Everything about Burford totally explained
Burford is a
Cotswold town in
Oxfordshire,
England,
United Kingdom. It lies about 30 kilometres west of
Oxford on the
River Windrush and is a popular centre for
tourists who visit the Cotswolds, with many
antique shops on the main street. The name derives from the
Old English words
burh meaning fortified town or hilltown and
ford meaning
ford (crossing).
Community
Burford Priory stands on the site of a small
Augustinian hospital. It is a fine example of Cotswold Jacobethan domestic architecture, formerly the home of
William Lenthall,
Speaker of the House of Commons in the
Long Parliament, who purchased the estate in
1637. The house and later the
chapel were restored for the
philanthropist E.J. Horniman, M.P., after 1912 by the architect
Walter Godfrey. Today it houses The Priory of Our Lady, a community of
Anglican Benedictine monks and
nuns.
Burford is home to the
Blue Cross National Animal Welfare Charity. 'The
Cotswold Wildlife Park' is also located near Burford, approximately 2 miles South down the A361 towards
Lechlade.
Burford County Primary School is the town's
primary school and is located in Priory Lane, and
Burford School, a mixed
comprehensive school /
secondary school, is also found in the town.
Burford was recently
twinned with
Potenza Picena, a small town in the
Marche, on the East
Adriatic coast of
Italy. Links are growing with many groups in the town including the school, football team and church.
Burford has a
fete every summer, involving the children from the primary school. There is a procession (including a dragon) down the high street to the school, where there are stalls and games.
Burford is the home of the duly named 'Burford Golf Club' located less than 100 yards from the Buford roundabout (on the A361 turn-off; towards Lechlade). The course itself is separated by the A361 having 9 holes on each side.
Burford has many
hotels,
restaurants and
public houses all within walking distance of each other, they include:
Burford House Hotel,
Burford Lodge Hotel & Restaurant,
The Cotswold Gateway,
The Lamb Inn,
The Bay Tree,
The Highway,
The Royal Oak,
The Mermaid,
The Angel,
The Cotswold Arms,
The Golden Pheasant,
The Bull,
The Aziz (Indian),
The Dragon Inn (Chinese)
Burford Garden Company
Burford is also home to Burford Garden Company, a well-known, high quality store, its site spanning some 15 acres, stocking products for the home and garden, along with a susbstantial fresh food market and two restaurants. The shop is independent and a favorite with many of the celebrities who live in the Cotswolds area, including
Kate Moss,
Liz Hurley,
David Cameron,
Gary Barlow and
Kate Winslett and members of the critically acclaimed rock band
Radiohead.
The Arts
Burford has a strong selection of retail art galleries offering a wide range of art works and is ideally placed for people travelling out from London. Of note are the Wren Gallery, Salt Gallery, Brian Sinfield Gallery & Stone Gallery and also the Vintage Arts Gallery at Burford Garden Company on the
A40 road.
History
In
1649, the church was used as a prison (during the
English Civil War), when the
New Model Army Banbury mutineers were held there. Some of the 340 prisoners left carvings and
grafitti, which can still be found in the church.
Between the
14th century and the
17th century Burford was important for its
wool. The
Tolsey is located in the centre of Burford's High Street; this was once the centre of the local wool trade. Today, the
Tolsey is home to a museum.
The town centre features some houses dating from the
15th century. Its most notable building, however, is the
parish church dedicated to
St. John, which is known for its
merchants'
guild chapel, Red Indian memorial and Kempe glass. The parish church is located at
Ordnance Survey mapping six-figure grid reference
SP 253124
The Easter Synod
For many years before the
7th century a strife had raged between the ancient British Church and the
Roman Catholic Church respecting the question "When should
Easter Day be kept?" The
Britons adhered to the rule laid at the Council of
Arles, A.D. 314, that Easter Day should be the 14th day of the
Paschal moon, even if it were on a Sunday. The Roman Church had decided that when the 14th day of the Paschal moon was a Sunday, Easter Day should be the Sunday after;
Computus. Various
Synods were held in different parts of the kingdom with the object of settling this controversy, and one was held for this object at Burford in A.D. 685. We may deduce from the fact of the Synod being held at Burford, that the Britons in some numbers had settled in the town and neighbourhood. This Synod was attended by
Æthelred, King of
Mercia, and his nephew Berthwald (who had been granted the Southern part of his uncle's kingdom); Theodore,
Archbishop of Canterbury; Borel,
Bishop of Worcester; Sexwulph,
Bishop of Lichfield;
Aldhelm, Abbot of Malmsbury; and many others.
Aldhelm was ordered at this conference to write a book against the error of the Britons in the observance of Easter. At this Synod Berthwald gave 40 cassates of land to Aldhelm who afterwards became Bishop of Shereborne. According to Spelman, the notes of the Synod were published in A.D. 705.
The Golden Dragon
Malmesbury and other chroniclers give accounts of a battle fought in Burford in 752 AD. The battle waged long and bloody. All day the arrows strewed the ground with wounded and dying men, while the Saxon battle-axe and the spiked mace played their terrible part in the conflict. The slaughter was enormous and in the end
Æthelhum the mighty standard-bearer who carried the flag with the golden
dragon emblazoned upon it was killed by the lance of his Saxon rival. As noted in the
Anglo Saxon Chronicles "A.D 752. This year
Cuthred, king of the
West Saxons, in the 12th year of his reign, fought at Burford, against
Æthelbald king of the Mercians, and put him to flight."
Camden thus tells the tale, "
Isis now and then overflowing, the lower grounds receives its first addition from the
Windrush, which, flowing out of the Cotteswold, salutes Burford standing on the banks of it, in Saxon Beorgford, where Cuthred, king of the West Saxons, then tributary to the Mercians, not being able to endure any longer the cruelty and base exactions of king Æthelbald, met him in the open field with an army and beat him, taking his standard, which was a portraiture of a golden dragon." The origin of the golden dragon standard is most likely that of
Uther Pendragon, the father of
King Arthur of which Geoffrey of Monmouth says "Mindful of the explanation given by Merlin of the star about which I've told you, he ordered two Dragons to be fashioned in gold, in the likeness of the one which he'd seen in the ray which shone from that star. As soon as the Dragons had been completed this with the most marvellous craftsmanship - he made a present of one of them to the congregation of the cathedral church of the see of Winchester. The second one he kept for himself, so that he could carry it around to his wars."
It would appear that the anniversary of this battle was annually celebrated by the good folk of Burford, to keep alive wholesome remembrance of the glorious tradition of the golden dragon of the Britons, for
William Camden, in describing other festivals, says, "There has been a custom in the town of making a great dragon yearly, and carrying it up and down the streets in great jollity on midsummer eve". In addition to the dragon they also carried a
giant. The field of engagement is called
Battle Edge to this day.
On 21st November, 1814, a large
freestone sarcophagus was discovered near to Battle Edge 3 feet below the surface, weighing 16 cwt with the feet pointing almost due South. The cavity is 6 feet in length and 2 feet 2 inches in breadth. On examination it was found to contain the remains of a human body, possibly the mighty Æthelhum, and portions of a leathern
cuirass studded with metal nails. The skeleton was found in near perfect state due to the exclusion of air from the sarcophagus and tomb is now preserved in Burford Church.
"Whose fame is in that dark green tomb? Four stones with their heads of moss stand there. They mark the narrow house of death. Some chief of fame is here! Raise the songs of old! Awake their memory in the tomb." Ossian
Trivia
- The fictional GI Joe character Big Ben is from Burford.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Burford'.
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