Noke is a small village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Oxford. It is on the southeast edge of Otmoor and is one of the "Seven Towns of Otmoor". The toponym is derived from Old English and means "at the oak trees".[2] The parish still has two woodlands: Prattle Wood about 500 yards (460 m) southwest of the village, and Noke Wood about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the southeast.
| Noke | |
|---|---|
 Montage of Noke, Oxfordshire | |
  Noke Location within Oxfordshire | |
| Area | 4.91 km2 (1.90 sq mi) |
| Population | 136 (2021 census)[1] |
| • Density | 28/km2 (73/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SP5514 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | OXFORD |
| Postcode district | OX3 |
| Dialling code | 01865 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
History
editChurch
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There was a church at Noke at least by 1191,[3] when a priest was first recorded. The present Church of England parish church of Saint Giles dates from approximately 1270 and the list of rectors starts in 1272.
The building comprises a small nave and chancel, with a small bell-cote above the western gable and a south porch, and is primarily in the Early English Gothic style with many repairs and alterations through the years. Both the chancel with its double lancet window in the south wall and the chancel arch are probably 13th-century.[3] On either side of the arch are two 14th- or 15th-century niches. At the end of the 16th century a mortuary chapel was added by Joan Bradshaw for the Winchcombe family on the north side of the church, but in 1745 the chapel was in a ruinous condition and was demolished.[2][4] Further repairs took place in the 18th and 19th century; the last restoration was undertaken by the Oxford architect William Wilkinson (1819–1901).[3]
19th-century enclosure
editFrom the 1820s local landowners attempted to enclose and drain Otmoor. The agricultural workers of the area resisted this, tearing down fences and destroying drainage works.[5] The dispute was recorded in the poem 'I went to Noke but nobody spoke' ,[6] which relates how agents were paid to visit the villages and find out the names of the persons involved in the night raids:
I went to Noke
But nobody spoke;
I went to Thame,
It was just the same;
Burford and Brill
Were silent and still,
But I went to Beckley
And they spoke directly.
School
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During the 18th century there was no school in Noke, although by 1833 there was a Sunday school with 18 pupils.[7]
In 1863 Noke Parochial School was built on land belonging to the Duke of Marlborough, by the Revd. John Carlyle who endowed it in the same year with £200. In 1871 the average attendance was 18.[7]
From 1904, when the County Council assumed responsibility for the school. The school was reorganized for junior pupils only in 1931, when the seniors were transferred to Gosford Hill and Marston. In 1946 the school was closed.[7] It is now a private house.
Public houses
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There are no written records of public houses in Noke before 1800. In the 1840s there was a public house called the Marlborough Arms, but by 1955 there was one inn called The Plough.[7] There are currently no public houses in the village.
Notable people
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Victorian painter William Logsdail lived in Noke from 1922 to 1944, and is commemorated by a blue plaque on his former home.
As of 2020, the writer, actor and director Simon Evans lives in Noke.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Noke: Households by deprivation dimensions". censusdata.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ a b Lobel 1959, pp. 268–276.
- ^ a b c "Noke : St Giles". Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "The History of the Church of St.Giles Noke". St Giles, Noke. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ Bloxham, Christine (21 July 2006). "The Otmoor riots". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "Poem: I went to Noke by Anonymous". www.poetrynook.com. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Parishes: Noke". British History Online. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Simon Evans on BBC lockdown drama Staged and Oxford Playhouse fundraiser starring Stephen Fry, Marcus Brigstocke, Lucy Porter & Rachel Parris". Ox In A Box. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
Sources
edit- Lobel, Mary D, ed. (1959). A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 6. Victoria County History. pp. 268–272.
- Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). Oxfordshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 717–718. ISBN 0-14-071045-0.
External links
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Media related to Noke, Oxfordshire at Wikimedia Commons
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