The History of Hethe Roman Catholic Church (Oxfordshire)

After centuries of local Catholics being forced to practice their faith in the Fermor family's chapel at Tusmore, or nearby Hardwick Hall/Manor House, Hethe finally had its own chapel (Holy Trinity) completed in 1832, following the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 (which gave Catholic citizens more rights than they'd had previously).

Father Alfred Maguire was given the task of providing a building which could accommodate upto 300 people, and the cost (£800) was raised chiefly due to the efforts of locals.

The brand new church opened its doors for the congregation on 22nd May 1832. An early visitor and admirer of the chapel was Lady Arundell of Wardour, who did her best to obtain an oak altar for it, but sadly did not succeed in her mission.

The graveyard land was acquired a couple of years after the chapel plot, with the first burial on the site taking place in 1836.

Holy Trinity was only the fourth chapel to be built in Oxfordshire following the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1791, which essentially gave Catholics official permission to practice their religion openly, without fear of persecution.

Inside the chapel are stained glass windows dedicated to various members of the Collingridge family, whom you may remember from some of my previous posts; they were probably designed by Francis Barnett, who married a woman from the Collingridge family in 1838.

In June 1857, the Honourable Bryan Stapleton of The Grove, Richmond, married Mary Helen Alicia Dolman (only daughter of J. T. Dolman, Esquire) of Souldern at Holy Trinity.

In 1952, the Reverend H. Connick conducted a memorial service in honour of the late King George in the chapel. 

(Photograph courtesy of 'oxfordlmsrep').

Popular posts from this blog

The History of Long Crendon (Buckinghamshire)

Image
THE HISTORY OF LONG CRENDON Situated roughly 12 miles from Bicester, just over the border in Buckinghamshire, is the village of Long Crendon. It was so-named due to the shape of the village ('long'), and 'Crendon' is an Old English term, meaning 'Creoda's Hill'. Fun fact: the nearby village of Grendon Underwood was also once known simply as 'Crendon'! Therefore, it is possible that the 'long' part was added in order to distinguish between the two!  In 1218, the village was awarded a Royal Charter, giving official permission for a weekly market to be held there. During this period, Long Crendon was quite famous, as it was one of only two locations in the whole of England (the other being the nearby town of Aylesbury) where needles were manufactured! Later on, the Charter was rescinded, leading to the market being moved to Thame. The village church, dedicated to St Mary, was originally built sometime during the 12th century, although it has und...
Read more

The History of Grove Farmhouse, Beckley (Oxfordshire)

Image
Dated 1729, Grove Farmhouse is situated in the village of Beckley, on the edge of Otmoor. It was a cattle and dairy farm throughout its history, and its owners provided jobs to many local agricultural labourers.  In March 1867, a notice appeared in a local newspaper, requesting that anyone having any demands upon the estate of Mr William Denchfield Parrott of Grove Farm should contact his solicitor, Mr Davenport of Oxford. In November 1889, Mr William Henry Hall - brother of Mr Edward Pinniger Hall of Grove Farm, Beckley - was elected as Mayor of Aldeburgh-on-Sea, Suffolk. During the 1890's, the farmhouse was occupied by the Shrimpton family; on 7th June 1891, 4 year old Louisa Mary Shrimpton sadly passed away at the property. Louisa appears to have been the daughter of John Shrimpton (born 1857 in Great Haseley, the son of John Shrimpton and Mary Louisa Hatwell) and his wife Louisa Mary Tirrell (born 1858 in Woodeaton, the daughter of Thomas Tirrell and Susannah Shaw). The second ...
Read more

The History of Manor Farm/Hardwick Hall, Hardwick (Oxfordshire)

Image
Manor Farm in Hardwick (also known as Hardwick Hall) was built sometime between 1580 and 1643 by Sir Richard Fermor, the then Lord of the Manor.  The Fermors leased the house to the Day family in the 18th century, and between 1793 and 1812, the property was occupied by the Collingridge family. Hidden inside the house is a priest hole, which were relatively common in large houses in days gone by! In May 1932, the fire brigade were called out to the house, as two corn ricks and one straw rick in a rickyard close to the Manor were ablaze. Thankfully, the fire was extinguished, resulting in no damage being done to the house; it was then in the possession of Mr Vivian-Smith of nearby Tusmore House, although the Manor itself was unoccupied at this time. Tusmore and Hardwick had a large percentage of Roman Catholics, who would worship at the Fermor family's chapel at Tusmore House, as well as in the attic of Hardwick Hall! The Fermors, along with the other tenants of the manor house, were...
Read more