Holwell 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

about south of

Burford Burford () is a town on the River Windrush, in the Cotswold hills, in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England. It is often referred to as the 'gateway' to the Cotswolds. Burford is located west of Oxford and southeast of Chelt ...

West Oxfordshire West Oxfordshire is a local government district in northwest Oxfordshire, England, including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, Carterton and Witney, where the council is based. Area The area is mainly rural downla ...

. The 2001 Census recorded the parish's population as 17.

History

During the time that

Robert de Chesney Robert de Chesney (died December 1166) was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln. He was the brother of an important royal official, William de Chesney, and the uncle of Gilbert Foliot, successively Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London. Educate ...

was

Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of Nort ...

(1148–66), land at Holwell was given to the

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

Abbey at

Bruern Bruern or Bruern Abbey is a hamlet and civil parish on the River Evenlode about north of Burford in West Oxfordshire. The 2001 census recorded the parish population as 62. Cistercian Abbey In 1147 Nicholas Basset founded a Cistercian Abbey h ...

. 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 ...

Saint Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

was built in the 13th century. It was rebuilt in 1842 and again in 1895. The latter rebuilding was designed by the architect Walter Mills of

Banbury Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...

, using a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

interpretation of

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-ce ...

. St Mary's parish is now 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 ...

of Shill Valley and Broadshire, which includes also the parishes of

Alvescot Alvescot is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish about south of Carterton, Oxfordshire, England. The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 472. Archaeology A Prehistoric Britain#Neolithic, ...

Black Bourton Black Bourton is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish about south of Carterton, Oxfordshire. The village is on Black Bourton Brook, a tributary of the River Thames. The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census recorded the pari ...

, Broadwell,

Broughton Poggs Broughton Poggs is a village in the Civil parishes in England, civil parish of Filkins and Broughton Poggs, in the West Oxfordshire district, in the county of Oxfordshire, England. Broughton Poggs is southwest of Carterton, Oxfordshire, Carter ...

Filkins Filkins is a village in the civil parish of Filkins and Broughton Poggs, in the West Oxfordshire district, in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is about southwest of Carterton, Oxfordshire, Carterton. Churches Church of England The Goth ...

Kelmscott Kelmscott is a village and civil parish on the River Thames in West Oxfordshire, about east of Lechlade in neighbouring Gloucestershire. Since 2001 it has absorbed Little Faringdon, which had been a separate civil parish. The 2011 Census ...

Kencot Kencot is a village and civil parish about south-west of Carterton in West Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 101. Archaeology A Neolithic stone hand axe was found at Kencot. Petrological analysis in 1940 ident ...

, Langford,

Little Faringdon Little Faringdon is a village and civil parish in West Oxfordshire, about north of Lechlade in neighbouring Gloucestershire. The 2001 Census recorded its population as 63. Manor In the late Anglo-Saxon era Little Faringdon was part of a lar ...

Shilton Shilton may refer to: Places *Shilton, Oxfordshire, England *Shilton, Warwickshire, England **Shilton railway station, a former station Other

*Shilton (surname) *Earl Shilton, a town in Leicestershire, England *Chilton (disambiguation) *Shelt ...

and Westwell.

Attractions

The

Cotswold Wildlife Park The Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens exhibits over 260 different species of animals. The park is set in of landscaped parkland and gardens 2 miles south of Burford, on the A361, Oxfordshire, England. Around 350,000 people visited the park in ...

is within the ecclesiastical parish of Holwell, and the bordering civil parish of Broadwell.

References

Sources and further reading

* * *

External links

Civil parishes in Oxfordshire Villages in Oxfordshire West Oxfordshire District {{Oxfordshire-geo-stub