Ducklington is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush south of Witney in West Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,581.

History

Ducklington is one of the earliest

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

parishes to be recorded in Oxfordshire. In a charter of 958 King Edgar the Peaceful granted at ''Duclingtun'' to his Minister, Eanulf. An Anglo-Saxon charter from 1036 also records the toponym as ''Duclingtun'', and another Anglo-Saxon document from 1044 records it as ''Ducelingdun''. The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as ''Dochelintone'' and a charter from 1130 records it as ''Dukelindona''. The name is derived from

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

. The first element may be from the name of a person called Ducca or Ducel. The element "-ing" most commonly means "people of". The element "-tūn" means an enclosure, homestead or village. The fact that the village has a duck pond with a population of ducks is purely incidental. After the Norman Conquest Ducklington was held by Robert D'Oyly, a Norman nobleman who took part in William I's conquest of England. The Dyve family then held the Lordship of Ducklington throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, living there until early in the reign of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

. 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 ...

of Saint Bartholomew is 12th century. The Gothic Revival architect EG Bruton restored the building in 1871. The

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

has a ring of six bells. William and Henry III Bagley of Chacombe in Northamptonshire cast the second, fourth and fifth bells in 1708. Robert Taylor & Sons cast the tenor bell in 1829, presumably at their then foundry in Oxford. Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the treble bell in 1889. The Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry of Asten in the Netherlands cast the third bell in 1988. The village had a Baptist Chapel until 2016, when it was converted into a private home. The former village schoolhouse was built in 1858. The modern Ducklington Church of England Primary School is across the village green from the original site. Ducklington StBartholomew south

Natural history

Ducklington is notable for the rare fritillary flower (mainly of the snake's head variety), many of which grow in a specially designated meadow just outside the village. Before the Second World War many fritillaries had grown on fields all over the Windrush Valley. However, the national drive for food production during the war meant that most meadows were intensively ploughed, the rivers dredged, and consequently the fritillaries were lost. Only the current fritillary field happened to be left unploughed. The flowers have survived with help from both locals and farmers. Once a year, the local community celebrates Fritillary Sunday when the field, parish church and hall are opened so that the public may walk among and enjoy the flowers.

Amenities

Ducklington has a Morris dancing side and Mummers performances. It also has its own Morris Dance tradition; its own style of dance that was collected around the beginning of the 19th century. The Ducklington tradition is danced by many sides throughout Britain and the United States. Ducklington has one public house: The Bell, and a sports and social club. Ducklington has hosted several flower and garden shows. The former tithe barn is now the village hall, which has been renovated in the last few years. It is used by village groups including the Parish Council and is the parish polling station in local and national elections. Ducklington has a Women's Institute.

Sports

Ducklington Sports and Social Club has several cricket and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

teams. They include three men's football teams that compete in the Witney and District League. Ducklington's football first XI is in the Witney and District Premier Division.cite web , url= http://witneyanddistrict.pitchero.com/club-info?division_id=18698 , title=Premier Division , author=Witney, District Football Association , author-link=Witney and District League , publisher= Pitchero , access-date=19 April 2016 The club has nine boys' teams. The cricket section has one adult teams and three youth teams.

References

Sources

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External links

{{Authority control Civil parishes in Oxfordshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Oxfordshire Villages in Oxfordshire West Oxfordshire District