Bourton, Vale of White Horse
| Bourton | |
|---|---|
 Former Baptist church, now the village hall |
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 Bourton
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| Bourton shown within Oxfordshire | |
| Area | 5.51 km2 (2.13 sq mi) |
| Population | 326 (2011 Census) |
| • Density | 59/km2 (150/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SU2387 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | SN6 |
| Dialling code | 01793 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Bourton is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Highworth in neighbouring Wiltshire. The western boundary of the parish is a stream that also forms the county boundary.
Bourton was part of the parish of Shrivenham until 1867. Bourton was part of Berkshire until the 1974 local government boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 326.
Bourton seems to have begun as part of the manor of Shrivenham. Its toponym evolved from Burghton in the 14th century via Borton in the 17th century and has appeared also as Burton. In 1476 George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury was feudal overlord of the manor of Buckand in Over Bourton. The manor had been held of the Earl by Sir William Lovel, Lord Morley, who died in that year. In 1529 the manor was recorded as being "late of Sir Francis Lovell", who was attainted in 1485 for supporting Richard III and died childless in 1487. The manor was still owned by the Crown in 1529 but was leased from 1542. From then until 1664 the Hinton family held the manor, but no subsequent record of it is known.
At the centre of Bourton village are the remains of a 14th-century stone cross, The base stands on three square stone steps. The top of the cross has been lost but most of the shaft survives. Stone crosses marked a site for either open-air preaching or a regular public market. Historic England considers Bourton's cross to be for the latter. It is a scheduled monument.
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