Minster Lovell

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Minster Lovell is an English village in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, by the river Windrush.

The nearest station is Charlbury railway station on the Cotswold Line.

Minster Lovell is made up of three parts: Old Minster, which includes St Kenelm's Church, Minster Lovell Hall and the Old Swan Inn, Little Minster, and New Minster. A large part of New Minster is the Charterville Allotments, which were set up by the Chartist movement between 1847 - 52. It is the third and largest of the Chartist estates. 300 acres divided were into 80 smallholdings with model cottages. 40 oxen and 18 pigs were provided to the 'winners' of the plots, along with manure, firewood and seed. The area is still known as Charterville Allotments, and the original plots still survive as freehold bungalows set in large gardens.

[edit] Local Attractions

Minster Lovell Hall and Dovecote – The extensive ruins of a 15th century Manor house, once belonging to Lord Lovell. A medieval dovecote is located nearby. It is easily accessible from Oxford via taxi or bus. There is a public walkway over private land via "kissing gates" across a pasture. The Manor house itself has a gruesome history.

In 1708, the skeletal remains of Lord Lovell were discovered in a secret chamber in the manor house. Lord Lovell had fought in the Battle of Stoke in 1487, and had been seen escaping from the battle, but was never afterwards heard of. It is suppossed that he had hidden himself there and died of starvation. (History of Henry VII, p. 37, ed. Joseph Rawson Lumby)

Another story about the manor house regards a wedding mystery. As was custom in the 16th century, a very young bride was wedded to a very young husband in the Minster proper. After the ceremony the younger folks played a game of "Hide and Seek". The bride was to hide and the wedding party to find her. She went missing and was never discovered. Foul play was suggested and the two families left the area quite annoyed with one another. Some time passed and the owners of the manor house decided to relocate to another household.

During the move they were moving the kitchen implements also. In those days there was no refrigeration so lead lined, tight sealed boxes were used to keep vegetables fresh. Upon moving one of the rarely used boxes, the moving crew felt extra weight. Opening the box they discovered the almost perfectly preserved remains of the bride. It was apparent that when she was getting into the box to hide the heavy lead lined lid fell and struck her in the head, rendering her unconscious. She then suffocated and this is why she was never found.

This story is the basis of the Victorian ballad The Mistletoe Bough by Thomas Haynes Bayley (1884)

Coordinates: 51°48′N, 1°32′W