Launton
| Launton | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's parish church |
|
 Launton
|
|
| Launton shown within Oxfordshire | |
| Area | 10.49 km2 (4.05 sq mi) |
| Population | 1,204 (2011 Census) |
| • Density | 115/km2 (300/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SP6022 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bicester |
| Postcode district | OX26 |
| Dialling code | 01869 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Launton Village Website |
Launton is a village and civil parish on the eastern outskirts of Bicester, Oxfordshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,204.
King Edward the Confessor granted the manor of Launton to Westminster Abbey in 1065. The abbey surrendered the manor to the Crown when it was suppressed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540, but in 1542 the Crown granted Launton to the abbey's Dean and Chapter. Mary I restored the Roman Catholic church in England so in 1556 Launton was surrendered to the Crown, who restored it to the reinstated abbott and convent of Westminster. Elizabeth I restored the English Reformation so in 1560 Launton was surrendered to the Crown for a third time, who again granted it to the Dean and Chapter. In 1649 the Commonwealth of England assigned Launton to Westminster School. In 1860 the lands of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster were vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
The present manor house is 17th-century, with a court room that was re-ordered in the 19th-century. Its farmyard has a 14th- or 15th-century barn of 10 bays with 17th-century roof timbers. It may have been a tithe barn. It is now a Grade II* listed building.
The Church of England parish church of the Assumption of the Blesséd Virgin Mary was built in the 12th century, and the four-bay aisles of its nave were added in the 13th century. Sources disagree as to whether the west tower is part of the original 12th-century church or a 13th-century addition. Originally the chancel had an apse, but in the 15th century this part of the church was reordered with a rectangular east end. The nave has a clerestory with 15th- or 16th-century windows. Some of the windows of the aisles are 16th-century.
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Wikipedia