter the descent
of the mesne lordship is obscure but it seems likely
that John Croke was succeeded at an unknown date
by his cousin Nicholas, the grandson of Reynold
(III) Croke's sister Alice. (fn. 41) Nicholas probably
adopted the surname of Croke and at some date was
succeeded by his son Nicholas (II) Croke. (fn. 42)
Nicholas (II)'s heir was his son Robert Croke who
had succeeded as mesne lord by 1412. (fn. 43) By 1428 the
Croke family had ceased to hold the mesne lordship
(see below).
In 1214 Walter Croke subinfeudated to Henry
Foliot all his lands in Draycot. (fn. 44) By 1235–6 Henry
had been succeeded in the estate by his son Sampson
Foliot, (fn. 45) who, in 1242–3, held 1½ knight's fee of
Henry Croke. (fn. 46) Sampson still held the manor in
1274. (fn. 47) He was pardoned for the murder of his son
Roger in 1281. (fn. 48) The manor had passed by 1284–5,
whether by forfeiture or by inheritance is not known,
to Henry Tyeys the elder (d. 1308). (fn. 49) He was succeeded by his son Henry the younger, who assigned
the manor to his mother Hawise, who then released
Draycot to her son in return for a yearly payment. (fn. 50)
Henry the younger was beheaded in 1321 (fn. 51) and the
manor was forfeit to the Crown. (fn. 52) Hawise survived
her son only a short time and at an unknown date
the manor was restored to her daughter Alice, wife
of Warin de Lisle and sister and heir of Henry
Tyeys the younger. (fn. 53) Alice de Lisle was seised of
Draycot in 1336. (fn. 54) The date of Alice's death is unknown. Her heir was her son Gerard de Lisle (d.
1360), (fn. 55) who was succeeded by his son Warin (II)
de Lisle (d. 1381). (fn. 56) Warin (II)'s son and heir Gerard
(II) de Lisle predeceased his father, but before his
death had married Anne de Pole in 1373. (fn. 57) In
accordance with the marriage settlement Anne had
a life estate in Draycot manor on the death of her
husband. (fn. 58) Warin (II)'s next heir was his daughter
Margaret, wife of Thomas, Lord Berkeley, (fn. 59) and the
reversion of the manor was confirmed to her and her
husband in 1383–4. (fn. 60) Margaret predeceased her
sister-in-law Anne in 1392 (fn. 61) and on Anne de
Lisle's death in 1412 (fn. 62) the estate passed to Thomas,
Lord Berkeley (d. c. 1417). (fn. 63) Thomas's heir was his
daughter Elizabeth, wife of Richard Beauchamp,
Earl of Warwick (d. 1439). (fn. 64) Elizabeth died in 1422,
leaving three daughters, (fn. 65) and was succeeded by her
husband Richard Beauchamp who held Draycot for
life immediately of the honor of Wallingford in
1428. (fn. 66) Beauchamp died in 1439 and his coheirs
in lands previously held by his first wife Elizabeth
were his daughters, Margaret, Countess of Shrewsbury (d. 1467), Elizabeth, Lady Latimer (d. c. 1480),
and Eleanor, successively Lady Ros and Duchess of
Somerset. (fn. 67) Draycot was apparently allotted to the
second daughter, Eleanor, who died seised of it in
1467. (fn. 68) On the death of Eleanor, Duchess of Somerset, it is probable that the manor escheated to the
Crown, since Eleanor's son and heir, Thomas, Lord
Ros (d. 1464), had been attainted in 1461. (fn. 69) Thomas,
Lord Ros's heir was his son Edmund (fn. 70) but his
father's attainder was not immediately reversed in
Edmund's favour. At an unknown date after
Eleanor's death the Crown appears to have made a
grant of the manor, possibly for life, to William
Yorke.
William Yorke held directly of the honor of
Wallingford. (fn. 71) It is possible that William Yorke had
previously held some form of life interest in the
manor, an interest probably inherited from his
father-in-law, Nicholas Wootton. (fn. 72) William Yorke
died seised of the manor in 1477 (fn. 73) and Draycot
Foliat seems to have reverted to the Crown, since
William Yorke's son and heir John, although
possessed of land in the parish in 1513, did not hold
the manor. (fn. 74) In 1485 the attainder of Thomas, Lord
Ros, was reversed in favour of his son Edmund, a
lunatic. Edmund, Lord Ros (d. 1508), and his lands,
which were now to remain with the Crown during
pleasure, were placed in the custody of Sir Thomas
Lovel. (fn. 75) In 1509 Joan St. Lawrence, Lady Howth
(d. 1518), the daughter of Eleanor, Duchess of
Somerset, received a Crown grant for life of the
manor of Draycot Foliat. (fn. 76) The Crown in 1553
made a grant of the manor to Edmund Mordaunt
and Edward Langley. (fn. 77) In the earlier 16th century
the manor of Draycot Foliat formed part of a parcel
of estates known as the 'coparceners' lands'. (fn. 78) The
coparceners were probably the four daughters of
Thomas, Lord Ros (see above), of whom only one,
Eleanor, wife of Robert Manners of Etal (Northumb.), left issue. (fn. 79) In 1563 her great-grandson,
Henry Manners, Earl of Rutland (d. 1563), successfully vindicated his claim to Draycot Foliat. (fn. 80)
Previously in 1556–7 Henry, Earl of Rutland and
his wife had conveyed the manor to Thomas Bowtell
and in 1563 this grant was confirmed. (fn. 81) In 1564–5
Thomas Bowtell and his wife granted the manor of
Draycot Foliat to Thomas Chaddington. (fn. 82) Thomas
Bowtell possibly retained an interest in the manor,
however, since in 1572 he was associated with
Thomas Chaddington and his wife in a mortgage of
the manor to William Bowerman and others. (fn. 83)
In 1572 William Read (d. 1593) had a leasehold
interest for a term of 21 years in the manor of
Draycot Foliat (fn. 84) and it is possible that either he or
his son Edward acquired the freehold of the estate
in the later 16th century. In the early 17th century
Edward Read broke up the manor into various
smaller estates (see below). (fn. 85) What may represent
the remnant of the earlier manor was held in 1670
by Thomas Richmond alias Webb, (fn. 86) whose family
had held a lease of the manor as early as 1528. (fn. 87) In
1692 the estate was held by Mary Richmond alias
Webb, the widow of Thomas. (fn. 88) The descent has
not been traced further, but it is probable that this
estate became the property of the Ewen family by
the early 18th century. In 1773 Michael Ewen of
Marlborough, great-nephew of John Ewen (d. c.
1705), gave his paternal estate at Draycot, including
that once held by John Phelps, to his cousin Samuel
Hawkes. Samuel Hawkes's co-heirs were his
daughters, one of whom was the wife of John Ward of
Marlborough. John Ward purchased his sister-inlaw's moiety and thus reunited the estate, said to
represent the manor, once held by Ewen. (fn. 89) Michael
Foster Ward, the grandson of John Ward, owned the
estate, then augmented by the addition of Jefferies'
Farm (fn. 90) and reckoned at 577 a., in 1867, in which
year he conveyed it to Henry Calley of Burderop
Park. (fn. 91)
Several smaller estates existed within Draycot in
the Middle Ages. In the later 12th or early 13th
century Walter (III) Croke granted his brother
Humphrey 2½ hides in Draycot. (fn. 92) Before 1207
Humphrey Croke conveyed 4 a. in Draycot to
Bradenstoke Priory. (fn. 93) At an unknown date Prior
Simeon (1215–41) leased these 4 a. to Hugh of
Ogbourne for a yearly rent of 2s. (fn. 94) and Prior Geoffrey
(1261–85) leased the same land to Roger Styne for
the same rent. (fn. 95) The land was leased again to an
unknown person in 1365. (fn. 96)
Before 1308 Henry Tyeys the elder granted land
in Draycot to Roger Styne. (fn. 97) Also before this date
Roger Styne died, leaving a widow Gillian and an
idiot son John. (fn. 98) His lands escheated to the Crown
and in 1308 two thirds of the estate were granted in
custody to Ralph de Sharpenham, (fn. 99) while the remaining third was allotted to Gillian in dower. (fn. 100)
In 1309 John Styne's lands were reckoned at 60 a.
and his heir was Ralph Styne, his father Roger's
brother. (fn. 101) In 1311 Ralph de Sharpenham established
his right to two thirds of an estate in Draycot over
Robert Styne, to be identified with Ralph Styne,
who also acknowledged Sharpenham's right to the
reversion of the third held by Gillian Styne in
dower. (fn. 102) In 1322 Ralph de Sharpenham was still
accounting to the Crown for this small estate. (fn. 103)
In the 15th century there was a small estate, later
known as DRAYCOT YORKE, within the parish.
This may have originated in a grant of 1417 by
Robert Croke to Nicholas Wootton of a toft and croft
in Draycot known as 'Bacon's'. (fn. 104) By 1509 Nicholas
Wotton's grandson, John Yorke (d. 1513), had
acquired a capital messuage there which he held of
the Abbot of Hyde, and of which he died seised. (fn. 105)
Before his death, however, John Yorke had enfeoffed his son and heir, Thomas, of an estate in the
land in 1509. (fn. 106) Since Thomas Yorke held no land
in Draycot at his death in 1542, (fn. 107) it is probable that
he had alienated the estate by this date and its
descent is obscure until 1614 when Edward Read,
his daughter Elizabeth, and son-in-law William
Huntly, sold a capital messuage and farm in Draycot
Foliat alias Yorke, Chiseldon, Wanborough, and
Swindon to Thomas Buckeridge. (fn. 108) In 1626 Thomas
Buckeridge settled the estate on his son Anthony,
and daughter-in-law, Constance. (fn. 109) Anthony and
Constance Buckeridge reconveyed the estate to
Thomas Buckeridge and his son Arthur, Anthony's
brother, in 1648 and in the same year Thomas and
Arthur Buckeridge sold it to Edmund Fettiplace. (fn. 110)
At an unknown date Edmund Fettiplace sold the
estate to Roger Ewen, who was the owner of Draycot Farm, as it was then known, by 1663. (fn. 111) Roger
Ewen had been succeeded there by his brother John
by 1693 (fn. 112) and before his death in 1705, John Ewen
devised his land in Draycot Foliat to his nephew
Roger, son of his brother Thomas. (fn. 113) The descent
thereafter is obscure until 1746–7 when Ambrose
Goddard settled the estate on his daughter, Mary and
her husband, Thomas Vilett. (fn. 114) By 1816 Thomas
Neale had acquired the estate and retained it in
1843. (fn. 115) By 1845 the estate, which lay partly in
Draycot and partly in Chiseldon, was owned by
Henry Sheppard. (fn. 116)
In 1534 Thomas Yorke leased to Thomas
Richmond alias Webb and Joan his wife, together
with other members of the same family, Yorke's
Farm, which comprised land in both Draycot and
Chiseldon. (fn. 117) In 1572 Joan Richmond alias Webb
was still possessed of Yorke's Farm by virtue of the
lease made to her husband Thomas, (fn. 118) and succeeded
in vindicating her right in the estate against her sons
Robert and Nicholas in 1574. (fn. 119) In 1601 Edward
Read, who at some date had acquired the freehold of
the estate, leased what may be identified as Yorke's
Farm to Thomas Buckeridge, to whom he later conveyed the freehold interest (see above). (fn. 120) After
acquiring the freehold estate Thomas Buckeridge
leased the estate to his son Arthur in 1626. (fn. 121)
At a date before 1616 Edward Read and others sold
specified lands once part of the manor of Draycot
Foliat to Noah Evered alias Webb the elder. (fn. 122) The
estate lay in the northern half of the parish of Draycot Foliat above the Ridge Way. (fn. 123) In 1616 Noah
Evered alias Webb granted a moiety of his estate
to his son John, (fn. 124) and before his death in 1641 he
had assigned the other moiety to his son Stephen
(d. c. 1667). (fn. 125) No more is known of Stephen's
moiety, but that conveyed to John Evered alias
Webb the elder passed to his son and heir John
the younger, from whom it passed to Stephen
Evered alias Webb, eldest son of John the younger. (fn. 126)
By 1698 the moiety was held by Mary Webb (d.
1706), (fn. 127) possibly either the mother or wife of Stephen
Evered alias Webb, and her son Daniel (d. c. 1714). (fn. 128)
In that year they conveyed their moiety to Noah
Evered alias Webb of Marlborough. (fn. 129) At an unknown date Noah Evered alias Webb sold the moiety
to John Phelps alias Bromham. (fn. 130) Phelps's heirs
were his daughters Hester and Anne, who married
Thomas Jones and Edmund Chapp respectively,
and in 1754 they conveyed their lands to Prince
Sutton. (fn. 131) The descent is obscure until 1843 when
George and Jemima Jefferies, whose family had
earlier leased the farm (see below), (fn. 132) held the estate,
reckoned at 280 a., which covered the entire parish
north of the Ridge Way, (fn. 133) and it seems likely that
by this date the moieties of the 17th-century estate
may have been reunited. In 1849 it was ordered that
George Jefferies's estate, made up of two undivided
third shares, should be sold. (fn. 134) It is likely that this
land was acquired by Michael Foster Ward and
formed part of the estate which he sold to Henry
Calley in 1867. (fn. 135)
Economic History.
In the time of King
Edward Draycot paid geld for 10 hides. In 1086 there
was sufficient land to support 6 ploughs. At this time
there were two ploughs and a serf on the 5 hides
held in demesne, while the remaining hides supported 3 ploughs with 4 villeins and 7 bordars. At
the time of the Domesday Survey there were 40 a.
of pasture and 18 a. of meadow. The land was
worth £5 T.R.E. and in 1086. (fn. 136)
In 1307 the manor of Draycot had 100 a. of arable
land in demesne, valued at 4d. an acre, and 6 a. of
meadow land, worth 1s. an acre. As in 1086 there
were 12 tenants on the manor. Of these 8 customers
paid 10s. yearly, while 4 cottars paid 3s. yearly. The
manor was estimated to be worth £6 12s. at this
date. (fn. 137) In 1322 the manor was worth £7 12s. 4½d., a
total which included a sum of £5 14s. 9d. in assessed
rents. (fn. 138)
The parish of Draycot Foliat lies entirely on the
Lower Chalk Terrace, an area of heavy but easilydrained soil. (fn. 139) The sheep-and-corn husbandry
typical of this region was employed within the
parish until fairly recent times. In 1327 the lands
of the Styne family, administered in the early 14th
century by Ralph de Sharpenham, supported 250
sheep. (fn. 140) This estate also had 32 a. under corn,
valued at 3s. an acre, and 13 a. under barley, valued
at 2s. an acre in 1322. (fn. 141) Sheep were still reared in
Draycot Foliat in the 17th century. In 1683 there
were 410 sheep on Draycot (later Sheppard's)
Farm, (fn. 142) while at some date between 1696 and 1699
the same farm supported 200 sheep and during this
time 90 lambs a year were produced. (fn. 143) During these
years John Ewen claimed to have produced and sold
268 fleeces on Draycot Farm and King's Farm. (fn. 144)
In 1843 there were 605 a. of arable land, 76 a. of
meadow land and pasture land as well as 2 a. of
woodland in the parish subject to tithe. (fn. 145) There were
then 3 farms, (fn. 146) all of which may be identified with
earlier estates in Draycot. An arable farm of 280 a.,
owned by George Jefferies, (fn. 147) lay between the northern boundary of the parish and the Ridge Way
and included several large arable fields known as
Broad Field, Lower Field, West Field, and House
Field. (fn. 148) Thomas Neale's farm, (fn. 149) 113 a. of which lay
in Draycot and the rest in Chiseldon, was situated
in the south-east corner of the parish and mainly
consisted of a large parcel of arable land estimated
at 98 a. and called the Great Field. (fn. 150) The third farm,
formerly owned by John Ward, (fn. 151) was made up of
295 a. of chiefly arable land, which included King's
Field, Honey Down, Bourn Mead, and Coppice
Field. (fn. 152) In 1849 George Jefferies's farm was offered
for sale (fn. 153) and probably at this date was acquired by
the trustees of John Ward. The two farms were
amalgamated in this way and became known as
Draycot Farm, reckoned at 577 a. in 1867 when it
became part of the Calley estate. (fn. 154) Draycot Farm
remained part of the estate in 1967, when the tenant
was Mr. Charles Frederick Butcher. (fn. 155) The third
farm in the parish, Draycot alias Neale's (later
Sheppard's) Farm, was farmed by John Green in
1939. (fn. 156) In 1967 mixed farming prevailed throughout the parish. (fn. 157)
Local Goverment.
The manor of Draycot
Foliat was held of the honor of Wallingford from the
12th century until 1540 when this honor was merged
in that of Ewelme, held by the Crown. (fn. 158) Draycot
Foliat formed part of a group of manors held of
Wallingford and administered from Ogbourne
St. George, where a yearly manorial court was held.
Court rolls for this group of manors are extant for
the years 1422, (fn. 159) 1437, (fn. 160) 1520, (fn. 161) 1536, (fn. 162) 1538, (fn. 163)
1541, (fn. 164) and 1546, (fn. 165) but record only view of frankpledge for Draycot Foliat. In 1672–3 Roger Ewen
and other landholders in Draycot Foliat still owed
suit of court at Ogbourne St. George. (fn. 166) After the
union of the benefices of Draycot Foliat and Chiseldon in 1572 (see above), Draycot was regarded as
part of the parish of Chiseldon for purposes of
parochial administration, although it was not until
1894 that Draycot Foliat officially became part of
the civil parish of Chiseldon. (fn. 167)
Church.
At some time between 1208 and 1214 a
rector served the church of Draycot Foliat. (fn. 168) The
benefice remained a rectory (fn. 169) but no further mention of it has been found until the 16th century. By
the later 16th century the church was apparently
ruinous and in 1572 it was ordered that the benefice
should be united with that of Chiseldon and the
church of Draycot demolished. (fn. 170) Henceforth the
inhabitants of Draycot Foliat were regarded as
parishioners of Chiseldon and attended church
there. In 1581 a presentation to the united benefice
was made (fn. 171) but after this, as is shown below, rectors
of Draycot continued to be presented separately.
In 1923 the union of the rectory of Draycot Foliat
and the vicarage of Chiseldon was reaffirmed and
the respective patrons made a joint presentation to
the living. (fn. 172)
No mention of the advowson of the rectory during
the Middle Ages has been found, but it seems
likely that it followed the descent of the manor of
Draycot Foliat. In 1556–7 Henry, Earl of Rutland,
and his wife Margaret, who at that date claimed the
manor as descendants of Thomas, Lord Ros, also
claimed the advowson of the rectory of Draycot
Foliat, and in that year conveyed it to Thomas
Bowtell, who purchased the manor at the same
date. (fn. 173) Bowtell was confirmed in the manor in
1563, but the Crown retained the advowson and in
1564 granted it to Richard Pipe and Francis
Bowyer (fn. 174) who in the same year conveyed it to
Thomas Chaddington, who had also acquired the
manor at the same date. (fn. 175) In 1572 the benefice was
united with that of Chiseldon and the first presentation to the united benefice was made in 1581 by the
patron of Chiseldon church, Robert Stephens. (fn. 176)
Afterwards Thomas Chaddington seems to have
regained the advowson, although whether it was of
the united benefice, or only of the rectory of Draycot, is not clear. Chaddington conveyed it with the
tithes of the parish of Draycot (see below) to William
Read (d. 1593). (fn. 177) No record of any presentation by
either Chaddington or Read survives and in 1611
the king, by reason of lapse, presented John Gallimore as Rector of Draycot, (fn. 178) although Gallimore
had been presented to the combined benefice in
1581 (fn. 179) and was thus presumably already both Vicar
of Chiseldon and Rector of Draycot. In spite of this
presentation by the king the advowson passed from
William Read to his son Edward, who in 1614 conveyed it to Thomas Buckeridge. (fn. 180) No record of any
presentation by Buckeridge survives and once more
in 1664 the king presented a rector of Draycot by
reason of lapse, and he again presented the Vicar of
Chiseldon, Thomas Twittee. (fn. 181) In 1711 Twittee died
and for the first time, so far as is known, different
persons were presented to the vicarage of Chiseldon
and the rectory of Draycot. The presentation to the
sinecure rectory of Draycot was made by William
Bryan of Hodson. (fn. 182) In 1722 Thomas Smith exercised the patronage. (fn. 183) By 1737 the advowson had
passed to Pleydell Goddard of Swindon (fn. 184) and on his
death in 1742 it passed with his other estates to his
kinsman and heir Ambrose Goddard (d. 1815). (fn. 185)
In 1780 Ambrose Goddard presented a kinsman,
Edward Goddard (d. 1791) to the rectory and on his
death presented a nephew, Thomas Goddard
Vilett. (fn. 186) On the death of Ambrose Goddard the
advowson passed to his son and heir, Ambrose the
younger (d. 1898), who in 1817 presented his brother
Richard to the rectory. (fn. 187) In 1858 Ambrose Goddard
presented George Eastman, and at an unknown date
presumably also conveyed the advowson to him,
since in 1898 and again in 1912 Eastman's trustees
presented rectors. (fn. 188) In 1923, when the benefices of
Chiseldon and Draycot Foliat were reunited, the
patronage of both remained separate and in this year
General T. C. P. Calley joined with the Eastman
trustees to make a joint presentation to the vicarage
of Chiseldon with Draycot Foliat. (fn. 189) Joint patronage
rights were exercised until c. 1947. (fn. 190) In this year the
patron of Chiseldon vicarage, Miss J. M. Calley, was
allowed to make two presentations to every one made
by G. R. T. Eastman. (fn. 191) Some time before 1961–2
the separate patronage rights were finally merged
and vested in Miss Calley, who at this time made the
first presentation as sole patron to the united
benefice. (fn. 192)
In 1535 the rectory was valued at £6 12s. 7d. out
of which 9s. were paid in procurations. (fn. 193) At the
union of the two benefices in 1572 Thomas Chaddington acquired all the tithes of Draycot Foliat,
including those from an estate which lay partly in
Chiseldon, and which was known in the 17th
century as Draycot Farm. (fn. 194) In return Chaddington
and his successors were to pay the Vicar of Chiseldon
and his successors £7 a year. (fn. 195) The tithes then
passed, as did the manor, to Edward Read, who
leased some of them to Thomas Buckeridge. (fn. 196) In
1622–3 Read and his wife Elizabeth, together with
Thomas Stephens, conveyed the tithes to William
Calley and his son William. (fn. 197) For some years after
this the descent of the tithes is obscure. In about
1672 the Rector of Draycot, Thomas Twittee, who
was also Vicar of Chiseldon, claimed the tithes from
the Chiseldon lands of Draycot Farm (fn. 198) and in the
course of a lengthy law-suit, this issue became subordinate to the wider question of the right to take
tithes, both great and small, from the whole parish. (fn. 199)
Twittee denied all knowledge of the £7 composition
payment, which had been agreed upon in 1572, and
it seems that some time before 1660 a modus of £30
in lieu of all tithes had been substituted, (fn. 200) although
it is not clear to whom this was payable. In 1672, as
a result of Twittee's legal proceedings, it was
decreed that the rector was entitled to all tithes in
the parish of Draycot and that these were to be commuted for an annual payment of £65. (fn. 201) In 1683–4 the
settlement was reaffirmed. (fn. 202) In 1812 the value of the
rectory was reckoned at £200, (fn. 203) a sum, for the most
part, presumably, still made up of tithe. In 1843 the
great and small tithes of the parish were commuted
for £180, which was payable to the Rector of Draycot Foliat. (fn. 204) Thereafter the net value declined from
£165 in 1835 to £108 in 1897, while in 1915 the
rectory was valued at £100 net. (fn. 205) In 1867 it was noted
that the Vicar of Chiseldon, also licensed curate of
Draycot Foliat, was assigned a stipend by the Bishop
of Salisbury and that this was paid by the sinecure
rector, (fn. 206) but the amount of the stipend is not known.
At some date between 1208 and 1214 the Rector
of Draycot Foliat had a hide of land in demesne. (fn. 207)
The rectorial glebeland was reputedly divided
amongst the landholders of Draycot Foliat in 1572,
when the church was closed, and in 1694–6 was
said to have contained two yardlands. (fn. 208) At the end
of the 17th century 4 a. of the former glebe lay in
the Great Field of Draycot, which was a large
parcel of arable in the south-eastern corner of the
parish, and part of Draycot alias Neale's (later
Sheppard's) Farm. (fn. 209) In 1699 the Rector of Draycot
attempted to recover these 4 a., (fn. 210) but the outcome of
his claim is unknown.
In 1550 the parishioners reported that the rector,
Thomas Parham, was unable to discharge the cure,
and three years later complained that no quarterly
sermons were preached. (fn. 211) The rector employed
curates in 1550 and 1553. (fn. 212)
The church at Draycot was apparently demolished
soon after 1572 (fn. 213) and the materials of the former
church used to repair the parish church of Chiseldon,
where the north aisle subsequently became known
as the Draycot aisle. (fn. 214) Twittee, on becoming Rector
of Draycot Foliat in 1664, was inducted on the site
of the former church, (fn. 215) which lay close to the ancient
nucleus of the parish, near the track which formerly
ran north-westwards to meet the Ridge Way. In
1857 it was still possible to discern the ground plan
of the church, the nave of which was 60 ft. long and
20 ft. broad, while at the eastern end lay a chancel,
which measured 15 ft. in length and 15 ft. in
breadth. (fn. 216) A parsonage house was said to have been
acquired by Thomas Chaddington in 1572 and in
1694–6 was reputed to stand on land once held by
Thomas Webb, the windows of whose house contained glass from the demolished church. (fn. 217) In 1553
a chalice and two bells were left for the use of the
parish by the king's commissioners, while plate
weighing 5 oz. was taken for the king's use. (fn. 218)
Nonconformity.
No evidence of dissent in
Draycot has been found.
Education.
Children living in Draycot Foliat
have always attended school at Chiseldon.
Charities.
No charities applicable to the ancient
parish are known to exist.