Great Milton

History

The toponym appears to refer to the "Middle Town" of a group.

The Domesday Book of 1086 records that Remigius de Fécamp, Bishop of Lincoln held a large estate of 31 hides of land at Great Milton. The estate had presumably belonged to the Diocese of Dorchester, of which Remigius had been consecrated bishop in 1070. The see of Dorchester had been absorbed into that of Lincoln in 1072, and Remigius had been translated to Lincoln as bishop of the newly united diocese.

The Domesday Book lists two water mills in the parish. By the time of the Hundred Rolls in 1279 there was a third watermill and in about 1500 there was a fourth mill. There is no known subsequent record of the third and fourth mills, but both of the others seem to have survived until the 17th and in at least on case the 18th century. By the 19th century both mills were disused. In 1322 there was at least one windmill in the parish, and possibly two. The parish still had two windmills in 1838 and about 1900.

In 1762 a fire destroyed 16 houses in the village.

By 1822 the parish had at least three public houses: the Bell, the Bull and the Red Lion.

Parish church

The nave and chancel of the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary were built shortly after the Norman Conquest of England. The building was damaged by fire in the 13th century. During the 14th century the chancel was enlarged and the north and south aisles were added. At this time the church served a parish including the villages of Chilworth Valery and Chilworth Muzzard, the hamlets of Combe and Little Milton, and the manor of Ascot. In 1850 St. Mary's was restored at a cost of £2,000.

In 1552 St. Mary's had four bells plus a Sanctus bell, and in 1631 Ellis I Knight of Reading, Berkshire supplied a ring of five bells. Ellis II & Henry III Knight recast two of the bells in 1673 and Thomas Rudhall of Gloucester recast three more in 1771. Thomas Rudhall of Gloucester cast a further bell in 1772 and William Taylor cast a further bell in 1848, presumably at his Oxford bell-foundry. W. & J. Taylor also cast the present Sanctus bell, which dates from 1825.

St. Mary's has a church clock that was made in 1699 by Nicholas Harris of Fritwell.

Amenities

The village has a Church of England Primary School, a public house, the Bull Inn, and a post office and general store. The manor house is now the French chef Raymond Blanc's restaurant and hotel, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons.

Notable residents

Sports

The village was also the original base of Great Milton Hockey Club, a mixed-sex field hockey team that plays annually in the Oxfordshire Gladiators' Cup.