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The village is situated at a crossroads in a valley through which meander the
river Cherwell and the Oxford Canal. Cropredy became famous during the Civil War
when King Charles’ army was travelling north from Oxford. Parliamentary troops
under General Waller intercepted the Royalists by the river and a battle took
place. Charles won the day and was able to cross Cropredy Bridge. Some of the
soldiers who were killed in the battle were buried in the churchyard. There are,
to this day, bloodstains on the vestry floor, where a young messenger was
killed. The lectern was thrown into the river for safekeeping and was not
recovered for some 30 years after the battle. A foot in the form of a lion was
missing and this was replaced in bronze, but when the lectern was cleaned it was
found to be made of brass. The lectern to this day has one bronze and two brass
feet. Armour from the battle was left on display in the church. School children
would polish the armour and learn all about the battle, up until the mid 1980s
when the armour was stolen.
Many years ago a gentleman was walking home across the fields when a fog came
down and he was lost, then he heard Cropredy church curfew bell and realised
where he was. So thankful was he that he gave the land now known as Bell Land so
that the rent from it could pay the Cropredy bell ringer. The curfew bell was
always rung at 6 am to awaken workers, at 12 noon calling the workers in from
the fields for dinner and at 8 pm. One story tells how the poor ringer on a very
frosty, slippery morning crawled to the church with the aid of sacks tied around
his legs only to find he had left the key behind. Cropredy is one of the very
few places in England where the curfew is still rung regularly. This is on
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings.
The canal opened in 1790 when barges carried coal, corn, stone, bricks and other
items. There were two wharfs. Today the canal has a new leisure use for numerous
pleasure boats, a canoe club and, of course, fishermen. Competitions take place
and children still get much pleasure from fishing in both the river and canal.
When winters were colder and the canal used to freeze, many workers and school
children would skate on the canal to Banbury. The last time when the ice was
thick enough for this was in the winter of 1963/4.
A highlight of those far off days was Banbury Fair, when children had two days
holiday from school. Children were also allowed out of school when the hounds
started off from the village green. It was exciting to see ladies riding
side-saddle and gentlemen in red coats and top hats. The children would follow
as far as they dare but had to be back in school by 1.30 pm or the cane might be
administered!
The village has two village greens. The main one at one time stretched down to
the river and was surrounded by a manor house and thatched cottages. A red
horse-chestnut tree stands in the centre and this was planted to commemorate
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. The village stores on the green recently
closed and is now an antiques shop, and there is also a craft shop and
blacksmith on the site of the old smithy and wheelwright’s premises. There are
two inns, the Brasenose and Red Lion, and a village stores on the banks of the
canal. Adjoining the second village green is the Methodist chapel built over 100
years ago by Thomas Cherry, whose descendants still have a builder’s yard and
offices in the village.
The beautiful church of St Mary the Virgin, parts of which date back to the 11th
century, was known as the Mother Church for Wardington, Great and Little Bourton,
Mollington and Claydon until the 1860s. Next to it stood a large 17th century
vicarage with many stables and outbuildings. Unfortunately this lovely building
was sold in 1964 and in its place two blocks of bed-sitter flats were built.
Eleven modern houses and bungalows were built on the rest of the gardens.
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