Parishes: Draycot Foliat

DRAYCOT FOLIAT

The ancient parish of Draycot Foliat lies 1 mile from Chiseldon village immediately below the scarp of the Marlborough Downs, and is surrounded on the east, north, and west by the modern civil parish of Chiseldon. (fn. 1) The parish was estimated at 706 a. in 1887 and at that time measured 2 miles in length and ¾ mile in width. In 1894 the whole parish became part of the civil parish of Chiseldon. (fn. 2) It was known by 1309 as Draycot Foliat, (fn. 3) because of its connexions with the Foliot family, who held the manor in the later 13th century. (fn. 4)

Draycot Foliat lies entirely on the Lower Chalk Terrace (fn. 5) at a height varying between 550 and 575 ft. and presents an open and treeless landscape. The soil is on the whole free from flints, while fairly rapid drainage renders it suitable for arable farming. (fn. 6) In the 19th century the land was mainly under arable cultivation, (fn. 7) but in 1967 there was a considerable amount of pasture. (fn. 8) A large bowl barrow lies within the south-west corner of the ancient parish north of Gipsy Lane. (fn. 9)

A settlement at Draycot apparently flourished in the early 14th century when 12 customary tenants and their families inhabited the parish. (fn. 10) Only a minimal contribution was made to the 15th of 1334 compared with other parishes in Kingsbridge hundred, as then constituted. (fn. 11) There were 47 polltax payers in 1377. (fn. 12) In 1523 seven people were able to contribute to the royal loan of that year, (fn. 13) while only two were assessed for the Benevolence of 1545. (fn. 14) It is probable that the community had decayed considerably by the 16th century when the church was ruinous. (fn. 15) There were 38 inhabitants in 1801. Thereafter the number of those living in Draycot fluctuated and at the time of the transfer to Chiseldon in 1894 forty people lived there. (fn. 16)

The ancient track known as the Ridge Way transects the parish diagonally from north-east to south-west. The southern boundary of Draycot Foliat is formed by Gipsy Lane, which runs westwards to Burderop Down. From the Ridge Way southwards to Gipsy Lane the eastern boundary of the ancient parish is formed by the secondary road which runs from Chiseldon to Ogbourne St. George.

In 1967 the site of the former village was marked by a few buildings grouped round a lane which followed a semi-circular course to the west of the road from Chiseldon to Ogbourne St. George. The church stood to the north of this lane. Existing buildings include the farm-houses of Sheppard's Farm and Draycot Farm. The former is a stone building, probably of 17th-century origin with later alterations. The latter is a more pretentious house with a symmetrical brick front of the earlier 18th century; several windows have been blocked or altered, but the central doorway, flanked by columns and surmounted by a scrolled pediment, survives. In 1967 it was possible to detect, from air photographs, house-sites of the former village on either side of a short length of disused trackway running north-eastwards from the bend in the present lane towards the road from Chiseldon to Ogbourne. (fn. 17)

In 1634 John Evered alias Webb of Draycot Foliat emigrated to America and in 1659 was granted a substantial holding on the north bank of the Merrimack river. This settlement became known as Draycot (later Dracut, Mass.), and gave its name in American geology to Dracut Diorite. (fn. 18)

Manor and Other Estates.

Before the Conquest Levenot held an estate at Draycot. (fn. 19) By the time of the Domesday Survey this estate had passed to Miles Crispin (fn. 20) together with other estates in Wiltshire held T.R.E. by Levenot. (fn. 21) Miles Crispin later acquired the honor of Wallingford, as has been explained elsewhere, (fn. 22) and Draycot was apparently held of Wallingford from this time, although the first mention found of it as a fee of the honor does not occur until 1235–6. (fn. 23) The overlordship is last mentioned in 1477 when the manor was still parcel of the honor. (fn. 24)

In 1086 Reynold, possibly the son of Croc the huntsman, (fn. 25) held an estate at Draycot of Miles Crispin. (fn. 26) Reynold's heirs were his two daughters, (fn. 27) one of whom may have been the Maud of Chilton, who held unspecified lands at Draycot in 1194. (fn. 28) Before 1207 Hawise, wife of Walter Brito, granted to her nephew by marriage, Walter Croke, 2½ hides in Draycot. (fn. 29) By 1214 Walter Croke, possibly a collateral descendant of Croc the huntsman, (fn. 30) held land there assessed at 2 knights' fees, (fn. 31) an estate which may be identifiable with Reynold's Domesday holding. Walter Croke became a monk in c. 1219– 1220. (fn. 32) Before then he subinfeudated the manor to Henry Foliot (see below), but he was succeeded as mesne lord by his brother Thomas. (fn. 33) In 1241 Thomas had been succeeded as mesne lord in the manor of DRAYCOT by his nephew Henry, (fn. 34) the son of his brother Humphrey, who had renounced his rights in the estate. (fn. 35) Henry still held Draycot in 1275. (fn. 36) He died at an unknown date and was succeeded by his son Reynold (II) Croke, who died in 1297. (fn. 37) Reynold (II) was succeeded by his son and heir Richard, who died in 1310. (fn. 38) Richard's heir was his son Reynold (III) Croke, (fn. 39) who died apparently before 1350, by which date he had been succeeded by his son John. (fn. 40) Hereafter the descent of the mesne lordship is obscure but it seems likely that John Croke was succeeded at an unknown date by his cousin Nicholas, the grandson of Reynold (III) Croke's sister Alice. (fn. 41) Nicholas probably adopted the surname of Croke and at some date was succeeded by his son Nicholas (II) Croke. (fn. 42) Nicholas (II)'s heir was his son Robert Croke who had succeeded as mesne lord by 1412. (fn. 43) By 1428 the Croke family had ceased to hold the mesne lordship (see below).

In 1214 Walter Croke subinfeudated to Henry Foliot all his lands in Draycot. (fn. 44) By 1235–6 Henry had been succeeded in the estate by his son Sampson Foliot, (fn. 45) who, in 1242–3, held 1½ knight's fee of Henry Croke. (fn. 46) Sampson still held the manor in 1274. (fn. 47) He was pardoned for the murder of his son Roger in 1281. (fn. 48) The manor had passed by 1284–5, whether by forfeiture or by inheritance is not known, to Henry Tyeys the elder (d. 1308). (fn. 49) He was succeeded by his son Henry the younger, who assigned the manor to his mother Hawise, who then released Draycot to her son in return for a yearly payment. (fn. 50) Henry the younger was beheaded in 1321 (fn. 51) and the manor was forfeit to the Crown. (fn. 52) Hawise survived her son only a short time and at an unknown date the manor was restored to her daughter Alice, wife of Warin de Lisle and sister and heir of Henry Tyeys the younger. (fn. 53) Alice de Lisle was seised of Draycot in 1336. (fn. 54) The date of Alice's death is unknown. Her heir was her son Gerard de Lisle (d. 1360), (fn. 55) who was succeeded by his son Warin (II) de Lisle (d. 1381). (fn. 56) Warin (II)'s son and heir Gerard (II) de Lisle predeceased his father, but before his death had married Anne de Pole in 1373. (fn. 57) In accordance with the marriage settlement Anne had a life estate in Draycot manor on the death of her husband. (fn. 58) Warin (II)'s next heir was his daughter Margaret, wife of Thomas, Lord Berkeley, (fn. 59) and the reversion of the manor was confirmed to her and her husband in 1383–4. (fn. 60) Margaret predeceased her sister-in-law Anne in 1392 (fn. 61) and on Anne de Lisle's death in 1412 (fn. 62) the estate passed to Thomas, Lord Berkeley (d. c. 1417). (fn. 63) Thomas's heir was his daughter Elizabeth, wife of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick (d. 1439). (fn. 64) Elizabeth died in 1422, leaving three daughters, (fn. 65) and was succeeded by her husband Richard Beauchamp who held Draycot for life immediately of the honor of Wallingford in 1428. (fn. 66) Beauchamp died in 1439 and his coheirs in lands previously held by his first wife Elizabeth were his daughters, Margaret, Countess of Shrewsbury (d. 1467), Elizabeth, Lady Latimer (d. c. 1480), and Eleanor, successively Lady Ros and Duchess of Somerset. (fn. 67) Draycot was apparently allotted to the second daughter, Eleanor, who died seised of it in 1467. (fn. 68) On the death of Eleanor, Duchess of Somerset, it is probable that the manor escheated to the Crown, since Eleanor's son and heir, Thomas, Lord Ros (d. 1464), had been attainted in 1461. (fn. 69) Thomas, Lord Ros's heir was his son Edmund (fn. 70) but his father's attainder was not immediately reversed in Edmund's favour. At an unknown date after Eleanor's death the Crown appears to have made a grant of the manor, possibly for life, to William Yorke.

William Yorke held directly of the honor of Wallingford. (fn. 71) It is possible that William Yorke had previously held some form of life interest in the manor, an interest probably inherited from his father-in-law, Nicholas Wootton. (fn. 72) William Yorke died seised of the manor in 1477 (fn. 73) and Draycot Foliat seems to have reverted to the Crown, since William Yorke's son and heir John, although possessed of land in the parish in 1513, did not hold the manor. (fn. 74) In 1485 the attainder of Thomas, Lord Ros, was reversed in favour of his son Edmund, a lunatic. Edmund, Lord Ros (d. 1508), and his lands, which were now to remain with the Crown during pleasure, were placed in the custody of Sir Thomas Lovel. (fn. 75) In 1509 Joan St. Lawrence, Lady Howth (d. 1518), the daughter of Eleanor, Duchess of Somerset, received a Crown grant for life of the manor of Draycot Foliat. (fn. 76) The Crown in 1553 made a grant of the manor to Edmund Mordaunt and Edward Langley. (fn. 77) In the earlier 16th century the manor of Draycot Foliat formed part of a parcel of estates known as the 'coparceners' lands'. (fn. 78) The coparceners were probably the four daughters of Thomas, Lord Ros (see above), of whom only one, Eleanor, wife of Robert Manners of Etal (Northumb.), left issue. (fn. 79) In 1563 her great-grandson, Henry Manners, Earl of Rutland (d. 1563), successfully vindicated his claim to Draycot Foliat. (fn. 80) Previously in 1556–7 Henry, Earl of Rutland and his wife had conveyed the manor to Thomas Bowtell and in 1563 this grant was confirmed. (fn. 81) In 1564–5 Thomas Bowtell and his wife granted the manor of Draycot Foliat to Thomas Chaddington. (fn. 82) Thomas Bowtell possibly retained an interest in the manor, however, since in 1572 he was associated with Thomas Chaddington and his wife in a mortgage of the manor to William Bowerman and others. (fn. 83)

In 1572 William Read (d. 1593) had a leasehold interest for a term of 21 years in the manor of Draycot Foliat (fn. 84) and it is possible that either he or his son Edward acquired the freehold of the estate in the later 16th century. In the early 17th century Edward Read broke up the manor into various smaller estates (see below). (fn. 85) What may represent the remnant of the earlier manor was held in 1670 by Thomas Richmond alias Webb, (fn. 86) whose family had held a lease of the manor as early as 1528. (fn. 87) In 1692 the estate was held by Mary Richmond alias Webb, the widow of Thomas. (fn. 88) The descent has not been traced further, but it is probable that this estate became the property of the Ewen family by the early 18th century. In 1773 Michael Ewen of Marlborough, great-nephew of John Ewen (d. c. 1705), gave his paternal estate at Draycot, including that once held by John Phelps, to his cousin Samuel Hawkes. Samuel Hawkes's co-heirs were his daughters, one of whom was the wife of John Ward of Marlborough. John Ward purchased his sister-inlaw's moiety and thus reunited the estate, said to represent the manor, once held by Ewen. (fn. 89) Michael Foster Ward, the grandson of John Ward, owned the estate, then augmented by the addition of Jefferies' Farm (fn. 90) and reckoned at 577 a., in 1867, in which year he conveyed it to Henry Calley of Burderop Park. (fn. 91)

Several smaller estates existed within Draycot in the Middle Ages. In the later 12th or early 13th century Walter (III) Croke granted his brother Humphrey 2½ hides in Draycot. (fn. 92) Before 1207 Humphrey Croke conveyed 4 a. in Draycot to Bradenstoke Priory. (fn. 93) At an unknown date Prior Simeon (1215–41) leased these 4 a. to Hugh of Ogbourne for a yearly rent of 2s. (fn. 94) and Prior Geoffrey (1261–85) leased the same land to Roger Styne for the same rent. (fn. 95) The land was leased again to an unknown person in 1365. (fn. 96)

Before 1308 Henry Tyeys the elder granted land in Draycot to Roger Styne. (fn. 97) Also before this date Roger Styne died, leaving a widow Gillian and an idiot son John. (fn. 98) His lands escheated to the Crown and in 1308 two thirds of the estate were granted in custody to Ralph de Sharpenham, (fn. 99) while the remaining third was allotted to Gillian in dower. (fn. 100) In 1309 John Styne's lands were reckoned at 60 a. and his heir was Ralph Styne, his father Roger's brother. (fn. 101) In 1311 Ralph de Sharpenham established his right to two thirds of an estate in Draycot over Robert Styne, to be identified with Ralph Styne, who also acknowledged Sharpenham's right to the reversion of the third held by Gillian Styne in dower. (fn. 102) In 1322 Ralph de Sharpenham was still accounting to the Crown for this small estate. (fn. 103)

In the 15th century there was a small estate, later known as DRAYCOT YORKE, within the parish. This may have originated in a grant of 1417 by Robert Croke to Nicholas Wootton of a toft and croft in Draycot known as 'Bacon's'. (fn. 104) By 1509 Nicholas Wotton's grandson, John Yorke (d. 1513), had acquired a capital messuage there which he held of the Abbot of Hyde, and of which he died seised. (fn. 105) Before his death, however, John Yorke had enfeoffed his son and heir, Thomas, of an estate in the land in 1509. (fn. 106) Since Thomas Yorke held no land in Draycot at his death in 1542, (fn. 107) it is probable that he had alienated the estate by this date and its descent is obscure until 1614 when Edward Read, his daughter Elizabeth, and son-in-law William Huntly, sold a capital messuage and farm in Draycot Foliat alias Yorke, Chiseldon, Wanborough, and Swindon to Thomas Buckeridge. (fn. 108) In 1626 Thomas Buckeridge settled the estate on his son Anthony, and daughter-in-law, Constance. (fn. 109) Anthony and Constance Buckeridge reconveyed the estate to Thomas Buckeridge and his son Arthur, Anthony's brother, in 1648 and in the same year Thomas and Arthur Buckeridge sold it to Edmund Fettiplace. (fn. 110) At an unknown date Edmund Fettiplace sold the estate to Roger Ewen, who was the owner of Draycot Farm, as it was then known, by 1663. (fn. 111) Roger Ewen had been succeeded there by his brother John by 1693 (fn. 112) and before his death in 1705, John Ewen devised his land in Draycot Foliat to his nephew Roger, son of his brother Thomas. (fn. 113) The descent thereafter is obscure until 1746–7 when Ambrose Goddard settled the estate on his daughter, Mary and her husband, Thomas Vilett. (fn. 114) By 1816 Thomas Neale had acquired the estate and retained it in 1843. (fn. 115) By 1845 the estate, which lay partly in Draycot and partly in Chiseldon, was owned by Henry Sheppard. (fn. 116)

In 1534 Thomas Yorke leased to Thomas Richmond alias Webb and Joan his wife, together with other members of the same family, Yorke's Farm, which comprised land in both Draycot and Chiseldon. (fn. 117) In 1572 Joan Richmond alias Webb was still possessed of Yorke's Farm by virtue of the lease made to her husband Thomas, (fn. 118) and succeeded in vindicating her right in the estate against her sons Robert and Nicholas in 1574. (fn. 119) In 1601 Edward Read, who at some date had acquired the freehold of the estate, leased what may be identified as Yorke's Farm to Thomas Buckeridge, to whom he later conveyed the freehold interest (see above). (fn. 120) After acquiring the freehold estate Thomas Buckeridge leased the estate to his son Arthur in 1626. (fn. 121)

At a date before 1616 Edward Read and others sold specified lands once part of the manor of Draycot Foliat to Noah Evered alias Webb the elder. (fn. 122) The estate lay in the northern half of the parish of Draycot Foliat above the Ridge Way. (fn. 123) In 1616 Noah Evered alias Webb granted a moiety of his estate to his son John, (fn. 124) and before his death in 1641 he had assigned the other moiety to his son Stephen (d. c. 1667). (fn. 125) No more is known of Stephen's moiety, but that conveyed to John Evered alias Webb the elder passed to his son and heir John the younger, from whom it passed to Stephen Evered alias Webb, eldest son of John the younger. (fn. 126) By 1698 the moiety was held by Mary Webb (d. 1706), (fn. 127) possibly either the mother or wife of Stephen Evered alias Webb, and her son Daniel (d. c. 1714). (fn. 128) In that year they conveyed their moiety to Noah Evered alias Webb of Marlborough. (fn. 129) At an unknown date Noah Evered alias Webb sold the moiety to John Phelps alias Bromham. (fn. 130) Phelps's heirs were his daughters Hester and Anne, who married Thomas Jones and Edmund Chapp respectively, and in 1754 they conveyed their lands to Prince Sutton. (fn. 131) The descent is obscure until 1843 when George and Jemima Jefferies, whose family had earlier leased the farm (see below), (fn. 132) held the estate, reckoned at 280 a., which covered the entire parish north of the Ridge Way, (fn. 133) and it seems likely that by this date the moieties of the 17th-century estate may have been reunited. In 1849 it was ordered that George Jefferies's estate, made up of two undivided third shares, should be sold. (fn. 134) It is likely that this land was acquired by Michael Foster Ward and formed part of the estate which he sold to Henry Calley in 1867. (fn. 135)

Economic History.

In the time of King Edward Draycot paid geld for 10 hides. In 1086 there was sufficient land to support 6 ploughs. At this time there were two ploughs and a serf on the 5 hides held in demesne, while the remaining hides supported 3 ploughs with 4 villeins and 7 bordars. At the time of the Domesday Survey there were 40 a. of pasture and 18 a. of meadow. The land was worth £5 T.R.E. and in 1086. (fn. 136)

In 1307 the manor of Draycot had 100 a. of arable land in demesne, valued at 4d. an acre, and 6 a. of meadow land, worth 1s. an acre. As in 1086 there were 12 tenants on the manor. Of these 8 customers paid 10s. yearly, while 4 cottars paid 3s. yearly. The manor was estimated to be worth £6 12s. at this date. (fn. 137) In 1322 the manor was worth £7 12s. 4½d., a total which included a sum of £5 14s. 9d. in assessed rents. (fn. 138)

The parish of Draycot Foliat lies entirely on the Lower Chalk Terrace, an area of heavy but easilydrained soil. (fn. 139) The sheep-and-corn husbandry typical of this region was employed within the parish until fairly recent times. In 1327 the lands of the Styne family, administered in the early 14th century by Ralph de Sharpenham, supported 250 sheep. (fn. 140) This estate also had 32 a. under corn, valued at 3s. an acre, and 13 a. under barley, valued at 2s. an acre in 1322. (fn. 141) Sheep were still reared in Draycot Foliat in the 17th century. In 1683 there were 410 sheep on Draycot (later Sheppard's) Farm, (fn. 142) while at some date between 1696 and 1699 the same farm supported 200 sheep and during this time 90 lambs a year were produced. (fn. 143) During these years John Ewen claimed to have produced and sold 268 fleeces on Draycot Farm and King's Farm. (fn. 144)

In 1843 there were 605 a. of arable land, 76 a. of meadow land and pasture land as well as 2 a. of woodland in the parish subject to tithe. (fn. 145) There were then 3 farms, (fn. 146) all of which may be identified with earlier estates in Draycot. An arable farm of 280 a., owned by George Jefferies, (fn. 147) lay between the northern boundary of the parish and the Ridge Way and included several large arable fields known as Broad Field, Lower Field, West Field, and House Field. (fn. 148) Thomas Neale's farm, (fn. 149) 113 a. of which lay in Draycot and the rest in Chiseldon, was situated in the south-east corner of the parish and mainly consisted of a large parcel of arable land estimated at 98 a. and called the Great Field. (fn. 150) The third farm, formerly owned by John Ward, (fn. 151) was made up of 295 a. of chiefly arable land, which included King's Field, Honey Down, Bourn Mead, and Coppice Field. (fn. 152) In 1849 George Jefferies's farm was offered for sale (fn. 153) and probably at this date was acquired by the trustees of John Ward. The two farms were amalgamated in this way and became known as Draycot Farm, reckoned at 577 a. in 1867 when it became part of the Calley estate. (fn. 154) Draycot Farm remained part of the estate in 1967, when the tenant was Mr. Charles Frederick Butcher. (fn. 155) The third farm in the parish, Draycot alias Neale's (later Sheppard's) Farm, was farmed by John Green in 1939. (fn. 156) In 1967 mixed farming prevailed throughout the parish. (fn. 157)

Local Goverment.

The manor of Draycot Foliat was held of the honor of Wallingford from the 12th century until 1540 when this honor was merged in that of Ewelme, held by the Crown. (fn. 158) Draycot Foliat formed part of a group of manors held of Wallingford and administered from Ogbourne St. George, where a yearly manorial court was held. Court rolls for this group of manors are extant for the years 1422, (fn. 159) 1437, (fn. 160) 1520, (fn. 161) 1536, (fn. 162) 1538, (fn. 163) 1541, (fn. 164) and 1546, (fn. 165) but record only view of frankpledge for Draycot Foliat. In 1672–3 Roger Ewen and other landholders in Draycot Foliat still owed suit of court at Ogbourne St. George. (fn. 166) After the union of the benefices of Draycot Foliat and Chiseldon in 1572 (see above), Draycot was regarded as part of the parish of Chiseldon for purposes of parochial administration, although it was not until 1894 that Draycot Foliat officially became part of the civil parish of Chiseldon. (fn. 167)

Church.

At some time between 1208 and 1214 a rector served the church of Draycot Foliat. (fn. 168) The benefice remained a rectory (fn. 169) but no further mention of it has been found until the 16th century. By the later 16th century the church was apparently ruinous and in 1572 it was ordered that the benefice should be united with that of Chiseldon and the church of Draycot demolished. (fn. 170) Henceforth the inhabitants of Draycot Foliat were regarded as parishioners of Chiseldon and attended church there. In 1581 a presentation to the united benefice was made (fn. 171) but after this, as is shown below, rectors of Draycot continued to be presented separately. In 1923 the union of the rectory of Draycot Foliat and the vicarage of Chiseldon was reaffirmed and the respective patrons made a joint presentation to the living. (fn. 172)

No mention of the advowson of the rectory during the Middle Ages has been found, but it seems likely that it followed the descent of the manor of Draycot Foliat. In 1556–7 Henry, Earl of Rutland, and his wife Margaret, who at that date claimed the manor as descendants of Thomas, Lord Ros, also claimed the advowson of the rectory of Draycot Foliat, and in that year conveyed it to Thomas Bowtell, who purchased the manor at the same date. (fn. 173) Bowtell was confirmed in the manor in 1563, but the Crown retained the advowson and in 1564 granted it to Richard Pipe and Francis Bowyer (fn. 174) who in the same year conveyed it to Thomas Chaddington, who had also acquired the manor at the same date. (fn. 175) In 1572 the benefice was united with that of Chiseldon and the first presentation to the united benefice was made in 1581 by the patron of Chiseldon church, Robert Stephens. (fn. 176) Afterwards Thomas Chaddington seems to have regained the advowson, although whether it was of the united benefice, or only of the rectory of Draycot, is not clear. Chaddington conveyed it with the tithes of the parish of Draycot (see below) to William Read (d. 1593). (fn. 177) No record of any presentation by either Chaddington or Read survives and in 1611 the king, by reason of lapse, presented John Gallimore as Rector of Draycot, (fn. 178) although Gallimore had been presented to the combined benefice in 1581 (fn. 179) and was thus presumably already both Vicar of Chiseldon and Rector of Draycot. In spite of this presentation by the king the advowson passed from William Read to his son Edward, who in 1614 conveyed it to Thomas Buckeridge. (fn. 180) No record of any presentation by Buckeridge survives and once more in 1664 the king presented a rector of Draycot by reason of lapse, and he again presented the Vicar of Chiseldon, Thomas Twittee. (fn. 181) In 1711 Twittee died and for the first time, so far as is known, different persons were presented to the vicarage of Chiseldon and the rectory of Draycot. The presentation to the sinecure rectory of Draycot was made by William Bryan of Hodson. (fn. 182) In 1722 Thomas Smith exercised the patronage. (fn. 183) By 1737 the advowson had passed to Pleydell Goddard of Swindon (fn. 184) and on his death in 1742 it passed with his other estates to his kinsman and heir Ambrose Goddard (d. 1815). (fn. 185) In 1780 Ambrose Goddard presented a kinsman, Edward Goddard (d. 1791) to the rectory and on his death presented a nephew, Thomas Goddard Vilett. (fn. 186) On the death of Ambrose Goddard the advowson passed to his son and heir, Ambrose the younger (d. 1898), who in 1817 presented his brother Richard to the rectory. (fn. 187) In 1858 Ambrose Goddard presented George Eastman, and at an unknown date presumably also conveyed the advowson to him, since in 1898 and again in 1912 Eastman's trustees presented rectors. (fn. 188) In 1923, when the benefices of Chiseldon and Draycot Foliat were reunited, the patronage of both remained separate and in this year General T. C. P. Calley joined with the Eastman trustees to make a joint presentation to the vicarage of Chiseldon with Draycot Foliat. (fn. 189) Joint patronage rights were exercised until c. 1947. (fn. 190) In this year the patron of Chiseldon vicarage, Miss J. M. Calley, was allowed to make two presentations to every one made by G. R. T. Eastman. (fn. 191) Some time before 1961–2 the separate patronage rights were finally merged and vested in Miss Calley, who at this time made the first presentation as sole patron to the united benefice. (fn. 192)

In 1535 the rectory was valued at £6 12s. 7d. out of which 9s. were paid in procurations. (fn. 193) At the union of the two benefices in 1572 Thomas Chaddington acquired all the tithes of Draycot Foliat, including those from an estate which lay partly in Chiseldon, and which was known in the 17th century as Draycot Farm. (fn. 194) In return Chaddington and his successors were to pay the Vicar of Chiseldon and his successors £7 a year. (fn. 195) The tithes then passed, as did the manor, to Edward Read, who leased some of them to Thomas Buckeridge. (fn. 196) In 1622–3 Read and his wife Elizabeth, together with Thomas Stephens, conveyed the tithes to William Calley and his son William. (fn. 197) For some years after this the descent of the tithes is obscure. In about 1672 the Rector of Draycot, Thomas Twittee, who was also Vicar of Chiseldon, claimed the tithes from the Chiseldon lands of Draycot Farm (fn. 198) and in the course of a lengthy law-suit, this issue became subordinate to the wider question of the right to take tithes, both great and small, from the whole parish. (fn. 199) Twittee denied all knowledge of the £7 composition payment, which had been agreed upon in 1572, and it seems that some time before 1660 a modus of £30 in lieu of all tithes had been substituted, (fn. 200) although it is not clear to whom this was payable. In 1672, as a result of Twittee's legal proceedings, it was decreed that the rector was entitled to all tithes in the parish of Draycot and that these were to be commuted for an annual payment of £65. (fn. 201) In 1683–4 the settlement was reaffirmed. (fn. 202) In 1812 the value of the rectory was reckoned at £200, (fn. 203) a sum, for the most part, presumably, still made up of tithe. In 1843 the great and small tithes of the parish were commuted for £180, which was payable to the Rector of Draycot Foliat. (fn. 204) Thereafter the net value declined from £165 in 1835 to £108 in 1897, while in 1915 the rectory was valued at £100 net. (fn. 205) In 1867 it was noted that the Vicar of Chiseldon, also licensed curate of Draycot Foliat, was assigned a stipend by the Bishop of Salisbury and that this was paid by the sinecure rector, (fn. 206) but the amount of the stipend is not known.

At some date between 1208 and 1214 the Rector of Draycot Foliat had a hide of land in demesne. (fn. 207) The rectorial glebeland was reputedly divided amongst the landholders of Draycot Foliat in 1572, when the church was closed, and in 1694–6 was said to have contained two yardlands. (fn. 208) At the end of the 17th century 4 a. of the former glebe lay in the Great Field of Draycot, which was a large parcel of arable in the south-eastern corner of the parish, and part of Draycot alias Neale's (later Sheppard's) Farm. (fn. 209) In 1699 the Rector of Draycot attempted to recover these 4 a., (fn. 210) but the outcome of his claim is unknown.

In 1550 the parishioners reported that the rector, Thomas Parham, was unable to discharge the cure, and three years later complained that no quarterly sermons were preached. (fn. 211) The rector employed curates in 1550 and 1553. (fn. 212)

The church at Draycot was apparently demolished soon after 1572 (fn. 213) and the materials of the former church used to repair the parish church of Chiseldon, where the north aisle subsequently became known as the Draycot aisle. (fn. 214) Twittee, on becoming Rector of Draycot Foliat in 1664, was inducted on the site of the former church, (fn. 215) which lay close to the ancient nucleus of the parish, near the track which formerly ran north-westwards to meet the Ridge Way. In 1857 it was still possible to discern the ground plan of the church, the nave of which was 60 ft. long and 20 ft. broad, while at the eastern end lay a chancel, which measured 15 ft. in length and 15 ft. in breadth. (fn. 216) A parsonage house was said to have been acquired by Thomas Chaddington in 1572 and in 1694–6 was reputed to stand on land once held by Thomas Webb, the windows of whose house contained glass from the demolished church. (fn. 217) In 1553 a chalice and two bells were left for the use of the parish by the king's commissioners, while plate weighing 5 oz. was taken for the king's use. (fn. 218)

Nonconformity.

No evidence of dissent in Draycot has been found.

Education.

Children living in Draycot Foliat have always attended school at Chiseldon.

Charities.

No charities applicable to the ancient parish are known to exist.