Swyncombe

Swyncombe

St Botolph's parish church
Swyncombe
 Swyncombe shown within Oxfordshire
Area  14.39 km2 (5.56 sq mi)
Population 250 (2011 Census)
   – density  17/km2 (44/sq mi)
OS grid referenceSP6890
Civil parishSwyncombe
DistrictSouth Oxfordshire
Shire countyOxfordshire
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town Henley-on-Thames
Postcode district RG9
Dialling code 01491
Police Thames Valley
Fire Oxfordshire
Ambulance South Central
EU Parliament South East England
UK ParliamentHenley
WebsiteSwyncombe Parish Council
List of places
UK
England
Oxfordshire

Coordinates: 51°36′22″N 1°00′54″W / 51.606°N 1.015°W / 51.606; -1.015

Swyncombe is a hamlet and large civil parish in the high Chilterns, within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty about 4 1⁄2 miles (7 km) east of Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England. Swyncombe hamlet consists almost entirely of its Church of England parish church of Saint Botolph, the former rectory and Swyncombe House.[1] The population of the parish is in the hamlets of Cookley Green and Russell's Water, and the scattered hamlet of Park Corner. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 250.[2] It is partially forested and is the fifth largest of 87 civil parishes in the District.

Manor

Swyncombe's toponym is derived from the Old English words Swin for wild boar and combe for valley or hollow.

After the Norman conquest of England the manor of Swyncombe was granted to the Norman Miles Crispin, the first castellan of Wallingford Castle. The Domesday Book records that by 1086 he had granted it to Gilbert Crispin,[3] a monk who in 1085 was made Abbot of Westminster.

The Jacobethan manor, Swyncombe House, was built in 1840 to replace an early 16th-century manor house. The rectory was built in a neoclassical style in 1803 by Daniel Harris,[1] who at the time was governor of Oxford Castle and also practised as a building contractor, engineer and architect.[4]

Parish church

St Botolph's parish church was originally early Norman. The Gothic Revival architect Benjamin Ferrey heavily restored the building in 1850. The font possibly predates the building, but its cover and the rood screen with loft date from early in the 20th century. In the 19th century restoration, medieval wall paintings were found and repainted.[1] St Botolph's is a Grade II* listed building.[5]

St Botolph's parish is now part of the Benefice of Icknield, along with the parishes of Britwell Salome, Pyrton and Watlington.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sherwood & Pevsner 1974, p. 801.
  2. ↑ "Area: Swyncombe CP (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Keats-Rohan 1989, p. 311.
  4. ↑ Davies & Robinson 2001, p. 43.
  5. ↑ Historic England. "Church of St Botolph  (Grade II*) (1180499)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  6. ↑ Archbishops' Council. "Benefice of Icknield". A Church Near You. Church of England. Retrieved 22 August 2015.

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Swyncombe.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.