Garsington’s North Manor
We are all familiar with the Garsington Manor in Southend. It has been much written about, with its history during the 20th century and its association with the opera. But there was another manor, the north manor, while the present manor was previously called the south manor. In Mediaeval times the two were referred to by the names of their owners, Havells manor and Louches. But where was the north manor and did it have a manor house? If so, what happened to it.
Eve Dawson, member of the Garsington Local History group, now sadly disbanded, wrote a number of articles and books on the history of the village. One article was published in the Oxford Local History Association Journal in 1989. In this she explains why the north manor can be identified with the present Manor Farm house at the village centre end of Southend.
In the early part of the 19th century the enclosure movement struck Garsington. It seems that for each parish which wanted to enclose open fields a separate act of parliament was required. Commissioners were then appointed (presumably to be impartial) who oversaw the drawing up of a map which allotted the various fields to the most appropriate owners. The map for Garsington was drawn up in 1823 and not only records the allotment of fields to owners, but also the cottages and gardens to ordinary villagers. It is thus an important indicator of the state of the village at that time.
This map and its associated award document which shows how the fields and houses are allocated to owners is in the Oxfordshire Record Office in Cowley. The map is enormous and covered in numbers which represent the various fields and properties. The sample below is a very small part of this map
The number 83 on this map refers to the area containing the present Manor Farm house. 275 is roughly the area of the green, although the schoolhouse, now divided into three houses, was yet to be built. The yellow building in the plot marked 80 is the church. The yellow road going to the left is the beginning of Southend, and the yellow road going up to the top is Salter’s Lane, now called Pettiwell.
The award document makes it clear that John Drake, and his wife Anne Drake Tyrwhit Drake, are lord and lady of the Manor extending to the south of the parish of Garsington, and that Thomas Plumer Halsey is the lord of the manor extending to the north of the parish of Garsington. It then makes clear that the property referred to on the map as 83 is a farm house belonging to Thomas Plumer Halsey. It also refers to property 76 as a manor house belonging to the Drakes. So although T P Halsey is the lord of the north manor, he doesn’t seem to occupy a manor house, only a farm house.
The other place where the north manor was traditionally supposed to be was where the present North Manor Estate road lies. This triangle of land between Wheatley Road, Denton Lane and North Manor Estate belonged to Brasenose College. There was a large farm house here. This is also referred to on the enclosure map, but as a farm house and belonging to the college, not either of the lords of manors.
So, if there was a north manor, it was probably on the site of the present Manor Farm house, perhaps an earlier house which was rebuilt as a farm house.
References
The North End Manor House of Garsington - Eve Dawson Oxfordshire Local History Association 1989 vol 3 no 3 1989 – a copy is in the centre for Oxfordshire Studies Westgate Centre.
Garsington Enclosure map 1823 – Oxfordshire Record Office P286/M/3
Garsington Enclosure Award document QSD/A vol. f Oxfordshire Record Office
The Oxfordshire Record Office is in St Luke’s Church, Temple Road Cowley, just opposite the library and swimming pool.