ALKERTON
This narrow, spear-shaped parish (2¼ miles
long by ¼ to ¾ mile wide) of 742 a. is unusually
small and its boundaries have apparently remained
unaltered since they were laid out. (fn. 1) It lies on the
Warwickshire border in the Middle Lias clay belt
at a height of between 400 and 500 feet. (fn. 2) Until
Shenington was incorporated in Oxfordshire in
1845 the Sor Brook marked both Alkerton's western
boundary and the Gloucestershire border. (fn. 3) The
landscape, though still bare in aspect for the most
part, was improved in the 18th and 19th centuries
by tree planting around the village and on the
northern borders, where there were two coverts of
c. 4 a. each by 1882. Afforestation schemes were
also being carried out in the 1960s on the Upton
estate at Shenington Hirons and Christmas Gorse. (fn. 4)
Extensive heath in the north of the parish, where the
poor once had the right to cut furze, was brought
under cultivation in the 18th century. (fn. 5)
Banbury, the nearest market town, lies 5½ miles
to the south-east and the main road connecting it
with Warwick crosses the northern end of Alkerton
parish; the road was turnpiked in 1743–4. (fn. 6) The
'White Lion', licensed in 1782, (fn. 7) may have been on
this road; the 'New Inn' now stands at the point
where the road enters Wroxton parish. (fn. 8) A secondary
road branches off the main one and runs southward
towards Shutford and Newington and another
connects with Alkerton village and Shenington.
Alkerton was probably always the smallest village
in Bloxham hundred; (fn. 9) in 1641 it was expressly
stated that 29 was the number of all the men (of
18 and over) in the parish, while 69 adults (of 16 and
over) were recorded in 1676. (fn. 10) The usual growth in
population and increase in dwellings took place in
the 18th century: incumbents reported that in 1738
there were 6 farm-houses and c. 'eight town-houses
besides'; in 1759 5 farm-houses and 10 cottages; in
1768 23 houses; and in 1831 38 houses. (fn. 11) The
population increased from 135 in 1801 to 201 in
1871 and then fell during the agricultural depression
to 105 in 1901. (fn. 12) By 1951 it had dropped to 88. (fn. 13)
In the 17th century there were several gentlemen
and substantial farmers living in the village; in the
18th century there was 'no one of note'; (fn. 14) for most
of the 19th century not even the rector resided there
and the village consisted of tenant-farmers and
labourers. (fn. 15) In the 20th century agricultural changes,
such as the introduction of machinery and the
amalgamation of farms, again entirely altered the
character of the village. It attracted a number of
professional people, either retired or working outside
Alkerton, and its 17th-century farm-houses and
cottages have been modernized and restored as
private residences. They are strung out along a terraced road, which is cut out of a hill-side of red
ironstone, and look across the Sor Brook valley to
Shenington on the crown of the opposite slope. The
road runs southward from the 12th-century church,
17th-century Rectory, and manor-house (Tanner's
Pool), past Alkerton House to Barn House. (fn. 16)
There is no trace now of the Town Green, mentioned in the 18th century. (fn. 17) The houses and cottages,
including the 19th-century school, are all built of
local rubble or ironstone ashlar and are mostly
thatched or stone-slated in the traditional manner.
One cottage of 1½ story, built on a two-unit plan
with parlour and kitchen, has an inscription I.E.
1716. (fn. 18) Brook Cottage still retains its stone-mullioned
windows. Both were probably built for small
farmers. The 'poor cottages' commented on in a
parliamentary report of 1867, which are likely to
have been put up for labourers after inclosure of the
open fields in 1777, have been pulled down. (fn. 19)
Electricity was brought to the village in 1939. (fn. 20)
Of the 6 sizeable houses assessed for the hearth
tax of 1665 4, including the rectory-house, were
owned by the Lydiat family. (fn. 21) Christopher Lydiat,
a citizen of London, acquired the manor in 1567 and
retired there. His son lived at the manor-house after
him. (fn. 22) Their house was probably the present Tanner's Pool, which was a farm-house in 1852. (fn. 23)
It seems to have been originally built on an Lshaped plan, like so many other houses in the
neighbourhood, with the entrance on the north, rooms
on either side of the hall, and an extension at rightangles on the south side. Later wings have been
added on the north and east. (fn. 24) There are fishponds
nearby.
Another of Christopher Lydiat's sons was the
17th-century mathematician, Thomas Lydiat, who
was rector from 1612. (fn. 25) He rebuilt the rectory-house
in 1625. (fn. 26) A contemporary account says that it had
three bays with a lean-to of one bay, a largish barn of
four bays, and an orchard on either side. (fn. 27) The
present house is of two stories and is built of ironstone ashlar with a stone coping. It is entered on the
north side by its original moulded doorway with
cambered arch and lozenge-shaped stops to the
label mould. The two ground-floor rooms (17 ft.
square) were once the hall and kitchen. They are
separated by a central double fire-place, of which one
has the date 1625 in the spandrels. A similar but
smaller fire-place, is in the bedchamber above, and
this would account for the return of 3 hearths for
the tax in 1665. (fn. 28) Lydiat's house was repaired in
1692, when the roof was slated, and enlarged in
1748, (fn. 29) when a two-storied kitchen wing was added
at right-angles. The present Alkerton House may
have belonged to the Goodwin family, another of
Alkerton's principal families, since it has the letters
B.G. 1633 on the end wall. (fn. 30) The Goodwins, later
found in several north Oxfordshire villages, were
settled in Alkerton in the early 16th century. Thomas
Goodwin (d. 1531) and his son Richard (d. 1560)
were both buried in the churchyard. Thomas was of
sufficient standing to leave money to eight churches,
of which Alkerton was one, and his grandson,
another Thomas (d. 1581), left a legacy to the poor
of the village. In the 16th century the Goodwins
had two houses in Alkerton and in 1665 were living
in one of the two largest houses there. (fn. 31) Alkerton
House was partly rebuilt at the end of the 18th
century when it belonged to John Anderton, in
whose family it remained until 1883. (fn. 32) It was
restored in 1834; the date is carved on the Gothic
porch which was added at that date.
Alkerton Heath Farm and Alkerton Grounds
Farm were built in the north-east of the parish in
the late 18th century after inclosure.
During the Civil War the village was several
times raided by Parliamentary troops based on
Compton Wyniates. (fn. 33)
Manors.
In 1086 Miles Crispin held an estate
assessed at 6 hides in Alkerton. (fn. 34) From it descended
ALKERTON MANOR which was reckoned as a
½ fee and was first recorded in the 13th century. The
overlordship followed the descent of other of Crispin's lands under Wallingford honor. (fn. 35)
In 1086 the mesne tenant was Richard Fitz
Reinfrid, Miles Crispin's tenant also at Appleton
and Eaton (Berks.), and at Chearsley, Draycott,
and Ickford (Bucks.), with which Alkerton continued
to be associated as a feudal holding. (fn. 36) Fitz Reinfrid
died at Alkerton in 1115 or 1116 and his heir was
his son Hugh of Appleton and Eaton. (fn. 37) In 1166
Alkerton was evidently included in the 2 fees Hugh
held under Wallingford honor. (fn. 38) He was succeeded
by his son Richard of Appleton, (fn. 39) and by 1201 by his
grandson Thomas of Appleton (d. ante 1209). (fn. 40)
Thomas's heir Geoffrey held the 2 fees in 1211, but
he may have forfeited his Alkerton property, as he
certainly did Appleton, for his part in the revolt of
1215 against John. (fn. 41) He was still alive in 1217, when
he had letters of safe conduct to parley with the Earl
Marshal, but he had died by 1218. (fn. 42) In 1226 his heir
was still a minor, but by 1235 he was evidently of age,
for a Thomas of Appleton was in possession of the
Buckinghamshire property and presumably also of
Alkerton. (fn. 43) In 1270 Thomas included Alkerton among
property which he alienated to Denise de Stokes. (fn. 44)
In about 1293 Denise and her son Master Robert
de Stokes alienated their holdings, which included
a carucate in Alkerton, reckoned as ½ fee, to the king,
receiving them back as his tenants. (fn. 45) Master Robert
still held the fees in 1300, (fn. 46) but there is no further
mention of the family in connexion with Alkerton.
By the mid-13th century the Alkerton ½ fee was
held by under-tenants. In 1242 Hugh son of Henry
of Abingdon, a member of a family closely connected
with Abingdon Abbey, was returned as tenant. (fn. 47) In
1247 he sold 1 carucate in Alkerton and 2 yardlands
in Balscott to Master Simon of Walton, who already
had property in Balscott; Simon and his heirs were
to hold it for a ½ fee's service and homage, but Hugh
was not to claim relief or custody of the land and
heirs. (fn. 48) Simon became Bishop of Norwich in 1258
and before his death in 1265 granted Alkerton to his
son Sir John Walton. (fn. 49) The Walton's main estate
was in Walton, a hamlet of Wellesbourn Hastings
(Warws.), which was encumbered with debts contracted to the Jews by a previous tenant. (fn. 50) In 1271
Walter Giffard, Archbishop of York, purchased the
debts and thus obtained a claim against the Walton's
property, including Alkerton. Sir John was obliged
to convey Alkerton and other property to Giffard,
receiving them back as tenant. (fn. 51) After John's death
in 1277 his relict Isabel, Henry le Foun, her second
husband, and John's heir Maud made similar
acknowledgments to the archbishop. (fn. 52) On Giffard's
death in 1279 his heir was his brother Godfrey
Giffard, Bishop of Worcester, who claimed custody
of Maud Walton. (fn. 53) He granted Alkerton to Walter
de Mandeville (d. by 1288) with reversion to himself
if Mandeville should die without heirs. (fn. 54) There is no
later reference to the Giffard or Mandeville interest
in Alkerton.
Another claim to the manor, however, was put
forward by Thomas, son of Gervase Walton. His
relationship to other members of the family is unknown, but he derived what rights he had in Alkerton from Master Simon of Walton; in 1285 he sold
them to Sir John of Ladbrooke, a Warwickshire
landowner and neighbour of the Waltons. (fn. 55) Until
his death in c. 1310 Sir John of Ladbrooke was
recorded as a mesne tenant of the manor and ½ fee, (fn. 56)
but there is no record of his descendants claiming it.
For the next century or more Alkerton followed
the descent of the Walton estate in Walton. Maud
Walton married successively, (fn. 57) Sir John de Stradling,
Sir John Lestrange (d. 1309), who became Lord
Strange of Knockin (Salop.) in 1299, and Sir Thomas
Hasting of Leamington Hastings (Warws.), recorded as one of the lords of Alkerton in 1316. The
last was dead by 1348, (fn. 58) and Maud's property reverted to the Lestranges, descendants of her second
husband. In 1376 John Lestrange, lord of Walton,
apparently a member of a collateral branch of the
Lestranges of Knockin, granted his Alkerton estate
to a Roger Lestrange and others, perhaps as part of
a settlement. (fn. 59) No record of Alkerton's descent for
the next century and a half has been found, but it
probably continued to follow that of Walton. (fn. 60)
Thomas Lestrange, lord of Walton (d. 1485), (fn. 61)
left two daughters who must have been heirs to
Alkerton also: in 1542 Anne, one of the daughters,
and her heirs, and Barbara, daughter of Anne's
sister Margaret, with her husband Robert Mordaunt,
sold Alkerton manor to Robert Hopper of Henley. (fn. 62)
Hopper's descendants held the manor for over a
century and the following were lords: Robert's son
Thomas (d. 1573), his grandson Thomas (d. 1596), (fn. 63)
and his great-grandson also Thomas (d. 1618), whose
brother John sold the manor in 1619 to another
member of the family, Timothy Hopper (d. 1628). (fn. 64)
There were Hoppers in the parish in the 17th and
early 18th century (fn. 65) and in 1719 Elizabeth Hopper,
widow, and John Hopper granted their rights in the
manor to George Wheeler and John Barnesley. (fn. 66)
There is no further record of these manorial rights
and it is likely that the manor was merged in the
other Alkerton manor.
A second ALKERTON MANOR descended
from a 3½ hide estate granted after the Conquest to
Bishop Odo of Bayeux. In 1086 it was recorded as of
his fief, although he himself had been under arrest
and his property confiscated since 1082. His tenant
was one Ralph. (fn. 67) The Conqueror redistributed many
of Bishop Odo's fees, and it is reasonable to suppose
that this Alkerton manor was granted to Wadard,
a tenant of Odo at South Newington, since the two
estates of Alkerton and South Newington were held
by Wadard's descendants as a knight's fee. (fn. 68)
Wadard's son was probably Walkelin Wadard, whose
heirs were his two daughters Eloise and Denise;
in 1168 Walkelin Hareng, the son of Eloise by her
first husband, was in possession of the fee. (fn. 69) He was
dead by 1190 when Ralph Fitz Geoffrey, the
husband of Maud de Lucy, niece and coheir of
Walkelin Hareng, was holding the fee. (fn. 70) Walkelin's
other heirs were Miles of Fritwell, the husband of
another niece, and William le Brun, who was
probably a nephew. In 1200 the three coheirs were
summoned to warrant the ¾ fee in Alkerton and ¼
fee in South Newington to the respective tenants. (fn. 71)
They gave up their rights in the ¾ fee in Alkerton and
the tenant William of Alkerton did homage directly
to the king. (fn. 72)
William's father Walter of Alkerton (d. c. 1201)
had been tenant of Alkerton since at least 1194,
and William himself or a son still held in 1230. (fn. 73)
In 1233 the land of Thomas, son of Walter of
Alkerton was in the king's hands, presumably
because of a minority. (fn. 74) In 1235 Amaury de St.
Amand was returned as lord of one fee. (fn. 75) His
possession was warranted by David, son of Thomas
of Alkerton, who lived in Scotland. (fn. 76) The overlordship of Alkerton for the rest of the Middle Ages
remained with the St. Amand family and until the
15th century followed the descent of their Adderbury manor. (fn. 77) Like Adderbury Alkerton was sold
in 1418 by Eleanor, the relict of Amaury (d. 1402),
to Sir Thomas Wykeham, who was returned as
lord in 1428; (fn. 78) similarly Alkerton passed to John
Danvers of Epwell, who was building up a large
estate in north Oxfordshire. After his death c. 1448
Alkerton's history diverged from that of Adderbury,
Alkerton passed to John Danvers's son Sir Robert,
Recorder of London, a noted judge, and M.P. for
Oxfordshire and London. (fn. 79) In 1473 two of Sir
Robert's daughters and coheirs quitclaimed their
thirds, probably as part of a settlement on another
daughter Joan Danvers. (fn. 80) Joan had married Sir
Henry Frowicke of Gunnersbury (in Ealing, Mdx.)
and their daughter Margaret, wife of Sir Michael
Fisher (d. 1549) of London and Clifton (Beds.),
inherited. (fn. 81) The Fisher's son died before them
and their grand-daughter Agnes succeeded to their
property. She married Oliver St. John of Bletsoe
(Beds.). (fn. 82) They were in possession of Alkerton in
1556 and 1559, the year Oliver was created Baron
St. John of Bletsoe, but by 1567 he had sold Alkerton to Christopher Lydiat. (fn. 83) Lydiat died in 1612 or
soon after and his son Richard, being imprisoned for
debt, mortgaged the manor in 1625 and then sold it
in 1630 to Robert Burden of Balscott, yeoman. (fn. 84)
Robert Burden died aged 81 in 1677. (fn. 85) In 1703
William Burden of Braunston (Northants.) mortgaged land in Alkerton and in 1706 Richard
Burden, clerk, of Braunston and Francis Burden of
Rugby sold Alkerton manor and advowson to
Richard Capel of Shenington. (fn. 86) Capel (d. c. 1712)
left his property in trust for his two sisters, and
Alkerton eventually became the portion of Susannah,
wife of William Townshend of Oxhill (Warws.). (fn. 87)
Townshend was lord of the manor in 1718, but
died before his wife, who was succeeded in 1751 by
their son John Capel Townshend. (fn. 88) The latter was
obliged to mortgage the property, which had been
encumbered with various charges, and in 1778 he
sold the manor to Robert Child of 'Childs', the
banking house, who had an estate in the neighbouring hamlet of Upton in Ratley (Warws.). (fn. 89)
Robert Child died before 1783 when his widow
Sarah was in possession. (fn. 90) She married Francis
Reynolds-Moreton, Baron Ducie of Tortworth, in
1791, but after her death in 1793 the property
eventually came to Robert Child's grand-daughter
and heir Sarah Sophia Fane. (fn. 91) Sarah Fane, one of the
great heiresses of her day, married George Villiers,
later Child-Villiers, Earl of Jersey (d. 1859). (fn. 92) She
retained Alkerton until her death in 1867 and was
succeeded by her grandson Victor Child-Villiers,
Earl of Jersey (d. 1915). (fn. 93) He was lord of the manor
in 1891, but had sold it by 1903 to A. R. Motion of
Upton (Warws.). (fn. 94) On Motion's death in 1934 the
Upton estate, which extended into several parishes
on the Oxfordshire-Warwickshire border, was sold
to Walter Horace Samuel, Viscount Bearsted (d.
1948) and in 1959 was held by his son Marcus
Richard Samuel, Viscount Bearsted. (fn. 95)
Another Alkerton manor was recorded in the 13th
century and followed the descent of the lay manor
of Horley and Hornton. (fn. 96) It was held in the mid13th century by Henry Lexington, Bishop of
Lincoln (d. 1258), and passed to his nephew
William Sutton who held ALKERTON MANOR
in 1258. (fn. 97) There is no further record of the Suttons
in Alkerton, but the Horley manor, held by the
Grevilles, had appurtenances in Alkerton in 1398,
which may represent this holding. (fn. 98)
Local Government.
In 1775–6 £28 out of
£37 10s. raised was spent on poor relief; but by
1783–5 the sum had more than doubled. In contrast to the position in neighbouring parishes the
amount spent on relief had dropped slightly by the
beginning of the 19th century to £38 on out-relief
and £14 on removals and law charges. The rate was
2s. in the £. In 1802–3 5 adults and 2 children
received permanent out-relief, and 2 adults occasional relief, 4 of this total being either over 60 or
disabled by illness. (fn. 99)
Expenditure had risen sharply by 1834–5,
however, and must have been even higher in the
intervening years: of £185 raised £106 was spent on
relief in that year. The parish became part of the
Banbury Union after the 1834 Poor Law Act. In
1835–6 £100 out of £112 was spent on poor relief (fn. 100)
and £74 in 1851–2. (fn. 101)
Economic History.
It is evident that the
expansion of arable cultivation was slow in both the
Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods. In 1086 much
of Alkerton's soil was uncultivated; although there
was land for 11 ploughs, only 6 were recorded, and
the fact that the value of Alkerton had remained
unchanged since before the Conquest suggests that
under-stocking was not a recent development. Of
the two estates in the parish in 1086 the larger one of
Richard Fitz Reinfrid had 4 out of a possible 6
ploughs working, but a third of his land may have
been in Wroxton. (fn. 102) The smaller one, later the St.
Amand manor, had only 2 out of a possible 5 ploughs.
The only other asset mentioned was meadow (10 a.)
on Fitz Reinfrid's holding. The recorded population of 4 villani and 11 bordars was small and
confirms the picture of a comparatively unprosperous village. (fn. 103)
There is no record of Alkerton in the hundredal
survey and other information about its development
in the 12th and 13th centuries is meagre. In 1220
the two estates were assessed on 4½ and 3 ploughlands respectively. (fn. 104) When the Walton manor was
surveyed in 1279 it was worth £9 2s. 9d. a year:
60 a. of demesne (£1 10s.), assized rent (£7 4s. 9d.),
and works (8s.). (fn. 105) In 1310 this manor had a manorhouse worth 6s. 8d. and 60 a. still in demesne, but
said to be worth only 20s. a year or 4d. an acre.
There were 3 a. of meadow worth 2s. an acre, some
several pasture, a water-mill worth 13s. 4d., 3 free
tenants paying 7s. 3d. a year, and 10 customary
tenants who paid £5 a year. The total value of the
manor was £7 16s. 9d. (fn. 106)
A survey of the other manor was made in 1331,
when there was a manor-house worth 12s. a year
and 1 carucate of land. As the arable (c. 91 a.) was
only worth 2d. an acre when sown, the soil cannot
have been very productive. Meadow (4 a.), valued
at 1s. 8d. an acre, was of less than normal value in
the neighbourhood. Pasture worth 1s. was inclosed
from 25 March to 1 August. The manor had 6 free
tenants, who together paid 4s. 1½d. rent a year, 3
customary tenants (nativi) and 2 cottars (cotelli),
whose combined rent came to £1 10s. At Christmas
the nativi paid churchscot and bread to the lord
worth 15s. a year. Their works were valued at
3s. 11½d. a year. Any week-work there may have
been seems to have been commuted since only
harvest and carrying services were enumerated. (fn. 107)
In 1316 there were 19 contributors to the sixteenth, two-thirds of whom paid between 2s. and
4s., while the lord of the Walton manor paid 8s. (fn. 108)
In 1327 there were 20 contributors to the twentieth,
most paying between 1s. and 2s. (fn. 109) Alkerton's assessment was fixed at £1 16s. 2d. in 1334 and was the
lowest in the hundred except for Drayton. (fn. 110)
The village clearly declined like many other small
townships during the 14th century, for in 1428 it
was returned as having fewer than 10 households. (fn. 111)
It is possible that the population had decreased
since the poll tax of 1377 when 39 adults were
returned. (fn. 112) The greatest loss, however, is likely to
have resulted from the Black Death, which raged
in the north of the county in 1349. As elsewhere
there was definite recovery in the 16th and 17th
centuries. Population increased but the subsidy
lists with their small number of contributors
provide evidence for the increasing concentration
of wealth in the hands of a few husbandmen. Apart
from the tenant of the manor there were 8 names in
the assessment of 1523, all assessed on goods, and
there were not more than 5 contributors to the later16th-century taxes. (fn. 113) In 1665 only 6 householders
were assessed for Hearth Tax: all had fair-sized
houses of 3 to 5 hearths, while the cottagers described as labourers in the parish register were
evidently not taxed. (fn. 114)
A selection of 17th-century inventories gives
totals for the value of some of the parishioners'
chattels ranging from £11 to over £165 for Timothy
Hopper, lord of an Alkerton manor. One of the
Lydiat family, whose ancestors had owned much of
Alkerton, was worth £73 in goods when he died in
1715. (fn. 115)
There is no evidence for early inclosure and Alkerton remained an open-field village until 1777. The
yardland seems to have been of normal Oxfordshire
size of c. 24 field-acres, since in 1331 a carucate
consisted of some 91 a., and in 1776 there were said
to be 38 yardlands or c. 1,000 field-acres. (fn. 116)
The medieval field system is not known, but
early-17th-century terriers show that the fields were
divided into lands, ridges, 'hades' and leys, lying
in furlongs and described as being either on the
south or north side of the town. (fn. 117) One yardland of
glebe, for example, was divided in 1647 into 21
pieces lying on the south side and 19 pieces on the
north side. (fn. 118) By 1725, if not earlier, the furlongs
were grouped into four 'quarters'. In Alkerton in
1725 the quarters were North, South, East, and
West. (fn. 119) In both the 17th and 18th centuries much
land in the open fields was in leys, i.e. laid down to
pasture. In 1647 3 of the leys of the glebe land had
been recently ploughed up, but on the whole leys
seem to have been fairly permanent pasture. (fn. 120)
Eight lands were also in the Water-furrows, which
indicated that there were water-meadows in Alkerton. (fn. 121) At least some meadow land was lot meadow:
in 1619 lot meadows lay north and south of the
town, and there was a meadow called 'Three Lots'. (fn. 122)
There were also lots both of fuel and furze in the
heath, which covered at least 90 a. as late as 1774. (fn. 123)
Crops grown in the parish included wheat, rye,
barley, pulse, and oats. (fn. 124)
The small number of farmers made it comparatively easy to inclose in 1777. The total allotment was
689 a. of which 32 a. were common or waste. Two
acres were awarded for manorial rights to plant
and cut timber on the waste land. The rector
received some 104 a. as rector, and 99 a. were
allotted for his 8-yardland holding; there were
five allotments of 40 to 99 a. and nine of 1 to 20 a. (fn. 125)
The immediate result of inclosure was an increase
in production. Davis's map of 1797 shows that even
Alkerton heath was used for arable, (fn. 126) and in 1809
Arthur Young cited Alkerton as a parish where the
wheat yield had increased. (fn. 127) The cultivation of
turnips, for which the soil was well suited, probably
also increased.
A casualty of the re-organization following
inclosure may have been the mill. It was transferred
by Timothy Hopper, lord of the Walton manor,
to Richard Lydiat, lord of the St. Amand manor,
in 1624; (fn. 128) it was recorded in early-18th-century
deeds, (fn. 129) but had disappeared by 1778. (fn. 130)
Inclosure appears to have had little effect on the
pattern of landholding: at the beginning of the 19th
century there were usually about 6 chief proprietors,
who on the whole let out their land to tenantfarmers. (fn. 131) In 1851 there were 5 farmers, 4 with
farms of 100 to 150 a. and a fifth with only 16 a., (fn. 132)
and until the 1920s the parish continued to be divided
into 5 or 6 farms. (fn. 133) Labourers' wages averaged
12s. to 13s. a week; in summer, however, there was
free beer, and produce from cottage gardens and
allotments supplemented the low wages. (fn. 134)
By the end of the 19th century difficult communications added to the difficulties of the farmers. It
was stated in an agricultural survey of 1916 that
Alkerton was too distant from Banbury and too
hilly for large quantities of feeding stuffs and manures
to be brought, or for frequent sending away of
produce. (fn. 135) More recently there have been considerable changes: traditional village craftsmen, such as
the cooper, carpenter, basket-maker, and stonemason
enumerated in the 19th century, (fn. 136) have disappeared,
as also has the small farmer. The greater part of
the farm land in 1959 was held by two land-owners.
Alkerton Heath Farm and Manor Farm were farmed
as part of the Upton estate which lay partly outside
Oxfordshire. The Oxfordshire Ironstone Company
was the other chief proprietor; its land was
leased and farmed by Passmore & Nunnelly of
Balscott. (fn. 137)
Church.
There is no documentary evidence for
the history of the church until 1233, (fn. 138) but there are
some features in the church building which point
to a 12th-century origin at least. No change in
status occurred, apart from the institution of a
temporary vicarage in the 13th century, (fn. 139) until the
living was united to the neighbouring rectory of
Shenington in 1900. The new rectory came to be
known as Shenington with Alkerton. (fn. 140)
From at least the early 13th century the advowson
was attached to the St. Amand manor. The first
recorded presentation was a royal one in 1233,
proabably during the minority of the lord of the
manor. (fn. 141) After two further presentations by Sir
Mathew de Coudray, the guardian of the St.
Amand's heir, the advowson descended with the
manor until the late 19th century. (fn. 142) When the manor
passed out of the Earl of Jersey's family the advowson was retained. As Shenington was also in the
patronage of the Earl of Jersey the union of the two
parishes in 1900 did not affect the patronage. (fn. 143)
It was transferred to the Diocesan Board of Patronage in 1952. (fn. 144)
Although in about 1087 Miles Crispin granted the
demesne tithes of his Alkerton manor to Bec Abbey (fn. 145)
there is no record of the abbey receiving them,
possibly because Alkerton church was already in
existence and the grant was disputed. The rectory
was in fact endowed with all the tithes in the parish
and with a small glebe, but because the parish was
so small the rectory has always been poor. In 1291
it was valued at £4 6s. 8d. and in 1535 at £6 3s. 8d. (fn. 146)
In 1716 its annual value was £60. (fn. 147) At inclosure
in 1777 the tithes were commuted for about 92 a.,
and the yardland of open-field glebe was exchanged
for 11 a. (fn. 148) This farm, containing some of the best
land in the neighbourhood, formed from this time
until its sale in 1901 the endowment of the rectory. (fn. 149)
Its value varied with the price of agricultural land:
in 1808 it was rented for over £130, in 1869 a rent of
£175 was considered too low by £45, but by 1900
only £104 could be obtained. (fn. 150) When in that year
the living was annexed to Shenington, the value
of the new benefice was more than three times that
of Alkerton rectory. (fn. 151)
In the 13th century Alkerton had two educated
rectors: Master William (1233–43/4), who was
surgeon to Henry III and to Bishop Grosseteste, (fn. 152)
and Master Robert of Clifton (1291–8), an Oxford
graduate. (fn. 153) On the other hand another rector,
Reinotius, presented in 1250–1, was found on
examination by Bishop Grosseteste to be poorly
educated (minus literatus) and barely able to speak
English. The bishop insisted that a temporary
vicarage be ordained and that a better qualified
minister should serve the church. The vicar was to
receive all the income from the parish and bear all
the expenses, but was to pay 5 marks a year (half
at least of his income) to the rector as long as the
latter was well behaved in orders, and did not accept
another benefice. (fn. 154)
As the living was a poor one, it did not attract
members of the St. Amand family; only one, John
de St. Amand (resigned 1250–1), held it, nor were
any university graduates rectors between the end of
the 13th century and the late 16th century. (fn. 155)
Except for the case of Reinotius there is no direct
evidence for either pluralism or non-residence
during the Middle Ages. Possibly one 15th-century
rector, who was a Canon of Wroxton, (fn. 156) may have
lived at the abbey. Two early-16th-century rectors,
on the other hand, were certainly resident. One had
his brother and sister-in-law living with him in the
rectory house at the time of the bishop's visitation
c. 1520; (fn. 157) the other, Thomas Williams (1537–56),
started the parish register, (fn. 158) left 12d. to every house
in the parish, and was buried in the chancel. (fn. 159)
He was a witness of the Reformation changes, among
them the disappearance of the church light; in
1549 its endowment (4 a. of land worth 6d. a year)
was sold. (fn. 160)
In the 17th and 18th centuries when the patrons
often lived in the parish, they frequently presented
their connexions to the living. During the 17th
century, in particular, this system gave the parish
several able rectors and one outstanding one,
Thomas Lydiat, commemorated in The Vanity of
Human Wishes. (fn. 161) He was presented to the living in
1612 by his father, Christopher, (fn. 162) and spent most of
the rest of his life in the village. From the rectoryhouse, 'my home', he corresponded with his friend
Archbishop Usher and there wrote many of his
chronological and astronomical works as well as
600 sermons on the harmony of the gospels. Many
of these sermons he probably preached in Alkerton
church. (fn. 163) After rebuilding the rectory-house, (fn. 164) he
fell into grave financial difficulties and spent from at
least 1629 to 1632 in prison for debt, partly at
Oxford. (fn. 165) Lydiat had friends on both sides in the
religious controversies of the 17th century: (fn. 166)
but during the Civil War he was a royalist and
episcopalian. In a petition of 1644 to the governor of
Banbury castle, about his house in Banbury, he
wrote that he had tried to keep 'true allegiance' to
the king and to persuad others to do the same. His
house had been four times pillaged by Parliamentary
forces and he had been twice imprisoned. He signed
himself as the 'old and weak minister' of Alkerton (fn. 167)
and two years later he died there. (fn. 168) He left goods
valued at only £169, of which £50 was for books. (fn. 169)
Lydiat was followed by several other learned
rectors: the first, Richard Burden, had studied
seven years at Oxford and come in 1646 to Alkerton
with the reputation of being a 'painful and diligent'
minister. (fn. 170) His successor was Thomas Lydiat's
nephew Timothy (d. 1663), a former Fellow of New
College, and a 'faithful pastor', (fn. 171) and after him came
John Pointer (1663–1710), the son of a Puritan
preacher of the same name. (fn. 172) He repaired the
chancel and the rectory-house in 1692 and his neat
handwriting in the parish register shows that he was
usually resident. (fn. 173) His elder son John later acquired
a reputation as a learned antiquary (fn. 174) and his
younger son Malachy succeeded his father as rector
(1711–20). (fn. 175)
Although residence continued to be the rule in the
earlier 18th century there was some falling off in
zeal. Francis Townshend (1733–42), a younger son
of the squire, usually held two services on Sunday,
administered the sacrament three times a year
'according to the custom of the parish', and frequently catechized the children (fn. 176) but his successor
decreased the number of services to one, since he
also served Shutford chapel. He never had more
than five or six communicants, (fn. 177) he catechized only
in Lent, and refused to repair the churchyard wall or
the church fabric. (fn. 178) The dispute over the repair of
the wall was long: in 1752 the churchwardens
reported it as constantly out of repair for the last
ten years. (fn. 179)
By this time there was only one churchwarden,
instead of the two wardens of the 16th century, (fn. 180)
perhaps as a consequence of a declining population.
The wardens changed frequently until 1780, when
it became customary for the person chosen, usually
one of the leading farmers, to serve for many years. (fn. 181)
In the 19th century, if not before, the warden was
chosen by the rector or his curate. (fn. 182) One of the
warden's responsibilities was the handling of the lands
given for the repair of the church. (fn. 183) These are
mentioned in the early 18th century, when they had
been used to lower the rates, (fn. 184) and by 1809 they
were of sufficient value to make a church rate unnecessary. The churchwardens also managed a
small coal fund. (fn. 185) The parish clerk had an endowment: before inclosure this had been a cowcommon and the right to cut furze on the heath. By
the inclosure award he received over 2 a., and this
land, which in 1831 was worth about £3 and in
1869 about £10, (fn. 186) made him comparatively well
paid.
When John Capel Townshend, the lord of the
manor, became rector in 1775, there began the long
association with Shenington which was to lead to
the union of the two parishes. The Jacobean rectoryhouse at Alkerton was too small for him and he lived
'with every convenience' in his own house at Shenington. As it was in an elevated position overlooking
Alkerton he was perhaps correct in saying that 'not
a bell can ring or anything happen but I hear it from
my own house'. (fn. 187) He also stated that he was often in
Alkerton two or three times a day, yet he held only
one service on Sundays and catechized once a year. (fn. 188)
Nor did he at once display great energy about the
upkeep of the church. There were no Commandments, Lord's Prayer, or 'Belief' painted up in the
church in 1755 and the same complaint was made
in the next year, when the porch was also out of
repair. Later Townshend remedied these things. (fn. 189)
From 1804 he sometimes had a curate at Alkerton
since he spent much time at Wroxton Abbey as
domestic chaplain to Lord Guilford. (fn. 190) He died in
1821, leaving a somewhat unclerical reputation behind him. It was later said that he used to play
whist in Alkerton church porch while waiting for a
funeral, and that after afternoon service he always
finished the day playing whist with Lord Guilford
at Wroxton. (fn. 191)
The Church of St. Michael, Alkerton
After Townshend's death the church was served
by the rectors of Shenington. (fn. 192) By 1866 the number
of communion services had been increased from
four in 1854 to twelve a year, and the church was
'tollerably well filled' although much of the congregation came from Shenington, because most of
the religious poor of Alkerton were dissenters. (fn. 193)
When in 1869 both Alkerton and Shenington
livings became vacant, Lord Jersey presented his
friend Arthur Blythman to Shenington and proposed to unite the livings. (fn. 194) A protest was signed by
over 70 people, however, 10 from Shenington and
the rest from Alkerton. (fn. 195) Their case was that the
villages were 'perfectly distinct' and a deep valley
lay between them, making the journey from one to
the other 'most tedious and difficult', especially for
the old and infirm and those from outlying farmhouses. 'Through the forethought of our ancestors'
each village had its own church, and the petitioners
could see no reason for the union except to increase
the value of Shenington rectory, 'already amply
sufficient'. They thought Alkerton a suitable living
for a clergyman 'of modest means and views'; and
that a rector constantly resident among his people
would 'confer many benefits', and would be preferable to a curate. Behind the petition was apparently the fear that Alkerton church would eventually
be closed and pulled down.
Blythman, supported by the churchwarden of
each parish, answered the petition by pointing out
that of the signatories one of the leaders was a
Roman Catholic, about half were dissenters, and
some were non-resident landowners. He promised to
appoint a resident curate, and stressed the advantage
of a well-paid rector and a curate over two poorly
paid rectors. (fn. 196) He was defeated, however, when the
Bishop of Worcester (in whose diocese Shenington
lay) (fn. 197) withdrew his support after the petition was
sent in, largely, it was thought, because by transferring Shenington to Oxford diocese his officers
would lose parochial fees. (fn. 198) Alkerton therefore
obtained its last resident rector, Benjamin J. Smith
(1870–1900), who held the two desired Sunday
services. By 1878 the number of communicants had
risen to 26, but he was dissatisfied with the small
size of his congregations, which he attributed to the
strength of dissent and the rise of the Agricultural
Union. (fn. 199) He laboured unremittingly to get his church
building restored, contributed handsomely himself,
and collected funds over a period of fourteen years,
a difficult task as the parish had no resident gentry. (fn. 200)
In 1900, when the living was again vacant, no
objection was raised to its union with Shenington,
or to the transference of Shenington to Oxford
diocese. (fn. 201) Blythman, who was still at Shenington,
served the two churches until his retirement in
1926 at the age of 85. (fn. 202) Although there is only one
parochial church council, Shenington and Alkerton
technically remain separate ecclesiastical parishes.
The church of ST. MICHAEL is built of local
iron-stone and consists of a nave with south aisle
and porch, a central tower, and a chancel. (fn. 203) The
chancel is at a considerably higher level than the
nave; there are steps between the chancel and the
tower, and between the tower and the nave. The
earliest part of the building is the tower, its lower
story dating from the 12th century. Its north and
south walls stand on plain Romanesque arches. The
northern arch is blind, as was the southern until
1889, and there is no evidence that transepts were
ever built. Towards the end of the 12th century the
nave was enlarged by the addition of the south aisle
of two pointed arches, and early in the 13th century
the Romanesque arches in the east and west walls
of the tower were replaced by Gothic arches. The
western of these two arches is elaborately moulded
and springs from slender clustered columns of
'Early English' design. The present chancel dates
wholly or largely from the 17th century, but
probably stands more or less exactly on the foundations of its medieval forerunner.
Early in the 14th century the two upper stories of
the tower were added, and later the nave was rebuilt. It is lighted by a clerestory consisting of
four windows on the south side and two on the
north. It is roofed by a low-pitched timber roof
resting on corbels, and decorated externally by a
parapet resting on a cornice of Hornton stone
sculptured with grotesque figures of men and animals.
The cornice resembles those at Adderbury, Hanwell,
Bloxham, and elsewhere in north Oxfordshire.
Although its iconographical significance is obscure,
it is unlikely that, as has sometimes been supposed,
any allusion to the life of the Black Prince was
intended. (fn. 204) The porch appears also to be an addition
of the 14th century.
In the early 17th century Thomas Lydiat (rector
1612–47) 'rebuilt' (fn. 205) or partially rebuilt the chancel in
a Perpendicular style. No further large-scale
alterations were executed before the general
restoration of 1889, but the following parts of the
church underwent minor repairs: the nave roof in
1683; (fn. 206) the porch in 1756; (fn. 207) the roof in 1813 and 1814; (fn. 208)
the north wall of the tower in 1833; (fn. 209) and the foundations in 1843 when they were underpinned. (fn. 210) The
lower part of the south wall was also rebuilt,
externally only, before 1824 and two windows were
blocked up. (fn. 211) All the whitewash and plaster was
removed from the interior and the windows were
repaired in the early 1840s. (fn. 212)
The poverty of the parish prevented a general
restoration before 1889, although the roof was
reported to be decayed both in 1855 and 1868. (fn. 213)
The architects Bodley and Garner reported in c.
1878, (fn. 214) and the Diocesan Church Building Society
was applied to for a grant in 1889. It was proposed
to rebuild the roofs, restore the mullions of the
windows and other stonework, underpin the walls
and tower, build an organ chamber and a vestry,
put in new floors, new sittings in place of the existing
high pews, and install heating. The bells were to be
rehung, the west gallery, probably an 18th- or early
19th-century addition, removed, and an organ provided. (fn. 215) When the diocesan architect reported on
the plans he noted that the south porch had fallen
away from the aisle wall and that extreme care would
be necessary in restoring the tower. The architect
employed for the restoration was J. A. Cossins
of Cossins and Peacock, Birmingham. (fn. 216) All this
work appears to have been carried out and the
southern tower arch now opens into the vestry
and organ chamber: the ancient south doorway
of the tower was re-erected in the south wall of the
vestry. (fn. 217)
In the chancel there is a stone effigy of an unknown
knight in armour, dating probably from the early
13th century.
There are memorial inscriptions to the following:
John Pointer, rector (d. 1710); Malachy Pointer,
rector (d. 1720); Timothy Lydiat, 'faithful pastor'
(d. 1662/3); and Hannah, the wife of Richard
Burden, pastor (d. 1653/4). (fn. 218) Thomas Lydiat was
buried in the chancel (1646/7) beside his father and
mother. In 1669 the Warden of New College had an
inscription put over Lydiat's grave but it has been
obliterated. (fn. 219)
The silver Elizabethan chalice with paten cover is
considered to be the work of a provincial goldsmith
whose work is found in many Oxfordshire and
Northamptonshire churches. (fn. 220)
There is a chime of four bells of which one is a
fine medieval bell c. 1400 and one is of 1618. (fn. 221)
Apart from a small gap in the marriage register
for the period 1784–1803, the registers are complete
from 1544. (fn. 222)
Nonconformity.
There were 6 Protestant
nonconformists in 1676 (fn. 223) but the only others recorded in the 17th or 18th centuries were a few
Quakers, (fn. 224) an Anabaptist gentleman farmer in
1768 (his wife and family went to church), and a
dissenter of unknown sect in 1784. (fn. 225) In 1802 there
was one Presbyterian. (fn. 226) Probably Alkerton people
were attending the Methodist chapel in Shenington
from the time of its foundation in 1819. (fn. 227) In 1854 a
cottage in Alkerton was being used as 'a meetinghouse for Ranters', (fn. 228) and by 1866 most of the poor
were said to be Primitive Methodists. (fn. 229) In 1869 the
rector blamed the 'historically Puritanical associations' of the neighbourhood and pointed to the
proximity of Shenington Primitive Methodist
chapel, built 'as nearly as may be between the two
villages'. (fn. 230) It is not known what proportion of that
chapel's congregation came from Alkerton.
Schools.
In 1811 there was a small subscription
school. (fn. 231) A Sunday school was established in 1813,
supported by voluntary subscriptions; there were 20
girls and 16 boys attending in 1815. It was stated
that the teachers were willing to learn and practise
the National Society's new plan of instruction, but
that if more children were collected from neighbouring villages to profit by it, the small chancel of the
church, where classes were held, would no longer
be adequate as a schoolroom. (fn. 232)
The problem was only partially solved in 1818,
for although the parish had joined with Shenington
in establishing a National school, supported partly
by subscription and partly by the parish rates, it
was stated that the poor were 'without means of
affording their children education'. (fn. 233) In 1834
Alkerton children still attended, both daily and on
Sundays, the school at Shenington, which was within
half a mile of most of their cottages. (fn. 234) They paid
only fines for non-attendance, which were divided
once a year, either among the good ones or those
who were most regular. (fn. 235) In 1861 Sophia Hughes
and Mary Wilson bequeathed £269 and £223 15s. 6d.
respectively to the National school for the poor
children of Alkerton and Shenington. In 1905
sufficient stock from Sophia Hughes's bequest
was sold to produce £50, which was gradually
replaced by the accumulated dividends of the
remaining stock. (fn. 236)
By 1868 education at Shenington National
school was supplemented by a night school held in
the winter at Alkerton, but the rector, while admitting the existence of such a school, disclaimed all
knowledge of its operation. He thought that it
would have been possible to retain many more
children in the Sunday school after leaving day
school if a larger building had been available. (fn. 237)
At the age of 9 boys were apt to leave school to
work a 12 or 13 hour day in the fields, where, it was
said, their health benefited from the excercise.
Girls were not employed as agricultural labourers in
Alkerton. (fn. 238)
In 1871 Alkerton's first mixed elementary school
was established in conjunction with the National
Society and the Church of England: it had accommodation for 58 children, (fn. 239) but was attended by no
more than seventeen. The rector gave daily religious
instruction and there was a certificated schoolmistress. The school was built by the ratepayers'
subscriptions. (fn. 240) By 1890 half the financial support was
received from a Government grant; rates and
subscriptions and the small endowment mentioned
above provided the rest. The average attendance had
dropped to fourteen. (fn. 241) In 1905 the school was
closed. The children returned to the school at
Shenington, which continues as a mixed elementary
school now known as the Shenington with Alkerton
school. (fn. 242)
Charities.
At inclosure in 1777 c. 7 a. worth £5
a year was given for fuel for the poor. (fn. 243) This was
the 'Poor Land', one parcel of which was sold in
1906 for £93 and another in 1945 for £280. In
1963 interest on this invested capital was bringing
in £11 which was distributed in coal. (fn. 244)
By will proved 1855 Mary Wilson left £50, the
interest to be given yearly in bread and money to
the aged. (fn. 245) By 1963 the distribution of bread had
ceased. (fn. 246)