Ducklington

Ducklington is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Witney in West Oxfordshire.

History

Ducklington is one of the first Saxon parishes to be recorded in Oxfordshire. In a charter of AD 958 King Edgar the Peaceable granted at Ducklington to his Minister, Eanulf. The toponym "Ducklington" may originate from "Ducel's Farm" or "the farm of the sons of Docca", but it is locally thought to have originated from the central duck pond, where many ducks and ducklings have lived for centuries. After the Norman Conquest Ducklington became a possession of Robert D'Oyly, a Norman nobleman who took part in William I's conquest of England. The Dyve family then held the Lordship of Ducklington throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, living there until early in the reign of Edward III.

The Church of England parish church of Saint Bartholomew^[2] is 12th century.^[3] The Gothic Revival architect E.G. Bruton restored the building in 1871.^[3] The bell tower has a ring of six bells^[4] including one cast by Henry Bagley of Chacombe in 1732.^[5]

The village also has a Baptist Chapel.^[6]

The former village schoolhouse was built in 1858.^[3] The modern Ducklington Church of England Primary School is across the village green from the original site.^[7][8]

Today, Ducklington is famous for the rare Fritillary flower (of mainly the Snake's Head variety), many of which grow in a specially designated meadow just outside the village. Before the Second World War, many fritillaries had grown on fields all over the Windrush Valley. However, the national drive for food production during the war meant that most meadows were intensively ploughed, the rivers dredged, and consequently the fritillaries were lost. Only the current fritillary field was left coincidentally unploughed. The flowers have survived with help from both locals and farmers. Once a year, the local community celebrates Fritillary Sunday when the field, church and hall are opened so that the public may walk amongst and enjoy the flowers. The celebration has been featured in Country Life magazine.

Amenities

Ducklington has a Morris dancing group^[9] and Mummers performances. It also has its own Morris Dance tradition; its own style of dance that was collected around the turn of the 19th Century. The Ducklington tradition is danced by many sides throughout Britain and the United States.

Recently Ducklington has hosted several flower and garden shows. Ducklington has two public houses: The Bell and The Strickland Arms as well as a sports and social club.

The former tithe barn is now the village hall, which has been renovated in the last few years^[10]. It is used by village groups including the Parish Council and is the parish polling station in local and national elections. Ducklington has a Women's Institute.^[11]

Sport

The village football team won the Oxfordshire Junior Shield in 2008.^[12] It beat Freeland 1-0 in the final to win the trophy for the first time in its history. Ducklington Sports Club has numerous youth and adult cricket and football teams. The football section has four men's teams, a veterans' team and 9 boys' teams. The cricket section has two adult teams and three youth teams^[13]. The sports club is currently trying to build a new pavilion as it has outgrown its current building.

References

Sources

• Crossley, Alan & Currie, C.R.J. (eds.); A.P. Baggs, Eleanor Chance, Christina Colvin, C.J. Day, Nesta Selwyn, S.C. Townley (1996). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Oxford, Volume 13. pp. 110–150. 
• Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 588–590. ISBN 0 14 071045 0. 

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ducklington Ducklington] at Wikimedia Commons