Eydon is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, about north-east of Banbury. The village is between 510 and above sea level on the east side of a hill, which rises to and is the highest point in the parish. The parish is bounded to the west by the River Cherwell, to the south by a stream that is one of its tributaries, and to the east and north by field boundaries. The villages name means 'Aega's hill'. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 422.

Manor

In the 11th and 12th centuries the

manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

of Eydon was assessed at two hides. The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded that one Hugh held ''"Egedone"'' of Hugh de Grandmesnil. In the 12th century Richard Fitz Wale held ''"Aydona"'' of the fee of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

Eydon Hall

Eydon Hall is a

stately home An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

that was built in 1789–91. It is a Grade I listed building.

Parish church

The oldest part of the

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...

is the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

baptismal font A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism. Aspersion and affusion fonts The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring). ...

. A north aisle of two

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

was added to the nave early in the 13th century. The west tower was added early in the 14th century. The north windows and (now blocked) doorway of the north aisle and the south windows of the chancel are 14th century Decorated Gothic. The west window of the north aisle is late medieval, being late

Perpendicular Gothic Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-c ...

. In 1864–5 the church was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

under the direction of the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

architect R.C. Hussey. Hussey added a south aisle, extended the north aisle eastwards to four bays, added a northeast vestry, and moved to the vestry a recumbent effigy of a lady that dates from about 1340. The church's other notable monument is a wall-mounted tablet in grey and white marble to Rev. Francis Annesley, who died in 1811. It was carved by

John Bacon the younger John Bacon (1777–1859), also known as John Bacon the Younger, or Junior, to distinguish him from his equally famous father, was an English sculptor. Biography Bacon was the second son of the sculptor John Bacon and his wife Elizabeth Wade. H ...

and it is now in the south aisle. In the windows of the north aisle are some stained glass heraldic shields made in about 1830. The west tower has a

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 six bells. One of the Newcombe family of

bellfounders Bellfounding is the casting and tuning of large bronze bells in a foundry for use such as in churches, clock towers and public buildings, either to signify the time or an event, or as a musical carillon or chime. Large bells are made by castin ...

of Leicester cast the fifth bell in 1603. Matthew III Bagley of Chacombe cast the second bell in 1770. John Briant of

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

cast the third bell in 1822. John Taylor & Co of Loughborough cast the tenor bell in 1872 and the treble and fourth bells in 1981. St Nicholas' is a Grade II* listed building. The parish is part of the

Benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

Aston le Walls Aston le Walls is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, close by the border with Oxfordshire. The village is about north of Banbury in Oxfordshire, and south of Daventry. Neighbouring villages are Chipping Warden, Lowe ...

, Byfield, Boddington, Eydon and Woodford Halse.

Economic history

The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded that Eydon had "a mill". In medieval usage this usually meant a watermill. The village has an unusual layout of two streets in parallel (High Street and Lime Avenue). Lime Avenue now has gaps and fields between some houses on its west side, but earthworks suggest that in earlier centuries cottages were continuous on both sides. Traces of traditional ridge and furrow ploughing survive in much of the parish, many in the S-shaped pattern characteristic of ox-drawn ploughs. They are evidence of the

open field system The open-field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe during the Middle Ages and lasted into the 20th century in Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Each manor or village had two or three large fields, usually several hundred acre ...

of farming that prevailed in the parish until 1760, when Parliament passed the Inclosure Act for Eydon. Northwest of the village, west of Woodford Road and Manitoba Way, are of shallow hollows and mounds. They are the remains of small pits and spoil heaps created by the quarrying of Northampton Sand, an iron-rich sandstone, probably in the Middle Ages. In 1872 the Northampton and Banbury Junction Railway (from 1910 part of the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway (SMJR)) was opened between and . It passed through the east of Eydon parish about northeast of the village. Its nearest stations were at and , each of which was about away. In the 1899 the

Great Central Main Line The Great Central Main Line (GCML), also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR), is a former railway line in the United Kingdom. The line was opened in 1899 and built by the Great Central Railw ...

to was built through the same part of Eydon parish, passing about northeast of the village. Its nearest station was at Woodford and Hinton (later renamed ), about north of Eydon.

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

ways closed the SMJR line in 1951, Woodford Halse station in 1963 and the GC main line in 1966.

Amenities

Eydon has a 17th-century public house, the Royal Oak.The Royal Oak at Eydon
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References

Bibliography

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External links

Eydon Historical Research Group
{{Authority control Civil parishes in Northamptonshire Villages in Northamptonshire West Northamptonshire District