Tackley

THE HISTORY OF TACKLEY

This village takes its name from a man called Taecca (a Saxon name), and 'ley' (meaning 'a woodland clearing'). Over the years, it has been spelt in a variety of different ways, including 'Taecley' and 'Takeley'.

Cropmarks and archaeological finds suggest that the area in and around the parish was inhabited from prehistoric times, and there was also a lot of Roman activity there, probably due to the village's close proximity to the old Roman road called Akeman Street.

By the late Anglo-Saxon era, there were 3 distinct settlements: Tackley, Whitehill and Weaveley. Historians believe that Tackley was the earliest and largest of these settlements, and this is confirmed by a document written in 1086 (possibly the Domesday Book), which recorded that there were 29 tenants and 2 serfs (an agricultural labourer bound by law to only work on his lord's estate) in Tackley, compared to only 3 and 4 tenants in Whitehill and Weaveley respectively!

Tackley and the adjacent hamlet of Nethercott now form a single, straggling village on low ground, situated around a marshy area, with the church of St Nicholas standing isolated on higher ground; however, the original settlement was probably further west, on dryer ground nearer to the church.

Following the Norman Conquest, the manor of Tackley was granted to Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester.

A manor house was built in the village in 1657, and Tackley Park (also known as 'Hill Court') was built circa the late 17th century. Both houses have since been demolished, although some of their outbuildings - including a thatched barn and 2 dovecotes - still remain.

Another 17th century dwelling called Court Farm still survives, but it's interior was completely remodelled during the 1950's.
Near Court Farm was the site of a 12th century moated structure, as well as a series of 17th century ornamental fish ponds constructed by John Harborne (a wealthy merchant who purchased the manor of Tackley in 1612).

St Nicholas' Church dates from the 11th century, and contains several remnants of original Saxon stonework. The south aisle, east windows and lower part of the tower are of 13th century origin, with many of the other old features being added between the 14th and 17th centuries. When a lightning strike damaged the church in 1862, it underwent a restoration, hence some features are more modern than others.

A Methodist Church was converted from an old barn built of local limestone in 1808, with a brick estension being added in the 1840's.

The earliest known record of a public house existing in Tackley was in 1624, and by 1774, the village had 4:

1. The Ball.
2. The Chequers.
3. The Pole Axe.
4. The Wheatsheaf.

The Gardiner's Arms dates back to at least 1788, and there was also another pub called The King's Arms in Nethercott, which was in business by the 1840's. The latter is now a private residence, but the former is still in business to this day!

During the English Civil War (1640's), a skirmish called 'The Battle of Tackley' was fought on the banks of the River Cherwell, between the two opposing armies.

Three long barrows (burial mounds) were visible in Tackley, on either side of the Banbury Road, up until the 1970's. They sadly are no longer visible, due to agricultural activity over the intervening centuries, but they probably dated back to approximately 3500 - 3000 BC.

It is believed that there were once clay pits in operation on Tackley Heath, as there are a series of shallow depressions in the eastern part of the heath.

The remains of a Roman villa (including a mosaic floor) were unearthed at Street Farm in the village in 2018, along with various other artifacts; there is also a possibility that another substantial villa existed in Nethercott, as pieces of broken Roman tiles and pottery are often found in the vicinity.

Tragically, in 1845, a ship called the Cataraqui was shipwrecked off the coast of Tasmania; among the 399 dead were 42 pauper emigrants from Tackley, who had boarded the ship in the hope of a better life. Almost 30 years later, in 1874, another group of emigrants from Tackley were involved in yet another maritime disaster, this time whilst en route to New Zealand.

The map below is courtesy of British History Online, and shows Tackley in 1844.