OXLADE FAMILY HISTORY
"Dwellers in the Valley of the Oaks"
View of Bledlow Village, House, Chapel and Inn in 1910 – B.C.C.
Bledlow parish lies on the western boundary of Buckinghamshire. It is nearly separated from the other parishes in the Three Hundreds of Aylesbury by a piece of Desborough Hundred, which lies between the parishes of Bledlow and Horsenden. The southern end of the parish lies on the Chiltern Hills, and is called Bledlow Ridge, being between 600 ft. and 800 ft. above the Ordnance datum. The lower Icknield Way runs parallel to the line of the high ground from north-east to south-west, along the north and west sides of the parish, and the village and church stand back from it about half a mile on the lower slopes of the hills. Close to the east end of the church is a steep wooded coombe called the Lyde, in which several springs break out from the chalk and form a small pool. The nearness of the church to the steep banks of the coombe has suggested a local rhyme -
They that live and do abide
Shall see the church fall in the Lyde,
but fortunately this disaster does not seem very imminent. The brook running from the pool is called the Lyde Brook, and is used for two paper-mills, Bledlow Mill and North Mill. The western boundary of the parish is formed by Cuttle Brook, which runs south to the River Thame.
The higher slopes of the hills are in parts well wooded, and in one of the open spaces, on the north slope of Wain Hill, is the Bledlow Cross, cut in the turf, and visible for miles as a landmark.
The village is picturesque, its small houses, surrounded by gardens, lying for the most part along the side of the hill, but there are outlying houses in the lower ground on the side roads which join the Icknield Way.
The subsoil on the hills is chalk, and in the northern part of the parish Upper Greensand and Gault. The surface soil is partly chalk loam, and partly stiff clay. The inhabitants are mainly engaged in arable farming, the parish containing 2694 1/4 acres of arable land, and 963 acres of parmanent grass. There are several poultry farms, and in the Lyde there are watercress beds. The paper-mills of Mr. A. H. James provide occupation for part of the population. Both the Upper and Lower Icknield Ways pass across the parish, and the Wycombe branch of the Great Western Railway runs through it, with a station one mile to the north of Bledlow village. There are six hamlets in the parish. Of these Bledlow Ridge has been formed into a separate ecclesiastical parish since 1868. The other hamlets are Pitch Green, Rout's Green, Forty Green, Skittle Green, Holly Green. The whole civil parish contains 4168 1/2 acres. [© copyright of the editors of The Victoria Histories of the Counties of England 1927]
Holy Trinity Bledlow
Holy Trinity Church at Bledlow is situated in the centre of the village, and is built of flint with dressings of limestone and a little clunch.
The Nave is probably part of an original 12th century church on the site, which from appearances probably once had transepts and a central tower. The aisles were added circa 1200 and later in the century were widened and lengthened, the Chancel being rebuilt on a larger scale and is now wider than the nave, and the West Tower was added. During the 14th century the South Porch was built and windows were inserted in various parts of the church. In 1909 the whole building was restored.
Of especial interest are the nave arcades, which are fine examples of early 13th century work, also the 14th century windows are noteworthy. There are some interesting remains of medieval mural paintings in the North Aisle, particularly that of St. Christopher.
The church has a clearstory which has on each side three wide windows of three trefoiled lights under square heads; the inner stonework being possibly of the 13th century, the lintels and outer stonework are modern; on the north side of the clearstory, at the east end, is an outline of a pointed opening, probably connected with the former rude-loft.
There are five bells, four by Richard Keene, 1683. The font is of the 'Aylesbury' type, a round bowl, fluted sides, with a band of interlacing and foliated ornament at the top, moulded rim, and a plain round stem with a square scalloped base carved with foliage, late 12th century. There are some fragments of 14th century glasswork in some of the windows. In the North Aisle, north of the east window is a canopied 15th century Niche with gabled and crocketed head, partly damaged, and is probably a copy of piscina on the south side. There are five piscinae, the first is 13th century and is in the chancel, with trefoiled chamfered head, jambs carried down to the floor, stone shelf, ledges for higher shelf. The second, also 13th century, is at the east end of the South Aisle, with pointed head, and square basin. In the ledge of the north east window in the North Aisle there are two basins with drains. On the ledge of the second north window in the North Aisle there is a separate slab with a basin. There are three Recesses, the first two are 14th century and are in the south wall of the South Aisle at the east end, and are for tombs, each of two moulded orders with pointed segmental arches. The third, date uncertain, is in the south wall east of the south door and is small, square and roughly made. There is a 16th century Stoup in the north east corner of the south porch, being a plain round bowl.
St Pauls, Bledlow Ridge – Photo: Kevin Quick
May Lanchbury, who also has Oxlade connections, has included the complete transcription of the Bledlow BMD by "Uncle Dex" on her Web site. This amazing collaborative effort can be accessed by clicking on the Next icon below.
Sources:
Bucks Genealogical Society: http://www.bucksgs.org.uk/
Genuki http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/
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