| Marsh Baldon | |
|---|---|
 St. Peter's parish church | |
  Marsh Baldon Location withinOxfordshire | |
| Area | 5.17 km2 (2.00 sq mi) |
| Population | 310 (2011 Census) |
| • Density | 60/km2 (160/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SU5699 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Oxford |
| Postcode district | OX44 |
| Dialling code | 01865 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Baldons Parish Council |
| |
Marsh Baldon is a village andcivil parish about 5 miles (8 km) southeast ofOxford inOxfordshire. Since 2012 it has been part of theBaldons joint parish council area, sharing a parish council with the adjacent civil parish ofToot Baldon. The2011 Census population is 310.[1]
The course of theRoman road that linkedDorchester on Thames withAlchester passes through the parish on a north–south axis, and the eastern boundary of the village green approximately follows it.[2]Roman coins andRomano-Britishpottery have been found in the parish.[2] About 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the village, just east of the Golden Balls roundabout on theA4074 road, is the site of a set of Roman kilns.[3] The site is now ascheduled monument.[3]
In the 11th century a Saxon called Azur held a manor of 10hides at Marsh Baldon.[2] After theNorman conquest of England this manor was one of numerous estates granted toMiles Crispin, a Norman baron who may have been the firstcastellan ofWallingford Castle.[2] Marsh Baldon remained part of theHonour of Wallingford until at least 1166.[2] Baldon House was built in the 17th century[4] or earlier as themanor house.[5] It was extended in the 18th century,[4] and wings were added in the 19th and early in the 20th centuries. Baldon House is aGrade II* listed building.[5]
TheChurch of England parish church ofSaint Peter dates from the 12th century, with 14th- and 15th-century alterations.[6] St Peter's was restored in 1890 bySomers Clarke andJohn Thomas Micklethwaite.[6] It is aGrade II* listed building.[7] Above the south portal is a very fine example of a 12th-centurycanonical sundial. St Peter's 14th-centurybell tower[6] has aring of five bells,[8] the oldest of which was cast by John White ofReading[9] in about 1480.[8] Ellis I Knight of Reading[9] cast two more, including the tenor bell, in about 1628.[8] Mears and Stainbank of theWhitechapel Bell Foundry[9] cast another bell in 1902 and finally the treble bell in 1954.[8] There is also aSanctus bell that was cast in about 1760 by Robert Wells[8] ofAldbourne,Wiltshire.[9]
In the northaisle is a painting of theAnnunciation by the Italian masterPompeo Batoni (1708–87) afterGuido Reni.[6] It hung in the chapel ofCorpus Christi College, Oxford until 1794, when SirChristopher Willoughby had St Peter's Church remodelled and donated the painting.[6] Marsh Baldon is not the onlyOxfordshire parish church to have a painting by Batoni. The parish church of theBlessed Virgin Mary, Weston-on-the-Green, 12 miles (19 km) north of Marsh Baldon, has a Batoni altarpiece of theTen Commandments.[10]
The futureArchbishop of Canterbury,Archibald Campbell Tait, as a young man, renowned for his Devotional dedication, added the arduous and financially unrewarding curacy of Baldon, to his tutorial responsibilities as soon as he was ordained.[11]
Most of Marsh Baldon's houses and cottages are arranged around thevillage green, which is an irregular square shape with an area of around 23 acres (9.3 ha).[12] The green iscommon land that was used for grazing. Until the 20th century the road through Marsh Baldon was gated at both ends of the village to prevent livestock from straying.[13] It may be that the earliest settlement was clustered around St. Peter's church.[14][13] The large green north-east of this original settlement would subsequently have been reclaimed from marshland early in the Middle Ages and then surrounded by houses.[14][13]
The parish has aChurch of England primary school.[15] It was founded atToot Baldon in 1771, when Elizabeth Lane left the house and four acres of land at Herbert's Farm for the purpose.[2] The farmhouse accommodated the schoolmaster, the four acres were for a site for the school and an orchard as its endowment.[2] Elizabeth Lane's bequest funded free education for six boys and six girls; other families paid fees for the school to educate their children. By 1866 the school had 56 pupils.[2] The present building at Marsh Baldon was erected in 1873 and a second classroom was added in 1897.[2] In 1929 the school was reorganised for junior pupils only, with children over 11 years old going to the Church of England school atDorchester on Thames from then onwards.[2] The number of pupils enrolled in the reorganised school rose from 40 in 1929 to 52 in 1952.[2]
Marsh Baldon has apublic house, the Seven Stars.[16] Marsh Baldon andToot Baldon share acricket club.[17] In the southeast of the parish, next to the boundary withNuneham Courtenay, are two woods: Old Common and Bluebell Wood. The latter containsHarcourt Arboretum, which is part of theUniversity of Oxford'sBotanic Garden.
