Longworth 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 ...

in the

Vale of White Horse The Vale of White Horse is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district of Oxfordshire in England. It Historic counties of England, was historically part of Berkshire. The area is commonly referred to as the 'Vale of ''the'' White Hors ...

, England. Historically within the north-west projection of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

, boundary changes transferred it to

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

in 1974. The village is between Faringdon, to the west, and

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, to the northeast. The 2021 Census recorded the parish's population as 543. The parish is bounded by the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

to the north, the A420 road to the south, and field boundaries to the east and west. The land slopes from the A420 road to the river, except at Harrowdown Hill near the northeast corner of the parish, which has a summit of .

Parish church

The oldest parts of the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

St Mary's Church, Longworth St Mary's Church is a Church of England Church of England parish church, parish church in Longworth, Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire). The church is a Grade I listed building. History The oldest parts of the church date to the 13th-century. The c ...

are 13th-century. The current

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

, west tower and north

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

are 15th-century. The chancel has a

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

by the

Arts and Crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

painters and sisters, Kate and Myra Bunce. It is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The parish is in 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 Cherbury with Gainfield. J. R. Illingworth, a theologian and philosopher, was Rector of St Mary's from 1883 to 1915. Longworth had a

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

chapel, built in 1848, and a Primitive Methodist chapel, built in 1861. Both chapels have now been converted into private homes.

Manor house

Longworth's original manor house is early 17th-century. It was built for a judge, Sir Henry Marten, about a mile south of the village on the edge of the Vale of White Horse. It was later the home of his son, Henry Marten, the regicide and republican. In the 20th century, it was home to Sir Clarendon Hyde, a Liberal MP and businessman. Longworth Manor Gazebo

The current manor house, Longworth House, was originally called Manor Farm. It is just west of the parish church. It was built in the late 17th century, and remodelled and extended in the early 20th century. It is a Grade II listed building. It was home to Colonel Granville Walton, a leading

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

Economic and social history

John Fell (1625–86), an English churchman and influential academic, was born in Longworth; he was Dean of Christ Church, Oxford and later concomitantly

Bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft (bishop), Steven Croft, following the Confirm ...

. A farmstead about a quarter of a mile (1.2 km) south of the village has a 17th-century

tithe barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. Tithe barns were usually associated with the ...

, with a queen post roof seven bays long. It is a Grade II* listed building. and a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. The novelist R. D. Blackmore, author of '' Lorna Doone'', was born at the Old Rectory in 1825. His father was briefly curate-in-charge of the parish. Harrowdown Hill is where

biological warfare Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or Pathogen, infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and Fungus, fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an ...

expert David Kelly died in 2003 during the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction controversy. This gave rise to a public enquiry that concluded with the Hutton Report. A song by

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician who is the vocalist and main songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his falsetto. ''Rolling Stone'' desc ...

called ''Harrowdown Hill'' questioned the Government's handling of the matter.

Amenities

Longworth has a non-denominational county primary school. Optare Solo YJ10 MFN Longworth

Oxfordshire County Council subsidised bus route 63 between

and Southmoor serves Longworth on weekdays. From Monday to Friday there are five departures a day from Longworth to Oxford, and four buses a day from Oxford to Longworth. There is no service on Saturday, Sunday, or Bank Holidays. The current contractor operating the route is Thames Travel.

Public houses

There is a pub in the village, the Blue Boar, which was built in 1606 and has a thatched roof. The Lamb and Flag, about 1¼ miles (2 km) southwest of the village, was in the parish until boundary changes in 2011 transferred it to Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor. It is now a private house. These changes brought the Maybush Inn at Newbridge into the parish. The white boar and the white rose on the Blue Boar pub sign are symbols of King

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

. The blue boar was the personal badge of the De Vere family as Earls of Oxford. It is claimed that when Richard was killed at the

Battle of Bosworth The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field ( ) was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 ...

in 1485, any White Boar pub signs were quickly repainted as Blue Boar, to signify that the white boar was dead and blue had prevailed.

Blue Boar RFC

Blue Boar Rugby Football Club,Blue Boar RFC
based at the Blue Boar pub, normally plays home games at the Oxford R.F.C. ground. It played its first rugby game in March 1977, after a challenge by staff of Blackwells Bookshop in

. In the following season, several more matches were arranged against local sides and the club affiliated to the Oxfordshire Rugby Football Union. The number and quality of its fixtures increased and in May 1981 the club was elected to the

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...

. In September 1980 it made a first tour of

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, followed by further visits in 1987, 1988 and 1989. Its first foreign tour in 1981 took 35 players and supporters to Brittany. The team returned there a year later. In 1991 the club was the first English RFU club to make an official tour of Hungary, hosted by the Hungarian Rugby Union. The club reached the final of the Oxfordshire Knockout Cup Plate competition in the 2003–04 and 2008–09 seasons.

References

Sources and further reading

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External links

Longworth Village on the WebLongworth Parish Council
{{Authority control Civil parishes in Oxfordshire Villages in Oxfordshire