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26-459: It is encircled by the "Seven Towns" of Otmoor : Beckley , Noke , Oddington , Charlton-on-Otmoor , Fencott , Murcott and Horton-cum-Studley . Part of it is a nature reserve, RSPB Otmoor , which adjoins a Ministry of Defence firing range, which is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest . Bisected north–south by the Roman Road between Alchester and Dorchester-on-Thames , its name

52-486: A Virgin and Child , an Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary , the weighing of souls , the torments of the damned and 15th-century paintings of Saint Peter , Saint Paul and a Doom . By 1552 the tower had four large bells and the church also had a Sanctus bell . The Sanctus bell has been lost but the tower bells have been renewed and increased to the present ring of five. Richard Keene of Woodstock cast

78-455: A bombing range . Part of the moor remains in military use as a rifle range , and is also a large part of Otmoor Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The semi-wetland landscape provides habitat for many rare species of birds and butterflies. These were threatened in 1980 by a government proposal for the route of the M40 motorway to cross Otmoor. Opposition to the motorway was led by Friends of

104-512: A deer-leap built. When the manor reverted to the Crown , Beckley Park became a Royal deer park. When Edward I was fighting the First War of Scottish Independence (1296 onwards) he ordered the park's keeper to repair its wall, pale and ditch. The park had the rounded outline characteristic of many medieval deer parks, and was about 1.25 miles (2 km) across in each direction. It lay just east of

130-1259: A number of times between England and France. They forfeited and regained their English estates a number of times as a result. In 1227 Henry III granted the St. Valery estates to his brother Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall . Beckley remained important as the caput of the Honour of St. Valery, which was sometimes called either the "honour of St. Valery of Beckley" or simply the "honour of Beckley". When Richard's heir Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall died childless in 1300 his cousin Edward I inherited his estates. In 1308 Edward II granted Beckley to Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester , who then leased it to Sir John de Hadlow. When Sir John died in 1346 Beckley passed to The Black Prince , who in 1356 granted it to Sir John Chandos . In 1367 Beckley reverted to Edward III , and when his successor Richard II married Anne of Bohemia in 1382 he gave Beckley to Anne as part of her dowry . In 1394 Queen Anne died and Richard II gave Beckley to Sir John Golafre. When Sir John died in 1396 Richard granted Beckley to Sir Philip de la Vache, who went on to serve as Chamberlain to

156-549: A second manor, which was bought by the Izard family in 1568. Memorials in Beckley church to the family include one dedicated to John Izard, 'Spanish merchant,' who died in 1694. Dorothy Izard of this family married the Rev. Nicholas Levet , priest of Westbourne, West Sussex and fellow of Balliol College, Oxford , who is buried in the chancel of the parish church. The Izard family seem to have sold

182-467: Is a village in the civil parish of Beckley and Stowood , in the South Oxfordshire district, in the county of Oxfordshire , England. It is about 4.5 miles (7 km) northeast of the centre of Oxford . The 2011 Census recorded the parish of Beckley and Stowood's population as 608. The village is 400 feet (120 m) above sea level on the northern brow of a hill overlooking Otmoor . The hill

208-637: Is derived from the Old English for "Otta's Fen". Watered by the River Ray , it was until the early 19th century unenclosed marshland, and regularly flooded in winter. An Enclosure Act was passed in 1815, under which the area was extensively drained. This disadvantaged the local farmers and led to civil disturbances known as the Otmoor Riots of 1829–30. In 1920 the Royal Air Force acquired Otmoor for use as

234-510: Is owned by Beckley & Area Community Benefit Society. Roger d%27Ivry Roger d'Ivry or d'Ivri or Rog'ive or Roger Perceval (died 1079) was an 11th-century nobleman from Ivry-la-Bataille in Normandy . He was the younger son of Robert de Breval and his wife, Albreda, daughter of Rodolph, Lord of Ivry. He took part in William of Normandy's conquest of England in 1066 and founded

260-407: Is the highest part of the parish, rising to 463 feet (141 m) south of the village near Stow Wood. On the eastern brow of the hill is Oxford transmitting station , a television relay mast that is a local landmark. In 1931 the parish of Beckley had a population of 288. On 1 April 1932 the parish was abolished to form "Beckley and Stowood", part also went to " Fencott and Murcott ". The course of

286-970: The Abbey of Notre-Dame-d'Ivry in 1071. D'Ivry was a sworn brother-in-arms of Robert D'Oyly and the Domesday Book records that in 1086 D'Oyly and d'Ivry held a number of manors in various counties either partitioned between the two of them or administered in common. He was appointed hereditary Chief Butler to King William, just as he had been in Normandy. Roger d'Ivry held estates in Bedfordshire , Buckinghamshire , Gloucestershire , Huntingdonshire , Oxfordshire and Warwickshire . His estates in Oxfordshire included Beckley , Forest Hill , Hampton Gay , Holton , Horspath , Mixbury , North Leigh , Rousham , Shirburn , Thrupp , Wolvercote , Woodeaton and Worton . One of

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312-510: The Bertie family until 1919, when Viscount Bertie , younger brother of Montagu Bertie, 7th Earl of Abingdon , broke up the estate and sold it in small lots. Bernard of St. Valery had a deer park at Beckley, the earliest known record of which dates from 1175 or 76. His son Thomas had it enclosed with a stone wall, built between 1192 and 97. In 1229 the Earl of Cornwall had the park stocked with deer and

338-546: The Earth and included the " Alice's Meadow " campaign. The government eventually adopted an alternative route. Since 1997 a large part of Otmoor has been made an RSPB nature reserve , with large areas of land being returned to marshland. Immediately east of the RSPB reserve is Otmoor SSSI. 51°49′19″N 1°10′47″W  /  51.82194°N 1.17972°W  / 51.82194; -1.17972 Beckley, Oxfordshire Beckley

364-458: The English throne in 1087 and died there soon afterwards. Many of the family estates were confiscated by the crown and the position of Chief Butler passed to the d'Aubigny family. Geoffrey and a sister Adeline later had some lands restored to them. This biography of a French peer or noble is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This biography of a peer , peeress or noble of

390-1204: The Queen under Henry IV . Sir Philip had died by 1408, and when Henry V married Catherine de Valois in 1420 he gave her Beckley as part of her dowry. For the remainder of the 15th century the freehold of Beckley remained with the Crown , with a succession of noblemen appointed keepers or "Parkers" to manage Beckley Park on the King's behalf. Under the will of Henry VIII , Beckley manor passed to Princess Elizabeth in March 1550. In April 1550 Sir Walter Mildmay conveyed it to Sir John Williams , later Baron Williams de Thame. In 1559 Baron Williams died leaving Beckley and Horton to his daughter Margaret and son-in-law Sir Henry Norreys . The manors remained in their family until 1645, when Elizabeth Norris, Baroness Norreys died leaving her estates to her daughter Bridget Wray, Baroness Norreys, who then married Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey . When Bridget died in 1657 Beckley passed to their son James Bertie, 5th Baron Norreys , whom Charles II made 1st Earl of Abingdon in 1682. Beckley and Horton remained with

416-454: The benefits of certain types of drugs, including cannabis and LSD . The property is not open to the public. By 1628 the deer park had been broken up and enclosed as farmland. The farmstead of Beckley Park Farm (or Lower Park Farm) was the Tudor house Sir John Williams had built. The farmstead of Upper Park Farm is on the upper part of the hill, beside the springs whose stream fed the moats of

442-470: The conquest the Norman baron Robert D'Oyly married Wigod's daughter Ealdgyth and thereby acquired Wigod's estates. D'Oyly then gave a number of the manors to his brother-in-arms Roger d'Ivry . These included Beckley, which d'Ivry then made the caput of his estates. Beckley remained with Roger's heirs until early in the 12th century, but the d'Ivry family seems to have died out by about 1120. By 1155 or 1156

468-466: The d'Ivry estates had passed to John de St. John of Stanton St. John and Reynold de St. Valery . Reynold died leaving the estates to his son Bernard, who in turn died leaving them Reynold's younger son Thomas. Thomas supported Philip II of France in his wars against England, so by 1196 or 1197 Richard I seized the de St. Valery estates including Beckley. During the 13th century Thomas de St. Valery and his heir by marriage, Robert de Dreux, changed sides

494-567: The former Roman road that linked Dorchester on Thames with Alchester passes through the village. Part of it is now a bridleway . In the 19th century the remains of a Roman villa were found beside the road to Upper Park Farm east of the village. Artefacts from the villa are held in the Ashmolean Museum . Until the Norman conquest of England the manor of Beckley was one of many that belonged to Saxon Wigod , thegn of Wallingford . After

520-480: The former lodge and then flowed across Otmoor to join the River Ray . That of Middle Park Farm is between the two, beside former fish ponds that the stream fed before reaching the lodge. The Church of England parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was originally Norman , but was rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries. The interior has a number of 14th- and 15th-century wall paintings including

546-414: The manor of Beckley he had the present Tudor house built, just outside the moats and adjoining the outermost one. Jacobean panelling was added to the parlour in the 17th century but otherwise the house remains very largely as it was built. It is a Grade I listed building . Beckley Park is the home of Amanda Feilding and the main headquarters of her Beckley Foundation , which is doing research on

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572-628: The park: for example in 1264–65 during the Second Barons' War and again in 1276 and 1281. Oxford University students were constant poachers: so much so that in 1413 the Crown threatened to deprive the University of its royal privileges. The Earl of Cornwall had a hunting lodge built near the centre of the park, at the foot of the hill overlooking Otmoor to the north. It was fortified with three concentric, rectangular moats. The lodge no longer stands but its moats survive. After Sir John Williams bought

598-433: The present village, where the south-western part of Thomas of St. Valery's park pale still survives. The eastern line of the pale now forms the parish boundary with Horton-cum-Studley and the southern line of the pale forms part of the parish boundary with Stanton St John . Otmoor Lane, leading from the village to the moor, follows what may have been the northwestern line of the pale. On a number of occasions poachers raided

624-443: The properties held by d'Ivry later became Beckley Park , described as a Tudor hunting lodge in the 1300s, which still stands. D'Ivry was married to Adeline or Adelina, eldest daughter of Hugh de Grandmesnil . and had three sons, Roger, Hugh and Geoffrey. He predeceased his wife who died in the latter part of 1110. He was succeeded on his death by his eldest son Roger , who was forced to flee to Normandy after William Rufus seized

650-528: The rectory to the Duke of Bedford . The Izard family also held the nearby manor of Charlton-on-Otmoor . In the early Middle Ages Beckley was reputedly the home of Saint Domnanuerdh, a Saxon saint known only from the Hagiography list of John Leland . Beckley Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary school and a village hall. There is a community-owned pub, The Abingdon Arms, which

676-538: The treble bell in 1650 and the third bell in 1654. Richard III Chandler of Drayton Parslow , Buckinghamshire cast the fourth bell in 1705 and Henry III Bagley of Chacombe , Northamptonshire cast the second bell in 1707, possibly at his foundry at Witney . Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the present tenor bell in 1881. For technical reasons the bells are currently unringable. The rectory and advowson of Beckley evolved into

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