ShiptonUnderWychwood, Oxfordshire

Location and general description

Main Street in Shipton-under-Wychwood

A Cotswold village on the southern side of the valley of the river Evenlode 1Km east of Milton-under-Wychwood, Oxon., and 2Km upstream of Ascott-under-Wychwood, Oxon. Shipton-under-Wychwood is about 8Km NNE of Burford, Oxon.

Buildings

Church of St Mary the Virgin

People

The JORDAN family

The JORDAN family of Burford, Oxon., owned land in Shipton.

A selection of monuments at St Marys

The GODFREY plaque

Near this place lieth the Body
of WILLIAM GODFREY of Holwell Gent.
who was buried March 31^st
1706 Aged 71
Likewise ye Body of JOHN GODFREY
of Milton Gent. Who was buried
October 13^th 1714: Aged 58
Also the body of MARY the wife of
THOMAS GODFREY of Milton Gent.
Who was buried August the 11^th
1736: Aged 37
And MARY ANNA and JANE
Her daughters. Both Infants.
Mr THOMAS GODFREY of Hailey
Late of Milton Gent. was
buried November ye 2^d
1747 Aged 51.

The DAVENPORT plaque

Near this place lyeth ye body of
Mrs ANN FOX DAVENPORT late Wife
of CHRISTOPHER DAVENPORT, Gent
and eldest Daughter of
RICHARD WILLYS Knt. & Bard deceased
who dyeth the 2[?]st day of MARCH Ann Dnj 1[7?]03
And in ye [4?]2 year of her age
And
Ye body of Mrs Ann DAVENPORT
their Daughter who dyed the
21st day of May Ano Dnj 1699
and in the 10th year of her age
Near this place lyeth also ye bocy
of CHRISTOPHER DAVENPORT
who dyed the 5th day of December
Anno Domini 1714
Aged [5?]7 years

The MORGAN bale tomb

About 3 Yards East of Church, this is a Grade II listed monument. The inscription on the eastern end appears to be "In Memory / of Henry son of / Henry Morgan who / Departed [y?] [?]ife Feb Ye / 19th 1739 in [55?] Year of / his age." I suspect this relates to the Henry MORGAN of Bruern Grange (1 Km NW of Milton under Wychwood) who left a will in 1739 (proved 1740, National Archives ref. PROB 11/702). The lower inscription on the northern face is in memory of "Henry Morgan Gent: Originally / from Fairford Hill [?]f Southill who on ye 23 of June / 172[looked like 7 but from a photo it looks like it could be 5] Die[?].” An inscription at Painswick, on the tomb of Mary HEAVEN reads
"In Memory of Mary the Widow of Richard Heaven of Minchinhampton Gent
Eldest Daughter of Henry Morgan of Southill Gent.
Descended of the Morgans of Fairford in this County
who departed this life the 4th day of February 1743
Aged 64 years" [source:Painswick Tombstone Conservation Project, (http://www.painswicketc.org.uk: accessed 3 Sep 2011); http://www.painswicketc.org.uk/tombs/archive/t376.htm.]
Outside the end of the Corpus Christi Chapel at the church of St Mary in Fairford, stands a group of three listed tombs of the MORGAN family, one of which, a single story bale tomb, shows noticeable stylistic parallels to this tomb. Bigland and Bigland state that these Fairford MORGANs descend from one John MORGAN of the Tredegar MORGAN family [An account of the parish of Fairford in ... Gloucester: with a ... description of the stained glass in the ... church and engravings of ancient monuments, Ralph Bigland and Richard Bigland, 1791, pg. 15]. On the west face, this tomb bears an armorial shield with a gryphon segreant, consistent with the arms of MORGAN of Tredegar (i.e. or, a gryphon segreant sable).

Monument to Sir John Reade (c1721-1773) and his wife Hariett

Left side

Right side

Sacred to the Memory
Of Sir John Reade Baronet
He possessed
That which was to himself and others
More valuable
Than an ample fortune or any titles,
Domestic Virtues,
A Heart constant
In undisclosed professions
Of friendship and affection
In the plain unaffected Strictness
Of true honour,
To the deserving and Industrious Poor,
Beneficent,
To the High and Example,
To his Servants, Children, and Consosort,
Humane and tender
In a long trial of severe illness
Patient and resigned
To the Author of all things.
In his Life loved and honoured,
In his death lamented.
His Widow with tears of Gratitude
Erected this monument.
He Died November 9th 1773
Aged 52.

Sacred
to the memory
of DAME HARIETT READE.
Relict of the above sir John Reade Bart
who died on the 23rd December, 1811,
in the 85th year of her age.

Her ladyship
was the only issue
of William Barker, Esq're
of Sunning in the county of Berks;
and by her decease that ancient family
became extinct.

Her long life was distinguished
by active munificence
and her benefactor at her death
to this,
and her native parish of Sunning.
Will be gratefully and affectionately
remembered by the poor.

Monument to Sir John Reade (c1762-1789)

SACRED
To the memory of Sir John Reade Baronet who departed this Life Nov'r 18th 1789 Aged 27 Years
Also of two infant & twin Daughters Harriet & Louisa, one of whom died a few days before him
And the other survived but a few Months.
He Married Jane Daughter of Sir Chandos Hoskyns Baronet, of Harewood in the County of
Hereford, by whom he has left two sons John & George, and one Daughter Julia surviving.
He posess'd, in an eminent degree, each social and Domestic Virtue, and was adorn'd by an uncommon sweetness
of Manners which where peculiarly his own.
In CHARITY: he son conspicuous, nit only supplying the wants of the Poor and Indignent with a secret and
Liberal hand, but manifesting in the sublimest acceptation of the words Universal Benevolence.
THRO' the Melancholy trial of a lingering Disorder he remained perfectly resign'd and tho' withdrawn from this
Life at so early an Age, he had greatly distinguish'd himself, as an affectionate
HUSBAND, tender PARENT, and lenient MASTER.
This sad and painful memorial of her beloved Husband is erected by his disconsolate Widow who tho' ever
Deploring her irreparable Loss, is resign'd to the will of Heaven, and supported by the
Glorious expectation of Reunion in the Mansions of the Blessed.

Slab to Dame Mary Reade (c1627-1703)

Dame Mary Relict
of S'r COMPTON READ of Shipton
in the County of Oxon Bar't & Eldest
Daughter of S'r GILBERT CORNEWALL
Baron of Burford in ye County of Salop
died ye 26th of April 1703
Aged 76 years
Impaled arms decorate the slab, those for CORNEWALL being a lion ramp. on a field ermine, within a bordure engrailed bezantee

Monument to five members of the Reade family

In Memory
of
Dame Elizabeth Reade
Widow of
S^r Edward Reade Bar^t
Who Died
Sep^r the 13^th 1730
Aged 69

In Memory
of
Mrs Mary Farmer
Daughter of
Dame Eliz^th Reade
by her
Second Husband
Henry Farmer Esq^r
Who died
Feb^r the 14^th 1719
Aged 17

In Memory
of
Jane Reade
Wife of
George Reade Esq
Who Died
July the 24^th 1756
Aged 55

In Memory
of
the Honb^le
George Reade Esq^r
Lieut General of
His Majestys Forces
who died
March 28^th 1756
Aged 69

In Memory
of
Sr Thos Reade Bar.
First Clerk
of the Green Cloth to his
Majesty King George
the Second
Who Died Sep^r the 25^th
1752.
Aged 69.

There are coats of arms above each of these inscriptions as shown below, the whole beneath a crest of a falcon with wings expanded proper, belled and on something resembling a log.
Dame Elizabeth READE
On a lozenge impaled:

gules, a saltier or between four garbs, bearing an inescutcheon arg. with a hand gules (the arms of Ulster and badge of a British baronet);
or, a fess dancetty ermine between ten billets, arranged four in chief, six in base.

Berry [Vol 2, REA] gives "Reade, or Read, [Hertfordshire, and Barton, Berkshire,] gu. a saltier, betw. four garbs or. —Crest, a falcon, with wings expanded, ppr. belled or, statant on a reed, lying fessewise, vert.
Berry [Vol 2, HAR] gives "Harby, [Aldenham, Hertfordshire; Adston and Astley, Northamptonshire,] gu. a fesse, dancettee, erm. betw. ten billets ar. four in chief and six in base.—Crest, a demi eagle, erased, with wings expanded sa. bezantee.
Mrs Mary FARMER
On a lozenge argent, a fesse sable, between three lions' heads erased, gules.
Berry [Vol 2, FAR] gives "Farmer, [Easton-Neston, Northamptonshire,] ar. a fesse sa. betw. three lions' heads, erased, gu."
Jane READE [nee NOWES]
George Reade was M.P. for Tewkesbury, Glos., born 1687, and his wife Jane was daughter of Charles NOWES of Wood Ditton, Cambridgeshire, a place in which the SECKER family of Widford held property.
On an escutcheon impaled:

gules, a saltier or between four garbs, with inescutcheon in pretence vairy of gules and of argent;
vairy of gules and of argent.

George Reade
Arms as for his wife, Jane READE above.
Sir Thomas Reade, Baronet
On an escutcheon impaled:
Gules, a saltier or between four garbs, bearing an inescutcheon arg. with a hand gules (the arms of Ulster and badge of a British baronet)
Quarterly, Ar. and gu.; in the second and third quarters a fret or.
Dutton (Baron sherborne) bore quarterly, ar. and gu. in the second and third quarters a fret or, a crescent for diff. [Burke & Burke 1844, DUV ]

Monument to Elizabeth (1782-1832)

[Unfortunately not that clear on the picture]
Juxta requiescit
in Christo resurgenae spe
Elizabetha ???? natu secund?
Joseph ??????MORI ?????????r ton super montem
???gro Leicesterensi Vicarii
Nata IXth Julii MDCCLXXXII mortem obitt VIth Aprilis
MDCCCXXXII
Vixit proba et pia,
Benevola erga alios,
Immemor sui.

Monument to Simon Wisdom

To the
Memory of
Simon Wisdom Esq.
who Died y^e 9^th of Apr^l
1777.
Aged 54.

Slab for Ann, wife of Robert Clarke

In Memory of
Ann Wife of Robert Clarke
Gent: who departed this life Sep
17^th Aⁿ Dⁱ: 1693
Aged 47 Years

Slab for Ann, daughter of Thomas Clarke

ANNE Eldest Daughter of
THOMAS CLARKE Gent.
and of HANNAH his Wife
Died the 10^th of July 1722
Aged 16 Years

Slab for Hannah Brooked

Sacred
to the Memory of
HANNAH BROOKES
of London who
Died February
the 3^rd 1780 Aged
52 Years

Bibliography

Berry, William. 1828. Encyclopaedia heraldica or complete dictionary of heraldry. Wood, Gilbert and Piper.
Burke, John & Bernard Burke. 1844. Encyclopaedia of heraldry: or General armory of England, Scotland, and Ireland, comprising a registry of all armorial bearings from the earliest to the present time, including the late grants by the College of arms. London: Henry G. Bohn