| Pyrton | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's parish church | |
  Pyrton Location withinOxfordshire | |
| Area | 13.31 km2 (5.14 sq mi) |
| Population | 227 (2011 Census) |
| • Density | 17/km2 (44/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SU6895 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Watlington |
| Postcode district | OX49 |
| Dialling code | 01491 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Pyrton Parish Council |
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Pyrton/ˈpɜːrtən/ is a small village and largecivil parish inOxfordshire about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the small town ofWatlington and 5 miles (8 km) south ofThame. The2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 227.[1] Thetoponym is from theOld English meaning "pear-tree farm".[2]
In 1957 a lateIron Age cremation burial from the first half of the 1st century was discovered on Pyrton Heath.[3] The burial pit contained twoBelgicbutt beakers, a bowl and a dish.[4] The smaller of the beakers contained cremated human remains and fragments of a bronze brooch. The finder donated all the items to theAshmolean Museum in Oxford.[4]
The ancientIcknield Way passes through the parish, where it is crossed by theMedieval Knightsbridge Lane that runs the length of the parish, which is the eighth largest of a district of 87 civil parishes.[5] Pyrton is astrip parish. The ancient parish comprised two detached portions extending about 12 miles (19 km) between Standhill Farm near Little Haseley andStonor in theChiltern Hills. The Stonor portion became a separate parish in 1896, and in 1922 joinedPishill to form the parish ofPishill with Stonor.[5] The remaining Pyrton portion extends about 6 miles (10 km) between Standhill Farm and a point just north ofChristmas Common. Standhill had been ahamlet with a manor house, but in the 14th century it was depopulated in theBlack Death.[5]
Pyrton was a royal estate in 774, when KingOffa of Mercia gave land there toWorcester Cathedral. TheDomesday Book records that after theNorman conquest of England Pyrton manor passed toHugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester, whose heirs retained it untilJohn de Scotia, 7th Earl of Chester died in 1237. It was then annexed bythe Crown, and in 1360 was recorded as part of theHonour of Wallingford. In 1480 KingEdward IV gave the manor to theDean andChapter ofSt George's Chapel, Windsor, who remainedlords of the manor until about 1870.[5]
The statesmanRichard Hampden leased the manor from 1669 until his death in 1695, after which it remained with his widow until 1707. TheEarl of Macclesfield leased the manor from 1751. A Hugh Hamersley ofOld Windsor leased the manor from 1781. The lease remained with his descendants until 1870 when his grandson, another Hugh Hamersley, seems to have bought the manor from the Dean and Chapter of St. George's Chapel.
In 1909 Hugh's younger son Edward Samuel Hamersley died without heir and his widow gave Pyrton to her nephew, Major Hugh C.C. Ducat, who changed his surname to Ducat Hamersley. In 1945 the Major left the estate to his son, Colonel Hugh Ducat Hamersley, who still held the estate in the 1960s.[5]Alfred St George Hamersley was a 19th-century barrister, English MP and Englishrugby union international who played in the first ever international match, went on to captain his country and pioneered the sport in the south ofNew Zealand and inBritish Columbia.
Pyrton had a Medievalmanor house surrounded by a moat. There was aHundred of Pyrton, making the manor house the administrative centre of this division ofOxfordshire. The presentElizabethan manor house was built around the beginning of the 17th century. It is largely of red brick and has a roughly E-shaped plan typical of its period. In 1786 it was in poor condition and received major repairs. Most of the presentsash windows seem to have been added at this time.[6] The house is aGrade II* listed building.[7] Also in the 18th century the grounds were landscaped, replacing adovecote and small pond with a larger lake.[6]
Pyrton has had aparish church since the 10th century. The presentChurch of England parish church ofSaint Mary was built in the 12th century but was largely rebuilt in 1856 to designs by the architectJC Buckler.[8] The church is aGrade II* listed building.[9] St Mary's parish is now part of theBenefice of Icknield, along with the parishes ofBritwell Salome,Swyncombe andWatlington.[10]
Pyrton Vicarage is alath and plaster house that was built before 1637. The present brick-built south front was added late in the 18th century. By 1635 Pyrton also had a substantial rectory, but by 1777 it was a ruin and towards the end of the 18th century it was demolished. The presentGeorgian rectory was built in its place and completed in 1788.[11] From about 1885 this Rectory was used to house successive vicars of the adjacentShirburn parish. In 1943 the twobenefices were merged, bringing this unusual housing arrangement to an end.[5]
TheWatlington and Princes Risborough Railway was built in 1869–72. Its Watlington terminus is in fact in Pyrton parish,1⁄2 mile (800 m) fromWatlington. TheGreat Western Railway took over the line in 1883.[12]British Railways closedWatlington station and withdrew all train services between Watlington andChinnor in 1957.[13]
On 2 September 1943 aVickers Wellington Mk IC bomber aircraft, R1451 ofNo. 11 Operational Training Unit RAF based atWestcott,Buckinghamshire was on a night training flight when it crashed at Pyrton. The cause of the crash was never established.[14] All five crew were killed. The pilot and three of his crew were members of theRoyal Australian Air Force. They are buried in theCommonwealth War Graves section ofBotley Cemetery on the outskirts ofOxford. The wireless operator, Sgt FW Nixon, was a member of theRoyal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He is buried in St Comgall'sChurch of Ireland churchyard,Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.[14]
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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