In the Middle Ages Nettlebed was a Chapelry of Dorchester, but had its own small Endowment (appropriated to Dorchester Abbey) & probably functioned as an Independent Parish, evolving later into a Perpetual Curacy. From the 13thC the Benefice was usually held with Pishill (another Chapelry of Dorchester), although the Living remained a Poor one. The Parish remained under the Jurisdiction of the Peculiar of Dorchester until 1846 & the Benefice was formally separated from Pishill in 1853.
Until the Benefice’s Separation & the Building of a Vicarage House in 1866, Nettlebed was served mostly by part-time, non-Resident Chaplains, who rarely remained in the Parish for long. Inhabitants complained of the Clergy’s neglect & supported & maintained the Church in other ways. Roman Catholicism & Protestant Nonconformity were briefly evident in the 17thC & a Congregationalist Chapel was Built in 1838. The Parish Church was re-Built in 1845-46.
Church Origins & Parochial Organisation: In the late-Anglo-Saxon Period Nettlebed belonged to the Royal Manor of Benson & was probably subject to Benson Church. It was still claimed as a Chapelry of Benson (with Henley & Warborough) in 1279, but from c.1140-42 its Ecclesiastical Revenues were appropriated to Dorchester Abbey along with Benson’s. A Church at Nettlebed probably existed by that date or very soon after: a Norman Font & Fragments of a 12thC Tower may survive from the Medieval Building, which was presumably Established by the Crown, by an unknown Tenant or Feoffee, or by Dorchester Abbey. From the 13thC the Churches of Nettlebed & Pishill were valued together & Dorchester Abbey probably appointed a single Priest to serve both. At the Dissolution the combined Endowment of Nettlebed & Pishill was Sold to a Lay Impropriator & thereafter the Living became a Donative Curacy, Developing later into a Perpetual Curacy Served by a ‘Vicar‘. The Bishop did not Institute to the Benefice until the 19thC. The Church’s Dedication to St Bartholomew is recorded from the early-18thC.
In other respects Nettlebed seems to have enjoyed full Parochial Rights, including Baptism & Burial. After its separation from Dorchester Peculiar it became part of the Rural Deanery of Cuddesdon (1846-52) & Later of Nettlebed (1852-74) & Henley (from 1874). From 1977 its Priest-in-charge also served the Benefice of Bix-with-Pishill & from 1978 that of Highmoor, until in 1981 the 3-Benefices were formally United under a Rector based at Nettlebed. Rotherfield Greys was added to the Living in 2003 & Nuffield from 2006.
Nettlebed: Baptisms 1641 to 1853, Marriages 1654 to 1836, Burials 1653 to 1883
Advowson, Glebe & Tithes: Throughout the Middle-Ages Nettlebed Church remained in the Patronage of Dorchester Abbey. No formal Presentations were made, however & the Benefice was probably Served by non-Resident Secular Chaplains, a wrongful Presentation by the King in 1394 being successfully Revoked. After the Dissolution the Advowson passed to Roger Hatchman of Ewelme, to the Taverners of Soundess & (by 1615) to Francis Stonor (d.1625), whose Family retained it until the early-19thC. As Roman Catholics the Stonor‘s may, however, have regularly Granted the Patronage to others, including the University of Oxford & it is unclear how often they acted as Patron themselves.
In the 19thC the Advowson was bought by Nettlebed’s Incumbent T L Bennett (d.1844) of Highmoor Hall. Thereafter it changed hands frequently and was Held (inter alia) by the Dowager Lady Farquhar, H A Baumgartner (Vicar 1881–1908), J C. Havers of Joyce Grove & the Church Patronage Trust, which remained a Joint Patron of the United Benefice in the early-21stC.
In the Middle-Ages the Church was very poorly Endowed. In 1254 Nettlebed & Pishill combined were worth only 6s-8d, making them by far the Poorest Churches in the Deanery. The Poverty of the Living was acknowledged in 1301, & in 1535 the United Benefice was valued at £6-13s-4d. Following the Dissolution Roger Hatchman acquired a 21-yr Lease of the combined Rectory, paying 13s-4d a year to the Crown in 1536-37, when part of the Glebe Lay at Priest’s Hill. By the early-17thC Nettlebed alone was worth £20 (the income divided equally between the Stonor‘s & the Priest), rising to £40 in 1663 & from then until the early-19thC the Curate was paid £35 a year, comprising £20 from Nettlebed & £15 from Pishill.
In the 1660s Thomas Stonor Leased the Rectory for 21-yrs to Dr Thomas Bradley, who Assigned it to his son-in-law Daniel Godfrey. By then the Endowment included a House, 8-a of Grass & Wood between the Common & Bushes Lane & a Tittle Tenement’ Leased to a Poor woman, in all worth £8. Presumably the remaining £32 of the Valuation derived from Tithes. Godfrey Occupied the ‘Parsonage House‘, implying that the Curate was probably still non-resident. A later Lessee was the Tenant of Nettlebed Farm, Richard Wade, who failed to repair the Chancel. By the early-18thC the Rectory was worth £100, 80% of which was kept by the Stonors & its net value was little changed in 1840. When the Tithes were Commuted in 1842, Thomas Stonor (Lord Camoys) received the whole Rent charge of £280 & the Parish was reported to be without Glebe Land.
In 1824 the Benefice was Augmented by an £800 Gift from Queen Anne’s Bounty & in 1831 by another £400. In the mid-19thC, however, the Living was still worth only c.£130 a year, including Income from 5-a of Glebe. By the end of the 19thC its value had fallen to £104, derived from Tithe Rent, Queen Anne’s Bounty & the Ecclesiastical Commissioners; thereafter it rose to £180 in 1915, £343 in 1925 & £398 in 1950.
Vicarage House: – was Built in 1866 on Land near Crocker End, which had formerly belonged to Edward Sarney of Soundess. The Grounds were extended in 1874 by addition of a Strip of Land acquired by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners from Edward Mackenzie of Fawley Court. The House’s Location was probably regarded as Inconvenient & in 1919 it was Sold & the proceeds used to buy a House Opposite the Church, still Occupied by the Incumbent of the United Benefice in 2011. Built of Grey Bricks with Red Brick Dressings, the House may be 17thC in Origin, but has an 18thC front; it is 2-Storeyed, with a Central Porch, Angled Bay windows & a Hipped Slated Roof. Outbuildings were added in the 19thC & Improvements were made by the Vicar Richard Bell in 1957.
Rectory. Possibly 17thC with mid-18thC front. Grey Header Bond Brick with Red Brick Dressings. Slate Hipped Roof. Brick end Stacks. 2-Storey, 2-window Range. Central six-panel glazed Door to Centre, with Columned Porch. Angled Bays to left & right, with Sashes. 16-pane Sashes to 1st-Floor.
Interior not inspected.
Pastoral Care & Religious Life – The Middle Ages: Early provision by Dorchester Abbey was presumably Inadequate, as in 1296 the Bishop Ordered the Archdeacon to arrange for Cure of Souls. No Vicarage was Ordained & in 1301 the use of Hired Chaplains was confirmed in Recognition of the Church’s Poverty. By then Nettlebed & Pishill were probably Served by a single Priest, who by the 16thC was called a Curate: John More, the 1st known by name, received a Stipend of £5-6s-8d in 1526, rising to £6 a few years later. In 1530 Pishill was described as a Chapel Dependent on Nettlebed, though what Nettlebed‘s implied Primacy meant in practice is unclear.
The Surviving Norman Font suggests that the Church had Baptismal Rights from the Outset & in 1532 Richard Blackall requested Burial in the Churchyard, suggesting long-established Practice. Blackall also left 12d to Repair the Church’s Bells, 8d for Torches & 4d. to the Sepulchre Light, along with money for 30-Requiem Masses. In 1530 (when Roland Ebson was Curate) the Churchwardens reported that Damage to the Nave was being repaired, perhaps indicating former neglect.
The Reformation to 1800: Wills of the 1540s show continuing Catholic sympathies. Richard Eton (d.1540), an inhabitant of Newnham Murren, left a Cow to Fund the Altar Light & Money for an Obit & requested Burial before the ‘Pauline Cross‘ Standing in the Churchyard. John Andrew (d.1545) & Thomas Sharpe (d.1547) invoked the Virgin Mary & left money for Prayers or Requiem Masses. Sharpe‘s ghostly father’ Roger Massey may have been Nettlebed’s Curate, but if so, his Successors seem to have conformed to the New Religious Settlement. In 1548 the Churchwardens reported that Anne Eton (d.1547), Richard’s Widow, had withdrawn the Gift of a Cow worth 10s to maintain a Lamp in the Church because the Lights were put down & Wills of the 1550s were generally Protestant in tone. William Butler’s Bequests in 1560 included 4d to the High Altar ‘for Tithes forgotten, 6s-8d for Repair of the Bells & 12d-worth of Bread for the Poor every Good Friday.
Nettlebed’s relative Poverty encouraged a rapid turnover of Priests & sometimes made the Living difficult to fill. In 1571 George Morgan was deputed (presumably by the Patron) to find a Curate for Nettlebed & Pishill, but reported that in almost a year the Post had been filled for only a month. Nettlebed‘s Primacy over Pishill, hinted at in 1530, was again implied in 1587, when the Curate George Evans read Services at Nettlebed on 2-Sundays, but only Evening Prayers at Pishill on the 3rd. By the early-17thC the Curate delivered Morning Prayers at Nettlebed every other Sunday & Parishioners attended Bix or Nuffield Churches when he was at Pishill. Following complaints, the Curate was told that if he could not Serve both Churches properly he must Resign one; he protested that the Cures were small & his Wages slender, but presumably Lost his Case, since in 1626 the Churchwardens reported that both Churches were sufficiently Served.
Following the Stonor‘s Acquisition of the Manor & Rectory, a few Roman Catholic Recusants appeared in the Parish. The Cooper Family, including a Farmer & an Innkeeper, were mentioned in the 1620s, when the Churchwardens Presented 3 other Inhabitants for not receiving Communion. The Curate William Snow (d.1702) left Books suggesting Catholic sympathies, but in general Catholic influence was probably limited, & numbers small: no Recusants were reported in 1676 & only a Widow in 1767. The impact of Protestant Nonconformity was more notable, but similarly short-lived. In 1666 the Independent Minister & former Rector of Ewelme Thomas Cole opened a Private Academy at Nettlebed, of which a former Student gave an unfavourable Account, though he refused to accuse Cole of ‘anything that was ill‘. The Academy Closed in 1674 & following Coles Departure Dissent failed to become more widely Established until the 19thC.
In the Later-17thC the Tenure of most of Nettlebed‘s Curates remained short. The Churchwardens were sometimes uncertain whether they were properly Licensed & in 1679 the Church was Vacant. Nevertheless the Fabric & Furnishings were kept in Good Repair & Services were well Attended. The Church was an important Community Focus. In 1690 the Wheelwright Ralph Lewes left a Clock to be set up on the Church Tower, although in 1723 his Brother was Presented for failing to Execute the Will. Like many Inhabitants in the 16th & 17thCs, Lewes Requested Burial in the Churchyard, while inside the Church Bronze & Marble Memorials commemorated Members of the Taverner & Wallis Families.
Despite the Livings continuing Poverty, by the 18thC Curates were generally better Educated. Robert Home was a Graduate of Pembroke College, Oxford, while a later Curate, Nathaniel Wells, was regarded as ‘sober, modest, virtuous, & good natured’& was probably also an Oxford Graduate. His successor Mr Pritchard, a Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford, was viewed less favourably, having allegedly accepted the Curacy because it was in Good Hunting Country’, & delivering ‘wretchedly bad’ Sermons. Whatever their merits, probably few if any resided in the Parish permanently. The Sunday Morning Service attended by Karl Moritz in 1782 began at the Roadside, awaiting the Ministers arrival on Horseback, whereupon a Bell was rung. During the Service the Congregation ‘Sang & Prayed alternately several times’ accompanied by ‘several Musical Instruments’, after which the Priest delivered a ‘plain, convincing & earnest’ Sermon containing ‘nothing that was particularly striking’. The Congregation included ‘several people from another Village’. In the Afternoon, in the absence of a Clergyman, some Parishioners gathered at the Church to sing a few Psalms.
Since 1800: In the early-19thC the Living was held by Supporters of the Evangelical Revival & was ‘shamefully neglected’. Curates included Jonathan Flockton, accused in 1805 of ranting in a ‘Methodistic’ manner & of Preaching ‘stuff & nonsense’. By contrast Thomas Bennett (Curate 1814-43), a Wealthy Pluralist, was said to hate Methodists, perhaps partly because his Incumbency saw a considerable increase in Dissent. A Meeting House was Licensed in 1813 & another in the 1830s & in 1838 a Congregationalist Chapel was Built on Nettlebed Common as a Branch Station of the Henley Church. In 1854 Bennett‘s successor James Hazel (Vicar 1843-66) claimed that it was ‘not much frequented’, mainly by the Poor, although on Census Sunday in 1851 its Congregation numbered 53 in the morning & 50 in the afternoon.
The Parish Church was re-Built in 1845-46 on a much Larger Scale, the increase in the number of Seats (from 120 to 320) reflecting recent Population Growth. A Peal of 6-Bells was installed in place of 3-old ones, which were given to the Whitechapel Foundry in part Payment. Bennett’s wife Frances donated a Silver Flagon at the Bishops Consecration of the Building, to accompany a Chalice & Paten given by her Husband soon after his Induction. By 1848 the Bishop was pressing for Nettlebed to be separated from Pishill, observing that it would ‘Benefit at once by having the undivided attention of its Clergyman’. Sunday Morning Services were then typically attended by 160 people & those in the Afternoon by 200, and the Congregation may have increased further after the Benefices were eventually separated in 1853. The Bishop considered Hazel, who lived at Crocker End, a ‘respectable & active man’. Nevertheless, when he suggested increasing the number of Services the Vicar complained bitterly that ‘it is downright Cruelty to get more Duty out of an Incumbent of only £130’.
Henry Bligh (Vicar 1866-75) installed an Alabaster Reredos & Mosaic in the Church. Nettlebed was, however, his 1st Parish & like his immediate successors he soon moved on. Henry Baumgartner (Vicar 1881-1908), a Cambridge Graduate, was more experienced & Served for Longer, overseeing improvements to the Fabric & Furnishings & the 1st Extension of the Churchyard. In 1904 he nevertheless complained of ‘disorderly persons’ disturbing the Services. His Successors were mostly well-Established Clergymen, amongst them Philip Armitage (Vicar 1908-20), Henry Harding (1920-37) & Elias Pallot (1938–47), a Decorated Veteran of WW1. As the Population grew more Affluent further Improvements were made to the Church Building & Memorials were Installed to Local Inhabitants including Members of the Fleming Family.
Under Richard Bell (Vicar 1947-60) a Children’s Corner was set up in the South Aisle & Philip Fleming Established a Trust Fund to maintain the enlarged Churchyard. Ronald Perfect (Vicar 1969-75) reported an increased Congregation & though from 1977 Nettlebed was held in Plurality with neighbouring Benefices, in the early-21stC the Rector still Resided, supported by 2-Associate Clergy. The Congregationalist Chapel Closed in 1968 & was Converted to a Private House.
Church Architecture: Little survives of the Medieval Church, which was almost entirely re-Built in 1845-46. The base of the present Tower (now rendered) may retain some 12thC Stonework & a Norman Tub Font (in the Churchyard) is probably Original. An Illustration made before re-Building (see above) shows a 2-Bayed Chancel & a 3-Bayed Nave with Dormer Windows & a Gabled South Porch. The 2-Storey West Tower was Crenelated & Topped by a Low Pyramidal Steeple noticed by Karl Moritz. The Interior had ‘few Decorations’, save for the 10-Commandments written ‘in large letters’ on 2-Tables above the Altar. Carved Poppy Heads on some Pew ends were among the little Furniture that survived the re-Building.
By 1845 the Building (apart from the Tower) was said to be beyond Repair & it was pulled down & re-Built on a Larger Scale. The cost of £2,634 was met by Donations, Collections & a small Grant. The Replacement was Designed in ‘Prosaic’ 13thC Style by J H Hakewill of London & is a plain structure of Grey & Red Brick, with Stone Dressings & Slate Roofs. It includes a 2-Bayed Chancel & a 4-Bayed Nave, with South Aisle & Gabled South Porch; the 3-Storey Tower with Crenellated Parapet is Built within the West end of the Aisle & the Vestry lies in the Angle between Aisle & Chancel. The New South Aisle may have replaced the Medieval Nave, with the New Nave & Chancel (which have separate Roofs) Built on its North side. A Visitor in the 1880s considered it a ‘miserable Structure, ill kept & in bad Repair’ & Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observed that the Cusped Tracery of the windows was ‘Poor’.
A Marble Pulpit in Memory of J C Havers of Joyce Grove replaced one of Oak in 1896. The Lych Gate was Erected in 1923 as a War Memorial & a Memorial window to Fleming Family Members Killed in Action was installed in 1942. Electric light replaced Oil Lamps in 1933 & in 1970 Stained Glass Designed by John Piper was fitted in the East window as a Memorial to a ‘much respected’ Village Doctor Robin Williamson. A 2nd Piper window (on the South) Commemorates Peter Fleming (d.1971). Extensive Repairs in 1970 were followed in 1973 by removal of the ‘incongruous Organ Chamber’ from the Vestry to a West-end Gallery. Major internal improvements to the Aisle & Tower were undertaken in 1992, followed by Repairs to the Bells & Clock, the costs met largely by Local appeals.
Aston Rowant & Chilterns Spring Line Villages 