| Towersey | |
|---|---|
 St Catherine's parish church | |
  Towersey Location withinOxfordshire | |
| Area | 5.57 km2 (2.15 sq mi) |
| Population | 433 (2011 Census) |
| • Density | 78/km2 (200/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SP7305 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Thame |
| Postcode district | OX9 |
| Dialling code | 01844 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Towersey Village |
| |
Towersey is a village andcivil parish about1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) east ofThame inOxfordshire. Towersey was part ofBuckinghamshire[1] until 1933, when thecounty boundary was moved and Towersey was exchanged forKingsey.[2] The2011 Census recorded Towersey parish's population as 433.[3]
Thetoponym "Towersey" is derived fromOld andMiddle English. TheDomesday Book of 1086 records it as simplyEia, meaning "island". This refers to a dry area of land in the marshes of theAylesbury Vale, on the edge of which the village stands.[4] A manuscript of 1174 records Kingsey also as simplyEya, but thereafter both toponyms gained prefixes to distinguish the two villages. A manuscript of 1194 refers toKingseie, which has evolved into "Kingsey". Mid-13th-century records refer toTurrisey andTureseye, which has evolved into "Towersey". It means "island of de Turs", referring to Richard de Turs, who held the manor from 1252.[5]
The earliest part of theChurch of England parish church ofSaint Catherine is its 13th-centuryEarly English Gothicchancel.[6] Thenave was rebuilt early in the 14th century and isDecorated Gothic.[7] In 1850–54 the church wasrestored under the direction of the architect James Cranston, who added thebell tower in its slightly unusual position on the south side of the nave.[7] The tower has aring of four bells. Ellis I Knight ofReading, Berkshirecast the second, third and tenor bells in 1627. Richard Keene ofWoodstock cast the treble bell in 1695. St Catherine's also has aSanctus bell that Keene cast in 1699.[8] St Catherine's is now one of eight parishes in theBenefice of Thame.[9]
In 1859 theWycombe Railway began to be extended through Towersey parish fromHigh Wycombe toThame.[10] crossing Chinnor Road on a bridge just south of the village. The line opened in 1862.[11]
In 1864 the line was extended again from Thame toOxford.[12] Thame was the nearest station until 1933, when theGreat Western Railway openedTowersey Halt on the west side of the bridge.[10]British Railways withdrew passenger services in January 1963[13] and freight services to Thame in 1991. The track has since been lifted. The former railway bridge with its steel span over Chinnor Road survives. The trackbed has been converted into thePhoenix Trail for cycling, horseriding and walking betweenPrinces Risborough and Thame.
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Towersey has apublic house, the Three Horseshoes.[14] The village is the setting for theTowersey Village Festival which is a festival offolk music anddance. It was founded in 1965 and is held annually on Augustbank holiday weekend. Its foundation was followed by the foundation in 1966 of aCotswold Morris side, Towersey Morris, which still performs today.[15]
