History | Reed Business School

11th Century

The story begins

The recorded history of The Manor, begins in the 11th Century, but it’s likely that the village had already existed three or four centuries before this. In 1056 King Edward the Confessor re-founded the nearby monastery at Deerhurst as a priory dependent on the Great Abbey of St Denys near Paris, where many of France’s kings are buried.

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1539

The dissolution of the monasteries

In 1539, following the dissolution of the monasteries, The Manor passed into private ownership, its first owner being Sir Thomas Pope, the founder of Trinity College, Oxford who acquired the Manor in 1546/7. In 1641 The Manor was bought by the Juxon family and in 1644 passed to William Juxon, Bishop of London.

1582

William Juxon

William Juxon was born in 1582. He studied at Oxford and became a Law student of Gray’s Inn in 1603 but then decided to change his Law studies for the Church and took Holy Orders and became Vicar of St Giles, Oxford at the age of 27.

1625

William Juxon & Charles I

At the age of 37 he was elected president of St John’s College, Oxford and directed the early stages of building the library and rooms of that College. In the early days of the reign of Charles I, Juxon became Dean of Worcester and soon after the accession of Charles I in 1625 Juxon was appointed chaplain to the King.

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1632

William Juxon & Charles I

In 1632 he was made Clerk of the King’s Closet and then a year later he became Dean of the Chapel. This was the start of a long and close association with King Charles I and in 1632 he became Bishop of London and Lord Treasurer of England. As the Civil War drew near, he took the political decision to resign as Lord Treasurer. Juxon was a prominent figure during the Civil War and at the bequest of the King, during the King’s trial he voluntarily surrendered himself to arrest to share the King’s captivity and after the sentence of death, he rarely left the King.

1632

St Denys' church

He shared the last hours of the King and accompanied him to the scaffold in Whitehall for the King’s execution. His body was taken to Windsor where his body was embalmed under the direction of Bishop Juxon. A stained glass window in St Denys’ church adjacent to The Manor depicts four scenes representing Juxon’s role at the execution. The window was crafted by Mr Hugh Easton and commissioned in the 1920’s by Mrs Leverton Harris, a subsequent owner of The Manor.

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The Civil War

Little Compton

After the execution of the King, Juxon kept a low profile and spent a lot of time at The Manor where he had his own pack of hounds and was a keen huntsman. It is likely that he hunted deer and the small deer park within the grounds, which is still present today, dates back to this time.

Juxon Coat of Arms

Cromwell

There is a story, that some of Juxon’s Puritan neighbours, were keen to tell tales to Cromwell to stir up trouble. An occasion arose when Juxon’s hounds ran through Chipping Norton Churchyard during a time of public worship providing an opportunity to lodge a complaint to Cromwell. Upon receipt of this news Cromwell responded “Pray, do you think that the Bishop prevailed on the hare to run through the Churchyard at that time?”, the messenger responded “No and please your Highness, I did not directly say he did but through the holy ground the hare did go at that time”, Cromwell dismissed him “Get you gone, and let me hear no such frivolous complaints; while the Bishop continues not to give my government any offence, let him enjoy his diversion of hunting unmolested”.

Juxon’s retirement

Juxon spent his retirement at The Manor, deprived of his position of Bishop and took no part in public affairs. He did not worship at the adjacent Church, St Denys’ as this was held by a Puritan. Instead he walked every Sunday to the adjacent village Chastleton, with its Manor House owned by a loyalist, where he regularly performed divine services. The National Trust now own Chastleton House where the bible used by Juxon at the King’s execution is on display.

1719

Sir William Juxon

The property then passed to a nephew Sir William Juxon, baronet and in 1719 to his son of the same name who died in 1740 leaving a young widow who married again (to Viscount Fane) and survived until 1792.

1812

Sir Robert Hesketh

The Manor was then inherited by Sir Robert Hesketh, Baronet, who sold it to Michael Corgan a banker at Chipping Norton. In 1812 the banker became bankrupt and The Manor was sold to William Harbidge. He and his son occupied The Manor for most of the 19th Century.

1921

Leonard Lane Yelf

In the 20th century, The Manor was inherited by Leonard Lane Yelf and changed hands to Captain Henderson before it was bought by Frank Hawes.

1927

Major Freer

The house was then sold to Major Freer who then sold to Mrs Leverton Harris.

1928

Fire Destruction

Shortly after Mrs Leverton Harris bought The Manor, a serious fire broke out on Christmas Eve in 1928 spreading through the building and destroying the centre and west wing of The Manor. Thankfully nobody was injured however all the decoration that was of Juxon’s time was destroyed with the exception of the small panelled ground floor parlour. The panelling dates back to circa 1620 and the room today is used as an office.

1930's

Reconstruction

Following the devastation of the fire, Mrs Leverton Harris reinstated the mullion windows and reconstructed the interior. The following internal images are from an article that was published in Country Life magazine from July 1939.

In addition to the refurbishment of The Manor, throughout the 1930s the grounds were landscaped into the formal design that you see today.

A national treasure visits the manor

Sir John Betjeman

Sir John Betjeman, the most popular Poet Laureate was an undergraduate at Magdalen College, Oxford in 1925. During his time at Oxford he became friends with John Dugdale and the two of them spent a lot of time at Sezincote, which is a nearby estate close to Moreton in Marsh.
Whilst holidaying and weekending at Sezincote, Sir John met Camilla Russell, great niece of Leverton Harris, who lived in Little Compton whom he was engaged to for a short period of time. Camilla’s father, Russell Pasha, insisted that the engagement be broken off after he discovered a copy of James Hanley’s novel Boy which John had sent her.

1938

A Royal Connection

When Mrs Leverton Harris died in 1938, The Manor was bought in 1939 by Sir Edward ‘Fruity’ and Lady Alexandra Metcalfe, daughter of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India. Lady Alexandra hosted house parties at The Manor, attended by the high society of the 1930s. Her guests included Oswald Mosley, the founder of the British Union of Fascists before World War II and was her brother in law.

1948

The Prince of Wales

The Prince of Wales, who was crowned King Edward VIII before abdicating from the throne in 1936, was a close friend to Sir Edward Metcalfe who acted as ADC to the Prince. Both the Prince and Mrs Simpson were guests who stayed at The Manor.

In 1948 The Manor was bought by Mrs Dermot Daly, the widow of Captain Singer, of the Singer Sewing machine family, who was killed in the war. The formal gardens matured and flourished over time and were fortunate enough to be under the tender care of Joe Meredith, Head Gardener of The Manor grounds between 1955 – 1991. Joe dedicated his life to horticulture and was very involved with local garden organisations. A life-size sculpture of Joe can be seen watering the plants in the herbaceous borders during Spring Autumn.

1948

Joe

A Handkerchief tree has been planted in the orchard in memory of Joe for his dedicated services to The Manor grounds we see today.

1972

Sir Alec Reed

Sir Alec Reed bought The Manor in 1972 following a desire to own a farm. Sir Alec and his young family spent a short period of time living in the house before it was opened as a residential accountancy college named Reed College of Accountancy.

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The College

The College’s debut course had just three students. The Chartered accountancy courses for the examinations in the 1970s were run as eight-week crammer style courses with lectures running for 12 continuous days starting at 9am all the way through to 10pm at night.

1980s

Reed Business School

Reed Educational Trust, a registered charity, was formed in the late 1980’s and Reed College changed its name to Reed Business School which is now the trading arm of the Trust. All the profits from the Business School are covenanted up to the Trust donating funds to many charities which all have links to the enhancement of learning and education.

1980

Helping students pass

The Business School boasts impressive examination pass rates in the three main accountancy qualifications and has helped create thousands of qualified professionals over the 50 plus years it has been a tuition provider.

Woman giving a speech to a group of people

1980

First alumni

Some of the students who studied at The Manor in its early years are now partners in firms that are responsible for trainee accountants. Many of these alumni’s choose the Business School as their accountancy training provider based on their own experience of studying here at the start of their career and achieving exam success. 

In addition to the professional accountancy courses, the Reed Recruitment group host their residential management training courses at The Manor. The diversity of students provides a vibrant environment dedicated to learning and development. 

The Manor’s residential facilities include ten separate properties providing accommodation for up to 95 people.

Today

Running the Business School

Today, the Business School stands as a premier institution dedicated to providing top-tier education and professional development. We offer a diverse range of accredited qualifications across various industries, including accounting, human resources, and leadership. Our state-of-the-art facilities, expert tutors, and comprehensive support services create an enriching learning environment. Committed to fostering both personal and professional growth, we also host engaging training events and team-building activities, ensuring our students are well-prepared for success in their careers. 

The gardens are open to the public annually, making it a highly popular event that raises funds for charity. Our dedicated team, including established and experienced tutors, a skilled administration team, and diligent housekeeping staff, all play essential roles in maintaining The Manor, its grounds, and ensuring its success for future generations.

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