Towersey occurs as Eie, Eia (11thC); Toureseye (13thC) Eia, meaning Island. This refers to a dry area of Land in the Marshes of the Aylesbury Vale, a Manuscript of 1174 Records Kingsey also as simply Eya , but thereafter both Toponyms gained prefixes to distinguish the 2-Villages. A Manuscript of 1194 refers to Kingseie, which has evolved into Kingsey, mid-13thC Records refer to Turrisey & Tureseye, which has evolved into Towersey. It means Island of de Tours, referring to Richard de Tours
Towersey is a Parish on the Borders of Oxfordshire with an area of 1,380-acres, including 320-acres of Arable Land & 911 of Permanent Pasture. The slope of the Land is from the South-East (271-ft above the Ordnance Datum) to the North-West (219-ft). The Soil is strong Loam, the Subsoil Gravel, Clay, & Limestone, the chief Crops being wheat, beans, barley, clover & grasses. Towersey, in the Hundred of Ashendon, about 2-miles East of Thame, in Oxon, lies within the County of Bucks, but is a Hamlet belonging to that Town: it has a Chapel of Ease. The Manor House has been for some years the Property of George Bowden Esq it was before in Lord Wentworth’s Family.
OS Map Towersey Area 1881
Towersey Village School was Built in 1848. The School was located next to St Catherine’s Church on the Crossroads by Manor Road. There were 2–Schoolrooms & a Schoolhouse which had places for 84-children. In the early years the Attendance was about 60-70, though during times of bad weather, bean & potato planting/picking, Harvest time etc, the attendance fell to only a few Pupils. The children not only helped with Harvest Time but also Lace-making & with Laundry at the Manor. The School was examined in 1878 for the 1st time. During the years the School was here the Teaching Staff comprised of the Certified Mistress, Assistant Mistress & a School Monitor. The School had a somewhat chequered History with many changes to Staff & poor Attendance, this was mainly due to the fact Towersey was a Rural Village, because of this children played an important role in the Sowing & Harvesting of Crops. The girls were mainly involved in Lace-making for which Towersey was, famous. In 1885 the Total Grant received by the School was £60-10s & was allocated by the School Guardians of which Mr Whitehouse Griffin was the Honorary Treasurer. This Grant was made up of a Basic Principle Grant, a Population Grant, with the balance being allocated based on the Attendance over the School year & the Results of Examination as Certified by the School Inspector. The School was eventually closed down in the 1950’s, with the children now attending the Main Schools in Thame. The Schoolhouse was converted into 3-Private Residences.
The Village is situated on the Thame Road in the West of the Parish. There are many 16th & 17thC half-Timbered Houses, several of which have Thatched Roofs. The Church stands at the West of the Village, with the Vicarage, Built in 1845, on the North-West & the School was on the South-West. At the side of the Road on the South of the Church were the remains of the Village Stocks. The 16thC House known as the ‘Church Farm‘, to the North of the Church, may represent the Old Manor-House. It is a Timber-framed Building, much Altered & the portion which contained the Hall is now a Ruin. The present Manor-House, at the other end of the Village, was Built in the Italian Style by Mr Edward Griffin in 1858. In 1899 it was Sold by Mr J Whitehouse Griffin, to the Hon Paulyn F C Rawdon Hastings, by whom it was largely rebuilt & Sold in 1911 to Mr G J C Harter. It was since then mainly unoccupied. The Grange Farm, probably on the Site of the Grange belonging to Thame Abbey, is a 16thC half-Timber House with Brick Nogging, altered & enlarged. Attached to it is the Ancient Tithe Barn probably Built about 1500. It is a Stone Building of 5-Bays with Aisles having original Blocked Doorways, on the Jambs of one of which are 3-Sundials. The Roof, which is a fine specimen of its kind, is supported by 2-Rows of Oak Posts. Upper Green Farm & Lower Green Farm are both 17thC Houses with Thatched Roofs. There was a Baptist Chapel in the Village, and in the North-west of the Parish was a Windmill. The Parish was inclosed in 1822. Towersey Sattelite Map
Manor House: Probably early-19thC with later 19thC Additions to Left & to Rear. Stone uncoursed rubble with Brick Dressings; Slate Hipped Roof; various Brick Stacks. Double-depth Plan. 2-Storey, 3-window Range having addition to left of 2-Storey, 2-window Range. Glazed Double Door to centre of original Block with decorative Fanlight & Rendered Porch having Doric Pilasters & Cornice. Unhorned tripartite Sashes with glazing bars & Cambered Brick Heads, to left & right of original Black. 12-pane unhorned Sashes with Cambered Brick Heads to all other Openings. Bracketed Eaves. Cast-iron cornice-moulded Guttering.
Interior: 19thC decorative plaster Ceilings in “Jacobean‘ Style & “Adam” Style to Ground Floor Rooms. Probably early-20thC Staircase to double-height Hall to Rear with glazed Saucer-dome Skylight.
Manors: Before the Conquest of King Edward, the Confessors Thegns held Eye Manor. In 1086 it was Assessed at 9-Hides 1-Virgate among the Lands of Niel Daubeny & was attached to his Barony of Cainhoe, Beds. Niel Wast was Sub-Tenant in Eye in 1086 & by the Middle of the 13thC, Ralph Pirot was holding the Mesne Lordship in Towersey, which continued in his Family & was still Held by his Descendant, another Ralph Pirot, in 1337. No later reference to it has been found.
In the Middle of the 13thC Richard, son of Robert Towers (de Tours), Probably a Descendant of John Towers, whose name occurs in the late-12thC, was Holding the greater part of Eye Manor corresponding to Land which was afterwards distinguished by the name of this Family as Towersey Manor. He & his Descendants bearing the same name were Holding Later in the Century, & in 1302 & 1316. Richard Towers was living in 1329 & died before 1337 when his son Richard Granted the Reversion of a 3rd of Towersey Manor then held in Dower by his father’s Widow Agnes& of Lands in Towersey held for life by Henry Towers, to Thame Abbey.
At the same time, this Abbey also received a Grant of the remaining 2/3rds of this Manor from Edmund de Berford. A Rent-charge on the Manor of £10-yearly was surrendered by Richard Towers‘ wife Agnes, his daughter Elizabeth & her husband Richard de Leming in 1338. Towersey Manor remained with Thame Abbey, which received a Grant of Free Warren there in 1365, until the Dissolution. In 1542 it was Granted to the Dean & Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ & St Mary, Oxford & afterwards in 1545 to Christopher Edmunds & Others with Rights in the Manor extending into Oxon. It was afterwards apparently acquired by Sir John Williams, Lord Williams of Thame & was Conveyed in 1566 by Daniel Snow to Edward Lord Windsor. Towersey Manor Descended with Bradenham to Thomas, Viscount Wentworth, who Sold it in 1788 to George Bowden of Radford, Oxon. His son George who succeeded in 1791 left 3-daughters Mary Elizabeth, Elizabeth, & Anne Frances, who were Ladies of the Manor in 1822. About the Middle of the 19thC, it was Purchased by Mr Edward Griffin, JP & County Alderman, who died in 1879. His son & Successor, Mr James Whitehouse Griffin, was then the Owner of Towersey Manor.
The remainder of the Domesday Eye Manor Estate corresponding to that part of the Vill of Towersey called Little Eye was Held of Ralph Pirot in 1254 by John de Morton. In 1265 he, with his wife Sarah, Alienated this Estate in Free Alms to Thame Abbey, for the Service of a Pair of White Gauntlets or 1d at Easter. This Abbey continued to Hold Little Eye, which is not distinguishable from the Principal Manor in Towersey after 1346.
The 11-Hides at which Towersey was Assessed in 1254 comprised, besides the Domesday Eye Manor, an Estate of 7-Virgates, apparently part of one of Gilbert Pinkney’s Fees in Bucks & Held of him in 1166 by Robert de Wauci. In 1254 Muriel de Weston held it in Socage & by the Service of 20s yearly for Ward of Windsor Castle of Robert’s Descendant, Robert de Wauci. Henry de Weston, probably her son, Granted it in 1275 to Thame Abbey, when it became absorbed in the Principal Manor.
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.
A small Estate called Brittons Manor appears in Towersey in the later-16thC, when it was held of the President & Scholars of Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1564 Nicholas & Alice Collingridge conveyed it to John Goodwin & Richard Belson died Seised of it in 1569. His wife Elizabeth held it for Life & was alive in 1575 when her eldest son Bartholomew died. Thomas Belson, another son, claimed it in 1585 against his elder brother Augustine under their father’s Will & obtained Judgement in 1586.
In 1623 John, Thomas & Richard Porter with Mary & Robert Whitfield surrendered their interests in Brittons Manor to John Harman & his Heirs. John Harman of Towersey, Deceased, is mentioned in 1646, but the later Descent has not been traced.
A small Estate in Towersey called in the later-16thC Parage Manor corresponds to the Property Conveyed in 1341 by Walter, son of William Audlaf of Stoke, to Edmund Parage & his wife Agnes. This Property reappears in 1577 when Parage Manor was conveyed by Francis & Katherine Bertie to William Fleetwood & John White, but no other reference to it has been found.
Towersey Windmill (Corn Mill) was off Windmill Road nr Kingsey Road, Towersey
Up until the 1950’s, Towersey had 3-Public Houses; The White Hart, The Black Horse & The 3-Horseshoes. The Latter is now the only Public House remaining, the others have all been converted to Private Residences. In the past Public Houses were used as Meeting places for many purposes, for Local Groups, those included Local Inquests, Village Guardians etc. The 3-Horseshoes Building, probably dates back to as far as the 12thC, the original building with its Central Chimney being Built in the typical style of a Yeoman Farmers House. Some of the original Timber Frame & Witchert was uncovered during re-decoration in the 1980’s but was Destroyed in 1999 when the Kitchen & Dining Room were enlarged. The Building was probably originally used as a Dairy, hence the Portland Stone Flooring in the Lounge Bar. It was certainly used by Cordwainers (Harness Makers) during the last Century. The Barn which is alongside the Pub is as old & may have been used as a Tithe Barn. It is made from Timber-Frame & Witchert Construction with high Slit windows. During the exceptionally cold Winter of 1981 the whole of the South facing end Wall Collapsed but was re-Built.
The Wycombe, Thame, & Oxford Branch of the Great Western Railway ran through the South of the Parish from South-East to North-West. The Railway was originally known as the ‘Wycombe Extension’ & was 1st talked about in the mid-1850’s. It was Designed to connect High Wycombe to Thame via Princes Risborough by a Single-Track as part of the GWR. The 1st Sod was cut in Towersey in September 1859 by Mr Edward Griffin who was one of the Directors & lived in Towersey Manor at the time. The Line was Opened up on 1st August 1862. The Service ran 4-Trains Daily in each Direction between Thame & Paddington. This Journey took some 2½-hrs.
A 2nd-Class Single Fare to London from Thame cost 6/3d. A 3rd-Class Ticket cost around 4/-. The Line was extended to Oxford & completed in 1864. Towersey waited 70-yrs for its own Station or Wooden Halt on the Line, it was eventually in place & Opened up on 5th June 1933. No more than 100-ft (30M) long, the Halt was Supervised by the Stationmaster at Thame. Towersey Halt was situated approximately a ¼-mile from the Village Centre on the Towersey/Chinnor Road. Access to the Halt was via a Cinder Track down the slope of the Embankment on the Village side of the Line. The Path is still there & provides access to the ‘Phoenix Trail’. The Halt was Lit by 3-Oil Lamps along the Platform. These Lamps had to be Lit by one of the Villagers every day. In 1963 the Line ceased to be used as a Passenger Line. The last Train ran on 6th January that year. However, the Line was still used for Goods Traffic between Thame & Oxford until 1965. In 1969 part of the Track was removed but the Line was still used to Transport Oil to the Shell-Mex & BP Terminal until its Closure in the 1980’s when the Line was Abandoned & the Track removed. In 1997 the conversion was started to make a Footpath, Cycle-way & Bridle Path to be known as the Phoenix Trail.
Despite living through some of the most dramatic changes of the 20thC, Stanley Anderson CBE (1884-1966) created a vision of an essentially timeless English Rural Tradition in his Etchings & Woodcuts. Anderson became a Master of his Craft & was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers & Engravers. He was a key Figure in the revival of Engraving in the 1920s. Stanley Anderson was born in Bristol, in 1884 & died in Towersey, England in 1966. In 1933, Anderson bought a Holiday Home Cottage (“Old Timbers“) in Towersey which would become his permanent Home (Old Lane Cottage) when he was Bombed-out of London during the Blitz.
He began producing the Engravings of Country Crafts for which he is best known. Each was based on detailed preliminary sketches & Sold in a Limited Edition of around 40 or 60, at the Royal Academy or other Exhibitions. In many cases, background biographical information is known about the Craftsmen featured and their Tools & Techniques.
Anderson often knew them personally & saw them as his Equals. His depictions are of real people carrying out their day-to-day work with the Actual Tools they used. Anderson was a Traditionalist in his working methods, in his taste (he disliked Modern Art) & in his concern for the threat to Rural Crafts. There is a high level of consistency between the Laborious Craftsmanship of the men Anderson depicted & the painstaking methods that he used in his Engravings, making both Subject & Method examples of Traditional English Craft. It was for this body of work that Anderson was awarded his CBE in 1951. After developing Neuritis in his Right Hand & Arm, Line Engraving on Copper became increasingly painful for Anderson. He Engraved his last Plate in 1953 & thereafter concentrated on Watercolour Paintings of Country Scenes which were Sold at the Annual Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts.
One features a Watercolour depicting a packed Thame High Street one Market day in 1940 & a Caricature of Towersey Milkman, Jack Copcutt, making merry with a Pint of Beer. Humphrey Brooke, Secretary to the Royal Academy until 1968, recalled in The Times that there was a “Stampede” each year to buy Anderson’s Paintings which often Sold out within minutes of the Opening, 1-Collector being seen in Running Shoes to beat the competition. Anderson died at his home at Darobey, Church Lane, Chearsley, Bucks, on 4th March 1966.
Aston Rowant & Chilterns Spring Line Villages 