Albury, (St Helen), a Parish in the Union of Thame, Hundred of Bullingdon, County of Oxford, 3¼-miles (West by South) from Thame; containing, with the Hamlet of Tiddington, 244-Inhabitants. The Parish is on the Borders of Bucks & is Watered by the River Thame. The Living was a Rectory, valued in the King’s Books at £9-2s-8½d; net income, £276; Patron, the Earl of Abingdon. The Church has been lately re-Built, principally through the munificence of the Earl & is fitted up throughout with Open Sittings of handsome Old Oak.
OS Map 1897 Oxon XLI.1 (Tiddington with Albury)
OS Map 1919 Sth Oxon XL.4 (Tiddington with Albury; Waterstock)
Some 9-miles to the East of Oxford lies the small Civil Parish of Tiddington with Albury, which was created in 1932 out of the 2-Civil Parishes of Albury & Tiddington. These had formerly comprised the single Ancient Parish of Albury. In 1932 Albury covered 674-acres & Tiddington 422-acres. The only recorded change in the Parish Boundaries was made in 1886 when Tiddington Meadow (35-acres) was transferred to Waterstock. The Parish slopes gently upwards from the River Thame & its Meadows, which lie at about 200-ft above Sea-level & are liable to Flooding, to about 340-ft. in the South & South-west. The River Thame as it flows Westwards to Ickford Bridge forms part of the Parish’s Northern Boundary; the Eastern Boundary, which skirts Rycote Pond, cuts across Rycote Park & then runs South to meet the Thame Road, is the only other one with any Historical significance.
Michael Burghers – Map Of Oxfordshire 1677
Beautifully embellished Map of the County of Oxfordshire engraved by Michael Burghers for Dr Robert Plot’s “The Natural History of Oxfordshire” Published in 1677, a work that contained descriptions & images of Fossils found in the County including the 1st known illustration of a Dinosaur bone. The defining characteristic of the Map is the extensive decoration of the Borders & Cartouches with 178 Coats of Arms of the Colleges of Oxford University, Noblemen & Clergy. Also included is a Key explaining the Symbols used to identify various types of Locations on the Map.
The Main Road from Oxford to Thame traverses the North of the Parish; 2-Roads Branch off to Albury & Tiddington, while a 3rd, Sandy Lane, connects the Thame Road with the London Road, which crosses the Southern Tip of the Parish. The latter Road accounts for the existence of the Ancient ‘Three Pigeons’ Public House & the then ‘Modern’ Brimpton Grange Hotel & the former Transport Café.
The Section of the Oxford to High Wycombe Railway Line, which crossed the Parish & Tiddington Station were Built in the 1850s.
The Soil is Clay with a Gravel Subsoil & has in the past been mainly used for Pasture. The Land is well Watered by the Thame & its Tributary, Tiddington Brook. Fishing in these Waters is recorded in Medieval Times: in 1254 Common Rights to the Fishing were in Dispute & in 1301 the Manorial Rights were worth 12d a year. In the 17thC there is evidence to show that Leaseholders also had Rights in the Fishing beside the Lord of the Manor. There are several Coppices, but the only large Wood is Fernhill Wood (50-acres).
Albury Village, the Site of the Parish Church, lies about 220-ft up. From the early-Middle Ages, it was a smaller place than Tiddington, and today consists only of the Church & Rectory, Church Farm & Albury House. The Large Rectory, Built in c.1819, was un-Tenanted in 1953, though its Stables were converted into a House for a Local Schoolmaster.
The Oxfordshire Way (Map-29) from Tiddington to Albury Church through the Field called Sixpenny & shows the gently undulating Pasture to the North. This Field has the remnants of Medieval Agriculture, known as Ridge & Furrow. The Tops were Ploughed & the Furrows were the Boundaries between a Block & acted as Drains – a Ridge was normally 220-yds long – the Furlong. Once the Enclosures Acts were passed in the 17thC, the Ridge & Furrow Technique was Abandoned & the Ground became Pasture, thus locking in the Relics of this Old System. The old Village name was Alderberie considered to be 6thC
Oxfordshire Way Tiddington to Rycote – 1.2 miles (pdf format, 266 KB)
The Old Rectory – c.1819. By J Ackermann for Hon Frederick Bertie.
House. Limestone Ashlar; Stone-slate Roof & Stone Stacks. Late-16th with 17thC Extensions to Front, late-19th & early-20thC Extensions set back to Right, restored in mid-20thC. Timber-framed, exposed with whitewashed Render Infill to Rear Wing. Roughcast Cladding to Front. Extensions to Right in Ironstone with Brick Dressings & Cladding, Tile Hung Gables. Whitewashed Brick & Tile Hung 1st-Floor above on Left-hand Return Front, some in Fishscale Bands. Plain Tiled Roofs with half-Hip to Right.
Entrance Front: 2-Storeys with projecting Gabled Wing to left. 1st-Floor Jettied with Quatrefoil & Floral Carvings in Bargeboards, Spike Finial. Tall ribbed Stacks with oversailing Tops, one to Rear Ridge Right of Centre, End Stack to left on whitewashed rubble Plinth. Irregular fenestration, one 4-light leaded “Cross” Window on 1st-Floor, one 5-light “Cross” window on Ground-Floor. Two 4-light 1st-Floor windows to right. Glazed Casement Doors to left on Ground-Floor flanked by 12-pane Sash windows. Ribbed Door to right in 20thC Brick & Timber Open Porch.
Left-hand Return Front: rendered Plinth, whitewashed Brick with large Stack to Left. Irregular Fenestration with 3-1st-Floor Leaded Casements. One Ground-Floor 19thC Casement window under gauged Brick Cambered Head. Timber-framed Range set back to Left with Hipped Roof. Massive Square Stack, Ribbed & Panelled to Left. 3-Framed Bays. 1-Storey Attic under Hipped Roof, leaded Casement, Dormer. Half glazed Door to Right.
Right hand Extensions: Ridge Stack of complicated section. Gable End to Left with Attic window. 1st-Floor Sash window. Hipped Roof Porch to right with Ribbed Door.
Interior: Large Stair Hall with open-well Stair; moulded Cornices with Tudor Ornament; Tudor-arched Fireplaces; vaulted Cellar.
Coach House & Stables. Early-19thC. Limestone Ashlar; old plain-tile Roof with Brick Stack. L-Plan. 1-Storey plus Attic/Loft. Stables to left have Door & 2-light Casement beneath a Stone-gabled half-Dormer Hayloft Door. Coach House to Right has segmental-arched Carriage Entrance & Doorway to 1st-Floor Accommodation. 2-large Tile-hung Dormers. To right is a Single-Storey Stone & Tiled Outbuilding with large Fireplace & to left a 2-Bay open Shed with old Brick Walls & Stone-slated Roof.
Interior: Stables have original Stalls & Loose Box.
Less than ½-mile across the Fields to the West lies Albury’s onetime Hamlet of Tiddington. The Fox Inn, (Now Fox & Goat) which is partly modern & partly 16thC, some Ancient Cottages, one of which was Demolished in 1953, a Garage & a few other recent Buildings lie on either side of the Main Road to Thame, but the Village mostly straggles along the by-Road, was then edged with old Elm Trees & Orchards, which runs to Tiddington House, on the Hilltop about 260-ft up. It still has a number of Picturesque Cottages Built in the 16th, 17th, or 18thCs. The earliest are Timber-framed, filled with Lathe & Plaster or Bricks & are noticeable for the very thick rubble Walls, about 3-ft high, which support the Timber Frames & may be of an even earlier date. They have Thatched or Tiled Roofs & Dormer Windows with Casements. Typical of these is the Cottage which was Settled in 1688 by Thomas Tatham, Carpenter, on his son. It was then described as a 3-Roomed Cottage, with 1-large Room below (now divided into 2) & 2 above & was probably Built in the 16thC. In the early-18thC, it was owned by the Blacksmith who built the adjoining Cottage, once the Village General Shop.
The 19thC is characteristically represented by neat Red-Brick Houses with Slate Roofs & by a Red-Brick School dated 1873, and the 20thC by 18-Grey Concrete Council Houses with Steel-framed windows & greenish Tiled Roofs.
Tiddington House, the principal House in the Village, is a 2-Storeyed Queen Anne House with Attics, approached from the Village Lane by Steps leading into a small Formal Garden. It is mostly built of Vitreous Brick with Red-Brick Dressings, has a Front of 3–Bays with 2 steeply Pedimented Dormer Windows & a Hipped Roof of Tiles with wide Eaves. There have been later additions on the South & North sides & at the back, there are remains of the earlier-17thC House once occupied by the Yeoman Farmer William Wixon. Further down the Hill is Manor Farm. Part of the present House, the Wing Built of Rubble at the back, dates from the 17thC, but the whole House must have superseded an older Building. It is now mainly a late-18thC Chequered-Brick Building of 2-Storeys. The other Farm-houses are in outlying parts of the Parish: Sandy Lane Farm in the South & Albury Farm in the East.
Substantial House. Early-18thC, extended 19thC. Flared Brick with Red Brick Dressings; plain-Tile Roof. Main Range plus parallel Rear Wings. 2-Storeys + Attics. Symmetrical 3-window Front has Storey Band & moulded Wooden Cornice. Windows all have 16-pane Sashes & rubbed-Brick Arches with cut decoration; those at Ground-Floor also have Stone & Brick stepped Keyblocks. 20thC Door. Roof is Hipped to Left & has 2-Gabled Roof Dormers with moulded Cornices & small-pane Casements. Irregular 18thC Range to right with Brick Dentil Eaves Course, Limestone Gable Wall & Quoins & similar Roof Dormer. Rear entirely 19thC.
Interior: Stair Hall at Rear of Main Range has early-18thC open-Well Stair, rising to Attics, with Turned Balusters (of alternating pattern in lower Flights). 18thC Fireplaces, Doors, plaster Coves & a Shell Alcove. Terrace in Front has Elaborate Walls
The 17thC Mill House lies by the Tiddington Brook at the Eastend of the Village & is probably on the Site of the Watermill mentioned in 1332. The only records of the Windmill are the Field Names, Windmill Hill & Windmill Field, which were in Common use in the 17thC.
In 1643 Prince Maurice with 2,000-Horse went through the Parish on his way to Thame; Prince Rupert’s Forces Lay ‘Scrambling about the Country between ‘Thame & Milton’ in March of the same year. Later in the War Parliamentary Troops occupied this area.
Manors: – Domesday Book records 2-separate Estates at Albury & Tiddington. Albury was part of the Lands of William FitzOsbern, Earl of Hereford; he died in 1071 & the Property of his son, who Rebelled against the King in 1075, was Confiscated. During the next 150-yrs, the History of Albury can only be guessed at. The Manor was probably Granted to one of the Chesneys, a prominent Oxon Family. Robert de Chesney became Bishop of Lincoln & his brother William was a noted supporter of Stephen. He was in supreme Command in Oxon during the Anarchy; it may well have been he to whom Albury was Granted. He died between 1164 & 1170, leaving his Estates to co-Heirs. His niece, Maud de Chesney, who was one of these, married Henry FitzGerold before 1167 & probably brought Albury into the FitzGerold Family. Their eldest son was Warin FitzGerold; & his Daughter & Heiress, Margaret, married Baldwin de Riviers, son of the Earl of Devon. Her husband died young in 1216, but left an Heir, Baldwin de Riviers (d.1245), who became Earl of Devon; Albury Descended to him & continued during the 13thC to be held in Chief by the Earls of Devon. With the death of Isabel, Countess of Aumale & Devon, in 1293, the Lands of the Earldom of Devon were divided up. Albury, with the other FitzGerold Estates, went to Warin de Lisle, a Member of the Rougemont Branch of the Family of de Lisle. He was a descendant of Alice, another granddaughter of Henry FitzGerold, who married Robert de Lisle. Warin de Lisle died in 1296; his son Robert, a Minor at his father’s death, became a Franciscan in 1342 & Albury passed to his son John, a prominent Military Commander. He was succeeded in 1355 by his son Robert de Lisle, who in 1368 surrendered, for reasons unknown, 86-Knight’s Fees to the King. Albury was one of the Manors surrendered; after 1368, therefore, there was no Overlordship.
In 1086 Albury & Masurae in Wallingford which were attached to it were Held by Rainald son of Croc, the Conqueror’s Huntsman. By the end of the 12thC the Manor was Held by the Foliots of Chilton Foliat (Wilts), a Family who were related by marriage to the Chesneys, the Overlords of Albury. William Foliot, mentioned in 1197, was the earliest heard of at Albury. During the 13thC there was further sub-infeudation & 1-Branch of Foliots Held of another. The Mesne Tenants were Henry Foliot, who was dead by 1233, & Samson, his Son & Heir, a Minor in 1235 & Sheriff of Oxon in 1267, who lived until about 1280. The under-Tenants were Roger Foliot, who in 1219 Granted Albury in Dower to Isabel, probably his Widowed mother & wife of Hugh de Whithull & who was in Possession by 1225; Peter Foliot, perhaps his son, who Held it in 1242/43 & 1255; Roger Foliot, a Minor in 1279 & Peter Foliot, who Sold his Rights in Albury in 1295 to John de London. By the end of the Century, the Rights of the Foliots in Albury had come to an end.
Henry de Teyes, of Chilton Foliot, whose connection with Samson Foliot is not known, succeeded him as Mesne Tenant in about 1280. He died in 1307, & Albury must have passed to his son Henry, beheaded in 1322 after the Battle of Boroughbridge & then to Alice, the latter’s Sister & Heiress. Through her marriage with Warin de Lisle of Kingston Lisle (Berks), this Branch of the de Lisle Family became Mesne Tenants of the Rougemont Branch & their grandson, Warin de Lisle, was holding Albury as a Mesne Tenant in 1368. On his death in 1382 he left a daughter, Margaret, who married Thomas, Lord Berkeley, but the Family’s Rights over Albury lapsed about this time.
The Heir of John de London, a successor to the other Branch of the Foliot’s as Lord of the Manor, was John Despenser, but his relationship with the Famous Hugh Despenser the Elder has not been Established. John Despenser Held the Manor in the 1320s & his Widow did so in 1349 & 1361. By 1368 the Property may have been split up, for in that year their son John Held 2-Fees in Oxon including ‘Albury by Ickford Bridge‘. While in 1393 it was said that Gilbert Wace & John Salveyn had Granted the Manor of Albury to John Baldington & Alice his wife before 1376, in 1380 John’s brother Nicholas Despenser apparently conveyed the Manor to Salveyn. Possibly Salveyn & Wace were Intermediaries in the Conveyance of Nicholas’s Rights to John & Alice. She may have been Nicholas’s daughter & the Manor may have been her Dowery, for she continued to Hold it after John’s death. She died in 1393. Her son Sir William was then a Minor & a Royal Ward. He died in 1419, after Settling the Property on his wife Joan; later their son Thomas succeeded & died in 1437, leaving 3-daughters as co-Heirs. Through one of these, Agnes, wife of William Brome (or Broun), it came into the Brome Family, originally from Warks. Their Main Residence was at Holton. William Brome died in 1461; his Widow, the true Owner of the Property, held it with her 2nd husband, Geoffrey Gate; on her death, it Descended to her son Robert Brome, who died in 1485. He was succeeded by his son Christopher, who died in 1509 & by his grandson John Brome, a Minor at the time of his father’s death, who in 1545 Sold Albury to Sir John Williams of Rycote in Great Haseley, Later Baron Williams of Thame. Lord Williams of Thame died in 1559. None of his sons survived him & his younger daughter Margaret, to whom Albury Descended, married Henry Norreys, who was created Baron Norreys in 1572. Through the Norreys Family, the Property Descended to James Bertie, who was created Earl of Abingdon in 1682. In 1911 the Abingdon Estates were broken up and Albury & Great Haseley were Sold; there is now no known Lord.
At least from the 16thC the Lords of the Manor were almost certainly non-Resident. Christopher Brome (d.1509) is known to have Farmed Albury & from the Middle of the 16thC, the Bromes lived at Holton. The Williams’ & Norreys‘ & their Successors lived at Rycote until it was Destroyed by Fire in 1745.
Tiddington was held by Sawold, a Royal Official, in 1086, having been Held freely by Alwi in the Confessor’s time. No further trace of the Tenancy in Chief has been Found until 1208, when, in a Case concerning it begun in the King’s Court between Ralph de Bray & William Fitzellis, it was successfully claimed by Henry d’Oilly. Tiddington must, therefore, have been part of the Great d’Oilly Estates, then comprising 32¼-Knight’s Fees in Oxon. In 1232 Henry d’Oilly died & his Honour went to his nephew, Thomas de Newburgh, Earl of Warwick, but Tiddington had been separated from it by 1242/43, for Peter son of Herbert then Held it in Chief & Reynold son of Peter Held it in 1279. This Family also Held Land in Waterperry, but it is not mentioned again in connection with Tiddington. Probably the Overlordship lapsed; in 1428 a Jury stated that the Overlord was not known.
Domesday Book records no under-Tenant at Tiddington. In the late-12thC, the Manor was almost certainly part of the Lands of Emma, daughter of Fulk de Bray, whose husband, William Fitzellis, had entered Newburgh Priory in about 1180. Their son William Fitzellis was at Law about the Property with Ralph de Bray in 1208 & in 1227 Richard de Bray gave up any Claim to it. The Genealogy of the Fitzellis Family, who also obtained Waterperry from Emma de Bray, is rather confused. William (II) Fitzellis died in 1227 & in 1242/43 his Widow, Rose de la Rokele, was the Lady of Tiddington. They had at least 2-sons, William (III) Fitzellis & Ellis.
In 1279 Roger Fitzellis was Holding Tiddington; he may have been either a younger son of William(III)Fitzellis, or the son of the younger brother Ellis. The latter is more likely, for William Fitzellis is known to have Granted Tiddington to his brother Ellis in Fee at a Quit-rent. This Grant was probably made in the 2nd-Half of the 13thC but before 1279. Roger Fitzellis had a son William, also known as William de Corston, from his Property at Corston (Wilts), who is recorded as Lord of Tiddington in 1316 & died in 1318. His daughter & Heiress Elizabeth married Sir John Russell of Bradenstoke (Wilts) & in 1377 their daughter Joan, who Inherited Tiddington, married Thomas Quatremain, a Member of the important Oxon Family, whose Chief Seat was Rycote. Thomas Quatremain died in 1398. He was succeeded by his 3-sons: John (d.1403), Guy (d.1414) & Richard, the most prominent Member of the Family, who played an important part in the 15thC History of Oxon. He had Commercial Interests in London & was a Yorkist supporter. On his death in 1477 his Property was divided between the Descendants of his 2-sisters. Tiddington went to his great-nephew, Thomas Danvers, who was already Lord of the neighbouring Manor of Waterstock. His father was John Danvers, the husband of Joan Bruly, daughter of Richard Quatremain’s sister Maud & John Bruly of Waterstock.
Thomas Danvers died in 1502, after apparently Settling Tiddington on his wife Sybil for her life. She died in 1511 & the Danvers Property was then divided among Thomas Danvers’s 3-great-nieces. One of these, Elizabeth, who married Thomas Cave of Stanford (Northants), must have Inherited Tiddington, as her husband was Licensed to take Possession of her Lands in 1522. Edward Cave, a younger son of Thomas, Inherited Tiddington & Waterstock, where he Settled. He was dead by 1566, when his Widow Elizabeth is found Dealing with the Manor of Tiddington. In 1580 another Edward Cave, probably their son, was in Possession. The Manor then seems to have passed, perhaps tortiously, to the Hall Family, for 12-yrs later his nephew William Cave of Stanford (presumably Sir William) brought a Case before the Privy Council alleging that Anne Rowles & John Hall ‘Pretended Title’ to Tiddington Manor through a Conveyance obtained by ‘Indirect Means’ from his uncle, Edward Cave. Nevertheless, the Halls remained in Possession & in 1606 Conveyed the Manor to Robert Waller, the father of Edmund Waller the Poet. He died in 1616, when Edmund was but 10. The Poet’s connection with Tiddington may have been no more than a Financial one. So far as is known he never lived there, & indeed, after his Plot to secure London for Charles I (probably conceived when he treated with him at Oxford in 1643), he was Banished & Fined £10,000. His mother Anne, who looked after his Beaconsfield (Bucks) Property during his Exile & to whom he Granted Tiddington Manor in 1646, Sold part of the Land there in the same year. She probably Sold the remainder later to meet her son’s Fine. After this, trace of the Descent is Lost until the 19thC. In 1824 the Manor was Held by John Blackhall, the Lord of Great & Little Milton Manors & in 1853 by Pembroke College. Manorial Rights have now lapsed.
Economic & Social History: There is no record of Roman or Saxon remains in the Parish, but the names Albury & Tiddington are both of Old English Origin & indicate Settlement at an early-date, probably in the 6thC. ‘Aldeberie‘ means the old Burgor Fortified Place, ‘Titendene‘, the ‘Hill of Tytta‘. In the 17thC it was sometimes known as ‘Tithingtown’.
At the time of Domesday Book the Parish was sparsely Populated; there were then 9-Peasants at Albury & 1-Bordar at Tiddington. By 1279 there were in addition to the Lords of the Manors, 12-Tenants at Albury & 13 at Tiddington. From this time Tiddington was probably the more populous Village, but by 1428 the Total Population had apparently so much declined that there were not 10-Householders in the Parish. By 1524, there were at least 9-Households in Tiddington alone. During the 16th & 17thCs there may have been some increase for in 1676 the Compton Census recorded 50-Conformists over 16. By the end of the 18thC, the Population had further increased. In 1793 the Rector stated that there were 40-houses & in 1801 Albury had 54-Inhabitants & Tiddington 123. During the 19thC the Population of the whole Parish remained fairly stable, but Tiddington Developed & Albury Declined. Tiddington had its largest Population, 207, in 1841; by 1911 it was 156. In 1851 the Population of Albury was 60, in 1911 only 27. The Population of the Parish in 1951 was 300.
Two Factors which helped to shape the History of the Parish were the dissimilar Development of the 2-Manors & the early-Inclosure. Albury was the larger Manor; in 1086 it was assessed at 3-Hides. There was Land for 3-Ploughs & there were actually 3-Ploughs, one of which was in Demesne. In 1279 the Demesne Lands were 5½-Virgates, or at most 165-acres. In 1301 the Manor is described as containing a Capital Messuage with Garden & Dovecote worth 6s a year, 120-acres of Arable Land valued at 4d an acre, 9-acres of Meadow worth 2s-8d an acre & one separate Pasture worth 10s a year. Pleas & Perquisites were worth 10d.
In 1485 the Manor was valued at £6; in the early-16thC at £18-6s-8d It is probable that the Lord of the Manor continued to Hold all the Land in Albury; certainly in the 18th & 19thCs the Earls of Abingdon were the only Landowners. When the Abingdon Estate was broken up in 1911, it comprised 2-Large Farms (Church & Walter’s Farms) of about 200-acres each, 2-small ones of about 50-acres each, Fern Hill Wood & part of Rycote Park.
In 1086 Tiddington was Assessed at 2-Hides & 3-Virgates; there were 2-Ploughs, both in Demesne, and it was worth 40s instead of 30s. By 1279 the Demesne had decreased, as there were only 3½-Virgates or enough Land for 1-Plough Team. In 1616 the Manor was said to consist of 10-Messuages, 10-Tofts, 480-acres of Land & the Fishing Rights; thus all the Land in Tiddington was then part of the Manor. There was considerable change in the 1640s, when the Lands belonging to the Manor were divided into a number of medium-sized Freeholds & Sold to various Tenants. At the end of the 18thC there were 9-Farms, including the one Held by the Rector. The Largest (c.60-a), belonged to Pembroke College; the 4-smallest were probably of about 15-acres each. There were also several Cottagers. The same pattern of Land-holding existed in the 19thC; while the Earl of Abingdon owned almost all the Land in Albury, there were many small Landowners in Tiddington. In the 20thC there have again been considerable changes and Farms have been Amalgamated.
Enclosure probably started in the 15thC & was completed in the 17thC; at all events, there was no Parliamentary Enclosure. The 16thC Domesday of Enclosures refers to 200-acres of Pasture in Albury Held by John Andelet; in 1645 William Wixon purchased 37-acres in Westfield, fenced off with ‘a Hedge & a Ditch,’ & 3-acres of Pasture where a Messuage had once stood. The Pembroke College Deeds also Record Enclosure in the 17thC. A 7-acre Close in Westfield, described in 1674 as ‘now divided & severed with a quicksett Hedge & Ditch from the rest of the said Ground’, had been Enclosed before 1649 during the lifetime of John Cooper, a Tenant of the Manor. In fact, by the last-Quarter of the Century, all the Cooper & Wixon Property consisted of Closes. Indeed, in 1685 a Terrier of the Rectory states that the whole Parish ‘has been time out of mind enclosed’. The fact of early-Enclosure is supported by the 18thC accounts of the Earl of Abingdon’s Estates, which refer also to Albury as Enclosed & by Agriculturist Arthur Young’s Report.
The 2-small Farming Communities were mainly composed of un-Free Tenants in the Medieval Period. In 1279, of the 12-Tenants in Villeinage at Albury each Held half a Virgate or about 10-acres; each had to find a man to work every other day for the Lord of the Manor from Midsummer to Michaelmas (29th September). After Hay-making each had a Right to fixed quantities of meat, bread, corn, cheese & salt. At Tiddington 8-Tenants in Villeinage held 8½-Virgates between them & paid money rents of a Mark. There was 1-Free Tenant with 1-Virgate for which he paid a Mark a year; 4-Cottars paid small money rents & worked 8-days in the Fields in the Autumn.
With no Resident Lord of the Manor in Post-Medieval times, there was no one of great wealth in the Parish. For example, in 1524, 3-people in Tiddington were Taxed on £8 worth of Goods each; 7 were ‘in Service’, 2 ‘in Wages’. As in later years, many of the Inhabitants were probably dependants of the Great House at Rycote. In 1665 the Rector, who paid Tax on 4-Hearths, may have been the richest Inhabitant; 3 other Inhabitants of Albury had 2 or 1-Hearth each & in Tiddington out of 7-households listed, only 2 had 3-Hearths. At the Election of 1754, the only 40s Freeholder in Albury was the Rector; in Tiddington there were 9 – 40s Freeholders, 7 of them Resident in the Parish.
The break-up of the Manorial Demesne, the rise & fall of some of the Yeomen & Farmers who lived in the Parish & its neighbourhood & their connection with the Towns, may be illustrated from Deeds Held by Pembroke College.
In 1646 Anne Waller, Lady of the Manor, Sold to her Tenant William Wixon, Yeoman, the House in which he lived (now Tiddington House), 37-acres in Westfield, & 3-acres of Pasture; to Richard Wixon, Yeoman, another of her Senants, she Sold his Dwelling House & 4-Closes: Niether Close, 2-Closes in the Breach & ‘New Ground’ of 28-acres (44-acres in all). To a 3rd Tenant, John Cooper, she Sold his Farm-house (now Manor Farm) & 33-acres of Land in Netherfield alias Westfield. William Wixon was obliged to Mortgage his Property for £150 to the Provost of Oriel in 1661; Richard Wixon Sold his Property in 1653 to his son-in-law, Simon Broadwater, an Oxford Cook, who left it in Trust for his Heir Simon. In 1697 Simon Broadwater, probably the above-mentioned Heir & now described as a Gentleman of New Woodstock, Sold the Property.
Manor Farmhouse. Early & late-18thC. Brick & Coursed Limestone rubble; Plain Tile Roof & Brick Gable Stacks. L-Plan. 2-Storeys. Symmetrical 5-window Front in Flemish Bond with flared Headers has Storey Band & Flat Arches. Door & Windows all 20thC. Steps to the Entrance are flanked by Cellar windows. Right Gable has 2-blocked Casements. 2-Bay rubble Rear Wing has 3-light Casements with Timber Lintels and an old Plain-Tile Roof.
Interior: The Front Range was gutted by Fire in 20thC.
A rather more elaborate Cottage of 16thC date faces Manor Farm; it is distinguished by its half-Hipped Roof of Thatch & its West Gable with a Bay Window which has Wooden Mullions & Transoms & a Tiled Gable.
John Cooper left most of his Land (3-Closes of c. 10-a each) to his son John, who proved a failure. He Sold 1-Close to John Ives, a Shepherd of Great Milton & his Creditor; he Leased the House and the other 2-Closes to Anne Tipping of Worminghall (Bucks); & died owing £66 to the Rector & smaller Sums to various Tradesmen.
Ultimately most of the Cooper & Wixon Lands came into the hands of Paul Welles, who Farmed Land in Chilworth. He bought up young John Cooper’s Leases & Lands, and his Widow later secured the Close which had belonged to Cooper’s uncle Thomas. Welles also Bought a newly Erected House & a 3-acre Close, once belonging to Anne Wixon, Widow; & 2-Messuages, 2-Closes (Farme Heys & Webbs Close) & 2-Closes in the Breach, formerly owned by the Widow of William Wixon, a Cooper of Oxford; finally in 1699 he Bought Richard Wixon‘s old Farm from Simon Broadwater. Welles was thus able to consolidate the former Wixon & Cooper Lands, but his Family, like theirs, had Financial difficulties. Ann Welles, his Widow, to whom the Chilworth & Tiddington Property was left, was compelled to Mortgage it in 1714 to her brother William Eldridge of Great Milton. She also borrowed money so that in 1744 her son Paul Inherited a Debt of £1,636. In 1752 Pembroke College Bought the whole Estate, undertaking to pay off all the Welles‘s Debts. The College Held it until 1920, when it was Sold to the Tenant, Mrs Brownsill, for £3,000.
In this way, most of the Original Cooper & Wixon Property became the College’s Tiddington Farm (c. 63-acres). The Land lay in 2-parts: Westfield, to the West of the Village with the Oxford-Thame Road running along its Northern Boundary, and other Closes along the Tiddington-Ickford Road. In 1846 the Farm consisted of some ‘useful Land, chiefly Meadow, which is pretty good, though of a Sandy surface upon a Stone brash or Gravel, very liable to Burn in a dry Summer’. The Arable Land was much inferior, being ‘subject to Springs‘ & in need of Draining, & not as clean as could be wished. The Rent was then £115-16s-9d; it had risen from £85 in 1752 to £135 in 1810 & by 1836 fallen to £108.
There are also Records of the Earl of Abingdon’s Lands at Albury, showing the type of Land & Farming problems there in the 18thC. The Earl had 4-Principal Tenants Farming between 100 & 200-acres each. In 1720 one of these was Thomas Kent, whose Farm included Little & Upper Albury and was described as ‘for the most part. – a rich Deep Sand, most fitt for La Lucerne, the which would yielde great Crops for some years’. The Albury Meadow Lands were generally inclined to be wet & coarse, but parts of Windmill Ground & Brimstone were of better quality, the latter ‘either a Woodcock soyl or very Springey’. The verdict on the whole Estate was that ‘this Manor consists wholly of Inclosure and much the greatest part of the Land very good, the chief improvement(s) there are to keep the Meadows as dry as possible & Uplands from Overplowing & when Laid to Grass to be allways clean & in good heart, for then those Lands will allways gather strength’. When Arthur Young visited Albury nearly a Century later, he described the Land as Grassland ‘under Dairies’. In 1830 the Earl of Abingdon‘s Bailiff described Albury Farm, Let to Mr Hester, as ‘a very compact excellent little Farm with a good proportion of Mowing Land to it’.
Most of the Lands of Draycot Farm lies in Albury Parish, although its Buildings are in Ickford (Bucks). In 1838 the Farm had the highest Rental & Largest Acreage in Albury.
Church: The Advowson of Albury belonged until recently to the Lords of the Manor. The Foliots presented in the 13thC & the Despensers in the 14thC. The Advowson passed to the Diocesan Board of Patronage in 1938. Early in the 13thC, there seems to have been a Vicarage as well as a Rectory, for between 1209 & 1219 Robert de Whithulle was Presented to the Rectory & Robert the Chaplain was Vicar. Soon after the Living appears as a Rectory & so continued. About the Middle of the 13thC Ellis, son of William Fitzellis, Granted all the Tithes on his Demesne at Tiddington to Studley Priory, with the Proviso that if a Chaplain were thought necessary in his Chapel at Tiddington the Nuns should not be responsible for Payments to him. This Charter was confirmed by the Bishop of Lincoln. These Tithes were probably Commuted for a Pension, for in 1535 the Prioress of Studley was receiving 6s-8d a year from the Rector of Albury.
Tiddington Tithe Award Map of 1838
In the Middle-Ages, the Living was a Poor one. In 1254 it was valued at 3-Marks; it was presumably too Poor to be included in the Taxation of 1291, and in the 14thC it was valued at£3-6s-8d. By 1526 the Rector was receiving £6-13s-4d in all, from which he paid a Curate £4 & in 1535 the net value was £9-2s-8d. By the early-19thC, the value of the Living had risen to £300 & in 1953 its net value was £548. In 1839 & 1847 the Tithes of Tiddington & Albury were respectively commuted for £162 & £175 a year. The Tithe Award of Albury was slightly altered in 1865 to allow for the 10-acres Sold to the Railway.
The Great Western Railway Branch Line from Oxford to Princes Risborough & Wycombe was built in 1863 & brought minor expansion with the Construction of Tiddington Halt. The Railway was Closed in 1963 & this afforded some scope for Development with parts of the Station Yard becoming Housing & part a Caravan Business. The disused Railway Line is used as a Footpath & offers possibilities for the Development of a Green Route between Wheatley & Thame.
The Railway from Princes Risborough to Oxford was Authorised in 1861 & Construction of the Broad Gauge Line was started by the Wycombe Railway immediately. Thame was reached the following year and a direct Service from Thame to Paddington via High Wycombe & Maidenhead was started immediately. Trains took nearly 3-hrs, calling at all Stations on Route, including the new Station at Bledlow and (by request) the Halt at Towersey. Construction onwards to Oxford took more time, not least because a 520-yd Tunnel had to be Constructed at Horspath. The Tunnel is Single Track with a double curve in it, the Centre being out of sight of both Entrances. Nevertheless, the Line to Oxford was completed in October 1864, with new Stations at Tiddington, Wheatley, Morris Cowley & Littlemore before reaching the GWR Main Line South of Oxford at Kennington Junction. In 1867 the Wycombe Railway was absorbed into the Great Western Railway and 3-yrs later work started on Converting the whole Line to Standard Gauge, necessitating the closure of the whole Line for just over a week. The decline in Traffic started in the 1930s and apart from a brief spell of increased activity during WW2, the gradual rundown of the Line continued through to the end of the 1950s. In January 1963 the final Passenger Train ran on the Line and the Central Section of the Track was lifted, end Sections being retained for Goods Traffic to the then Oil Depot at Thame and as a connection to the British Leyland, now BMW, Car Factory at Cowley.
In addition to the Tithes, there was a small Rectory Estate of 2-Closes (23-acres) North of Fern Hill Wood; in 1685 it was believed that these 2-Closes had been Awarded to the Rector in Lieu of Glebe when the Parish was Inclosed. He certainly had Glebe Land in the 14thC which was valued at 33s-4d.
Tiddington Township Tithe Map 1838
John Bowles, Rector 1474–1517, seems to have lived at Albury, for his Brass was in the old Church. After his death, the Rectory was Let to a Layman but in 1526 William Brome, Scholaris, and probably a relative of the Lord of the Manor, was Rector. One well-known 17thC incumbent was Samuel Kem (1604–70), a Graduate of Magdalen College & Chaplain to Edward Wray, who Presented him to Albury. Kem took the side of Parliament in the Civil War and became Chaplain to the Earl of Essex. Leaving his various Livings in the care of Curates, he both Fought & Preached for the Parliamentary Cause, and gained the reputation of a Saint in the Pulpit & a Devil out of it. By 1651 he had returned to Albury & at the Restoration took the necessary Oaths to Charles II, ‘all to keep’, so it was said, ‘his Living of Albury and the Trade of Eating & Drinking’. In 1665 his Rectory House was the Largest in the Village. He died in 1670 & is Buried at Albury. Among Kem’s Guests at the Rectory was the Alchemist & Poet Thomas Vaughan, who died there in 1666.
During the 18th & 19thCs, Albury was frequently held in Conjunction with the Living of Wytham (Berks), of which the Earls of Abingdon were also Patrons. Their Patronage of Albury, though used in the Interest of the Family on 3-occasions and of Dependants or other Connections at other times, seems to have been also to the Advantage of the Parish. For example, Kem’s immediate successor, William Moor (buried in Rycote Chapel), and afterwards William Tilley (1712–40), were both Domestic Chaplains to the Earls. The latter had been a Fellow of Corpus Christi College and a well-known Preacher in Oxford. Once a supporter of Sacheverell, he later Printed one of his own Sermons Preached at Albury favouring the Hanoverian succession to the Throne. Hearne attacked him bitterly for this and for his remarks about High Churchmen, ‘that he used formerly to Caress so much‘. He lived at Albury for 25-yrs, in the ‘Faire Parsonage House’, and evidently proved a good Parish Priest. He administered Communion 7-times a year, an unusual frequency, and had as many as 30-Communicants. He tried to reduce Absenteeism by Presenting Offenders in the Bishop’s Court, but without effect. Another Resident Rector was Christopher Robinson, DD, who had 13-children at Albury & died in 1802, at the age of 83. In his day Communion was still well attended & the Parishioners ‘attentive to their Religious Duties’. He was followed shortly afterwards by the Hon Frederick Bertie, brother of the Earl of Abingdon, who, though he was a Magistrate & Held 3 other Livings, declared he was always at Albury. He found the old Rectory in a ‘very Dilapidated state’ and an unfit Residence for the Rector. He built a New House in the Gothic Style about 1819; the Specifications of John Ackerman say that it was to be Built largely from the materials of the old House & was to cost £684. He was also responsible for replacing the old Church with a modern Building (see below). Nevertheless, although Congregations were Rising elsewhere, Albury‘s for some unexplained reason had Fallen from 80 earlier in the Century to 40 or 50 by 1866. The Village was certainly decreasing in size but Tiddington was growing. In 1824 the Latter had complained that its Path to Church was ‘often wet in Winter & very out of Repair’, but the Churchwardens had undertaken to improve it. Perhaps Tiddington people preferred to go to Rycote Chapel.
The old Church at Albury, Dedicated to St Helen was Demolished in 1828; it comprised a small Nave & Chancel with a Gabled Roof, with 3-Crosses. There was a Square Belfry with a Pyramidal Roof over the Chancel Arch. It had 2-Romanesque Doorways and a 14thC East window. The present Romanesque Font with Zig-zag Ornament is the only Relic of the Building. The existing Church was Built in the Perpendicular style by Thomas Rickman in 1830, at the Earl of Abingdon’s expense. It comprises a Nave, Chancel, Gallery & Bell-cote. A Vestry was added in 1892 and a Rood Screen in 1917. The Interior is fitted with Oak Benches. In 1953 it was lit with oil Lamps & Candles. The Edwardian Inventory of 1552 shows that the Church was poorly furnished with one little Chalice & Silver Paten, one Vestment of ‘Whit Chamlet‘ & one of ‘Black Sey‘. The Church was allowed to keep its Chalice; the present Chalice, of which the Bowl was renewed in 1665, is Elizabethan. The Modern Plate also includes a Silver Paten Cover (1682), given by the Rector William Moor, a handsome Silver Flagon (1631), and a beautiful Silver 2-handled Porringer (1674). In 1552 the Church had 2-Bells; of the 2-Present Bells, 1-dates from 1686 and is the work of Richard Green, while the other is 18thC & probably Cast at the Aldbourne Foundry. The Registers survive from 1653, some being combined Registers for the Parishes of Albury, Holton & Waterperry. They contain many Entries about the Earl of Abingdon’s Family.
Albury: Baptisms 1639 to 1963, Marriages 1653 to 1965, Burials 1653 to 1980
Nonconformity: There is no record of any Dissent except for 2-Anabaptist Families living in the Parish in 1823, and in 1822 the House of William Tipping was Licensed as a Dissenting Meeting-House.
Schools: – Lady Mary Bertie was said in 1786 to have left £100 by Will ‘of 1737‘ for a School. The money had later been converted to a Rent-charge of £10. Until 1870 the Income was used to subsidise what appears to have been a succession of Private Schools, sometimes held in Albury & sometimes in Tiddington. There was a Master earlier in the Century & a ‘Dame‘ later. No girls were mentioned among the Pupils until 1846, though in 1819 there were Private Pupils as well as 12-boys supported out of the Charity. Fees were apparently charged intermittently. A National School was Founded in 1870 & its new Building, comprising 1-Room for 44-children, was Opened in 1874. Fees were 1d–2d a week & a Night School was held. Since 1874 the School has had a Certificated Mistress & has received State Aid. Attendance averaged about 30 until the Senior Pupils were transferred to Haseley in 1926. The School is now called Tiddington with Albury Church of England Primary School.
Charities: No Ancient Charities are recorded. A sum of £16 annually is now used to help pay for Technical Training for a boy & girl.
Ickford Bridge is one of the few Bridges in Bucks that is scheduled as an Ancient Monument. From its name one might think that it is over the ‘Ick’ but in fact it is over the River Thame which at this point is the Boundary between Bucks on the North side & Oxon on the South. 2-Stone Plaques on the Bridge dated 1685 confirm this. Mawer & Stenton (1925) in the Place names of Bucks Volume, suggest that a personal Old English name ‘Icca’ provided the prefix. If this is the case, then it seems unlikely that ‘Icca’ would have ‘owned’ the Ford, more likely rather perhaps that he lived nearby. The Ford later provided the name for the adjoining Village of Ickford itself. Preceding Construction of the Stone Bridge was a Timber Bridge. In 1237 the Close Rolls record that Henry III provided 1-Oak from Bernwood Forest for the Keeper of the Bridge for its Repair. The VCH History notes that in the 13thC it was then (appropriately) called ‘Wodebrugge’ or ‘Widebrugge’. If a Timber Bridge survived here until the Construction of the present Stone Bridge in 1685, it would certainly have required constant Repair. It is probable that the Ford continued in use in Dry Conditions, for example when moving Livestock. Indications of the Former Ford survive on the Oxon side.
Oxfordshire Way
– Tiddington to Rycote – 1.2 miles (pdf format, 266 KB)
Aston Rowant & Chilterns Spring Line Villages 