Eaton Bray
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2009) |
| Eaton Bray | |
|---|---|
 St Mary the Virgin parish church | |
| Population | 3,240 [citation needed] |
| OS grid reference | SP967207 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Dunstable |
| Postcode district | LU6 |
| Dialling code | 01525 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Eaton Bray |
Eaton Bray is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is part of a semi-rural area which extends into the parish of Edlesborough in Buckinghamshire and is about one mile from the Bedfordshire village of Totternhoe.
The toponym Eaton is common in England, being derived from the Old English eitone, meaning "farm by a river". The Domesday Book of 1086 lists it as Eitone. In 1205 the manor of Eaton was granted to William I de Cantilupe (d.1239), steward of King John (1199–1216).[1] Eaton became the caput of the Cantilupe feudal barony known by modern historians as "Eaton Bray". The grant, for knight-service of one knight, was in exchange for the manor of Coxwell, Berkshire, which had been previously granted to him. Eaton had been held at the time of William the Conqueror by the latter's brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux and Earl of Kent, but later escheated to the crown. At Eaton Cantilupe built a castle, the only remains of which is the moat at Park Farm, which is open to the public for fishing. The suffix "Bray" refers to Sir Reginald Bray (d. 1503) and the family that once held the manor in this village, which was at present-day Park Farm.
In the Victorian era Arthur Macnamara (the "Mad Squire" of Billington) planned to build a mansion on the site of the castle, but ran out of money after completing the lodge at the entrance to Park Farm.
One of the more distinctive Victorian buildings near the church is the Coffee Tavern built by a teetotal vicar of the parish to encourage the villagers out of the local public houses. This building was financed by the Wallace family who owned much of the land in the area as well as the famous Wallace Nurseries known for their carnations. The drawings and construction were carried out by some local builders, the Sharratts, who omitted to put a staircase in the original plans![2]
Today the site of Wallace Nurseries is a housing estate and most of the roads take their name from this and some of the plant varieties they created, for example Saffron Rise and Coral Close.
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Eaton Bray with Edlesborough
The parish church was built soon after 1205 for William I de Cantilupe using stone from nearby Totternhoe. The organ there was refurbished after a local fundraising campaign in the 1980s.
The arcades of the nave and the font date from the Early English period. There is a 16th-century communion table.[3]
References
- ^ Charter Rolls, vol.1, p.147; Annales Monastici, vol.3, p.66, as quoted in Sanders, I.J. (1960). English Baronies, A Study of Their Origin and Descent 1086-1327. Oxford. p. 39.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ The Coffee Tavern.
- ^ Jones, Lawrence E. (1965). A Guide to Some Interesting Old English Churches. London: Historic Churches Preservation Trust. p. 9.
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