Brize Norton
| Brize Norton | |
|---|---|
 St. Britius' parish church and parish war memorial |
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 Brize Norton
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| Brize Norton shown within Oxfordshire | |
| Population | 938 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SP3007 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Carterton |
| Postcode district | OX18 |
| Dialling code | 01993 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Brize Norton Parish Council Website |
Brize Norton is a village and civil parish 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Carterton in West Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 938. The original part of RAF Brize Norton is in the parish.
Around the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 the village's toponym was Norton, being the north tun (Old English for village) of Bampton. In 1235 the form Suthnorton ("South Norton") was recorded, evidently to distinguish it from other Nortons further north in Oxfordshire such as Chipping Norton. By the 1260s the form Norton Brun was in use, referring to the Brun or Brown family who were the parish's manorial lords. Further variants included Brunesnorton in 1297, Brimes Norton in 1303 and Brynes Norton in 1376, but the Norton Brun form outlived them and was still in use early in the 17th century. The form Brysenorton had appeared by 1523, and by the middle of the 17th century it had become the usual form of the name. However, Norton Brun had evolved into Norton Broyne and remained in use in church records until early in the 19th century.
The Church of England parish church of Saint Britius is Norman. The south doorway with its decorative tympanum, a doorway in the south wall of the chancel and the font date from this time. The porch is in the Transitional style from Norman to Early English Gothic, which suggests that it was added slightly later. Early in the 13th century the north aisle was added, with a four-bay Early English Gothic arcade linking it with the nave. In the second half of the 13th century the bell tower was added at the west end of the north aisle and the present east window of three lancets was inserted in the chancel. A chapel forms an eastward continuation of the north aisle. Two of its windows are original 13th-century lancets; two square-headed windows were added in the 14th century and the east window of the chapel is modern. The Gothic Revival architect G.E. Street restored the building in 1868.
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