Aldworth Berkshire Family History Guide
Aldworth is an Ancient Parish in the county of Berkshire.
Parish church:
Parish registers begin: 1556
Nonconformists include: Primitive Methodist
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
- Moulsford
- Aston Upthorpe
- Aston Tirrold
- Streatley
- Compton
- Blewbury
- Hampstead Norreys
- Ashampstead
- Cholsey
Parish History
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
ALDWORTH, or Allder, a parish in Wantage district, Berks; in a high hilly tract, near Icknield-street, 3 miles WSW of Goring r. station, and 4 E by S of East Ilsley. Post Town, Ashampstead under Reading.
Acres, 1,960. Real property, £2,119. Pop., 275. Houses, 64. The manor belonged to the family of De la Beche, one of whom was tutor to the Black Prince; and a farm called Beach was the site of their baronial castle.
The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Oxford. Value, £449. Patron, St. John’s College, Cambridge. The church contains nine remarkable monuments of the De la Beches, two of them altar-tombs, and all so interesting, that Queen Elizabeth made a journey on horseback to see them. A yew-tree, 27 feet in girth, is in the churchyard.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales 1851
Aldworth. a parish in the hund. of Compton, union of Wantage, Berks ; 4 miles east by south of East Ilsley.
Living, a vicarage formerly in the archd. of Berks and dio. of Salisbury, now in the dio. of Oxford; rated at £8 16s. 0½d.; gross income £472. Patrons, the master and fellows of St. John’s college, Cambridge.
Beach farm, in this parish, is supposed to be the site of an ancient baronial castle and mansion belonging to the family of De la Beche. Pop., in 1801, 273; in 1831, 288. Houses 59. Acres 1,960. A. P. £2,201. Poor rates, in 1837, £155.
Source: The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales; A Fullarton & Co. Glasgow; 1851.
Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales 1850
Aldworth, 3 miles S. E. Ilsley. P. 314.
Source: Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales; Second Edition; C. W. Leonard, London; 1850.
Crosby’s Complete Pocket Gazetteer of England and Wales 1815
Aldworth, or Alder, (Berks) a small village, pleasantly situated on a hill about 4 miles S. E. of llsley.
It appears to have been a place of great antiquity, and formed part of the possessions of the family of De la Beche, who flourished here during the reigns of Edward II. and III. The site of this mansion is now called Beche Farm, but no vestiges of the ancient structure can be traced.
The church is a very old building, containing 9 capital monuments of the De la Beche family; and in the church-yard is a prodigiously large yew tree, the trunk measuring 9 yards in circumference at upwards of 4 feet from the ground. The shape is somewhat like that of an urn, and the branches spread to a considerable distance.
Source: Crosby’s Complete Pocket Gazetteer of England and Wales 1815; Baldwin, Cradock & Joy.
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Census
Census returns for Aldworth, 1841-1891
Church Records
Computer printout of Aldworth, Berkshire, England
Cemeteries
Poorhouses & Poor Law
Schools
Admission registers, 1917-1960 Author: Aldworth Church of England School (Aldworth, Berkshire)
Directories
Aldworth – Kelly’s Post Office Directory 1869 – Google Books
Aldworth Kellys Berkshire Directory 1869
Aldworth is a village and parish, 13 miles west from Reading, and 47 from London, in the hundred of Compton, union and county court district of Wantage, rural deanery of Walllngford, archdeaconry of Reading, and diocese of Oxford. The church of St. Peter is an ancient fabric of Mixed Gothic architecture, with tower, nave, south aisle and chancel: the interior contains several monuments, on which lie effigies of the family of De La Beche, which is supposed to have come over to England with William the Norman, and some of whom have been buried in this church: these figures, nine in number, were very much mutilated in Oliver Cromwell’s time: the foundation of a castle was laid by this family in the neighbourhood, upon the site of which now stands a farm-house: in the churchyard is a very ancient yew tree, which measures nine and a half yards round the trunk, and is supposed to be older than the church. The living is a vicarage, annual value £450, with residence, in the gift of St. John’s Collage, Cambridge, and held by the Rev. Francis L. Lloyd, B.D., of that college. The Primitive Methodists have a chapel here. J. B. Monck, Esq., is lord of the manor and chief landowner. The soil is chalk and clay; subsoil, chiefly chalk. The chief crops are wheat, barley and roots. The population in 1861 was 275; the area in acres is under 2,000.Parish Clerk, Joseph Johnson.
Letters from Reading, via Pangbourne; the latter is the nearest money order office
Parish School, Miss Emma Davies, mistress
Lloyd Rev. Francis L. B.D. [vicar]
Belcher John, shopkeeper
Hammond John B. farmer
Hammond Richard B. farmer
Hunt James, wheelwright
Hunt Sarah (Mrs.), Bell inn
Johnson Joseph, cooper
Josey Charles, grocer & beer retailer
Robins James, farmer
Rowle Charles, farmer
White Charles (Mrs.), beer retailer
White John, blacksmith
Source: Post Office Directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire; E. R. Kelly; Kelly & Co., London. 1869.
Aldworth Cassey History, Gazetteer and Directory of Berkshire and Oxfordshire 1868
Is a small village and parish, 12 miles west from Reading, and 47 from London, in the hundred of Compton, union of Wantage, and diocese of Oxford. The church of St. Peter is an ancient fabric, of Mixed Gothic architecture, with tower, nave, south aisle, and chancel: the interior contains several monuments, on which lie the effigies of the family of De La Beche, which is supposed to have come over to England with William the Norman, and some of whom have been buried in this church; these figures, nine in number, were very much mutilated in Oliver Cromwell’s time: the foundation of a castle was laid by this family in the neighbourhood, upon the site of which now stands a farmhouse: in the churchyard is a very ancient yew tree, which measures nine and a half yards round the trunk, and is supposed to be older than the church. The living is a vicarage, annual value £450, with residence, in the patronage of St. John’s College, Cambridge. Here is a Primitive Methodist chapel. J. B. Monck, Esq., is lord of the manor of Aldworth, and chief landowner. The population in 1861 was 275; the area in acres is under 2,000. The soil is chalk and clay, and the crops are wheat, barley, and roots.
Letters through Pangbourne.
Lloyd Rev. Francis Llewelyn, B.D.
Belcher John, shopkeeper
Godfrey Charles, farmer
Hammond John B., farmer
Hammond Richard B., farmer
Hunt J., wheelwright
Hunt Sarah, Bell inn
Johnson Joseph, cooper
Jorey Charles, grocer, &c.
Robins James, farmer, Beech farm
Rowles Charles, farmer, and landowner, Pibworlh
White Charles, beer retailer
White John, blacksmith
Source: Edward Cassey and Co.’s History, Gazetteer and Directory of Berkshire and Oxfordshire 1868.
Administration
- County: Berkshire
- Civil Registration District: Wantage
- Probate Court: Court of the Archdeaconry of Berkshire
- Diocese: Pre-1836 – Salisbury, Post-1835 – Oxford
- Rural Deanery: Newbury
- Poor Law Union: Wantage
- Hundred: Compton
- Province: Canterbury