Editing Iffley

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{infobox UK place
|official_name= Iffley
|static_image_name= St Mary's Church, Iffley - geograph.org.uk - 1218597.jpg
|static_image_caption= [[St Mary the Virgin, Iffley|St Mary's parish church]]
|coordinates = {{coord|51.731|-1.227|display=inline,title}}
|os_grid_reference= SP535037
|population=
|population_ref=
|shire_district= [[City of Oxford|Oxford]]
|shire_county= [[Oxfordshire]]
|region= South East England
|country= England
|post_town= [[Oxford]]
|postcode_district= OX4
|postcode_area= OX
|dial_code= 01865
|constituency_westminster= [[Oxford East (UK Parliament constituency)|Oxford East]]
|website=
|pushpin_map = United Kingdom Oxford
}}
'''Iffley''' is a village in a designated [[Conservation area (United Kingdom)|conservation area]] in [[Oxfordshire]], England. It lies within the boundaries of the city of [[Oxford]], between [[Cowley, Oxfordshire|Cowley]] and the estates of [[Rose Hill, Oxford|Rose Hill]] and [[Donnington, Oxfordshire|Donnington]], and in proximity to the [[River Thames]] ([[The Isis|Isis]]). A notable feature is its largely unchanged [[Norman architecture|Norman]] church, [[St Mary the Virgin, Iffley|St Mary the Virgin]],<ref>[http://www.iffley.co.uk/ Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Iffley]</ref> which has a modern stained glass [[Nativity of Jesus|Nativity]] window designed by [[John Piper (artist)|John Piper]] and another window designed by [[Roger Wagner (artist)|Roger Wagner]]. The church is a [[Grade I listed]] building.

==History==
[[File:IffleyLockFromTowpath.jpg|thumb|The lock at Iffley village]]
{{quote|"In the chronicles of [[Abingdon Abbey]] (941 – 946) the place is called ''Gifteleia''. The [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 it is ''Givetelei''. [[Merton College, Oxford|Merton College]] records in the 1290s call it ''Iftele'' and ''Yiftele''; it is ''Yeftley'' to the civil servants writing up the Domesday of Inclosures, in Latin, in 1517 – 18; [[Lincoln College, Oxford|Lincoln College]] accounts, written less formally and in English, have ''Ifley'' by 1543, and it is ''Iffley'' or ''Iflie'' during the [[English Civil War|Civil War]] 1642 – 46. Clearly, the sound of the name — at a time when spoken forms were dominant — was fixed by then. Afterwards the Y survived in occasional use, but only lawyers bothered with the T..."<ref name=IHS3>[http://www.iffleyhistory.org.uk/History/History3.htm The Iffley History Society]</ref>}}

The ending of the name of this village near [[Oxford]], means "cleared ground": the [[Old English]] term for that was "ley" — just up the road from modern Iffley, the town of [[Cowley, Oxfordshire|Cowley]] also preserves the Old English ending and meaning in its name. No records of the foundation of Iffley have been found, but the reason for its founding is clear from the location: Iffley has a little hill, and so is the first place downriver from Oxford from which traffic on the [[Thames]] might be surveyed, and controlled — and where people might be safe from floods:

{{quote|"It is likely that the hill, running to 295 ft, now known as [[Rose Hill, Oxfordshire|Rose Hill]] and Iffley, was a desirable place to live, safe from any floods. Many other villages, above and below, are set back from the river to cater for floods."<ref name=IHS3/>}}

During the 12th century [[Oxford]] townsmen built a [[watermill]] at Iffley, which was bought by [[Lincoln College, Oxford]] in 1445: the mill burned in 1908, having survived for nearly 800 years. Products ground at the Iffley mill included malt, barley, corn and other cereals — for a brief time during the 15th century it was a [[fulling]] mill. The mill,

{{quote|"…was notorious for its arguments between bargees and millers, who being in possession of the lock, whether it was a flash or [[pound lock]], could preserve their head of water, and not let it flow down river, by opening the gates, as long as they wished."<ref name=IHS3/>}}

In 1156 Iffley was among the holdings of the [[Normans|Norman]] family of [[St. Remy]], until about 1200. They established Iffley as a parish, and built the [[parish church]], "in size and decorative splendour out of all proportion to the place".<ref name=IHS3/> The manor was owned by many, thereafter. The [[Archdeacon]]s of Oxford were given the right to appoint the parish priest in 1279: they held this until 1965, when the power was given to the Dean and Chapter of [[Christ Church, Oxford]].
[[File:IffleyVillageMap.png|thumb|Map of Iffley village]]
[[File:Fritillaries at Iffley Meadows.JPG|thumb|Fritillaries at Iffley Meadows]]

In 1921 the [[civil parish]] had a population of 405.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10333532/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Iffley CP/AP through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=6 April 2024}}</ref> On 1 April 1929 the parish was abolished and merged with [[St Giles and St John]] and [[Littlemore]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10333532|title=Relationships and changes Iffley CP/AP through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=6 April 2024}}</ref>

==Domesday Book entry==
{{quote|People mentioned: Abbey of St Mary of Winchcombe; Aelfgifu; Alnoth; Alric; Alwine; Azur; Bondi; Brian; Cynewig; [[Tostig Godwinson|Earl Tosti]]; Earl [[Aubrey de Coucy]] of Northumbria; Edwin the sheriff; [[Henry de Ferrers]]; Hugh; Hugh d'Ivry; Hugh de Bolbec; [[Edith of Wessex|Queen Edith]]; Ralph; Robert; Roger; Rolf; Swein; Turold; Walter; Walter Giffard; [[William Peverel]]; [[William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey|William de Warenne]]; William fitzAnsculf. Date: 1086<ref>[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7576866&queryType=1&resultcount=1 The National Archives Documents Online]. Description. Place name: Iffley, Oxfordshire. Folio: 157v Great [[Domesday Book]]. Domesday place name: Givetelei</ref>}}

==Iffley Meadows==
[[Iffley Meadows]] is a [[nature reserve]] occupying much of Iffley Island, an area of [[flood-meadow]] on the opposite side of the [[Thames]].<ref name="OCVMeadows">{{cite web |url=https://www.ocv.org.uk/sites.php?id=25 |title=Iffley Island, Oxford |work=Nature Reserves |publisher=Oxford Conservation Volunteers |access-date=2019-04-21 }}</ref> The reserve is managed by the [[Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust]] on behalf of [[Oxford City Council]].<ref name="OCCMeadows">{{cite web |url=https://www.oxford.gov.uk/directory_record/892/iffley_meadow_nature_reserve |title=Iffley Meadow Nature Reserve |work=Countryside and nature reserves |publisher=[[Oxford City Council]] |access-date=2019-04-21 }}</ref><ref name="BBOWTMeadows">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbowt.org.uk/nature-reserves/iffley-meadows |title=Iffley Meadows |work=Nature Reserves |publisher=[[Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust]] |access-date=2019-04-21 }}</ref> The meadows are notable for their large population of [[Fritillaria meleagris|snake's head fritillaries]].<ref name="GuardianFritllaries">{{cite news |last=Simons |first=Paul |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/apr/22/plantwatch-snakes-head-fritillary-flower-iffley-meadows-oxford |title=Plantwatch: A rare glimpse of a field full of 'the snaky flower' |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=2015-04-22 |access-date=2019-04-21 }}</ref>

==Notable people==
*[[Thomas Nowell]] (1730–1801), clergyman and historian<ref name="NowellDNB">{{cite ODNB |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/20382 |title=Nowell, Thomas (1730?–1801) |last=Caudle |first=J. J. |date=23 September 2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/20382 |access-date=10 July 2018 }}</ref>
*[[Frank Bickerton]] (1889–1954) [[Antarctic]] explorer and [[World War I]] aviator<ref>[[United Kingdom Census 1901|1891 Census of Headington District]], RG11/1166, Folio 49, page 9.</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ames |first1=Jonathan |title=Oxford professors win court battle over hotel privacy breach |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/oxford-professors-court-battle-hawkwell-house-hotel-5hl7qg2mm |access-date=20 December 2024 |work=[[The Times]] |date=19 December 2024}}</ref>
*[[John Grimley Evans]] (1936–2018), gerontologist<ref>{{cite news|title=Sir John Grimley Evans|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/sir-john-grimley-evans-obituary-0zlffvcd8|access-date=29 April 2018|work=[[The Times]]|date=24 April 2018}}</ref>
* [[Peggy Seeger]] (b.1935), American folk singer<ref>Tim Hughes, [http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/leisure/musics/music/10810939.Protest_singer_Peggy_Seeger_is_still_a_rebel_with_a_cause/ "Protest singer Peggy Seeger is still a rebel with a cause"], ''Oxford Mail'', November 14, 2013.</ref>
* [[Stephen R. Lawhead]] (b. 1950), writer<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oxford.anglican.org/stephen-lawhead/ |title=God in the life of Stephen Lawhead  |last=Duckles |first=Jo  |date=14 January 2015 |website= |publisher=[[Diocese of Oxford]] |access-date=14 February 2021 |quote=}}</ref>
* [[Barten Holyday]] (1593–1661), clergyman, poet, and translator

==See also==
The village of Iffley has given its name to:

* [[St Mary the Virgin, Iffley]], the parish church
* Iffley College, the original name of [[Wolfson College, Oxford|Wolfson College]]
* {{stnlnk|Iffley Halt}}, a former railway station on the [[Wycombe Railway]]
* [[Iffley Lock]] on the [[River Isis]]
* Iffley Mill, locally famous for the spectacular fire that burnt it down in 1908
* [[Iffley Road]] in east Oxford

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book |editor-last=Lobel |editor-first=Mary D |editor-link=Mary Lobel |title=[[Victoria County History]]: A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 5: Bullingdon Hundred |year=1957 |pages=189–206}}
*{{cite book |last1=Sherwood |first1=Jennifer |last2=Pevsner |first2=Nikolaus |author-link2=Nikolaus Pevsner |title=[[Pevsner Architectural Guides#Buildings of England|The Buildings of England]]: Oxfordshire |year=1974 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |location=Harmondsworth |isbn=0-14-071045-0 |pages=658–662}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Iffley}}
* [https://friendsofiffley.org/ Iffley Village Friends]
* [https://iffleychurch.org.uk/ Iffley Parish]
* [http://www.iffleymusicsociety.org.uk/ Iffley Music Society]
* [http://www.iffleyhistory.org.uk/ Iffley History Society]
* Iffley Conservation Area [http://www.oxford.gov.uk/PageRender/decP/Iffley_occw.htm]

{{Oxford}}

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[[Category:Areas of Oxford]]
[[Category:Populated places on the River Thames]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Oxfordshire]]
[[Category:Conservation areas in England]]