St John's College W.11

E.A. Reade, ‘The Benefice of North Stoke, cum Ipsden, cum Newnham Murren.  Co: Oxford’.  English, 1881

 

Edward Anderdon Reade, Bengal civil servant, local historian. Born 15 March 1807 at Ipsden, Oxfordshire, fifth son of John Reade of Ipsden and Anna Maria née Scott-Waring; educated at The Prebendal School at Chichester, obtained a writership in the East India Company in 1823 and studied at the East India College (Haileybury, Herts.); married Eliza, daughter of Richard Nossiter Burnard, on 7 April 1838; retired in April 1860, returning to Ipsden.  Made Companion of the Bath [CB] in May 1860; served as a magistrate for Oxfordshire and Berkshire. Died at his home at Well Place (Ipsden) on 12 February 1886.     [Sources: DNB; London Gazette; The Times, 23 Dec. 1886, p. 15, col. E]

The author presented the volume to the College (his letter to the Senior Bursar, dated Ipsden House, 18 May 1883, inserted); transferred from the Muniment Room to the Library in June 1961.

Primary headings: ‘North Stoke Co. Oxon., Together with Newnham and Ipsden’ (pp. 1-58); ‘The parishes in South Oxon.’ (pp. 59-104) ‘Northstoke. History continued.’ (pp. 105-92).  Signed at end by author (‘Tenant of Ipsden House’).  Of the two delicately copied maps, the first appears to be drawn principally from the tithe map [c. 1847]; the latter is labelled ‘Parishes of South Oxon’.

Content includes origins of parishes from antiquity, with peculiarities of configuration; secular and ecclesiastical administrative histories; topography; derivation of place-names.  Remarks on errors in tithe award, register and map (p. 170).  Discussion of present status of churches, cemeteries, schools and ministry. 

Reade was most anxious for the well-being of the benefice and that the Church of England’s ministry in the parishes should be strengthened, noting the high incidence of nonconformity there. 

Loose at back of vol., author’s letter to Mr Pieters (Senior Bursar): purpose of proffering volume; his early knowledge respecting the parishes ‘was derived from my boyish acquaintance with the incumbent, Rev. W. H. Wright, Mr Twopeny’s predecessor’; had advantage of reference to muniments of the Ipsden Estate from Edward I onward; used also researchers at Bodleian; Mr Twopeny much interested on the subject, but suggestions offered as to benefice are his alone; concludes, ‘In short the inhabitants of North Stoke are paupers one and all, unable to contribute to the much needed restoration of their church, and following suit with Mr King, tenant of the College glebe, are most of them dissenters.’  Asks pardon for bad writing; largely confined to bed for preceding six months.

The patronage of the benefice was transferred to St John’s College, Cambridge, by letters patent, 21 October 1522 [Pat. 14 Hen. VIII, pt. ii, m. 5].

Manuscript extra information

25.5 cm X 20.5 cm.  Introductory remarks (dated Ipsden House, 15 March 1881) on reverse of flyleaf; unpaginated map pages tipped in preceding p. 1 and p. 59, otherwise paginated 1-192. Small engraving of armorial bearings of John Lydall, Uxmore, Oxon., pasted in at foot of p. 166.  St. John’s College bookplate (C20th) on front end-paper; stationers’ advertisement bookplate (Partridge & Cooper, 1 & 2 Chancery Lane, & 192 Fleet Street, London) on rear end-paper.  ‘Northstoke’ ‘Ipsden’ and ‘Newnham Murren’ (in typescript) pasted on front cover.  Small burn damage to p. 181. 

Autograph.  Paper.  Soft-bound.  Marginal indexing (in red); footnotes and addenda generally on verso of pages, occasionally in margins.

Related units of description

Surviving collections of Reade’s papers are known to be held at the Bodleian Library (including those relating to this study) and the British Library, with an additional set of correspondence to the Revd Charles Pourtales Golightly at Lambeth Palace Library.