Fifield,_Oxfordshire
Fifield, Oxfordshire
Human settlement in England
Fifield is a village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Burford in Oxfordshire. The western boundary of the parish forms part of the county boundary with Gloucestershire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 240.[1]
| Fifield | |
|---|---|
St John the Baptist parish church | |
Location within Oxfordshire | |
| Population | 240 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SP2318 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Chipping Norton |
| Postcode district | OX7 |
| Dialling code | 01993 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
In the parish nearly 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) west of the village is a Neolithic long barrow dating from between 3400 and 2400 BC. It is 157 feet (48 m) long, up to 92 feet (28 m) wide and up to 6 feet (1.8 m) high. It had a stone-lined passage about 66 feet (20 m) long, starting at its northeast end and ending in a small burial chamber. The barrow was partly excavated in 1934. It is a scheduled monument.[2][3]
The toponym is probably derived from its Old English name of Fifhides.[4] The Domesday book of 1086 records Fifield:
"Henry de Ferrers holds Fifield[5] There are five hides. Land for seven ploughs. Now in demesne 2 ploughs and 4 slaves and 9 villans with 4 bordars have 5 ploughs. There are 24 acres of meadow. Pasture one league in length and one breadth. It was and is worth 100 shillings."[6]
The Church of England parish church of St John the Baptist is early 13th-century with a 14th-century tower and porch. The nave was partly rebuilt in 1840. It was restored in 1897 to designs by TE Colcutt, who added the north vestry. The church is a Grade II* listed building.[7] The tower has a ring of three bells. The second bell was cast in about 1399 by a bell-foundry that then existed in Wokingham, Berkshire. Abraham II Rudhall of Gloucester cast the tenor bell in 1725. James Bagley of Chacombe, Northamptonshire cast the treble bell in 1746. For technical reasons the bells are currently unringable. St John's also has a Sanctus bell that was cast by an unknown founder around 1499.[8] St John's parish is part of the Benefice of Shipton-under-Wychwood with Milton-under-Wychwood, Fifield and Idbury.[9]
In 1938 RAF Little Rissington was opened west of Fifield. Its periphery straddles the county boundary and includes Fifield long barrow.
- Harden 1954, pp. 142, 143.
- Historic England. "Fifield long barrow (1015159)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- Williams & Martin 2003, p. 1345.
- Williams & Martin 2003, p. 433.
- Historic England. "Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II*) (1283580)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- Davies, Peter (23 December 2011). "Fifield S John Bapt". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Central Council of Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- Archbishops' Council (2015). "Benefice of Shipton-under-Wychwood with Milton-under Wychwood, Fifield and Idbury". A Church Near You. Church of England. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- Harden, D.B. (1954). "Scheduled Monuments in Oxfordshire" (PDF). Oxoniensia. XIX. Oxford Architectural and Historical Society: 137–145.
- Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). Oxfordshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 603. ISBN 0-14-071045-0.
- Williams, Ann; Martin, G.H., eds. (2003). Domesday Book: A Complete Translation. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-143994-7.
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