Evenley is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

just over south of

Brackley Brackley is a market town and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, bordering Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, from Oxford and from Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the inter ...

West Northamptonshire West Northamptonshire is a unitary authority area covering part of the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, created in 2021. By far the largest settlement in West Northamptonshire is the county town of Northampton. Its other signific ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 571. The villages name means 'Level wood/clearing'.

Geography

The parish is bounded by the River Great Ouse to the northeast, one of its tributaries to the northwest and on other sides by field boundaries. The parish's northeastern boundary is also part of the county boundary with Buckinghamshire. Its southeastern boundary is also part of the county boundary with Oxfordshire. The parish includes the site of the deserted medieval village of Astwick, about southwest of Evenley village. The

A43 road The A43 is a primary route in the English Midlands and northern South East England, that runs from the M40 motorway near Ardley in Oxfordshire to Stamford in Lincolnshire. Through Northamptonshire it bypasses the towns of Northampton, Ke ...

passes through the western part of the parish and links the village with junction 10 of the M40 motorway to the south-west.

Manor

Evenley

Manor House A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

is a mid-17th-century building of three bays, built of ironstone and limestone.

Evenley Hall

Evenley Hall is a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

building of five bays with Ionic columns. It was built in about 1740 for Francis Bassett. It was much altered after being damaged by a fire in 1897. It was a children's home run by the National Children's Home charity from 1941 until 2001.

Parish church

Evenley had a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

by 1535, when the

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

Huntingdon Priory The Priory of St Mary, Huntingdon was an Augustinian Priory in Huntingdonshire (now Cambridgeshire), England. Its foundation date is unknown. Dugdale suggests that it was a re-foundation of an Anglo-Saxon canonry; this is a credible idea, as sev ...

held the rectory. Rowland Searchfield was rector in 1601. The mediaeval building was replaced in 1864–65 by the present Church of England parish church of

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...

, designed by the Gothic Revival architect

Henry Woodyer Henry Woodyer (1816–1896) was an English architect, a pupil of William Butterfield and a disciple of A. W. N. Pugin and the Ecclesiologists. Life Woodyer was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, in 1816, the son of a successful, highly resp ...

Monuments A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

salvaged from the old church were re-set in the present building, including a more than life-size

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

statue of the barrister and judge Sir Creswell Levinz (1627–1701). It has lost its original setting, which was an architectural background with cherubs at his feet. The churchyard includes a large monument to the Pearne family that was erected before 1757. Three bells from the old building were also re-used. Henry I Bagley of

Chacombe Chacombe (sometimes Chalcombe in the past) is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, about north-east of Banbury. It is bounded to the west by the River Cherwell, to the north by a tributary and to the south-east by the ...

cast the treble and fourth bells in 1632 and William Bagley cast the second bell in 1708. George Mears and Company of the

Whitechapel Bell Foundry The Whitechapel Bell Foundry was a business in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. At the time of the closure of its Whitechapel premises, it was the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain. The bell foundry primarily made church bells ...

cast the third and tenor bells in 1865, completing the present

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

of five. St George's also has a Sanctus bell cast by an unidentified founder in about 1699. St George's parish is a member of the Benefice of Aynho and Croughton with Evenley and

Farthinghoe Farthinghoe is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. It is located on the A422 road about north-west of Brackley and south-east of Banbury. The origin of the village's name is uncertain. Possibly, 'hill-spur of the dwe ...

and

Hinton-in-the-Hedges Hinton-in-the-Hedges is a small village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, due west of the town of Brackley. West of the village is Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 17 ...

with Steane.

Amenities

The village has the 18th-century Red Lion

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

, a village shopEvenley Forge Village Shop and Postoffice
/ref> with

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

, a

village hall A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as: United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...

and a cricket club.Evenley Cricket Club
/ref> The village green is roughly square and is in the centre of the village. Evenley Cricket Club plays its home games here and claims it is one of the best wickets in

South Northamptonshire South Northamptonshire was, from 1974 to 2021, a district in Northamptonshire, England. Its council was based in the town of Towcester, first established as a settlement in Roman Britain. The population of the Local Authority District Council in ...

. The parish

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

is on the edge of the south side of the green.

Notable people

The brothers Professor

William Levinz William Levinz (25 July 1625 – 3 March 1698), doctor of medicine and Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford University, was President of St John's College, Oxford, from 1673 until 1698. Life He was the son of William Levinz of Evenley, near ...

, (1625–98), Creswell Levinz (1627–1701) and Right Reverend Baptist Levinz (died 1693) were all born at Evenley. William became a doctor of medicine and Regius Professor of Greek at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. Creswell became Attorney General. Baptist became

Bishop of Sodor and Man The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man (Manx Gaelic: ''Sodor as Mannin'') in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Cathedral Church of St German where t ...

References

External links

Evenley Parish Council
{{Authority control Civil parishes in Northamptonshire Villages in Northamptonshire West Northamptonshire District