Village in England
Catmore is a civil parish and village in West Berkshire about 5+ 1 ⁄2 miles (9 km) southeast of Wantage . Catmore is in the Berkshire Downs and the centre of the village is about 575 feet (175 m) above sea level.
Population
The 2001 Census recorded a population of only 28, making Catmore the least populous parish in Berkshire .[ 1] In the 2011 Census the Office for National Statistics did not publish Catmore's population separately, but combined it with the neighbouring civil parish of Farnborough .[ 2] But Catmore remains a separate civil parish, governed by its own parish meeting .[ 3]
Toponym
The toponym "Catmore" is derived from the Old English for "wild-cat lake".[citation needed ] The earliest known records of it are from 916 and 931 in the Cartularium Saxonicum , where it appears as Catmere , Catmeringa and Catmæringa . In the same body of charters it is recorded again in 951 as Catmeres gemære and Catbeorh . The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Catmere .[ 4] It evolved via Catmor in the 12th century, Cattermere in the 14th century, Catmard in the 15th century and Cattmere in the 17th century before reaching its present form.[ 5]
Manor
In the time of Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042–66) a Saxon called Ezui held the manor.[ 5] The manor was devastated in the Norman Conquest of England .[ 5] The Domesday Book of 1086 records that what was left of the manor was held by the Norman baron Henry de Ferrers .[ 5] Under the de Ferrers, Catmore became part of the Honour of Tutbury . Two centuries later Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby took part in a rebellion against Edward III .[ 5] He was defeated at Chesterfield in 1266, imprisoned, and all his properties were confiscated by the Crown .
In 1267 Edward III created Edmund Crouchback 1st Earl of Lancaster and granted him many of the de Ferrers estates, including those of the Honour of Tutbury .[ 5] In 1399 Henry Bolingbroke, 2nd Duke of Lancaster became Henry IV and the House of Lancaster 's estates were merged with those of the Crown .[ 5] Catmore Farm House was the manor house .[ 5] It was built in the 14th century, extended in the 15th century and again in the 16th century.[citation needed ] It is built partly of brick and partly with a timber frame . It is a Grade II* listed building .[ 6]
Parish church
St Margaret's parish church seen from the southeast
The Church of England parish church of Saint Margaret is a Norman building[ 7] from the latter half of the 12th century.[ 5] Surviving original Norman work includes the north and south doorways and the font .[ 7] The north doorway is now blocked and the font has been halved in height.[ 5] The Knights Hospitaller held the advowson of St Margaret's by the time of Richard I (reigned 1189–99).[ 5] They retained it until Henry VIII had the Order in England suppressed as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries .[ 5] The nave was re-roofed in 1607.[ 5] [ 7] It has collar beams and wind braces and the date is carved on some of its timbers.[ 5] [ 7]
By 1850 the building had been heavily restored and numerous Norman Revival features more ornate than the original work had been added.[ 7] These include the east window of two round-headed lancets .[ 5] There is no known record of the date of the work or the name of the architect. Saint Margaret 's has one bell , cast by Henry Bagley.[ 5] The Bagley family ran a bell foundry at Chacombe in Northamptonshire from 1605 until 1785, and for shorter periods also cast bells at Ecton in Northamptonshire and Witney in Oxfordshire . The church is a Grade I listed building .[ 8] The Diocese of Oxford declared it redundant on 1 December 1973 and is vested in the Churches Conservation Trust on 13 April 1999.[ 9] It is open daily to visitors.[ 10]
References
^ "West Berkshire (Unitary Authority)" . Neighbourhood Statistics . Office for National Statistics . Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2010 .
^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Farnborough Parish (1170211933)" . Nomis . Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 30 July 2018 .
^ "Catmore Parish Meeting" . West Berkshire Council . Retrieved 30 July 2018 .
^ Ekwall 1960 , Catmore
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Ditchfield & Page 1924 , pp. 9–11
^ Historic England . "Catmore Farm House (Grade II*) (1210996)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 28 January 2014 .
^ a b c d e Pevsner 1966 , p. 110
^ Historic England . "Church of St Margaret (Grade I) (1210997)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 28 January 2014 .
^ Diocese of Oxford: All Schemes (PDF) , Church Commissioners Statistics, Church of England , 2011, p. 2, archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2012, retrieved 30 March 2011
^ "St Margaret's Church, Catmore, Berkshire" . Churches Conservation Trust . Retrieved 30 March 2011 .
Sources
External links
Media related to Catmore at Wikimedia Commons
Towns Civil parishes Other villages and hamlets