STANTON ST. JOHN
Stanton St. John lies north-east by east of
Oxford, the nearest boundary of the parish being
three miles, and the village itself four and a half
miles, from the centre of the city. The parish is
bounded to the east by Waterperry, to the south by
Forest Hill with Shotover, to the west and northwest by Beckley and Stowood, and to the north by
Horton cum Studley; for a short distance in the
north-east it touches the county boundary between
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The area of the
parish was 2,731 acres from 1881, when the first
reliable estimate was made, (fn. 1) until 1932 when 3 acres
were added to it from Horton cum Studley parish. (fn. 2)
In 1949 the parish was reduced to 2,700 acres by the
transfer of Minchincourt Farm to Forest Hill with
Shotover. (fn. 3)
Geographically the parish falls into well-marked
divisions. Its western half is open upland, mainly between the 300-ft. and 400-ft. contours, but dropping
below 300 ft. in the south-west and rising above
400 ft. in the north-west. This hilly country is a
promontory of Corallian Beds, and consists principally of Calcareous Grit Sands with Wheatley
Limestone capping the hills. (fn. 4) To its east lies a
narrow strip of Arngrove stone which, beginning
just north of Woodperry, broadens out to form a
stony plateau around Stanton Great Wood. (fn. 5) East
again, the ground falls away to between 200 and
300 ft., and this is an area of Oxford Clay. (fn. 6) There
are four main watercourses in the parish. Bayswater
Brook forms the southern boundary for some
distance; Waterperry Brook runs through the north
of the parish, turns south at Menmarsh, and joins
Moorbirge Brook (called 'le More' in 1400), (fn. 7) which
then runs along the eastern boundary. Danes Brook
forms the boundary of the parish for a short distance
at its north-east corner, and crosses the fields that
were once Menmarsh Common to join Woodperry
Brook just above its confluence with Moorbirge
Brook.
The principal roads are three: Islip–Forest Hill,
crossing the parish from north-west to south-east,
and traditionally known as the London Way;
Headington–Oakley from the bridge over Bayswater
Brook in the south-west, through the village itself
and thence eastward; Headington–Studley, branching off the last-mentioned and then going by New
Inn and Woodperry and for some distance forming
the parish boundary. In the 18th and early 19th
centuries the inhabitants of Stanton and Woodperry
were repeatedly ordered by Quarter Sessions to
maintain the second and third of these in repair. (fn. 8) The
nearest railway station to Stanton is three miles
away at Wheatley, on the Oxford to Princes Risborough branch line. Stanton is served, however,
by several buses a day on the Oxford to Little Milton
route.
The village of Stanton St. John stands on the
rising ground to the west of Stanton Great Wood,
just above the 300-ft. contour, and between two
springs which feed the Moorbirge Brook. The name
Stanton is derived from the Old English stan-tun,
'the homestead of stony ground'. (fn. 9) The centre of the
village lies a little to the north-east of the London
Way, at the junction of the Headington–Oakley road
with a road which runs southwards and meets
London Way some three-quarters of a mile out of
Forest Hill. The parish church, the Rectory, and
Rectory Farm lie in the south-western angle, and
Manor Farm and Stanton House in the northern
angle of the junction. The Mill-house lies a quarter
of a mile from the centre of the village on the south
side of the Oakley road, and the majority of the
houses and cottages of Stanton line this road and the
road going south to the London Way. The Methodist
chapel was on the north side of the Oakley road,
about half-way to the mill. There are two inns in the
village, the 'George' and the 'Star', the former at
the southern end of the village on London Way, and
the latter only a few houses above it. The 'White
Horse', mentioned in the inclosure award of 1778,
really belonged to Forest Hill village, though it was
in fact just within Stanton parish until 1948. (fn. 10) A
fourth inn, the 'Chequers', which lay between the
'Star' and the church, was pulled down about
1890. (fn. 11) The village school, a 19th-century building,
is set back from the London Way, opposite the
'George'.
Woodperry House and Farm are a short distance
to the south of the Headington–Studley road, and
half a mile north of Stanton village, from which they
may be reached by a footpath. 'Woodperry' is
derived from the O.E. wudu-pyrige, 'the pear-tree
near the wood', (fn. 12) and it is interesting to note that in
the 17th century part of the farm-land was called
Peeretree Lane Ground. (fn. 13) Woodperry village has
disappeared. The taxation assessments of the 14th
century indicate that it was only a third of the size
of Stanton; (fn. 14) but though there is a tradition (fn. 15) that
the village was destroyed by fire and abandoned in
the 15th century, the evidence of the court rolls is
that a community was still living at Woodperry in
the 1540's. (fn. 16) In 1716 Hearne noted that Woodperry
was 'formerly a town', and that the foundations
of buildings were often discovered. (fn. 17) One of the
closes near Woodperry House—possibly the one later
called Engine Ground—was significantly named
Town Close in the early 17th century. (fn. 18) In 1838
excavations revealed the site of Woodperry church, (fn. 19)
and it was thought that the medieval village had
occupied much of Upper Ashen Close (see map
on p. 287). Excavations begun in 1953 have shown
that while there are clear indications of Roman
occupation up to 300 yds. east of the church site,
the medieval village is unlikely to have extended
for more than 100 yds. in the same direction.
Medieval material has been found up to 50 yds. to
the north and south of the church. A hollow which
runs east-west through the village site appears to
indicate the line of the street. (fn. 20) In 1628 there were
'houses and buildings' in Coleman's Close, (fn. 21) the
next field eastwards from Ashen Close on the south
side of the Studley road. Woodperry Green adjoins
both Ashen and Coleman's Closes. (fn. 22)
Another lost hamlet is Stowford. The present-day
Stowford Farm may mark its site. The fields here
on either side of the road are shown on an 18thcentury map as Stafford Grove, Stafford Close, and
Stafford Lane Furlong. (fn. 23) The first record of the
hamlet occurs in the Hundred Rolls of 1279, where
Robert Bastard is stated to hold a messuage and a
hide of land there, while St. Bartholomew's Hospital,
Oxford, had 2 messuages and a virgate, and Walter
of Stowford had a messuage and ½ a virgate. (fn. 24) It is
mentioned among the county's vills in 1316 (fn. 25) and
in 14th-century tax assessment lists, (fn. 26) but no further
record has been found.
There are three outlying farms in the parish of
Stanton, besides Stowford Farm and Woodperry
Farm. Breach Farm lies to the south-east of Stanton
village, in the south-west corner of the Breach
Grounds—the name indicates a clearing or assart—
which skirt the south side of Stanton Great Wood.
Moco Farm is on the opposite side of the parish just
within its northern boundary, on the edge of Studley
Wood. Menmarsh Farm is on the eastern bank of
Woodperry brook, to the north-east of Stanton
village. Minchincourt Farm, immediately adjoining
Forest Hill village, was in Stanton parish until 1948.
There are several interesting buildings in Stanton
village. Manor Farm is of 16th–17th-century date,
with two stories and an attic; it has an old tile roof
and some original windows. This was the capital
messuage of the manor: there is evidence that John
White, New College's farmer, occupied it and
carried out extensive repairs in 1660. (fn. 27) John White's
birthplace, close to Manor Farm, is an attractive
L-shaped building of 16th-century date, with
excellent contemporary windows. The Mill House
of 16th–17th-century origin, has a timber-framed
upper story and a roof of stone slates. The George
Inn is a 17th-century house, with walls of colourwashed rubble, two gables, one timber-framed, and
good windows. Manor and Rectory Farms have
ancient barns. The Rectory, a handsome building
of ashlar, is of late-18th-century date. The former
parsonage house is described in a terrier of 1685; (fn. 28)
it survived until about 1842. (fn. 29) In Woodperry are
Woodperry House, a large symmetrical composition
of two stories and attic, which was built in about
1730 for John Morse, a London banker; (fn. 30) and Woodperry Farm, an 18th-century building with a hipped
old tile roof, and a barn of probably 18th-century
date, which replaced an earlier one.
The history of Stanton St. John has not been
remarkable. Its population, though of course increasing since medieval times, has probably not been
subject to sudden or striking fluctuations. At the
time of the Domesday survey there were 8 serfs on
the demesne, 16 villeins, and 8 bordars. At its hamlet
of Woodperry there were 4 serfs, 5 villeins, and 2
bordars. (fn. 31) The taxation assessments of 1316 and
1327 show 35 and 43 names respectively. (fn. 32) The
poll tax receipts of 1377 give a total of 91 men and
women over the age of 14 in the parish; (fn. 33) three
hundred years later, Compton's census listed 66
conformists. (fn. 34) In 1738 the rector's return stated that
there were 70 houses, tenements, and cottages. (fn. 35)
The precise figures in 19th-century Census Reports
show a steady rise from 349 in 1801 to 555 in 1851,
and thereafter an overall decline until in 1901 the
figure stood at 452. (fn. 36) In 1951 the population was
440. (fn. 37)
The village has been associated with a number of
notable men. There were many distinguished incumbents of the parish church. (fn. 38) But Stanton's
greatest worthy stood in a more intimate relationship
with the parish than any of these. John White
(1575–1648), (fn. 39) the Puritan 'patriarch of Dorchester',
Fellow of New College, and prime mover in the
foundation of Massachusetts, was born at Stanton, the son of a New College tenant-farmer. His
younger contemporary, John Milton, had strong
family ties with the village. His great-grandfather
Henry Milton, and his grandfather Richard Milton
had both lived at Stanton. Richard, a staunch
Roman Catholic, was twice fined for recusancy in
1601, and disinherited his son, John Milton the
elder, because he conformed to the established
religion. (fn. 40) It was from Forest Hill nearby that John's
son, the poet, took his first wife, the daughter of
Richard Powell, (fn. 41) whose lands included a holding
at Stanton. (fn. 42) Yet another contemporary, Henry
Ireton, Cromwell's son-in-law, is said to have lived
in the parish for a while, and to have left a trace of
his name in Irondon Hill, (fn. 43) which, however, already
bore that name about 1620. (fn. 44) In the middle of May,
1643, a troop of royalist horse which had been
posted at Stanton was reported to have gone to the
general muster of the king's army at Culham. A
month later the royalists were back in the village,
anticipating the advance of the Earl of Essex from
Thame. After Essex's repulse at Islip, and the
royalist victory at Chalgrove, the garrisons of
Stanton and neighbouring villages joined Prince
Rupert's army in his operations in Buckinghamshire. A small force, however, was left at Woodperry. In March 1644 part of the queen's troops
from Abingdon were quartered at Stanton. From its
position Stanton must inevitably have seen further
military activity during the final siege of Oxford,
and parliamentary forces are known to have been in
the village in 1646. (fn. 45) Two bodies dug up at Bayard's
Watering Place in Hearne's time were supposed, he
tells us, to be two of the Scots 'that were drove
along the Road in the Rebellion, and many of them
knock'd on the Head like Dogs'. (fn. 46) But dramatic
episodes of this kind are less typical of Stanton's
history than the routine of village and manorial life
as it appears in the progress notes of Warden
Woodward. (fn. 47) The most alarming event in the more
recent history of the village was the disastrous fire
of 1793, when nearly all the cottages, barns, and
stables are said to have been destroyed, (fn. 48) and Stanton
came near to sharing the traditional fate of Woodperry.
Manors.
In 1086 Ilbert de Lacy held 10 hides in
STANTON of Odo of Bayeux. (fn. 49) He is also entered
in Domesday Book as holding of Odo two other
tenements in Stanton each assessed at one hide.
These later became attached to Forest Hill, and
their descent is traced in the history of that parish. (fn. 50)
Ilbert de Lacy's Stanton lands were forfeited by
his son Robert when he was expelled the country
by Henry I in 1100 (fn. 51) and were probably detached
from the Honor of Pontefract about this time. They
do not appear among the Honor's fees in Oxfordshire in the early 13th century. (fn. 52) Ilbert's Domesday
holding of ten hides had passed to the St. John
family by 1149 (fn. 53) and possibly by 1135. (fn. 54) His two
smaller holdings had very probably been given to
Robert d'Oilly. (fn. 55) The connexion of Stanton with
the St. John family was to last for over two centuries
and to give the place the name by which it is still
known.
In a deed of 1149 John de St. John implied that
his son Thomas was his heir, (fn. 56) and by 1168 this
Thomas was holding the Stanton property. (fn. 57) He
had two brothers, Roger and William, (fn. 58) the first of
whom succeeded him by 1176. (fn. 59) Roger married
Cecily, daughter of Reynold de Lucy, (fn. 60) and by an
alleged deed of 1193 Adam Clemens granted them
the manors of Stanton and Barton, with the church
of Stanton, which Roger had lately granted to
Clemens, to hold in tail male with remainder to the
right heirs of Roger; this deed, however, is only
known in a 15th-century exemplification, and was
probably a forgery. (fn. 61) There must have been other
landlords beside the St. Johns in Stanton: in 1135–7,
for instance, Adela, widow of Henry I, had granted
a hide there to the Eynsham Abbey, (fn. 62) and St.
Frideswide's also owned a hide in Stanton—indeed,
if the cartulary of the latter hous is to be believed,
the manor itself once belonged to the monastery. (fn. 63)
However that may be, in 1195–6 their hide of land,
known as Olaveshide, was quitclaimed to Roger de
St. John. (fn. 64)
Roger died in or before 1214, and his son John
being under age, his wardship was granted to
Geoffrey de Lucy. (fn. 65) John must have reached his
majority at any rate by 1217; he married a wife
named Emma, by whom he had a son, Roger. (fn. 66)
Like his father, Roger succeeded as a minor: indeed
as John was dead by January 1230, Roger cannot
have been more than eight or nine years old. (fn. 67)
His wardship went to Geoffrey le Despenser, (fn. 68) who
also married Emma, John's widow. (fn. 69) Emma, long
surviving her first husband, as late as 1254–5 had
lands in Stanton, perhaps her dower, worth £20
a year. (fn. 70) Roger came of age in 1242–3, fought in the
baronial wars against the king, and was killed at
Evesham. (fn. 71) As a result, his lands escheated, and
Stanton was granted in the autumn of 1265 to Roger
de Leyburn. (fn. 72) Roger de St. John's son John
presumably recovered his inheritance under the
Dictum of Kenilworth; certainly he held inter alia
the manor of Stanton in chief of the king at the time
of his death. (fn. 73)
John de St. John had died by 1316, and was
succeeded by his son, another John, (fn. 74) who in 1317
granted the manor for life to Gilbert de Middleton (fn. 75)
and received from him a regrant for his life. (fn. 76)
Three years later a settlement was made by which
on Gilbert's death the manor would revert to John's
eldest son John and his wife Katherine, daughter of
Geoffrey de Say, for their lives. (fn. 77) John, the father,
had died by 1322, (fn. 78) and ten years later, when
Gilbert died, (fn. 79) John's widow Margery and her
second husband, John de Ifelde, obtained a third of
the manor in dower. (fn. 80) John de St. John, the son,
and Katherine presumably received the rest, and
by a new settlement in 1342 they arranged that it
should pass to the heirs of their bodies. (fn. 81) They had
at least two sons, Roger and William, and possibly
a third, Nicholas. After John's death in 1349, (fn. 82)
Katherine held part of the manor in dower, but by
1354 she had settled her estate upon Margaret,
daughter of Roger de St. John, and her husband
Sir Nicholas de Lovaygne, (fn. 83) to whom Roger himself
and Peter son of William de St. John surrendered
their claims. (fn. 84) Through this marriage settlement the
long connexion of the St. Johns with Stanton came
to an end.
In 1370 Nicholas de Lovaygne obtained a licence
to grant the manor to a group of feoffees headed by
William of Wykeham, (fn. 85) so that these feoffees might
regrant the manor to him and to Margaret, with
remainders to Margaret's sons by her first husband,
Henry de Beaumont. (fn. 86) For reasons unknown, the
children of Margaret's first marriage did not, in fact,
enjoy their remainders. Although Nicholas was dead
by 1376, (fn. 87) Margaret lived on until 1398, (fn. 88) and on
her death the manor descended to her (fn. 89) daughter
by Nicholas, Margaret wife of Philip Seyntclere,
knight. In 1400 Philip and Margaret settled the
manor on themselves for life with remainders to the
heirs male of Margaret or, in default, her right
heirs. (fn. 90) Philip and Margaret both died in 1408, (fn. 91)
and their son John being a minor, the manor was
occupied until his death in 1418 by John Pelham.
John Seyntclere's brother Thomas, who then succeeded, was also a minor, and John Wilcotes (or
Willicotes) apparently had his wardship. (fn. 92)
The descent of the manor during the next 60
years is confused. There was a long triangular
struggle for it between (1) Seyntclere and his descendants, (2) the St. Johns who claimed to descend
from Nicholas, alleged by them to have been
the third son of the John de St. John who died
in 1349; this claim later descended by marriage to
the Lydyards, and (3) the Chamberleyns, descended
from Margaret Seyntclere (d. 1408) by her first
husband, and basing their claim on the settlement
of 1400.
After he had come of age, Thomas Seyntclere
granted the manor in or before 1425 to feoffees, (fn. 93)
and, since he had omitted to obtain a licence to do
so, it was for some time taken into the king's hand. (fn. 94)
In 1428 it was said to be held by John Seyntclere,
but this was probably an error for Thomas, who,
after obtaining the king's pardon, (fn. 95) had doubtless
had the manor resettled upon himself. (fn. 96) There then
began a lawsuit between Thomas Seyntclere and
Thomas St. John, which makes it clear that for some
years back the two families had alternately entered
upon the manor. (fn. 97) The suit seems to have terminated in St. John's favour, (fn. 98) and in 1439, four years
after Seyntclere's death, the survivors of the latter's
feoffees of 1425 released all actions against John
Lydyard and his wife Clemence, who was Thomas
de St. John's granddaughter and had evidently
succeeded to his claim to the manor; (fn. 99) in the same
year Lydyard also obtained an exemplification of
the proceedings in the St. John-Seyntclere case. (fn. 100)
Nevertheless, it seems likely that at some later date
the decision in St. John's favour was reversed, for
in 1451 William Lovell, Richard Harcourt, and
John Gage, and their respective wives, Elizabeth,
Edith, and Eleanor, daughters and coheirs of
Thomas Seyntclere, granted the manor to feoffees,
headed by Sir John Lovell. (fn. 101) Against the feoffees and
others, and the original grantors and their wives,
Thomas son of John Lydyard recovered the manor
in 1459. (fn. 102)
It would seem, however, that Lydyard's recovery
was designed to ratify a title that he had already, in
fact, transferred to the Chamberleyns. As early as
1435 Richard Chamberleyn, the son of Margaret
Seyntclere by her first marriage, had brought a suit
against John and Clemence Lydyard: (fn. 103) this Richard's
son William had brought to a successful conclusion. (fn. 104) William being under age and his lands in the
king's custody, in 1456 the manor was committed to
William Bedston. (fn. 105) In 1476–7, after William's death,
it was settled on his brother, Richard, and Sibyl,
Richard's wife, by fine between these two and Joan
Chamberleyn, William's relict. (fn. 106) Joan Chamberleyn
was a sister of Thomas Lydyard, (fn. 107) but trouble
between the two families apparently continued.
Lydyard, however, in 1476, released his right in the
manor to Richard Chamberleyn, (fn. 108) and a claim he
made to hold a quarter of the manor was adjudged
against him. (fn. 109) There is evidence, indeed, that the
whole Lydyard claim was forged and that Nicholas
St. John was not a son of John St. John. (fn. 110)
Richard Chamberleyn held the manor at the time
of his death in 1496, his son and heir Edward being
at that time still a minor. (fn. 111) In 1526 Edward, by then
knighted, conveyed it to Robert Dormer, (fn. 112) and in
the same year his right in the manor was transferred
to a group of feoffees, headed by John Newdegate
and John Baldwyn, who were to hold to Dormer's
use. (fn. 113) In 1529 there were successive sales by Dormer
to John Williams, and by Williams to a group which
included the Archbishop of Canterbury and the
Bishop of Chichester, (fn. 114) and which was also enfeoffed
by the survivors of the feoffees of 1526. (fn. 115) This last
group, simply intermediaries, granted the manor to
the Warden and Scholars of New College, Oxford,
in whose hands it subsequently remained. (fn. 116)
In Domesday Book Roger d'Ivry held WOODPERRY of Odo of Bayeux, the holding being
assessed at 4 hides, (fn. 117) the overlordship passed with
that of the d'Ivry lands to the St. Valery family and
thence to Richard, Earl of Cornwall. (fn. 118) In 1166–7
Gilbert 'de Almaria' paid a fine of 20s. for Pery
(i.e. Woodperry), (fn. 119) with which the Aumery or
Damory family were thereafter connected for some
200 years. In 1223–4 Robert Damory obtained a
knight's fee in Woodperry by fine with Alexander
de Burton and Emma his wife. (fn. 120) Robert died in
1236, (fn. 121) and was succeeded by his son Roger. Roger
was still alive in 1281, (fn. 122) and from him the property
presumably descended through his son Robert, who
died in 1285, to Robert's son Richard. (fn. 123) This
Richard was bracketed with John de St. John in
1316 as lords of the vill of 'Stanton cum Wodepurye
et Stoford'. (fn. 124) In the following year he obtained a
grant of free warren in his demesne lands, in which
Woodperry was included. (fn. 125) His son Richard
Damory became heavily indebted to Edward III,
and in 1354 was forced to enfeoff the king of his
demesne lands. (fn. 126) In 1358, however, the manor of
Woodperry, which Richard held for his life, was
granted in reversion to Sir John Chandos, if
Chandos should survive Richard, (fn. 127) and in 1360
Richard surrendered his estate to Chandos, who
obtained a grant of the manor in fee. (fn. 128)
From the death of John Chandos in 1370 the
descent of Woodperry manor is confused. He left as
heirs (fn. 129) two sisters, Elizabeth and Eleanor, and a
third sister's daughter, Isabel. (fn. 130) Of these, Elizabeth
granted her portion of the manor to feoffees in
1379, (fn. 131) who subsequently passed it on in 1391 to
Roger Collyng, who had married Eleanor; (fn. 132) meantime Collyng and his wife had conceded Eleanor's
share to their son Roger and another. (fn. 133) What
happened to Isabel's share is not known, nor how
the manor passed, as it apparently did, into the
hands of William Willicotes. It is true that Willicotes's inquisition post mortem in 1410–11 mentions
only a messuage, lands, and rents in Woodperry,
and does not specify that he held the manor, (fn. 134) but
the inquisition on his daughter, Elizabeth Blaket,
taken in 1445–6, makes it clear that the life-interest
that she held in the manor had descended to her
from her father. (fn. 135) The reversion belonged to Willicotes's right heirs.
In 1449 this large group of heirs of John Chandos's
heirs female leased the manor for eight years to
Edmund Hampden, and John Weston; (fn. 136) but as to
the subsequent transference of title there is little
evidence. By 1485–6 the manor was said to have
been held by Robert Brome (Browne or Broun). (fn. 137)
A deed of 1456–7 shows him in process of acquiring
¼ of 1/5 of the manor: (fn. 138) whether he did indeed acquire
the other shares, or whether the title of manor came
to attach to what he had secured, is a matter for
speculation.
In 1532 John Brome was in possession (fn. 139) and in
1557 he (by then Sir John Brome) bargained and
sold, (fn. 140) and later the same year granted (fn. 141) to New
College the rectory—later referred to as the rectory
and manor of Woodperry.
Economic and Social History.
The
earliest court roll of Stanton is of 1472. There
are others from the reigns of Richard III, Henry
VII, and Elizabeth I, but a regular series only
begins under James I, running thence to 1775. (fn. 142) No
manorial accounts appear to survive, but there is a
terrier of 1472, a perambulation of 1488, (fn. 143) and a
number of 17th-and 18th-century terriers. It is thus
possible to reconstruct the topography of the
manor. (fn. 144)
The terriers of 1472 and 1630 (fn. 145) indicate that there
were six principal free-holdings: (1) a messuage,
2 yardlands and meadow in 'Stoueard' in the southwestern corner of the manor, which descended
through John and Henry of Stowford, John Landrein and others to Oriel College, (fn. 146) by whom it was
held in both 1472 and 1630; (2) Bennettes close,
adjacent to (1) and containing half a yardland; in
1472 it was held by Thomas Lydyard, in 1476–7 by
the heirs of John Meneyngsherde and by John
Martin, its descent from whom to Corpus Christi
College, who held it in 1630, may be traced in
Corpus Christi deeds; (3) Minchincourt, adjoining Forest Hill, held in 1472 by Littlemore Priory,
and in 1630 by Sir Thomas Denton, whose tenant
was Richard Powell; (fn. 147) (4) The Vent close and 7 acres
of meadow in Hillsden, held in 1472 by Richard
Foster, and in 1630 by Charles Holloway, who was
New College's legal adviser; (5) A messuage,
yardland, pasture, and croft, held in 1472 by Sir
Edmonde Reede, and in 1630 by Mrs. Mary Burnett;
(6) 3 messuages, 4 yardlands, meadow and pasture
and lands in the open fields, held in 1472 by Robert
Brome, and in 1574–5 by Sir Christopher Brome,
but not mentioned in 1630.
Of land held at the lord's will, the 1472 terrier
lists 19 consolidated holdings, totalling 37¼ yardlands and 2 roods belonging to two cottages. It also
described 40 furlongs of land held at will, totalling
556 acres. In addition there is mentioned a close
called the Breach (30 a.); two meadows, 'Brode
Mede' (160 a.) and Hillsden (18 a.); and two woods,
Horley and Great Wood, of 40 acres each.
No records of the medieval manor of Woodperry
appear to have survived, and it is probable that for
many years before it came to New College it was a
reputed manor only. Under New College much of it
was let out on long leases, and a great part was so
closely intermixed with Stanton lands as to make
separate administration impossible. The Stanton
court roll of 1629, describing the lands of Richard
Gardiner, says 'ac iacent infra manerium predictum
videlicet inter terras domini predicti manerii ex
australi ac terras quondam Roberti Browne modo
vero domini predicti manerii sed parcellam manerii
sui de Woodperrie'. (fn. 148)
According to the Hundred Rolls (fn. 149) and the inquisition post mortem of 1316 on John de St. John, (fn. 150)
the manor of Stanton St. John had two water-mills.
They rendered 22s. in 1279. By the end of the 15th
century, however, there seems to have been one
only, held in 1472 by Thomas Miller, before 1479
by William Miller, in 1479 by Martin Davy and then
by John Cartright, in 1480 by Thomas Adampys,
in 1490 by Richard Mason and then by Thomas
Shepard or Miller; in 1575–6 it was held by Hugh
Wise. (fn. 151) A special terrier of the mill was made in
1629, and shows it to have consisted of a water-mill,
mill-house, and dwelling-house, cottage, two closes
and 4 acres in the open field, and to have been in the
tenure of George Hobbes; (fn. 152) a Hobbes was also
miller in 1660. (fn. 153) The inclosure award map of 1778
shows that there was a windmill on Hawkhill
Common, near the road from Stanton to Bayswater
Bridge. (fn. 154) By 1856 the fields formed by the inclosure
of Hawkhill furlong and Sandlands furlong and of
part of Long Sheepbridge furlong were known as
Windmill Hill and Windmill Close respectively. (fn. 155)
Sketch-map of Stanton St. John in the Early 18th Century
(based on documents in the possession of New College)
Note: The names in brackets are those places mentioned in the perambulation of 1488 (New College Archives)
The map (fn. 156) is a reconstruction of the topography
of the parish as it was in the early 18th century, and
is based mainly though not entirely upon the evidence of a group of terriers compiled between 1706
and 1734 which cover nearly the whole of the area
under survey. (fn. 157) It will be seen that the map reflects
the geological and geographical division (fn. 158) of the
parish into distinct western and eastern halves,
the higher ground of the former being dominated
by the arable land of the common fields, and the
latter, the lower ground on the Oxford Clay, containing the greater part of the meadow and pasture
of the parish, as well as extensive tracts of common
and woodland.
There were four common fields in 1706 belonging
to Stanton village, the Stone Field, Pinkwell Field,
Breach Field, and the Far Field, made up of about
60 furlongs. (fn. 159) The northern half of the Stone had
been a separate field called the Worthy in 1631,
when Breach Field and the Far Field were known as
Heath Field and West Field. (fn. 160) The greater part of
the southernmost furlong of the Stone, Mill Furlong,
formed part of the lands of Minchincourt farm.
Botley Brake Furlong in the Far Field belonged to
Oriel College. Although Burnham's Furze was included in the Far Field in the terrier of 1706, it is
unlikely to have been all arable, for the inclosure
award reveals that the poor of the parish had been
accustomed to cut furze for fuel there. (fn. 161) Woodperry
Field differed from the Stanton fields in that although it was called a common field by the terrier
of 1766, which enumerated its furlongs, (fn. 162) it was not
made up of the scattered holdings of numerous
tenants, but formed a compact part of the estate
attached to Woodperry House. This no doubt
accounts for the comparative regularity of the
boundaries of its furlongs as shown on the inclosure
map. Three of the Stanton fields were about the
same size (c. 120 a.), and the fourth, Breach Field,
was smaller (c. 90 a.). In contrast, Woodperry Field
was nearly 200 acres in 1773, and had been larger.
It is possible that it had been two separate fields at
the time when Woodperry village was still inhabited, and perhaps for some time afterwards. (fn. 163)
Much of the pasture and meadow seems to have
been inclosed by the 15th century, for both Hillsden
and the Broad Meadow were said to be hedged about
in the terrier of 1472. (fn. 164) The pasture and meadow
inclosed by 1706 fall into four main groups, with a
few scattered outliers. Around Woodperry House
was a number of inclosures, some like Ralph's Close
of early origin, others taken in from Woodperry
Field, and a fringe of closes on the northern
boundary of the parish cut out of the woods and
waste ground along the border of Beckley parish.
Secondly there was the Madcroft group of meadows
lying in the angle of Woodperry and Moorbirge
brooks. From the eastern end of Open Wood up into
the north-east corner of the parish stretched the
third group, Ramsden Close, Hillsden and Perry
Meadows, and Bullford's Grounds. (fn. 165) Finally, the
Broad Meadow lay between Stanton Great Wood
and Menmarsh Common, and contained three main
subdivisions. Immediately under the woodside were
the St. John's Meadows or 'Syngetts', a strip of
meadow divided into a larger number of small
parcels held by the copyholders of Stanton. Next to
the east was a broader stretch of meadow divided
into comparatively large fields, and lastly, on the
edge of Menmarsh Common, the meadows belonging to the Manor farm. (fn. 166) The total area of meadow
and pasture, excluding Stafford, the Breach, and
Minchincourt Farms, was about 600 acres.
Four large woods survived of the very extensive
tract of woodland which had once crossed the parish
from north to south. (fn. 167) Timber played an important
part in the economy of the manor, (fn. 168) and there seems
to have been little change in the extent of woodland
from the early 17th century until the 19th century,
despite considerable felling at the time of the Civil
War. (fn. 169) The present Stanton Little Wood, or Wood
Close Wood as it was called, is a remnant of a much
larger wood which included Open Wood, and
probably Ramsden Close, Wood Close, and Coleman's Close, and which must have been about
160 acres in extent. This was no doubt the Perry
Wood of medieval records. (fn. 170) In 1706 Wood Close
(c. 30 a.), was bordered to the south by Open Wood
(80 a.). The latter, as its name suggests, was probably
an area of rough grazing with scattered trees. In
1845 the Bursar of New College noted on his map
that Open Wood was not a wood at all, and by 1856
it had been inclosed and divided into three parts. (fn. 171)
South of Open Wood and only separated from it by
Woodperry Green, lay the two Horley or Hocley
Woods, which were divided from each other by
Horley Lane. The wood west of the lane was called
Upper Horley in the 17th century, (fn. 172) but was later
known as Gogmire Wood. It was still standing,
some 70 acres in extent, in 1856, but it has since
completely disappeared, though its outline is still
preserved by the two large fields west of Holly Wood
and the lane. Lower Horley, or Holly Wood, covering about 60 acres to the east of the lane, has survived almost entire. South of the Horley woods, and
separated from them by the Road Piece Common,
lay the largest of the woods, St. John's, Sidley, or
Great Wood, which has lost little of its 150 acres
since the 18th century. It was divided into a number
of coppices in the 17th century, (fn. 173) no doubt to
facilitate the regular rotation of thinning, clearing,
and coppicing. (fn. 174) In 1778 a small wood was still
standing to the south of Great Wood, on the land
of Minchincourt farm. The total area of woodland
in 1706 was about 380 acres.
The largest common, Menmarsh, occupied an
area of some 300 acres and afforded grazing for
large flocks of sheep. (fn. 175) It lay between Moorbirge
Brook, Hillsden Meadows, and Bullford's Grounds,
and was originally part of a much larger expanse of
common which extended eastwards into Waterperry
parish and the Quarters, but which had been much
reduced by inclosure towards the end of the 16th
century. (fn. 176) The inclosure map of 1778 shows that
plans had already been made for the division of the
common into large fields, and for turning Danes
Brook from its old sinuous course into the straight
channel in which it now runs from Bullford's
Grounds to its confluence with Moorbirge Brook.
By 1780 these plans had been carried out. (fn. 177) The
maps of 1845 and 1856 show further changes,
notably the splitting up of the first large inclosures
into smaller fields, and the building of two new
farms, Menmarsh and Moco, the latter in the
Hillsdens.
The Road Piece Common, called the Rode in the
17th century, (fn. 178) covered 50 acres, and formed a long
narrow strip between Horley Woods and the Madcroft meadows on the north, and Great Wood and
Moorbirge Brook on the south. It was only divided
from Menmarsh Common, of which it was a pointed
salient, by Woodperry Brook. Woodperry Green,
between Open Wood and Horley Woods, was much
smaller (c. 15 a.) and lay immediately to the east of
the probable site of Woodperry village. (fn. 179) The whole
of the Road Piece and part of Woodperry Green
were inclosed at the end of the 18th century. In the
western part of the parish there were two small
commons, Hawkhill (8 a.), where the windmill
stood, and the Common Grove (25 a.). Both were
inclosed after the Act of 1777. (fn. 180) The total area of
common land in the parish in 1706 was nearly 400
acres.
Whereas it was only by the inclosure award that
the tenants of lands in the common fields of Stanton
were able to unite their scattered holdings, the map
shows that in 1706 the lands of Manor farm had
already been brought together into three large
fields (fn. 181) and a number of closes. The process of
building this compact holding seems to have taken
place after 1472, when the fields which later belonged solely to Manor farm were listed among the
furlongs of the common fields, and to have been
completed by 1620. (fn. 182) From the map it looks as if
Manor farm worked a three-field system of its own,
but in the absence of manorial accounts we cannot
be certain that this was so. The three large fields
were Horley Pieces, Court Field, and Coterells.
Horley Pieces, lying immediately to the west of
Gogmire Wood, covered 34 acres, or 38 including
Vent Hill, a detached parcel of the field south of the
wood. Court Field, in the angle of Mill Lane and
the road to Forest Hill, was estimated to contain
76 acres about 1620. By 1713, however, it had lost
23 acres to new inclosures; 10 acres to the Vineyard,
and 13 to Mill Field. The latter continued to be
counted as part of Court Field, the terrier of 1734
giving their combined acreage as about 60. The
third field, Coterells, lying south of Court Field,
was consistently returned as 54 acres. Court Field
and Coterells with the adjacent closes, Green Close,
the Vineyard, and Hill Crofts, formed a compact
block of land, only separated from the farm itself by
the village street and its line of cottages and gardens.
Though the meadows of Manor farm lay some
distance away, they were in one block of 36 acres
on the west bank of the Moorbirge Brook. The two
remaining 'severall groundes' of Manor farm were
Pinkwell Hill, between Pinkwell Field and the
Headington road, and Irondon Hill, bounded on the
south by Bayswater Brook and on all other sides by
the furlongs of the Far Field. Both were rough
grazing and furze. (fn. 183)
Stafford, or Stowford farm, in the south-west
corner of the parish, with a number of closes, was
held by Oriel College, and one close adjoining
these lands by Corpus Christi College. (fn. 184) To the
Breach farm belonged some 60 acres of inclosed land
along the south side of Great Wood, containing
arable and pasture, and 8 acres of meadow and
a detached meadow, the Hay (16 a.), lying north
of the Road Piece at its eastern end. (fn. 185) The lands of
Minchincourt farm stretched from Mill furlong,
at the southern end of the Stone, to the Moorbirge
Brook where they ended in Lusher's Meadow. They
had been inclosed by 1630. (fn. 186)
The common fields of Stanton and Woodperry
were inclosed by an award dated 1778. (fn. 187) The
principal allotments were made to William Ledwell (fn. 188)
(373 a.), James Hargreaves (146 a.), New College
(187 a.), Oriel College (34 a.), and the Rector of
Stanton St. John (274 a.). (fn. 189)
Churches.
Before 1090 Ilbert de Lacy, lord of
Stanton, had endowed the church of St. Clement
in Pontefact castle (Yorks.) with two-thirds of the
demesne tithes of Stanton. (fn. 190) This grant was confirmed by his grandson Ilbert de Lacy in 1137–9. (fn. 191)
but there is no evidence that St. Clement's ever
possessed these tithes. Between 1135 and 1150
John de St. John, then lord of Stanton, granted the
parish church to Eynsham Abbey. (fn. 192) It held the
advowson until 1537, but never appropriated the
church. The abbey was paid a pension by the
rector; in 1197–8 it was 1 mark; (fn. 193) in the 13th century it was raised to 20s.; (fn. 194) and there is continuous
evidence of its payment down to 1535. (fn. 195) Before its
dissolution in 1539 Eynsham had been selling its
property; in 1538 it sold the advowson of Stanton St.
John, and, it is said, the rectory for £44 3s. 2¾d. to
John Longland, Bishop of Lincoln. (fn. 196) He granted the
advowson to New College, (fn. 197) the patron in 1953.
In the Middle Ages Stanton was not a very
valuable rectory; in 1254 it was worth 5 marks, (fn. 198)
and in 1291 £6 13s. 4d., (fn. 199) but by 1535 its net value
had risen to £16 9s. 4d. (fn. 200) At the beginning of the 18th
century the value was about £100; (fn. 201) it had increased
by 1808 to £300. (fn. 202) In 1953 the net value of the
benefice was £400. (fn. 203)
Besides the rectory estate, the rector was entitled
to all the tithes. In one or two cases they had been
commuted; (fn. 204) from Minchincourt farm, for example,
he received a modus of £4 for tithes. (fn. 205) When the
parish was inclosed in 1778, the rector was allotted
274 acres of land. (fn. 206) These consisted of nearly all
of Pinkwell Field opposite the Rectory, bounded
by the Headington road on the north-west and the
parish boundary on the south-east; Jackson's Grove
(12 a.) on the former Rector's Mead; Jericho (10 a.);
and Rector's Close (24 a.). (fn. 207)
Between 1221 and 1228 Matthew de Bixtrop, who
held what was later Minchincourt farm of John de
St. John, (fn. 208) received permission from Eynsham and
John the Rector of Stanton to build a chapel in
his curia at Forest Hill and to have a perpetual
chaplain there. (fn. 209) Careful arrangements were made
to safeguard the rights of the church of Stanton; it
was to keep all tithes and have sole power to administer the sacraments; Matthew and his household were permitted to attend services in the chapel,
but his tenants were to attend the church. In return,
he gave the church four acres of land. Minchincourt
farm-house and part of its land remained in Stanton
parish until 1949 although lying in Forest Hill
village. (fn. 210)
Woodperry in the early Middle Ages was a
separate parish. (fn. 211) There may have been a church
there in Norman times, though there is no record of
the history of the advowson before 1296. By then
the church had been appropriated to Littlemore
Priory, which was accused by the bishop of neglecting services there. (fn. 212) By 1452, Woodperry had
become a part of the 'parish of Stanton and Woodperry'. (fn. 213) Witnesses in a tithe suit in 1581 remembered that it had once been a separate parish. (fn. 214) The
living was a very poor one. In 1254 it was valued at
1 mark, (fn. 215) and was by far the poorest church in the
deanery; it was not included in the valuation of
1291, and in 1341 it was said to be taxed at 13s. 4d. (fn. 216)
Two-thirds of the demesne tithes, originally given
away by his father, were granted by Henry d'Oilly
to Oseney Abbey. (fn. 217) In 1291 the abbot was receiving
6s. 8d. for them; (fn. 218) in 1507–8 they were being
farmed out for 10s., (fn. 219) but by 1535 they were
valueless. (fn. 220)
Although Woodperry had ceased to be a separate
parish, its lay rectory continued. In 1526 it was
granted to his new Oxford college by Wolsey; (fn. 221)
by 1554 it was in the hands of Sir John Brome of
Holton; (fn. 222) and in 1556–7 the Bromes sold it to New
College, (fn. 223) who still hold it. The estate consisted of
2 acres of arable and 1 acre of thorns and bushes. (fn. 224)
The lessee of the rectory during the 16th century
was evidently entitled to part of the tithes from
Woodperry, but by the end of the century the
Rector of Stanton was attempting to collect all the
tithes. (fn. 225) The tithe suit of 1581, in which the annual
perambulation of the parish is described, may have
settled the matter. By the early 18th century the
Rector of Stanton was said to be receiving the tithes
from the whole parish, (fn. 226) but in the Inclosure Act,
when the tithes of Stanton were commuted, Woodperry was stated to be free from tithes. (fn. 227)
Several of Stanton's medieval rectors (fn. 228) appear to
have been non-resident. (fn. 229) In 1520 the rector was
resident and was charged with having a woman in
his house. (fn. 230) John London, (fn. 231) Warden of New College, who was rector in 1526, had a curate whom he
paid £5 6s. 8d. a year. (fn. 232) After London's deprivation,
the church was held for about 100 years by successive wardens of New College, among them Thomas
Whyte, Martin Culpepper, and Arthur Lake, later
Bishop of Bath and Wells. (fn. 233) Robert Pinck, the last
warden to be rector (1620–43), is well known as a
devoted royalist who suffered imprisonment by the
parliamentarians. In his will he left £110 to the
poor of Stanton St. John. (fn. 234) His successors were
always fellows of the college. Notable among them
were John Maylard, one of the many fellows expelled by the parliamentary visitors in 1648. (fn. 235) He
retired to a comfortable house at Stanton (fn. 236) for
which he returned eight hearths in 1665, (fn. 237) and is
buried in the church. (fn. 238) Another fellow, Lawrence
Squibb (1680–1710), who also lived and was buried
at Stanton, left £50 to the church. The Recorder of
Oxford declared that though he was a non-juror 'he
was one of the best of men both in his private
character and function'. An attempt to deprive him
of his living failed. (fn. 239) A distinguished fellow to be
rector was Robert Holmes (1782–1805), Professor
of Poetry in Oxford and a well-known commentator
on the Old Testament. (fn. 240)
Some of the 18th-century rectors lived in the
parish, others in Oxford. Stephen Wheatland (1724–
64), for instance, whose wife came from a local
family and was a benefactress, (fn. 241) is known to
have lived for part of the year in the parsonage
house, (fn. 242) but after his death there was only a curate,
a Fellow of New College, who received a stipend of
£20 a year, later raised to £40. (fn. 243) After the inclosure
in 1778, the parsonage was let as a farm-house (fn. 244) but
during the early 19th century the rectors again
started to reside. (fn. 245) There are signs of neglect at the
end of the 17th century followed by an increasing
interest. In 1685 it was reported that no litany was
held on Wednesday or Friday, (fn. 246) and that the fabric
needed repair. But in 1694 William Finch, a man of
means, gave £5 to beautify and adorn the church. (fn. 247)
Plan of St. John's Church
Throughout the 18th century services were held
more frequently in Stanton than in many Oxfordshire parishes. There were two each Sunday, and
the number of communicants varied between 10
and 20. (fn. 248) There were occasional disputes about
pews: in 1722 the archdeacon appropriated a pew,
claimed by Mrs. Martha Eldridge, to the tenants
of John Tubb, and it was complained that 'some
person . . . presumed to sett a lock on the door
leading to the said seats' so as to keep Mrs. Eldridge
out. (fn. 249) In 1822 a man was presented for using a seat
'in order to molest another person', and John and
Elizabeth Minchin were presented for using the
pew belonging to the inhabitants of Minchincourt
Farm. (fn. 250)
The parish was not noticeably affected by the
19th-century religious revival. By 1866 communion
services were being held about ten times a year, and
the congregation, including many who lived in
Forest Hill, was about 100. Its size was said to vary
according to the weather and the occupation of
labourers at different seasons; impediments to
churchgoing were 'the old Adam; and the evil
examples of former generations'. (fn. 251)
An unusually large number of parishioners had
inscriptions in the church, many of them churchwardens: the Coxes for example, the Grants, Tubbs,
Jacksons, and Coghills, and there is one to Matthew
Hiatt, baker (d. 1749). (fn. 252)
In 1581 it was said that services had been held
and sacraments administered in Woodperry church
as long as it had stood. (fn. 253) There is a tradition that the
north aisle of Stanton church was built by the
parishioners of Woodperry for their own use in the
15th century, after the destruction of their own
church by fire. (fn. 254)
The parish church of ST. JOHN consists of nave,
chancel, north and south aisles, and a west tower.
Of the 12th- and 13th-century building only the
north arcade has survived. The chancel was rebuilt
early in the 14th century and has an interesting
geometric east window.
The south aisle, with arcade and clerestory, is
in the late-14th-century style, with the clerestory
windows placed over the piers. The north aisle was
rewindowed in the 15th century, retaining one late14th-century window to the north-west. The lofty
west tower was built in the 15th century.
The chancel, the north and south sides of which
are in two divisions separated by buttresses of two
stages, has lancet windows with trefoil heads, the
dripstones in the interior terminating in carved
heads. On the south-west is a small door and one
window wider than the others. The east window
contains some unusual triangular tracery of foliated
lozenge shape, formed by intersecting straight lines.
The door and lower part of the stairs to the rood loft
remain on the north side of the chancel arch, which
was rebuilt in about 1700.
Little of the glass is ancient. In the westernmost
window on the north side are the arms of Robert
Pinck, D.D., Warden of New College (1617–47);
opposite on the south are some medieval roundels
of oak-leaf pattern, with figures carrying a shrine
and a late-13th-century shield of Clare. (fn. 255) On the
north wall are the reset remains of a 14th-century
tomb, of which only the crocketed head is intact;
there is no trace of an effigy, and the suggestion has
been made that what remains was, in fact, an Easter
Sepulchre. On the south is a plain piscina.
There is some documentary evidence of restoration. Skelton, writing in 1823, spoke of recent
alterations, (fn. 256) and in 1867–8, an appeal for subscriptions having been made, (fn. 257) the east wall was rebuilt
on new foundations, and the black and white tiles,
removed from New College chapel in 1839, were
'adapted' for the east end. (fn. 258) There had evidently
been trouble with the east wall before, as in 1726 the
churchwardens were required to show why the great
wall, described as in ruinous condition, should not
be repaired. (fn. 259) In 1809 the chancel was again under
repair. (fn. 260)
When Thomas Hearne visited the church in 1716,
he commented bluntly, 'there is nothing of antiquity
in it'. (fn. 261) That is true in so far as no monuments of
medieval date exist. The following wall monuments
may, however, be noted: William Pudsey, gentleman (d. 1659), Frances Squibb (d. 1695), Mrs. Anne
Mann, sister of John White, esquire (d. 1703),
Lawrence Squibb, Fellow of New College and
Rector of Stanton (d. 1710), Thomas Pemberton
(d. 1714), Margaret Pemberton (d. 1728), John
Mather (d. 1739), Margaret Wheatland (d. 1741). (fn. 262)
At the west end of the nave there are four benches,
carved with paired human poppy heads and grotesque animals. The benches are of late medieval
date, and it is possible that they were originally in
the chancel. At the east end of the north aisle is
a 15th-century parclose screen; another is in
the tower. The font is of plain octagonal form, the
pulpit Jacobean. Over the chancel arch are the
Georgian royal arms, signed by 'Seargeant, Painter,
Sept. 1801'. In 1801 the churchwardens paid 'Mr.
Sergeant's bill for whiting and painting the church',
amounting to £12 16s. 8d. Set on either side of the
central grating at the east end of the nave is a much
worn series of medieval floor tiles, red inlaid with
cream, of a type common in the Oxford region.
There are five bells; in the 19th century there was
said still to be in existence a receipt for the bells
upon their removal by the parliamentary army to
Boarstall or Brill during the Civil War. (fn. 263)
The Edwardian inventory of church goods (1552)
listed a silver chalice, six pairs of vestments, three
pairs of old vestments, three copes, three linen
hangings for the high altar, three for other altars,
four bells and a sanctus bell (the niche for this remains on the eastern gable of the nave), a 'burying'
bell and a 'sacrying' bell, a pyx of ivory, and a pair
of organs. (fn. 264) Post-Reformation plate includes a chalice
and cover of 1577.
The clock on the tower was given by Mrs. Jane
Yerke in 1730. (fn. 265) In 1773, Thomas Nicholls, rector,
gave a gallery for the use of the singers and school
children, but this has been removed.
The parish registers date from 1654 for baptisms
and burials and 1660 for marriages. The parish
records also include rate books from 1751, churchwardens' disbursements from 1788, and appointments of churchwardens from 1727.
In about 1838 the site of Woodperry church was
excavated and some traces of church and churchyard
were found; these included a Norman arch or doorway. (fn. 266) In excavations on the same site in 1953,
fragments of 13th-century ridge tiles and floor tiles
were found, together with a number of limestone
roof slates. (fn. 267) A witness in the tithe suit of 1581, who
was reputed to be 100 years old, had seen Woodperry church walls standing and had one of its
monuments in his house. The rood had been taken
to Stanton and the images of St. John and St. Mary
to Beckley. (fn. 268)
Nonconformity.
Ambrose and John Edwards
were returned as recusants in 1577. John was
imprisoned for his religious convictions in 1592.
'Anne Lovelace gent.' was also listed as a recusant
in 1577. (fn. 269) In the 17th century Milton's grandfather
and his family were recusants (fn. 270) as well as the Stacey
family and Thomas Bennett, (fn. 271) but the parish returned no nonconformists in 1676, (fn. 272) nor do the
episcopal visitations of the 18th century suggest that
dissenters ever numbered more than a very few. (fn. 273)
In 1844, however, Mary Baker of Abingdon sold
to the Revd. Isaac Hedges of Oxford and other
trustees a small plot of ground to be the site of a
Primitive Methodist church. (fn. 274) This chapel continued in use until after 1851 but had disappeared
by 1887. The congregation in 1851 numbered between 50 and 80. (fn. 275)
Schools.
Dame Elizabeth Holford, by will
dated 1717, left £500 to be set at interest until it
had accumulated to £750, then to be laid out in land
for the endowment of one or more charity schools
for boys and girls from the parish and from Forest
Hill, and for the clothing of six boys and six girls
from these parishes, to be called Lady Holford's
scholars. By Chancery decree of 1759 trustees were
appointed to find a master of the free school at a
salary of £20, and to apply £100 to a school building.
The school and master's residence were built on a
site given by New College in 1767. (fn. 276) In 1825 the
school had 50 pupils, 30 from Stanton St. John and
20 from Forest Hill. They were taught reading,
writing, and accounts, and could stay until 14 years
of age, but few did. (fn. 277) By 1833 there were 60 pupils,
some of whom were paid for by their parents. (fn. 278) In
1851 the bequest was worth £46 a year, (fn. 279) and in
1874 £400 which had accumulated from the charity
was spent on building a new school. The master was
paid £30 a year. In 1895 120 children received
instruction. (fn. 280) By 1952, when the school was a
Church of England primary school, there was an
attendance of 79. (fn. 281)
Charities.
There are four parish charities,
excluding Lady Holford's. Robert Pinck, D.D.,
Warden of New College and Rector of Stanton, by
will dated 1647, bequeathed £110 to be used for
apprenticing children of the parish to tradesmen
outside the parish. Some time before 1732 about
5 acres of Oakley (Bucks.) was purchased with the
money. (fn. 282) In 1825 an apprentice was said to be
bound every year or so, often with help from the
rates as the Charity income was insufficient.
Lawrence Squibb, Rector of Stanton, by will
proved 1710, left £50 to provide Bibles, PrayerBooks, and improving literature, as well as medicine
for the sick. The rector was said to distribute books
and medical assistance in 1825.
Margaret Wheatland, wife of Stephen Wheatland,
rector, by will dated 1740, bequeathed after the
death of her husband £800 of which half the income
was to provide education for ten poor children and
half, after other life-interests, to be given in weekly
gifts to the poor. By Chancery decree of 1769 £200
was assigned to school purposes at Beckley (fn. 283) and
£600, after the life-interests, for weekly gifts of
bread, which were duly being made at Stanton in
1825.
Mary Mather, by will dated 1766, left £50 Stock
in trust for the distribution of bread to the poor on
14 November. This was being done in 1825. (fn. 284)
Thomas Nicholls, rector, wrote to the Bishop
of Oxford in 1768, claiming that he had put the
charities on a better footing since he came to the
parish.
At the inclosure of 1778 part of the Common
Grove was allotted to the rector in trust for the poor
to compensate them for the furze they had cut there
and in Burnham's Furze. There is no late trace of
this trust. (fn. 285)