Kellys_Berks_Bucks&Oxon_1915_0842.jpg

46

B IC E S T E R .

OXFORDSHIRE.

[ kelly’s

s Hall, near the railway station,was erected
»read® of four Early English arches on clustered inSt1.88Edburg’
2 by the exertions of the Rev. John Blackburn©
piers, in the spandrils of two of which are some curious Kane
M.A. vicar 1881-94, 011a site given by Jonas Paxton
and rude sculptures in small panels let into the wall, esq. and
designs by Mr. E. G. Bruton, of Oxford,
representing figures of knights armed with shields and at a costfrom
of £1,200: the first stone was laid by the
swords under a crocheted arcading, and were brought Baroness Sc
hrö
der
, June 14th, 1882, and the hall was
from the priory : on one of the piers on this side are opened in December
following: it comprises two rooms
other sculptures from the same source, and at the west on the ground floor, and
on the upper floor an assembly
end is the upper part of a female effigy also once in room 62 by 26 feet, holding
persons.
the priory: the north arcade is composed of three The Agricultural and Horti300
cultural Society, e&tablished
Decorated arches, on octagonal pillars: the clerestory in 1859, has been very succes
s
f
u
l
and now numbers up­
is Perpendicular and supports a good open timbered wards of 300 members.
roof of the same date: in the south aisle is a small The Bicester Horse Show, promoted by this Society,is
piscina of Perpendicular date: the north aisle ter­ held annually, on the ist Tuesday in September.
minates in an eastern chapel, once consisting of two Two weekly newspapers, the “ Bicester Herald” and the
chambers, one above the other, the upper room being “Bicester Advertiser,” are published here.
reached by a turret staircase from without: this aisle The “ King’s Arms,” near the entrance to the town
retains part of a Norman string course, with zigzag from the L. and N. W. station, is the principal hotel.
moulding, but the south door is Early English : there The chief business of the inhabitants arises from the
are some fragments of screen-work: the font is plain market and cattle fairs. Fairs are held here on the
and polygonal, expanding towards the top and is Friday in Easter week, the first Friday in June andJuly,
probably Earlv English :the church contains monuments August 5th and 6th, the Friday before the nth of October
to Sir Edward Turner bart. formerly ofAmbrosden Park, and two following Fridays, and on the Friday afterDecem­
d. 31st October, 1766, and Cassandra (Leigh) his wife, ber nth. The corn market is held on Friday and a cattle
1770: Sarah, wife of the Rev. "White Kennett B.D. \icar market on alternate Fridays, which is generally well
of Ambrosden, 1684-94, and Bishop of Peterboroug , attended.
1718-28; Robert Carver, 1698, and Maria, his wife, The Visiting Society, the Provident Society and the
1722, father and mother of Mrs. Kennett; Thomas Dorcas Society (all worked in connection with the parish
Airson B.A. 36 years vicar, i7i5'52‘
> Thomas Forbes, church) are "for supplying the poor with articles of
vicar, 1715, and William, son of Stephen Glynne, of clothing, soup and coals.
Merton, esq.: in the chancel is a singular monument to The Town Stock is a fund arising out of the rents of
five children of the Rev. Samuel Blackwall, with a-gro­ certain lands and tenements left by a will of very ancient
tesque carving of as many skulls: there also remain date for the relief of decayed tradesmen; the income now
brasses to William Staveley esq. “ dominus de Bygnell,” amounting to about £275 yearly,was increased in1867by
1498, and his wife, Alice (Frances), 1500; Roger Moore a giftof £1,000 by George Tubb esq. banker, of Bicester;
esq. gentleman pensioner to Queen Elizabeth, slam on £1,000 given in 1886 by Henry Tubb esq. banker, of
Her Majesty’s service in Ireland,i55r>and Agnes (Husye), Bicester;and bequests of£500 from the late Mr. Richard
his wife, 1584; all three are inscriptions only: the Painter, horse dealer, of Bicester; £100 by the lateMrs.
church has been restored at an expense of £30°°» H. M. Tubb, and of £50 from the late Mr. Richard
when the galleries erected in the last century on the Phillips, of Bicester: the feoffees are H. Tubb esq. John
north and south sides and at the west end were re­ Hunt, W. G. Palmer, John Bates, John Campin, John
moved and the church re-seated: there is a memorial Hedges and Thomas Costar Finch: these charities, as
window in the chancel to Sir Gregory Page Turner bart. well°as Shirley’s bequest of about £3 a year, are divided
lord of the manor of Market End, d. 6 March, 1843, amongst certain pensioners. A charity of about ¿30
presented by Mrs. Fryer, his daughter; and there are yearly, left by W. Walker esq. of Stamford Hill, Middle­
two given by the Turner family, and others to Major sex, for educational purposes, is divided between the
Lewis Colter, lord of the manor of King’s End, acci­ Church and Congregational Sunday Schools; and
dentally drowned in 1858; Captain Style R.N. and Carleton’s charity of £2 is for bread.
family; Thomas Tubb and family; and two presented The Bicester hunt was established about 1820; thepack
by Mrs. Rogerson; in May, 1885, a memorial window hunts four times a week; the kennels are at Stratton
was inserted to Maj.-Gen. Charles George Gordon R.E., Audley. Bicester, Banbury, Brackley and Buckingham
C.B. who fell at Khartoum, January 26th, 1885, and are convenient places for hunting visitors.
Bignell House, a handsome mansion, standing in its
one in the north aisle to the Rev. John William Watts
s
M .A . vicar 1843-80: an oak Teredos was placed in the own grounds, about a mile and a half from Bicester, i
church in 1910. In the churchyard, which is beau­ the residence of Charles Twysden Hoare esq. D.L., J.P.
tifully planted with trees and shrubs and carefully Bicester was formerly the seat of a priory, founded by
tended, is a stone inscribed with the names of Samuel Gilbert Bassett, grandson of the first of that name, A.D.
Clarke and many others, who fell victims to the dreadful 1182, for a prior and eleven canons of the order of St.
visitation of cholera in 1832, when more than 70 per­ Augustine, and dedicated to the hohour of St. Mary and
sons perished: the principal entrance is on the north St. Eodburga, the holy nun of Aylesbury. At the Dis­
side, by a wide path, pleasantly shaded with limes and solution there were nine canons and revenues estimated
leading to the north porch: there are about 1.000 at £147- It stood to the south-east of the church, but
sittings. The register dates from the year 1558. The the only remaining portion of the buildings is a house
living is a vicarage, net yearly value £270, with 126 now called “The Old Priory,” which formed part ofthe
acres of glebe and residence, in the gift of F. A. Page- guest house, and retains windows with cusped lights0
Turner esq. and held since 1907 by the Rev. Walter Perpendicular date.
O’Reilly M.A. of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, Market End is a township and bailiwick, consistingot
the lordship and manor, belonging in 1596 to William
and chaplain of Bicester union.
The infants’ schoolroom in Field street is licensed by (Stanley) 6th Earl of Derby K.G. to whom ithad pass
from Gilbert Bassett (a younger son of Ralph Basset,
the Bishop of Oxford for divine service on Sundays.
The Wesleyan Methodist chapel, in North street, Chief Justice of England), having been granted to him
with six other knighits’ fees in the 12th century:
erected in 1841, has 300 sittings.
The Congregational chapel, in Chapel street, erected reversion in fee simple was afterwards conveyed to cer
in 1729, on a site purchased after the great fire of tain persons in trust for all interested in the lease5
1724, contains, among other memorials, a monument manor and estates were thus constituted a hauiwic ,
to the Rev. John Troughton, 1739, and Sarah, his wife, purchased for the use and benefit of those who xnig»
1736; the chapel will seat 360 persons; attached is a thereafter obtain possession of part of the demesne,
Sunday school, established in 1794, by Mr. James Jones. lordship of the manor has now been purchased by
In the town is St. Edith’s Priory of Olivetan Bene­ Urban District Council.
The area of the two townships forming
dictine Nuns.
The Cemetery, on the south side of the town and com­ District is 3,739 acres, viz.:— Market End, 2,2 2
municating with the churchyard, of which it may be re­ King’s End, 1,437; rateable value, Marke
•
garded as an extension, originally covered an area of £13,423; King’s End, £2,578; the population in V
2 acres 3 poles, and was opened in 1861, and enlarged was:— Market End, 3,o8r (including m °®feri 1 ,0,
in 1902: it is picturesquely laid out and contains a inmates in the Poor Law Institution); King s hnu, j
mortuary chapel for the use of Nonconformists, and is The population of the ecclesiastical parish m
under the control of the Urban Council.
The free public reading-room was opened in 1872 by was
?-385’
n of
WRETCHWICK
is a hamlet in the towns-hi*
the liberality of the Earl of Jersey.
B
i
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e
s
t
e
r
Market
End,
and
under
th
e
c
o
n
t
r
o
l
In Market square formerly stcod the Town Hall and
shambles, erected in 1622, but destroyed by a riotous Bicester Urban District Council.
Parish Clerk, Richard Smith.
assemblage of townspeople in 1826.

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