BURMINGTON
Acreage: 752½.
Population: 1911, 142; 1921, 125; 1931, 101.
The small parish, 1½ miles in length from east to west
and ¾ mile in breadth, is bounded on the south and west
by the River Stour. The road from Shipston-on-Stour
to Chipping Norton runs from north to south across the
western end of the parish, and the village lies between
this road and one from Willington.
The village is small and has a few buildings of some
age with stone walls and stone-tiled roofs. One house
just east of it on the north side of the roadway is dated
1730: it has red-brick walls with diaper patterning in
black bricks in the upper story and rusticated stone
quoins. The tall windows have wood casements and
transoms and the front entrance has a curved hood. The
roof is covered with stone tiles.
The old Manor House, south-west of the churchyard, appears to be of early-16th-century origin but
has been considerably altered. The walls, of stone
rubble with angle dressings, retain two or three of the
original stone mullioned windows with labels. The old
plan was a half-H shape with the wings projecting to
the south: the flush north face of three practically equal
bays overlooks the churchyard; each bay has a gable
head: the easternmost has plastering, but some of it is
missing and exposes ancient timber-framing: the other
two gables are weather-boarded and project on
moulded bressummers now plastered. The interior
has also been much altered, but the ground floor
ceiling of the middle bay of the house (now reduced
on the south side for a modern staircase) retains most
of its early-16th-century moulded beams to show it
was originally divided into three compartments by two.
The kitchen, in the west wing, also has a moulded beam
and the ceiling was probably similar but has been more
altered. This room had a very large fire-place (now
reduced) with an oak lintel.
The east wing has three-light windows in the east
and north walls; it is mainly used now as cellars, &c.,
but was of more importance formerly. There are later
additions to the south.
Manor
In 1086 Robert de Stafford held 5 hides
in BURMINGTON which had formerly
been held by Godwin. (fn. 1) The overlordship
descended in that family, one knight's fee here being
recorded among the Stafford fees in 1212, (fn. 2) 1242, (fn. 3) and
1372, (fn. 4) and a half and a quarter of a half-fee in 1398 (fn. 5)
and 1403. (fn. 6) In 1242 the fee was held by Adam de
Greneville of Hawise de Wulleward, of Wolford (q.v.),
who held of the Baron of Stafford. He was probably
the successor of William de Greinville who was dealing
with land in Burmington in 1232. (fn. 7) A later William de
Grey(n)ville forfeited the manor for adhering to the
king's rebels (under the Earl of Hereford) in 1322, (fn. 8)
but it was regranted in July of that year to him and
Lucy his wife and their issue, with contingent remainder
to one John, son of Richard de Rodeneye. (fn. 9) At the
same time William, with Richard de Rodeneye, who
was keeper of the rebels' lands in Devon and Cornwall (fn. 10)
and was probably surety for William, acknowledged a
debt of £200 to the king. (fn. 11) William's wife Lucy seems
to have survived him and been remarried to John de
Wolverton before 1338, when they released their
rights in the manor to John de Grenville. (fn. 12) The latter
was living in 1346 (fn. 13) but seems to have died soon afterwards (fn. 14) and his estates passed to his daughter and
heiress Alice, who married Sir Humphrey Stafford, (fn. 15)
the representative of a junior branch of the overlord's
family. He was holding the fee in right of his wife in
1372, (fn. 16) and his son Sir Humphrey held it in 1403. (fn. 17)
The latter's son, also Sir Humphrey, acquired the
estate of Hooke in Dorset and died in 1442. (fn. 18) He had
three sons, of whom the eldest, Richard, predeceased
him, leaving a daughter Amice, upon whom the manor
of Burmington was settled in fee tail by the father's
uncle John Stafford, Archbishop of Canterbury (1443–52), and other trustees. Amice died without issue and
the manor passed to Humphrey Stafford (son of her
uncle John). He died in 1461, holding the manor of
Henry, Duke of Buckingham, and it passed to Humphrey, Lord Stafford of South
wick (Wilts.), as son of his uncle
William, (fn. 19) who had died in
1450. (fn. 20) Lord Stafford was created
Earl of Devon in 1469 shortly
before he rebelled against the
king and was executed. (fn. 21) The
manor went to Eleanor, wife of
Thomas Strangways, eldest of the
three daughters of his aunt Alice, (fn. 22)
and their son Giles Strangways
conveyed it in 1540 to Henry
Annesley and Nicholas Tooley. (fn. 23)
John Tooley died in 1606 seised
of the manor, leaving a son Thomas, (fn. 24) who in 1617
conveyed it to Henry, Earl of Northampton, (fn. 25) in
whose family it remained until 1801, when it was sold
to the Rev. T. Lambert Snow, whose eldest daughter
Mary Anne married John Staunton of Longbridge (fn. 26) ,
and in 1932 Lady Beecham, wife of Sir Thomas,
bought it from the Staunton Trustees on the death of
Miss C. S. Staunton. (fn. 27)
Stafford of Southwick. Gules a cheveron or within a border engrailed sable.
At the time of the Domesday Survey there was in
Burmington a mill worth 10s. (fn. 28) A water-mill was conveyed with the manor in 1540 to Nicholas Tooley, (fn. 29)
and John Tooley was seised of two water-mills there
at his death in 1606. (fn. 30) The mill, on the Stour, is still
of considerable importance.
Church
The parish church of ST. BARNABAS
AND ST. NICHOLAS is a small building
consisting of a chancel with a north vestry,
nave with a south porch, and a north-west bell-turret.
There is a fair amount of medieval masonry in the
church walls perhaps dating from as early as the 13th
century, but the only ancient architectural detail surviving is part of the chancel arch of c. 1200. The
church had fallen into decay and the nave was rebuilt
in 1693; it formerly had a central tower, 16 ft. square,
but this was then abolished and the chancel reduced in
size. (fn. 31) A further very complete restoration was also
carried out in the 19th century when all the windows,
doorways, and roofs were renewed, the bell-turret
added, and other work done.
The chancel (about 17 ft. by 13½ ft.) has an east
window of two trefoiled lights and tracery of early13th-century character and two south trefoiled lancets.
On the north side is a modern doorway to the vestry
and near the east end a small niche. The east wall is
of ancient coursed yellow masonry below the gable.
The north wall is coated with cement outside, and the
south wall is of modern masonry with some reused
ancient stones. The modern roof is covered with
stone tiles.
The responds of the chancel arch are of one chamfered order. The head is of two orders, the inner being
carried on late-12th- or early-13th-century semi-octagonal corbel-capitals: the northern is carved with upright flowers with hollowed trumpet heads, and the
southern with a kind of hollowed scallop ornament
having between the scallops stalked flowers with
keeled ball-heads like closed tulips. The moulded
abaci are deeply undercut, especially the northern. The
flowers die away below into common plain rounded
ends of later recutting, perhaps replacing former
shafts.
The nave (40 ft. by 16½ ft.) has four north windows:
the third from the east (probably in place of a former
doorway) is of two lancet lights and the others are single
lights. In the south wall are a two-light window and
two lancets, the pointed and chamfered doorway being
between the two latter and covered by a small porch.
At the west end is a gallery and the wall has two
lancets below the gallery and a two-light traceried
window above.
East of the porch the south wall appears to have
medieval masonry, except the two or three top courses,
but west of it it is modern, as is also the west wall. The
north wall is probably of 1693 except for the modern
top courses.
The north-west turret contains the north entrance
to the staircase leading to the gallery and is finished
with a pyramidal stone roof.
The modern nave roof is covered with stone tiles.
The font, a plain one of flower-pot shape, is probably
medieval work re-tooled and stands on a chamfered
base.
The modern stone pulpit is entered through the
wall, in the north-east corner, from the vestry.
The communion plate includes an Elizabethan cup
with dotted line ornament, the cover converted for use
as a paten; a second cup, probably of the time of
Charles I; and two small patens of 1720. There is also
a flagon of plated ware, and a pewter alms-dish dated
1764. (fn. 32)
The bell is of 1592, by Robert Newcombe of
Leicester. (fn. 33)
The registers begin in 1583.
In the churchyard is the three-tiered base and a
small fragment of the stem of an ancient cross.
Advowson
The church of Burmington was a
chapel annexed to the church of
Wolford and is so styled when the
latter was appropriated to Merton College in 1311. (fn. 34)
The rectory was confirmed to Merton in 1634 (fn. 35) and
was said to be worth £30 yearly in 1638, when there
were certain scandals about the corrupt sale of leases of
college property by the Warden. (fn. 36) The benefice
became first a perpetual curacy and then a vicarage
during the 19th century, but has continued to be held
with Wolford. (fn. 37)
Charities
Richard Badger's Charity. The
share of this charity applicable for the
parish of Burmington consists of 1/84
part of the income, amounting to £8 18s. 4d. annually,
and is applied by the vicar and churchwardens towards
keeping the parish church in proper repair and main
taining divine service. A similar amount representing
the poor's share is applied for the benefit of deserving
poor residents.
Court's Charity. It is recorded in the Reports of the
former Commissioners for Inquiring Concerning Charities that J. Court left £10 to the care of the churchwardens and overseers of the poor to be set out for the
use of the poor of the parish. The endowment now
produces 13s. 3d. annually in dividends which are
applied for the benefit of the poor.