Imere (11thC.); Ymmere, Ylemere, Hilmere, Illmire (13th-14thC).
Ilmer, in the Hundred of Ashendon & Deanery of Waddesdon, lies on the Borders of Oxon, about 5-miles East of Thame. The Manor was Anciently in the Families of Molins & Hastings; afterwards in the Dormers, who held it by the Service of being Marshal of the King’s Falcons. In an abstract of the King’s Revenue, printed at the end of a work, entitled “The 1st 14-years of King James.” Lord Dormer is styled Master Falconer to the King, within the Manor of Elmer, in Bucks, with a fee of £27-7s-6d. per annum. From the Dormers this Manor passed by a Female Heir to the Noble Family of Stanhope; it is now the Property of the Earl of Chesterfield.
The Parish of Ilmer, having an extent of a little over 753-acres, lies low, to the North-west of the Chiltern Hills. The Land is lowest, under 200-ft above the Ordnance Datum (Newlyn), in the South, where 2-Streams cross the Parish flowing in a North-westerly direction. Towards the North & East the Land rises, especially in the Latter District, in which the Village is situated & where a height of 282-ft is reached. The Village itself is small & compact, the Church of St Peter standing to the North-east. Near by is the Manor-house, now occupied as a Farm.
A considerable part of the Parish is Pasture Land; in 1905, 172-acres were Arable Land, while 580-acres were Permanent Grass. It is interesting to note that at an early-date the Parish was apparently ill-provided with Pasture. Royal Licence to Inclose the Woods of Ilmer & La Sale and to make a Park was Granted to John de Moleyns in 1336. On the Arable Land of the Parish wheat, barley & beans are the chief crops grown. In 1602 the Lord of the Manor sued a Tenant for refusing to render, besides his money payment, an Annual Rent of 2-Bushels of ‘sweet, clean & dry beans’ at the Lord’s House at Ascott.
14thC place-names in Ilmer include Middlefurlong Benorth, Middlefurlong Undertown & in the 15thC Shrobbes Pasture, Brookfurlong, Groveditch & Kingslake are mentioned.
Manor: Before the Conquest, Godwin, a man of Earl Leofwin, held in Ilmer a Manor which he could Sell; in 1086 it was of the Land of Odo of Bayeux, whose Tenant Robert held it as 4-Hides. In the 12thC it was in the Possession of the Family of Rumenel (Romney), who also held, as a Member of it, Aston Bernard or Aston Mullins in Dinton. Aston is not, however, invariably mentioned among the Fitz Bernards‘ Lands here & in 1371 it was found that the Manor of Aston was & always had been, Parcel of the Manor of Ilmer. They were finally separated in the 16thC, when George Earl of Huntingdon & his Son & Heir Francis Lord Hastings Sold Aston in 1537 to Michael Dormer & Ilmer in 1538-39 to Sir Robert Dormer, Kt. Sir Robert held also the Manor of Wing, with which Ilmer then Descended, passing to the Earls of Carnarvon & Chesterfield & being held by the Latter until the 19thC. The Manor-house stands back from the Road a little distance Eastward from the Church & is a large Edifice constructed of Brick & Timber & covered with Tlies occupied by John Eggleton Farmer.
The Great Tithes, which were formerly appropriated to the Nunnery of Studley, in Oxon, belong now to the Earl of Chesterfield, who is Patron of the Vicarage.
The Lord of the Manor enjoyed the same Rights & Privileges in Ilmer as in Aston.
The Capital Messuage of the Manor is mentioned in 1238, when the Sheriff was Ordered to Assign either it or the one in Aston to Ralph Fitz Bernard’s Widow Joan. It is again referred to in 1306.
A Mill was included among the Appurtenances of the Manor in 1086. In 1306 there was a Windmill, out of Repair. In 1328 the Watermill was also found to be broken down & valueless, but it was repaired in 1342/3. Later Inquisitions, however, include no mention of either Mill. There are interesting Surveys of the Manor taken in the 14th & 15thCs, with particulars concerning the economic conditions of the time.
The Office of Marshal & Keeper of the King’s Hawks & other Birds was held in the 12thC by the Rumenel Family, Lords of Ilmer, who seem at first to have held the Marshalship as their personal Right & not as Appurtenant to their Manor, for in 1204 the King, at the Petition of Aubrey de Rumenel, Widow of William de Jarpenville, who had with Aubrey ‘all her Inheritance & the Marshalship of our Birds,’ Granted the Office to Thomas Fitz Bernard & his wife, the Heir of the Jarpenvilles & to their Heirs for ever. Afterwards, however, the Office came to be actually the Serjeanty by which the Manor was held, as was also the case with the Rumenels‘ Manor of ‘Effeton‘ in Kent. In 1338 Sir John de Moleyns, who acquired Ilmer about 20-yrs after it left the Fitz Bernard Family, Petitioned the King for a Grant of the Office with the Fees & Wages, Asserting that it was Parcel of the Manor, although neither he nor his immediate Predecessors in the Manor, including Ralph Fitz Bernard, had been Seised thereof for some time. It having been found that William Fitz Bernard had held Ilmer by this Serjeanty, it was granted to Sir John, ‘because the Manor is said to have been held by such Service & in consideration of his long Service to him (the King) & as well of his Great Charges and Grave Perils therein both beyond the Seas & Within.‘
In 1610 Sir Robert Dormer received a confirmation of the Serjeanty. A Claim was made for the same Office in respect of the manor of Aston. Charles Earl of Carnarvon, as Seised of the Manor of Ilmer, claimed to be Marshal of the King’s Hawks in England at the Coronation of James II in 1685, but the Claim was not allowed, ‘because not respecting the Coronation,’ but the Earl was ‘left to take his course at law if he thought fit.’
It is stated in 1306 that the Marshal might if he wished send another to fill the Office. He held the post at the King’s expense. By a later Account the Marshal was found to have the ‘Superior Custody of the King’s Falcons and other Hawks from the Game of the River & the office of Surveyor of all the Services of the Custody or Mewing of the Falcons, Goshawks & other Hawks, due to the King by any Persons & of Rivers preserved’; he had also full Power of Punishing Delinquents in Rivers preserved so far as such Punishments belonged to the King by Right. The Marshal also claimed the Right of Nominating his Under-Officers.
The Alienations of Parts of this Serjeanty in the 13thC have been referred to under Aston. One portion, a Messuage & 34-acres, was held by 3-Tenants of the Abbot of Missenden. In the Reign of Henry III the Abbot, with the consent of the Tenants, agreed to pay a yearly Rent of 7s-6d to the Crown in Lieu of the Serjeanty due for that Portion. In 1585/6 these Lands were Granted by the Crown to John Walton & John Cresset.
This Ivy Clad Farmhouse forms part of Lower Farm at Ilmer in Bucks. The House is probably rather old, but it is difficult to tell as the Ivy is so thick on the Walls. Even the Windows and Doors are partially hidden by the Creeper. Two men, probably the Tenants of the Farm, stand outside the Front door of the House. Source Leicester Great Central Railway
At some period, probably about the middle of 19thC, Ilmer was Sold by the Stanhopes to Moreton John Edwin Frewen, who was Lord of the Manor in 1862. He & Mrs Raper held the Manor jointly in 1869 & until some time after 1880 & he & General Raper in 1887. General Raper’s share appears to have been Upper Farm, Sold by the Raper Family in 1909 to Mr A Goodchild, the present Owner. The greater part of Ilmer, however, consisting of the Manor, Lower & Coldharbour Farms, belonged to Mrs Moreton Craigie, after whose death a Life Interest was enjoyed by Miss Moreton. She died in 1912, when the Property passed to Mrs Carter, by whom it was immediately Sold, the Manor & Lower Farms being purchased by Mr W Hill & Mr A A Kingham, while Mr A Fisher bought Coldharbour.
Bumpers Solar Farms in Ilmer Bucks weres constructed within an 80-acre Agricultural Site within a Working Farm, located next to the Ilmer Substation & North of Chiltern Railway Mainline in the Village of Ilmer. The 12MW Solar Farm generates enough Renewable Energy to Power the equivalent of 2,800 homes, while saving 5000-Tonnes of Carbon every year. The Site also benefits from enhanced Biodiversity measures that are designed to support Local Ecology, including at-risk Bird & Bat Species. The Site collaborate directly with the Landowner on a Privately-funded Solar Development to power the local Farm Buildings adjacent. Working closely with the landowner, they developed & built a 467kW Solar Farm, comprising of more than 1000 Solar Modules, String Inverters & a behind the Meter Point of Connection. By using the Renewable Energy being generated by the Solar Installation, the Landowner has been able to significantly reduce how much Power they need to Purchase from the Grid. Its development included a strong focus on Biodiversity, including enhancements to an existing Pond and the creation of habitats for at-risk Species. This has led to a considerable saving on Annual Energy Expenditure, while future-proofing against spiralling Utility costs. All 3–Solar Farms benefit from advanced Ciodiversity Planning & improvements, which are designed to support local Flora & Fauna to thrive.
Ilmer District Sattlellite View
In Ilmer the Lane leading from the Church to Towersey, and thence to Thame, known as Burnways, which must be one of the oldest Byeways in Bucks, has been used a lot in former times. The history of this old crooked lane, leading by that shivery place called Cold Harbour – a Farm all grass land, and which has been in one family something like 400 years. Burnway-lane, when you reach the Brook where a Water-mill once stood, the Landmarks are still traceable in a place called Mill-piece & Mill Leys. Old men say there used to be different things dug up in Burnway-lane which had been buried by Soldiers in former times. Not far form Cold Harbour is a Field called Bonehook, and another called Catcham Field, so it appears Burnway-lane has been used more in former times. People used to go through to Towersey with a Horse & Cart, over Saddles Field, to Towersey-lane, now stopped, against the Ford over the Brook, with a Bridle Gate.
The Small Church still has clear evidence of its Norman Origins. Much of the Fabric dates from the 13th & 14thCs, and there is fine later Medieval work in the form of the Timber Framework that supports the Belfry and now the Spire as well. The Nave and Chancel are not divided by an Arch, but by a fine Medieval Stone & Timber Screen. The Chancel was largely rebuilt c.1860, but Medieval features have been preserved by the restorer George Edmund Street who added Stone & Timber Furnishings in his own solid style.
Church: St Peter consists of a Chancel measuring internally 17ft x 14 ft, Nave 39ft-6ins x 16ft, North Porch & West Bellcote; it is built of Stone Rubble and Roofed with Tiles. The earliest part of the Building is the Nave, which dates from the 12thC. The Chancel seems to have been rebuilt in the 14thC, when a small Transept, Destroyed in 1662, was added on the South Side of the Nave. In the 16thC the Timber Bellcote at the West End of the Nave was Built & in 1890 the whole Fabric was Restored & the Porch added. The Chancel, which is Divided from the Nave by an Oak Screen on a Low Stone Wall, has 2-Singlelight windows in each Lateral Wall & a 2-light window with Modern Tracery in the East wall. The North-west window is a 14thC Trefoiled light, but on its Inner Jambs are 2-Late-15thC Sculptured Groups, one representing the Holy Trinity with Angels & the other St Christopher bearing the infant Christ across the Stream, a favourite subject with Mediæval Artists for portrayal both in Fresco & Sculpture. The South-east window, which has a Trefoiled Head & Traceried external Spandrels, is probably of about 1380; the other windows have been considerably Restored. In the South Wall is a 14thC Trefoiled Piscina.
The Font is of Medieval Date, but the sides of its plain Octagonal Bowl have been Recut; the Oak Cover is of the 17thC. The Chancel Screen, of 10–Traceried Bays on either side of a Central Doorway with a 4-centred Head, Dates from about 1500. The Lectern is made of polished Oak and is an exact Copy of the one in Eton College Chapel. (Eton used to own Land in Ilmer). Around the Walls are Angels carved in Oak, dating from 18thC, dedicated to the Memory of Robert H Attenborough, (1880-1968) who lived at Ilmer House.
On the South side of the Nave is a Blocked 12thC Doorway with a Round Head springing from Chamfered Abaci & near the East end is a blocked 14thC Arch of 2-Orders which Opened to the Transept mentioned above; a late-18thC window of 2-lights has been inserted in the Blocking. In the North Wall are a square-headed 2-light window of about 1500 and a 13thC Pointed Doorway with Moulded Abaci. The West Wall, which is much thicker than the Lateral Walls, is pierced by a Trefoiled light, which appears to have been Reset in the 16thC. The Nave has a 16thC Collar-Beam Roof with a Plastered Ceiling. On the South side of the Nave is a window formed from an earlier Door. (You can see the remains of the Door clearly from the Outside.) The Stained Glass is the work of Joseph Nuttgen’s, son, also called Joseph. It illustrates the Parable of the Sower & was installed in 1991. In the Chancel, above the Rector’s Stall is a Tiny Window, which includes the RAF insignia, dedicated to the Memory of a Local Resident. The Bellcote, which is supported by Moulded Posts at the West End of the Nave, is Weather-boarded & is surmounted by an Oak Shingled Spire added in 1909 to Bell Tower of c.1500.
Font & Bellcote Tower Supports
The North window dates from about 1500. The Stained Glass, which vividly depicts the Story of the Good Samaritan, was installed in 1933. It is the work of J E Nuttgens of High Wycombe.
There are 3-Bells: the Treble Inscribed ‘Henri Knight made mee ano 1618‘; the 2nd ‘Gloria in Excelcuc (sic) Deo 1586,’ by William Knight; & the Tenor ‘Sancta Margareta Ora Pro Nobis. W H‘ probably by William Hasylwood of Reading, c. 1500.
The Communion Plate includes a Chalice & Cover Paten of 1569.
Advowson: The Church of Ilmer was Granted to the Benadictine Priory of Studley in Oxon about 1203 by Aubrey daughter of David de Rumenel. The Vicarage, which was Ordained before 1235, was in the Gift of the Prioress. Ralph Fitz Bernard, grandson of the Original Benefactor, claimed the Advowson & part of the Land against the Prioress in 1229, but as he could not prove his Right was obliged to Quitclaim all Interest to her & her Successors. In 1535 the Annual Value of the Benefice was £7 exclusive of an Annual Pension of 6s-8d paid by the Vicar to the Prioress. After the Dissolution of Studley the Rectory & Advowson of Ilmer were Granted to John Croke, who received Licence later in the same year – 1540 – to alienate to Sir Robert Dormer & others. Sir Robert also held the Manor (qv), with which the Rectory & Advowson were held until 1858, when the Rev W E Partridge bought the Advowson from the Earl of Chesterfield. Before this date the Incumbents had not infrequently held other Llivings simultaneously with Ilmer. Thus the Vicar at the time of the Commonwealth was also Rector of Aston Sandford; Cornish, presented in 1700, was Curate of Princes Risborough & Kingsey, while a Later Vicar was also Rector of Radnage. The Rev W E Partridge at the time of the Sale above mentioned was not only the Incumbent at Ilmer, but also Rector of Horsenden & these 2-Livings were united by an Order in Council in 1865, the Patronage passing, at the death of the Rev W E Partridge in 1886, to his Daughter & Heir Mrs Leonard Jaques, with whom it still remains.
In 1349 Sir Richard Gladwin, the Vicar, Resigned the Living; the Lord of the Manor then Granted him for Life a Plot of the Garden of the Manor measuring 100ft x 50ft, with Permission to Root up Trees, to ‘bring it into Culture and otherwise to do his Pleasure therein,’ with a further Gift of 7½-acres of Arable Land to be held for a yearly Render of a Rose at Midsummer, so that he should have the Lord and his Wife in memory both in Masses & Orisons.
Charities: The Church Close, containing 1-a. 1 r. 20 p., was given, on a date not stated, by Earl Stanhope for the Repair of the Church. The Land is Let in Allotments, producing £3-12s-6d yearly, which is applied towards the General Church Expenses.
Mrs Sarah Maria Clotilda Raper by her Will, proved at London 25th May 1881, Bequeathed 1/19th part of her Residuary Personal Estate for the Benefit of the Poor. The Legacy is represented by £617-17s-3d Consols with the Official Trustees. The Annual Dividends, amounting to £15-8s-8d, are applied mainly in the Distribution of Coal and other Articles in kind.
Aston Rowant & Chilterns Spring Line Villages 