Longworth 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 the

Vale of White Horse The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. It was historically a north-west projection of Berkshire. The area is commonly referred to as the 'Vale of ''the'' White Horse'. It is crossed by the Ridgeway N ...

, England. The 1974 boundary changes transferred it from

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...

to Oxfordshire. The village lies between

Faringdon Faringdon is a historic market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England, south-west of Oxford, north-west of Wantage and east-north-east of Swindon. It extends to the River Thames in the north; the highest ground is on the ...

, to its west, and

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 ...

, to the north-east. The 2011 Census recorded a population of 566, which was estimated at 570 in 2019. The parish is bounded by the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

to the north, the

A420 road The A420 is a road between Bristol and Oxford in England. Between Swindon and Oxford it is a primary route. Present route Since the opening of the M4 motorway, the road has been in two sections. The first section begins on Old Market Str ...

to the south, and field boundaries to the east and west. The land slopes from the A420 to the river, except at Harrowdown Hill near the north-east corner of the parish, which has a summit of .

Parish church

The oldest parts of the Anglican St Mary's Church, Longworth are from the 13th century, while the current

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

, west tower and north

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...

are from the 15th century. The church contains a

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ...

by the Arts and Crafts movement painters and sisters,

Kate Kate name may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer * Lauren Kate (born 1981), American aut ...

and Myra Bunce. It is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ire ...

. The parish belongs to the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of Cherbury with Gainfield. J. R. Illingworth, a theologian and philosopher, was Rector of St Mary's from 1883 to 1915. Longworth was once home to a

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs it ...

chapel, built in 1848, and to a

Primitive Methodist The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primit ...

chapel, built in 1861. Both chapels have now been converted into residences.

Manor house

Longworth's original manor house dates from the early 17th century, when it was built by a judge, Sir Henry Marten, about a mile south of the village on the edge of the Vale of White Horse. It was occupied later by his son, Henry Marten, the

regicide Regicide is the purposeful killing of a monarch or sovereign of a polity and is often associated with the usurpation of power. A regicide can also be the person responsible for the killing. The word comes from the Latin roots of ''regis'' ...

and republican. In the 20th century, it was home to Sir Clarendon Hyde, a Liberal MP and businessman. Today's manor house, Longworth House, was originally known as Manor Farm. It stands just west of the parish church. It was built in the late 17th century and remodelled and extended in the early 20th century. It is a Grade II listed building. It was home to Colonel Granville Walton, a leading

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement * Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

Economic and social history

John Fell (1625–1686), an English churchman and influential academic was born in Longworth; he served as Dean of Christ Church, Oxford and later concomitantly as

Bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his elect ...

. A farmstead about a quarter of a mile (1.2 km) south of the village has a 17th-century

tithe barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. Tithe barns were usually associated with the ...

, with a

queen post A queen post is a tension member in a truss that can span longer openings than a king post truss. A king post uses one central supporting post, whereas the queen post truss uses two. Even though it is a tension member, rather than a compression m ...

roof seven

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

long. It is a Grade II* listed building. and a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

. The Old Rectory at Longworth was the birthplace on 7 June 1825 of the novelist R. D. Blackmore, author of ''

Lorna Doone ''Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor'' is a novel by English author Richard Doddridge Blackmore, published in 1869. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly ar ...

'', whose father was briefly curate-in-charge of the parish. Harrowdown Hill is where

biological warfare Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war. ...

expert David Kelly died in 2003 during the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction controversy. This gave rise to a public enquiry that concluded with the

Hutton Report The Hutton Inquiry was a 2003 judicial inquiry in the UK chaired by Lord Hutton, who was appointed by the Labour government to investigate the controversial circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly, a biological warfare expert and ...

. The government's handling of the matter is questioned in a song by

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been describ ...

entitled ''Harrowdown Hill''. Squirrel Cottage, Longworth - geograph

Amenities

Longworth has a

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

county primary school. As well as school buses to

Faringdon Community College Faringdon Community College is an 11 to 18 mixed comprehensive school on the edge of Faringdon, a market town in Oxfordshire, England. The college has a specialist status in Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, s ...

and Matthew Arnold School, Longworth is served by Pulhams Coaches, based in

Bourton-on-the-Water Bourton-on-the-Water is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, that lies on a wide flat vale within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village had a population of 3,296 at the 2011 census. Much of the villa ...

. The 63 bus route runs between the village and Oxford, from Monday to Friday. Longworth Manor Gazebo

Public houses

There is a pub in the village, the ''Blue Boar'', which dates from 1606 and has a thatched roof. The ''Lamb and Flag'', now a dwelling about 1¼ miles (2.0 km) south-west of the village, was in the parish until boundary changes in 2011 transferred it to

Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor is a civil parish in the English county of Oxfordshire, England. The two principal settlements in the parish are the adjacent villages of Kingston Bagpuize and Southmoor. The parish extends north of the villag ...

. These changes brought the ''Maybush Inn'' at

Newbridge Newbridge may refer to: Places Australia *Newbridge, New South Wales *Newbridge, Victoria * Newbridge Heights Public School England * Newbridge, Bath, electoral ward *Newbridge, Cornwall, three places in Cornwall with the same name * Newbridge, ...

into the parish. The white boar and the white rose on the ''Blue Boar'' pub sign are symbols of King

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...

. The blue boar was the personal badge of the

De Vere De Vere is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aubrey de Vere I (died c. 1112), a tenant-in-chief in England of William the Conqueror * Aubrey Thomas de Vere (1814–1902), an Irish poet and critic *Cecil Valentine De Vere (1845� ...

family as Earls of Oxford. It is claimed that when Richard was killed at the

Battle of Bosworth The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 A ...

in 1485, any ''White Boar'' pub signs were quickly repainted as ''Blue Boar'', to signify that the white boar was dead and blue had prevailed. The Blue Boar, Longworth - geograph

Blue Boar RFC

Blue Boar Rugby Football Club,Blue Boar RFC
based at the ''Blue Boar'' pub in Longworth, normally plays home games at the

Oxford R.F.C. Oxford Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Oxford. The club was founded in 1909 as "Oxfordshire Nomads RUFC".Blackwells Bookshop in

. In the following season, several more matches were arranged against local sides and the club affiliated to the Oxfordshire Rugby Football Union. The number and quality of its fixtures increased and in May 1981 the club was elected to the

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It promo ...

. In September 1980 it made a first tour of

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...

, followed by further visits in 1987, 1988 and 1989. Its first foreign tour in 1981 took 35 players and supporters to Brittany. The team returned there a year later. In 1991 the club was the first English RFU club to make an official tour of Hungary, hosted by the Hungarian Rugby Union. The club reached the final of the Oxfordshire Knockout Cup Plate competition in the 2003–2004 and 2008–2009 seasons.

References

Sources and further reading

* * *

External links

Longworth Village on the WebLongworth Parish Council
{{Authority control Civil parishes in Oxfordshire Villages in Oxfordshire