Boxford, Berkshire

Archaeology

A number of Bronze Age features have been recorded near Boxford, and an urn of this period has been found. A hearth and pottery fragments from the Iron Age, including a La Tène pot, have been found near the north end of Boxford Common. Iron Age pottery fragments and a possible earthwork have also been found near Borough Hill. Mud Hall Cottage on Wyfield Farm is the site of a large Roman building which was excavated about 1870. Roman pottery and coins have been found at Boxford Rectory. The course of the Ermin Way Roman road that linked Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester) and Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester) passes through the south of the parish. A 140 yd section is visible from aerial archaeology near William's Copse. The Boxford Roman mosaic, perhaps 10 metres square, was found in 2017. It was on the floor of a villa dating from the 4th century AD.

Manor

In 958 King Eadred granted property at Boxore to his servant Wulfric, and in 968 King Edgar the Peaceful granted a similar amount of property here to his servant Elfwin. Both men ceded their holdings to Abingdon Abbey, which thus held the whole manor of Boxford before the Norman Conquest. Domesday Book of 1086 records Boxford as Bochesorne. It says under the list of lands that belonged to Abingdon Abbey:

Boxford House is a Grade II listed country house which is believed to date from 1825. It is built of ashlar masonry in a Gothic revival style, with mullioned and transomed windows. It has a slate roof and a parapet.

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of Saint Andrew consists of a chancel, nave, north aisle, north-west vestry, south porch and a west bell tower. The chancel may be Anglo-Saxon, and an Anglo-Saxon window was discovered in a wall of the church in 2011. The Jacobean pulpit dates from 1618, the font from about 1662 Much of the church was rebuilt in the Victorian era and in 1841 the north aisle was added.

Social and economic history

The village has a number of thatched cottages and a watermill. Boxford railway station was opened by the Lambourn Valley Railway in 1898 and closed by British Railways in 1960. Boxford is known for the Boxford Masques, an outdoor midsummer celebration, held on Hoar Hill in woodland above the village, overlooking the Lambourn valley. It was originally created in the late 19th century by Charlotte Peake, a local writer and lover of music, drama and poetry. The Boxford Masques were performed by locals and lasted up until the First World War. Annual performances were revived in the year 2000 by the Watermill Theatre of Bagnor, near Newbury, following extensive research by John Vigor.

Geography

Boxford has several sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); Easton Farm Meadow, Boxford Chalk Pit and Boxford Water Meadows.

Demography

References

Sources

References

1. "Key Statistics: Dwellings; Quick Statistics: Population Density; Physical Environment: Land Use Survey 2005".
2. Trevaskus, Rod. (31 August 2021). "Finds record for: BERK-D7676C". The Portable Antiquities Scheme.
3. "National Monuments Record".
4. "National Monuments Record (Monument No. 233551)".
5. "National Monuments Record (Monument No. 233581)".
6. "National Monuments Record (Monument No. 233554)".
7. "National Monuments Record (Monument No. 233557)".
8. "National Monuments Record (Monument No. 1307472)".
9. Evans, Martin. (3 September 2017). "'Most exciting Roman mosaic for 50-years' is discovered during community dig in Berkshire". The Daily Telegraph.
10. Page & Ditchfield, 1924, pages 44–48
11. (2003). "Domesday Book: A Complete Translation". [[Penguin Books]].
12. {{National Heritage List for England
13. "Saxon window sheds light on Boxford's past". [[Diocese of Oxford]].
14. Pevsner, 1966, page 93
15. and the west tower from about 1692.Pevsner, 1966, page 92
16. However, the arcade between the nave and north aisle was probably by [[John Oldrid Scott]] and Sons in 1908. The building is Grade II* listed.{{National Heritage List for England| num=1219764 |desc=Parish Church of St. Andrew |grade=II* |access-date=8 September 2017 |fewer-links=yes}}
17. {{National Heritage List for England
18. 'Charlotte Peake: A pioneer of drama in the countryside', ''Newbury Weekly News'', 26 July 1934
19. [https://www.boxfordmasques.org.uk/home/about-us/ The Boxford Masques website]
20. "Magic Map Application". Magic.defra.gov.uk.
21. "Magic Map Application". Magic.defra.gov.uk.
22. "Magic Map Application". Magic.defra.gov.uk.