England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Kiddington St Nicholas

The Parish

The parish of Kiddington lies in central Oxfordshire roughly 7 miles southeast of the market town of Chipping Norton. Kiddington sits immediately north of the A44 road which links Chipping Norton with Oxford. Kiddington is an estate village, the parish is dominated by the estate of Kiddington Hall, a 17th century country house surrounded by manicured parkland designed by the famous Capability Brown. The few properties making up the estate village sit around its main entrance gates with the subsidiary settlement of Over Kiddington, a small presence on the A44. Like most estate villages the local economy too was dominated by the requirements of the Hall with a mixed farming regime applicable within the parish. Within the wider parish sits one of the linear features known as Grim's Ditches, the exact age is vague but these were probably land divisional features of possibly Iron Age, Roman or early Saxon vintage. Kiddington sits on the River Glyme which is landscaped through the estate and drains the parish southeastwards passing through the larger estate of Blenheim Palace before meeting the Evenlode which soon after joins the Thames for its long journey eastwards through the capital to the North Sea. Kiddington is sited at around 110 metres above the sea at the Hall & church in their valley setting, away from the Glyme land rises to low hills with a few spots approaching 150 metres the highest ground. Kiddington parish was typically sized for this area covering just under 1,900 acres and would have supported a population of close to 250 parishioners. In Domesday times Kiddington was also a modest rural manor held by one Hascoit Musard and offering 4 ploughs, meadows & woodland it also held a mill.

The Church

St Nicholas' church sits adjacent to the hall within the estate, it can be accessed by public rights of way from the tiny village to the east or from Over Kiddington to the south. Whilst the chancel was rebuilt in 1845 that work revealed that the origins of that feature lie back in the 12th century in the Norman Romanesque period. The bulk of the church, however, was clearly rebuilt in the early 14th century in the Decorated style and appears to have been built in a single campaign. The complicated design includes a westerly extension of the chancel including a second chancel arch, the nave also carries a large southern chapel and a southern porch and all is rounded off by its rather plain looking western tower. All of these features being early 14th century. Two phases of Victorian work have impacted the church, the eastern, apsidal, end of the chancel was that feature rebuilt in 1845 revealing the early origins whilst the second phase of 1879 added the vestry and organ chamber. The driveway to the hall and church is usually gates but it is a public right of way so parking should be sought in the small cluster of properties and the footpath followed to the church, second footpath approaches from the south off Park Road where there is also some parking. The churchyard is north of the house and is surrounded by thick belts of trees which do not allow one to get back far enough for perfect framing.