NORTH MORETON Mortun, Moretune (xi cent.); Morton, Moretone (xiii–xv cent.); Northmorton (xiii–xvii cent.).
This parish extends from the high road above Wittenham on the north to the Moreton Brook on the south. It reaches a height of about 260 ft. at the northern end. The area is 1,102 acres, of which the greater part is arable. The parish was inclosed under an Act of 1845, the award being dated 29 March 1849. The soil and subsoil are chiefly Upper Greensand, and there are some rubble-pits. The occupation is entirely agricultural. The chief crops are cereals, beans and roots, and there are several orchards.
The village lies on low ground in the south part of the parish, about half a mile off the Wantage road. The principal street of the village runs from east to west, and at its eastern end, on the south side, are the church, standing above the level of the road, and the vicarage, a red brick building, part of which, though much modernized, may be of the 16th century. It was formerly the rectory farm, and was enlarged in 1858, when an ancient doorway from Little Wittenham was inserted in the garden wall. The site of the previous vicarage is now occupied by the garden. The cottages are generally of brick or half-timber with tiled roofs, and there are some fine old tile-hung gables. Stapleton's Chantry is of 16th-century origin, or earlier, though much renovated. It had a chapel in its eastern gable, and a secret passage and chamber, or priest's hole. To the east of it was a house, lately pulled down, which contained much carved woodwork. There are almshouses erected in 1872 and a Primitive Methodist chapel built in 1874.
The village is on the line of the Roman road, now called Broadway, which enters it from the north, disappearing at the corner of the churchyard, and reappearing in a lane at the southern end of the parish. The road from Brightwell to Didcot, crossing the middle of the parish, is the Portway. Former tenements were Chetwodes, Hulbeye, Hylmans, Pymmes (xv cent.), and Beakes Place, Beckinghams, Court, Pykynge, Panninge, Walys (xvi cent.). 'Wyndmyll hyll,' a paved causeway in the village, and the pound are mentioned in the 16th century. An elm marking the parish boundary south of the village is 'Dunsomer tree.' A favourite pastime till about 1860 was 'jingling,' played in a hurdle inclosure by two men blindfold, one with a hand-bell, the other trying to catch him. The village feast is in the week following the Sunday nearest to 2 July (the Translation of St. Thomas of Canterbury). Leonel Sharp, a royal chaplain committed to the Tower on suspicion of court intrigues, was appointed to the archdeaconry and to this benefice in 1605.
'Moreton' appears among the boundaries of Hagborne in a spurious charter of king Alfred contained in the 12th-century chartulary of St. Swithun's, Winchester. Before the Conquest 10 hides at NORTH MORETON were held by a freeman who is not named; in 1086 they were one of the manors of William Fitz Corbucion and were held by one Ralf. There was a mill and a church, and five tenements in Wallingford belonged to this manor. By the time of Henry III the overlordship had passed with William's other estates in Berkshire to Thomas of Newburgh, Earl of Warwick, who died in 1242. In 1299 it belonged to Joan widow of William de Valence, and her son Aylmer de Valence held one fee here at his death in 1324, when it was assigned to Mary his widow in dower. The next mention of the overlordship is in 1419, when the manor was held of the Abbot of Dorchester by service unknown, but afterwards by service of 1 lb. of pepper annually. After the dissolution of the abbey it was held of the king in chief by knight service.
Ralf, who held the manor at the Survey, was probably Ralf Basset, for in the time of Henry III it was held by John son and heir of Henry Basset, who in 1243 obtained from Robert de Eston and his wife Margery, possibly John's mother, a quitclaim of their right in two-thirds of a fee in North Moreton. He had been succeeded before 1247 by Miles Basset, who then confirmed the title of the Archdeacon of Berkshire to the advowson.
In the same yeare he granted a messuage and 6 virgates of land to his uncle Robert Basset and his wife Alice for their lives, and this land was restored to Miles in 1268 by Robert's nieces, Blanche wife of Peter Uffinton and Joan, and by Avice wife of William Woodcote, who also released to Miles the manor of North Moreton. In 1264 Miles obtained a grant of free warren in his demesne lands in North Moreton (Norburton). Margaret daughter of Miles Basset married Nicholas de Stapleton, a judge of the King's Bench, who was holding North Moreton in 1279 and died in 1290. Miles, their son and heir, who was attached to the king's household, became possessed of the manor, which he settled in 1310 upon his second son Gilbert. He fell in 1314 at Bannockburn. Gilbert de Stapleton held the manor in 1316 and dying in 1321 it passed to his son Miles.
Stapleton. Argent a lion sable.
Agnes the widow of Sir Gilbert married Sir Thomas Sheffeld, and he presided over the manorial courts in 1333 and 1334. Sir Miles held his court here in 1350, and in 1354 he settled the manor on himself and his wife Joan and their heirs male with contingent remainder to his brother Brian and to his cousin Miles Stapleton of Hathelsay. He died in 1364, having granted it for life to his cousin Sir Miles Stapleton of Hathelsay, who died in 1372. The former, distinguished as Sir Miles Stapleton of Bedale, left a son Miles, who was under age in 1377, but who two years later conveyed the manor to his uncle Sir Brian Stapleton and others for their lives with reversion to himself. Sir Miles died in 1419, when it passed to his son Sir Brian. He died in 1438, having granted it by charter to Miles his son and heir. The latter Sir Miles settled it in 1456 on himself and Katherine his wife and their heirs, with remainder to the heirs of his brother Brian. He died in 1466, leaving two daughters, Elizabeth wife of Sir William Calthorpe and Joan wife of Christopher Harcourt and afterwards of Sir John Huddelston, the manor continuing with Katherine, the widow, who afterwards married Sir Richard Harcourt. She was sued in 1470 and 1477 for this manor by Brian Stapleton, a descendant of Sir Brian brother of Miles Stapleton of Ingham and Bedale, under the settlement of 1354, on the plea that the issue male of Miles had failed, but the suit was not successful, for Katherine died seised of the manor in 1488.
It then passed to the elder daughter Elizabeth, who after the death of Sir William Calthorpe married Sir John Fortescue. She married, thirdly, Sir Edward Howard, second son of John second Duke of Norfolk, and died in 1505, having settled the manor in 1501 on her son Francis Calthorpe. In 1535 Sir Francis settled a yearly charge of 20 marks from this manor upon Edmund Calthorpe, his great-nephew, son and heir of his nephew Edward, on his marriage with Elizabeth daughter of Edmund Windham, while the manor was settled on Sir Francis's nephew Edward. Sir Francis outlived Edward and died in 1542, leaving a son William by a second marriage. The manor of North Moreton passed to William, though it was claimed in 1563 by Edmund Calthorpe. William Calthorpe sold it in 1567 to William Dunch. The manor was again claimed in 1571 by the heirs of Edmund Calthorpe, his sister Grace wife of John Covile, and his nephews Edward Shelton and John Moyne. In or about 1566 these three claimants released their right to William Dunch. The manor passed with Dunch's manor of Little Wittenham until 1713.
About 1726 Edmund Dunch conveyed it to Robert Hucks, from whom it passed in 1748 to his son Robert. At his death in 1814 it came to his nieces and co-heirs, the Misses Sarah and Anne Noyes, the latter of whom afterwards acquired the whole, and in 1842 devised it by will to her cousin Henry Hucks Gibbs (afterwards Lord Aldenham). He sold the manor in 1858 to Mr. Charles Greenwood and the land to various purchasers. From Mr. Greenwood the manor came into the possession of Mr. John Mitchell Marshall of Wallingford, who died in 1908, and it now belongs to his widow. With the exception of some small quit-rents the manorial rights have fallen into disuse. The site of the manor-house appears in an inclosure east of the church called 'the Grounds,' with the greater part of its moat remaining. A large number of Court Rolls extending from 1333 to 1743, but with some long intervals, are in possession of Lord Aldenham, and one of 1549 is in the Public Record Office.
Hucks. Argent two cheverons between three owls azure.
A second estate here held of the principal manor appears when Geoffrey the Chamberlain before 1093 gave the tithe of his lands in North Moreton to the priory of Wallingford. Early in the 13th century John de Turbervill had one fee here, which was perhaps held of him by his daughter Joan, to whom with her husband Osbert Turpin, Baldwin de Cuserigg and Alice his wife for 12 marks conveyed 2 hides in North Moreton in 1203, to be held by the service of one-tenth of a knight's fee. In 1233 Osbert and Joan disputed certain dues claimed by Henry Basset, and about 1255 they gave half their estate here to Godstow Priory. In 1279 Richard the son of Osbert withdrew a claim which he had made against Philip de Northmorton for a tenement here. In 1379 lands in North Moreton were held by Sir Hugh Segrave with the manor of Aston Tirrold (q.v.), with which they descended, being designated a manor from 1520 to 1605. In 1201 Alice the wife of Baldwin de Cuserigg held half a virgate of land in Moreton, previously held by Robert Palmer. This they together conveyed to William de Huntercombe and Christian his wife and Alice her sister in exchange for half a hide there.
Land called HEMSEYS, known from 1456 as a manor, followed the descent of the principal manor of North Moreton, of which it evidently formed part, from 1419 until 1565, when William Calthorpe granted it to William Lever to hold of the manor of North Moreton. Lever was succeeded in 1598 by a son William. John Lever died seised of the manor of Hemseys in 1627, leaving a son William, but the further descent of the estate has not been traced. It may have reverted to the overlord and become part of the principal manor. The tithes from the land of Geoffrey the Chamberlain had been given to Wallingford Priory before 1093, and were valued in 1291 at 10s. The priory estates were granted in 1528 to Wolsey and in 1532 to St. George's, Windsor, and included tithe and land here. About the yeare 1255 Osbert and Joan Turpin, mentioned above, gave to the nunnery of Godstow a moiety of all their holding at North Moreton, including half a messuage called 'Parc,' with 6d. yearly rent from Richard Turpin and his heirs, the gift being confirmed by William the son of John (perhaps the heir) and by Henry Basset, renewed afterwards by the widow Joan, then of Blewbury, and confirmed by Miles Basset on payment of 8 marks, to be held by payment of one pair of gloves or 1d. at Michaelmas. The Court Rolls mention the tenure of the abbess frequently from 1356 to 1537. After the Dissolution part of the estate was annexed to the honour of Ewelme and was held of the king by Henry Slade at his death in 1620 and by John his son in 1636.
'Parishes: North Moreton', A History of the County of Berkshire: volume 3 (1923), pp. 492-98.