Merton, Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Merton is a village and civil parish near the River Ray
, about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Bicester
in Oxfordshire, England.
Hacun, a Dane, held the manor
of Merton. The Domesday Book
records that by 1086 Countess Judith of Lens
, a niece of William I of England
held the manor. Countess Judith was betrothed to Simon I de Senlis
but refused to marry him and fled England. William I confiscated her estates and allowed Simon to marry Judith's eldest daughter Maud. Simon received estates including Merton as the honour
of Huntingdon.
In 1152 or 1153 Simon's son Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton
gave Merton to the Knights Templar
. In 1185 the manor covered seven hides
, making it their largest estate in Oxfordshire. In 1312 Pope Clement V
ordered the Templars' dissolution and their English estates were confiscated by Edward II
, who granted Merton to the Knights Hospitaller
in 1313. In 1540 the Hospitallers were suppressed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
and surrendered Merton to the Crown
, which left it in the possession of the Templars' tenant, William Mablyston of Ludgershall, Buckinghamshire
.
and his son John acquired the manor. John died in 1593 and his widow Anne married Sir James Harrington, 1st Baronet in 1613. In 1640 Sir James Harington, 3rd Baronet married Katherine, daughter of Sir Edmund Wright, Lord Mayor of London. Sir James was a Member of Parliament
from 1646 until 1655 and during the English Civil War
he served as a major-general in the Parliamentarian
army. After the English Restoration
his baronetcy was forfeited for life in 1661 under the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
. Sir James fled to the European mainland and died in exile.
Sir James' father-in-law had remained a Royalist
throughout the Civil War and Commonwealth
, which helped Lady Katherine to claim she did not share her husband's politics. In 1662 the Crown granted letters patent
placing the estate in trust, and upon Lady Katherine's death in 1675 it passed to her and Sir James' eldest son Sir Edmund Harington, 4th Baronet. The Harington Baronets
owned Merton until Sir James Harington, 6th Baronet ran up large sporting debts and in 1740 mortgaged Merton to Sir Edward Turner, 2nd Baronet
of the neighbouring parish of Ambrosden
. Sir James was a Jacobite
who supported the Stuart
claim to the United Kingdom
. In 1747 he joined Charles Edward Stuart
in exile and in 1749 Sir Edward Turner (later Page-Turner) obtained Merton by foreclosing the mortgage. The Page-Turner Baronets (later Dryden Baronets) retained Merton until 1930.
in the latter part of the 16th century. It is thought to have been L-shaped, but after Sir Edward Page-Turner bought the manor in 1749 he had the south wing demolished and the surviving wing turned into a farmhouse. In 1838 the house's oak panelling was sold. In 1860 the house was modernised and its Elizabethan
porch, gables, stone roof and mullion
ed windows were all removed. The original kitchen and stone-arched cellar survive, and the cellar includes a well. A diary wing was added late in the 19th century. The house's 17th century square, two-storeyed dovecote
also survives.
of Saint Swithun is Decorated Gothic, built early in the 14th century. It has a south aisle, linked with the nave
by an arcade
of four bays
. Late in the 15th century the Perpendicular Gothic clerestory
was added to the nave
. The chancel
windows and one window in the south aisle are also Perpendicular Gothic. The font
is much older than the church, dating from late in the 12th century.
St. Swithun's had a north aisle but it was demolished in the 15th or 16th century. Its arcade of three bays was blocked up and remains in the north wall of the nave. The tower had a spire
but it became unsafe and in 1796 it was removed.
The Gothic Revival architect
Charles Buckeridge
restored St. Swithun's from 1865 until 1872. St. Swithun's had been decorated with mediaeval wall paintings
, once brightly coloured but by described in 1823 as "dim with age". During the restoration work it was found impossible to remove the layers of whitewash covering them. They were therefore presumably covered with a further protective layer of whitewash.
In the Edwardine
Inventory of 1552 St. Swithun's had three bells and a Sanctus
bell. In 1795 the bell tower
had a ring
of seven bells but the churchwarden
s obtained permission to sell five of them to pay for a new lead roof for the church. By the 1950s there were only two bells: one cast by Richard Keene of Woodstock in 1694 and the other cast in 1887.
In 1565 the Crown sold the advowson
and rectory to William Petre
, who in 1572 gave both to Exeter College, Oxford
. The ecclesiastical parish of Merton is now part of the Benefice of the Ray Valley.
A Congregational chapel was built in 1890. It was still in use for worship in 1953.
in the parish. The earliest known record of it is from 1156–66.
West of St. Swithun's is a rubblestone
tithe barn
that may have been built in the 15th century or early 16th century. It has a queen post
roof and is thatched. In the late 20th century it was converted into four homes.
There were small enclosure
s of land in the parish in the 14th and 16th centuries but an open field system
of farming prevailed until 1763. In the 1761 Parliamentary election
Sir Edward Turner entered the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Penryn in Cornwall
. In 1762 Sir Edward got Parliament to pass an Inclosure Act for the parish of Merton. This extinguished all common land
rights in Merton and assigned most of the land to Sir Edward.
In 1814 one of the earliest National Schools
to be established under the auspices of the National Society for Promoting Religious Education
was opened in Merton. A new stone-built school building, complete with lodging for the matron, was completed in 1829. Ownership and management of the school were transferred to the vicar and churchwarden
s in 1870. The school was enlarged in 1872 and 1893. The number of pupils then declined and in 1913 the school was closed and 12 pupils were transferred to Ambrosden. In 1930 the house and school were sold and became a private home.
Merton used to have a public house
, the Plough Inn, whose building is partly Tudor. In the 2000s the owners closed the pub and applied to Cherwell District Council
for planning permission to redevelop the site for housing. The council refused the application but the pub remains closed.
Since the Plough's closure the village has held two real ale festivals each year in its village hall
.
River Ray
The River Ray is a river in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England. It rises at Quainton Hill and flows west through a flat countryside for around 25 km or 15 miles. It passes the village of Ambrosden and then flows through Otmoor...
, about 4 miles (6.4 km) south 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...
in Oxfordshire, England.
Archaeology
In 1978 a Middle Bronze Age spearhead was found at West End Farm on the northwestern side of the village.Manor
Just before the Norman conquest of EnglandNorman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
Hacun, a Dane, held the manor
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...
of Merton. 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...
records that by 1086 Countess Judith of Lens
Judith of Lens
Countess Judith , was a niece of William the Conqueror. She was a daughter of his sister Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale and Lambert II, Count of Lens....
, a niece of William I of England
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
held the manor. Countess Judith was betrothed to Simon I de Senlis
Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton
Simon I de Senlis , 2nd Earl of Northampton and 2nd Earl of Huntingdon jure uxoris was a Norman nobleman.In 1098 he was captured during the Vexin campaign of King William Rufus and was subsequently ransomed. He witnessed King Henry I’s charter of liberties issued at his coronation in 1100...
but refused to marry him and fled England. William I confiscated her estates and allowed Simon to marry Judith's eldest daughter Maud. Simon received estates including Merton as the honour
Honour (land)
In medieval England, an honour could consist of a great lordship, comprising dozens or hundreds of manors. Holders of honours often attempted to preserve the integrity of an honour over time, administering its properties as a unit, maintaining inheritances together, etc.The typical honour had...
of Huntingdon.
In 1152 or 1153 Simon's son Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton
Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton
Simon II de Senlis, 4th Earl of Northumberland and 4th Earl of the Honour of Huntingdon and Northampton was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He was the son of Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton and Maud, Countess of Huntingdon...
gave Merton to the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
. In 1185 the manor covered seven hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
, making it their largest estate in Oxfordshire. In 1312 Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V, born Raymond Bertrand de Got was Pope from 1305 to his death...
ordered the Templars' dissolution and their English estates were confiscated by Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
, who granted Merton to the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
in 1313. In 1540 the Hospitallers were suppressed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
and surrendered Merton to 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...
, which left it in the possession of the Templars' tenant, William Mablyston of Ludgershall, Buckinghamshire
Ludgershall, Buckinghamshire
Ludgershall is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is near the boundary with Oxfordshire, about south-east of Bicester and west of Waddesdon....
.
Harington baronets
In 1554 the Mablystons' lease expired and Robert Doyley of ChiselhamptonChiselhampton
Chiselhampton is a village on the River Thame about southeast of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.-Toponym:"Chisel" is derived from the old English ceosel or cisel meaning "gravel" or "shingle", referring to the river gravel beside the Thame on which some of the village is built. In a document dated...
and his son John acquired the manor. John died in 1593 and his widow Anne married Sir James Harrington, 1st Baronet in 1613. In 1640 Sir James Harington, 3rd Baronet married Katherine, daughter of Sir Edmund Wright, Lord Mayor of London. Sir James was a Member of Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
from 1646 until 1655 and during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
he served as a major-general in the Parliamentarian
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
army. After the English Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
his baronetcy was forfeited for life in 1661 under the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
Indemnity and Oblivion Act
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 is an Act of the Parliament of England , the long title of which is "An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion"....
. Sir James fled to the European mainland and died in exile.
Sir James' father-in-law had remained a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
throughout the Civil War and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
, which helped Lady Katherine to claim she did not share her husband's politics. In 1662 the Crown granted letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
placing the estate in trust, and upon Lady Katherine's death in 1675 it passed to her and Sir James' eldest son Sir Edmund Harington, 4th Baronet. The Harington Baronets
Harington Baronets
The Harington'Baronetcy, of Ridlington in the County of Rutland, is a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 29 June 1611 for James Harington. He was a descendant of John Harington, one of the Barons summoned to Parliament by Edward II...
owned Merton until Sir James Harington, 6th Baronet ran up large sporting debts and in 1740 mortgaged Merton to Sir Edward Turner, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edward Turner, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edward Turner, 2nd Baronet was one of the Turner Baronets of Ambrosden and a Member of Parliament.-Life:Turner was the son of Sir Edward Turner, 1st Baronet and his wife Mary. He received his early education at Bicester Grammar School. He went on to Balliol College, Oxford where he was noted...
of the neighbouring parish of Ambrosden
Ambrosden
Ambrosden is a village and civil parish in Cherwell, Oxfordshire, England, southwest of Bicester to which it is linked by the A41 road, and from Oxford. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 1,749 people. The parish is bounded by the River Ray to the south, its tributary the River Bure...
. Sir James was a Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
who supported the Stuart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
claim to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In 1747 he joined Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
in exile and in 1749 Sir Edward Turner (later Page-Turner) obtained Merton by foreclosing the mortgage. The Page-Turner Baronets (later Dryden Baronets) retained Merton until 1930.
Manor house
The Doyleys built the manor houseManor 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...
in the latter part of the 16th century. It is thought to have been L-shaped, but after Sir Edward Page-Turner bought the manor in 1749 he had the south wing demolished and the surviving wing turned into a farmhouse. In 1838 the house's oak panelling was sold. In 1860 the house was modernised and its Elizabethan
Elizabethan architecture
Elizabethan architecture is the term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Historically, the period corresponds to the Cinquecento in Italy, the Early Renaissance in France, and the Plateresque style in Spain...
porch, gables, stone roof and mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
ed windows were all removed. The original kitchen and stone-arched cellar survive, and the cellar includes a well. A diary wing was added late in the 19th century. The house's 17th century square, two-storeyed dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
also survives.
Church and chapel
The Church of England parish churchChurch 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 the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Swithun is Decorated Gothic, built early in the 14th century. It has a south aisle, linked with the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
by an arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
of four bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. Late in the 15th century the Perpendicular Gothic clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
was added to the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
. The chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
windows and one window in the south aisle are also Perpendicular Gothic. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is much older than the church, dating from late in the 12th century.
St. Swithun's had a north aisle but it was demolished in the 15th or 16th century. Its arcade of three bays was blocked up and remains in the north wall of the nave. The tower had a spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
but it became unsafe and in 1796 it was removed.
The Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Charles Buckeridge
Charles Buckeridge
Charles Buckeridge was a British Gothic Revival architect who trained as a pupil of Sir George Gilbert Scott. He practiced in Oxford 1856–68 and in London from 1869. He was made an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1861.-Work:Much of Buckeridge's work was for parish...
restored St. Swithun's from 1865 until 1872. St. Swithun's had been decorated with mediaeval wall paintings
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
, once brightly coloured but by described in 1823 as "dim with age". During the restoration work it was found impossible to remove the layers of whitewash covering them. They were therefore presumably covered with a further protective layer of whitewash.
In the Edwardine
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
Inventory of 1552 St. Swithun's had three bells and a Sanctus
Sanctus
The Sanctus is a hymn from Christian liturgy, forming part of the Order of Mass. In Western Christianity, the Sanctus is sung as the final words of the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine...
bell. In 1795 the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
had a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of seven bells but the churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
s obtained permission to sell five of them to pay for a new lead roof for the church. By the 1950s there were only two bells: one cast by Richard Keene of Woodstock in 1694 and the other cast in 1887.
In 1565 the Crown sold the advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
and rectory to William Petre
William Petre
Sir William Petre was a secretary of state to Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.Educated as a lawyer at Oxford, he became a public servant, probably through the influence of the Boleyns, one of whom, George, he had tutored at Oxford and another of whom, Anne, was married to the king...
, who in 1572 gave both to Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
. The ecclesiastical parish of Merton is now part of the Benefice of the Ray Valley.
A Congregational chapel was built in 1890. It was still in use for worship in 1953.
Economic and social history
The Knights Templar established a watermillWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
in the parish. The earliest known record of it is from 1156–66.
West of St. Swithun's is a rubblestone
Rubble masonry
Rubble masonry is rough, unhewn building stone set in mortar, but not laid in regular courses. It may appear as the outer surface of a wall or may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or cut stone....
tithe barn
Tithe barn
A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing the tithes - a tenth of the farm's produce which had to be given to the church....
that may have been built in the 15th century or early 16th century. It has a queen post
Queen post
A queen post is a supporting post designed to span longer openings than a king post. A king post uses one central supporting post, whereas the queen post uses two.-Architecture:...
roof and is thatched. In the late 20th century it was converted into four homes.
There were small enclosure
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
s of land in the parish in the 14th and 16th centuries but an open field system
Open field system
The open field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to as recently as the 20th century in some places, particularly Russia and Iran. Under this system, each manor or village had several very large fields, farmed in strips by individual families...
of farming prevailed until 1763. In the 1761 Parliamentary election
British general election, 1761
The British general election, 1761 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707...
Sir Edward Turner entered the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Penryn in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. In 1762 Sir Edward got Parliament to pass an Inclosure Act for the parish of Merton. This extinguished all common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
rights in Merton and assigned most of the land to Sir Edward.
In 1814 one of the earliest National Schools
National school (England and Wales)
A national school was a school founded in 19th century England and Wales by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education.These schools provided elementary education, in accordance with the teaching of the Church of England, to the children of the poor.Together with the less numerous...
to be established under the auspices of the National Society for Promoting Religious Education
National Society for Promoting Religious Education
The National Society for Promoting Religious Education, often just referred to as the National Society, is a Church of England body in England and Wales for the promotion of church schools and Christian education....
was opened in Merton. A new stone-built school building, complete with lodging for the matron, was completed in 1829. Ownership and management of the school were transferred to the vicar and churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
s in 1870. The school was enlarged in 1872 and 1893. The number of pupils then declined and in 1913 the school was closed and 12 pupils were transferred to Ambrosden. In 1930 the house and school were sold and became a private home.
Merton used to have a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, the Plough Inn, whose building is partly Tudor. In the 2000s the owners closed the pub and applied to Cherwell District Council
Cherwell (district)
Cherwell is a local government district in northern Oxfordshire, England. The district takes its name from the River Cherwell, which drains south through the region to flow into the River Thames at Oxford....
for planning permission to redevelop the site for housing. The council refused the application but the pub remains closed.
Since the Plough's closure the village has held two real ale festivals each year in its village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
.