Cuddesdon

"CUDDESDEN, a parish in the hundred of Bullingdon, in the county of Oxford, 2 miles from Wheatley, its post town, and 6 S.E. of Oxford. It is situated on the river Theme, and contains the hamlets of Denton, Chippinghurst, and Wheatley. After the crown resumed possession of Gloucester Hall, the first residence appropriated to the bishops of Oxford, there was no episcopal palace until Dr. Bancroft, with the aid of King Charles I. and Archbishop Laud, erected Cuddesden Palace, which was not completed till 1635. A few years later, during the Civil War, it was burnt by Colonel William Legge, the royalist governor of Oxford, fearing lest it should fall into the hands of the parliamentary forces. It then remained in ruins till 1679, when Dr. Fell rebuilt it on its former foundations. The present building is a plain but commodious mansion, situated on the southern limb of Shot over, and commands extensive views over the valley of the Theme. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Oxford, value £260, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to All Saints, is partly in the Norman Style. It contains tombs of several prelates; amongst which one to Bishop Bancroft, with an epitaph by Bishop Louth to the memory of his daughter. There is a district church at Wheatley, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, value £250, also in the patronage of the bishop. There is a theological college, founded by Dr. Wilberforce, the present prelate, and a foundation school at Wheatley, with an endowment of £45 per annum. The parochial charities produce about £50, exclusive of the school endowment. Cuddesden gives name to a deanery, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Oxford. The Earl of Macclesfield is lord of the manor."

"CHIPPENHURST, (or Chippinghurst), a hamlet in the parish of Cuddesden, hundred of Bullingdon, in the county of Oxford, 6 miles S.E. of Oxford."

[The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]