Genealogy Notes for the Town of Burford,
Oxfordshire
A
miscellany of pictures and data arising out of research into the
KIRBY's family trees (but not all linked to them). This is a work in progress so please treat the data with
appropriate caution.
For related information see
www.the-kirbys.org.uk,
Ancestor List,
Place Index and
Wills Index
Burford high street
contains many old and interesting buildings so it pays to lift your
eyes above street level. The character of the street changes
dramatically between the top and the bottom of the hill. The town has
long been an important convergance of routes and crossing place for the
Windrush, hence many of these are former inns. In 1809, it was
commented that the local Cotswold stonebrash was broken for turn-pike
roads and made exceedingly good ones (Board of Agriculture, 1809, 4).
From
1751 to 1813, Mr Thomas Huntley's Hillside Academy was claimed to be
one of the most important Quaker schools in Southern England.
In
1758 the village was hit by a particularly severe outbreak of smallpox.
Joan Moody, in her booklet on the outbreak, notes that the only account
she had available to her was one published in 1897 (Moody 1998, 5).
However, the following account comes from a letter to the editor of the
New Monthly Magazine (dated 22 Aug 1817), from one Richard Moyle, a
Member of the Royal Collage of Surgeons, London.
“About the year 1757, the small pox broke out in Burford, Oxfordshire,
occasioned, as was generally supposed, by some infected clothes being
sent thither from London. It raged with all the Fury of a plague from
a short time after Michaelmas till near Midsummer following; during
which interval it was computed to have carried off upwards of 900 of the
inhabitants. In consequence of the disease the market was suspended,
the country people not venturing to attend it. The provisions were left
with the prices affixed at some distance from the town, whence the
town’s people fetched them, leaving the money in their place, which was suffered to
remain some time exposed to the air to prevent the extension of the
disease. It carried off in many instance? whole families; so that, on a
moderate calculation, considerably more than one half of the population of
the town was swept away” (Moyle 1817, 189-90). Joan Moody’s analysis of
the parish registers found only 247 deaths recorded in total for that
year, though that was considerably up on the average for that century
of about 39 a year (Moody 1998, 31). Further analysis would be needed
to identify if there was evidence of non-reporting on the scale implied
by the 1817 report. The aforesaid rags were probably destined for one
of the local paper-mills at Widford or Upton.
In
1809, Burford, which is generally on a stone-brash soil, had been
enclosed only 13 years earlier; but there was a large tract of
heath-land, which was 'still of a more loose and hollow quality, and
which demands a more attentive management. On this land, the layers are
always pared and burnt ; but not on the brash, because too stony for
the operation.' (Board of Agriculture, 1809, 6).
The Lime trees that form such a prominant feature in Burford's upper high street
were planted in 1874 (according to a display in Burford Museum).
Buildings
Sheep Street
The
Lamb Inn in Sheep Street gives a good idea of the importance that wool
once held for Burford. The Thomas
HATTON of Widford had property in Sheep Street
and John Jordan left property in the town.
Burford Mill
Thanks
to its long association with the wool industry Burford used to
have
several fulling mills in the vicinity of the town. One of these was on
Witney Street and is currently known as Burford
Mill (and possibly previously known as Upton Mill, see notes
on
Upton Paper Mill). The mill now
provides attractively situated self catering
holiday
accommodation. On one 
of
the main buildings there are
initials and
a date.
Guildenford Lane
Guildenford Lane runs down from the Witney Street to the bridge over
the river that serves as an entrance to a modern car park. Associated
with the MONK family.
Mary MONK,
is mentioned in the will of Elizabeth
HATTON (nee JORDAN), she married William MONK who
owned both a
Blacksmithing and a Wheelwrights businesses. William MONK left property
in the High Street together with seven cottages and garden land in
Guildenford Lane in his Will (that probably amounts to almost half of
Guildenford Lane!). The Tolsey Museum has a picture of a much
later member of the MONK family at work in a forge in the High Street.
The George Inn
The
George Inn (no longer an Inn) was an attractive and long a
established coaching inn
that stands half way up the high street. It was owned at one point by a
branch of the JORDAN family from Fulbrook, Oxon
who based themselves in Witney,
Oxon.
The Bull Inn
Another
major coaching Inn in Burford was the Bull Inn (still trading
as the Old
Bull Hotel.
During my
researches I have pieced together an assortment of information
concerning the history of the Bull Inn.
| When |
Event |
Source |
| 1658 |
Leased by Edward HEMMING |
Gretton's 'The Burford
Records' |
| 1678 |
Leased by Elinor HEMING |
ditto |
| 1692 |
Leased by Peter RICH |
ditto |
| 14 Jul 1696 |
Mentioned as the current dwelling place of Robert ASTON
Innholder of Burford. The Bull was to go to his Wife Sarah which
implies he may already have leased it |
The Will of Robert ASTON
dated 14 Jul 1696 |
| 1697 |
Leased by Robert ASTON |
Gretton's 'The Burford
Records' |
| 12 Jan 1698 |
Sale to Peter RICH of
Upton (paper
maker) |
ditto |
| Later in 1698 |
Death of Robert ASTON, under the terms of his Will
the unexpired portion of the lease passed to his Wife Sarah
(nee SOUDLEY, bur:1705) |
Parish Records for burial
(1 Aug 1698) &
probate (6
Sep 1698) |
| 1701 |
Henry TASH brother of
William TASH
married one Ann ASTON (daughter of Robert & Sarah ASTON) |
Burford Parish Records |
| 1705 |
Will of Sarah ASTON (relict of Robert ASTON) identifies
that her daughter Mary was already married to William TASH |
Probate (4 Apr
1706) |
| 1706 |
Lease to William
TASH |
Gretton's 'The Burford
Records' |
| 1707 |
Lease to William
TASH |
ditto |
| 10 Jan 1714 |
William TASH wrote a will
bequeathing
the lease of the Bull to his wife Mary (nee ASTON), or if she did not
want to take
it up then to his Brother Henry. |
Probate copy of Will (see
below) |
| 9 Sep 1718 |
Probate for the Will of
William
TASH. |
|
| 1718 |
Lease
to Henry TASH (it appears that Mary TASH was happy not to take on the
lease upon which she had first refusal, six years later she married
again to John JORDAN of Bourton-on-the-Water, c1667-1732). |
Gretton's 'The Burford
Records'
Burford parish records |
| 1735 |
Lease to Henry TASH |
ditto |
| 1791 |
John STEVENS was Innkeeper |
Universal British
Directory, 1791 |
| 27 May 1794 |
John STEVENS was Innkeeper
(when a
meeting was held in connection with enclosure) |
Gretton's 'The Burford
Records' Pg 702 |
The history of papermaking in the area and that of the Bull Inn seem to
intertwine. A Quaker family by the name
of MINCHIN operated the paper mill at Little Barrington from
1710, when William MINCHIN received the Hound Mill from his uncle
HEMMING, until at least 1800. Later George WARD, papermaker at Little
Barrington
was married to Peter RICH's daughter Mary (Harley and Holmes, Pg
4). In 1748 John TASH of Burford (almost certainly the son of the Henry
TASH who owned the Inn) married one Jane MINCHIN of Burford.
There is a mention in Quarter Sessions Records from
18th
Oct 1824 (Oxfordshire Records Office: QSD/Pr/4)
that one William WARD of Burford possessed a printing press.
Like
RICH, the names George and William WARD are feature in the history of Upton
papermill.
St John's Church
A splendid church, noted for its collections of KEMPSTER and SILVESTER
family memorials amongst others.
The Great House
The
Great House lies on the south side of Witney Street. At one time it was
the home of one of the Mrs Sophia GAST, one of the sisters
of Samuel CRISP (1707-1783) of Chessington, Surrey. Their
correspondence is preserved in The Burford Letters.
Port Mills
Throughout the 18th C two mills, known as the 'port mills' operated
just upstream of the town bridge and milling is indicated in
that
location
even on
the OS map of 1884-85. Throughout the history
of Port Mills
they were closely associated with the SILVESTER and LENTHALL families
and then passed to the BEAZLEY family. Later in their
history the
Quaker family of PADBURY were involved in the mill along with members
of the RICH and WARD families.
People
The BEESLEY family (BEESLY / BESLY / BEASLY
/
BIESLEY / BIESLY / BEEZLEY / BEEZLY / BEASLEY /
BEASLY)
The BEESLEY family were millers at Port Mills. This entry
serves to
preserve variants of their surname that I have come
across thus far. [Paragraph
added 5 May 2008]
The HOWSE family
In
1908 the artist S. M. Hodgkins painted 'The Forge' depicting the
Blacksmith Alex HOWSE at work in his forge. The picture is now on
display in the Burford Museum. According to notes displayed with
the picture (attributed to 'A.N. 23') there were forges behind two of
the towns properties (listed as 33 & 52 in the Museum's visual
index of properties). The first appears to have been near the current
site of Christmas Court and the second next to Providence Cottage and
behind Quills Books.The
HUNT family
James
HUNT was a prominant local medical man who was involved in the
development of the newly discovered method of inoculation against
Smallpox.
The JORDAN family (JURDAN, JORDAYNE, JURDIN, JORDEN, JOURDINE, GURDON)
Several JORDANs
were prominant within the town. These are gradually resolving into a
limited number of families the most significant being the
JORDANs of Witney,
Oxon,
and the
JORDANs of Fulbrook,
Oxon,
and Bourton
on the Water, Gloucs. The former is probably related to the
latter but as yet there is only circumstantial evidence. The Fulbrook
JORDANs use the arms of JORDAYNE of London and had relatives in Thames Ditton,
Surrey,
in Essex and in London. My current best guess at the interelationships
between the various Jordan's in the Burford area may be found on the JORDAN Relationships
Chart, which is based on data from wills, parish registers
and transactions listed in Records Office catalogues. [Paragraph
amended 21 Jun 2008]
One
branch of the Jordan family of Burford had family links with Leafield
during the 18thC. Edward ANSELL, a tanner in Leafield, later moved to
Burford. He was first cousin to John ANSELL and Edward ANSELL, both of
whom married JORDAN brides (daughters of John JORDAN, Son in Law of
Mary JORDAN (former wife of TASH, maiden name ASTON), Mary TASH of
Leafield was probably related as she married John GODFREY of Holwell,
Oxon, and that GODFREY family married into the ASTON family of Burford.
[Paragraph added 4 Jan 2009]
The KEMPSTER family
The KEMPSTER family
rose to fame through the activities of the stonemason Christopher
KEMPSTER, in particular on St Paul's Cathederal. His monument is in St
John's and one section of the church contains a collection
of KEMPSTER memorials. However, one Christopher KEMPSTER memorial is isolated from
the rest and located with the JORDAN and HUNT memorials.The MONK family
Mary
MONK,
is mentioned in the will of Elizabeth
HATTON (nee JORDAN), she married William MONK who
owned both a
Blacksmithing and a Wheelwrights businesses. William MONK left property
in the High Street together with seven cottages and garden land in
Guildenford Lane in his Will (that probably amounts to almost half of
Guildenford Lane!). One William MONK was a churchwarden. The Tolsey
Museum has a picture of a much
later member of the MONK family at work in a forge in the High Street.
Another MONK later to be linked with Burford was W. J. MONK
who published The History of Burford in 1891.
Related links
A selection of links to other sites with information about
this place
- Further information on Burford, together with surrounding
villages,
including interesting details concerning the church may be found on OX18 Postal Region Site.
- More details on the Bull may be found at the Old Bull
Hotel's
site.
- The Oxfordshire section of the England's
Past for Everyone has project pages devoted to Burford.
Bibliography
- Board of Agriculture and Internal Improvement, View of the Agriculture of Oxfordshire, London: Richard Phillips, 1809
- Burford Parish Registers (transcripts at Oxford Records
Office)
- Online catalogues of Oxford Records Office and Oxford Local
Studies Centre
- GRETTON, R. H., The Burford Records, Clarendon Press, MCMXX
(1920)
- FOREMAN,
William, Oxfordshire Mills, Phillimore & Co Ltd, 1983
- HARLEY, Basil & HOLMES, R. T., Paper
Making in Little
Barrington
(Tolsey Paper No
7), The Tolsey Museum, 1996
- MOODY, J. The Burford small-pox outbreak of 1758. Tolsey Pap. No. 1. The Tolsey Museum, Burford and Burford School, 1982.
- MOYLE, Richard, Original Communication. New Monthly Magazine. Vol . 8. No 45. 1 Oct 1817.
Any transcripts and images on this page are Copyright R I Kirby 2005
unless stated otherwise.
The
Lamb Inn in Sheep Street gives a good idea of the importance that wool
once held for Burford. The Thomas
HATTON of Widford had property in Sheep Street
and John Jordan left property in the town.
Thanks
to its long association with the wool industry Burford used to
have
several fulling mills in the vicinity of the town. One of these was on
Witney Street and is currently known as Burford
Mill (and possibly previously known as Upton Mill, see notes
on
Upton Paper Mill). The mill now
provides attractively situated self catering
holiday
accommodation. On one 
of
the main buildings there are
initials and
a date. 
The
George Inn (no longer an Inn) was an attractive and long a
established coaching inn
that stands half way up the high street. It was owned at one point by a
branch of the JORDAN family from Fulbrook, Oxon
who based themselves in Witney,
Oxon.
Another
major coaching Inn in Burford was the Bull Inn (still trading
as the Old
Bull Hotel.
During my
researches I have pieced together an assortment of information
concerning the history of the Bull Inn.
The
Great House lies on the south side of Witney Street. At one time it was
the home of one of the Mrs Sophia GAST, one of the sisters
of Samuel CRISP (1707-1783) of Chessington, Surrey. Their
correspondence is preserved in The Burford Letters.
James
HUNT was a prominant local medical man who was involved in the
development of the newly discovered method of inoculation against
Smallpox.
Several JORDANs
were prominant within the town. These are gradually resolving into a
limited number of families the most significant being the
JORDANs of Witney,
Oxon,
and the
JORDANs of Fulbrook,
Oxon,
and Bourton
on the Water, Gloucs. The former is probably related to the
latter but as yet there is only circumstantial evidence. The Fulbrook
JORDANs use the arms of JORDAYNE of London and had relatives in Thames Ditton,
Surrey,
in Essex and in London. My current best guess at the interelationships
between the various Jordan's in the Burford area may be found on the JORDAN Relationships
Chart, which is based on data from wills, parish registers
and transactions listed in Records Office catalogues. [Paragraph
amended 21 Jun 2008]