Begbroke ( ) is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in Oxfordshire about west of Kidlington and northwest of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 783.

Archaeology

Fragments of early pottery have been found in the parish, as well as flints, scrapers, and an axe and arrow head. Aerial photographs show ancient crop marks.

Toponym

The

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name o ...

"Begbroke" is Old English for "Little Brook". This refers to Rowel Brook which runs through the village and was the reason for its early settlement. Rowel Brook is a tributary of the

River Cherwell The River Cherwell ( or ) is a tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises near Hellidon, Northamptonshire and flows southwards for to meet the Thames at Oxford in Oxfordshire. The river gives its name to the Cherwell local ...

Manor

Begbroke Manor House was built in about 1700. In the 19th century it became part of the Priory of St Philip, which until 2000 was the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

house for the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Servite Friars in England. It was then sold to a Church of England order of nuns, the

Community of St John Baptist The Community of St John Baptist (CSJB), also known as the Sisters of Mercy, or formerly Clewer Sisters, is an Anglican religious order of Augustinian nuns. History The Community was founded in England in 1852 by Harriet Monsell (the first Su ...

. The brethren of the Servites were well known in the village and served as Air Raid Precautions (ARP) wardens in World War II.

Parish church

The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

was a 12th-century Norman building. The uppermost stage of the tower was rebuilt in the 14th century and the nave and chancel were repeatedly "

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

" in the 19th century.

Economic and social history

The former Begbroke Hill Farm was owned by the Giffard and FitzHerbert families for nearly 500 years. It was built early in the 17th century for either Humphrey FitzHerbert (died 1616) or his son Robert (died 1632). It is now the site of the Oxford University Begbroke Science Park (which, despite the name, is accessible only from the neighbouring village of

Yarnton Yarnton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southwest of Kidlington and northwest of Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,545. Archaeology Early Bronze Age decorated beakers have been found in the p ...

but is in the boundary of Begbroke parish). Orchard House, next to St Michael's parish church, also belonged to the FitzHerberts. More recently it was the home of science fiction author Brian Aldiss. Begbroke Place was built in 1906. From 1940 until 1984 the house was incorporated into the campus of St Juliana's Convent School, an independent girls' school run by the sisters of the Servite Order. Commuter homes were built in the village beginning in the 1930s, mainly on the east side of Woodstock Road.

Amenities

The village has a public house, the ''Royal Sun'' inn, that has traded since at least 1711. Begbroke has a village hall with cricket and bowling greens. Solid State Logic, the world's largest manufacturer of professional analogue and digital audio consoles for music, broadcast, post production and film, is headquartered at Begbroke. SSL bought the convent and convent school buildings.

References

Sources

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External links

Begbroke Parish CouncilWelcome to Begbroke Science Park
{{authority control Civil parishes in Oxfordshire Villages in Oxfordshire