Coordinates: 51°44′05″N 1°19′57″W / 51.73461°N 1.33239°W
| Cumnor | |
  Cumnor
Cumnor shown within Oxfordshire |
|
| District | Vale of White Horse |
|---|---|
| Shire county | Oxfordshire |
| Ceremonial county | Oxfordshire |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | OXFORD |
| Postcode district | OX2 |
| Dialling code | +44-1865 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Oxford West and Abingdon |
| List of places: UK • England • Oxfordshire | |
Cumnor is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is located west of Oxford. The parish of Cumnor includes Cumnor Hill, (a ribbon development between Cumnor village and Botley), Chawley (at the top of Cumnor Hill), the Dean Court area on the edge of Botley and the outlying settlements of Chilswell, Farmoor and Swinford. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 5,503[1].
The village is about two miles west of Botley and its centre is situated to the west of the A420 road to Swindon.
Contents |
Amenities
Cumnor has two public houses, the Vine and the Bear and Ragged Staff. It also has a newsagent, a butcher, a hairdresser and a post office/greengrocery. There are three churches: St Michael's (C. of E., in the centre of the village), a United Reformed Church (Leys Road) and Living Stones Christian Fellowship (meeting in the Primary School), all of which have regular services.
The village has thriving football and cricket clubs, both located on Appleton Road.
Cumnor Primary School has produced many distinguished pupils, who have attended schools such as Abingdon School, Magdalen College School, Oxford High School for Girls, Our Lady's Abingdon and the School of St Helen and St Katharine in Abingdon. The local state secondary school is Matthew Arnold School.
Notable residents, as of October 2008, include novelist Philip Pullman[2] and celebrity chef Sophie Grigson.[3]
History
Cumnor was first mentioned in 931 as Cumanoran. The name is of Old English origin, and appears to mean 'Hillside of a man named Cuma'[4].
In Saxon and medieval times the parish was one of the largest in Berkshire, and included Wytham, Seacourt, North Hinksey, South Hinksey and Wootton.
In Elizabethan times, Cumnor Place became notorious as the scene of the death, if not the murder, of Amy Robsart, the wife of Robert, Lord Dudley. The house was pulled down in 1810, it is said because her ghost gave the locals so much trouble.
See also
- Henry Brooke, Baron Brooke of Cumnor (1903–1984)
- Ruth Deech, Baroness Deech of Cumnor (born 1943)
- Cumnor Hurst
References
- ^ 2001 Census Neighbourhood Statistics
- ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article494636.ece
- ^ http://archive.oxfordmail.net/2007/3/1/135690.html
- ^ Mills, A.D. and Room, A. Dictionary of British Place-Names Oxford University Press
External links
- Cumnor Parish Record from the Bodleian Library, Oxford University
- Victoria County History of Berkshire
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