Public Services
Local Government and Public Service have always paid a great part in the life of King's Sutton. This section gives an insight into the various courts and public departments of the village and its surrounding countryside.
(All information provided below is transcribed from the book about King's Sutton printed in 1993 and should be read in that context)Local Government - Public Services
The Ancient Manor Courts
The ancient ceremony of the Court Leet and Court Baron of the two Manors of King's Sutton were held until the 1920s in the Court House.
The Courts were opened by the Bailiff and in October 1917 were presided over by Mr John Hunt, the Steward. The Court for the Parsonage Manor was held first and heard of the improvements made to the village green. Then followed the ceremony of passing the possession of various parts of the copyhold property from vendors to purchasers by the symbolic delivery of a rod.
The business of the General, and larger Manor, was then proceeded with and the jury made a presentment that "a fire had occurred in a cottage in the centre of the village and had not been re-erected thereby working a foifeiture to the Lord of the Manor."
Criminal Courts
At Banbury Assizes on December 31st 1845 a thirteen-year-old King's Sutton boy was committed for trial charged with obtaining knives from John Thomas, a cutler. He pleaded guilty and begged for mercy. The Recorder said, "he found from his past life he had been a very bad boy, and he should send him where he would be instructed to do better, and where he would learn to get an honest livelihood; but in order to do this it would be necessary to pass upon him sentence of transportation; that sentence however would not be carried into effect." It was reported that he had recently been in Northampton gaol for setting fire to premises in King's Sutton. A King's Sutton labourer aged 49 was charged the same year with stealing 12 Ibs. of bacon from Amos Kirby's shop and imprisoned for three months with hard labour. In 1847 a woman from Astrop was charged with stealing a basket from John Brightwell's carriers cart, John Brightwell was awarded £6.19s.6d. costs. The woman was also caught by George Morgan, Constable of King's Sutton, on another charge.
The Vestry Meeting
Prior to 1894 the parish affairs were dealt with by the Vestry Meeting whose members elected Overseers to carry out duties on its behalf. The parish was responsible for the relief of the poor, maintenance of roads and the appointment of a Highway Surveyor and two Parish Constables. The final meeting to appoint a Parish Constable was held in 1941 and the office was abolished by the Police Act of 1964.
The Vestry Meeting was also responsible for the Workhouse which, from records in the County Records Office, was situated between Wales Street and Upper Paradise. Documents show that 'And of all those 3 houses or cottages in King's Sutton aforesaid now or heretofore settled and made use of for the Workhouse of the said Parish of King's Sutton'. (King's Sutton Manor Workhouse Deed 17th April 1818. Signed at Hungerford), and from an entry in the Vestry Book dated May 13th 1840 it was 'Proposed and agreed that the two Parish Houses standing in the old workhouse yard should be sold and that Mr Wilkins, the owner of the adjoining property have first offer, - Also that the House William Heritage lives in nearly the bottom of Wales be kept on for the use of the Parish and another old House belonging to the Parish standing in Wales St adjoining Mr Tibbetts property be kept for the use of the Surveyors to keep their Tools in, and they keep it in repair for that purpose '. So it appears that the workhouse had closed by this time but one of the Parish cottages continued to house the fire engine, the gas lamps and the village bier until the 1960s when it was demolished. The bier was lost until 1993 when, during research, it was discovered in a barn. It is hoped that it will soon be restored.
During the 1860s the Vestry Meeting rated money to assist the poor in emigrating to the colonies and advertisements appeared in the local papers offering free land to those who would work in Canada.
The Parish Council The Parish Council was created as the result of the Local Government Act of 1894. A meeting was held in December 1894 in the National School to elect a Parish Council of 13 members, the result of the election was questioned and a request was made for a poll to be held. The meeting then adjourned until December 17th when the council was elected. However, as there was a tie for the thirteenth place and the returning officer had no casting vote only 12 members took office.
The responsibilities of the council are: Finance; Footway Lighting; Footpaths; The Cemetery; Recreation Ground; Retirement of Mr F Kerby, Clerk to the council circa 1960 The Parish Council 1993 The Reading Room
The Reading Room was an important part of the village life from 1875 to 1967 and given to the village by Sir William Brown of Astrop Park. Built in 1874 it was one of four cottages in Dobbin Street (Richmond Street), one of the others being for the caretaker.
The Recreation Ground
The King's Sutton and Astrop Recreation Ground, usually referred to as 'The Rec.', was also part of the Astrop Estate and was rented to the Parish Council by Sir William Brown, the owner, for 6d. a year. On the 24th July 1930 it was sold to the Parish Council for £5. In the conveyance between Frederick Richmond Brown, George Hunter Garnett-Orme and Julian Lawrence Fisher of the Manor House it describes the area as "In consideration of the sum of Five Pounds ALL THAT piece of land containing three acres two roods and seventeen perches or thereabouts situate on the North side of and having a frontage to Astrop Road ".
Certain stipulations were included and are still in being i.e. "adequate lighting should be provided, no buildings whatsoever (other than a shelter) be erected, no religious or social meeting or public speaking shall be permitted and the land should be open to the public throughout the year". A bye-law also sets out penalties for unlawful use by vehicles and machines "other than a wheeled bicycle, tricycle or similar machine, a wheelchair, perambulator or chaise drawn or propelled by hand. "
Police
There has been a village policeman for King's Sutton since 1890 when P.C. Packer held the position. Later occupants of the post were P.C.s Smith, Crisp, Bates, Webb, Wheeler, Dowding, Neasham, Coles, Isham, Vokes, Austin and Goddard. P.C. David Perkins now lives in the village but is also responsible for a number of other villages in the area. The first police house was the end house of the terrace near the Recreation Ground but when P.C. Neasham took over he lived in the present Police House.
The King's Sutton Fire Service is now provided by the nearby town of Brackley but the village once had its own wooden fire engine which was very cumbersome to move around. This was last used when George Blake's butcher's shop was burned down and is now in the Northampton Borough Museum.
Health
In 1866 when the Victorian vicarage was built in Astrop Road on the site now known as Vicarage Gardens a hospital with six beds was set up in the old vicarage to the west of the church almost exactly where the present vicarage stands. It was the only one of its kind within a distance of 30 miles, designed for the benefit and accommodation of the poor and supported by voluntary contributions aided by a small charge made to patients. About this time the roads were still cart tracks and mud was scraped from the surface when it got too thick. If someone was ill the practice was to spread straw on the road outside to lessen the noise of the horses and carriages. Villagers have been cared for by family doctors throughout the years but often families could not afford to pay fees and had to join 'the panel' or a hospital fund to ensure that they could receive treatment. The water from the Bog Spring and St. Rumbold's Well has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes and is analysed frequently to ensure it is safe.
In 1961 a weekly child health care clinic was set up by Nurse Mary Dawson with volunteer helpers. Mrs Irene Barnett helped at the first session and continued for 28 years until it closed. Mrs Rosie Clark and Mrs Sheila Hughes also worked voluntarily for over 20 years until the Northamptonshire Health Authority decided that, as mothers were taking children to their own doctors for check ups, there was no longer a need for this service. The clinic closed in 1989. Doctors today have their surgeries at Brackley or Banbury but hold consultations in the village. Our nearest hospital services are at the Horton Hospital in Banbury.
Street Lighting
Paraffin oil lamps were used from the end of the last century until 1912 and were lit each evening and put out at 9.30 pm. They had to be cleaned, have the wicks trimmed and be filled with oil regularly. Gas lighting replaced oil and was certainly in parts of the village by 1919 although Astrop House had its own private supply before that date and the cast iron gas pipes for most of the village were laid in 1935. The Wayleave records state that electricity first came to the village in 1931. Most cooking would have been done on the fire or paraffin stove before the arrival of electricity. In later years supplies to most households have been underground and work is now being carried out to remove the overhead cables and to install a high voltage line to give security of a second supply to the village.
Sanitation and Refuse Collection
Indoor sanitation was probably the last service to be provided throughout the village. Previously lavatories would be in the back garden, the waste buried and household refuse would be burned. Now householders put their rubbish into 'wheely bins' and it is collected once a week. Water was provided from the many wells that can be found round the village either being pumped or simply by using a bucket. When the first part of Newlands was built in 1939 a water tower was built between numbers 8 and 10 (now re-numbered 16-20) and the householders, Mrs Moreby and Mrs Ridge had to turn on the water for an hour morning and evening. However this was not sufficient for the families and piped water was installed in 1940.
Post Office and Telephones
The earliest records show that the Post Office was in the house now known as The Lace House in Astrop Road, at that time it was a shop run by John Dagley. In 1869 letters would be brought by foot from Banbury at 8.45am and collected at 4.15pm. Today we have a post van delivery twice daily to the Post Office in Red Lion Square and mail is delivered to the houses by foot. There are two post boxes, one at each end of the village.
The first telephone exchange opened on September 25th 1923. It was a Manual Exchange and had ten subscribers, the first four being Doctors Meikle and Rickards, Mrs McGinlay and Mr Stephen Spokes who lived at The Hollands (Holland House). Mrs McGinlay completed the last call on the manual exchange in March 1960 when an automatic King'sSuttonPost-OfficoewnedbyJames exchange replaced the manual one. That in turn was replaced by an electronic one in July 1974. This was an end of an era for King's Sutton as all subscribers were transferred to the dderbury exchange. Communications Communications today are widespread and immediate. Our radio and television bring news as it happens throughout the world. The most widely read local newspaper is The Banbury Guardian and there are two free news-sheets, The Banbury Cake and The Banbury Citizen. Local radio is covered by Radio Oxford and Radio Northampton from the BBC and Fox FM, an independent station, whilst television is transmitted by Central TV, BBC South East, BBC Midlands or satellite TV. The village has its own quarterly magazine, The King's Sutton Times produced by Davina Massey, Liz Moss, Jen Carter, Jean Wilkins and Trevor Yarborough. In the 1993 September edition advertisements including the following services appeared: plumbing, replacement windows etc., TV repair, landscape gardening, care for the elderly, hairdressing, catering, painting and decorating, electrical contracting, building work, dairyman, will-writing, a garden centre and a village inn.
The Village Green in the' Square and the grassed areas in Windsor Close.
It is consulted by the District Council on planning matters. The finance for the quarterly newsletter, 'The King's Sutton Times' and the weekly bus service to Banbury for pensioners comes from the parish council. The council also has concurrent powers with the District Council to provide allotments and other leisure facilities should they be requested although this would clearly necessitate additional revenue to be raised. The precept for 1993/4 is £19,773.
The first committee meeting was held on January 18th 1875 with Sir William as Chairman. "The supply of papers was discussed and The Times, Field, Land & Water, and Daily Telegraph were agreed. Chess, 'Drafts' and Dominoes were allowed but 'no party discussions '.' Sad to relate about 1880 there were records of vandalism and for a time it was closed to children, again in later years there were instances of anti- social behaviour which resulted in miscreants being barred from entry. George 'Brandy' Taylor recalled in an interview in 1978 that members were 'kicked out' if they did not abide by the rules.
On the death of Lady Brown in 1928, followed by the settlement of the estate, the Reading Room was handed over to Trustees to be kept for village use for ever. However, in 1967 the Parish Council gained the approval of the Charity Commissioners to sell the room in order to buy furniture for the Memorial Hall.
Fire Service
In 1869 there was a matron, a secretary, Samuel Lovell, a treasurer, Charles Willes and two surgeons, George C. Douglas and Delamark Freeman. Those suffering disease or accident were admitted but those who had any contagious disease were taken to the Pest House in the fields just beyond the Mill in Mill Lane where Purely Plants Garden Centre now stands. 
Mrs Fanny Wyatt, Midwife
Until the 1960s many babies were born at home and ladies such as Mrs Adams, Mrs Wyatt and Mrs Ridge would be called in to supervise the births along with looking after the sick and laying out the dead in their own homes.