Thame in the Medieval Period (1066-1485)

Old Thame grew from the Anglo-Saxon Minster. Both St Mary’s parish church and the Prebendal (built to house the bishop’s representative) were established in the thirteenth century. The area around the altar still dates from the 1240s.

Priestend had its own field system and was not part of the manor of Thame. It was endowed to the prebendary by the Bishop of Lincoln.

In an early example of town planning, the bishop set aside fifty acres to create New Thame’s wide High Street, with its burgage plots and market (from which he obtained an income). Permanent structures gradually replaced market stalls.

The town was surrounded by 5,000 acres of agricultural land including Rycote Manor and Thame Abbey (later Thame Park). The tenant farmers paid rent to the bishop.