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Ducklington is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush south of Witney in West Oxfordshire. ==History== Ducklington is one of the earliest Saxon parishes to be recorded in Oxfordshire. In a charter of AD 958 King Edgar the Peaceful granted at Ducklington to his Minister, Eanulf. The toponym "Ducklington" may originate from ''"Ducel's Farm"'' or ''"the farm of the sons of Docca"'', but it is locally thought to have originated from the central duck pond, where many ducks and ducklings have lived for centuries. After the Norman Conquest Ducklington was held by Robert D'Oyly, a Norman nobleman who took part in William I's conquest of England. The Dyve family then held the Lordship of Ducklington throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, living there until early in the reign of Edward III. The Church of England parish church of Saint Bartholomew〔(Parish Church of Saint Bartholomew )〕 is 12th century. The Gothic Revival architect E.G. Bruton restored the building in 1871.〔 The bell tower has a ring of six bells〔(Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers, Witney & Woodstock Branch: Witney & Woodstock Bell Towers )〕 including one cast by Henry Bagley of Chacombe in 1732. The village also has a Baptist Chapel.〔(Oxfordshire Churches & Chapels: Ducklington )〕 The former village schoolhouse was built in 1858.〔 The modern Ducklington Church of England Primary School is across the village green from the original site.〔(Ducklington CE Primary School )〕〔(Ducklington Pre-School )〕 Today, Ducklington is notably for the rare Fritillary flower (mainly of the Snake's Head variety), many of which grow in a specially designated meadow just outside the village. Before the Second World War, many fritillaries had grown on fields all over the Windrush Valley. However, the national drive for food production during the war meant that most meadows were intensively ploughed, the rivers dredged, and consequently the fritillaries were lost. Only the current fritillary field was left coincidentally unploughed. The flowers have survived with help from both locals and farmers. Once a year, the local community celebrates Fritillary Sunday when the field, church and hall are opened so that the public may walk amongst and enjoy the flowers. The celebration has been featured in ''Country Life'' magazine. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ducklington」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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