Whichford
- Not to be confused with Witchford
| Whichford | |
| Warwickshire | |
|---|---|
 St Michael's parish church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP3134 |
| Location: | 52°-0’36"N, 1°32’38"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 336 (2011) |
| Post town: | Shipston-on-Stour |
| Postcode: | CV36 |
| Dialling code: | 01608 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Stratford-on-Avon |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Stratford-on-Avon |
| Website: | Whichford and Ascott |
Whichford is a village and parish in Warwickshire, about five miles south-east of Shipston-on-Stour. The parish adjoins the county border with Oxfordshire and the village is about 4½ miles north of the Oxfordshire town of Chipping Norton.
The parish includes the hamlet of Ascott, about ½ mile east of Whichford village. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 336.[1]
Manor and toponymy
The Domesday Book of 1086 records Wicford as a manor of 15 hides.[2] In a document of about 1130 the name is spelt Wicheforda. Its etymology is not certain but it may mean "Ford of the Hwicce", who were an Anglo-Saxon tribe that settled and founded a kingdom in the area[3] in the latter part of the 6th century AD.
Ascott is a common English name meaning "eastern cottage(s)".[4]
Parish church
The oldest part of the Church of England parish church of St Michael is the 12th-century Norman south doorway.[5] The nave and part of the chancel are also 12th-century. In the 13th century the chancel was enlarged and the north aisle was added. There were many alterations in the 14th century including the addition of the north-west tower, south chapel and insertion of several new windows. The nave clerestory was added in the 15th century. St Michael's is a Grade II listed building.[6]
St Michael's west tower has a ring of eight bells. William Bagley of Chacombe, Warwickshire cast the sixth bell in 1695. William Taylor, who at the time had bell-foundries at Loughborough and Oxford, cast the seventh bell in 1848. John Taylor & Co of Loughborough cast the third, fourth, fifth and tenor bells in 1904. At the time these completed a ring of six bells.[2] The ring was increased to eight in 1998, when John Taylor & Co cast and hung the present treble and second bells. St Michael's has also a Sanctus bell that William Bagley cast in 1706.[7]
Whichford House
Whichford House was built in the 17th century as St Michael's rectory. In the 18th century it was enhanced with an open stairwell, and a stone chimneypiece and wooden panelling in one of the principal rooms. The House is a Grade II* listed building.[8]
Notable people
- George Rainbird (1905-1986), British publisher, lived at Whichford House
Amenities
Whichford has a pub, the Norman Knight.
References
- ↑ "Area: Whichford (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11130535&c=Whichford&d=16&e=62&g=6472188&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1450798194642&enc=1. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Salzman 1949, p. 205–209.
- ↑ Mills 1991, Whichford.
- ↑ Mills 1991, Ascot, Ascott.
- ↑ Pevsner & Wedgwood 1966, p. 470.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1355543: Church of St Michael (Grade II listing)
- ↑ Chester, Mike (6 August 2009). "Whichford, Warks S Michael". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Central Council for Church Bell Ringers. http://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?searchString=Whichford&Submit=+Go+&DoveID=WHICHFORD. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1116069: Whichford House and attached balustrades (Grade II* listing)
Bibliography
- Mills, A. D. (1991). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-869156-4.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus; Wedgwood, Alexandra (1966). Warwickshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 470–471.
- Salzman, LF, ed (1949). "Whichford". A History of the County of Warwick. Victoria County History. V: Kington Hundred. London: Oxford University Press for the Institute of Historical Research. pp. 205–209. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol5/pp205-209.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Whichford) |