PITCHCOTT
Pichecote (xiii cent.).
Pitchcott is a small parish with an area of 925
acres, including only 32 acres of arable land, the rest,
some 887 acres, being all pasture land. (fn. 1) The slope
of the land drops from 500 ft. above the ordnance
datum on Pitchcott Hill, in the north of the parish,
to 267 ft. in the south-east. The soil is loam and the
subsoil clay. The village is situated on the south-east
of Pitchcott Hill, and from it there is a fine view over
the Vale of Aylesbury. The church stands to the
north-west of the village, with the rectory, built in
the middle of the 19th century, to the south-east.
There are no houses of importance in the parish, but
the Manor Farm appears to date in part from the
17th century; the older parts of the building are,
however, covered with cement, and little can be said
of them. A panel of moulded brickwork, with
pediment and pilasters, on the north-east wall, is said
to be dated 1797, but, from its style, should be of
considerably earlier date. The 'long causeway,'
towards the repair of which John Perott in 1524
left a rent-charge, (fn. 2) is supposed to have been a line of
stepping-stones used as a foot-road from Oving to
Pitchcott churchyard.
Manor
In 1086 PITCHCOTT, though not
named, was apparently assessed under
Miles Crispin's land in Waddesdon Hundred, (fn. 3) since it was held as one fee of the honour of
Wallingford in 1225. (fn. 4) The overlordship continued
in this honour, (fn. 5) and was merged with it in that of
Ewelme, (fn. 6) the latest reference to it in this connexion
occurring in 1550. (fn. 7)
Pitchcott was probably one of the seven fees held
of the honour of Wallingford in 1166 by William
and Robert Pipard, (fn. 8) as in 1225 it was held in mesne
by Roger Pipard. (fn. 9) This overlordship had passed by
1284 to Ralph Pipard. (fn. 10) In the next century it was
vested in the earldom of Hereford, and in 1377 was
held by the heirs of Humphrey Bohun, Earl of
Hereford, (fn. 11) as an appurtenance of the manor of
Haseley, Oxfordshire. (fn. 12) This manor passed in
marriage with the earl's granddaughter Anne to
Edmund Earl of Stafford, (fn. 13) who was holding the
mesne lordship in Pitchcott in 1400. (fn. 14) No later
reference to it has been found.
In 1225 William son of Richard Vernon of Haddon, Derbyshire, (fn. 15) was holding two-thirds of Pitchcott
as Roger Pipard's tenant, (fn. 16) and the whole fee in 1235 (fn. 17)
and 1236 (fn. 18) apparently as guardian of Hawise daughter
of his half-brother Robert Vernon, (fn. 19) whom he seems
to have married to his son Richard. The latter was
holding both in Pitchcott and Haddon in the mid13th century. (fn. 20) Hawise afterwards married Gilbert
Francis, (fn. 21) who, surviving her, died in 1278. (fn. 22) His son
and heir Richard married the daughter of Michael de
Hartcla, (fn. 23) and took the name of Vernon. (fn. 24) In 1290
he enfeoffed his son Richard and Eleanor daughter of
Giles Fenes of Pitchcott Manor, (fn. 25) and in 1292 it was
granted to her father in custody during their minority. (fn. 26)
Richard Vernon, the father, regained seisin of this
manor, however, before 1302, (fn. 27) and in 1323 was sued
by Maud, the widow of his son Richard, who claimed
a third of it in dower. (fn. 28) A grant of free warren in
Pitchcott was made to Richard Vernon in 1328. (fn. 29)
His grandson William Vernon (fn. 30) had succeeded early
in 1331, when Isabel widow of his grandfather and
Maud widow of his father claimed dower in Pitchcott. (fn. 31) William died before 1346, when two-thirds
of Pitchcott was in the custody of the Earl of
Northampton (fn. 32) during the minority of Richard, (fn. 33)
afterwards Sir Richard Vernon, kt. He died in 1376,
and, his son Richard being a minor, (fn. 34) the custody of
Pitchcott Manor was granted to Thomas of Woodstock, son of Edward III. (fn. 35) In 1378 dower was
assigned to the widow Juliane Vernon. (fn. 36) In 1400
this manor was granted by Edmund Earl of Stafford
to Nicholas Bradshaw during the minority of Richard
son of the last heir. (fn. 37) Sir Richard Vernon died in
1451, having a year previously granted Pitchcott
Manor for life to his son Thomas subject to a rentcharge during his own life to Roger Palmer. (fn. 38) In
1453 Sir Richard's elder son Sir William Vernon (fn. 39)
granted it to Thomas and Elizabeth his wife for life. (fn. 40)
Sir William Vernon died in 1461, (fn. 41) and later in the
century this manor reverted to his son (fn. 42) Sir Henry
Vernon of Haddon, who at his death in 1515 had
settled it in trust for his son and heir Richard. (fn. 43) He
died in 1518, leaving as successor a young son George, (fn. 44)
afterwards Sir George Vernon, kt., who died in 1566. (fn. 45)
Pitchcott was assigned to his daughter and co-heir
Margaret wife of Thomas Stanley, (fn. 46) and after various
settlements, detailed under Adstock (q.v.), came to
their son Edward Stanley, who mortgaged it in 1588
to Richard Saunders. (fn. 47) He died seised about 1602, (fn. 48)
his son John obtaining livery of this manor in 1612. (fn. 49)
In 1637 his daughter Elizabeth with her husband
Sir Walter Pye conveyed this estate to her uncles (fn. 50)
Sir Thomas and Francis Saunders, (fn. 51) who five years
earlier had interests in it. (fn. 52) By mutual agreement (fn. 53)
Pitchcott Manor descended in their families in
moieties, one of which passed apparently in the direct
line from Sir Thomas Saunders through his son
Thomas (fn. 54) to Thomas Saunders, a distinguished naval
officer, (fn. 55) who was sheriff for the county in 1733 (fn. 56) and
was buried at Brill in 1741. (fn. 57) His son Thomas (fn. 58)
made a settlement of his estate in 1749, (fn. 59) and in
1773 purchased the other moiety of the manor. On
his death in 1775 Pitchcott Manor passed to his son
Thomas, (fn. 60) who was sheriff in 1785. (fn. 61) His successor
about 1798, in accordance with a settlement under
his father's will, (fn. 62) was his uncle Captain Richard
Saunders, whose son, another Thomas Saunders, (fn. 63) had
succeeded in 1813 (fn. 64) and died in 1831. (fn. 65) A quarter
of Pitchcott Manor went to his sister Elizabeth
Lyster, (fn. 66) the other co-heirs being another sister, Mary
Wheeley, and the heirs of their two sisters Martha
Smith and Jane Wilson. (fn. 67) Their representatives sold
this manor in 1852 to Baron Mayer de Rothschild,
who in the following year exchanged it for property
in Mentmore with the Dean and Chapter of Christ
Church, Oxford, (fn. 68) who are the present owners.
Pipard. Argent two bars gules and a quarter azure with a cinqfoil or in the quartor.
Vernon. Argent a fret sable.
The other moiety of the manor passed before 1665 (fn. 69)
to Thomas son and heir of Francis Saunders, (fn. 70) who
was buried at Pitchcott in 1690. (fn. 71) His lands here,
which in 1675 were settled on his wife Hester, (fn. 72)
had reverted by 1708 to Thomas Saunders, (fn. 73) probably
their son. He was knighted in 1714 as one 'of the
honourable band of gentleman pensioners,' (fn. 74) and was
living in 1727. (fn. 75) His moiety of the manor was owned
by Francis Saunders in 1742. (fn. 76) Before 1773 it had
passed to Ann Mead, widow, and Richard Mead, who
conveyed it in that year to Thomas Saunders, (fn. 77) owner
of the other moiety.
References to the manorial courts of Pitchcott occur
in the 15th (fn. 78) and 16th centuries. (fn. 79)
Church
The church of ST. GILES has a
chancel measuring internally 20 ft. by
14 ft., a nave 42 ft. by 15 ft., with south
porch, and a west tower 8 ft. by 8 ft. 6 in. There
is a modern vestry north of the chancel. The church
was restored in 1864. (fn. 80)
The chancel dates from the first half of the 13th
century, and the nave is of earlier date, though none
of its original windows or doorways has survived.
The west tower was added in the 15th century, but
its upper part is of early 16th-century date.
The east wall of the chancel has been rebuilt in
modern times, with the east window, but in the south
wall are two 13th-century lancet windows, much
restored, the eastern of the two having its sill carried
down to serve as a sedile. The western lancet is
interesting as having in its east splay a stone bookdesk, apparently in position, and part of the 13th
century work. Between the lancets is a priest's
doorway of c. 1340. The north wall of the chancel
retains no old features except a plain locker, and the
chancel arch is also modern.
The nave is lighted from the south by two squareheaded two-light 15th-century windows, and from the
north by modern copies of them. The north doorway
is of plain detail of
c. 1400, and is now
blocked, while the
south doorway, of
similar character, is
the principal entrance, and has over
it a trefoiled niche,
now empty. The
south porch has a
four-centred outer
doorway, above
which is a stone with
the date 1662, perhaps recording a repair of damage done
during the Civil
War. There are
stone benches on
both sides of the
porch and modern
single-lightwindows.
Pitchcott Church from the South-east
The tower has
diagonal buttresses
and a south-west
staircase. There is a
four-centred west doorway with a two-light window
over it, and in the belfry stage, which, as already
noted, appears to be later than the rest of the tower,
are single trefoiled lights under square heads. The
stonework is a good deal decayed, and has been made
up with cement.
There is no old woodwork in the church, except
some of the timbers in the tower.
There are three bells and a sanctus: the treble, of
1686, by Chandler of Drayton Parslow, and the
second inscribed 'Sent Luke Apostel, 1590,' said by
Mr. A. H. Cocks (fn. 81) to be the work of Robert
Newcombe and Bartholomew Atton. The tenor, of
1717, is by George Chandler.
The communion plate includes a cup and cover
paten of 1569, a chalice of 1871 with cover paten of
1884, a pewter paten and pewter flagon.
The registers begin in 1680.
Advowson
The advowson of the rectory of
Pitchcott was appurtenant to the
manor (q.v.). Presentations were
made by Malvern Priory during the 13th century, (fn. 82)
but in 1310 Richard Vernon proved his right to the
advowson, (fn. 83) and it descended with the manor. In
1291 it was valued at £5 6s. 8d. (fn. 84) and in 1535 at
£10 10s. 8d. (fn. 85) The owners of the moieties of the
manor in the 17th and 18th centuries presented by
turns. (fn. 86) The heirs of Captain Saunders retained the
advowson until the later 19th century. (fn. 87) It has since
belonged successively to the Rev. Peter Aubertin and
his trustees, (fn. 88) to the Rev. C. L. Banister (fn. 89) and the
Rev. C. J. Banister, (fn. 90) and has lately been acquired by
Mr. H. Yates Thompson, the present owner.
In 1902 the rectory of Pitchcott was united with
that of Oving, (fn. 91) and the owners of the advowsons
have the right of presenting to the benefice alternately.
There do not appear to be any endowed charities
subsisting in this parish.