Marsh Gibbon
Encyclopedia
Marsh Gibbon is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale
district in Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is close to the A41
and the border with Oxfordshire
about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Bicester
.
The village name comes from the English word 'marsh', describing the typical state of land in the area due to the high water table
of the Aylesbury Vale
. The affix 'Gibbon' derives from the family name 'Gibwen', the lords of the manor
here in the twelfth century. In manorial
rolls of 1292 the village was recorded as Mersh Gibwyne, though earlier (in 1086) it was known simply as Merse.
One of the two entries in the Domesday Book
for the village is unique in having the only comment of any kind, namely "Graviter et miserabiliter". In translation the complete entry reads:
Ailric's manor, now named Westbury Manor, was given by King Edward IV
to the Company of Cooks
in London
, though it has since been sold into private hands.
The second manor was the property of the abbey
of Grestein in Normandy
, France
. However in 1365 this was seized by the Crown
because it belonged to a foreign church. In 1437 it was granted to an almshouse trust founded at Ewelme
in Oxfordshire. In 1617 James I
granted the Mastership of the Ewelme Trust to the Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford in whose hands it remains today. Its manor house is Elizabethan and situated just south of the thirteenth century church and about 200 metres from Westbury Manor to the West.
Following a skirmish at Hillesden
in 1645, the parliamentarian troops were garrisoned here in Marsh Gibbon before marching on to Boarstall
. The ground works of their encampment were visible in the field to northwest of the Ewelme manor house
but have since been flattened in the late 1950s.
To the east of the village is the hamlet of Little Marsh and to the south east is the hamlet of Summerstown.
The parish church of Marsh Gibbon is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. Robert Clavering
, who later became the Bishop of Peterborough
, was the rector from 1719.
The village has two pubs, the Greyhound and the Plough, and one shop comprising a post office and general store.
North of the village and just outside Poundon
, is Tower Hill Business Park. This was previously Poundon Hill Wireless Station, a FCO
/MI6
signals intelligence
station.
Marsh Gibbon Church of England School is a mixed, voluntary aided infant school, with approximately 100 pupils. It takes children from the age of four through to the age of nine, when they generally move on to the combined school in Grendon Underwood
.
Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.The vale is named after Aylesbury, the...
district in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is close to the A41
A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
and the border with Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Bicester
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
.
The village name comes from the English word 'marsh', describing the typical state of land in the area due to the high water table
Water table
The water table is the level at which the submarine pressure is far from atmospheric pressure. It may be conveniently visualized as the 'surface' of the subsurface materials that are saturated with groundwater in a given vicinity. However, saturated conditions may extend above the water table as...
of the Aylesbury Vale
Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.The vale is named after Aylesbury, the...
. The affix 'Gibbon' derives from the family name 'Gibwen', the lords of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
here in the twelfth century. In manorial
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
rolls of 1292 the village was recorded as Mersh Gibwyne, though earlier (in 1086) it was known simply as Merse.
One of the two entries in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
for the village is unique in having the only comment of any kind, namely "Graviter et miserabiliter". In translation the complete entry reads:
Ailric's manor, now named Westbury Manor, was given by King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
to the Company of Cooks
Worshipful Company of Cooks
The is the smallest of the Livery Companies of the City of London.The Company received its Royal Charter in 1482.Its origins can be traced back to the 12th Century, founded from two guilds of cooks in medieval London - the Cooks of Eastcheap and the Cooks of Bread Street.As you would expect from a...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, though it has since been sold into private hands.
The second manor was the property of the abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
of Grestein in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. However in 1365 this was seized by the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
because it belonged to a foreign church. In 1437 it was granted to an almshouse trust founded at Ewelme
Ewelme
Ewelme is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire, northeast of the market town of Wallingford.To the east of the village is Cow Common and to the west, Benson Airfield, the north-eastern corner of which is within the parish boundary.The solid geology is chalk...
in Oxfordshire. In 1617 James I
James I
James I may refer to:* King James I of Aragon * King James I of Sicily , also King James II of Aragon* James I, Count of La Marche , Count of Ponthieu...
granted the Mastership of the Ewelme Trust to the Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford in whose hands it remains today. Its manor house is Elizabethan and situated just south of the thirteenth century church and about 200 metres from Westbury Manor to the West.
Following a skirmish at Hillesden
Hillesden
Hillesden is a village and is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the very north of the county, about four miles south of Buckingham.The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'Hild's hill'...
in 1645, the parliamentarian troops were garrisoned here in Marsh Gibbon before marching on to Boarstall
Boarstall
Boarstall is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, about west of Aylesbury. The parish is on the county boundary with Oxfordshire and the village is about southeast of the Oxfordshire market town of Bicester.-History:...
. The ground works of their encampment were visible in the field to northwest of the Ewelme manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
but have since been flattened in the late 1950s.
To the east of the village is the hamlet of Little Marsh and to the south east is the hamlet of Summerstown.
The parish church of Marsh Gibbon is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. Robert Clavering
Robert Clavering
-Life:He graduated B.A. from the University of Edinburgh, and then went to Lincoln College, Oxford. He was Fellow and tutor of University College, in 1701. In 1714 he was rector of Bocking. In 1715 he became Regius Professor of Hebrew and canon of Christ Church, Oxford.He became rector of Marsh...
, who later became the Bishop of Peterborough
Bishop of Peterborough
The Bishop of Peterborough is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Peterborough in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the counties of Northamptonshire, Rutland and the Soke of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire...
, was the rector from 1719.
The village has two pubs, the Greyhound and the Plough, and one shop comprising a post office and general store.
North of the village and just outside Poundon
Poundon
Poundon is a hamlet and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located near the Oxfordshire border, about four miles north east of Bicester, three miles south west of Steeple Claydon....
, is Tower Hill Business Park. This was previously Poundon Hill Wireless Station, a FCO
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
/MI6
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
signals intelligence
SIGINT
Signals intelligence is intelligence-gathering by interception of signals, whether between people , whether involving electronic signals not directly used in communication , or combinations of the two...
station.
Marsh Gibbon Church of England School is a mixed, voluntary aided infant school, with approximately 100 pupils. It takes children from the age of four through to the age of nine, when they generally move on to the combined school in Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood
Grendon Underwood is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the west of the county, close to the boundary with Oxfordshire and near the Roman road Akeman Street....
.