Page 7 - Moreton Village Only Book

Moreton Village Only 7

Whereas up to the end of the 18th century very little has been recorded regarding
Moreton, as we enter the 19th century and go forward, we encounter a rich seam of
information regarding the hamlet and its inhabitants and where many “national events”
have an effect, in their own way, on Moreton.

In the early 1800’s, a troop of volunteer riflemen raised by Squire Wykeham of
Tythrop Manor practised on Sundays at Moreton Field Farm to be ready to give Napoleon
a warm welcome! The fact that Moreton Fields were some 130 miles from where
Napoleon would have landed at Dover shows the patriotic fervour exhibited by the
landowners of the time who wished to be seen to be “doing their bit”. Nearly one and a
half centuries later, during World War II, the lads of Moreton would go to the same
place (“The Butts”) to dig the lead out the
spent dum-dum bullets that had been used
for target practice. Who knows if they may
have found some old musket balls as well
as what was then modern ammunition.

At about the same time, Moreton’s
water (drawn from wells and springs) was
considered to be so good that the hamlet
became the centre of the local brewing
industry and this activity is frequently
recorded in reference to John North who,
around the 1860’s, was the blind landlord
of the Royal Oak and who brewed and
served his own beer. His beer was renowned
to be of such quality that the saying in
Thame at the time and well into the 20th Brook Cottage – early 1900’s.
century was “go to Moreton and know the
rights of it”. It is sad to record as we enter
the 21st century that not only is beer no
longer brewed in Moreton but there is no
longer even a pub in which to serve it.

An important development for Moreton
was the Enclosure Acts of 1830. Prior to
1830, the land had been farmed on the
“open field system” (excluding the land
owned by the large estates such as Thame
Park). The land around villages was divided
into large fields which were then divided into
smaller plots which were shared out amongst
the villagers (the “freeholders”). Poorer
ground was used as common grazing land
with each freeholder being allowed to graze
a certain number of stock. The system, Prospect Cottage – early 1900’s.
although it worked, was inconvenient as a
freeholder could have plots in several
different areas often a very long way apart
and in early spring of each year the cattle
and sheep had to be moved (or sold at
market) to allow the grass to grow for
mowing. If a freeholder had not stored his
hay into store by Lammas Day (1st August)
when the animals were returned to the
grazing land for the winter, then fodder
would have to be provided from other sources,
the land often being too poor to support
the stock throughout the winter. As the
1820 map of Thame Fields shows, some
land around Thame had already been
enclosed and all land was enclosed under
the Enclosure Acts of 1830. Elm Tree Cottage – circa 1950.