Mollington, Oxfordshire

Mollington
Mollington
 Mollington shown within Oxfordshire
Population 469 (2001 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSP4447
Civil parishMollington
DistrictCherwell
Shire countyOxfordshire
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town Banbury
Postcode district OX16
Dialling code 01295
Police Thames Valley
Fire Oxfordshire
Ambulance South Central
EU Parliament South East England
UK ParliamentBanbury
WebsiteMollingtonVillage.co.uk
List of places
UK
England
Oxfordshire

Coordinates: 52°07′26″N 1°21′40″W / 52.124°N 1.361°W

Mollington is a village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. It has an area of about 2 square miles (5.2 km2).

Manor and governance

Æthelstan Ætheling, eldest son of Æthelred the Unready willed an estate at Mollington to his father in 1014 or 1015.[2] The Domesday Book records that by 1086 the manor was held by William d'Évreux, a kinsman of William the Conqueror.[2]

In 1086 Mollington was partly in three counties: Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire. Later the village was only in Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, and in 1895 the Warwickshire part was transferred to Oxfordshire by the Local Government Act 1894.[2]

Parish church

The earliest parts of the Church of England parish church of All Saints date from the 14th century, but the font is 13th century so there may have been an earlier church building on the site.[2][3][4] The tower was built in the 16th century.[5] The Gothic Revival architect William White restored the building in 1856.[6] All Saints' is a Grade II* listed building.[7]

The tower has a ring of six bells. Henry I Bagley of Chacombe,[8] Northamptonshire cast the fifth bell in 1631[9] and John Briant of Hertford[8] cast the fourth bell in 1789.[9] Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the third and tenor bells in 1875.[9] The Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the treble and second bells in 1981,[9] completing the present ring. All Saints has also a Sanctus bell, cast by John Conyers of Yorkshire in about 1630.[9] Conyers had two bell-foundries: one in Kingston upon Hull and the other in New Malton.[8]

All Saints' parish is now part of the Benefice of Shire's Edge along with the parishes of Claydon, Cropredy, Great Bourton and Wardington.[10]

Social and economic history

In 1872 a National School was built in the village. It was a Church of England school and was still open in 1996,[11] but has since been closed.

Mollington used to have a post office.[2]

A Point to point racing racing ground opened at Mollington in 1972. A number of hunt groups were based at the ground until its closure in 2007.[12] It has since reopened with its first event on 7 May 2012

Amenities

The Green Man public house

Mollington has a public house, The Green Man, that was probably built in the middle of the 18th century.[13] It has also a village hall and two children's playgrounds.

References

  1. ↑ "Parish Headcounts". Neighbourhood Statistics: Mollington CP. Office for National Statistics. 2001. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Crossley 1972, p. 197–206.
  3. ↑ Archbishops' Council. "Mollington: All Saints, Mollington". A Church Near You. Church of England. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  4. ↑ Oxfordshire Churches website: Mollington
  5. ↑ Sherwood & Pevsner 1974, p. 711.
  6. ↑ Sherwood & Pevsner 1974, p. 710.
  7. ↑ Historic England. "Church of All Saints (1228026)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Dovemaster (25 June 2010). "Founders". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Davies, Peter (9 January 2009). "Mollington All Saints". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  10. ↑ Archbishops' Council (2010). "Benefice of Shire's Edge". A Church Near You. Church of England. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
  11. ↑ "Mollington CofE School". Department for Children, Schools and Families. 30 June 1997. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  12. ↑ Smith, Russell (19 July 2007). "POINT TO POINT: Mollington set to close". Oxford Mail (Newsquest). Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  13. ↑ Historic England. "The Green Man Public House (1216574)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 January 2012.

Sources

External links

Media related to Mollington, Oxfordshire at Wikimedia Commons