Tidcombe
| Tidcombe | |
| Wiltshire | |
|---|---|
 St Michael's, Tidcombe | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU290583 |
| Location: | 51°19’23"N, 1°35’6"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Marlborough |
| Postcode: | SN8 |
| Dialling code: | 01264 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Wiltshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Devizes |
Tidcombe is a small village in Wiltshire, in the north-east of the county, almost leaning upon the border of Berkshire, which stretches a long, thin finger down to these acres, and close too to the Hampshire border. The closest village to Tidcombe is Oxenwood in Berkshire, and it is to be found about nine miles south-east of Marlborough and seven miles south-west of Hungerford in Berkshire.
History
There is a prehistoric ditch on the slopes of Tidcombe Down, south and south-west of the village; part of the western boundary of the parish follows it.[1] Also on the down is a Neolithic long barrow, 60 yards long.[2] The eastern boundary of the ancient parish followed the Roman road from Cirencester to Winchester, known in this area as Chute Causeway; on this section, between Marlborough in the northwest and Andover in the south-east, the road deviates south to avoid the dry valleys around Hippenscombe.[3]
The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded nine households at Titicome.[4] Tidcombe lay within the Savernake Forest until 1330.[3]
Lords of the manor included William Esturmy of Wulfhall (died 1427; MP and Speaker of the House of Commons) and John Seymour (died 1464, also an MP). By 1540 the manor had been acquired by Edward Seymour (brother of queen consort Jane Seymour; later Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector; executed 1552) and it passed to his son Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (1539–1621). The manor remained with the Dukes of Somerset until 1675, and was then held by the Seymours alongside Pewsey until sold around 1767 by Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland and his wife Elizabeth (née Seymour) to Edward Tanner (d.1779).
Tanner's son John (d.1797) was probably the builder of the manor house, near the church. In brick and stone dressings and with a five-bay front, it is now Grade II* listed.[5]
In the 19th century, the names Tidcombe and Titcombe were both in use.
Parish church
There is evidence of a church in the mid 13th century.[3] The present church, in part-rendered flint with stone dressings, is from the 14th century. The nave was re-roofed in the 15th century, and in the 17th the low two-stage west tower was added which necessitated shortening the nave.[6] The north porch, in brick and described by Pevsner as humble[7] carries a date of 1675. The chancel was restored and paved in the 19th century.[6]
Two of the three bells are from the 17th century.[3] The churchyard has a chest tomb of 1770, a memorial to Marie and Jane Tanner;[8] and 19th-century tombs of the Hawkins family of neighbouring Wexcombe.[9][10]
The Fosbury tithing was made a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1856 after a church was built there.[3] Hippenscombe, until then extra-parochial, was added to Tidcombe parish in 1879. Today the parish forms part of the Savernake team ministry, alongside eleven other rural churches around Burbage.[11]
The parish register from 1635 to 1700 is of great interest.[12]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Tidcombe) |
References
- ↑ National Heritage List 1004729: Linear earthwork on Tidcombe Down (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1012253: Long barrow south of Tidcombe (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 A History of the County of Wiltshire - Volume 16 pp 215-222: Parishes: Tidcombe (Victoria County History)
- ↑ Tidcombe in the Domesday Book
- ↑ National Heritage List 1365508: Tidcombe Manor (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 National Heritage List 1299891: Church of St Michael (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Wiltshire, 1963; 1975 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09659-0page 519
- ↑ National Heritage List 11033998: Tanner monument in churchyard (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ National Heritage List 11365507: Pair of Hawkins Monuments (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ National Heritage List 11299862: Hawkins Monument in Churchyard (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ "St Michael's, Tidcombe". http://www.savernaketeam.org.uk/church/tidcombe-and-fosbury/. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ↑ Tidcombe parish register at flipsnack.com
