of the Seven Bridges Road (formerly, Botley Causeway) which gave a more convenient access from Oxford across the many-streamed Thames valley to the road to Bath and the west. Before that, the route went north from Oxford through Walton for about a mile; then turned westward; crossed the main Thames at Binsey ford; and thence advanced across various branches of Thames by bridges, whose abutments remained till living memory, to Seukeworth, just south of the branch of Thames which parts Oxfordshire from Berkshire. There is some confusion about the dates of the de Seukeworth family. Wood, basing his judgement on Brian Twyne's excerpts, assumed that William of Seuke|worth gave the tithe of his mills (no. 25) to Godstow at the foundation, in 1138/9. This cannot be, since the first list in which the grant is mentioned is Henry II's second charter (no. 879), i.e. about 1165. The family descent seems to be—Robert of Seukeworth, about 1140; William, about 1165; Robert, 1200; Sir William, 1230; Dionysia, 1260. The church (no. 27), or chapel-of-ease, of Seukeworth was a benefaction of the family to Studley Priory in Oxfordshire. At the dissolution, 1540, Godstow still owned (Monast. iv. 375) a parcel of meadow called Secourt ham, valued at 3s. 4d. a year, and then reckoned to be in Wytham parish.]
About 1165. Grant to Godstow, by William of Sewke|worth, as a nun's dower, of the tithes of two mills there, and grant of five acres of meadow. Also con|firmation of his (step?) son's gift of Easington church (no. 438) with land and tithe in Easington.
THE sentence of thys chartur is, that William of Sewekeworth willith to be know that he grauntyd & gaf to god & to our lady seynt Marye, & to the churche of Godstowe, & to the holy mynchyns there seruinge god, for the helthe of hys sowle, & of hys chyldyrn, & of hys aunceters, with hys wyfe also, the whyche he toke ['Take' is used as equivalent to 'give.' The Latin is: 'cum uxore mea, quam in illis praefatis sanctimonialibus ad deo servien|dum commisi.'] to kepe to the forseyd holy mynchons to serue god:— that is to say, he grauntyd & gaf to the holy my[n]chons a-foreseyde tethe of hys too Millis of Sewekeworth in corne, money, & fysshes; Also v. acris of hys demayne medewe, namede heahitte [Latin is: 'heaheite.'] ; Also, by hys owne consent & meuynge of hymselfe & of hys wyf, Turstyne, hys sone of wedloke, gaf & grauntyd to the forseyd churche of Godstowe the churche of esdome & a yerde of londe of hys owne demayne, & tythe of the same towne a-fore-sayd. He, hys wyf, & hys sone, gafe & grauntyd [In margin is put: '¶ for Sewkeworth.'] all these thynges to be hadde for euyr in almys to the churche of Godstowe, And gaf goddys-curs to all aduersaries & by-nemers [Latin is: 'ablatores.'] of thys gyft, & prayed veniaunce of god to falle to hem: these beynge wytnes: & is with-out date.
