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B E R K S H IR E .

d ir e c t o r y .]

COMPTON BE AU CH AM P.

67

for civil purposes only. The church of St. Sw ithin is rather h e a v y ; subsoil, chalk. The chief crops are
a small, plain flint fabric in the Early English style, wheat, barley, cats and turnips. The area is 2,1x2
consisting of chancel, nave, and a low wooden tower acres; rateable value, ,£609; the population in 1901
at the west end with 3 bells: it was restored in 1881 was 95.
by public subscription at a cost of ,£1,495: there are
Parish Clerk, Christopher Annetts.
80 sittings. The registers date from the year 1516.
Post Office.— Mrs. Rose M. Salt, sub-postm istress. L e t­
The livin g is a vicarage, net yearly value ,£151, with
ters received through Hungerford are delivered at
residence, in the gift of the Dean and Canons of W ind­
9.20
a.m. & dispatched at 3.55 p.m. No Sunday
sor, and held since 1911 by the Rev. Charles Rhodes
delivery of letters. The nearest money order office
Hall B.D. of Durham University, vrho is also rector
is at Hungerford, 6 miles distant, & telegraph office
of and resides at Butterm ere. Here formerly stood a
at Inkpen, 3 miles distant
convent connected with the Abbey of Bee in Normandy. Elementary School (mixed), restored & reopened (1894),
There is a charity of about 13s. a year, left by the late
at the expense of A. C. Cole esq. will now hold 28
Mr. Skinner, form erly lessee of the great tithes, to be
children; average attendance, 18; Miss Dingwall,
given to the poor either in bread or money on Christ­
mistress
mas Eve. A. C. Cole esq. of 64 Portland place W. is
lord of the manor and sole landowner. The soil i« Carrier to Newbury.— Frederick Annetts, thurs
Annetts Fredk. shoe ma. & shopkpr , Blandlord Edwin George, farm bailiff! Richards Andrew John, gamekeeper
I to A. C. Cole, esq
'
I to A. C. Cole esq
C O M P T O N (or Compton Parva) is a pretty village
and parish, w ith a station on the Didcot, Newbury and
W inchester branch of the G reat W estern railway, 62
miles from London and 9 north-east from Newbury,
in the Southern division of the county, hundred of
Compton, petty sessional division of Ilsley, union and
county court 'd istrict of Wantage, rural deanery of
_
W allingford, archdeaconry of Berks and diocese of
Oxford
The church, assigned hy various modern
authorities to S t i 7 , St^ Sw ith in and St. Nicholas,
is situated about a quarter of a m ile from the village,
and is a small building of flint in mixed styles, consistine of chancel, nave, vestry, south porch and a
western em battled tower of stone containing 6 bells:
the chancel has Early English lancet windows and
similar windows light the nave on the north side,
several of which are now filled with stained glass: the
lower part of the tower is Transition Norman, but has
a Perpendicular west window: on the north side of the
church are four Transition Norman arches, now blocked
up, the aisle having been destroyed: there is a plain
Norman font: a brass is recorded here to Richard
Pvgott and Alice his -wife, c. 1520: the chancel has
been beautifully decorated at the expense of the late W.
Gray esq. formerly lay rector, the work being carried
out by Mr. N. W estlake, of London: on the north side
is an altar tomb, but without inscription: there are
200 sittings. The register dates from the year 1553.
The livinLr is a vicarage, net yearly value .£300, 'with
q acres of glebe and residence, in the gift of Lady
W antage, and held since 1910 by the Rev. Charles
Molyneux Moody Jotcham M.A. of St. John’s College,
Oxford. There is a Prim itive Methodist chapel here,
which has a small burial ground attached. The
present hundred of Compton is called in Domesdaj
•• Nachededorne,” as is believed, from a single thorn
tree, which, according to Asser, stood on the battlefield
of “ JScesdune,” somewhere between Cholsey and
Cwichelm's “ hlaewe,” or hill, now called “ Cuck-

ham sley,” but locally known to the country folk as
** Scuchamore knob.” South of the village is an en­
campment at the top of the Down, known as “ Perborough Castle ” (per, a ram part, and beorgh. a
! fortified place), from which, eastwards, a good view
is obtained of “ Low bury,” another ancient m ilitary
station, and the highest hill in the county, being
1 830 feet above the sea level; near Perborough,
remains of burnt dwellings, pit dwellings and a cursus
have been m et with, as ^ l l a s R o m a n p o t e r y and
coins; in the ‘ Cross-barrow
here short km ves end
the iron boss of a shield were found
The vale on, the
north, towards Blewbury, is called
the Slad.
Here
pottery, tiles, bones and oyster
m large quantities, besides coins of several Roman
Emperors, from Probus (A.D 276) to Gratian
(A D
367)- Racehorses are trained here on the Downs Lady
Wantage, of Lockm ge Park is lady of the manor
j East Com pton^and Alfred Stevens e * q . 2 ™ . . .
the manor of West Compton. The principal landowneis
are the owners of the manors and Messrs. Baker and
James Bradfield esq. of Woodrows. The soil is chalk
and flin t; subsoil, chiefly chalk. The chief crops are
wheat, oats, barley and roots. The area is 35863
acres, of which about 300 are downs; rateable value,
£2.590; the population in 1901 was 623.
Parish Clerk, George Monger.
Post, M. 0 . &■ T. Office.— Miss Matilda Dearlove, subpostmistress. Letters from Newbury, via Ilsley,
arrive at 7.25 a.m. & 1 p.m. ; dispatched from
Compton, 10.40 a.m. & 3-2° ’ 5-45 & 7 -2° P-m - > Sun­
days, arrive at 7.25 a.m. ; dispatched, 4.30 p.m
Elem entary School (mixed), built in 1855» ^or 100
children, & enlarged in 1892 & again in 1901, for 180
children & altered in 1909 to accommodate 152;
average attendance, 99; Richard Johns, m aster;
Mrs. Sarah Johns, mistress
Railway Station, Arthur May, station master

C O M M ER CIA L.
P B IV A T E

R E S ID E N T S .

Baker Thomas & Sons, iron founders.
White W all iron works
Baker George Lewis, W hite Wall ho
Bradfield
James, farmer. Woodrows
Brown Mrs Roden house
(postal address, Aldworth, Reading)
Burder Mrs. Compton house
Brown George, blacksmith
Hughes W alter Alfred, Thorn down
Cannon Thomas Leonard’ Gilbert, Cannon Thomas Leonard Gilbert,
trainer of racehorses
Hamilton house
Chandler Henry, farmer, Wood view
Cundell Leonard Ambrose
Benefit Society
Jotcham Rev
Charles Molyneux Compton Pilgrim
(F. W. Woodley sec;
Moody M.A. (vicar)
Swan
hotel
Phelip? Rev. Henrv Bonnet M.A
Cosburn Frank
Stevens Alfred J.P. Church farm
Cundell Leonard Ambrose, trainer
Turvey W alter, Clarence villa
of racehorses
C O M P T O N B E A U C H A M P is a parish and village
near the base of a hill and commanding a fine view
of the adjoining vale, 4 miles east from Shrivenham
station on the Great W estern railway,
south-west
from Faringdon and 8$ w est from W antage, in the
Northern division of the county, hundred of Shriven­
ham , petty sessional division, union and county court
district of Faringdon, rural deanery of the Yale of
W hite Horse, archdeaconry of Berks and diocese of
Oxford. The church of St. Sw ithin is a cruciform
building of stone, in the E arly English and Decorated
styles, consisting of chancel, nave, transepts, north
porch and a western tower w ith broach pyram idal roof
containing one h e ll: the chancel retains an Early
English sedile and p iscina: the east window is partially
filled with ancient glass, as is also the top of the east
window in the north transept, and there are also four

Fulkex Thom as James, Red Lion P.H
Horsman Alfred '& Sons, coal, corn,
hay & straw m erchants & carmen
King Thom as M argetts, grocer, as­
sistant- overseer & assessor of
taxes for Compt-on
Kington W illiam Edwin,baker & grcr
Slade Edward W illiam Kittow , far­
mer, New farm
Stevens Alfred J.P. farmer, Church
Manor & Roden farms
Stone George Ernest, farm bailiff to
Alfred Stevens esq. J.P. The Yew&
Woodley Francis W illiam , grocer

small memorial window s: there is also a low side
window in the chancel and a high side window in the
n av e: in the chancel are m ural epitaphs to M argaret
W hite, ob. 20th July, 1627; and Christian W hite, ob.
May 21st, 1618; and a brass to “ M agister ” Frampton,
1450, an early rector of this ch u rch : there are 100
sittin gs: in the churchyard, near the chancel, are
several large tombs to the Langley and Hawkswell
families. The register dates from the year 1551. The
living is a rectory, net yearly value £ 2x0, including 20
acres* of glebe, with residence, in the g ift of the Earl
of Craven, and
held since 1910 by the Rev. George
Frederick Eyre M .A. of T rinity
College, Oxford.
Langley’s charity of £ 2 10s. yearly, is for bread, and
for m aintaining the tombs of the
Langley fam ily.
Compton House, now (1911) unoccupied, is an ancient
mansion of stone in the Italian style, w ith a central
BERK«.

5*