Baulking
| Baulking | |
| Berkshire | |
|---|---|
 St Nicholas' parish church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU3190 |
| Location: | 51°36’54"N, 1°32’20"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 117 (2001) |
| Post town: | Faringdon |
| Postcode: | SN7 |
| Dialling code: | 01367 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Vale of White Horse |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Wantage |
Baulking or Balking is a village in northern Berkshire about 3½ miles south-east of Faringdon. The village gives its name also to a civil parish, its lands bounded to the north and north-west by the River Ock, which flows eastward through the Vale of White Horse to Abingdon. To the south runs the Ock's tributary, the Stutfield Brook. The village is arranged along a large, elongated village green running north – south, on the side of a slight rise of land bounded on two sides by a bend in the river.
Balking is an ancient form of the name, dating from the 10th century.[1] Other forms from the same century were Bedelacing and Bedelakinges.[1] 12th century forms included Badeleking and Badeking.[1] Further forms were Batheleking in the 13th century, Bauking in the 16th century and Bawlkin in the 17th century.[1]
Manor
In 948, King Eadred gave five hides of land at Baulking to his servant Cuthred, and it was said that Cuthred gave the land to the Benedictine Abingdon Abbey.[1] By 1187 the manor had passed to the lords of Kingston Lisle, with whom it remained until the 20th century.[1]
Church
The parish church of Saint Nicholas was built at the beginning of the 13th century[2] as a dependent chapel of Uffington.[1] The chancel has Early English Gothic lancet windows.[2] In the 14th century diagonal buttresses were added to the church[1] and two Decorated Gothic windows were added in the south wall of the nave.[3] The Perpendicular Gothic window in the north wall of the nave was added late in the 15th century. The oak pulpit is Jacobean[1] and was brought from Grittleton in Wiltshire.[3] The nave roof is also Jacobean.[1][3] St. Nicholas' Communion plate includes a chalice made in 1583.[1][3]
Baulking was made a parish separate from Uffington in 1846.[1] St. Nicholas' is now once again part of the Uffington Benefice, along with the parishes of Shellingford and Woolstone.[4]
Economic and social history
Baulking was an ancient market town, with market day on Thursday.[1] In 1219 the market was changed to Tuesday and by 1792 it had ceased to be held.[1]
The common lands of Uffington, Baulking and Woolstone were enclosed in 1776.[1]
The Great Western Main Line was built through the southern part of the parish and opened in 1840. The line immediately abuts the southern tip of the village.
Baulking village school was built in 1877.[1] It is no longer used as a school.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Baulking) |
References
Sources
- Page, W.H.; Ditchfield, P.H., eds (1924). A History of the County of Berkshire, Volume 4. Victoria County History. pp. 543–551.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). Berkshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 78–79.
